Week Sixteen

BEST WEEK EVER! My family came to visit. <3 They flew in on Tuesday night (23rd) and left today (30th). We stayed at Saratoga Springs which is HUGE and pretty, but their rooms are small. The cheapest rooms (ours) was just a queen size bed and a double size pullout, but it worked fine for us. We were right next to the bus stop which was nice and convenient. The 23rd we went to the Grand Floridian to look at the gingerbread house display, then went and ate dinner at the Contemporary at the Wave. IT WAS SO GOOD. I got steak which was like the best steak ever. The 24th we went to Animal Kingdom, this was fun because my family had never been to DAK before. Not the most conventional Christmas Eve but so fun :) We had fast passes for Festival of the Lion King, Everest, and Dinosaur, We went to Kilimanjaro Safari first, and pretty much walked on. We also got to see the animals, which I hadn't done yet. I'm talking the "zoo" component of animal exhibits. The gorillas were actually the greatest. Here's the greatest photo ever:

And here's my sister and I in front of the tree!

After DAK we went to Downtown Disney and saw Into the Woods! So long but so good! The song "Agony". Everything about it. YouTube it ASAP.

On Christmas day I had to work, but not until 2pm so we spent the morning in Hollywood Studios. We got fast passes for Rockin' Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours. We got to eat lunch at my restaurant and my awesome coworkers gave us free cupcakes <3 I ended up getting an ER so I got off at 4:45 instead of 8! PRAISE THE LORD. So I got to spend the evening with my family :) We walked right into the Brown Derby for dinner, and my family loved it. They got the infamous cobb salad and said it was fantastic. I got a different salad that was SUPER good, and we all split dessert. You get to pick three desserts for a mini dessert trio platter, so my sister and I tried the grapefruit cake, blueberry cobbler, and some chocolate orange ball. My parents got the same but toffee pudding stuff instead of the blueberry cobbler. My favorite was the grapefruit cake, my sister the cobbler (this was essentially hot blueberries but still good haha), and my parents liked the toffee pudding. Then we walked Streets of America and admired the lights :) Here's some snapshotssssss.

The 26th we did Magic Kingdom! It had been hitting park capacity in the morning, so we got there at 8:30am. We had fast passes for Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Haunted Mansion, Monster Inc. Laugh Floor, Jungle Cruise, and It's a Small World. We also did standby for Pirates of the Caribbean, Mickey's Philharmagic, and the carousel. So we got a lot done. :) and get this....we WALKED INTO BE OUR GUEST THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. I've been trying to get reservations all semester!!! It's pure magic. Go. We got to eat in the West Wing, which is the smallest room and hardest to get so I was kind of ecstatic. It thunders and lightenings like a classy Rainforest Cafe. The Beast wanders through from time to time which was awesome. And the main ballroom (biggest room I think) has a super cool window that shows it snowing outside <3 The third room was the lamest and I think it was the library. My family all got the pork, and I got the salmon, and it was all incredible. We got the grey stuff for dessert which is indeed delicious. It was the highlight of the entire trip for me. And there was a special meet and greet room post dinner where we got to meet him! Unfortunately dinner fell the same time as Wishes, but we got to see Wishes two days later.

The 27th we did EPCOT and had fast passes for Soarin', Spaceship Earth, and the Seas with Nemo and Friends. My sister and I waited in the "70 minute wait" for Test Track, but it was maybe 50? We had lunch at Biergarten, the German restaurant, and it was really good. It's a buffet, and if you go, you HAVE TO GET the cheese and beer soup. It's to die for. The only awkward thing is you sit with another family unless your family is big (tables of 8). We did this with the Candlelight Processional package, so for $50 we got a full meal and guaranteed seating for the Candlelight Processional which was beautiful. It's the story of Jesus as told by some famous person, with traditional Christmas songs. We had Blair Underwood who we didn't know, but early December Neil Patrick Harris, Whoopie Goldberg, Jodi Benson, and Jonathon Groff all did it and everyone knows them hahah. We attempted to watch IllumiNations but it was too crowded to see anything.

