Its not goodbye its just see ya later!

So now a few more weeks have passed and i have now been here 8 weeks and the end of the program is approaching in 2 1/2 weeks (Sad face) thought its time while i have 1/2 an hour to write a quick blog before i go to work. Since my last blog i have had many more adventures in the magical world of Disney and also had to say goodbye to some good friends :(

So I spent one day as Hollywood Studios with Beth and Emma and my work friend Tara where we went on some of the attractions and also took pictures around the park and enjoyed the parade which was the first and only time i have seen the Hollywood S parade. It was good fun bar the people that complain when you stand infront of them when they are sat really far back.

After the day at Hollywood studios and me taking a ride in a random wheel chair in the parking lot, We headed to downtown Disney for Vikki's 21st birthday and a few drinks and food. We ate at House of Blues and then headed to an Irish bar which plays live Irish music and has Irish dancers and it is one of the happiest bars i have ever been too and after the drinks were flowing me and Beth hit the dancefloor.

I have also been many more places to eat since i have been here. One of the highlights has been the California Grill situated at the top of the Contemporary resort overlooking WDW. We booked for 9:45 so that we were there in perfect time to watch the Firework Spectacular, Wishes from the top of the Contemporary. It was one of the most amazing views ever. We then had some amazing flat breads and took in the views and followed by an emotional speech from Beth. We then headed to chill by the pool and then headed home after an amazing night! Also, this day was the day i moved to my new apartment as all of the Mexicans had left my old one. So now moved in with two Turkish, 2 french and 2 Chinese and me which is cool.

Last Tuesday a few of us Brits went to Typhoon Lagoon Water Park in the morning and where it was raining we managed to do everything really quick and be home by 1pm. We then all headed to McDonald's for lunch as we were starving and then went home to chill for a few hours. In the evening me Heather, Emma and Beth went to eat at Tony's Town Square restaurant which is an Italian and then headed out to watch wishes from the bottom of main street then in front of the castle to watch the Light show on the castle, The Magic The Memories and You.

On Wednesday of last week me and some of the other Brits took the party bus at 4am to Miami for the day. We got there after a pretty terrifying journey in the taxi bus thing and headed to the beach. After sunning ourselves and swimming in the sea we went to look around the shops and see Miami and what it had to offer. We then headed back to the beach but the sky's turned dark the wind started blowing parasol's everywhere so we headed off for lunch in a beach front restaurant. After this we went to look around some more shops and went to see Miami's holocaust memorial which was really interesting to see and on the way saw the Miami Ink tattoo parlour. With an hour to go we stopped off in a beach front bar for $4.95 cocktails before the 4 hour journey home.

So this brings us to my last update of my night out in jellyrolls last Tuesday. Jellyrolls is a dueling piano bar at the boardwalk and they can basically play any song you request which is amazing fun ad they also sell awesome cocktails for 10 dollars for 52oz cups! As from that you can probably imagine the state i ended up in at the dance hall.

So now as im working my 7 days straight i am really looking forward to a visit from Becky Mole and 6 days off : and also my graduation from disney on thursday. Looking forward to seeing you all soon!!!

Half Way Through The Magical Adventure!

So it's been 2 weeks since my last update mainly because I have been lazy and too busy to be able to update it. I have been having lots of fun but also worked alot of shifts to earn lots of Dolla!

So on the 12th I woke up and went to Downtown Disney with Emma for a spot of lunch. Both having ordered a kids meal we got the equivalent of an adults meal in the UK, typical America there! We also had a look around all the shops and in the midday heat we both had to leave to go off to work. and for me scooping Ice Cream which is like the best part of my work and the place I most enjoy.


On wednesday after work we went off out with some of my friends to Buffalo wild wings to party for the first time i had been in Florida. The place was absolutely rammed but was a really fun night ending in one of my friends crying that she nearly got deported from the county... (Over reaction there haha!)

Harry Potter day has been one of my highlights since i got here. Wizzarding World of Harry Potter in the day and bought robes (Gryffindor) and a wand (Siruis Blacks) and wore them as we went around the park. Also we explored some more of Universal before heading to the cinema at 10 to get seats early for the Midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II which is possibly one of the best/saddest films i have ever seen. Everyone there was dressed up as a whole range of characters including Rita Skeeter and Prof. Quirrel which were great costumes, and quite a few Bellatrix La Strange's.

