My First Week

So much has happened in the last week that I think I shall give you day by day info!

Friday 26th June

This was our first day off since we arrived so went went to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure for the day. Rachel's friend from home (he got here in February), Dan also came with us and advised us to purchase a yearly ticket for both parks for $160, this seemed like a good idea as once we've been three times we are already making use of it so we all bought one. As soon as we reached the front of the queue for Islands of Adventure the heavens opened and it began to pour so we bought some very attractive ponchos and headed over to Universal as most of their rides are inside. Fortunately the the rain didn't last long and we had a great day. We went on the new Simpsons ride which is excellent and lots of others including Terminator and The Mummy. We also had a look at the new rollarcoaster which is opening soon, it looks awesome, when you ride you choose your own music to listen to as you go round, can't wait to try it!

We went back to Islands of Adventure later in the afternoon to go on some of the bigger rides, we went on Spiderman, The Incredible Hulk and Jurrasic Park where we got absoloutly soaked! It was a wicked day.

Saturday 27th June

We had our 'Traditions' class which started at 6.15 in the morning! We had to go to Disney University which was so cool and it was actually a really fun day! We had a talk from two Disney cast members called Tony and Eric, they spoke to us about the Disney basics and showed us some videos. We also had a couple of games, one where we had to name as many Disney characters in a minute as we could think of. Of course us girls won, we managed 43! Yay! We also received our name tag and Disney ID. Our Disney ID is the coolest thing, this gets us into the Disney parks for free and also gets us alot of discounts in shops and restaurants!

Sunday 28th June

This was our first day of on the job training. Beth and I had to take the bus to Epcot where we were assigned trainers for the day, mine was James. We received out costumes which are hilarious! They consist of a white blouse and a white and yellow stripey skirt, at least ours is more attractive than the food and beverage cast members! We were shown the shops and stall they have in the UK pavillion and we were told soooo many things I can't remember! We were also given our login IDs for The Hub which is a website for all cast memebers to check their schedules etc. We went through the Disney basics again on the shop floor and we had to give examples etc. The Disney basics are below:

I project a positive image and energy.
I am courteous and respectful to all Guests, including children.
I stay in character and play the part.
I go above and beyond.

In the evening we went to Downtown Disney where some crazy American man started chatting to us. He told us that he had family in the UK although he couldn't remember where and asked what there was to do in the UK. I told him to visit London and he didn't realise that London was in England- eek. He also asked for our e-mail addresses but fortunately none of us had a pen!

We then headed over to House of Blues which is a club/bar in Disney. The music was great, apparently its one of the only places in Florida that plays house music as everywhere else plays R&B. There were even guys on the dancefloor breakdancing, it was like something out of a movie lol. Also the drinks were free before midnight!

Monday 29th June

This was another long day! We had to go back to Disney University for more training. First we had a couple of online tests on safety, guests with disabilities etc. Then we had training on pretend tills with pretend money! The money is soooo confusing, if someone gives us $20 and we owe them $2.65 change instead of just giving them the change we have to count the money up to make $20 and then count it back to them. This probably doesn't make any sense because it doesn't to me either, I can't count lol. That's the thing i'm dreading most!

Tuesday 30th June

We had our Epcot Discovery Day today which was really fun. Two cast members took us on a tour of Epcot and gave us lots of information, we even got to ride Spaceship earth! We also had a boat tour of the World Showcase which was cool. Something quite special and suprising happened too but I can't write it on here in case any future cast members read it, we took an oath under Mickey not to repeat it! Give me a private message if you want to know!Unfortunately halfway through the tour the heavens opened and with nowhere to shelter we all got soaked. Anyone who has been to Florida knows that when it rains here it really rains, the UK rain is nothing compared to this lol. This was the start of a storm that lasted the next two days! As we finished the tour at midday Beth and I planned to go to the bank to open an account but the weather was too awful, instead I hung out at Beth's apartment and watched trashy TV for the afternoon!

In the evening we went to Rachel's apartment and ordered Chinese which came in those cool little boxes you see on Friends! We just chilled out and watched a film.

Wednesday 1st July

Beth and I had a day off today so we got up bright and early and went to the gym which was quite fun actually and completely free! After the gym session we showered and changed and went to the outlet to buy some shoes for work. This proved alot harder than it sounds as they are very particular on what you can wear but we managed to get some nice Clarks ones! after a subway lunch we made our way to the bank which we were meant to do yesterday, unfortunately neither of us remembered our temporary social security numbers so we couldn't open an account! Instead we headed to Walmart where we did a massive shop of the essentials and struggled back to our apartments!

We waited for Rachel and Kirstie to return from their day at work and we got changed to go to Planet Hollywood in Downtown Disney for dinner. We've made friends with a group of Irish girls and a guy who arrived on the same day as us and it was one of their birthdays so went our for dinner to celebrate. The dinner was great and I had my first chocolate brownie in the US! Hmmm.

That brings me to today! I've had another day off but no one else has so I'm all on my lonesome! Rachel didn't have to be at work until 3 so we went to the bank again this morning and I finally opened an account! This afternoon I attempted to wash some clothes but managed to ruin 3 tops- don't ask! We do need an old top for the throw-in next week though so they kind of come in handy! I don't know what's going to happen but i'm guessing we are going to have something thrown over us- eek. I'm not sure what is happening tonight, i'll speak to the girls when they get back from work but i'm working tomorrow until Monday now and then I have a couple of days off again. I'm looking forward to spending 4th July in the States even though i'm working it!