The Aquaduck!

Hello All!

Happy December!  This has been a good week - but I am definitely tired!

They have come out with a crew Christmas calendar and there are events almost every night - my friend and I have decided to go to all of them!  Well, as many as we can...

This week they have a few fun crew parties and then some crew events.

The first was a crew showing of 'Buckets N Boards'.  It's an entertainment group of two guys who came on board to do shows for the guests.  They did a special crew show for us though!  That was fun.  They are a comedy show who also does percussion and drums.  They were really funny.

Then another night a few of us BBB girls went to see 'Frozen' again.  That would be my third time.  I love that movie!  Especially Olaf the snowman, he is my new favorite.  I already downloaded the soundtrack and have listened to it quite a few times...

Then, last night was the AquaDuck!  We were able to go on the AquaDuck at 11pm last night.  I went with a few friends and it was so much fun!  I ended up going on twice.  I think I would have done more - but it was actually kind of cold when we got out of the AquaDuck.  But it was still awesome.  I know they'll have another one in a few months - maybe it will be a little warmer so that I can ride it a few more times...

I also was able to get off the ship for a few hours in St. Thomas this week.  It's quickly becoming a favorite port of mine because my phone works!  It's a US Virgin Island, so it's basically like being on US soil - thank you AT&T.  I was also able to send a package home for Christmas because there was a US Port Office there.  Then I went up and had lunch with a friend of mine from Guest Services at Paradise Point.  It's this great lookout spot with a little restaurant.  Very yummy and great view!

Well - that's all for this week - I'll post next week about all the fun crew things taking place this week.  Including gingerbread house making tonight!!!

Steph :)

Thanksgiving

Hello All!

Well, Thanksgiving was this week.  It was a really interesting experience because I was the only one in the BBB from the US.  So I was explaining Thanksgiving to everyone pretty much all week.  In fact, out of 1500 crew, there are less than 100 Americans.  So - Thanksgiving may be a big deal to the guests, but definitely not to the crew.  However, they did have turkey on Thanksgiving for dinner, and that definitely made me happy.  The guests were also excited talking about Thanksgiving, and it was like they finally found a crew member to talk to about it!

After work a few friends and I went to see 'Frozen'.  I had already seen it earlier in the week - but it was awesome!  I highly recommend - it's so much fun and the music is great!  I already downloaded the soundtrack...

It was in general, a little bit of a lighter week.  I had the Grand Cayman and Cozumel morning off.  I didn't get off the ship in Grand Cayman because it's a tender port, and we dock late, so a friend and I just went up on deck and laid in the sun for like two and a half hours.  It was really nice.  Costa Maya I was on all day and it was crazy busy - pretty much like a sea day!  It did make the day go by fast though.  I got off in Cozumel and went to Starbucks for some coffee and free wi-fi, then to a bar for crew that's nearby for a beverage and some more free wi-fi.  I was a little tired in Cozumel because the night before is when we went to the guest premiere of 'Frozen'.  The whole BBB got to go together, so that was fun.

I was on the island on Friday in the morning.  That was really fun - I'd never been to work on the island, and I really enjoyed it.  It was nice to be outside for a few hours.  I love the BBB, but it is a little small and inside, so being out in the sun for a few hours was a nice change.   Friday nights are always fun because we head down into the shops to spread pixie dust to all the guests!

Today is going well because I am off until 5!  So I got up early and headed to the mall!  I am currently sitting getting my free wi-fi at the food court, and in an hour I'm going to see the new 'Hunger Games' movies!  It's been nice to be off for a little bit.  I'm definitely used to working 70 hours a week - but a little break is nice also!

Have a good week!

-Steph :)

Pictures!!!

Hello All!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while.  I have been super busy.  But I have a few things to share now, plus, pictures!

The BBB is going great.  I finally got to take off my trainee tag and now am a full-blown FGIT and Pirate Master.  Pirates is always great fun.  A really great break in the middle of the week.  It's definitely challenging to be in character all the time, but I'm getting used to it.

I had my month on board and my received my Mickey Ears this week!  I will try to rough up a picture when I can.

The crew awards were also this week.  They are sort of like the Oscars for the ship.  Everyone gets really dressed up and it's in the Walt Disney Theatre.  It was a lot of fun.  However, I realized the week before that I really didn't have a dress to wear, so my roommate and I went shopping in St. Maarten the day before and I bought a really pretty black dress.  I will try to find a picture of it.  I know someone who was taking pictures, so I just have to rustle it up!

I don't know what else to really say, except that I think I am finally getting used to being tired all the time...

If you all want to know something else that I'm forgetting - ask!  I promise I'll try to reply super fast, but I suppose I can't guarantee that!

Steph :)

As promised - pictures...

Cruise #3!

Hello All!

Well, it was my second week in the BBB this week and it went really well!  I have learned all the hairstyles now and am actually doing the hair for the little princesses.  I like it a lot.  The princesses are really adorable and seeing their face after their transformation is really special.  It’s still a little nerve-wracking but that will go away with time and practice.  I also think that I need to be a little faster, but that will come with time as well.

