Will's Fantasmic Disney Adventures

Kermit and Fozzie's Special Message!

2010-01-09T23:41:00.003-05:00

Hey there! Will here!

So remember when I said earlier that the Muppets were getting into the Spirit of Give a Day, Get a Disney Day? Well A few friends of mine saw my blog post and wanted to give a special message to all you readers...take it away guys!

Remember, if you want to sign up for Give a Day, Get a Disney Day...head on over to the Disney Parks Website and click on the GADGADD logo. You'll find all the information you need there to begin your journey of VoluntEARing! Good luck and have a Magical Day!

VoluntEARing Has it's Perks!

2010-01-09T00:25:00.003-05:00

.....Hi.

Although I am many things...as a blogger...well I kinda suck.

As I dust off this blog yet again for the third time...I'm reminded of the promise I made to all of my readers of how dedicated I was to keeping this alive. Well I never go back on my word so starting now...seriously...this blog will be active and lively. Everybody go "YAY!" As my video counterpart would say..."5 Second Dance Party!"

Now I'm sure I've missed alot of newsworthy and interesting Disney News in the last few months and you've missed out on alot about me. First off...Happy 2010! Here's what you missed in my Disney Life:

Got Accepted into the College Program as a Character Attendant for Spring 2010
I check in January 20th (that's really soon)
I did not get a Professional Internship
I did not get a Character Performer role.
I graduated College (yay!)
I acquired 5 awesome roommates
I will be living in Chatham Square
I went to Chicago with a bunch of CP's for "Christmas Under the Bean"
Most of my friends from Fall 2009 have finished their programs and left.
I picked up a few merch shifts the week before check-in and will be leaving in 4 days to complete them.
I will be working in the Emporium at MK, MouseGears at EPCOT and Tomorrowland (so far...)
Some people have already checked into their programs, gone through traditions and are starting training (w00t)

That's about it...to get the full scoop on me and my Disney life in the past two months...visit my Youtube and get some more info there. My hands hurt too much to type out everything.

MOVING FORWARD:

Around this time of journeying to my college program (if you didn't catch it...this will be my third)...I'd make a packing blog for you guys to read about tips, tidbits and hints on how to pack for the Disney College Program whether you will be driving or flying (or maybe even walking...but that would be VERY far...) to Florida.

But...I already did that...so I won't.

MOVING FORWARD STILL:

What I will (no pun intended) focus on this blog...as this is my first blog of the new decade and something awesome is starting from Disney Parks, I'll elaborate a little bit on Give a Day...Get a Disney Day

Announced back in September 2009 and beginning January 2010, as a part of the theme for Disney Parks "What Will You Celebrate?", and as a replacement for the "Get in free on your birthday" incentive last year, Disney Parks organized a program that celebrates the spirit of volunteerism and giving. If you give a day of service, you receive one free day ticket to any Disney Theme Park.

"In 2010, we want to recognize and add one more reason for celebration: the contributions people make to their communities every day," said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "We want to inspire 1 million volunteers – people who will invest time and energy to make their own communities and neighborhoods a better place."

Partnering with the HandsOn Network - the nation's largest volunteer network, users can go to www.DisneyParks.com and to search for volunteer areas and opportunities in their communities or districts.

Even the Muppet's are getting their hands on this action. If you haven't seen any of the commercials on your television, there are a few broadcast just like the one below to get people into the spirit of giving back. Also starting today, the Muppets honor guests who have given back to their communities through volunteerism at Disneyland park and Magic Kingdom park in Disney's Honorary Volunteer Cavalcade, featuring Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.

As a Castmember and a longtime VoluntEAR, I feel that not only is this an amazing project and opportunity Disney is giving out to muster the spirit of giving, but it's also a great chance for the family to come together as a whole and share a good feeling...and then to experience a free day at a Disney Park because of it! I mean...who doesn't want a FREE day at Disney?

