Happy Birthday Mickey! Here's some lights to celebrate!

81 years ago today, America's favorite Mouse was created and voiced by the man who started an empire and whose legacy lives on in each of us today. Although its been a long time since Walt Disney's death (and a short time since Mickey's most recent voice Wayne Allwine)
), it can be assumed that Mickey Mouse has became one of the most recognized symbols in the world...and a big part of my heart.

Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse! Though you're 81, you don't look a day over 50! (Also thanks for paying my bills...you rock for that as well.

(VIDEO: 1928's Steamboat Willie - Although this isn't Mickey Mouse's first animated film (the first being Plane Crazy in 1928) this is the short that the lovable mouse is most recognized for.)

Since Walt Disney World's Theme this year (and next) is all about celebration...it only seems fit to give Mickey a present for his birthday...so...how about lighting up all of Cinderella's Castle in a bunch of sparkling magical lights!

Do you want to know how this is done? Thanks to the Disney Parks Blog you can!

“Dipped in sugar” is how Cinderella Castle appears to Walt Disney World Entertainment’s senior show director Alan Bruun. And if you’ve seen the castle’s 200,000 holiday lights, it’s hard to disagree with the description — it’s a must see.

But how the Castle transforms for the season is just as remarkable. It takes about six weeks and involves hundreds of hours of manpower. Cranes are brought in overnight to place the LED lights around the castle and reach the highest spires. Here’s video showing some of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into lighting the Castle each year:

The Castle lights are also attached to more than 40,000 square feet of fisherman’s net dyed to specifically match the colors of the castle. There is blue net for the roof tops and gray for the walls. After the lights are hooked up on the nets, they’re programmed and tested and then written into lighting cues for the shows, according to Bruun.

To bring the lights together, 18 miles of electrical cable is used. And it’s all run on the amount of power that it takes to run three clothes dryers — it’s extremely energy efficient.

I've never been able to experience this in person myself, but I have seen videos sent from friends and over YouTube of how miraculous this event is. A lot of my castmember friends will be able to experience this and to tell the truth...I'm sort of jealous. If you know me at all, I'm a Christmas fanatic. This event not only looks beautiful and magical, but something to be shared with your entire family. If you get to make it to the parks this holiday season, I would suggest making your way over to the Magic Kingdom to see it in person!

(If you're viewing this on Facebook, you are not able to see the videos embedded in this post. To see the post in it's entirety, click here)

You Are Now Cleared for LAUNCH!

So as many of you have already heard, seen, or even experienced, Space Mountain at the Magic Kingdom in WDW had a soft-open on Saturday after many months of renovations.

You might remember a couple of months back in this post when I announced it's closure...

Now I know we'll all miss the giant wall covering the entrance to the ride and the lovely Cast Members (sometimes CP's) who had to stand there hours upon hours to greet people and sadly tell them the ride was closed until November ?, 2009...but those days will soon be over my friends!

According to the Disney Park Blog, the new ride has gotten some pretty sweet upgrades. While the classic Space Mountain experience still exists — it’s just being updated with new technology and 21st century gadgetry. Inside the attraction, there’s new lighting as well as special “darkening” effects. And you’ll see updated color schemes for rocket capsules, line and load areas. Imagineers worked with Walt Disney World Facilities Asset Management for even more enhancements, including new paint, carpet, seat fabric and other décor elements.

With the update, the storyline is being extended – and you’ll be able to take part!

Passengers will be able to immerse themselves in unique game play as they prepare for blast off, becoming part of the space station adventure. During a recent walkthrough, we deflected asteroids to keep runways clear as part of the story.

The interactive experiences are based on duties you’d find on board a long-traveling space craft, according to Walt Disney Imagineering Senior Show Designer Alex Wright. Each game lasts about 90 seconds with a 90-second interval and the games can accommodate 86 players at one time.

As you move along on your journey, there are “insider” touches typical in projects created by Imagineers. For example, if you’re up on your Disney trivia, you’ll recognize a sign bearing the logo “H-NCH 1975″ as a tribute to late Imagineer and Disney legend John Hench. There are also other “Disneyphile” references hidden throughout the attraction.

Space Mountain celebrates the Golden Age of Rocket Travel – inspired by the jet age of the early 1960s. The attraction highlights excitement around the endless possibilities regarding space travel. It did back when it opened in 1975 and I think you’ll agree it still does.

Past riders of Space Mountain have also enjoyed the dark (and might I add increasingly long) que lines with the 70's Space Adventure music, ride previews, and giant chocolate chip cookies (aka meteors) floating across a giant projector screen in the dome. Well, no longer are those ambiances available! (Sorry to anyone who actually really enjoyed the old que line) As you can see above, the new lines are brighter, more efficient and space adventure-y.

Also new with the ride are the track upgrades. It’s the same track layout and overall look and feel but workers integrated new technology into the track while not changing the classic Space Mountain ride experience. “As technology evolves, it helps us enhance those elements without losing any essence of the attraction,” Walt Disney Imagineering Senior Show Designer Alex Wright says.

