It's a Great Big Beautiful Tommorrow!

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted, the last few weeks have been quite the whirlwind. On November 11th I got to take a backstage tour of the Fantasmic! set for one of my classes. My tour guide was Doug Dixon who is the special effects crew chief for the show. The tour was literally a dream come true! We got to go into the tech booth and look at all the computers, we got to go on the riverboat that Steamboat Willie drives, we saw Maleficent and the snake and see how all of the magic happens! We even got lucky and got to go into the special costume base that is just for Fantasmic and I might have touched Belle's $30,000 dress. I told Doug that Fantasmic was my favorite show in both parks and he started talking with me about both of them and was excited I had seen the both shows. He also told me that I needed to go on YouTube and watch the Tokyo Disney Sea Fantasmic because it was amazing, and he was right! I might be crazy, but I think this tour was even more exciting than the Dream Suite tour!

The next day mom and dad got her which was very exciting! I really didn't think they would get to visit me, but it worked out and it was a great time for all of us. We had breakfast at Ohana with Lilo and Stitch the first full day they were here and then we went to Epcot. It was pretty windy that day but we still had a good time. We planned on drinking around the world but we pretty much failed. We did have an avocado margarita in Mexico which taste nothing like avocado but was pretty delicious! Mom loved the culture of the park, just like I expected while dad enjoyed it in his own ways. The next day we hit up Magic Kingdom. Mom and I woke up super early to go to Extra Magic Hours so we could meet the new Talking Mickey but found out that he was still asleep at that hour. So we met Aurora and

Cinderella and her Step- Sisters and step mother instead. We were also able to walked around inside Be Our Guest a little and we rode 'it's a small world' since we knew dad wouldn't want to. Once the park officially opened we met Mickey which was super cool and then Dad joined us for the rest of the day. I made sure to show them all the rides that were not at Disneyland and some that were different. It was cool to show them where I worked and mom loved all the extra tidbits I added as we were walking around the park. 7pm rolled around and Dad got kicked out because he didn't want to go to the Christmas Party so mom and I had fun and hit all the big things like the parade and fireworks.

The next day we took a day off because they were switching hotels and I had to work so we parted ways early in the afternoon. Saturday it was supposed to rain so we debated back and forth about where to go and decided to stick to our original plan of going to Animal Kingdom. It did rain on us, but I suggested we see Lion King and hoped it would stop, which it did, and we enjoyed the rest of the day with a fairly low crowd. Sunday mom and I went to Hollywood Studios while dad stayed home because he wasn't feeling well. I made sure to show her the Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage and agreed to avoid Rock-n-Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror. I had originally wanted to take mom and dad to 50's Prime Time Cafe  but couldn't get reservations but I decided to take mom to see if we could at least try the Peanutbutter and Jelly Milkshake. We found out that if you sit at the bar you can get anything on the menu, it is just first come, first serve! So we split the milkshake and some meatloaf, which made me very happy. We also chatted with the guy next to us who insisted on buying us drinks almost as much as he insisted that I should be hired to play Alice. We turned down the drinks and continued on our way. I

knew we must hit the Osbourne Spectical of Dancing Lights and we ended up getting there right when they were turning them on, which was way cool. We took lots of pictures and ran into the guy from the bar, who again insisted that I should be playing Alice and wished me luck for my future. My only regret of the day was that we couldn't see Fantasmic. Instead we had reservations for the Hoop Dee Doo Revue over at the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds. Can I just say that it is one amazing show! Man, I would pay to see that again and again!! I highly recommend that show to everyone because that place knows how to show you a good time! Monday is the day mom and dad left, which was sad, but I also feel like I gave them a really good view of all the things Walt Disney World has to offer. I would love to bring them back again one day because there is so many things left to do.