It was definitely a long week, and I stayed up late a few times, but I think my body is finally beginning to adjust to being tired.  It will just be an ever-present part of my life now.  And I don’t say that in a bad way, its just part of the life.  Although, even though I’m tired, I still feel like getting up and doing things.  I think that’s definitely an improvement over my first few weeks when all I wanted to do was sleep.

Pirate night was really fun because I learned the pirate make-up for boys, so I was transforming all sorts of pirates!

One of the really cool things that happened during the week was that it’s now Christmas on the Disney Fantasy!  Holiday services showed up on Saturday to put up most of the Christmas decorations, including in the BBB!  They are really cute and this week I am going to take pictures of them, I am…

On Friday I had my wet drill in Castaway Cay.  It was actually pretty fun!  The sun was shining, the water was gorgeous, and it was pretty fun to be in the water for a few hours.  Wet drill is personal survival training and is required by international maritime law.  You have to learn about immersion suits for cold water, lifejackets and life rafts.  You spend a lot of time in the water floating around in your lifejacket.  Then you have to crawl on an overturned life raft and flip it with another person.  That was definitely the hardest part.  Because you really can’t use your legs to pull yourself up, you have to use your arms.  And my arm strength sucks…  but I did it!  Then it was back to work!  And, Friday night I got to take the “Earning My Ears” sticker off my nametag!  That means that I’m a FGIT proper!

I said good-bye to another friend Friday night, but he’ll be back – so it’s ok.  My roommate is also gone for a week.  She went to do some training on the island so I get the cabin all to myself for a week.  Everyone is so so so jealous!!!

This morning was my first morning doing load.  That’s freight.  It wasn’t that difficult since I am used to doing things like it for the Disney Store.  We were done in a few hours so I got off the ship in Port Canaveral and headed to Target!  It was awesome!  I had a list and was able to get most of it.  Some snacks, laundry detergent, a headband, etc…

I also got two Starbucks… 

Tonight was fun because we had a new FGIT (Fairy-Godmother-in-Training) in the BBB.  She’s from Canada and seems really nice.  So while it’s fun not to be the new girl anymore, it’s also nerve-wracking because now I’m supposed to know what I’m doing!  We also get a new girl next week as well because so many FGIT’s are going on vacation.  It should be an interesting Christmas!

Speaking of Christmas, I did pick up a few Christmas decorations while I was at Target, but I think I will have to maybe grab a few more over the next month or so…

Well, I’m off to watch ‘Elf’ in the crew lounge – tomorrow will be a long, busy sea day!

Steph :)

The Pirates League!

Hello All!

Well, Wednesday was pirate night on the Disney Fantasy!  That means that pirates come and take over the BBB and turn it into the Pirates League!  We all become pirate masters and turn anyone 3-333 into a pirate!  It was a lot of fun, but completely exhausting.  We were busy from open to close.

I did girl pirates because I haven’t learned how to do the other pirate make-up yet.  But I should be learning this week so that next week I can transform any of the guests into pirates!

Halloween was a sea day, which means a very busy day in the BBB.  But I was able to be on my own for a few princesses who wanted the simpler hairstyle.  It was really fun, but I will definitely have to work on talking to the princesses and doing their hair at the same time.  Right now I focus so much on the hair and getting it right that I sometimes forget to talk to them.  But that will come with time and practice.  I’ve learned a few more of the hairstyles and I am adding one more to my repertoire for this week and then by next week I should be able to do all of them!

There was also candy everywhere on Halloween and I definitely ate too much…

Friday was Castaway Cay day and I was supposed to have my wet drill this morning.  That’s where we jump in the water by the ship and do a bunch of practical safety training.  Unfortunately it was canceled because there was a ton of jellyfish in the water!  Our officer said that they had never seen so many jellyfish and had never canceled wet drill because of jellyfish, but we had to today!  So I’ll have to go back next week…

The rest of the day was spent cleaning the BBB and then we went down to the shops at night to pixie dust the little princesses and royal knights!  It was really fun interacting with all the guests down in the shops.

Not sure what the plan is for tonight but I have a friend who’s leaving tomorrow so there will probably be some celebrating!  And I don’t have to work until noon tomorrow! Yay!

Also I love being in Port Canaveral because then I can use my phone and call home!

Talk to you tomorrow Mom, Dad & Nick!!!

Steph :)

My First Few Days in the Boutique!

Hello All!

Well – I’ve been in the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for a few days now and I really like it so far!

Sunday was a sea day so it was 9am to 9pm – I didn’t know any of the hairstyles yet so I just buddied up with the other FGIT’s (Fairy-Godmother-in-Training).  That meant that I would do the princesses nails and make-up while they did the hairstyle.  It was a really long day, but fun.  The little girls are so adorable in the boutique.  You can really see the impact that you have on them.  Their eyes when they finally get to see their hair at the end is really special.

After work Sunday I watched a really stupid movie, ‘White House Down’.  I had a couple hours to kill and I didn’t want to sleep so I thought I’d turn off my brain with the movie.  It worked!  After that it was the crew Halloween party.  It was really fun and some of the costumes were really elaborate.  I didn’t bring anything with me so I just wore my purple tank top and purple bandana and went as Donatello from the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’.