Even Disney Vloggers are getting into the spirit of Give a Day, Get a Disney Day. As a group, (generously and genially constructed by vlogger John Henselmier), we collaborated for YouTube's 2009 Project 4 Awesome (a day constructed by the VlogBrothers when NerdFighters and YouTubers gathered and made videos about their favorite charities in order to decrease World Suck) and made a video promoting VoluntEARS and GADGADD (Do you like my acronym? I made it mahself!) This video can be viewed below:

(P.S. More information will be given about thedisneyvloggers' YouTube channel when we make it big...we have huge plans in store for this channel!)

Alot of groundbreaking has already started on this project...I say this because the free ticket cut-off is at One Million. Yes that's right. Not that that limit should be an incentive to make you go out and volunteer yourself, the warm feeling you get when doing something for others should be enough...but...if you want that ticket, go to the site mentioned above and sign up now! To see more videos of Volunteer projects people have been involved in already, visit the Disney Park's Youtube Channel.

That's all I have for this post, stay tune and I promise I won't be lazy (even though I leave in 4 days for my next college program!) and post more interesting and pertinent Disney and College Program news to this channel. I love you all and Keep Moving Forward!

Sources: WDW Corporate: Give a Day, Get a Disney Day, Disney Cast Hub - "The Muppets Join the "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" Celebration

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

2009-11-18T11:17:00.006-05:00

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!

2009-11-16T23:38:00.004-05:00

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!

2009-11-09T03:44:00.004-05:00

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!

2009-11-06T03:19:00.003-05:00

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

2009-11-03T23:23:00.003-05:00

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....

2009-11-02T22:28:00.007-05:00

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?

2009-10-31T21:25:00.003-04:00

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?

2009-10-25T13:19:00.003-04:00

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

2009-10-22T19:48:00.006-04:00

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...

2009-10-11T19:45:00.005-04:00

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

2009-08-18T10:56:00.004-04:00

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???

2009-08-15T00:46:00.003-04:00

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.

-------

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!

2009-08-12T12:58:00.004-04:00

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

2009-05-20T06:53:00.003-04:00

*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...

2009-05-18T00:21:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-14T08:34:00.005-04:00

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...

2009-05-13T11:34:00.005-04:00

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...

2009-05-06T13:36:00.006-04:00

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!"

Safe-D Begins with Me!

2009-05-05T15:50:00.002-04:00

As I sit here sick, tired and dreading my Pop Culture final (the paper I wrote on Disney movies got shot down and burned to the ground), I can't help but think how people get so overworked over the Swine Flu epidemic but will still go to the theme parks.

I heard from one of my friends working down there now that people are walking around the parks with masks on to not catch any symptoms of the swine flu. To me, that's utterly ridiculous.

You would think that if you'd spent so much money to go to a theme park that you'd focus more on the experience.

I got this from StitchKingdom:

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Mickey Mouse, Pluto, the Fairy Godmother and other Walt Disney favorites were still dishing out kisses, handshakes and high-fives
at the Magic Kingdom on Thursday, despite the flu virus alert gripping the
United States.

At the world famous Florida theme park, which is run by Walt Disney Co and visited by millions each year, enthusiastic crowds filled the avenues and rides, apparently unworried by the warnings of a possible pandemic of a new strain of influenza A (H1N1) virus.

The United States has declared a health emergency and in Mexico, where up to 176 people have died following the outbreak there of the virus originally termed ?swine flu, the government has ordered a five-day partial shutdown of nonessential government offices and businesses. The Mexican Health Ministry also warned people against touching or kissing while greeting each other.

Authorities in the United States, who have reported 109 confirmed swine flu infections but only one death, are recommending that people sick with flu symptoms seek treatment and stay home. Florida is testing a number of suspected cases.

At the Magic Kingdom on Thursday, one mother pressed her baby?s face into the costumed character Pluto's furry snout for a kiss. Other youngsters continued to snuggle up to various other Disney characters and share high-fives, while fidgety kids slid their hands along the rope lines while waiting to get on the rides.

Among the crowds were the Jansens from Amsterdam in the Netherlands. They said they were not worried about bringing their 2-year-old and 7-year-old children to the Magic Kingdom.