The next day i was rather tired after getting in at like 3am so i just relaxed at the pool the next day before i had work. Then i went to Universal with Emma and Bethan and we bought thing 1, 2 and 3 t shirts because yes... we are cool! We waited 2 hours for the Hogwarts ride in Wizzarding World so we all decided to just sleep in the non moving queue only for it to be awkward when you wake up because everyone around you starts moving haha! This day we got caught in a HUGE storm which seemed like the world was going to end. We, being as smart as we are decided that we would shelter at the bus stop, which was sheltered by a metal umbrella :/ not a great idea when there is fork lightning striking very close to where you are standing so we decided to shelter out in KFC as did many others because it was just too dangerous/wet to even be outside.

After a few more days of working i have done so much more. One day we went to Animal Kingdom, where one of the scariest moments of my life happened.... the first time i have ever seen a wild snake. So we were just chilling watching the parade and suddenly everyone starts jumping up from the pool with a few screams and as i look over the moment happened when i saw it slithering where people had been sat. I ran although i was the other side of the road but there was no way i was hanging around whilst i could see it. It kind of knocked me off for the rest of the day and i get scared to sit on the floor anywhere now! But after this we went to Magic Kingdom to go on the rides and also watch The Magic Memories and Me, Wishes and the Electrical Parade to top the day off. It was open until 1am so when it got later it got pretty dead so we could basically walk on to rides. Being in Magic Kingdom when there is not another sole in frontier land is quite freaky. We managed to get home about 2am.

Also, Beth, Maeghan and I took on the 4 Park + Major Attractions challenge which im proud to say we completed! We started in Hollywood Studios where we went on the Toy Story Ride, Rockin' Roller coaster, Tower of Terror and the Little Mermaid Show and then rushed over to Epcot on the Boat to get a fast pass for Soarin'. Then we caught a bus to Magic Kingdom to try catch the 3 O'clock Parade but it was rained off :( and we then went to get a fast pass for Space Mountain, went on Thunder Mountain and Haunted Mansion then headed to Animal Kingdom to go on Dinosaur, Its tough to be a bug show and Expedition Everest. Unfortunately due to the Rain and Lightning Everest was closed. We then headed back to epcot to use our fast pass for soarin and then watched IlluminNations: Reflections of earth... when the world failed to show lol and then ran over to Magic Kingdom to catch Wishes, The magic Memories and You and then to use our fast pass for Space Mountain. That left us 4 parks 1 day complete :D

In the last 2 weeks i have also been to Sea World which was AMAZING!!!!! When we were there we went on Manta 3 times which was terrifying! and also on Kraken. The shows are so spectacular and i have no idea how they manage to train the Dolphins, Whales and Birds to do what they do its just Incredible. At first i thought it was pretty mean but the animals seem so happy when performing! The Dolphin show was my personal favorite so much going on and Shamu rocks was incredible too and i kind of want to be a whale/dolphin trainer now although im probably in the wrong degree haha!

The other morning me beth and emma went to Downtown disney for lunch and a quick shop then took emma to work and me and beth went to watch the 3 o'clock parade and go on the laugh floor and stitches great escape. On our way out of Magic Kingdom we caught some random flag ceremony where they pledge allegiance to the flag sing the national anthem etc which was something a bit different to what i had seen before. Then finally, some of us took a second attempt at the Kitchen Sink for AJ's birthday and yet again failed but think we had a better go at it the second time around. And that is an update on my last 2 weeks of life in the Sunshine/Rainy state. Missing everyone lots!

The Magic, The Memories and Me :D

So another week, another blog! Cannot quite believe i have been here 22 days already and only have 7 1/2 weeks left on the Disney ICP programme. It is so amazing here but time just flys by as you are doing so much all of the time. This week has been yet another fun filled week.

