"Whatever you do, do it well..." Walt Disney

Hello Friends,
Actually...Hello from Starbucks!
Ah yes, I figured it was time ti venture down to the outlets and the Starbucks here in order to immerse myself in a place of prior blogging comfort and familiarity and dare I say, creativity.  It feels good to be back and blogging.
Also, as you may have noticed, Disney has wonderful quotes but these quotes tend to be very long for blog titles so I'll take the liberty of dividing the quotes up between the title and the end of the blog - in the hopes that the blog post can be all tied together.

So to pick up where we left off...

Saturday: Saturday was my last day of training.  I awoke before sunrise to get ready and catch the bus.  Waking up this early was actually really nice because it allowed me to watch the sunrise on my way to work, as I went through the famous Walt Disney World archway...it was as lovely as it sounds.
My trainer for my last day of training was Luica and she was very, very nice, helpful, and quite hilarious. Getting to work in the early morning, before the park opens, meant I got to join my fellow Cast Members in "the wave".  The wave is when we all stand outside the Emporium and greet the guests as the enter the park.  From what I had been told it sounded exciting and I was not disappointed.

 From inside the store we could here the countdown starting, "10...9...8...7..." and quickly we hurried to the sidewalk outside.
Now for those of you who have been to Walt Disney World and/or have experience this yourselves - picture this: Main Street, quite, empty, with the just the morning sunlight shinning gently through.  But as the countdown dwindles the excitement builds and the sunlight grows stronger. Main Street ready, the castle waiting....
"3...2..1..." The crowd roared and massive amounts of people started through the gates toward down town Main Street.  Hundreds upon hundreds of people made there way toward us.  I took a quick looked back at the Cinderella's Castle and it seemed to be glowing, almost sparkling with glory and I thought, "yes here is the magic...right here."
Parents came with their children, friends came (young and old), grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, first time visitors and season pass holders.  There were many birthdays in the crowd. It was so much fun waving my Mickey hand and greeting everyone.  "Good Mornings" and high fives all around. The little princesses were darling and little super heroes came too.  A moment that really stood out to me was as I watched a family from the time they walked through the gates, around the bend, to the top of Main Street...the little girl pulling her father a long...and as she got to just that right place where she could see it she screamed..."Cinderella's Castle! Look,"...she turned to her father, smiling with an outstretched figure.  He smiled and they both walked hand in hand down Main Street.  It was a Magical Moment for me.
After the wave we about the day as normal.  Mingling with guests and making sure everyone got their souvenirs.  The Emporium is quite a different store in the morning and day time as it is not nearly as busy at those times.  The store seriously looked/felt like a ghost town at times.  Yet this allowed for a lot of guest interactions for longer periods of time so that was nice. Towards the end of our day Luica and I almost managed to achieve watching the parade as a means of working (aka being door greeters) yet sadly there was a storm (typical) and the parade was cancelled.  But all was not in vain because a woman asked to take her picture with us.  The woman spoke Spanish and I was thankful Luica was there to translate.  Another Spanish woman asked me (with Luica's help) what my nationality was...I guess she had never seen my name before...and Luica told her I was Irish.
My last day of training was probably the easiest day I've had at The Emporium and probably will have this entire time.
P.S. - When I told Luica how I was working 8-3am on Sunday all she replied with, "oh. I'm sorry."

Sunday: Sunday was the day I wasn't quite sure how to prepare for because I knew I'd be working from 8pm-3am.  As we ate breakfast Katie, Lauren, and I talked about what we thought the VMAs and *NSYNC performance would be like.  (I was upset that I'd be missing it). This turned into a proper BSB vs. *NSYNC 1999 standoff.  Me and BSB on one side Katie, Lauren and Nsync on the other.  Later on in the day time Katie, Lauren, and I went to Downtown Disney to look around World of Disney and have lunch at the famous "Earl of Sandwich."  I was really good, definitely worth all the hype.  

