FINAL DISNEY EMAIL!

This got me extremely excited.... 4 days and my adventure of a life time begins :) 

Tomorrow I will be getting my dollars and FINALLY getting round to packing...I hope it all fit.  Wish me luck!

Long overdue update

Gosh it has been a LONG time since I blogged, what with going on Tour with Uni to Spain, Easter Holidays and then final exams, life has been hectic! However, I received this email from YummyJobs today and realised I NEED to update my blog as it is so soon that I leave!  

Now as I write this post I have officially finished University.  My last exam was on the 29th April and I cannot express how much relief I felt when it was all over.  I know I have worked as hard as I could have and put in 100% effort so hopefully this will pay off when I get my final degree classification.  Although I have moved back home, I went back to Birmingham last weekend for Alumni Weekend and Sports Awards Ball, where I said some emotional, final goodbyes to BCU, my friends and University life....can't believe it's all over!

So in terms of Disney preparation  it has all been go-go-go!  I went to London after the Easter Holidays for my visa appointment at the US Embassy.  I was expecting to be questioned heavily and was worried as I didn't really have much proof to show why I would be coming back to the UK - no University studies and no job! However, they literally asked me what I would be doing in America and what I was planning to do when I get home. Simple!  

I have a to-do list which I am slowly getting through; I have bought my travel insurance, business attire dress for Traditions, sorted out my simcard for my phone in America and have done lots of holiday shopping (obviously a necessity)!  The girls and I have booked all our hotels for our travels too.  I am so excited to see all parts of America we are visiting and the girls are lovely and very similar to me, so I know we're going to have so much fun :)

I haven't attempted packing yet...truth be told, the thought of it makes me stressed.  How am I going to pack for 3 months and still have space for clothes which I want to buy in America?!  GOSH!

Flashback....

So as usual I was thinking about the summer and how excited I am, especially as now it is only 78 days and this got me thinking about my previous family holidays to Disneyworld...

The first time I ever visited Disneyworld Florida was with my family in 1996 when I was only 5 years old, so you can definitely say I have grown up with Disney!  We have some great memories from this very first trip and I thought I would share them with you...

So firstly a memory that sticks out was at the Waterpark 'Wet 'n' Wild'.  We went on a water slide where all 4 of us sat in a rubber ring and would slide down a fast twisting slide flume to the bottom!  We LOVED it and went on it repeatedly.  After consecutive rides on this attraction, the attendant said to us in a typical brilliant American accent and a friendly smile, "we do have other rides here you know guys"!  Although we did eventually test out some of the other slides, this one will always be our favourite :)

I loved Minnie Mouse completely and utterly and of course had to buy a cuddly Minnie Mouse when I was in Disneyworld.  This cuddly toy become my favourite and to this day, still comes with to University.  On the flight home in 1996, I was carrying my Minnie Mouse through to the security check point and was told she would have to go through the security scanners! The security staff could obviously tell I was attached to my new cuddly toy so let me watch the scanning machine screen as she went through!  Definitely a memory that sticks in my head!

A final vivid memory is that of one of our days in Magic Kingdom... Unfortunately, all of us were ill on this holiday as we drank the water from the water fountains in the theme parks which made us sick!  I remember waking up in the middle of the night in the hotel and being sick all over the bed sheets...but don't worry, this isn't the vivid memory I'm thinking of!  My brother was ill the night before this particular day we went to Magic Kingdom and my parents asked for a stroller for him as he was too weak to walk around in the heat and feeling ill.  One of the cast members (what staff at the park are called - ie. what I shall be called!) took pity on my brother and gave us a purple mickey mouse shaped balloon which we attached to the stroller.  After a while my Dad was getting very fed up of the balloon getting in the way whilst he was pushing the stroller and decided we would let the balloon go, but have a little competition to see who could guess correctly which direction the balloon would float off to. We all stood there and watched as the balloon floated off into the sky and then right on cue a cast member rushes over and says, “Oh guys you lost your balloon!  Let me get you another one!”  This story describes just how kind, thoughtful and friendly the staff are at Disneyworld and how they will go out of their way to make sure you have the most perfect experience at Disneyworld.  I cannot wait to be a part of this and ensure that guests at Disneyworld have the best possible holiday.