The attraction is scheduled to reopen on November 22. Since I'm currently stuck in Ohio, I haven't been able to experience this as of yet. A lot of my friends have though and that's just as good! Below is a video from my friend and fellow CP Emily who vlogged about the experience (you'll also see a cameo appearance from my good friend Matt!)

I'm really looking forward to the re-opening of this attraction...especially since it was closed all during my program this summer. If I'm able to go back this January for another program, this will be one of the first things on my list to complete...well that and moving back in and seeing all my old friends of course!

Have you been able to ride Space Mountain as of yet? Any reviews? Are you very excited for it to be finally opening back up? Let me know in the comments below.

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In other news, it's been About a month & a half since my interview for my Professional Internship, 2 weeks since my interview for the College Program, and a week since my auditions for Entertainment. The waiting game is still in effect but I promise I will (no pun intended) update when I hear more.

A few of my friends have heard back already this week (sorry to those rejected) so that leads me to believe that my time is coming...it's just that being patient is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be!

I also graduate college in a little more than a month...senioritis has definitely kicked in annd I'm just waiting to ride out this last month before I can pack my car and move down to Disney World for a little while. Who's excited? This blogger. :)

Start the Party! Character Performer Auditions!

Some more vlogs coming your way. I went to Character Performer auditions for the College Program (see this post for reasons and an explanation) today. Here's what I got out of it:

• An amazing opportunity for growth and knowledge in a subject about Disney that I didn't know much about (I know right?).
• A solid group of friends that I will be communicating and building relationships around come January.
• Experience
• Weight Loss (if only a little)...
• Olive Garden
  
• A LOT OF FUN!

From what I've heard they are taking around 250 of the 1000 people that auditioned this past week. Whats the chance that my height range and talent will get me one of those 250 spots? well if you're good at math, that's 25%. If you're not (like myself) that's not alot. But yet and still, I went on the audition to have fun and to try something new. Mission accomplished.

See what else I accomplished:





My Youtube
Ryan 'O Neal's Youtube

MEGA VLOG POST!

Okay So I haven't put ANY of my vlogs since I got down to Florida on my blog for you all to enjoy yet...so to make up for that, I'm putting them ALL here in one post for you to enjoy! If you want to comment, click on the video and it will take you to my YouTube Channel.

Starting from the most recent:

See how Disney Partners up with other groups on campus!


Campus Representatives hold their first campus presentation of the semester!


Campus Reps travel to Toledo to promote our campus presentation!


Alpha Sigma Phi (my fraternity) travels to the local quarry for some fun and relaxation!


CAMPUS FEST! Campus Representatives promote the Disney College Program to students during one of the biggest meet & greets of the semester!


I'm back from my Summer Vaca as an alumni castmember...sadness personified...see my memories from the summer!


The D-Fam travels to the "Open Mouse" of Bay Lake Toers, a new resort located right next to Disney's Contemporary Resort. Check it out!


Quick little vlogs on my way to work...




POOL TIME!!


Rope Drop at the Magic Kingdom...one of my favorite pastimes!


In Honor of the 6th Harry Potter movie being released, Caitlin and I decided to celebrate...DISNEY style!


My first ACTUAL vlog in Florida. Special Cameo from Caroline!

Shanghai Nights: Disney Parks Adds Another International Theme Park to Their Repetoir

I've never really been to another Disney Park other than Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL. But it looks like in the future, I'm going to have to add another one to my list. A major milestone has been passed for the Disney Company's Shanghai Theme Park Project!
This news release from corporate comes from the Disney Parks Blog :

The Walt Disney Company today announced that the Project Application Report (PAR) for a Disney theme park in the Pudong district of Shanghai has received approval from the relevant authorities of the central government of
China.

“China is one of the most dynamic, exciting and important countries in the world, and this approval marks a very significant milestone for The Walt Disney Company in mainland China,” said Robert A. Iger, president and CEO of The Walt Disney Company.

The PAR approval will enable Disney and its Shanghai partners to move forward toward a final agreement to build and operate the park and begin preliminary development work. Upon completion of the final agreement, the project’s initial phase would include a Magic Kingdom-style theme park with characteristics tailored to the Shanghai region and other amenities consistent with Disney’s destination resorts worldwide.

As mentioned before in the article, China, more specifically Beijing has given Disney the approval to move forward with the project which is expected to be the one of the largest-ever foreign investments in China. Estimates for the park's price tag are around $4 billion. It would allow Disney to establish a direct presence in a market that, despite its size, has presented numerous hurdles to foreign entertainment companies according to the Wall Street Journal.



Disney - not a stranger to operating internationally- already owns and operates a theme Park in Hong Kong, but this park (according to plans) will be much bigger and will allow for a direct access to the local market.



All of this information is newly established. I will update you as soon as new information is released. For more information visit this Wall Street Journal article or the Disney Parks Blog.



What are your thoughts about Disney drawing plans for a new theme Park internationally. Has anyone journeyed to Disneyland Hong Kong, Euro Disney or Disneyland Paris? Leave a comment below with your thoughts and/or experiences.