I didn’t get much sleep on Sunday so being at the boutique Monday at 9am wasn’t easy, but I managed.  Luckily there were no princess until the afternoon so I got to spend the morning with my trainer Briana practicing on the mannequin heads.  I got pretty good at the twists and started to learn the Fairy Tale.  I haven’t done the other two yet and might learn another one at the end of the week, but maybe not either until next week.  It’s at least a two-week training process to become a FGIT so I’m actually a little ahead since I already know the Fairy Tale.  I just need to practice, practice, practice.

I got off an hour early on Monday and was able to go to eat at one of the guest restaurants. Enchanted Garden.  It was amazing!  I had an ahi tuna and avocado tower for an appetizer and then caramelized sea scallops for dessert!  It was sooooo good!  But I have no idea how the guests eat like that every night for seven days.  I was completely stuffed afterward…

I got the morning off this morning and slept.  My body hasn’t quite adjusted to the timetable we run on around here so it was nice to get some sleep.  I was able to go to the Royal Tea this afternoon because the boutique sets everything up.  It’s where a few young princesses get to have tea with the real princesses.  It was adorable, but it’s super expensive for guests so I’m glad I got to see it, because that’s the only way I would!

After the boutique closed tonight the pirates took over!  The whole boutique changes over to The Pirate League!  I learned how to do a girl pirate for tomorrow so I think that I’ll actually be working on a few girls on my own!  I’m nervous, but I’m fairly confident that I’ll be ok. 

Anyway, off to bed because I have to be up early for pirates tomorrow!

Steph :)

Some Exciting News!!!

Hello All!

So here’s an update from the last few days – lots of exciting things happening!

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25

Castaway Cay!  Today we were on Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.  It is beyond gorgeous, an absolute paradise for the guests.  And there are actually some really awesome crew spaces as well.  The island has a lot of things for the guests to do.  They can lie on the beach, pet the stingrays, go snorkeling and a million other things.  We had a tour of the island, but it didn’t start until noon – so I actually got to sleep in a little, which I loved.

After the island tour we had lunch at the crew BBQ, which is right next to the crew beach!  The crew beach is really nice. There are picnic tables for eating lunch, hammocks, a sand volleyball court and a soccer pitch.  I hope I get to spend some time there – because it’s quite the paradise.

Had a short break after that and then it was off for a night in the shops!  It was definitely busy because being the last night of the cruise, everyone was out buying last minute souvenirs.  I had a meeting with the manager for Mickey’s Mainsail, just a little ‘how’s your first week’ going meeting.  But during that meeting he told me that I would be going up to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique!  I am super excited about this!  Originally I wanted to be in the BBB, but they said I didn’t have the experience.  However, I was somehow hired for BBB anyway.  I looked at my contract and it says Merchandise Hostess B, which means BBB!  So – I will start tomorrow – yay!

I am definitely going to miss the people in the shops, because they have all been so nice to me this week.  But I will still get to hang out with them on our time off and after work.  Which makes me happy – because I feel like I’ve already gotten to know some of them, and it would suck to all the sudden not be able to hang out with them anymore…

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26

This was an early morning; it started out at about 6:20am.  That’s because I got to go to Magic Kingdom today!  It was a crew activity and all of merchandise was going.  It was so much fun!  We ended up only being in MK for about four hours, but it was awesome.  I walked around with five other crewmembers and we were able to go on: Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean.  It was so much fun.  I was also able to go to the Starbucks on Main Street, which was awesome – I was definitely craving the Bux…

I took a nap on the bus back to the ship, and then I had a short break.  I ran down to wardrobe to be fitted for by BBB costume, and then I was able to call home and talk to the family, which was really nice.  And then it was off to the BBB!

It was a fun night!  There weren’t very many princesses, so I was able to talk with my trainer a lot.  I watched a few princess transformations, and then was able to practice the simplest, easiest hairstyle.  Just a twist.  You practice on mannequin heads first, and I got kind of ok at it – but I will practice more tomorrow.  It just takes time.  The training will take at least two weeks.  But it was fun, and I’m excited for tomorrow!

Well. I have got some fun stuff to read, so I think I’m going to do that, and watch a little of the Oregon State game.  But I’m not going to stay up too late – because the crew Halloween party is tomorrow night and I’m going to need all the sleep I can get tonight!

Steph :)

An Update!

Hello All!

So – I know it’s been a few days since my last update, but I have been super busy and haven’t had time until now.  So – here are the updates from the last three days!

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22 – St. Maarten

Today was our first port day, in St. Maarten, the half-French, half-Dutch island.  We had a crew drill in the morning, which is just the crew practicing what to do in case of an emergency.  I didn’t screw up or get lost too bad, so I’m calling it a win.  I don’t have any safety duties yet, and probably won’t for a month or two.

After that I was invited by a couple other merch people to go onto the island – yay!  We got onto St. Maarten, which is beautiful, and took the water taxi over to the downtown and beach area.  We ate lunch at a restaurant where I had spicy shrimp.  It was quite good.  We were also able to get free wi-fi from the restaurant so we all ate and looked down at our phones/ipads…

Then it was off to the beach!  We rented a couple beach chairs and an umbrella and just relaxed on the beach for a few hours.  It was super nice after being in the ship for three days straight to get some Vitamin D.  I did, however, put sunscreen on so that I wouldn’t burn, which was very important.