Delicious :)

We also went into the Christmas store which made me really excited for my family's trip in December.  :) While shopping I bought a wonderful Mickey and Union Jack bag :)
Before I knew it it was time to head to work.  The good part was the store was so busy 2 am came quickly.  The not so good part was, because of the confusion with now having two MaryKates that work at the Emporium, I was stuck doing trash at the end of the night.  Trash duty at Cornerstone in like throwing a penny in the back that is the Emporium.  It was a lot of work actually.  Thankfully my co-worker Andrew, who worked trash duty with me, was really nice and made it less painful.  We did wind up clocking out after 3 am because we wanted to make sure we got the job done right - go us.  Andrew did a lot of the more manual labor of trash duty and added in some Dick Van Dyke-Mary Poppins-chimney sweeping inspired dance routines.
Andrew was nice enough to drive me and two of my co workers, Gina and Kate, back to the DCP housing complexes.  I got home close to 4 am and practically fell into my bed and went right to sleep.

Monday: To my roommates surprise I was up and moving by 9:30 am. I was able to get a work out in before returning to work.  Soon enough it was time to head back to work. A bright spot was Monday was really like my Friday because I had Tuesday and Wednesday off.  My Monday shift was good and went by kinda fast.  At the end of the night I was able to go out and take some pictures on Main Street and go to Starbucks (duh). I also saw all the things I missed at the VMAs --- Nsync and JT were great :)
Working at night allows me to hear Wishes (the fireworks show) and see bits and the Electrical Parade --- I hope to see both soon.

I love how the cups say "Disney Parks" and have stars on them :)

Cinderella's Castle at night :)

Tuesday: Tuesday was my first of two days off and I FINALLY got to enjoy Magic Kingdom as a guest.  Alexis and Allie went with me.  Before we headed to Magic Kingdom (MK) we stopped one of the housing offices to pick up a "special gift" for each of us that we had gotten an email about.  It turned out to be notes from our families wishing us well.  Thanks Mom, Dad, and Eddie! Then in was off to the Magic Kingdom!!!
 Allie had work so she parked in a cast member parking lot and Alexis and I decided to be jumped off near the front entrance so we could enter with all the other guests.  As we walked up we noticed that Halloween/Fall arrived in Magic Kingdom. Overnight I might add...literally when I left at 10:30 pm the night there wasn't a single decoration yet when we arrived at noon all of Main Street was orange and red with pumpkins and leaves.

 So there was this time that Disney decided we needed new passes to get in the park thereby deactivating our current cards causing us to stand in line at guest relations to get a complimentary ticket for the day - fun times, great souvenir.  (Hopefully I will get the new pass by Wednesday).   Once we finally entered Magic Kingdom we saw one of the morning parades at it was all very exciting.  We also saw Lauren and work before we went to fast pass Space Mountain.  We decided to grab lunch at Cosmic Ray's.  After lunch, We still had a little bit of time to kill so we went to Floor of Laughs featuring the Monster's Inc. characters. Alexis wasn't feeling that well so she decided to sit outside in the air while Allie and I went into the show.  When we found Alexis afterwards she still wasn't feeling well so she went home to rest and get medicine.  Allie and I made our way to Space Mountain.  It was so much fun but a lot more rocky than I remember. The whole in the dark thing is crazy and times I heard you can ride Space Mountain with the lights on but that is actually scarier because you see how close the tracks really are.  Still...can't wait to ride it again.  Allie and I then went on the iconic "It's a Small World" and that ride was not as obnoxious (in terms of the song getting stuck in your head) as I remembered.  Finally, before Allie had to go to work we stopped Gaston's and got some of the Brew (aka frozen apple juice).  It was so refreshing.  After Allie I decided to get some touristy pictures and shop for a few souvenirs...at the Emporium of course :).  It was quite interesting being in the store when not working.
After taking in some of the parade I jumped on the Monorail, wound up going the wrong way, jumped back on, went to the Contemporary, caught the bus, and made it back to Patterson after a wonderful day in the Magic Kingdom. :)

Finally a great picture of the archway! 

Main Street USA! Fall in Magic Kingdom :)                                 

Walt Disney and Mickey 

MK in MK :)

Tuesday night I spent time relaxing with my room mates.  We watched "The Lucky One" :)

Wednesday: Wednesday was my second day off.  One of the highlights of this day was being able to introduce Allie to Wawa. We went and got sandwiches for lunch. This Wawa sells alcohol...best idea ever (hint hint PA).  

Life can't get any better.  