This week involved quite a lot of work as i was still continuing on my 7 days of work straight. But hey it earns the pennies. So on Sunday i went to the pool in the morning before work and after work just to chill out and relax a little. After work, whilst sitting around the pool, we all decided hey... lets go to McDonald's at like 1am but time is irrelevant out here when you finish shifts at midnight every night. On Monday this led to going to the pool in the morning again and then heading off to work for one of my busiest shifts of the summer... July 4th, Independence Day. Gutted i had to work this day as i really wanted to see the fireworks and what annoyed me more is that people we're queuing to buy bread and milk instead of watching them... how ungrateful! Rant over. Wednesday brought the same routine of pool then work but i managed to speak to mum for the first time since i had gotten here which was nice! Thursday also followed my general day routine but decided to do laundry too but when you go to get it out of the dryer it decides to open the heavens and bring on one of the epic Floridian storms :( After trying to shelter from it me and Emma gave up and just decided to get wet and go home and get ready for work until midnight.

Friday brought joy to many Chatham Square ICPers! Social security morning which meant getting up at 5am (so yes i had 3 hours sleep) all for a 2 minute wait whilst they typed some info into a computer so we were back by nine and all decided to go for breakfast at Golden Coral.

The buffet had everything bacon sausage for the traditional fry up to even deserts which is a bit strange but we took full advantage of all the offerings there. This was also the day of the space shuttle launch which we didn't bother watching as the weather was a bit dodgy so we didn't know if there was any point in waiting around or not. So we all decided to take a trip to Epcot and this was my first proper day in Epcot! We went on all of the rides and my two favorites being Test Track and Soaring, with Soaring taking a lead as it is just mind blowing. After experiencing the rides and having some lunch we took to the World showcase where me and Beth took the opportunity to have a picture in every country bar Canada as we stopped off in the Rose and Crown in the UK to watch IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth which is an incredible water/fireworks show done from the lake in the centre of the World Showcases. I enjoyed watching this with a couple of beers and properly chilling out. Afterwards in a crazy high moment me and Beth decided we would also try and see wishes at Magic Kingdom but this failed as it happened whilst we were on the monorail so we just went on space mountain ride instead which seemed so much faster and scarier than usual!




So along comes Saturday which i also have off :D I spent the morning and afternoon with Louise at Animal Kingdom where we watched both the Lion King Show and Finding Nemo and took advantage of the rides and safaris. Dinosaur, me and Louise found absolutely terifying and just don't know what was wrong with us. After exhausting ourselves there we moved on to Disney's Hollywood Studios where we went on Tower of Terror Rocking Rollorcoaster and One Man's dream show which was about the history of Walt Disney and really interesting. After this we got ourselves a turkey leg and went off to watch Fantasmic which is AMAZING!

So Sunday came and Heather took us on one AMAZING route march around Epcot for Character spotting for photos and autographs. We saw Chip n Dale, Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin and Jasmine, Prince Charming and Cinderella, Tinkerbell and a few others and it was such a good day. We also went on soaring again and then headed off to Magic Kingdom again for Space Mountain a little bit of Dance Party the Electrical Parade and to end off the night at the park, Wishes which still amazes me even though i have seen it about 6 times now. After magic Kingdom me, Maeghan and some others went to Joe's apartment to play a game of ring of fire where i got a little tipsy after having to down the king cup... never a good thing! And this brings us to today.

I will update you all soon :D Miss you all xx

Week 2 Even More Magic!

So its time to write another update on my outings in the Not so sunny Florida at the moment (although it has brightened up today and in the Mid 30's :D.

On sunday me and some friends decided to take up the mission of the Kitchen Sink. This is a HUGE ice cream which we shared between 5 and has many different flavours and all of the toppings that they offer.

As shown from the picture above... we were defeated by the kitchen sink... Just means we will have to try again!

Monday brought me a day of work and training at Disney Uni to learn how to use cash registers which was a hard day as we were all surviving off of very little sleep so by the time the evening came around, a few of us chilled out then we all got an early night before my next days work starting at 7.15am.

After finishing some on the Job training on Tuesday 6 of us went to Hollywood Studios (MGM) to watch the incredible show of Fantasmic which featured so many Disney characters and fireworks and despite some rain it could never dampen the spirit of that show.

