In Orlando!
WOW! So many things have happened. So many good things! So much to tell, so I'll start at the begining:
On Saturday January 7th, I started my adventure by leaving Bluff City, Tennessee in my Oldsmobile (loaded to the brim with luggage) en route for Orlando, Florida and my internshipi with the Walt Disney World Company. So I started about 10 a.m. or so and drove and drove and drove. I stopped maybe twice and decided to quit around 6 p.m. because it had been eight hours and thought that I was a little over halfway there. So I stopped over in a little beach resort town called Palm Coast. One word describes this place: GORGEOUS! AH! Palm trees and town banners line the streets in the quaint little beach destination. It was gorgeous. In fact all of Florida is beautiful and Palm Coast was my first stop in the state to take it in. I ate at a Bob Evans and checked into a Sleep Inn, because Microtel wouldn't take me because I wasn't twenty-one. But everything was good when I realized that my room was bigger and nicer at the Sleep Inn than it would have been at the Microtel.
The next morning I woke up around 8 a.m. and was back on the road by 10. I had been told that it takes twelve hours to get into Orlando, so I was expecting a four hour drive on this morning. However, I was grossly mistaken. It only takes nine hours to get from Bluff City to Orlando! So after about an hour or less drive through Daytona I arrive in Orlando and am exiting the interstate on my exit in Buena Vista, FL. So this was around 11 a.m. and I had nothing to do. I called around and got a hotel room in the area - the cheapest, nice one I could find (which wasn't cheap, and I have AAA!) But even then hotel check-in time isn't until 3 p.m., so I had a long lunch at the Olive Garden and found where I would be checking in the next day. Then I decided to go see if I could check in, and to my releif, I could. So that night I pretty much just watched T.V. and slept at the Comfort Inn Resort to prepare for the next day.
MONDAY! Check in day! On this day I finally began my Disney experience! So I got up around 7 a.m. and arrived at my check in and registration area - Vista Way Apartments - at around 8. From this experience I can truly say that Disney is a well oiled, extremely efficient machine. There were maybe 200-300 of us (college program students) checking in on this day, but I got through all of the registration rather quickly. First you fill out all sorts of forms and recieve your very important resource guide. Then you follow a blue line through a maze of registration tables and booths (very Disney) where you're assigned housing, take care of payroll stuff, are check for the "Disney Look," and much, much more. All in all it took me about two and a half hours or so to get through it all. But trust me - that's not bad at all. Whenever the majority of people start arriving later this month it could take up to 4 or 5 hours! CRAZY! So after I finished with this I was able to go and unpack before my housing meeting later that day. I was assigned to Chatham Square, room 16308. I have 3 roommates: two brazillians, Yago and Fernando, and an American that I don't know much about except that he's kind of strange.... I get along well with him, it's just that I try not to have contact if I odn't have to. But my other two roommates are really cool. I met Yago first on this day, he was the only one awake, having just returned from work himself. So I unpacked my stuff until 3 p.m. when my housing meeting was scheduled. I walked over to The Commons (another housing complex where the meeting was held) and couldn't help but just be taken in by my situation! I WAS IN ORLANDO! I'm walking on palm tree lined streets with warm winds blowing around! Such a wonderful atmosphere! Plus DISNEY! And they spare no expense - even for their employees. I sat through the meeting that lasted about two and a half hours where they went over all of the property guidlines and stuff like that. Kind of boring, but the presenters tried to make it as entertaining as possible in the Disney fashion. MAGIC! After this was over, I walked back to my apartment where I continued to unpack and then went to Wal-Mart when I realized that I had no food. But now I do, so that's all good. After this I just unpacked more and slept.