Tuesday I returned to work as normal and today I had off because I wanted to go to and College Program Alumni Speaker Series event. Here I thought there would be people who had done there program two or three years ago who were just getting started in their field talking about how their CP helped them get where they were. Boy was I wrong! There were stage managers, production managers, casting directors and technical mangers from across property! It was probably one of the most invaluable nights of my program! After the panel spoke for about an hour the broke off and met with people and groups on their own. I ended up talking to one woman who is the stage manager for all the shows at Hollywood Studios. It was towards the end so I figured I wouldn't get much from her, but instead she told me she wanted to meet with me one-on-one some time and that I should send her my resumes. Done! The event was over, but during the panel another woman said she did her program at Fantasyland Attractions so I had to ask her where and it turns out that she worked exactly where I do! She ended up giving me her card in case I wanted to talk more told me to make sure I get out there and talk to my managers and express how much I wanted to be in entertainment. Man, I am so glad I signed up for this event and asked for this day off the first day I had access to the system! I can't wait to see where this goes!

Tomorrow I will be going to Hollywood Studio's for class and I have a few auditions I have my eyes on that are a few weeks down the road. Next week I will be working 75 hours, which should only be a little bit more than crazy. Good thing I can sleep in tomorrow!

Living a Dream Come True

I know it's been a while since I posted an update so I thought I should get one out! I've been pretty busy since both my classes started but I am loving them! I'm taking Entertainment Show Productions, which is a great class about the technical side of Disney shows and Disney Heritage which is like a history class just about Disney. I have friends in both classes, which makes it fun, and I am also learning a lot and enjoying a lot of the guest speakers. I can't decide which class is my favorite, and though I am sad I can't spend a full day at the park anymore, I think I would have regretted not taking both classes. And I'm especially excited for when my Show Productions class gets to take a backstage tour of Fantasmic!

My friend Caroline who works with me at the PhilharMagic complex is also in my Show Productions class, and we decided we should go to Animal Kingdom before class, since our class is right next door. It was fun to go with her because she knew so much more than me and she taught me a lot about the park. We made sure to go early so we could head over to Kilimanjaro Safari while the animals were all active and we got a real treat. They were all active and pretty close to the road to! I could have touched a giraffe if I had been allowed! We also went out on some of the walking trails where the animals were pretty active. We made sure to catch Finding Nemo the Musical and decided we should go back next week to catch the Lion King show and for more fun.


Before coming to Disney World I knew I would have to eat at Be Our Guest restaurant, so as soon as I got accepted I tried every day to get reservations. Well, I got reservations for Courteney and I on October 12^th, and when that day rolled around we were thrilled! Although dressing up is not required, we decided we would any because it would be fun. Let me tell you, the restaurant is gorgeous! There are three different rooms you can eat in and they are all designed beautifully. We got to eat in the ballroom, though we also looked around at the other two rooms. I had shrimp and scallops while Courteney had steak and we were both very happy with our food. And of course, we did try the Grey Stuff, and it was delicious! Once dinner was over we were invited to meet the Beast which was very exciting in itself! I've decided that I have to take my parents there for lunch because it is such a great experience!

Since my last post I was also lucky enough to be chosen to tour the Castles with an Imagineer as a part of Limited Time Magic. Bright and early in the morning I headed over to the Magic Kingdom where I met up with the other participants. We headed inside the park and met up with our Imagineers. We were split into two groups and one group toured the Be Our Guest restaurant while the other explored the Cinderella Dream Suite and then we switched. The man who gave us our tour of the Beast Castle was one of the many people who worked on the castle and the woman who gave us our tour of the Dream Suite was the interior designer on the project! Both tours were amazing but of course the Dream Suite was the highlight. It was on my bucket list to get to go see this exclusive suite and it was a dream come true to see it! It was totally gorgeous and designed stunningly. The whole thing is designed to be like you are inside a castle (duh!) but with secret modern day amenities. That was something I won't soon forget!


I also won't forget the Halloween Party I finally got to go to! Working the Halloween Parties is so hard when you can see how fun they are but can't go yourself! But I got to whip out my costume and find out just how much fun it was. I knew that I was gonna go twice so this time around I just focused on meeting all the rare characters that were out. My favorite were Tarzan, Jane and Terk but there were some other great characters that I am glad to have met! I'm going again on the 29^th and then it'll be just about time to gear up for Christmas! Never a dull day in the Magic Kingdom.