(Insert EPCOT photo here;))

The 28th we did MK again round two. I had work this day as well, but only had to work 1-4 because I got another ER. Another reason I love my location, ER's are so easy. So I met my family at MK after work by taking the guest bus that runs from Studios to MK. We got fast passes for Peter Pan, Space Mountain, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ( YES IT IS POSSIBLE). We also got to watch Holiday Wishes which was fabulous as always. We decided to make this a shorter day because we were all very tired, but we made good use of our time :)

Our last full day (the 29th) was spent at Universal Studios. We did the park hopper, they bought tickets and I paid the $75 to upgrade to a preferred pass (no block out dates and free parking). We got there before the park opened, ran straight to the Gringotts ride, and it was a 120 minute wait. Yes. Already. 8am. But we waited in it, and my family loved it. We also did the Mummy ride, the big red rollercoaster (Rip Ride Rock It or something strange), the Dragon Challenge, and the soaking wet Bilge Rat Barge ride. Ride times were just so ridiculous we couldn't do more. We of course got butterbeer, but the crowds were miserable. I don't think Universal has a capacity where they cut people off? Every ride was like 100+ minutes and the staff was so unhelpful with directions and stuff. Disney does crowds so much better. We had to get a ticket to get INTO Hogsmeade because it was so full. Crazy. Well we did Margaritaville for dinner at Universal CityWalk (much less crowded!) and went back to the hotel. I left the hotel since I had to work the next morning, and said goodbye to my family at Downtown Disney. Not incredibly sad since I'll see them in a week ;)

Today I was scheduled to work 1-8 but got yet another ER! This one was because it rained though haha. So I worked like 1-6:15. On the way to work it was raining, and I didnt had a hood on my jacket so I was just plowing through it when I realized I was dry and someone was walking with me. It was one of the stormtroopers from the Star Wars show! SO SWEET. He walked me all the way to my work location and it totally made my day <3 Then to make it better, one of our guests today looked exactly like Santa Claus. This little girl goes up to him and asks him if he was at Disney World for his post Christmas vacation. He was such a good sport. As she walks away she goes "bye Santa, I love you!". I died. SO PRECIOUS. Well I only have two shifts left and it's so depressing. SO SAD :( Starting to pack and it's insane. Well I need to go get my laundry...by the time I write my next post, I'll probably be home. WHAT.

Week Fifteen

I just got my last work schedule. Excuse while I go bawl my eyes out. I can't believe my program is almost OVER! Insane. Well my family comes tomorrow! YAY! We're staying at Saratoga Springs, and they're here for a week. We're doing all four parks plus Universal, and I only have to work three days out of the eight that they're here. So that's pretty sweet :)

Last week was pretty good! I worked at Backlot Express for the first time since September, so that was a little odd haha. I got an ER on Wednesday, went to Universal on both Tuesday and Thursday, and called in sick on Friday. So a very easy week. If/when you go to Universal Studios....GET THE BUTTERBEER ICE CREAM! It's actually heaven in a cup. Also, Panda Express does Cast Member discounts so that's awesome <3 This week I got to be inside a lot, and on register a lot, so it was a very good week :) Also my location is BOMB and they feed us a lot. I cannot believe Christmas is almost here...I work 2-8 on Christmas, but we'll probs get more free food so it's okay ;) Next week I am off Monday (family still here) and Friday the 2nd. I picked up a PAC shift (those parade people that wave their wands around) at Magic Kingdom, so that should be fun! On New Years Eve I work from 3-11, so that should be dreadful. Just because apparently they hand out free horns, and children. Not that they hand out children, but kids are kids and don't shut up. Yeah that was awk but whatever hahah. Um that's all I have to say. Lindsey, Mikaela, and I have reservation for the Beach Club on the 5th, so we can take the Magical Express on the 6th to go home. Woah. My roomies and I have dinner reservations at Tony's for the 4th, but we're going to try for Be Our Guest! Yep, I'm boring, I know. Okay so that's all....until next time <3

Apartment Comparisons: Pros and Cons

So this will be apartment comparisons and pros and cons of each. Keep in mind I live in Chatham, so my lists for the other complexes are based on what I've seen and heard from friends.