There's no concern for us. We always go to the big public places with the kids, said Ed Jansen. Just like any Dutch man or Dutch woman, we have both feet on the floor. We're not a panicked people.
Coordinating the international campaign against the new flu virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) has its current alert level just one notch below a full pandemic.

Despite some official fears that crowded venues could increase contagion risk, there were no visible extraordinary precautionary measures in place at Disney?s Magic Kingdom.

Trash sweepers, as usual, swept up bits of garbage almost before they touched ground, but they did not appear to be doing any extra disinfecting or unusual
cleaning.

I have strepp throat right now (not swine flu), and I'm trying to get better so that I can enjoy my experience during the summer. But just because I'm trying to get better, it dosen't mean that as soon as I get down there I'm going to be extremely health conscious every moment while I'm on my program. I've seen custodial do their job and they know what they're doing and they teach us to wash our hands and be health safe while on the job.

So unless the Swine Flu epdemic gets so bad that they have to shut down the theme park (which won't happen - God forbid it does), I'm not going to worry or be extremely health concious...cause remember:

"Safe-D Begins With Me!"

Talky Blog: Birthday Fun!

2009-05-01T17:35:00.001-04:00

My last vlog from school and on a Mac...SADNESS PERSONIFIED! Hopefully I'll get that computer I talk about in the vlog for my birthday so I can make sweet vlogs again!

Disney Cast Members take over Facebook...

2009-04-29T20:32:00.005-04:00

...not in the way you might be thinking however.

I recently stumbled upon this website through a friend of mine called Castmember.com , an interactive web community specifically designed and operated by Disney Cast Members past and present.

It's operated entirely almost the same as Facebook where users can interact with other cast members around the world through wall posts, group discussions and photo upload capabilities. It even has a user feed just like Facebook that lets you know what your friends are up to and what groups have been updated.

What I find most interesting is being a social networking site itself, it encompasses a lot of other social networking sites within it like Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and more all in their own database so that friends can browse their friends other social networking sites without even leaving the website.

There's also a "CastBlog" feature (mirroring Facebook's "Notes" function) where cast members' blogs can be read by other members of the site - leaving opportunities for others to make friends and get to know them.

I haven't been able to explore the website fully but I joined on Monday and I have one friend so far, my future co-worker Jaime. I don't know how popular this will be on my list of websites to visit every day but it looks interesting none-the-less.

Have you guys heard about this website? And if you're on it please be my friend...being the Social Networking fiend that I am, I can't stand not having online friends. I just won't stand for it.

Patience is a virtue I do not possess...

2009-04-26T22:30:00.005-04:00

A recent fad going around on the Summer Alumni Facebook group is having cast members who are currently statused and have access to the Hub to find out what their work location is early.

For those unaware, the Hub is a virtual resource that provides all Cast Members with a single source for accurate, timely and

relevant information, including messages from executives, company news, work schedules, information about products and services, tools Cast Members need to perform their roles, Cast discounts and Cast activities.

I haven't had access to the Hub since May of 2007, the last time I was in Florida and on WDW property, and I can't log in again because every 3 months they make you change your password for security reasons. Ergo, I cannot log in and try to see my work location early.

Some people (including myself) have tried getting people who do have access to look them up under contacts and try to see that way if their work status would show. For some of them, they work, for others they don't, and for some they are not even in the system yet. For me, I've had two people try to see if my status shows, and since I am a Campus Representative, it either shows up as "Attractions H/H" or "Campus Representative" ... meaning until they transfer me over (when the season ends), I cannot find out my work location for the summer.

A part of me is relieved, I kind of like the element of surprise - which is one of the reasons I'm rooming blind, I mean unless an awesome roommate potential comes along and sweeps me off my feet (literally) and I change my mind. The day I was on my first check-in and I was told I was working in the Magic Kingdom, my heart jumped out of my chest (literally...it wasn't a pretty sight) and I had the biggest smile on face because of the surprise...