Work has continued to be pretty normal, though I did get recognized for my guest interactions and keeping people entertained while they wait in line. I'm making lots of great friends and I'm already dreading my program ending and missing them. The other day was actually pretty eventful at work. I was standing outside of Princess Fairytale Hall when our fire alarms started to go off and guest were asked to evacuate. While everything ended up being okay, we had to check every store, restaurant and ride that was attached to that building which took quite a bit of time. So for about 45 minutes I had guests who were yelling at me and blaming me for the whole situation (yay). Once I got my break I was relived to just get some time to catch a breath and relax. I was still a little frazzled once my break was over, but as they say “the show must go on!” Later that night was a Halloween Party and we typically close the Hall down at 6:30 so we can clear guests out who don't have tickets. At about 6:45 a man comes up to me pretty much begging to go inside, but I couldn't let him because he does not have a Halloween ticket. But the man pulls me aside and tells me he only wants like 5 minutes inside and doesn't want to see the princesses, he just wants to propose to his girlfriend. How could I say no to that?! So I walked him and his girlfriend up the Fast Pass line and have them wait while the last guests head in to meet the princesses. All the cast members are looking at me very confused as to what these people are doing here, so I had to clue some of them in. Of course the entertainment captain runs offstage to grab a Photo Pass photographer and we let the couple into an empty room and he proposes to her in front of Cinderella’s glass slipper! The poor guy would have proposed in the queue as long as he could be in the building so I'm glad we were able to make it a little more magical! Once she said yes I took them out to our nearest store and got them 'Just Engaged' buttons and let them know where they could look at their pictures. They were so happy they both gave me a hug! I was so glad I could make their engagement magical and I needed that magic to turn my day around, so it was great.


Besides all that I've been busy helping my parents plan their trip here in November. I'm very excited and I'm trying to get everything planned so that they have an awesome time! I'm looking forward to another audition in a couple weeks and I'm working on getting my classes picked out for next semester. It's hard to believe I graduate in just a couple months! I guess I should start planning for life as a college graduate, but for right now I'm enjoying living life in Fantasyland.

One Exciting Ride

This week has been filled with lots of excitement! For those of you to don't know, I'm a writer for the Tips From the Disney Divas and Divos blog and this week three of them happened to come visit Walt Disney World with their families. It was great to meet some of the people who I knew so well online and to actually make a connection with them. It makes the writing community seem just a little smaller once you know someone in person rather than just online.

Dopey Diva

Tangled Diva all dressed up for Halloween

Nick the Disney Divo

Last Thursday my roommate Courteney and I headed out to Hollywood Studios for a day of fun, and after checking in with my fellow blog writers we decided to have lunch at the 50's Prime Time Cafe. Let me tell ya, this place is the best! I seriously recommend that everyone go to this place at least once. Just like the name sounds, it's themed for the 1950's and you feel like you are walking into a real 50's house. Once their you are called to dinner "Steindorf kids, it's time for dinner!!" and you are taken in where your 'Uncle' or 'Aunt' is your server. Uncle Tim was our server and he was awesome. Not only did he make us get up and wash our hands before we ate, but he kept coming back and giving us a hard time. And of course, when he saw me with my cell phone out I got a very stern "No toys at the dinner table'! Not only is the Atmosphere great, but so is the food. Of course everything is a home recipe from a family member and everything comes in big portions. I had meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans and I was stuffed the rest of the day. Once again, Uncle Tim made fun of me for licking my plate clean. Courteney and I didn't have any room for desert but we vowed to go back there one day just for the deserts, which have big portions just like dinner. And the Prime Time has a Peanut Butter and Jelly milkshake and is definitely a must try! (Have I sold ya yet?) Let's just say it was one of the best dining experiences I had ever had and I would gladly go back again and again.

This is where you get called for dinner

Our table! Look close, the Disney name is on the TV

Team Yen Sid!