CHATHAM SQUARE:

1 BR: 2 Person
1 BR: 3 Person
2 BR: 6 Person
3 BR: 6 Person
4 BR: 8 Person

Rent ranges from $87-$114 starting Spring 2015.

 I currently live in the 2BR: 6 person. I don't mind our apartment, it's huge. The rooms are extremely roomy, though one person per room (me) has to sleep on the top bunk. Our bedroom happens to have the giant bathroom, it's probably the largest bathroom like ever. Ours has two drawers, three cupboards, one towel rack, a toilet, a sink, and a mirror that swings to a cabinet. And a big mirror. And a shower, obviously. Our massive walk-in closet is through our bathroom, which is a big strange but it works. In addition to our closet which has racks, three lockers, and TONS of hanger room, we have one big dresser with six drawers, and one little dresser with two drawers. The other room has the same stuff but their closet ad bathrooms are separate, and smaller than ours. We get two fridges, a large pantry with one shelf each, and a lot of cupboard space. Our dining room and living room is also extremely spacious. Our apartment has a big cove that we use for Christmas decorating, but you either have the cove or a balcony. Oh, and we're Wellness (under 21).

Chatham and Vista are the two biggest complexes, but Chatham is the newer and nicer complex. Chatham has a front desk with a computer lab/printers, pool and hot tub, gym, and classrooms. We also have a bus stop out front. If you have a car, don't worry about parking. There is SO much parking available.

Pros:

• Not as rowdy as Vista, but still louder than Patterson
• Bus stop
• Nice apartments
• Relatively cheap rent
• Many housing events held here
• Classes are held here
• Lot's of parking
• Walking distance to Mickey's Retreat
• Pretty much the "middle class" of the apartments

Cons:

• The farther apartments have a long walk to the bus
• Laundry is not in your building (most likely)
• You have to pay for laundry
• Not within walking distance of anything interesting except Mickey's Retreat
• Apartments can be a bit dirty and outdated
• There's is carpet everywhere except kitchen and bathrooms (buy a vacuum)
• The wild turkeys are EVERYWHERE

PATTERSON COURT:

Patterson Court

1 BR: 2 Person

1 BR: 3 Person

2 BR: 4 Person

2 BR: 5 Person

3 BR: 6 Person

Rent ranges from $89 to $114 starting Spring 2015

My friend Katy lives here in a 1BR: 3 person. Her apartment is MUCH smaller than mine, and their room is a smaller version of the other bedroom in my apartment. Their kitchen, however is WAY nicer and newer, and as a whole their apartment is much cozier and homier.

Patterson has pretty much everything Chatham has EXCEPT a bus stop. If you don't have car, you have to walk to the Chatham bus stop, but it's only like a ten minute walk. I like Patterson's pool and classroom area better than Chatham's, it just looks nicer.

Pros:

• Smaller apartment complex, easy to get around everywhere
• Newest and nicest complex
• Pool and classroom's are modern and clean
• Quiet atmosphere, very relaxing
• Easy to find parking
• Hidden from the creepers and taxis that plague Chatham

Cons:

• No bus stop
• Can be TOO quiet
• Few/no housing events held here
• Rent can be pricey
• Smaller apartments
• You have to pay for, and walk to, laundry

THE COMMONS

The Commons

1 BR: 2 Person

1 BR: 3 Person

2 BR: 4 Person

2 BR: 5 Person

3 BR: 6 Person

4 BR: 8 Person

Rent ranges for $91 to $118 starting Spring 2015

I have some friends in the Commons, and they love it. They're kind of in an awkward spot with the smallest bus stop, but they have LAUNDRY in the apartments! This was traditionally where the ICPs (internationals) were housed, but it's now open to everyone. They have the same things as Chatham. The Commons is probably the nicest after Patterson, and is in walking distance to the Florida Mall.