I spent some of the afternoon watching the coverage for the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington/MLK Jr. "I have a dream" Speech.   ....and the history major comes out. I enjoyed all the speeches and the significance of the occasion.  

Brittany came home a little bit later and had bought "The Great Gatsby" with Leo and Toby. We watched it and both really enjoyed it.  Brittany writes and draws and I write so we decided we wanted to get back in the swing of doing some serious writing again a routine basis.  Yay passion and creativity...hence why we're at Disney.  

At night, all the roomies and I were able to go to the "Monstrous Welcome Event" hosted by Disney Housing. We got to represent our schools. SJU! #THWND.  Mike and Sully were there. Katie, Lauren,  Britt and I participated in a serious dance party.  

The ladies of 4201 and Sully.  (Photo credit: Allie)

 We all came back and had some drinks and bonded.  :)

Thursday: I was able to get a work out in.  I was back at work from 2-11. I had a training class for the first two hours of my shift entitled "Safety in Motion" which taught us how to preform tasks on the job safely as to not hurt ourselves.  Some people were having a hard time staying awake and the proctors had no problem calling them out on it. haha. I thought the rest of the day would be somewhat quite and uneventful until I saw my bigX3, Deanna, racing towards me in the Emporium.  She is on vacation with a few of her family members and stopped by to see me.  It pretty much made my life :) Alpha love <3

Friday: I worked yesterday from 1-10 so it was a somewhat tiring day.  I came home though and had a surge of energy so I went to the gym and did some laundry. When working nine hours and the whole trip to and from work takes up 12 hours of your day it is a looong day and after yesterday I feel as though I can definitely say I earned my ears. 

Saturday:  Today I woke up and headed to Starbucks. I'm currently in my room where I'm finishing up this blog post.  Alexis was nice enough to drive me to Walgreens to pick up my medicine. In the next hour I'll be getting ready and leaving for work.  Late shift tomorrow night but I'm ready for it.  

Please see facebook for more pictures.  

A final note on the week...I met so many people from the UK this week, particularly England and proceeded to tell every single one of them how I studied abroad in London and how much I missed it! I really do miss London.  It was great to say "Cheers" a lot as well.  I also had a dream that Disney decided to add Ireland to the parade of nations and asked me to be in charge of the Irish dancing....then I woke up.  :(  Maybe one day....sigh....

In conclusion, the quote that begins in my blog titled ends like this: "...Do it so well that when people see you do it they will want to come back and see you do it again and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do," Walt Disney. Over this last full week of work I realize all the actual hard work that goes into running a show like Disney and how important every cast member is and how integral all of those efforts are together to making memories and successful experiences for our guests.  If you can work here...I dare to say....you can work anywhere :)

In the next week I hope to clean up my resume and apply for some of Disney's Professional Internships as well as reach out to my professor who will be teaching my "Exploring Disney Heritage Class."  All about networking and taking steps forward.


Keep Dreaming,
Mary-Kate

"I only hope we don't loose sight of one thing - that it was started by a mouse," Walt Disney

Hello Friends,
This has been a busy week but I'll start back where I left off...but first..
A quick magical moment I forgot from Traditions:  Our group was walking through tomorrowland and we saw several young children playing and interacting with one of the interactive/toy trashcans.  One little boy went up and kicked it, laughed, and started to move away.  Well, the Mr. Trashcan was not amused.  He turned to the little boy and said "oh we have ourselves a trouble maker here" and proceeded to case the little boy around.  It was so funny and everyone in the general area who saw it couldn't help but smile if not start hysterically laughing.

Sunday: Sunday was my last day off before starting work. Alexis and I ran to Walmart where an ATM hated me and then we ran to Target where I got Starbucks - yay! Otherwise, I had a relaxing day resting by the pool and going to gym....decorating my room and mentally getting ready for the work week.
Also...there is a Wawa five minutes from my apartment.  So it'll be my saving grace.

Thank you Jesus!

  

                                      

Everyone is here!