Tuesday night was the Fantsyland Mystery Challenge, which is a once a year bonding event that takes place after the park is closed. The game changes every year, but this year it was a giant game of Clue! We had to wander around the areas within the Pinocchio Village House and the "it's a small world" queue and solve mysteries and play games to get clue cards. The more times it took us to figure out the answers the less cards we got. My team was only down one card at the end and unfortunately guessed the wrong one, but we weren't the first one to turn it in anyway so it didn't matter. What did matter was that it was a total blast! The challenges were things like charades, matching games, song writing and many more. I'm so glad I didn't miss this event and I love how much fun it is to work in the Magic Kingdom

Wednesday morning I went to auditions for the college program which would allow me to be a character performer and extend my program. I don't really want to extend my program anyway since I only have a semester left of school, but I thought I would go just for the heck of it. I was pretty worried about my foot since I hadn't been in jazz shoes, or really danced since I broke my foot, but it turned out to be fine. The combination was simple but it was really obvious that they were only looking for specific things, and I didn't fall into those categories. The size of the group that went was crazy. The auditions were supposed to start at 9am, so me and a few Fantasyland friends got there at 8am and we got numbers 306-308. They ended up starting to take people in to audition in smaller groups at about 8:30 because I think they realized they just needed to get people out. Personally, I wished they would have just said at the beginning "this is what we are looking for so if you aren't that please turn around" It would have saved there time and a lot of other people's time, but I guess there is always that off chance that you aren't what they are looking for and they take you anyway. What I really like is that they head casting director (who I have seen before) started his Disney career in the College Program at Food and Beverage, so it proves you really can make it in this company if you try. For now I will look for other auditions while I'm here and then I'll continue to keep my eye on the calender for the ones in California.

Thursday was my first time at the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival. Courteney and I decided to work our way backwards because we liked the last food countries better than the first. We only made it though Scotland, Hawaii and Greece before we had to head to the Festival Center for our 'Beverage Seminar'. Here we listened to Marco Antonio De Martino talk about the Vina De Martino Vineyard which is one of the largest vineyards in Chile and accounts for over 12% of the vineyard land that Chile has. We tried three of their wines as he talked about making each one of them and how much care they put into each and every bottle of wine they make. It was really fascinating, even if we did only like one of the wines.

Wines from the De Martino Winery Seminar

Escargot from France!

After the seminar we headed back out to the World Showcase to continue our food tour. We hit up the dessert and champagne booth, the refreshment booth, Canada, Ireland, France, Japan, Germany, the Cheese booth and China before we decided we were far too wined and dined to continue. I'm super excited for my next chance to go and hit up all the countries we missed! I think my favorite food so far was the escargot in France and my favorite drinks have been the green tea colada from Japan and the Caposaldo sweet sparkling Moscato I had at the Festival Center while I waited for Courteney to get off work. I can't believe how much food and alcohol we drank! What's great about this festival is that all the food is appetizer size and many of the drinks are shot glass size (though you can get much bigger). It really allows you to try a large variety of food and drinks

Green Tea Colada

without getting too full or drunk. I will admit that at one point I wanted to lie down and take a nap from being so full, but even from the 13 different drinks I tried, I was not tipsy at all (except maybe a little after the colada). The other great thing is the prices! Though I was worried about how much money I would spend, most of the drinks were $3 and under and most of the food was $5 and under. Yes there were plenty that were more, but I got a lot more bang for my buck than I expected. I'm really excited that I get the chance to be here during the Food and Wine Festival because it is a really big deal and it is an awesome experience. Last time I had escargot I was on a cruise ship, and I don't think I've seen it sense! There is such a large variety of things for you to try from so many different countries, you really are eating and drinking your way around the world.

Halloween in September?

Well, life here in Florida has gotten pretty crazy. I'm working pretty regularly now, and I'm even picking up shifts most weeks just to make sure I have a little extra cash flow. I have become very obsessed with pin trading to the point that I'm pretty sure I doubled my collection in the short time that I have already been here. I haven't seen as many characters or shows, but that is mainly because I have been working a lot and trying to not kill myself by over doing it.


