Showing Some Disney Love Today!

This past week has been, no surprise, busy and full to the brim with work, sleep, and Disney!

On Sunday I took a trip to Walmart. I took the above picture on the bus; it was beautiful! Of course the day after my parents left the weather was perfect! After finally stocking up on food, I headed over to West Clock, where most of the Magic Kingdom cast parks and rides the shuttle to the Utilidoors. West Clock is also home to Magic Kingdom costuming, Cast Connection, and Property Control. Cast Connection and Property Control are cast only stores with awesome discounts. Cast Connection has discounted clothes and food, it's cool, but Property Control is much more fun. Property Control is where all of the damaged park goods go to be reborn. Most of the items are mangled, broken, or otherwise, but sometimes you can find items with little to no damage at all! That day I found a perfect pink Mickey baseball cap, a pristine white sweatshirt, and a hoodie with Donald, "the original angry bird"! I made my extremely discounted purchase and made my way to the shuttle for work.

Partners Statue & Cinderella's Castle

I worked as a greeter again on Monday. I've realized that many different people from all over the world love Disney and make their way to Disney World. When I'm greeter, I'm able to see them all--the excited/confused first timers, the seasoned Disney addicts, and the world travelers. For me, personally, the world travelers take the most energy to serve. Many speak Portuguese, French, Italian, or Spanish, and do not understand much English. It's a frustrating situation for all involved and it always makes me wonder what motivates these people to come to the United States without knowing English. Then it dawned on me. Disney inspires people internationally. Disney World has the same effect on the French as it does on me in America. And the fact that they're willing to spend tons of money to visit an extremely foreign place really says something about the Disney brand and legacy. It's amazing and makes me feel proud to work for such a company. Too bad it doesn't make those encounters any less frustrating!

She's cute, right?

After my greeter shift, I spent the rest of the night in the Magic Kingdom! I visited my roommate, Sarah, at work and rode on the Tomorrowland Speedway and Space Mountain (I'm too predictable).

Tuesday I had the day off and my first Exploration Series class! The Exploration Series is a cool opportunity because, although I don't get any college credit, I get to spend two hours a week learning about Disney Heritage in one class and listening to Disney marketing cast members. Before my Disney Heritage class, I did my laundry which was, let me tell ya, way over due. Once I was in class, I volunteered to help write down everything that other students in the class were expecting to learn. When I was told to sit down, my instructor asked me what I expected from the class. Feeling a bit on the spot, I told him that my great uncle made the Partners Statue and that I'd love to learn about the company during his era. I was completely shocked when he looked at me and said, "Blaine Gibson? Oh yeah, we'll talk about him." WHAT! I'm pretty excited for what this class holds in the next 7 weeks!

After class Meg, Kelsey, and I went to Magic Kingdom. Can you tell it's my favorite? ;) After we met TALKING Mickey (!!!), we got FastPass+ for Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Peter Pan's Flight. We watched Wishes from Tomorrowland and sung along the whole time! We rode Big Thunder while the Electrical Parade was happening, so we were able to go on, run off, and ride again! Riding Peter Pan was fun because Kelsey works there and was telling us a little about the history and pointing small tidbits out. We also ate at Pinocchio Village Haus and sat in front of the Small World window so that we could wave to guests on the ride! It was a great night!

My Wednesday consisted of my marketing class and lots of sleep! Then Kelsey, Sarah, and me had an eventful night at the BoardWalk! It was pouring, but we made the best of it with pizza and funnel cake. We also had a bit of a scare when we ran to the bus and Kelsey realized she had lost her phone, so we ran around like mad men trying to find it! Once we made it back to the bus stop, after basically giving up, we spotted her phone nestled next to the curb of a barely used street! Though it was a bit wet, it wasn't cracked or damaged in any way! WOO!

Yesterday was spent at work as a greeter again. I had an earlier shift that included a major lunch rush! It was absolutely insane! I felt a bit overwhelmed and squished, but we all made it through. People can be pretty crabby when they're hungry, but also very willing to accept help and guidance in a large, bustling restaurant. After work, I met up with Sarah and we rode Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Barnstormer, Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid, and Peter Pan's Flight. We also ate a bread sticks and fries at Pinocchio's! After Magic Kingdom, we headed to Downtown Disney and made the most of our 40% off that ended last night! Booooooooo, why can't discounts last forever!?

Today I'm catching up on my blog, sleep, and working in Cosmic Ray's kitchen again! I am also happy to report that my mom, grandma, and aunt will be making their way down to Disney World at the end of March. I'm excited to be able to show my aunt and grandma around since they haven't been in quite some time!

Happy Valentine's Day to all and to all a lovely night!