Monday: Monday was my first day of training :) I got up really early in the morning to catch the bus.  A wonderful moment happened when I spotted an AOII waiting for the bus as well.  Her name was (is) Katrina.  She is from North Carolina and works in all of the parks.  We spent the entire bus ride to Magic Kingdom (MK) talking about how much we love sorority.  Alpha love and best wishes to my AOII Sigma Beta sisters!  Once at the Magic Kingdom to get my costume - which are made in quite an interesting fashion.  Next we got broken into groups by our work location to meet our trainers and start the day. I will am working at The Emporium on Main Street - the second busiest store in the world/Disney World and the busiest store in the world/Disney World per square foot.  We have a lot of merchandise and guests :)  I was in a group of four with three other girls: Megan, Aundrea, and Connie.  Our leader was named Jerry.  Jerry is a very nice gentlemen who seemed to know everyone and they all commented about him being surrounded by, "all the pretty ladies; therefore, we were known all day as "Jerry's Angels."  Jerry showed around the entire grounds of the Emporium.  Running the store seems to be a huge undertaking, but when in Disney World - we operate only as Disney World can ;)

The training was long and exhausting but a lot of fun and informative.  

After a whirlwind of a day I came home and went to bed early.  

Tuesday: Tuesday morning I had a class through Disney University.  Our leaders/teachers were Pieter and Jerry, who shared their stories and experience with the Company.  This was a class designed for all the CPs working in the Magic Kingdom.  We walked the entire park, through all the lands and other areas.  We learned about all the hidden gems and trivia about the park.  We were in the park earlier than the guests so we got go on a couple of rides: The Haunted Mansion and The People Mover (in Tomorrowland).  The People Mover is one of the first rides I remember riding during my first trip to Walt Disney World so it was kind of a full circle moment.  

After the class I returned home at lunchtime to an empty apartment - all my roommates had work.  I spent the afternoon at the gym and cleaning and helped my family figure out their trip to visit me.  

Wednesday: I met another AOII waiting for the bus in the morning!  This sister was (is) named Brittany and she is from Canada :) Wednesday was another day of training at Disney University. This was a merchandising class that fused together merchandise and entertainment - our job all in one.  We learned how to operate the registers, etc.  The class was long but seemed to go quickly.  I returned home and had dinner.  At night, Lauren, Allie, and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings for some drinks and karaoke.  It was a lot of fun and a nice treat for us in adjusting the busy-ness of our new jobs.  Our cab driver was Jean Claude and we had a lovely discussion with him about the French language.  He is our designated cab driver from now on.  I also ran into one of my new friends, also named Marykate, her boyfriend Mason, and his roommates.  Everyone was very nice.  We also ran into Brazilians and talked to them about soccer/football.  haha. 

Myself, Lauren, and Allie out and about :)

Thursday:  Katie and Alexis worked in the morning while Brittany, Allie, and Lauren had off.  I spent the morning figuring out my family's trip and going to the gym.  Allie, Britt, and Lauren went to the Epcot in the morning and also went to Breakfast with the characters - sounded like fun. The girls also met Mickey (jealous)! Alexis and Katie met up with them in Magic Kingdom.  The reason I did not join them was I had work (my second day of training) from 4pm-1230am.  My trainer was Amanda and she was very nice.  She said the store gets SO busy at night and isn't as busy during the day.  In fact, they usually reserve a night shift for day #3 of training because of how overwhelming it can be at first.  Overall it wasn't too bad and Amanda said I did very well.  Though she was right - the store was SO busy!  I pin traded with many guests and participated in some magical moments, including giving a lolly pop to a boy named Kenneth as a birthday present :).  I am getting the hang of the register so I hope I made my five-year-old-wanting-to-be-a-pay-lady(cashier)-self proud. A cherry on top the evening was when Brittany and Lauren came into the store to visit me :)

After my shift was over there was a delay with the buses so many CPs and myself waited almost 45 minutes for a bus.  I wound up getting home at 1:30 am and went right to bed.  I guess I'll have to get use to it. 

PS - NEW CARPETS FINALLY CAME YESTERDAY! 

Friday: I had the day off and slept til London time (aka 10-10:30 am).  I went to the gym and unpacked my life.  With new carpets we all can finally live in our apartment!  Lauren and I went shopping at Walgreens and Publix.  Other than that the day was quite.  I got Chinese for dinner.  Tonight - all six of us were home. We watched Friends With Benefits and relaxed...and cleaned. haha. 