For anyone reading who doesn't know, I broke my foot in January of this year which meant I couldn't go to the character performer auditions for the College Program. But it turns out all the walking and standing I've been doing has hurt just as much. I keep going back and forth on trying to decide whether I should say something and get myself transferred to a location where I would have more chances to sit. But when I think about it, nothing really pops as far as locations that sit, so I also don't want to transfer and ruin my program by getting stuck in a horrible job. For now I'm trying to take it easy and sit down as much as possible. I'm also excited because I can finally go to some auditions. There is one next week that I am planning on going to with some friends from my work location and I'm pretty pumped. It'll be my first audition in a while, but it's just what I need to get myself back on the horse again. I'm a little hesitant because if I got through the auditions it means I would extend my program and stay in Florida longer, but I have decided that if I do make it all the way, I will decide what to do when the time comes.

I don't feel like I have anything too exciting to share since I do work a lot but I do have two things that come to mind that are kinda exciting. Before coming down to Florida I made a bucket list of all the things I hoped to achieve while here (this can be seen here) and one of those things was to become a Galactic Hero on the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. One day I worked in the morning and decided to take the afternoon to just go on the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin so I could become a Galactic Hero. Since it is in our slower season, the wait time was only 5 minutes so riding it multiple times was no hassle. I ended up going on the ride about 20 times and got Galactic Hero 5 times! The Cast Members were definitely starting to recognize the crazy girl in the Buzz Lightyear shirt who was constantly getting off and getting back on again. But it was a great day for me and it made me really happy to achieve my goal. Since then I have all but mastered the ride and I am working on teaching a couple of my friends all the tricks.


My second story is a bit more magical. I was working the opening day at the Princess Fairytale Hall and of course the lines were crazy and everyone was excited about all the new things they could take pictures of, including the princesses. Now, Walt Disney believed in drawing his crowd in, which can

be seen in the perfect example of Main Street and the Castle (either Sleeping Beauty's or Cinderella's, this is true for both parks). The Imagineers decided to follow this same example inside the Princess Fairytale Hall by placing Cinderella's glass slipper at the end of the queue line to draw all the guests into the building. Of course, this shoe has now become a focal point that every guest wants to take a picture of. As Cast Members, we have to encourage guests to take pictures quickly as they walk by, and we can't let them take pictures as they wait. I know this seems like it sucks, but trust me, there is a reason for everything. Anyway, back to opening night, pretty much every guest in line asks if they can take a picture while they wait, and the answer is always no (we Cast Members joke that we could have a separate line just to meet the shoe). But one particular guest came up and had to be an exception. Like every other guest they walked up and asked to see the shoe, when I told them they would have to wait, he told me he was an Imagineer who worked on Princess Fairytale Hall. The woman with him proceeded to tell me that he had brought her into the Hall on a 'Sneak Preview' a few weeks before and when showing her the glass slipper, he actually had a replica made, but inside that shoe was the ring he used to propose. How magical is that?! Of course I let them look at the shoe but I asked them to wait until the next group went in. Of course they understood why I had to ask them to follow the same rules as other guests and they were great when I told them I couldn't let them stand by the shoe much longer. But still, I met an Imagineer! How cool is that! And what a romantic story his new fiance told me! I almost started crying right then but obviously I had a job to do and couldn't let myself be overwhelmed by the sappy romance.


For now all I'm really doing is working. I'm loving working the Halloween Parties because its so fun to see all the costumes everyone wears. I'm still working on getting to go myself and I can't wait to go and meet all the new characters and try all the fun treats like candy corn ice cream! And once the Halloween Parties stop, the Christmas Parties begin! I definitely picked the right time of year to spend 5 months at the Happiest Place on Earth!

The Most Magical Job on Earth

Well, I have officially started working here at the Magic Kingdom. Right now I am still a trainee but Monday I will take my 4 hour assessment and hypothetically "earn my ears". Though, we don't earn ears, so I don't know why they call it that. Maybe I will have to buy myself some ears. I am working at the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel (not to be confused with King Aurthor Carrousel at Disneyland) and Mickey's Philharmagic. Once it opens, I will also be working at the Princess Fairytale Hall.