That night, I had another short training class, and then I went to the shops for a few hours.  After that I got to go watch the fireworks!  It was pirate night, which was really fun, as all the guests were dressed up.  The pirate show on the open deck by the pool was fun, but the fireworks were amazing!  They were so much more than I thought they would be.  They were just like being at the park!

After that, it was time to pass out, because I was exhausted…

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23 – St. Thomas

So it was up very early this morning, 6:30am, for immigration.  St. Thomas is in the US Virgin Islands so all the new and returning crew had to through customs.  It was easy for me, being an American citizen.  Basically I don’t need anything to go ashore in the US, just my DCL ID and driver’s license, both of which I wouldn’t be without anyway.

After immigration it was more safety training, then my training group got to have lunch at Cabanas!  It’s the guest buffet restaurant up on deck 11.  It was really good food, and we got to sit outside, which I enjoyed immensely.  Luckily, since I have deck privileges, I may get to go again sometime! 

After lunch, I didn’t have to work til that night.  I didn’t feel like getting of the ship so I went up to our crew sun deck to use my phone.  Because St. Thomas is technically in the US my phone worked!  As did my 4G.  So I was able to go on facebook and post pictures, which I really can’t do from the internet in my cabin, it’s just too slow…

I also called my family.  I got to wish my brother Nick a happy birthday, because his birthday was yesterday.  I didn’t even realize that it was his birthday, because time just makes no sense here.  I already find myself not thinking of dates or days of the week, but of sea days and port days…

After that I had my first full night shift at the stores.  From 5:30 to 11:30.  It was kinda busy, so that was nice.  But since it was Halloween on the ship all the guests were dressed up, it was cool to see all the guests’ costumes; some of them were so elaborate!  My trainer is in charge of Officer Pin Trading, which is an event in which a bunch of officers come and stand in front of the store and wear pin lanyards, and then trade with the guests.  I was able to participate and it was so much fun!  Part of my costume is a pin lanyard.  We fill it with pins the company sends us – then we trade with the guests.  It’s really fun and the guests get really into it – and so do some of the officers!

I had a little break next, then it was off to the Halloween party in the atrium.  I helped sell “glow” which are things that light up, swords, hats, wands, etc…  It was fun to walk around and dance a little with the guests at the party.

However, I was beyond exhausted when I got back to my cabin so I went straight to sleep…

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24

Today it was up early for another day of safety training.  From 8:45 to 4pm…  It’s a lot of information to remember, so I’m glad that they don’t expect us to be experts right away.

After that I had a short break then headed off to the shops for three hours before leaving to go see the show ‘Disney’s Believe’.  It was my favorite show by far.  I loved it!  It’s about a father who doesn’t believe in the magic his daughter does so the Genie from Aladdin and various other Disney characters help him believe.  It’s super cute, and really fun.

And now I’m sitting in my cabin watching the World Series and writing.  I get to sleep in tomorrow so that’s nice!  Because tomorrow is Castaway Cay – Disney’s private island!  I am so excited about it!!!  We get a tour and a barbeque tomorrow so that will be fun!  But luckily we aren’t doing our ‘wet drill’ – where we get in the water and swim around – that will be next week!

So now I’m going to read my book (Allegiant!) and go to sleep early.  I need to get some sleep because apparently the last night is crazy in the shops!

Steph :)

My 3rd Day on the Disney Fantasy!

Hello All!

So – apparently its Monday, keeping track of the day here is not easy.  I guess since they don’t have a weekend its difficult to change your brain to stop thinking about a weekend as well.

Today involved a lot more HR training in the morning.  Luckily I didn’t have to start until nine in the morning so I got some sleep.  There are a lot of night activities for the crew, like a bar, and parties.  I haven’t been to any yet, and I think I’m going to wait until I adjust to my new schedule a little bit more before I do. 

After lunch it was off to engineering for a tour and so they could check everything electrical that I brought.  Now, everything that plugs into a wall has a little tag saying that it’s good to go!  Next was to medical so that they could sign off on the medicines that I brought.  I had heard that you should bring your own medicines because when you’re sick, you want the medicines that you like.  So I brought a lot.  But they all checked out.

It was off to the shops for a few hours next.  It was nice, kind of like I knew what I was doing, and yet was really unsure at the same time.  I’m sure that over the next couple of days/weeks it’ll all come back to me like no time passed at all.

Then it was dinner and then I got to see the show Wishes.  It was really fun, a little ‘High School Musical’ but I loved all the Disney numbers that they did.  Then a few of the girls, who work in the spa, but were part of my training group, and I walked up the deck 11 where the pools are for some ice cream.  I had chocolate and banana swirl, yum!  We walked around a little, and watched some Monday Night Football on Funnelvision.  That’s the HUGE television attached to one of the funnels by the pool.  They normally show movies so people can watch while they swim, but tonight they were showing the game.  It was pretty cool.

Now I’m back in my room with the game on and will probably go to bed early again.  There has been so much information thrown at me this week I think my brain might be overloading…  it needs sleep!

I will try and write tomorrow, although maybe not until Wednesday, because tomorrow actually looks to be a little lights – although I do get to see the pirate fireworks tomorrow night!!!

Steph :)

Day 2 of 141!