Pros: 

• LAUNDRY. FREE LAUNDRY IN APARTMENT
• Bus stop
• Quiet, but still lively
• Some housing events held here
• Walking distance to mall
• Nice apartments
• More hardwood floor than carpet (pro or con? I don't know.)

Cons:

• SMALL bus stop. If running late, the bus will skip this stop first, and you will walk from Chatham (20 minutes), or take another bus from Chatham or Vista to the Commons
• Most expensive apartments due to the laundry
• The most detached from the other apartments
• Most competitive complex to get into
• In a more sketchy area, across from a parking garage

VISTA WAY:

2 BR: 4 Person

3 BR: 6 Person

Rent ranges from $98 to $114

Everyone either loves or hates Vista. It's where all the parties happen, and they definitely have the most apartment pride. Vista is the DCP "headquarters" so they have the most to do there. Your initial check in and everything is here, and they are the largest complex. They have the same things as Chatham, but also with the learning center. The learning center is a building where you can rent movies and books, it's like a little library, Super cute, and cool concept. Vista is also where the buses stop the longest, because this is where the bus drivers change, and take their breaks. Often we'll sit at Vista for 15 minutes or so, so they can look over the buses, and change out drivers as needed.

Pros:

• Some apartments are brand new and really nice
• Cheap rent
• Learning center
• LOT'S to do
• Always something going on, if you're the social type
• Walking distance to Public and Walgreens

Cons:

• This is where the weird people end up. Maybe it's chance, but all the crazy's I've met live there
• The oldest complex
• Some apartments are in dreadful condition (one girl's ceiling actually fell in!)
• You're honestly over charged for the apartment quality (mostly)
• It's VERY busy and loud here, which can stress people out
• Known for sex in the pool, and sex in the hot tub, and everywhere public haha

All the apartments have very valid pros and cons, there really isn't an obvious best and worst. It all depends on your preference. I prefer the quiet environment, and would rather pay more for a nice apartment. So obviously Vista isn't for me! If I were to do the program again my list would go like this:

Commons 4BR

Commons 3BR

Patterson 3BR

Chatham 3BR

Chatham 2 BR (6 person)

Commons 2BR (5 person)

Patterson 2BR (5 person)

The rest

I think it's better with more people, so you always have someone to spend time with on your days off, and if you don't care for one or two of your roommates, it's easy to avoid them. Also rent is cheaper this way. I hope you found this helpful! If you are a visual person, look up your apartment of choice on Youtube, There are SO many vlogs out there that do apartment tours. Okay here's the Disney housing link:

http://cp.disneycareers.com/en/onboarding/fl/housing/housing-preregistration/ 

Week Fourteen

MY FAMILY COMES IN ONE WEEK! I am so excited. But that also means I leave Disney in only three weeks :(((( That's insane. Well I worked six days in a row this week, nothing exciting there haha. I was off yesterday (Monday) and I'm off on Thursday, and both days are being spent at Universal. My pass is blocked out starting Friday, so I'm taking advantage of it! Yesterday Sarah and I went to Universal, and I tried hot butterbeer for the first time. It's super good, but pretty rich. I think frozen is my favorite? I don't know, my opinion changes every time I go hahaha. We rode the Gringott's ride, the castle ride, and the Men in Black ride, which is similar to Toy Story where you shoot things for points (I lost of course). We also ate at the Leaky Cauldron, which has similar food to the Three Broomsticks. I got the stew, which I don't need to get again. It was just okay. This week I'm either off at 8 or 6, so at least I'm not closing EVERY day. Tomorrow I get off at 6, so I'm going to meet up with Lindsey after work to see the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian! And probably the Contemporary too. So that's exciting. Thursday is off to Universal again but with Katy! All my roommates and I are doing a secret santa, so we'll probably do gifts sometime in the next week as well.