The Carrousel (also not to be confused with the Carrousel of Progress) is pretty easy but it's typically a one person job unless it's busy then you have someone to help load everyone up. I was really worried about getting sick just watching it go around and around all day, but once you actually focus on watching the people, it's not too bad. Mickey's Philharmagic is a 10 minute 3D experience that takes Donald through some beloved Disney Classics. This job is slightly terrifying. While greeting people at the front (greeter) and bringing people into the theater and finding them places to sit (theater) are not too bad working the line and making sure everyone gets in is fast pace and demanding. Our theater fits 486 people and 10 wheelchairs, so you have to be careful not to let more people than that in. Of course, my first time doing it myself, I did let too many people in. Working at Philharmagic is much more involved and there are a lot more jobs through the day so I'm excited to get going on all of those. I also have one more job that is secret, but I want you to know that it makes me smile and reminds me why I work at Disney.

Mr. Incredible pulling me away from Frozone

Before I started working, I had plenty of time off and days off in between some of my different training. I used this time to visit the parks, but I also tried to focus more on the stuff that would help me out. People may not believe me, but as much as I love meeting the characters, I'm also using it to study. While waiting in line I do watch how the characters are responding how the characters are reacting to the different guests that come to meet them. Everything from the a guest with a disability, to the kid in line who won't stop trying to say hi when they are with another family. I've noticed they treat kids coming to meet them different then me, the adult woman who is coming to say hi alone. I've had Baloo try to take me on a date, Rafiki who wouldn't stop kissing me, and several different characters who I've been impressed with how in character they stay, though they tend to have a more adult conversation. I've also found it my fun challenge to try and have conversation or interaction back that is character relevant. When Mr. Incredible kept trying to pull me away from Frozone, I told him that I wasn't Elastigirl, I made him sad, and then I cheered him up by saying I was sure she was waiting at home for him. When Pocahontas asked me what was in my pouch, I told her that I had money for trading and a map so I wouldn't get lost while exploring. I think this gives them more for them to go off of, and more for me to observe.

Many different types of puppets

I've also started watching shows and parades since I've come to Walt Disney World. While I pay attention to the show, I find myself watching for more of the technical side of things. While watching the Festival of the Lion King, I was amazed by the lighting design of the show and how expansive and intricate it was. At Finding Nemo The Musical, I found myself watching the puppetry and how they made all the different sea creatures work, while also integrating them with their human counterpart. Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage was just pure gold. Both the on-stage and back stage performance was spectacular. I said on Facebook that one day I'm going to go watch all 5 showings of it one day, and I will. The lighting was awesome, the costumes were amazing, the quick changes were impressive, the lip singing of the minor characters had me thinking they were really singing, the singing of the main characters (mainly Belle and Gaston unless the Beast is singing inside the suit) had me very impressed. The only part it lacked were the transitions from the Prince to the Beast and vice versa, and I can see why they didn't focus too much effort on those, because I'm sure the untrained eye pays very little attention to them. I'm sad this show is going away because I would love to be apart of it. Dream Along With Mickey was also really entertaining.

Dream Along With Mickey

This didn't have as many technical elements, but I do believe it is the only place in Walt Disney World where Mickey Minnie Donald and Goofy actually talk (don't quote me if I'm wrong). I guess what was impressive about this was the script or the plot line. The transition between parts of the story was pretty seamless and the lead ins were pretty fun. I like to watch the Fab Four perform because it gives me a great idea of just how animated you have to be to be a performer. Intimate meet and greets and watching the face characters aren't the same as performing to a crowd who could be watching from any distance. This is especially true for Fantasmic! which I don't like as much here, but the theater can seat up to 10,000 people, and you want all 10,000 people to have the same experience. I will definitely be going to that a lot more to study the performance.

I'm really excited for my classes to start, though they aren't starting for another month, and I will also be getting 'Wishes' trained soon which means I could be on crowd control for the fireworks show. I may not have been to happy about my role placement to begin with, but since I am in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom, I get to interact with a lot of children, I feel like interacting with them will help me to become more comfortable with interacting with them when I'm not myself. I also found out that I might be able to shadow a character, so I'm going to look more into that and hopefully doing that once or twice. I've already taken off the day of the entertainment department networking event so that I can go to that and see what connections I can make. So there is a lot coming up, and I am definitely just getting started. I am looking forward to everything that will unfold and the weeks go by and I can't wait to see what is next in my Disney Future!