Tuesday was day two of registration where we just filled out some more forms and found out where we would be working. I'm officially a park greeter for Disney-MGM Studios! And with my Old Hollywood phase recently, I'm very happy to be there! On this day I was also given a Traditions time and more information on my work times, etc. After finishing my second day of registration I headed back to my room where I met another of my roommates: Fernando. He had been asleep when I first arrived and then had work when I was back that night, so this was the first time I'd met him. He said that he and some of his friends were going out and asked if I wanted to go to which I replied YES! I had been too caught up in work and unpacking that I needed to get out and explore Orlando. So I went with Fernando and a bunch of other interns (mainly from Brasil) to the Florida Mall where we spent the afternoon. Very fun, and all of those kida are really awesome. We're all in the same boat here, so it's easy to get along - a community feeling that was so seriously lacking at ETSU. And what I've been craving. Later on I was invited to go to Downtown Disney with them but said no because I had to sleep to get up early for my Traditions class.
And that brings me to today! Wednesday! This morning I woke up at 5 a.m.! AH! To get ready for my Traditions class which began at 7, but the bus left at 6, and you do not want to miss the bus (a charter buck by-the-way). So, for those who don't know, Traditions is the Disney welcome class where you FILL OUT MORE FORMS and learn all about Disney History, Sexual Harrassment, How to Treat Guests, and much, much more fun stuff. In fact, the class was FIVE HOURS of fun stuff! But the upside of today was that I recieved my official Disney Pin and Employee Card. Now I have the ability to get into ANY PARK, ANYTIME FOR FREE! WOOOHOOO! So at 12 p.m. after the class, I came back to my apartment, changed out of my "Disney Look" clothes and hopped onto the bus for the Magic Kindom (or rather the TTC to catch the monorail and ride it in). So I spent a few hours of the afternoon in the Magic Kingdom! And a few hours was all it took today. I litterally stepped onto every ride! Including Space Mountain - which ROCKS! The population here at Disney is low right now and it's the best time to visit the parks. I plan on going out again tomorrow evening as well after my employee tour of the Disney-MGM studios. No lines, I plan on taking advantage of this. After my Magic Kindom excursion I came back to the apartment where I made spaghetti and watched a bit of television before getting online to post this. Tomorrow I have a tour of the Studios and I should be starting work on Friday. Exciting stuff! And much more fun to come!
On Saturday January 7th, I started my adventure by leaving Bluff City, Tennessee in my Oldsmobile (loaded to the brim with luggage) en route for Orlando, Florida and my internshipi with the Walt Disney World Company. So I started about 10 a.m. or so and drove and drove and drove. I stopped maybe twice and decided to quit around 6 p.m. because it had been eight hours and thought that I was a little over halfway there. So I stopped over in a little beach resort town called Palm Coast. One word describes this place: GORGEOUS! AH! Palm trees and town banners line the streets in the quaint little beach destination. It was gorgeous. In fact all of Florida is beautiful and Palm Coast was my first stop in the state to take it in. I ate at a Bob Evans and checked into a Sleep Inn, because Microtel wouldn't take me because I wasn't twenty-one. But everything was good when I realized that my room was bigger and nicer at the Sleep Inn than it would have been at the Microtel.
The next morning I woke up around 8 a.m. and was back on the road by 10. I had been told that it takes twelve hours to get into Orlando, so I was expecting a four hour drive on this morning. However, I was grossly mistaken. It only takes nine hours to get from Bluff City to Orlando! So after about an hour or less drive through Daytona I arrive in Orlando and am exiting the interstate on my exit in Buena Vista, FL. So this was around 11 a.m. and I had nothing to do. I called around and got a hotel room in the area - the cheapest, nice one I could find (which wasn't cheap, and I have AAA!) But even then hotel check-in time isn't until 3 p.m., so I had a long lunch at the Olive Garden and found where I would be checking in the next day. Then I decided to go see if I could check in, and to my releif, I could. So that night I pretty much just watched T.V. and slept at the Comfort Inn Resort to prepare for the next day.
