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 :)