On Saturday, Louise and I finally got round to going to Seaworld!! It was a super fun day :)
We got up really early to make sure we could get one of the first I-rides buses there. This wasn't so pleasant after getting home at 2.30am after work last night. Firstly we headed to the new ride 'Antartica: Empire of the Penguin'. This was always going to be a highlight for me, what with my obsession with penguins! The ride consisted of following a penguin called Puck's journey through Antartica! Then after the ride, we got to see REAL penguins! It was so cold as they obviously tried to keep the temperature as cold as possible for the penguins. They were so cute and if I could have worked out a way to steal one and take it back home to England, I would have!
After this we had another exciting experience of feeding the dolphins! This was something I had done on a previous family holiday... However, before, we had missed the dolphin feeding times, so OBVIOUSLY I threw a tantrum and made my parents take us back there the next morning!..sorry for the tantrum mum and dad! The dolphin feeding was so fun and I got to stroke and touch the dolphins. They're such cute and playful animals and always look like they're smiling.
The rest of the day consisted of going on rollercoasters, visiting the animals, going on the Journey to Atlantis water ride and of course seeing the shows! We watched the dolphin show which was amazing and I loved seeing them perform. Also of course the Shamu show...I LOVE Shamu! The show was spectacular, however, it has differed now after the traumatic story of Shamu attacked a trainer and the trainers no longer get in the water with the whales anymore. However, it was still spectacular! We also watched the Clyde and Seamore sea lion show, which was absolutely hilarious!
We also went on the Wild Arctic ride, which I remember from the first time we came to Florida when I was 5, that I was scared to go on it as I thought we wouldn't be able to get home from the Arctic! Luckily, we made it back in one piece and got to see polar bears, walruses, the cutest, largest, most chilled animals, the manatees and more!
It was an awesome day and I'm so glad we decided to go. I even bought a dolphin pen :) Sadly, I didn't think the super size Shamu and Polar Bear would fit in my suitcase though :(
So on Friday I finally got the chance to go for a meal at the Be Our Guest restaurant at the new Beauty and the Beast Castle in Magic Kingdom! It was definitely one of the top highlights of my time whilst being here.
Bryony and I went into Magic Kingdom early and enjoyed meeting some more characters and going on the Peter Pan's Flight ride before heading to the Beauty and the Beast castle. At lunchtime it is quick service and we only had to queue for about 15mins. The inside of the castle was created so beautifully and looked exactly how you would imagine and know the castle to be like. I ordered vegetable quiche with salad and a strawberry cream cupcake for dessert. We were given a red rose to hold and scan our meal choices onto and then our food was delivered on some ornate food serving trolleys. The food was amazing and the strawberry cupcake especially was delicious! There were two possible rooms to eat in; the grand 2-story ballroom or the mysterious west wing.
We even got to see the enchanted rose in the glass! The castle featured murals inspired by France's Loire Valley, floor to ceiling arched windows with snow details and beautiful mosaics.
This was such a fun experience and definitely one of the best meals I've had during my time at Disney :)
After super-closing at work on Wednesday, which is finishing at 12.45, my friend gave me and another girl on the college program a lift home. We went en-route to Taco Bell and I had my first ever Taco Bell!! I'm so totes American now!! When asked what I wanted I had no idea! They suggested a particular item and described it as "A dorito stuffed with meat and cheese.... Welcome to America!" That sure is a welcome to America; they certainly don't have anything like that in England... Or if you go by the UK pavilion in Epcot, all we eat is fish & chips! I must say my first ever Taco Bell was SO good though, I had a Double Decker Taco which is a soft tortilla with beans and wrapped with a crunchy corn taco shell with beef, cheese and lettuce!
So besides working and eating Taco Bell, Monday was another day off and I went jet skiing! It was SO FUN! It was such a pretty picturesque location as well and being beautiful sunshine, for once, made it perfect! Then a lot of sunbathing took place to make the most of the hot sunshine! Followed by a trip to Florida Mall! Definitely better shops than England and I bought a cute crop top from Victoria Secret. This was then followed by Cici's and a trip to Paradiso 37 at Downtown Disney! The cocktail was huuuuge and only $10 as we had the glasses from before.