On the other hand, when I go for my second check-in and I get lets say...a resort or EPCOT - two places where working merchandise would not appease me - and they tell me I get one of those areas in Merchandise, I don't want to have my heart sink into a dark abyss and be disappointed the entire summer...I mean don't get me wrong, but once you work at a place like the Emporium, it's pretty hard to upgrade.

But none of that currently matters, because I cannot check my status until they change me over anyway and 20 days is seeming to come closer and closer now, so I'll guess I'll just wait.

What would you guys do? Would you keep trying to see if they put up your status? Would you wait out the storm? Would you contact a old manager friend and pull some strings? Leave your comments below...

Oh! That reminds me...I had a little chat with one of my favorite managers Dwight about a week ago. (Before my computer screen died...sadness) He was very excited that I was coming down for another program (though it may be short) and said he'd try to pull some strings to get me back into the Emporium...so maybe I'm doing all of this worrying for nothing! We'll see in 20 days.

-----------------------------------------------

In other Disney News:

If you're a fan of Pixar Animation character's turning up in the parks like Wall-E or Remy from Ratatoullie then you'll be pleased to hear (a rumor) that the Pixar logo him/her self will make an appearance in the WDW parks soon. Luxo Jr., the lamp shown at the beginning of all Pixar Films either jumping on the I, or doing something else funny is being worked on right now. Read all about it at TheDisneyBlog.

As I said in my last Vlog on Friday, I'll be having lunch/dinner with LaurenandMatt from YouTube - however, not in Michigan as I planned...when we get down to Florida we'll have a grand 'ol time in one of the parks or off property getting to know each other cause they're such awesome people!

There has been some controversy with Disney changing the name and profession of the first Black princess in The Frog Princess scheduled to open soon. Instead of being a chambermaid - she'll be an aspiring restaurant entrepreneur and her name will be changed from Maddy (being too closely related to "Mammy" a common term for Black Female slaves) to Tiana. I plan on doing a blog on this later so I won't focus too much on it here. Just making you aware.

Enjoy your week and make it magical!

- Will

Talky Blog: Frat House Tour!

2009-04-25T02:00:00.001-04:00

Wow! I make alot of Talky Blogs...I have a problem!

"Hi! My name is Will, and I'm addicted to making Talky Blogs!"

Anyway, I'll get pack to regular posting sometime this weekend... this week has been crazy stressed out with reports and homework and the like so until then, enjoy this next Talky Blog where you'll get a tour of my fraternity house plus some other updates with me and the college program.

23 Days until the best summer job ever!

- Will

2 drivers kiled in head-on collision on Disney Proprty

2009-04-20T13:56:00.003-04:00

Sad day...again. I woke up to this on the Orlando Sentential

Two people died in a head-on collision on Epcot Center Drive early Sunday,
Florida Highway Patrol said.A 50-year-old Orlando man was traveling north on
Epcot Center Drive in the wrong direction at about 2 a.m. Authorities said he
collided with a Honda that was driving south. Both vehicles caught on fire, and
both drivers were trapped in their vehicles.They died at the scene of the
accident, FHP said.The driver of the Honda was 19-year-old Aaron Pichoff of Winter
Garden. Authorities have not released the name of the other
driver.

Investigators have not yet determined whether the driver of the
first car had been drinking.

This news follows from a couple of weeks ago when a Cast member was killed in an automobile accident with a Disney World Bus. I strongly urge all of my Cast member friends to drive safely and be very aware of your surroundings.

Please keep the families of all the victims in your thoughts and prayers.

Talky Blog: I can has survey plz?

2009-04-20T03:29:00.001-04:00

Talky Blog interviewing myself so you can get to know me better...plus a few other updates as well...

Survey? Why not!

2009-04-18T12:22:00.004-04:00

So I was tagged in a survey and I thought I'd share it with you all...consider yourself tagged if you even bothered to read this!

