What It's Like Being A DISNEY Cast Member!

On a whim, I applied for the Disney College Program. I didn't real care whether or not I got accepted, and if I got accepted I wasn't even sure if I was going to do it. The last time I was at Disney, I was too little to remember anything. Also, Disney didn't seem like the most magical place on earth to me; it was just another amusement park. Yet, after being accepted into the program, I decided it would be cool to live at Disney for the semester and get away from school for a little while.

At the end of January, I packed up my stuff and moved to Orlando. I showed up at my apartment complex earlier than I was allowed and lost my housing ID within 15 minutes of receiving it. I got placed on the third floor of the building with a seventy pound suitcase to haul up the stairs. After several trips, I finally got everything moved in.

WORK:

From February through most of March I got to work at Animal Kingdom doing outdoor vending. Basically, I sold the infamous Mickey Bars, popcorn, fountain drinks, etc. My costume was called peanut butter because it was quite literally the color of peanut butter with a safari hat slapped on top.

Once I started working at the park for a week or so, I figured out where everything was, heard Waka Waka at least five times a day, got distracted by the apes swinging around, and accidentally gave guests the wrong information multiple times.

My days weren't too bad. I would usually go in at 3:30pm and get out anywhere between 9:30 to 10:30. The longest part of my day was walking to my car when my shift ended. That parking lot is huge and far away, and I never remembered where I parked.

In March, I got transferred to Blizzard Beach to work as a lifeguard. I now watch 2.5' of water. My days start anywhere between 8:00am to 11:00 until 6:00. I watch water. ALL DAY. I cannot say I love it. However, I do love the hours. I always get home before my roommates, which allows me to play music as loud as I want, or just do whatever.

FUN:

Like I said, the last time I was at Disney, I was too little to remember. So, Disney World itself has been a brand new thing to me. Walking down Main Street in Magic Kingdom and seeing the Castle never gets old. It truly is magical. However, my favorite park to go to is Animal Kingdom (aka the best kingdom). Granted, I may be a little biased considering it was my home park for a while, but it's still great.

I never thought I would meet characters or anything, because that's weird right? But luckily one of my friends loves meeting characters and dragged me in to it (shoutout to Abigail). Meeting characters is so much fun now! I always get excited like a child. I give them big hugs and smile for hours after meeting them.

One of my favorite rides is Expedition Everest (in my favorite park, of course). One night after work at Blizzard Beach, I drove over to Animal Kingdom and rode Expedition Everest twelve times! Once my heart felt like it was gonna pop outta my chest I took a break and went over to Pandora to ride Flight of Passage. The first time I went on I waited 2 hours. This time, I unknowingly got in line as it closed, and got on the ride in 30 minutes!!

---

I can't say I love working at Disney, but I do love going to the parks for free. I'm excited to head home in May and get out of Florida. The drivers here are CRAZY, it storms a lot, and I've seen more snakes here than I've seen in my entire life.

Now, please enjoy these pictures of me at Disney☺

love always,

angelina