Well, I’m still exhausted!  Today was another very long day, with many more to follow.  Since my body hasn’t yet adjusted I’m going to bed early again.  I will probably be going to bed early for the next few weeks until I feel less beat.

Today started with a short intro of all the hotel department heads.  That included the Hotel Director, the Merchandise Manager, the Food & Beverage Manager, the Housekeeping Manager, the Spa Manager and the Photography Manager.  After that it was three and a half hours of HR training.  It was mostly just the policies of the ship.

Then it was off to lunch!  So far the mess has had a bunch of different things every meal, so I have been able to have a little variety.  It will all probably get old soon, so I’m enjoying it while I still can!

After lunch was a four hour safety class.  It was not easy to get through, but I managed to survive.  I know how important security is and we got a lot of good information, but my goodness it can be boring…

Then it was off to crew wardrobe to get my costumes, I actually have quite a lot.  I’ll take pictures of all the different costumes and post them soon.  Then dinner and back to the room where I had a break for about an hour.  I turned on ESPN (which I’m loving having in the crew rooms!) and saw that the Beavers won! GO BEAVS!

Then it was off to the shops for about 45 minutes.  I basically just followed Carolina, my trainer, around.  We have a bigger chunk of time tomorrow for training.  But I did get to meet Tim, my friend from Germany finally.  That was really fun to finally put a face to the facebook face :)

After the shops a few of us were taken to see the show in the Walt Disney Theatre.  It’s the main theater on the ship where all the stage shows are.  Tonight was ‘Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular’.  I’ve seen the one in Disneyland and this one is really similar, but it was awesome.  The genie was really funny.

I came back to my room after that and had my first experience in the shower.  My goodness it is small…  But I was successful none the less.  As I sit here writing this I am watching some of the fun crew channels and feeling more and more tired.  So it’s off to bed for me, tomorrow involves a lot more training of all kinds.  So I’ll talk to you later!

Steph :)

My First Day on the Disney Fantasy!

Hello All!

Well, I’m exhausted… I’ve been awake for about 18 hours now and it’s been non-stop…

The morning started by 4:00am when my alarm went off.  I got up and showered, then went to check out of the All-Star Sports Resort.  We were on the bus by 5:15, and at Port Canaveral at 6.  We spotted the ship a few miles out, and it was amazing!  It’s so much bigger than even I imagined.  It really was gorgeous at night.  I posted a picture, but it doesn’t do it justice. 

After our security screening we went inside for training.  There is a lot of training this week.  Today was mostly safety training that we needed before we could even set sail!  My trainer for the week is Carolina from Chile, and she’s really nice, and knows so much.  We had a ship tour, although I really don’t remember where almost anything is.  I will definitely have to carry the map in my back pocket for the next few weeks.  I’ve actually already gotten lost a couple of times, but luckily the crew is so incredibly nice and willing to direct the newbies.

We had lunch in the crew mess, which wasn’t nearly as scary as I thought it was.  The food wasn’t bad, not the best thing in the history of the world, but I’ll get used to it.  They do have a lot of variety, and always have salad stuff, so that’s nice.  I was able to go up to the crew sundeck on the top of the ship and call home for a minute, so that was good.

After lunch, it was more safety training, and then we got our group picture taken with Captain Mickey!  We were also able to watch the sailing away party.  It’s a deck party where the pool normally is, and its full of dancing and music, it’s very fun.

Then, I was able to meet Carolina, my trainer at the shops.  It was a little confusing at first, TWO Carolina’s, but I’ll make it work.  My shops trainer Carolina is from Mexico and seems really nice.  We went and got my costume fitted, and then she gave me a tour of the shops.  I’ll be in Mickey’s Mainsail, which is basically the Disney Store at sea.  It has the plush, the pins, mostly the kids’ stuff.  They put all the newbies there.  It seems like it will always be busy, so that’s not bad…

After that, I was on my own!  I walked up to the crew deck to try and make another call, but instead I ended up meeting a guy from merchandise, so we ended up chatting for a few minutes, then went and got some ice cream.  I’m excited to meet other merch people as well, as they all seem so nice.  He had to go after that, so I thought, since I’ve had dessert, I should go have dinner.  I was a little nervous to go in there by myself, but I ran into a few people from my training group so we had dinner together.

When I was done with dinner I came back to my cabin and unpacked.  I think I like where I put everything.  I figure that I’ll live with it for a week or two, and if I want to change something, I can.  Then I figured out how to get onto the internet.  We don’t need internet cards anymore, we can login and buy minutes wirelessly, so that’s what I did.  However, it’s not super speedy, so I am writing this in Word, then I will just cut and paste it into my blog.

As I write this I am watching the TV in my room.  It was some on-demand stuff and a few channels. Disney channels mostly, but that does include ESPN!  So maybe I’ll be able to catch a game or two soon.  But probably not tonight, I’m just way too exhausted.

Well, I need to go to bed; I have to be up early again tomorrow.  So good night all, I’ll write more tomorrow!

Steph

PS I couldn't post pics today. I will post when I get a better internet connection...

Day 3!

Hello All!

Well, I'm again exhausted...  Today was a great day, but I am tired, and since my wake-up call is scheduled for 4:15am, I'll keep it quick.