So... I applied again....

There has to be a Disney chip in my brain or something because I just applied for the Disney College Program...again.

Let me explain because there's a logic here...I swear. I'm graduating college in a little more than a month and a half, and I applied for a few professional internships (See this post for info...) and they said I would hear back in November...well hello November! It's nice to meet you!

I have anywhere from Today (Nov. 2) until the end of November to hear back from the company on whether or not I received a Professional role within the company...so the College Program is a fall-back...a fail safe if you will, just in case.

We had our last campus presentation, and as a Campus Representative it was my very last presentation as a student. So to say I was sad is an understatement, but to apply for the program again makes me even happier...

Now I know what you're thinking...and it's not like I want to go back into Merchantainment with my bachelors degree in Public Relations and Entertainment Marketing, which is why this time around I decided to try something different and apply for a few different roles:

• Photopass
• Concierge
• Vacation Club
• Hospitality
• Character Entertainment
• Character Performer

...yes you read right. Character Performer. I wanted to try something different this go round , which means I will be traveling to Michigan this weekend to Audition. Am I excited? Yes. Am I nervous? Extremely. Will I vlog about it? Most definitely. I'm not banking all my hopes on it because performers are cast based on need and height. Based on experience auditioning, I've been told I'm "dead height" (meaning there isn't a constant need for my height range as far as character performers go). So instead of worrying my pretty little head off about it, I'm going with the notion of having fun and hopefully I'll get something out of the process...

In addition I plan on taking a few classes that will help me in the long run like: Exploring Marketing, Exploring People Management, or maybe Corporate Communication and of course, using my networking skills at the Speaker Series and such to a tee that they can't help but hire me after my program is over.

I'm still keeping my hopes up about the Professional Internship but it doesn't hurt to have options right? Except for that my options are with the same company! So yeah I've applied for the College Program for a third time, but honestly...I feel this company is where I belong. If you know me at all, I never shut up about Disney! I love this company and what it has done for me professionally so why not want to continue down the path?

My interview is tomorrow (Tuesday) in the evening and I'm doing everything I can to prepare. I'm not really worried, but there's no sense in not being ready. Plus I'm auditioning for roles I've never had before so it is (in a sense) a completely different interview!

UPDATE (11/3) So for those of you wondering how my interview actually went this is for you. I received my call at around 7:30 (after freaking out mildly cause my interview was scheduled at 7:15) and after apologizing briefly Jan, my interviewer began asking me questions. After being relieved that I was an active castmember (that being she didn't have to ask so many questions) we bantered back and forth about my relationship with the company, why I'm applying for a 3rd college program and my increasing love and dedication to the company.

We talked for about a good 40 minutes about my work experiences on previous programs and why I chose the roles I did on my role checklist. She praised me on my examples and said that I was one of her favorite interviewees because she loves interviewing alumni and current castmembers because of our awesome stories and yearn to stay with the company.

What mostly stuck out to me was that she told me that she saw no reason that I shouldn't be admitted back into the program based on my interview (YAY!) and she "Would love to tell (me) right then about an offer but because (I was) auditioning on Sunday, I would have to wait until after then". So it's safe to say I'm really excited about the next couple of weeks because not only should I hear back from the Professional Internship segment of the company, I might also get a purple folder as well. The is me extremely excited for the weeks ahead.... :)

We'll know in a few weeks time what the future actually holds for me but for now I'll just keep looking to that second star to the right and wishing really hard my dreams continue to come true!

Happy Haunts?

Sorry I haven't updated in a little bit...working on a few posts for next week..but for now It's Halloween! Enjoy this Awesome Mashup between the Haunted Mansion and Michael Jackson's "Thriller!"

Thanks to @disneyshawn for the link!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

What's New At Disney World?

Been out of the loop for a while? Disney Parks updates you on what's new at the Walt Disney World Resort recently! Check it out!

Vanessa Carlton not 'Makin Her Way Back Down' to Disney World Anytime Soon

Way to Go Vanessa Carlton.

The American singer, songwriter, and pianist was asked specifically not to come back to perform at Walt Disney World earlier today after a slip of the tongue during her performances at EPCOT's Food and Wine Festival 'Beats and Eats' Concert series at the American Adventure Pavilion.

According to reports, Carlton dropped vulgarities during her first and third sets today.  After being asked to watch her language by officials after her first set, Carlton was apologetic and promised not to do it again which proved false after her third set.

After being asked not to perform again, cast members in charge of the concert series instead asked another local band to play in place of Carlton.

Below is a short video of Carlton performing at the concert from commenter Matt Roseboom of Attractions Magazine who attended. The video does not include any of the profanities earlier mentioned.


Carlton was scheduled to perform both today and tomorrow during the concert series. More information will be posted as soon as available.

This year's International Food and Wine Festival also plays host to seminars, tasting events and sumptuous dinners overseen by top Disney Chefs as well as renowned guest Chefs.
Over the course of the Festival, there will be 1200 beer and wine seminars scheduled with complimentary samples.