Hope to get a good night sleep before my last day of training tomorrow.  I'll be working the morning shift so that should be nice. Maybe I'll meet another AOII?! :) 

Sorry for the lack of pictures but given the nature of my job I can't have my phone and or/camera out to take pics haha.  Don't worry I will have many pictures from being a guest! Hope to finally get to MK as a guest soon!

P.S. The security guards at Patterson are awesome and they love us! haha

Keep Dreaming,

Mary-Kate 

"To all who come to this happy place - welcome. Disneyland is your land...," Walt Disney

Hello Friends,
Okay so I know this blog post title is from the speech Walt gave when Disneyland opened...but the same idea applies...and I hope you all realize why through this post.

So picking up with Tuesday evening: Brittany, Lauren, and I wound up staying home and heading out to meet our neighbors.   Overall, it was a success.   Four apartment visits and a time check later (11 pm at this point), we realized, most people in our building did not arrive on Monday like we did nor could they sleep in the next day because they had work...so we took their lead and returned home and went to bed.

Wednesday:  Wednesday was a pretty relaxing day.  My old London sleeping habit came back (aka I slept in until 10 am).  I had a housing meeting at 12, which consisted of housing coordinators explaining the rules of Disney housing, etc.  Let's just say...there are a lot of rules.
I was able to get a quick trip to the gym before the rain.  It rained for much of the afternoon so Lauren and I wound up watching Good Will Hunting.
That night, Alexis, Allie, and I headed to dinner at Chick-fli-a and then to Downtown Disney for the first official roomie trip to Downtown Disney (Lauren met up with us a later on in the night).  We explored Downtown Disney and I complied a ridiculous list of items I want from World of Disney and all the other stores there :) We got sweets and enjoyed the dance/sing along party happening on the main stage area...it was a lot of fun!

Thursday: Allie, Brittany, Katie and Lauren all had traditions on Thursday morning while Alexis and I had the day off.  Day off, great, right?! Yes and No.  Yes, because we went to Dunkin' Donuts and spent time at the pool.  No, because we knew the other four girls would come home all excited about just receiving their official Disney IDs and would want to go into the park - and they did.
After some pool "tanning" and a workout I got a quick work out in at the gym, came home, and made myself dinner. When Alexis and I got home from the pool we found a note under our door saying our apartment would get ALL our carpets replaced on Friday - YAY!
Alexis and I were also able to attend the Woody's Round up Welcome Event where we had food, drinks, a throw down dance party and got to meet WOODY and JESSIE! :)
After the event, Alexis went to dinner with her big from her sorority (shout out to Greek Life) while Brittany, Allie, Katie, and Lauren spent time in Magic Kingdom --- it was Brittany's first time in Magic Kingdom and the girls got great videos and pictures of Britt's reaction to seeing the castle for the first time! :) It was a bit of a quite evening for me with the apartment to myself for a time...but you need those every now and then.

The pool...literally 15 steps from my front door :)

Alexis, Woody, Jessie, and I :)

Friday: I woke up at 5 AM to get ready for my own Traditions.  Traditions is an official class that every new Disney employee partakes in (in some form or another) as their formal start with the company (before training).  So yes, Friday was my first official day as a Walt Disney World Employee.  The whole day was really exciting.  Despite an early wake up time and a bus call at 6:45 am, which we waited for in an already muggy, hot Orlando morning, the day went very smoothly!  Thankfully, Alexis and I had Traditions together so it was nice to someone to talk to, or lack there of, on the bus ride over to Disney University.
Once at Disney University, we were all split up into groups and sadly Alexis and I were in different ones.  Walking through the halls of Disney University is really cool - Disney everywhere! It made me feel quite special.  My group went into a classroom that we came to find out was many employees favorite room in the whole building because it was so colorful.  After a short presentation on company integrity (very important) we were introduced to our group leaders, Chris and Eunice.
We spent the day learning all about the company and our affiliates, company policy, safety, internal dialogue, and all types of information one might think of when they think of business...and the business of a huge company. It wasn't all entirely business as Chris and Eunice tried to keep it fun with stories, jokes, and sharing their funny/happy work experiences with Disney.
I was named table leader for my table and as a result won a small Donald Duck figurine (these small, small plastic dolls can only be won at Traditions so it's pretty cool to be able to say I have received one).
It was a lot to take in but also surreal for me to realize I was all apart of it.
Part of the day was spent taking a field trip to Magic Kingdom - where I will be working - in fact, I think we passed my work location (I'll know for sure on Monday)!  We got to see many, many guests and even experienced a few magical moments.
Once we got back to the classroom, we talked about our experiences in the park when we were interrupted by a visit from our boss - MICKEY MOUSE :)  He wished us all luck and sprinkled our name tags with extra pixie dust :)!
After that, a magical moment came when we got our name tags!!!
The last thing we watched was  a short video with pictures and clips/quotes from Walt Disney himself.  It honestly gave me the chills and I could not be more excited to start working here in WDW! :)
As we left the classroom, other members of the company lined a part of the hall and cheered for us as we left saying "Congratulations" as we walked by!