Fill this out and tag (at least) 25 people you know who worked or still work at Disney... Remember to preserve the Disney magic with this thing though, folks. :)

Do/did you take your costumes home or pick them up daily?
I took mine home and picked up a good weeks worth and returned them when I was done to repeat the cycle.
What locations do/did you work at?
I mainly worked the the Emporium on Main Street in the MK, but was deployed a couple of times to Strollers, Glow and Adventureland. I also picked up a few shifts from time to time at DAK.
Have you ever been on an opening crew?
Yup, early mornings at the Emporium were KILLER...but rope drop was fun waving to people as they passed by!
What positions do/did you hold?
Merchandise Host, Glow Boy, Stroller Attendant
How many times have you come back to working for Disney?
Not counting my Campus Rep position, none. I haven't been back to Florida since I left two years ago...I know sadness personified BUT now it's 27 days until I return!
Do/did you prefer working when it’s busy or slow?
It depended on who I was working with and what day it was. The Emporium was seldom slow and call me crazy..but sometimes I loved the rush we would get after the fireworks or anything like that. I like helping people.
Have you ever been assaulted by a guest?
Physically? No. But moms can get pretty verbal when you tell them that there are no more princess dresses in their daughters size! You don't wanna be on the losing end of that battle! Also this one time when I was working Glow one guest got mad at me because he literally took something off of the cart and walked away and I told he he had to pay for it bu he was just showing it to his son (who happened to be on the other side of the park but whatever) and thought I was accusing him of stealing. Meh.
What’s your favorite parade?
Only because I saw it EVERY TIME I worked, Spectromagic, I loved the Disney Dreams Come True Parade as well, but the lights and such get to me lol.
What’s the longest shift you have worked?
Don't even get me started...um...I think 16 hours but don't quote me on that. Grad Nites and Holidays can be BRUTAL!
Ever been let go from Disney?
Nope.
Favorite Disney attraction to go on?
Gotta say Pirates of the Caribbean...I get chills every time I go on that ride!
What is your favorite land?
Adventureland. I freakin LOVE POTC, Tiki Room and Jungle Cruise.
If you could ask Walt any question, what would it be?
"Can I have a job?"
What is your favorite show?
FANTASMIC! ...duh.
Favorite Disney Character?
Right now it's a tie between Stitch and WALL-E. Although Mickey will always hold a special place in my heart!
Favorite Disney Song?
A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes
Favorite thing to do at the park other than going on attractions?
People watching. Guests are extremely funny people. A close second would have to be character greeting.
If you could do anything at the park, what would you do?
I would want to see Walt's Apartment and explore around. That would be extremely cool.
What’s your favorite costume you've had to wear?
Pirates of the Caribbean by far...LOVED the long striped socks and baggy and breezy shirt/pants combination.
What’s your least favorite costume?
The Emporium only because it was so unnecessary! The slacks and dress shirt would get hot all the time, plus I had to wear a tacky plad vest that did nothing for my complexion (haha) and the tie the boys had to wear were so complicated to put on I swear I never did it right ever.