Today was Traditions.  It's basically the 'Welcome to the Disney Company' training.  Although, because this is the cruise line, they added some cruise stuff.  It was company history, cruise history, Disney cruise history, and basically what's expected of you as a Disney cast/crew member.  There are a few surprises thrown in there, but I won't give them away in case anyone who reads this is ever going to eventually participate in Traditions, I wouldn't want to ruin the magic!

We did get our name tags - which is a really important part of being a Disney team member.  Every person who works for Disney has one, from Bob Iger on down.  On the cruise line name tags is my name and country.  What I love about the name tag is that it's just a first name.  Disney is a first name company, just as Walt wanted.  Everyone is called by their first name.  So if I ever got to meet Bob Iger, I would call him Bob, which is pretty cool when you think about it.

After Traditions, a few of us headed over to Epcot for a few hours.  We did Test Track, Mission Space (my favorite!), then just walked around World Showcase.  It was crazy busy though, because the Food & Wine Festival is currently going on.  I would love to come back someday and really go through the festival and try a bunch of different kinds of food, there just wasn't time today.

So, then it was back to the rooms and I had to re-pack my duffel bags because they somehow managed to become almost totally undone in the three days I've been here.  Which would be odd, except it's me so it's not...

Anywho, so now I'm just sitting here, watching the Dodgers lose on national television, and getting super excited about tomorrow.  I don't think I'll sleep very much tonight... I'm way too excited!

I don't know when I will be able to post next, because I don't think that I'll have internet for a few days, but I will continue to write and take pictures so when I finally do get internet, I'll post then.

Wish me luck - tomorrow I embark on the Disney Fantasy!!!

Steph :)

PS Pictures from today.

Day 2!

Hello All!

Well, day 2 has come and almost gone... It's 7:30 at night here, and I am exhausted!  It's been a very busy, but totally awesome day.  And since I get to do it all over again tomorrow, I'm going to try and get to sleep a little earlier than I did last night.

For some reason I was tossing and turning all night, so I'd be surprised if I got 3 hours of sleep.  When my alarm went off at 5:30, I was not the happiest camper in the world.  But I managed to get myself out of bed, shower, make my hair curly and pretty, then take off to grab some breakfast.  Unfortunately, the food court at the hotel is currently closed for refurbishments so I walked to the resort next door.  No biggie, just a ten minute walk.  But, in that ten minutes the humidity totally killed my beautiful curls.  I was kinda pissed.  Although now I know that it's the hair straightener for me tomorrow...

After breakfast, it was to the lobby with my paperwork and passport in tow.  Myself, along with the other people doing training with me, took a bus to Celebration, FL.  We signed our contracts, got our temporary cast ID's, then we were given the day off.  To the parks!

Now, there are 12 people in my Traditions (training) group.  We will all be on the Fantasy, but in different departments.  There are two other Americans, and people from the Dominican Republic, Scotland, St. Vincent, India & Indonesia.  However, there are only three girls, including me.

It turns out the boys all wanted to go back to their rooms and nap, so us girls said, See Ya! and headed off to Animal Kingdom.  We were only there for a few hours, and probably only went because I had never been on Expedition Everest, the roller coaster.  The two other girls, Vanessa (who's from Wisconsin, with the accent to prove it) and Karla (from Scotland, also with the accent to prove it), and I traipsed around Animal Kingdom for a couple hours.  We ended up not going on the Safaris because the line was just too long.  We did go on Dinosaur, Expedition Everest (which was awesome), and we watched the Festival of the Lion King show.  Way fun.  But since Karla had never been to Disney World before we took off for the Magic Kingdom!

We ended up having perfect timing because we got there just as a show was happening in front of the castle, so we watched that.  Then we got some food and headed for Fantasyland.  Now, we were in the old Fantasyland, not new Fantasyland.   We never made it there, so I guess I'll just have to go back!  We ended up doing PhilharMagic, Haunted Mansion, Small World, Pirates, & Jungle Cruise.  Karla is not a thrill ride person so we skipped those at MK, and since Vanessa and I had been before we didn't mind.  Next up, meeting Mickey.  That was the only thing that Karla had really wanted to do.  So we were able to find him in his tux, and we only had to wait ten minutes.

We headed to the buses after that, we'd all been up since very early in the morning and were still adjusting to the time difference (aside: jet lag sucks...).  So, now I sit here in my room, waiting and writing.  In a few minutes we will be off to grab some dinner at the resort next to ours, then maybe watch 'Finding Nemo' by the pool under the stars.

Anyway, up early tomorrow for Traditions - talk to you after!

Steph :)

PS A couple of the fun pics from today.

Day 1!

**Stephanie's Note - The first part of this blog was written while I was somewhere over the southern US en route from Phoenix to Orlando**

Hello All!

As I sit here on the plane from Phoenix to Orlando I think I am 80% and 20% nervous.  However, those numbers fluctuate rather frequently.  I’m sure they’ll stabilize when I finally get on the boat.  Of course, I may just be exhausted and feeling nothing else but that…

So, it turns out that I over pack.  Which, if you know me is actually no surprise at all.  I’ve been a compulsive over packer my entire life.  They said don’t pack a lot, you won’t need it, but I just couldn’t help myself…  I basically tried to get everything I own into two duffel bags.  It kinda worked.  I know I brought too many shirts, so hopefully I won’t purchase too many more in the Caribbean.  I also had to bring Disney look clothes (appropriate for Traditions training and going out in guest areas on the ship).  I probably have to many of those.  They do include a skirt, which I didn’t own and had to go buy at Old Navy.  But it is purple and teal, my colors, so I guess it isn’t so bad.  I also unfortunately had to leave a few of my toiletries at home because they made my bag too heavy.  In fact, it was 1.5lbs too heavy, but the airline check-in lady was nice enough to overlook that little bit.