(Thanks to my fellow EPCOT Cast members Hannah and John for providing me with details!)

Professionally Speaking...

First off...I'M BACK! I apologize for not updating almost 2 months after I said I was going to start updating more. School has been an experience, especially since I'm graduating in a little over 2 months! But that's neither here nor there. You didn't come here to listen to me ramble about my life. Lets get to something Disney!


I finally took a breather from life and sat down this fall break weekend to update my resume and apply for a few Disney Professional Internships! Now please don't yell at me...I know I'm a little late in the game - after all the deadline is 2 weeks from now on October 23, but I wanted to make sure I had everything in order before applying (i.e. graduation, credits etc.) instead of just applying for the sake of applying. But now that everything is all set, I took the time to try to further my career with the company I love.

NOTE: The person in the photo to the right is not me (hopefully you would know that), but rather it is the person I soon hope to be. To be specific, there are two types of internships I applied for: College Program Alumni Specific - meaning these internships are reserved solely for alumni of the college program. Non Alumni Specific: those internships open to anyone. Here are the list of internships I applied for:

College Program Alumni Specific:

• Cast Special Events
  - Providing programs, activities and event planning services for Cast, Crew and Imagineers
  
• College & International Operations - Event Planning
  - Planning, marketing and executing all events for the Disney College & International Program participants (i.e. Night of Stars, Volunteer Activities, Speaker Series, Networking Events etc.)
  
• College Recruiting
  - Maintaining student files, special projects, communicating with recruiters, students, faculty, campus representatives, etc.
  
• College & International Coordinatinator - Magic Kingdom Park
  - Assisting DCP Specialist at Magic Kingdom Park to ensure that program participants working at the park have a successful 'Earning' experience.
  
• Guest Relations

Non-College Program Alumni Specific:

• Social Media & Marketing Internship (Weddings/Youth Marketing)
  - A member of the marketing team focus on new/emerging social media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and others) supporting two lines of business (Weddings & Youth Group Programs) from a social media & marketing perspective.
  
• Public Relations Internship
  -PR Outreach supporting WDW Group and Convention business and the Disney Institute

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
So that right there is a good 7 internships I applied for. From past experience as a campus representative, they've usually told students not to apply for more than three (or else it looks like you're not interested in something specific but rather an internship period). But the good thing about the CP Alumni Specific Internships is they work just like a role-checklist. To those who have done the college program before or at least applied, you'll know a role checklist is simply a list of roles that you would be considered in performing. During your interview you're asked about which one sparks your interest most.

Speaking of interviews...I have to call on Monday (tomorrow) and set up an interview for the CP Alumni Specific and hear back for the other ones if the feel my qualifications apply. If I'm accepted, I'm really excited about this opportunity for two reasons.

1. It gives me a chance to further my career with the company that I love.
2. I'll get to move back to Orlando not 4 months after leaving - and permanently for that matter.

To those who wish to do the same and apply for a professional internship, you should know this wasn't an easy process for me. I wasn't able to just sit down and apply and then go eat some pizza to celebrate.

The process is for the dedicated. You must create a work profile at http://www.disneyjobs.com/ with your personal and contact information. Then you must upload your resume and any documents pertaining to your internship. After doing so, this next step is optional.

I haven't written a cover letter in quite some time (2008 I last believe), and writing one for the internship that could make or break my future wasn't an easy task. It took me an entire weekend to make sure my cover letter was reflecting the desired qualifications and role description listen in the Internship Profile.

After completing my cover letters and submitting them to my profile, I applied for the internships, filled out an online application and took an assessment for each internship. IT was a lot of steps to go through but most definitely worth it. I can't wait to see what opportunities await me in the future with this company.

While I'm still considering the option of applying for the College Program, I'm going to wait and see which road the Professional Internships lie for me. I don't want to bite the hand that feeds me per say and apply for both and get none. Unfortunately I'm putting all of my eggs in one basket with this decision - but its a risk I'm willing to take for the company I love. Here's to hoping I upgrade my graduation ears to a more corporate pair!

How about you guys? Has anyone else already applied for or plan on applying for Professional Internships for this upcoming season? If so leave your experiences or tips in the comments!

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In other news:

• I'm uploading my vlogs I've made in the meantime so that you can catch up on my Campus Representative life and what I've been doing since completing my Summer Alumni Program so look out for those.
• I'm looking daily for good Disney News on my twitter feed ...I've missed out on a lot but it's no use to put them here now being old news. When I hear an interesting story or something I feel you guys would enjoy I'll update it. It helps now that Disney Parks has a blog so keep posted.
• I'm also looking for someone to redesign my blog. If you or someone you know is interested shoot me an email at will.alphasig@gmail.com

See ya real soon!

Sad Day at the Studios

I hate doing these type of posts...really I do. But thanks to The Disney Blog, I've learned of yet another accident at the Walt Disney World Resort.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Anislav Varbanov, 30, died Monday evening after he was hurt while performing a tumbling roll during a rehearsal for the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, the 30-mimnute show at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

This comes as a shock to all of us castmembers especially because we have many stunt shows not only at the studios, but other stunts performed and carried out across the resort. It shows us that the stunts that our dedicated castmembers perform daily are seriously dangerous and should not be performed at home.