------------------- *TWITTER BREAK* ------------------
Have you ever done any volunteer work for Disney?
I did Give Kids the World once and it was one of the best moments of my program.
If you could work any other attraction, what would it be?
Either as a host at the Haunted Mansion or Tower of Terror. I love being creepy.
Did you ever have an annual pass?
What kind of a question is that?
Have you ever had an annual passholder tell you how to do your job?
Yes, it always annoyed me when people came and were like "This isn't how they did it 2 years ago" or "I know you carry (this particular item), I saw it here when I was here 2 months ago. THINGS CHANGE PEOPLE!
Are you a pin trader?
Yes, but I'm not a fanatic. My friend Caitlin and I would go to Cast Pin Parties and find cheap crappy pins and goody bags and trade while we were in the parks. As a merchandise cast member it's pretty hard not to get into Pin Trading if you wear them all the time. I'd see some that I like on my own lanyard and trade with myself. I know...sad.
What is the oddest thing you have had happen to you on the job?
This one old lady checked me out one time and gave me the "up and down" and flashed her eyes. Very creepy.
What is the most points you have earned?
Psh, I don't remember. I was a good(ish) Cast Member.
Ever been a trainer?
Nope
Ever been a leader?
Nuh-uh.
Ever worked grad nights?
See Previous Post
Ever worked at a location that isn't there anymore?
Falso.
CM that you miss that used to work at the parks?
Everyone I worked with on my Spring '07 Program. Especially my roommates (neighbors included) and my special Emporium friends...
Manager that you miss that worked at the parks?
Dwight was the best manager ever. He understood our grievances and asked us all the time if we needed anything. Sometimes even gave us ER's if things were slow or if we weren't needed. Coolest manager ever.
Do/did you love working at Disney or are you ready to leave?
If i didn't love it, I wouldn't be going back! I had bad days, yeah, but I put myself in the mindset of "This is an experience, something that I can (and will) remember for a lifetime so I'll make the most of it."
How long have you been/were you a Cast Member?
2 years. Spring '07 - Present.
Where was your first Disney job?
The Emporium in the Magic Kingdom
What is your current Disney job?
I'm a Campus Representative at Bowling Green State University and we'll see where I end up for the summer. Hopefully back at the Emporium *crosses fingers*!
Least favorite place you've worked?
MK Strollers "Please take your strollers through the tunnel please....strollers through the tunnels please!" I swear...no one listens. Also working in the small little shop in the front of the park wasn't fun either.
What's your favorite park?
Magic Kingdom. Always and Forever.
Favorite resort?
I like the Polynesian. My mom loves it too, trying to get it booked one say so she can stay there.
Which mountain is your favorite?
Splash. Gotta love the water drop!
Favorite water park?
Blizzard Beach. I love the Lazy River.
Favorite fireworks show?
Wishes! ...duh. I saw it every time I worked nights. Sometimes we would sneak out and watch it in the crowd with the rest of the guests. I know it by heart which is both sad and entertaining. When guests weren't looking (because no-one was in the store during Wishes unless they were smart and shopped when no-one was there) I would find one of my girl cast members and waltz with them during the middle section lol.
Do you go to Company D every week?
Company D? No. Cast Connection and Property Control? Yes. Those stores were my heaven. Can't wait to go back and buy lots of merch on discount!
What was your most memorable guest experience (good)?
I have alot of them. Probably going up on the roof during Grad Nite with a coupe of my CP Emporium friends and watching The Frey perform and the fireworks after. Or, when they closed down the store outside of Space Mountain (the arcade) for Emporium CP's and we had a little Goodbye party. I also loved just watching people (adults and kids) smile and have fun. Those moments were always special to me.

------------------- *TWITTER BREAK* ------------------
What was your most memorable guest experience (bad)?
See #7. He tried to take down my name and I thought I was going to get fired after that. Meh.
Favorite California Adventure Attraction?
I've never been to DisneyLand. And it's a sore subject for me so lets skip it ;)
Least Favorite Cast Member Dining Location?
Adventureland. It was a small like break room where people had to squeeze to get into. Blech.
Favorite Cast Member Dining Location?
Mouseketeria by far. Good food, Subway, everyone goes there and it was cool seeing the characters in full makeup trying not to smudge their costumes.
Favorite dining location?
Crystal Palace. I got taken there on my birthday by a good friend.
Have you been on the Disney cruise?
Not yet, I'm planning one for my family though if I get a full-time job though.
Do/did you eat at work or do you pack your lunch?
Sometimes I bought lunch but most of the time I packed it.
Least favorite guest question?
"What time is the 3:00 Parade?"
"Why is this stuff so expensive?"
"Do you guys have the Shrek or Thing 1 & 2 shirts? I saw people wearing them and I want it."
"Where's the castle?"
"Where's the Golf Ball?"
"Why are you all wearing the same thing?"
"Where's the Tower or Terror?"
"How many Mickey's are there?"
"Do you have any shirts left" (when there are clearly none on the rack...)
"Do I get a discount?"
"Is this all one store?"
"Where's the bathrooms?"
"Do you work here?"

Shall I go on?

....Well if you stuck around and read all this, then good for you. Maybe you learned a little about my Disney life, or maybe you're just that bored but in any case have an awesome weekend and make it magical!

Grad Night: Not just for graduating seniors!