MONDAY! Check in day! On this day I finally began my Disney experience! So I got up around 7 a.m. and arrived at my check in and registration area - Vista Way Apartments - at around 8. From this experience I can truly say that Disney is a well oiled, extremely efficient machine. There were maybe 200-300 of us (college program students) checking in on this day, but I got through all of the registration rather quickly. First you fill out all sorts of forms and recieve your very important resource guide. Then you follow a blue line through a maze of registration tables and booths (very Disney) where you're assigned housing, take care of payroll stuff, are check for the "Disney Look," and much, much more. All in all it took me about two and a half hours or so to get through it all. But trust me - that's not bad at all. Whenever the majority of people start arriving later this month it could take up to 4 or 5 hours! CRAZY! So after I finished with this I was able to go and unpack before my housing meeting later that day. I was assigned to Chatham Square, room 16308. I have 3 roommates: two brazillians, Yago and Fernando, and an American that I don't know much about except that he's kind of strange.... I get along well with him, it's just that I try not to have contact if I odn't have to. But my other two roommates are really cool. I met Yago first on this day, he was the only one awake, having just returned from work himself. So I unpacked my stuff until 3 p.m. when my housing meeting was scheduled. I walked over to The Commons (another housing complex where the meeting was held) and couldn't help but just be taken in by my situation! I WAS IN ORLANDO! I'm walking on palm tree lined streets with warm winds blowing around! Such a wonderful atmosphere! Plus DISNEY! And they spare no expense - even for their employees. I sat through the meeting that lasted about two and a half hours where they went over all of the property guidlines and stuff like that. Kind of boring, but the presenters tried to make it as entertaining as possible in the Disney fashion. MAGIC! After this was over, I walked back to my apartment where I continued to unpack and then went to Wal-Mart when I realized that I had no food. But now I do, so that's all good. After this I just unpacked more and slept.
Tuesday was day two of registration where we just filled out some more forms and found out where we would be working. I'm officially a park greeter for Disney-MGM Studios! And with my Old Hollywood phase recently, I'm very happy to be there! On this day I was also given a Traditions time and more information on my work times, etc. After finishing my second day of registration I headed back to my room where I met another of my roommates: Fernando. He had been asleep when I first arrived and then had work when I was back that night, so this was the first time I'd met him. He said that he and some of his friends were going out and asked if I wanted to go to which I replied YES! I had been too caught up in work and unpacking that I needed to get out and explore Orlando. So I went with Fernando and a bunch of other interns (mainly from Brasil) to the Florida Mall where we spent the afternoon. Very fun, and all of those kida are really awesome. We're all in the same boat here, so it's easy to get along - a community feeling that was so seriously lacking at ETSU. And what I've been craving. Later on I was invited to go to Downtown Disney with them but said no because I had to sleep to get up early for my Traditions class.
And that brings me to today! Wednesday! This morning I woke up at 5 a.m.! AH! To get ready for my Traditions class which began at 7, but the bus left at 6, and you do not want to miss the bus (a charter buck by-the-way). So, for those who don't know, Traditions is the Disney welcome class where you FILL OUT MORE FORMS and learn all about Disney History, Sexual Harrassment, How to Treat Guests, and much, much more fun stuff. In fact, the class was FIVE HOURS of fun stuff! But the upside of today was that I recieved my official Disney Pin and Employee Card. Now I have the ability to get into ANY PARK, ANYTIME FOR FREE! WOOOHOOO! So at 12 p.m. after the class, I came back to my apartment, changed out of my "Disney Look" clothes and hopped onto the bus for the Magic Kindom (or rather the TTC to catch the monorail and ride it in). So I spent a few hours of the afternoon in the Magic Kingdom! And a few hours was all it took today. I litterally stepped onto every ride! Including Space Mountain - which ROCKS! The population here at Disney is low right now and it's the best time to visit the parks. I plan on going out again tomorrow evening as well after my employee tour of the Disney-MGM studios. No lines, I plan on taking advantage of this. After my Magic Kindom excursion I came back to the apartment where I made spaghetti and watched a bit of television before getting online to post this. Tomorrow I have a tour of the Studios and I should be starting work on Friday. Exciting stuff! And much more fun to come!
posted by ~chase at 4:41 PM
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