I've seen the show a couple of times the most recent being about a month ago with a few of my friends from work. I'm not sure what role Anislav performed but I'm sure he will be dearly missed by the rest of the Indiana Jones cast and the rest of the cast members who were dear to him.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Orange County Sheriff's Office are investigating the accident.

The Indiana Jones show is typically performed five or six times a day. But a Disney spokeswoman said this morning that resort opted to cancel all performances today "out of respect for the cast."

I'm urging all my friends and family who are castmembers to please take caution down in Florida while performing your role. Accidents do happen as we have seen all this summer. Remember in seriousness... Safe-D beings with Me.

Lets all keep the family of Anislav in our thoughts and prayers today.

UPDATE (8/19/09): I was just informed that The Federal Government is investigating Disney World for the string of 3 deaths that occured this summer - including the Monorail accident and the accident at Magic Kingdom involving a castmember performing in the Jack Sparrow Pirate Tutorial.

From reserach I've found that the government has investigated Disney World a total of 17 times in the past few years, most accident cases have been thrown out, others have cast faut on Disney because of safety errors. Most of these cases can be found by most search engines.

As a castmember I am unable to comment on any of these incidents or the safety regulations of search...but I can say that the Safety regulations brought and taught to us on day 1 are nothing less than exceptional and they even test us on safety regulations throughout our employment with the company. I do not feel that the government will hand down anything hard on WDW, but here's hoping things get better for the resort - soon.

Is it gonna be like this forever???

It's 12:46 am and I can't sleep for two reasons.
1) I'm back at home in Detroit. I'm still used to staying up late D-fam. Speaking of whom...
2) I miss my D-fam.

I'm saddened because I didn't get to say goodbye to most of them on account I had to change my flight plans at the last minute. Today was a day of hectic rushing, airport madness, long flights, overpacked bags and exhaustion. Which is strange because now that I'm at home I should be falling asleep in my bed thinking of the awesome summer that I had...

But I can't. I'm feeling so meloncholy! I know I'll be back in October *crosses fingers* but thats too far away for me. I want it to be sometime sooner..lets say...tomorrow? Lets make it happen!

.....

No? Okay time to be a big boy about this then.

Ahem. To those I didn't get to say goodbye to, I apologize but know that you're always in my heart and this summer was nothing short of amazing because of you. You know who you are, mostly because if we shared a moment, even if it was brief, it contributed to the awesome summer that I had down in Disney. You know my contact information and you also know that if we stop keeping in contact, I know where you live so it will be easy for me to come down and make your life a living hell.

Too creepy? Sorry, like I said...it's 12:56am.

I love my D-fam, and nothign will change that. That's a good thing about family. You go your own separate ways sometimes but you can always come back...and they will always be accepting. So to those I didn't get to hug until we couldn't breathe....we'll just have to make the next hug even stronger.

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In other stories, I spent the entire day at Magic Kingdom with Hannah yesterday and it was AWESOME! We pretended to be married (again) and we had the most awesome magic moment ever. Us and my friend Adam who joined us breifly went to Splash to get fastpasses and return later. Hannah wanted to check a size for a shirt so we went inside the store loacted right after the ride. While they didn't have her size, we talked with a castmember named Krisandra who was stationed in photopass at the time. We mentioned we were also castmembers and she asked when we were married. After smiling trying to think of a quick story, she congratulated us and asked if we went on the ride yet. We told he no and that we had fast passes.

Well that wasn't good enough for Krisandra. She told us to follow her. We ended up going backwards up to the exit of hte ride and she got us on the ride without waiting in line! She called it their gift to us! WE were so psyched! And it was the best ride ever. It wasn't too wet or too dry. After the ride she told us to come and see her again for a commerative and complimentary photo. We did such ans asked if we could have two, one to send to our parents (when in actuality it was one for each of us).

Because of Krisandra's kindnessa nd willingness to go above and beyond, we gave her a GSF and presented it to her when we came back two hours later with our fastpasses. Best magical moment ever!

Despite the rain and the fact that I didn't get to see Dream Along with Mickey and Move It Shake It Celebrate It Parade for the last time, my MK day yesterday was successful. To see photos, check out my facebook.

So as I sit here watching late night Disney Channel, remenicing about the past 2 and a half months, I can't help but smile at the amazing people I've met, the enchanting experiences I've had and the fact that I've grown in myself and the magic I've not only held as my own, but shared to the many guests that I have serviced. The Walt Disney World Resort is truly a place where dreams come true, and I will always be blessed to be a part of that.

Like I said before, this blog will continue to be posted in as long as I have something Disney to talk about and lets face it....there is ALWAYS something Disney to talk about. So although my program may be over, I will remember this summer for a lifetime and it will give me something to look forward to in October when I visit and in December when I move down permanantly to my second home. *crosses fingers again*

Have a Magical Night and to those I didn't get to say goodbye to,

See ya Real Soon

I think It's Kind of Fun to Do the Impossible!