I love the Portland airport.  I just had to say it.  I love the Portland airport.  The weird green carpet, the free wifi, I will definitely miss the Northwest.  I actually bought a small Portland magnet in one of the cheesy airport gift shops so that I some reminder with me in my room on the ship. 

One of the other things that I did was have about 60 pictures printed, and I brought little teeny magnets to stick them on my wall.  Since the ship is made of steel the walls are magnetic.

Well, I’m sure that I’ll write more when I get into my room at the hotel, Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort.

Speaking of, here’s hoping that right now the Dodgers are keeping hope alive!

Steph :)

**End of first post**

Hello All again!

First things first, Go Dodgers!

Now, when I finally arrived in Orlando it was 85 degrees and humid outside.  The 85 I love, the humid, not so much...  But after coming from 40 degree weather, I'll take it.  It took 45 minutes for the airline to get the bags to the baggage carousel  so that was a little annoying, but then I was off on the Disney Magical Express!  I don't think I've ever been on it before, if I had, it was over 15 years ago...  It was very fun, and the driver did a great job of getting everyone into the Disney spirit, including a countdown to the exact second we entered Disney property.

I'm staying at the All-Star Sports resort.  It's a nice place, clean room, all you could ask for.  The only deal is that the food court is currently closed for renovation, so I had to go over the All-Star Music for dinner (at this time it's about 9:45pm EDT).  However, since it's so nice outside I walked it.  It was only about 10 minutes and it felt great to move around after being cooped up in a plane all day.

Anywho, I need to try and get some sleep now, since I'm up at 5:30am tomorrow (which of course is 2:30am my time - my brother probably won't even have gone to sleep yet...)

I'll write more tomorrow, which I believe involves paperwork and playing at the parks!

Steph :)

PS Here's a couple pictures from my travels today.

The Disney Fantasy :)

Hello All!

Well, I've been selected to embark on the Disney Fantasy on October 19.  I am so super excited!  I thought that I'd give you all a little info about the Fantasy and my initial schedule.  I leave here on Wednesday, October 16th and fly to Orlando.  I will be staying in property at DisneyWorld, in one of the All-Star resorts.  Then, on Thursday, October 17th I will be signing paperwork in the morning.  After that we have the day free to go play in the parks!  That will be really fun and a great way to get to know the other new people who will be embarking the same day as me.  On Friday the 18th we have Traditions.  That's the welcome to the Walt Disney Company class that kind of talks about what Disney means and what being a Disney cast member means/entails.  Then we have that night free to go back into the parks.  But we probably won't be staying out so late since we have to be ready to get on the bus to go to the ship the next day at 5am!  So I will actually get on the ship on Saturday the 19th.  Most of my first week will be safety and ship training with some on-the-job training.  But I should know more about that schedule a little later...

Anyway, the Disney Fantasy is the fleets newest ship.  It just started sailing in March of last year.  Here are a few links so that you can check it out:

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ships-activities/ships/fantasy/

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-cruise-line/fantasy-ship.htm

 There is a ton of info on both of these sites.  The Fantasy alternates between Western and Eastern Caribbean 7-day cruises.  I'm excited about the 7-day cruises because you really get a chance to get to know the guests and create relationships with them and I like that aspect.  I also like that it's changing up its destinations so that I get to go to a few different places.  Here is the schedules for the Fantasy cruises:

Western Caribbean

Saturday: Port Canaveral

Sunday: At Sea

Monday: Grand Cayman

Tuesday: Costa Maya

Wednesday: Cozumel

Thursday: At Sea

Friday: Castaway Cay

Saturday: Port Canaveral

Eastern Caribbean

Saturday: Port Canaveral

Sunday: At Sea  

Monday: At Sea

Tuesday: St Maarten

Wednesday: St. Thomas w/excursions to St. John

Thursday: At Sea

Friday: Castaway Cay

Saturday: Port Canaveral

I will also be gone for the holidays, which will definitely be difficult but apparently they really go all-out for the crew to make sure that they don't feel so bad.  And I already checked, I will have a sea day for both Halloween and Thanksgiving, and I will be in Cozumel, Mexico for Christmas day.  That will definitely be weird, being in the sun and heat for Christmas.  No snow or rain?  Haha.

Anyway, it's time to really start thinking about packing.  I will have another post on packing and when I get more info from Disney.

-Steph :)

I have a date!!!

Just a quick post to let you all know that I have officially received my start date!  I will be flying out to Orlando on October 16th and setting sail on the 19th on the Disney Fantasy.  I will update with more information and a longer, more detailed post in a little while, just wanted to spread the good news!

-Steph :)

Stick in the Arm #2...

Hello All!