Flower and Garden Festival

Starting from today and running until May 19th sees the return of the Disney Epcot Flower and Garden Festival!  Spring has arrived!

The Festival celebrates the arrival of Spring and presents Epcot in full bloom.  Over 100 topiaries will be on display, illuminated gardens for an after-dark experience, Bambi's Butterfly House, a circus-like play area based on the new Disney film "Oz: The Great and Powerful" and even a 'lift and sniff' fragrance garden.

Guests are also treated to more merchandise and a first time exclusive food and beverage offering. This new feature to the festival highlights the 'farm to table' trend, showing how the edible plants have been grown to form part are part of the new yummy food and drinks!  The drinks are garden influenced, including Tomato wine and Watermelon Vodka!  The food is offered at stations around the parks and includes items such as a Florida Watermelon Salad with Arugula and Angel Food Cake with Florida Berries.

The festival food also includes the 'TRYit' initiative which is part of Disney's Magic of Healthy Living, encouraging children to try new foods and activities.  A great way to experiment!

Take a look at this video of a sneaky Captain Hook topiary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Uaok6wbfjuI

So although it may still be bleak and dull here in England, at least Spring has arrived in Disneyworld.  There is still hope it will arrive here soon!

Disney Pack is on its way!

So after my blog post yesterday and then a dream last night about receiving my Disney Pack, I am obviously psychic as I received the below email today! 

I wonder what the 'surprises' will be!  The visa instructions look very long and complicated, however, a trip to London to the US Embassy, also means a trip to London for shoppppinnnngggg!  The closing of the email said 'Now the real countdown begins for your Disney Summer 2013!'...countdown definitely is on!

91 days!

3 months today!

So today is the 3rd of March, which means it is exactly 3 months today that I will be jetting off to America!

Time is flying by and I cannot believe how quickly it is coming around.  A couple of weeks ago, myself and the girls I will be travelling with booked two more of our internal flights!  These were Orlando - Los Angeles and Los Angeles to Las Vegas!  It is all coming together well.

Everyone doing the program from the UK is on tender hooks wondering when our Disney packs will arrive - it is meant to be anytime this month.  These packs provide us with all the needed information, especially about booking our appointment at the US Embassy for our VISA appointment...basically we will get questioned to make sure our reasons for getting the working visa and going to America are legitimate!... intense!

A couple of the people on the Facebook group for doing the Summer Internship program have designed a Disney hoodie which we can personalise with our name and role etc!  The online shop to purchase these has just opened up again, so I shall definitely be buying one this time around!... in baby pink colour of course :)

Wreck-It Ralph

This evening myself and my lovely friend Anna went to the cinema to see the new Disney film, Wreck-It Ralph!  I cannot remember the last time I saw a Disney film at the cinema, let alone visited the cinema at all!  Seeing the Disney film titles at the beginning and the iconic, memorable shot of Cinderella's castle gave me goosebumps as I thought about spending my summer there this year.  I cannot wait to be back in that Disneyworld atmosphere which I love.

For those of you that have not seen the trailer or heard of the film, it is based on arcade games and a particular character, Wreck-It Ralph, who is getting fed-up of always being the 'bad guy'.  Ralph sets off on a game-hopping adventure throughout different arcade games as he tries to prove his hero status....

The film was brilliant!  It had a great mix of laughter moments, 'hold your breath' moments and 'aww' moments.  I found the film so bright and enthralling, especially due to the colourful scenes in the 'Sugar Rush' arcade game.  In true Disney style it really pulled you into the story as you get to know and love the characters.  If you want to really immerse yourself into the film out of the cinema then Disney have released two smartphone app games for you to actually experience the arcade games!

The film knocked Les Miserables off the top spot and box office takings hit £4.5m in the opening weekend!....  Disney has done it again and released a winning animation film.   Will they ever release a film which doesn't do well?! I highly doubt it.