As I brush the dust off this blog, it pains me to think about how much I've experienced in the last 3 months and I have not jotted down a single memory of it. I'd like to think of it as "Gee, I've had so much fun on my program I havent had any time to sit down and tell everyone else!"

Let me clarify. My Summer Alumni Program ends on Friday. My last work shift is Today (BONUS It's a Glow Shift!) and I'm spending my last day at Magic Kingdom with my friends and family. This summer ahs gone by way to fast and I've met and connected with so many people on so many different levels it aches my heart to say goodbye to them for the time being.

As I look around Patterson Court to all the new people moving in with big smiles on their faces talking about how they cannot wait to start working and experiencing all this program has to offer....after laughing my butt off at their naivety, I smile and envy that time in my life when my program was just beginning and I was rediscovering everything all over again!

Like I said, I've met and connected with so many people...I'm so glad to have been invited and accepted by those I call my D-Family. I wouldn't have made it through the summer without these guys, coming home from a late work shift and hanging out and talking, always finding something to do on my days off with them...I should be packing but I just came home from spending lunch with a few including Caroline who'se birthday is today...(p.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! A little shout out...).

In addition I do apologize I haven't been updating this as much as I should've. I promised you I would update you as soon as things settled down....unfortunately they never did! Park visits, late night trips to Popeyes and DQ, Resort Hopping, Club going, Drama unfolding, tent sleeping, movie watching, relationship building, apartment cleaning, apartment moving-out-of, eating out, eaiting in, late-night talk fests, vlog making, laughing, playing, tearing, remembering...all of that got in the way...and you know what...I take it back. I'm not sorry. Because I would've rather hve all of those memories then to miss out on some of them. This will be a summer I will NEVER forget. Now don't worry, a vlog is coming soon with picture/video updates and I'll still continue to post here as long as there is SOMETHING Disney to talk about and lets face it...there always is. We (almost) own the world. ;)

This summer has changed me in ways I cannot even express in one blog. I've made relationships, found out new things about myself, discovered new adventures, made wonderful friends who've developed into family, had my heart broken and stitched back together, worked my BUTT off, made connections for the future, spent way too much money and discovered the magic inside my heart that never left and never will.

Although my program has ended, this isn't Goodbye...it's a "See You Soon." I plan on coming back in October for Mickey's not So Scary Halloween Party, and permanently in December if I get the Professional Internship I apply for. There is no way I'm letting go of the people and places I love here. Disney World is included in many of the places I love to call home and the family I have here will never be far from my heart.

Uncle Walt said it best: "All of our dreams can come true...if we have the courage to pursue them." All of my dreams came true this summer and there's no better place to fulfill them. And even though I'm heading back to the land of wind and show in Ohio...I'm taking the dream with me and sharing it with everyone.

To my D-Fam and everyone else who's shared this dream with me this summer....

See ya Real Soon!

Wayne Allwine, Voice of Mickey Mouse, passes at age 62

*SIDENOTE: I have so much to fill you guys in on, but It'll have to wait until later...it's 6:45 am now and most of my roommates left for Traditions and I wanted to see them off. I'm going back to bed in a second, but this is important. So just to clarify...update will come later.

A Legend was lost today...When people think of the Walt Disney Company, the first thing they think of is its most famous and love able icon, Mickey Mouse. Unfortunately that voice is temporary silenced.

On Monday May 18th, Wayne Allwine, the voice of Mickey Mouse, died at age 62.

The first time I ever heard the voice of Mickey Mouse had to be when I was around 3 0r 4. I don't remember the specifics but every time I heard a "Hot Dog!" or "Oh Boy!" Or "Hiya Pal!" my face lit up with excitement, joy, and laughter. It's wide known that there were a few voices of the infamous mouse including his creator, Walt Disney, but for my generation (and the one before), the Mickey we knew was Wayne.

I never knew Wayne personally, nor have I had the chase to see him in many interviews, but I feel like I still have a connection with him because of all that he has given to us. Not only in my childhood but even when I visit the park today and watch Philharmagic at the Magic Kingdom, or watch the Jungle Jam parade at Animal Kingdom. I even hear his voice when I meet Mickey at a Character Greeting. He truly is a legend and I thank him for all that he has given us. He not only lent his voice, but his personality and love to the character, which has made alot of difference to alot of my generation.

It even surprised me to fine out only two years ago that Wayne was married to Russi Taylor, the voice of Minnie Mouse. When I found that out, my face lit up like the 5-year old at heart that I truly am. That's something right there.

Taken from John Frost from The Disney Blog (in which I feel exactly the same way), "I like to think that now all three voices of Mickey Mouse are reunited somewhere discussing the affect that one little character had on their lives and on the world. Our lives are all richer for their efforts."

In 2008 both Wayne and Russi were named Disney Legends in a ceremony at the studios. Recently Wayne had been combating complications related to diabetes and was said to be in need of a kidney transplant. Sadly he passed away May 18th as a result of his illness. Official confirmation was made on his Disney Legend bio.