I treated myself to a trip to the Outlet Mall at the Commons and bought a Calvin Klein purse which was only $44, which is $30. We headed to Mickey's Retreat but sadly it started to rain so no chance to take out pedalos today! Before work on Wednesday, I went to Epcot with a friend and I had my first ever Funnel Cake!
This is typically American and I'm glad I tried it because it was delicious! We also went on some rides and had a walk around the world showcase :) The Canada video is one of my favourites as it reminds me of all the places we visited on our holiday there! Yesterday consisted of more food before work and a trip to Ihop! I'll never get bored of the American pancakes - they need these in England!!
Today I'm heading to Magic Kingdom before work to go on some rides, meet some characters and most importantly, a trip to the Be Our Guest restaurant for lunch! IM SO EXCITED!
So I am sad to announce after my last post about the Kitchen Sink Dessert Challenge, we did not manage to finish it all! It was huge but tasted SO GOOD! It was full of ice cream, squirty cream, brownies, mars bar slices, peanuts, sauces; generally all deliciousness! We had a good go at it though!
I enjoyed a early finish last Saturday and spent it by watching the parade, celebrate the magic and wishes fireworks in the evening.. Pretty special being able to just finish work, get changed and be able to enjoy the park :) Sunday and Monday were my days off and Sunday was spent at Univeral Studios and Islands of Adventure for a day full of rides! 'Rip ride rocket' has got to be one of my favourite rides!...being able to pick a music track to listen to whilst going on a roller coaster is pretty fun! After the parks we took a trip to Publix to get the ingredients for our lasagne night! It was about time we had a home cooked meal and luckily Louise is a pro chef at lasagne! So us girls and three of the guys enjoyed a delicious lasagne! Promptly followed by the weekly House of Blues night out! I really wish England would take up the concept of free drinks for girls before midnight!
On my day off on Monday it started with a gym session after 3 and a half hours sleep...standard! Then we went to Ihop for more yummy pancakes!
This was followed by an afternoon at the Polynesian resort sunbathing by the beach...sadly it was a bit cloudy, but was so nice to chill by the beach, accompanied with a dole whip and cocktail of course! When it started to rain we headed to Magic Kingdom for an hour or so then went to Bahama Breeze for dinner! It was sooo goood!... As you can tell my food over here consists of either sandwiches at work or eating out..no cooking!
On Wednesday we went to Miami!!!!! It meant meeting for a coach at 4am after only 2 hours sleep! Sadly the weather wasn't what you would call great or sunbathing weather... But we made the most of it by looking round the iconic shops such as Miami Ink and the Kardasian's Dash shop, as well as doing some shopping, drinking cocktails and having a meal at TGI Friday's! Sod's law that the weather brightened up just as we were leaving but I can say I've spent a day in Miami now, after only stopping through there before a flight home after a Disney holiday before!
Friday was my first trip to cast connections! This is a store which sells damaged or cheap Disney merchandise, exclusive for cast members! I got a set of Minnie Mouse ears - the ones I've wanted since day 1 for only $6, key chains for 10cents, a postcard and a Minnie Mouse cheerleader Christmas tree decoration for only 50cents! Buzzing!! We then headed to Magic Kingdom for a few hours before work!
I finished work at 2.45 yesterday so went to Epcot to meet some more Disney princesses, including my 'lookalike' princess aurora!
I had a coconut and white chocolate ice cream in the France part of the world showcase and can honestly say it was the best ice cream I've tasted! I went to a party at my friend's flat at Patterson and it was simply the craziest, drunkest night!
Today is my day off so I'm at Hollywood studios after recovering from last night then TGI Friday's and house of blues tonight! :)
Recently A LOT of people; guests and cast members, have randomly been telling me I look like Princess Aurora! BEST compliment EVER! Also when i met Princess Aurora she told me we looked alike and could be sisters, especially if i curled my hair like hers! Have I found a new calling in life?