Well, now it seems I'm officially done with the medical exam!  I got a confirmation email from National Medical Systems saying that they were sending my results to Disney on Monday.  So - I should hear something next week with a confirmation that I passed.

My second stick of the needle went much better than the first.  I made an appointment with the lab so I was in and out in 15 minutes.  So that was very nice, a lot faster than the first.  She was also way better at drawing blood.  It wasn't painful and she was able to find my vein quickly and didn't have to wiggle the needle around to find it...

So, yay! Now I believe I'm just waiting for confirmation that I passed, then it's on to waiting for a start date.  A friend from the UK just got her start date today so hopefully I won't be very far behind!

Anyway, short update - hopefully I'll have more soon!

Steph :)

A Slight Misstep...

Hello All!

Well, apparently there has been a slight misstep with my lab results...

The lab lost my blood samples!!!

So, next week I get to go back and have it drawn again.  For someone who doesn't like needles, I am certainly not excited.  I just hope that I have a better person drawing my blood than last time...

Anyway, that's all - just a little hiccup hopefully!

-Steph :)

The Medical Exam

Hello All!!!

Well, yesterday I had the dreaded medical exam... 

Luckily - it really wasn't all that bad.

What it was was long.  My appointment was at 10am.  So I got there at 9:45 and signed in.  They only had one little form for me to fill out - so I asked about the two other forms I thought I had.  The man from National Medical Systems (the company Disney contracts with) had told me that I would need to sign the DCL medical examination form and the Seafarers Medical Certificate.  It took them some time - but eventually they found them and gave me about 12 more forms... Example: a form to say that they were going to draw blood - then a form to say that they could have my blood tested, then a form that says they could send the test results to Disney...

Anyway, they didn't take me back until 10:45 - and the first thing they did was draw my blood.   They needed six vials of the stuff - so I was beat the rest of the day.  But the man who drew my blood wasn't great.  Now, I've given blood to the Red Cross a lot and they are always really good about finding a vein, etc.  Well, this guy was not.  It took him forever to find a vein, and when he finally poked me - the blood apparently wasn't flowing.  So he decided to jam the needle up my arm more, then, when that didn't work, well he thought it'd be great to wiggle it around... Now for someone who doesn't like needles it was not a fun experience.  I have a big bruise in the crook of my arm today.

Finally, when he was done the rest of the exam was much less painful.  I had an audiogram.  Which is when you sit in a little room and put on headphones and push a button every time you hear a sound.  Then I had a vision test, a test to see if I was color blind (I'm not), then they took my blood pressure, my temp, and then I finally got to see the doc.

I was with the doc for probably about 15 minutes.  He listened basically.  To my heart, my lungs, my liver, my spleen, etc...  When he was done I had to go back and sit in the lobby for a few more minutes, sign one more form, then I was finally done!  Two hours and forty-five minutes later...

I'll know the results in a week/week and a half.  But the doc said unless something weird comes back in my bloodwork I'll be fit for duty!

So that's my story - I'll let you know when I hear back.

ttfn,

-Steph :)

One Step Closer...

Hello All!!!

Well, my background check finally came through yesterday... I was getting a little worried since it was taking so long.  I thought it would be fast since I've already had two background checks by Disney in the last eight months... (One when I was rehired in August and another in October to become an authorized driver for the holiday season) But I digress, it finally came through! So what do I get to do now? Wait some more!  The medical exam is the next step so I  currently waiting for them to contact me - then I'll schedule the exam and get 'er done.  Short post today - talk to you soon.

Steph :)

New Friends

Hello All!

So - it's been just over a week and I am still super excited!  I gave DCL (Disney Cruise Line) permission to run my background check so I am just waiting on it now.  I thought it would have been quicker than this since The Walt Disney Company has already run two background checks in the last 12 months on me, but oh well, I wait.  After that I'll be able to schedule my doctor's appointment and really get going!

But this post isn't about that.  It's about the new friends I've made in the course of this last week.  I have been following a forum for DCL crew, but I had never posted or done anything like that.  But, when I was hired I decided to introduce myself to my fellow DCL crew.  Almost as soon as I hit send I had a few responses.  Now I have two new friends from the UK who are also going to be working in merch (merchandise).  And last week, one, Rob, got his start date!  End of the month on the Disney Magic in Barcelona.  It was relatively quick for him, 3 months, so I hope it's just as fast or faster for me!

I also emailed one of the other people who was hired at the same time as me, she lives in Southern California and we've chatted over facebook a few times.  She seems really nice and I really glad that I have someone who is going through this process at the same time as me.  That way we can hopefully keep each other sane when the waiting becomes almost too much...

There are a few DCL facebook groups, and through one I also met a guy named Tim from Germany who currently works in merch on the Disney Fantasy.  He's given me some great insight into DCL and he will be a wonderful resource for small details like packing and the like!  He's the one who told me that merch is the best if travel is your thing.  And for those of you who know me, you can guess how I reacted to that.  YAYYYYYY!!!  I am a travel bug.  That was one of the big reasons DCL seemed like such a great opportunity, and to hear that merch is great for travel was really awesome.

I am really glad that I got to touch base with these other fellow DCL crew.  Because this way, when I finally get on the ship, and am completely overwhelmed, I will have some people close to help me through.

Hopefully I'll get some new news this week - TTFN!

-Steph :)