Thank you Wayne for all that you have given us, not only as a voice artist, but as a friend and loved one. Though I never knew you on a personal level, I would like to say that you are a BIG part in my desire to be a part of this wonderful company. You have changed my life, and for that, I give my thanks. Be blessed, and Rest in Peace. Say Hi to Walt for me okay?

"I get to take this wonderful American icon and keep it alive until the next Mickey comes along, and it will one day. It's holding him close enough to really love him, but not so close that when he leaves, it's gonna kill me." - Wayne Allwine

The Time Has Come...

So It's 12:30 and I have to be up at 4:00....but I can't sleep. You wanna know why? Do ya wanna?

BECAUSE I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!

I literally cannot sleep because I'm so excited.My plane boards at 6:40 and takes off at 7a. I arrive in Orlando at 9:33 and my good frien Caitlin (see my vlogs) will be picking me up. (Saving me money from going Mears) and I'll check in at Vista Way and settle in at Patterson Court (Hopefully).

I wish I had a camera or my computer to document it along the way, but when I get settled, I'll head over to Vista Way Learning Center and blog all about it. I can't wait to get down there after 2 years and continue my career with the Walt Disney Company!

Have a Magical Night and like my boss always says...
See Ya Real Soon! ;)

Brotherly Love

I thought of this last night as I was squirming around trying to think of where m WDW CP ID was so that I can avoid a $35 fine from Access Control (which has now been found by my father in our massive basement - thanks dad!), that I'm really gonna miss my twin brother this summer.

We've never actually been apart for a long time, we practically grew up side-by-side. When we were younger, we grew up in a hotel. Mom was the lounge singer, and we had our own room in the hotel while mom slept in the living room. We got into such crazy antics all the time with our friend who worked at the candy counter (Who I had such a crush on) and our rich friend who's dad owned the hotel. We also went to high school together....on a cruise ship...oh wait, thats not my life. That's Dylan and Cole Sprouse on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody...my bad.

Okay, I don't have twin brother (wouldn't that be awesome?), but I do have a younger brother who's 18 and growing fast. We grew up together, practically side-by-side and this will be the second summer that I'll be away from him which is especially hard on me because he's graduating high school, and I won't be there to experience some of the important aspects of leaving High School: prom, graduation parties, getting ready for college....don't get me wrong, I'll be there for Graduation (I'm hopping a plane from Orlando on a Saturday, attending graduation on Sunday and hading back to work on Monday), I don't care if I get a reprimand, I will be there for his graduation...

But because of Disney being so far away from Michigan, I won't be there to guide him though some of these milestones like a big brother should. And that huts me inside. I want to make up for it through giving him a free vacation to Disney World, but he's been there so many times (including when I worked there in '07 for free) that he's probably sick of it by now...

We're going to college together for a semester, his first and my last, and I plan on spending alot of time with him to get him settled into the college life yet still giving him room to grow on his own, I just really wish that Disney World wasn't that far away this summer so I could be there to experience the traditions of leaving high school, like he did with me (albeit from far away because he was younger then).

I've never seen Brother Bear, but I might watch it to pick up some tips. =)

What about you? Any siblings or family members that you're sad to leae behind fo 5 - 8 months? Are your families going to come visit you on your program or vice-versa? Leave your stories in the comment below.

Have a Magical Day!

Packing is so not fun...

So as the days get closer to me leaving for Florida (4 days, 20 Hours, 0 Minutes, 0 Seconds),I've realized my blogs are getting more sparse. So for those who absolutely love reading these everyday, I apologize. If I come up with interesting topics between now and Check-in I'll make sure to post them...

One topic that has been on my mind ever since I came home for what is considered all one-week of my summer vacation is the ever painful subject of Packing.

I say painful, because I am known to be somewhat of an over packer. So much that on my first program, my mother flew down with me so that I could have one extra suitcase for all of my things for 5 months (there were other reasons but that was one of the main ones)! Thai time however, I do not have that luxury.

I finished packing my ONE (yes I shall repeat, ONE) suitcase of clothes, bed spreads and towels that I'll need this summer. It is literally packed to the core nothing else can fit into it. If a gernerous relative gives me some clothes to take down I would have to say "Sorry Generous relative, but I cannot fit it into my suitcase, so therefore I cannot take it with me...' Okay, so I won't be doing that but that's how much the suitcase is packed!

Lets just say I'll be doing laundry every two weeks...which means I'll have to make good friends with some ICP's because there is NO WAY I'm sanding $10 every two weeks on laundry. Not happening. Call me stubborn, thats just the way it is.

If you haven't realized by now, I'm flying down to Florida and so I do not have the luxury of packing 3 suitcases of things that I will ultimately not need, but I'll want to have with me for sentimental reasons because thats what an over packer does...