The next day me, Emily, Heather and James went to Universal Studios which the whole day was amazing and we had possibly the best luck EVER! After arriving pretty early the queues were short so we managed to get on all of the good rides rather quickly without having to queue too long. When it came to getting on the Rip Ride Rokit James knew one of the employees and we managed to get on the ride within 1 minute and skipping the hour wait and it was such a good ride. After leaving the first park we stopped by Hard rock cafe to order some lunch and a few cocktails. After quite a while of talking to the manager he offered us a VIP tour of the Largest Hard Rock Cafe in the World! We got to go where all the famous people who gig there... the lennon room which has a piano signed by stars such as Billy Joel, Paul McCartney and Elton John a couch of Lennon's and lots of original song writings ideas.

After this room we went in to a room which has props and memorabilia left by stars from shows performed there. This included one of Jay Z's thrones and Ringo Stars Bike! It was all just a bit mind blowing.

After all that excitement and missing one MAJOR storm we headed to Islands of adventure and went on a waterride and got SOAKED. after a wander around we finally arrived at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was amazing. Never seen anything like it and Hogwarts inside and the ride inside it was amazing. I would recommend it to anyone and now i have an unlimited pass i think i will visit it a lot over the summer.

For my second day Thursday off, a group of us went to Magic Kindom in the day time. We watched a few parades as well as waded through the park in a major storm that decided to hit. We met Rupunzel and Flynn Ryder and Cinderella, Belle and Sleeping Beauty. It was an amazing moment in my life :) In the evening we hoped on the monorail to epcot to grab something to eat then watch the Illuminations which were not a let down. I loved it. Everything never fails to amaze me here.

So 2 more days of work have passed and now i am off to the pool for the night to chill out with some people. I will update you soon :D xx

Week 1 in the Magical Land

So I think it is now time to finally sit down and write a blog now everything over here in the Sunny/Rainy/Thundery State of Florida. I have arrived safely settled in and already done so much and there is still so much to do that i don't think i will get done in 3 months. So... Here is the story of my first week in Walt Disney World, FL.

So... I set off on 19th June 2011 at 5.30am from home to get to gatwick with my parents. Upon my arrival it was very quick to check in there were no delays on the flight so I went for coffee with my parents before saying our goodbyes. After saying goodbye to the rents, I met with fellow Disney ICP's and we went for a Spoon breakfast (The last for 3 months) :( and I treated myself to a nice cider before the departure. The flight was so long however the in flight entertainment (Tangled, Family Guy, and even multi player games) kept us all entertained for the 9 hours 20 minutes sat in one confined space.

When we arrived in the US we all got carted into a small room... there were lots of us and had to wait for about 1-2 hours for them to check over our documents and then it was finally time to descend on Vista Way to find out where we were going to live for the next 3 months. Luckily, me and many people i knew before the programme got placed at Chatham Sq. which is an amazing apartment complex. I am sharing a room with a guy from France and live with 3 Mexicans and 1 guy from Hong Kong not that i am ever in as there is too much to be doing.

Once we arrived at our apartments, me, Emily and Heather went off to walmart to do a big shop for all of the essentials. We ended up with so much stuff... mainly junk microwavable food.... Winner! And after 25 hours of being up it was time for us to hit the hay.

The next day we had to be in early to fill in paperwork etc etc and sort our stay out. Then went to catch a few rays by the pool. In the evening a bunch of us went to Downtown Disney and all split up and me and some others went to the Rainforest Cafe which was a really good way to get to know each other a little better. After dinner we went to look around the shops including the Lego shop where we all ended up basically being 5 again sat making Lego things.

The next day we had to go and fill out even more paperwork... This was after visiting the pool of course and tanning it up for a bit. Our evening was amazing. We decided we would go to the Polynesian resort and have food there then watch the wishes fireworks.... Which are amazing, and then go upstairs and chill with a cocktail.

Wednesday was my first official paid day at WDW. Traditions was 4 hours long at Disney University, and we got taught all of the standard business stuff... their mission what they expect from us BLAH BLAH BLAH. Anyway on the more exciting side we got given our Disney passes. This gives us access to all 4 Disneyworld parks over the summer, so with this in hand after Traditions a group of us set off to let the memories begin at Magic Kingdom.