The First Few Days

I'm officially here! Yay, the weather is hot and the buses are way too cold, but I'm here! My flight was not too bad. From Denver to Orlando I sat next to a girl who was also going to be in the program, Elizabeth. While the 15 year old who sat next to us was more than a little annoying, we managed to survive the flight and exchanged numbers, and after a pit stop to say hi to our new boss, we got our luggage and parted ways for the night.

Once I got to my hotel room I was starving from not eating all day and luckily their was an Applebee's attached to the hotel. Being that it was 1:30am I was one of the only people in there, and my server Jeremy was awesome! He had done the DCP a few years back as a performer and then continued to work for Disney for another 5 years. He let me pick his brain about how to get into the entertainment department and about what they are looking for. He gave me some general tips for the program and told be to be persistent in following my dreams. He told me I might actually have a really good chance at becoming a performer.

The doorknobs at the casting building

Check in was at 8am, but I'm pretty sure people started getting there at 6am. I walked from my hotel and got there about 7:30 and I was swimming in my own sweat by the time I got there. I went all the way through check in and still had no idea what my role was. I found out that I will be working in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom, but besides that, I have to wait until Sunday. No idea why they won't tell me. After check in I had a little time to drop my bags off in my apartment and I met a couple of my new roommates and then went off to casting to fill out some paperwork. From there the day was mine.

I returned to my room and finished unpacking and Courteney went off to work. I went with some friends to the outlet mall and I made a new friend at one of the Disney Stores. I found the Vera Bradley outlet store and drooled a little before I went back home to drop stuff off. After getting drug tested I hopped on a bus to visit Courteney at work and got there just in time to join the dance party! It was a bunch of fun and it really made me smile. It was one of those little moments that makes Disney so magical.

Wishes view from the beach at the Polynesian

From the dance party at Pop Century I met up with Elizabeth so we could go watch Wishes from the Polynesian Resort. What a magical way to end the night! Man, it wasn't like seeing the fireworks in the park, but sitting on the beach with the waves lightly crashing and watching an amazing fireworks show is something you just don't get to do. I almost started crying because I had a moment of "this is really it!" and it gave me so much hope for the weeks to come.

Yay Food!

This morning, Courteney and I had a very successful shopping trip. We walked which was hot but it was a good workout and now I have food! And a few more things that I needed. I still need a trip to Walmart but that can wait for now. I have a housing meeting a little later today and then I'm headed to the parks with my roommates. It's the first time ever they have all had the day off so we are doing a roommate bonding trip! I'm so excited to get into the parks for the first time. I'm not sure if everything has fully hit me yet because I haven't been to the parks at all. I guess we will find out! I'm so excited for what's to come!

DCP Bucket List

So, I thought I would make a bucket list of things I really wanted to do while on my CP. I feel like this list is pretty attainable and I hope to mark most of it off by the time I'm done!

Mickey's Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party

1. Be the first one at a park when it opens
2. Go to auditions when I can (Been to 3 and planning on going to 1 more before I leave)
3. Actually watch a full parade for once (Main Street Electrical Parade, Celebrate a Dream Come Trye)
   
4. Meet as many characters as possible (especially ones I haven't met already)
5. Be picked during Enchanted Tales with Belle
6. Go trick-or-treating during Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
7. Eat at the Be Our Guest Restaurant (Reservations made for October 12th!!)
8. Take the Marceline to Magic Kingdom or Keys to the Kingdom tour
9. Be in the crowd for the taping of the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade
10. Conquer my fear of Tower of Terror (went on it with Courteney, I think it made it worse)
    

    

    Cinderella Dream Suit

11. Go on as many rides as I can
12. Meet someone famous (saw and kinda talked to the cast of Dance Moms)
13. Pick the mind of a casting director
14. Become an avid pin trader
15. Go to the water parks
16. Find Hidden Mickey's
17. Become a Space Ace or above for Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin (Got 999,999 my first time!)
18. Go inside the Cinderella Dream Suite
19. Have my family visit me
20. Buy my dream purse

    

    Dream Purse