When I grow up, I want to be a Disney Princess :) What do you think?!
As per usual, Ive been so hectically busy and making the most of my time here! I was very glad at 22:45 on Saturday to have finished my 50+ hours working week! Although the time went quickly and the atmosphere was so good because everyone was celebrating 4th July, it was A LOT of hours to do in just 5 days! On Friday & Saturday night I was working out on one of the carts, so got the opportunity to watch the Celebrate America fireworks again :) After feeling exhausted, seeing the fireworks did make it all worth it... I almost feel more patriotic towards America than I do England...sorry!
I then had 3 whole days off! Woooo! On Sunday I went to Ihop (international house of pancakes) with Lou for breakfast...let me tell you, it was INCREDIBLE!
Then we went to spend the day in Epcot. Frozen margaritas were drunk in the sunshine, walks around the world showcase, meeting Mulan and going on the rides :) We then came home and went to Cici's for dinner! This place is America all over... An all you can eat pizza and pasta buffet for $5! Unfortunately I was feeling really ill, so the small amount I could eat wasn't really enjoyed! After this, the red cups were out, vodka was flowing and it was time for House of Blues!I definitely made the most of the free drinks before midnight this time and had a whale of a time!...very similar to a BCU night out...!
On Monday we chilled by the pool and recovered from the night before and then headed to Hollywood Studios!
Tuesday was just a perfect day... We started off with a character breakfast at the Grand Floridian hotel! We enjoyed lots of yummy breakfast food and met Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter and Mary Poppins! Was SO much fun :) Then some of us headed to Animal Kingdom for the day! I decided to go on the rapids without my poncho and obviously, was the one who got drenched...bad day to wear a white dress! In the evening, I went to my first ever foam party!...where better to go than in America hey! It was SO much fun!! :) Back to work on Wednesday and Thursday, with some sunbathing and shopping in between.. I treated myself to some clothes and a Vera Bradley rucksack after my bumper pay cheque from last week's work!
This morning after the gym, we're off to Disney's Beach Club Resort to tackle the famous Kitchen Sink challenge! Wish us luck!
So I'm just on my way into work and it's Independence Day! The Magic Kingdom was at phase 2 capacity at 12pm, so I'm sure today will be manically busy!! So far I've celebrated the 4th July by sunbathing and enjoying a free hot dog and slice of apple pie from the Disney housing office! :)
Since my last update I've been having such a lovely time with my family on their vacation. We visited all the Disney parks, went to the Universal parks, they visited NASA too, went to Downtown Disney and international drive and had some delicous meals. We had such a lovely time together; it could not have been more perfect. We also enjoyed a character dinner at Epcot, where we dined with Mickey Mouse, Pluto and Chip & Dale! It was so fun and such yummy food. The characters were fantastic and Dale proposed to me...hello American visa!!! Another excellent meal we had was in an American 50s style diner in Hollywood Studios! The cast members who served us were hilarious and made the experience authentically 50s American and I tried my first ever meatloaf; delicious!
We all have built up such fond memories of vacations at Disney and this holiday has definitely added more for us all. I'm so happy they got to come over and visit me :) Also it was handy because I could buy some goodies and give them to my parents to take home to save me carrying them all around America travelling! It was sad to say bye and horrible to think when I see them next my adventure will be over, but we all had the best time together :)
My shifts this week have been CRAZY hours. Yesterday as Magic Kingdom had extra magic hours until 3am, I was scheduled to work 3pm-3.45am! Needless to say my feet and legs were dying after that shift!
Most of my time since my last post has been spent spending time with my family, but I've also managed to fit in some sunbathing, another crazy night out at House of Blues and also got to see the special 'celebrate America' 4th July fireworks at Magic Kingdom on Monday!
They were incredible! The fireworks were let off all over the park so you could view them from anywhere and were themed all red, white and blue! America sure do know how to celebrate! It really does put into comparison how patriotic and proud a nation America is in comparison to England!!
I'm nearly at work now so will finish for now...off to get a coffee before my next long shift!!