Magic Kingdom was amazing. We watched the 'Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade' which was awesome. Even met snow white. We all went on a few roller coasters and sweated it out at Dance Party for around an hour with Chip and Dale and then to finish off the day we watched Wishes at the castle and they are so amazing up close.

Now was the time to enjoy my 2 days off on Thursday and Friday. Thursday morning I visited the pool in the morning to try and tan as work is definitely going to get in the way of that. Then took a trip to Walmart to buy work shoes and Chinese with Emma. We ate lunch and then went off with a group of us to Hollywood Studios to experience my second park of the summer :D watched the Beauty and the Beast show and also went on Tower of Terror where Kylie decides to make of fool of me by scaring me in the dark to make everyone laugh at me. A storm was brewing so we decided to leave, and because we are so smart we then decided to dance in the down pour where we then had to get on an AC'd bus so we froze! Was fun though. In the evening a large group of us went to sizzlers which had an amazing Unlimited Salad Bar and Desert buffet (although i have learnt not to mix vanilla and chocolate ice cream)

Friday, the Cardiff University crew and Ash hit Disney's Animal Kingdom which was such a fun day. We went on Safari, the rapids and my fave ride yet, Expedition Everest. Also got to see the lion king show there which was amazing! I will definitely be going to see that again lots this summer. After that we had a major storm which lasted a good few hours and we decided to go to Hooters for a very fun meal although some people were very soggy.

Sunday was my second day of OTJ training which was also alot of fun touring the resort and seeing the 5 locations i will be working in. After arriving home from work 6 of us decided to take up the challenge of going to Beaches and Cream to have a Kitchen sink of Ice Cream and all of their toppings. It was amazing.... but ended up being mush.

That brings us to today where i have been at Disney Uni for the last time doing Merchantainment training and Cash Register training. Was in 08:00-15:30 and done some online training too and just chilling tonight hoping to catch up on some much needed sleep. I will update this blog again soon. Hope everyone is well. Xxx

Latest Disney Procrastination!

So today was the day I think I made the last final dent on my mums credit card by paying the programme assessment fee of $104. Which this gave me the perfect chance to procrastinate in many Disney related ways :D

Firstly, BBC had a fabulous few hours, first showing 'Pixar: 25 Magic Moments' and then a cheeky showing of Wall-E. This left me around 3 hours less revision time... Score!

Since then I have just had no will to concentrate at all on revision so I have been hunting the net for essential swim shorts for the Summer yet i think I already have about 5 pairs : /. Oh well I'm sure they will be worth it.

In a late night chat with Gabby, she has inspired me to start making a list things to do whilst in Florida. Perfect to do :D

So Here is the list:

• Breakfast with the characters (wanted to do this since i was little!!!
• Helicopter flight over Orlando
• Go to both Disney Waterparks
• See the legend that is Shamu
• Swim with Dolphins
• Sky dive maybe!
• Go on EVERY ride
• Drink my way around the world at Epcot
• Watch the Midnight Showing of Harry Potter
• Visit the Wizarding World of harry potter 
• And tbh so much more!

Ah just got way to excited writing all of this cant wait to actually do these things! 

5 Exams closer to disney!

So today is 25 days until i jet off to Florida and the excitement is starting to really build up now. Leaving Cardiff today, I met up with some friends, Emily (who is also doing the ICP) and some of her Uni friends. It really started to hit me today that I was actually going as when I left Becky, I said see you in Florida in August... Crazy right.

Also, the new Disney emails are mounting up, this is getting me through my previous 5 exams and my last on the 4th June. Emails mainly containing possibly the most cheesy videos with one of the most annoying people on earth, Tony.

I finally have time to actually think about going to Florida for a few days between exams and the next lot of revision I have to tackle. I've decided I'm going to hit the shops tomorrow with my little plastic friend who likes to burn a hole in my pocket to buy a few little bits to take with me, but still i have no idea what considering nothing more can fit in my wardrobe. Time to start making lists I think.

The volcano caused me to have a little midweek scare this week. The thought of not going to Disney didn't even go through my head, I would have swam if i had too.

So now this is a little longer post than the last, hope it pleases Bethan :P