The girls were waiting for Alexis and I when we got home.  Before I knew all six of us were headed to Animal Kingdom!  It is quite amazing to be able to park and get into the parks for free...that will never get old.  Once in Animal Kingdom we did several rides, before we were caught in an afternoon thunderstorm.  When I say caught in it I mean we heard thunder, saw lighting, and huddled in a hut like shopping vendor with other guests, where we bought ponchos, and watched the walk ways turn into small rivers.  At some point one of us decided we shouldn't wait any longer and the ladies of 4201 headed into the POURING RAIN.  The ponchos kept us mostly dry but we couldn't say the same for our socks and sneaks.  I felt bad for the poor souls we saw walking around with no poncho or umbrella...but we knew the storm would end soon AND the felt very refreshing!

All of us after the downpour! Britt and I wore our Phillies shirts in support of Charlie...:(

My favorite part of the day was probably riding Mt. Everest, taking roommate pics with Goofy and Pluto, the Safari, or walking back through the park, seeing Goofy and Pluto, and having literally run after us so they could skip with us down the path - quite the ladies' men haha.
After a great afternoon in the park Brittany, Lauren, Katie, Allie, and I went for dinner at Benihana (Alexis wasn't feeling all that well and went to bed early).  The restaurant is hibachi style and we shared a table with a family of four from NJ who were just ending their two week vacation in Disney.  We had nice conversations with them through out dinner.  The five of us have decided we will be returning to Benihana's in the near future...not only for a happy hour...but to eat dinner cooked by our new favorite cook - Ken.  Ken was a riot and he insisted he was born in Japan - in Epcot - though he's never been to Disney and doesn't like Disney all that much.  We've established a love/hate relationship - it was too great. We all came home exhausted and went right to bed.
Please note: the carpets never came....:(

Saturday: Today, Britt and Lauren had training so Allie, Katie, Alexis, and I (aka the Brunettes) decided to take on Epcot!  The only attraction we missed was Sourin' (too long of a wait).  It's also a great feeling to know we have MONTHS to be able to see/get through the parks, so we don't feel as rushed per say as we usually feel on vacation.  Alexis and I didn't go on Mission Space but went into the interactive areas and became healthy habit heroes and "went green"! We went around the parade of nations and spending time in the UK was amazing! I will be spending more time there in the future.  It was almost a relief going there, in some respects I felt like I was home.  I think my room mates could tell I was having a "moment"/I was in heaven.  I got fish and chips for lunch.  I can't wait to go back for tea.  :)  Shout out to my London loves :)

Lovin' the UK! :)

Earlier in the day we got fast passes to Test Track but right but right before we went on Test Track we headed to Mexico to ride the Gran Fiesta Tour: Starring The Three Caballeros!  This ride is significant to me for two reasons: 1.) It is the first ride I remember being on in Walt Disney World in 1997 and 2.) It reminds me of my favorite course in college: Modern Mexico with Dr. Warren (aka #WittyWarren), Aubrey, Jess, Randy, and Kelly :)

:)

Leaving Mexico and the Parade of Nations we headed to The Land...and Test Track !!! Test Track was as amazing as I remember and Katie and I got to design our own awesome car!
We left Epcot and headed for Hollywood Studios (it will always MGM to me)!  The four of us wandered around and ate pizza for dinner at PIZZA PLANET....OH COOL! (I know, right?! ;))
Lauren and Brittany met up with us in Hollywood Studios and we all sat and watched Fantasmic.  Fantasmic = FANTASTIC and AMAZING! It is seriously better than I remember.  Brittany had never seen it and we all loved her reaction to it!  It was like being five years old again (for all of us)! Best show in Disney - true magic of Disney all on that stage!
I had a moment sitting watching the show where I realized how fortunate I am to be here and even if I don't have my life figured out beyond the Disney College Program just yet, I know things will work out and great things are in my future!