Northwestern Airlines (the airline I wlll be flying on) lets you have one suitcase per customer with charges for suitcases over 50lbs. (Which I'm hoping mine is under but we can never be too sure) And I'm bringing a carry on that can be considered a carry-on but they'll have to put in that special bin before you get on the plane. That will be used to bring my material possessions which does not include my computer because the screen burned out and I'm using my television screen right now to get online and use other things my computer does and I unfortunately cannot bring my TV and I don't plan on shipping it. So this little bug will be without a computer unless I get the urgent need to get on a bus to Vista Way from Patterson (fingers crossed) to go to the Media Center to log on for hours. Fun times!

So I'll be packing my material possessions which I can tell you right now will include my pin set, my POTC flag, my Little's Fraternity Plank he made for me (everybody go "awwww" now!), a mickey photo album, many DVD's to watch on my roommates TV which I'm sure we'll have because I'm optimistic about that...

Other things I'll figure out as I go along. Some things I'll have to leave here but I honestly have no use for them, it'll just be nice to have them with me. But sacrifices will have to be made because for this 3 months summer expedition I will not have the luxury of packing everything I own. I'll get over it eventually!

How is your packing going? Any interesting stories to share? Anything you're sad about leaving? Are you flying or driving? How much are you packing? Help me out and leave me your stories and tips about packing in the comments below....

...and I have yet to find my ID. Lets hope I find that today in the midst of my cleaning and packing. Lauren has to find her chapstick and 8GB Flash Drive...I'm right there with you Lauren!

Have a Magical Day!

- Will

Life (Or Your Job)'s What You Make It...

So a little birdie told me that by calling College Recruiting and getting your Personal Number and then calling Casting that you could find out your location before your arrival date.

*Sidenote - I wouldn't advise doing this if you like surprises or If you feel
you're going to be dissapointed by what you hear...*

Well I did that today (which I really shouldn'tve have because I'm technically on Vocal Rest and I shouldnt've made any phone calls), and found out where I'm working for the summer...

...which is EPCOT Towers and Glow. If you're not familiar, Glow is a section of Merchandise which is my role - where you either walk around a park dressed in glowy tubes selling them to children and adults for usually $5 when it gets dark (usually before a parade or fireworks)...or you're stationed in a section of the park with a cart where you sell glow toys and you get to play with them. Another part of the job description is during the day you get to stand outside selling squeeze-breezes (the squirt bottles with the fan) or other water dispensing objects and in my case I would also get to work at The Two Towers - which are the two merchandise stations right before you entire World Pavillion.

When I first heard I was working at EPCOT I was on the fence. Let me explain...as some of you know, EPCOT isn't my favorite park. In fact it's my least. I particuarlly dislike Illuminations - the fireworks show at the park - and becauuse it's a learning pavillion i didn't spend as much time there as the other parks on my first program. Now that's not to say I dislike the park entirely. There are some aspects of the park I like. World Pavillion, Soaring, The Seas with Nemo and Friends and Space Ship Earth will always be favorites of mine, but as a whole i do feel the park is pretty boring.

So its safe to say when the lady told me over the phone that I would be working EPCOT Towers and Glow I was at first dissapointed.

But then I thought something...

When I was deployed to Glow in the Magic Kingdom on my First program, I had the time of my life! I loved walking around as "Glow Boy" and entertaining guests, dancing, performing and interacting with them, being in the parade and making people smile. That put a smile on my face and joy in my heart to know I was a part of something that great!

In addition to that, this might give me a new appreciation for the park and I'll get to see it in a different way than I did as a guest. I'll meet new people, interact with guests the same, and there's more to do on the program outside of work!

Plus...I won't have to wear long sleve shirts, slacks and a vest to work every day...that's always a plus. In addition, this will encourage me to pick up more shifts at other parks for the summer and get more money.

Here's what people had to say about Glow and Epcot in the Summer Alumni Facebook Group:

"Glow, is you stand around with a cart full of glowing
objects to sell to people, but glow is fun you can like play with the toys to
get peoples attention. Plus the bus rides to EPCOT from the Housing Pavillions
are short. Magic Kingdom busses take like an hour."

"I was just reading about this glow stuff, and it sounds
awesome, you'll be like a walking Raver. lol. Maybe you could add some funky
techno to your cart, and you'll have a one man party. Oh the
possibilities."

"Glow is awesome at epcot, everyone always wants a toy.
You get to wear them all crazy like and if you're lucky, you can ride a segway
with them. =D Just depends who your manager is."

" I got deployed to glow for a week when i was on my
program. it was at mk though. it really want bad at all... you get put in a
location and your out there by yourself which can kinda sound boring but it was
actually a lot of fun... I was kinda sad I was only there for a week. I did
squeeze breeze during the day too which was not so much fun bc it was superrr
hot outside!!Im not sure if it's the same at epcot though... but it def. sounds
like your doing so sort of glow. "

"Remember...no location is final until you're actually
there..."

That last one stuck with me. Nothing is final until 12 days from now when they hand me my sticker sand say you're working (INSERT LOCATION HERE). So I could've been working myself up over nothing. The Magic Kingdom will always be my favorite park, but it'll be nice to work somewhere else and get a different experience.

Cause as the songwriter says:

"Life's what you make it...so lets make it rock!"