So I'm really out of ideas for what else to write, but I think I'm going to do an apartment post next! Alright this was super boring, but that happens when you get in a schedule! Have a magical night <3

Week Thirteen

Well officially two weeks until my family comes to visit...crazy because that also means two weeks until Christmas!! AH! So exciting. But only four weeks until our program is over...absolutely insane. It's been such a magical and wild ride. Well this week I had Wednesday/Thursday off, and then Sunday/Monday. So my days off were pretty close together. Wednesday and Thursday seem so long ago I can hardly remember what I did...hahaha. But I definitely went to Epcot and got to do some exploring of Holidays Around the World. I tried a hot salted caramel from Germany, rice pudding from Norway, and a turkey waffle from Promenade Refreshments. I'm pretty sure I already blogged about this last week? Well anyway, on Thursday I went Christmas shopping at Downtown Disney with my coworker Lizzie, so that was pretty fun (and expensive). Sunday I went to Epcot again with Lindsey, and we just kind of wandered. And ate. Monday was awesome! I went to Yak and Yeti with two coworkers, and Monday night we had a Cast Member movie night! So basically all SCC and Backlot cast members met up at Sci Fi (that restaurant that is modeled to be a drive in movie theater), and we got to watch Elf on the big screen, and they provided cookies, s'mores, gingerbread cupcakes, popcorn, and soda. I love how much cast appreciation goes on in Studios, I really do <3 I'm off Monday and Thursday of next week, so yay! This week is a mix of closing and normal shifts, so finally I'm not closing everyday. Here's some random photos taken recently.

Week Twelve

IT'S DECEMBER! So crazy. SO SO crazy. Let's see, so far it's been pretty wonderful. Sorry if I repeat something, but time just kind of runs together here and I forget when these things happened hahaha. I went to Downtown Disney with my coworkers Lizzie and Matt and we went and saw Big Hero 6 at the Fork & Dine AMC theater. I highly recommend both the movie and the Fork & Dine. It's a movie theater with tables in front of you. So you have a waiter and a menu, and can ring him at any time to bring you food for you to eat as you watch the movie. Super cool experience, but expensive. I also finally went to Earl of Sandwich! The holiday turkey sandwich is SO GOOD AH. I bought my family's Christmas gifts at World of Disney in DTD, a very dangerous store haha. I worked six days in a row which was good, but I closed every single night which gets old pretty quick. We got a new seasonal cupcake for December, gingerbread with cream cheese frosting. So that's exciting. Last week for my days off I went to Animal Kingdom with Lindsey and ate at the Rainforest Cafe, which is a cool restaurant but not worth the money. Today I was off and went to Magic Kingdom in the morning, Epcot in the afternoon.

Holidays around the world in Epcot has started and it's absolutely fabulous. Picture a smaller, holiday version of Food & Wine. I got a sweet potato waffle with turkey, gravy, and green bean casserole at Promenade Refreshments, a hot salted caramel at Germany (literally tastes like a liquefied Werther's caramel), and rice pudding from Norway. Candlelight Processional is also starting, my roommates saw Neil Patrick Harris and said it was fabulous. Tonight was Jonathon Groff (Kristoff) but we were too tired to stay. With the holidays coming up, our apartment is all decked out including a homemade 3D fireplace with our stockings. We are doing a secret Santa so that should be fun :) Tomorrow I'm off to Downtown Disney for the last of my Christmas shopping, dinner at T-Rex, and probably a Starbucks (the DTD Starbucks is the only Starbucks that will redeem your free drinks and stuff because it's a REAL Starbucks, unlike the park Starbucks). Now I'm just binge watching 25 Days of Christmas on the ABC website, which all Cast Members can watch for free! Three weeks until my family comes which means five weeks until my program is over....absolutely insane. This program seriously flies by...well I hope your holidays are magical, and your week is fabulous <3