Now I'm off to bed before one more day off.  Training starts Monday!

Hope everyone is enjoying the blog so far.

Keep Dreaming,
Mary-Kate

My side of the room :) I promise it'll become more festive :)

*Please see facebook for all my pictures from Disney :) 

I'd like to end this blog with the rest of Walt's quote from the opening of Disneyland...
"...Here age relives fond memories of the past...and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future.  Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America...with the hopes that will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world," Walt Disney.

"I suppose my formula might be: dream, diversify and never miss an angle," Walt Disney

Hello Friends,
Greetings from Patterson Court - my home for the next five months! The past few days have been busy! It's surreal to think I am actually HERE in WALT DISNEY WORLD!

But before I get to excited or ahead of myself let me recap my time since I left Horsham:

Saturday: 3 AM.  That is the time we headed to the airport.  I'm so happy (and lucky) my Mom, Dad, and Eddie could make the trip down and spend the weekend with me (even if there was the dual purpose of Eddie visiting Florida Institute of Technology aka F.I.T.)! On our way to the airport that the last time I was on a plane was the day I left London...how quickly time flies. I will say I felt like Laura McSherry after being getting pulled aside by security ;) (they asked if I had metal in my right leg - which I don't).
The sun came up right in time for our flight to take off - it was very pretty.

Here I come DISNEY :)

HELLO ORLANDO!!!

We arrived in Orlando before 10 AM and had plenty of time to wander around before heading to our hotel.  We stopped for breakfast and figured out where we were staying. Thankfully we were able to enter the hotel grounds and hang out by the pool while our room was prepared. The main pool area was great and we spent some time watching the guests play in games being set up my the hotel staff.  We went grocery shopping for dinner. My Mom, Eddie, and I walked to the Orlando Outlets, a place that is in dangerously close proximity to my apartment.

Finally, 12 hours after waking up, we were able to settle in our hotel room - a very nice one at that.   For the rest of the afternoon we all rested and my Dad and I spent time by the pool and we had a few drinks. I quickly became aware of how much sunscreen I will most likely use during my time here --- A LOT!

Palm Trees :)

At night, the four us had a nice dinner and had dessert in Downtown Disney!
Once we all got home we were so exhausted and went right to sleep.

Sunday: Eddie and I got to sleep in.  I went to the hotel's fitness center (aka three machines) to get a work out in.  After lunch the family spent some time by the pool - very relaxing - before heading back to get ready so I could get to dinner at Planet Hollywood and meet my roommates!!!

The story of how I came to live with my roommates is short, sweet, simple, and surreal.
My friend Josalyne had a co-worker named Brittany who was also doing the program.  Josalyne was able to help us exchange numbers...three text messages and 20 minutes later...I had new five roommates!!!!
My five roommates are: Allie, Alexis, Katie, Lauren, and Brittany.  We had plan to meet up at Planet Hollywood the night before we moved in even before we left to come down to Disney!
I wasn't quite sure what to expect coming into a new rooming situation but as soon as we sat down to dinner I knew I would be living with a great group of girls and we were in for an amazing five month adventure! After dinner we all went our separate ways with our families, TOTALLY excited for move in on Monday!

Me and My Roommates (L-R): Me, Katie, Alexis, Brittany, Lauren, and Allie 

Monday: Disney Check-in/Move-in Day.  In an email from Disney (one of 1,000,000 emails - it seemed) all CPs (College Program Participants) were told not to arrive at Vista Way (the official check in area) before 7 AM.  Time check: 7:05 AM and my family and I were in a line of cars that backed onto and down the main road outside of the housing complex.  I quickly jumped out of the car and tried to find Allie and Alexis who were already in a VERY long line of new CPs waiting to start the check in process.  After some prosessing I stopped to wait for Eddie and my parents so I could grab my luggage from them.  After putting my luggage in a holding area my parents and Eddie left to go visit F.I.T. and I returned to enter back in the line and found Lauren! We were together for the whole check in process and it made the long wait in the early morning, muggy, Florida heat and humidity somewhat more bearable.  Lauren and I mingled with the other kids in line and after what seemed like a great deal of time we made it into a building with AC!  We found out we were living in Patterson, got our housing ID pictures taken, and then went back outside.  To our surprise it was at that time we found out where we were working.
So where am I working? Wait for it: MAGIC KINGDOM - MAIN STREET! I was SO excited with this news - in my heart of hearts that is/was the location I had truly wished for!!!!

After the entire process was over a few of my roommates had their casting meeting but I was free for the rest of the day and took a bus to my new home with all my bags!
We live in Patterson Court!  My room-roommate is Lauren! Our apartment is lovely.  I entered to find two families already unpacking.  It was at this time I realized all my roommates except me had driven down to Disney - they all had so much stuff!!! I deemed Allie decor decorated guru because she brought so many amazing things for the apartment -- all Disney things of course!!! I was happy I could help out and buy the remainder of the supplies we needed!
While my parents and Eddie were at F.I.T., I unpacked and settled in.  I was happy to go with Alexis and her mom to Dunkin Donuts and enjoyed the bagel and cream cheese ever (probably because it was the only real meal I had had up until that point since breakfast - ha)!

My parents and Eddie arrived at Patterson and saw my apartment and were able to take me shopping for some items I needed! We enjoyed a nice dinner at Carrabas.  I went back with my family to the hotel to enjoy some dessert before they dropped me back off last night.  We said our goodbyes because I knew I wouldn't be able to see them before they left today.
I'll miss them but I can't wait for them to visit!!!

Tuesday: I woke up at 7 AM to make sure I could have a nice breakfast and was at the bus stop on time at 9:30 to head to Casting.  Casting consisted of going to the casting building to fill out more paperwork and find out my training schedule!!!
Funfact: The handles on the cast building are from Alice in Wonderland.

Casting Building Front Door handles :)

 It was during this time I found out I have off Saturday and Sunday (probably the only weekend that will happen over these next five months)! I can't wait to be able to get into the parks Friday after Traditions! After casting I had the rest of the day off.  I took the time to organize my room, Brittany and I went shopping, and I was able to get another work out in (in a fitness center with more than three machines)!

Now a quick explanation of this blog's title/Disney quote.  F.Y.I.: we were given a program guide....a Walt Disney quote is at the bottom of every page --- I'm all set :)
To be honest I started to feel a little overwhelmed last night ---- What have I REALLY gotten myself into? Can I cope with it all? Will there really be magic?
I came across Walt's quote and decided I would go about these next five months open minded and ready to take on every challenge! I will not fail to keep dreaming (and neither should any of you)! I will be sure to look at everything at EVERY angle.  And I KNOW the magic will happen!  If for nothing else - I will be on Main Street USA in Magic Kingdom - I am working at Walt Disney World every day!!! That will be magic enough :)

I'm happy I was finally able to put up this blog post!!!

Keep Dreaming,
Mary-Kate


P.S. - On Saturday I rode  a Segway at the Hotel! Yes I did!

"The way to get started is to quit talking and being doing," Walt Disney

Hello Friends,

For those of you who have waited with bated breath, here it is, as promised: the DISNEY BLOG :)

For those of you who went with me on my journey to London and through Europe, you'll know that I ended that adventure already daring to take this one on.  

After an amazing Senior Year at St. Joseph's University I graduated knowing I would be headed to Walt Disney World in August to begin a lifetime dream of working there! 

I will admit, no matter how much I prepare, I am still quite nervous about this new journey, but I know it will be a magical experience in the very best possible way! 

The title of this blog (as all my blog posts will be entitled) is a quote from Walt Disney. A quote I think about often. I have my Bachelor's degree. That goal is completed.  My time of wandering around in a "post-grad phase" is over.  

I leave tomorrow headed to the land where tomorrows come with a cautionary reminder (because no one ever really wants to grow up), but that reminder is one of happiness and reassurance.  The happiness will be immeasurable and the reassurance is this: 

So here I go....about to jump on my own magic carpet...to go for a ride I'll never forget....

Keep Dreaming, 

Mary-Kate