2009-04-14T22:00:00.008-04:00

Right about now is the time where high school seniors in schools across the country have the opportunity to partake in Grad Nite at Walt Disney World where they basically get the park to themselves. Cast members beckon to their every whim where they'll get to ride rides, buy merchandise, see entertainers perform and explore the park late into the night in the ultimate Grad Party!

Alright now that the spiel is done lets get to the basics.

My school never participated in Grad Nite...mostly because I live in Michigan and the price to get there plus the price to participate would have been so exponentially high that money would have to have grown on trees for all of us to have enjoyed it. But I did get to work Grad Nite in 2007 in the Magic Kingdom in 3 different areas: Main Street at the Emporium, Adventure Land at Pirates of the Caribbean and a small shop near it, and doing Glow which was my personal favorite, pushing portable carts full of glow merchandise around the Magic Kingdom.

I met kids in all of my areas, had personal conversations with them and got to experience Grad Nite with hem...even though I was either stuck behind a counter, or a portable cart trying to fend off people from stealing the merchandise...I experienced foam dance parties, people on stilts dancing with me, celebrities performing and more.

Not to say that I didn't have my downers during Grad Nite...I had to fend of people stealing from my Glow Cart, tell hopefuls that we were out of the Grad Night T-Shirts or Grad Mickey Dolls and hope they didn't start crying, and to answer stupid questions like "Is all this stuff free?" Yeah...you think about that young graduating senior. Your high school taught you well!

The extremely long hours wasn't a perk either...while it did give a bunch of us CP's a chance to break away from the repetitive Main Street Music and work along to some awesome tunes that blasted over the speakers...but working in the Emporium, we tend to get out late anyway. I can honestly say that the latest shift I've ever worked was Grad Nite getting off at 5:00 am after cleaning up for 2+ hours and getting home at 6:00am while most of my roommates had 2 - 3 hours of sleep left, I was just getting into bed for the night. That, plus every student would come to the Emporium for merchandise (not unlike any regular day at the MK) and we would run out so fast that we would have to restock every hour!

I also heard of crazy stories going on during Grad Night like student's making out in bathrooms and on dark boat rides (i.e. Pirates of the Caribbean, Small World, Peter Pan's Flight etc.), and one that I cannot believe...student Mickey Mouse over into the moat...and because he took his head off to breathe, he got termed. Not sure if I believe this story, but I wouldn't doubt it being Grad Nite...

I experienced Grad Nite on a different level as well with my CP friends. Our managers loved us so much (or just did it to shut us up) that they took us on the roof of Main Street (right next to Casey's) to watch the Frey perform on the main castle stage. It was probably one of the most magical and best experiences on my College Program.

I wouldn't trade that experience for anything however...I loved Grad Nite and I really wish that I was down there this year to experience it.

Here's what I found on the website what's in store for this year's Grad Nite...

Multiple live stages featuring the hottest musical acts including Katy Perry, Lloyd, Metro Station, Mishon, The White Tie Affair, Lesley Roy, and Wynter!
Celebrity host Hayden Panettiere
One talented Senior, each night, will earn the opportunity to sing on the Grad Nite main stage!
Celebrity appearances including Jaslene Gonzalez — Cycle 8 winner of America's Next Top Model and reality TV stars Paula and Ryan from MTV's The Dual 2!
Red-carpet treatment
Complimentary music album download card
Multiple live DJ's and dance zones throughout the Park including celebrity DJ Roonie G
Special Class of 2009 fireworks
Free-play arcade
Interactive video games
Unlimited access to thrilling rides & attractions including Rock 'n' Roller Coaster® starring Aerosmith, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, all-new Toy Story Mania!, the all-new American Idol Experience and more!

To get the scoop on this year's Grad Night and more information, click the title of the post to go to Disney' Grad Night 2009 website.

So from the looks of it it looks like this year's Grad Nite is going to be set at the Disney Studios which is a change of venue from when I got to work it back in 2007. Not sure how I like it at the Studios but then again my opinion doesn't really matter...I had a blast in my three areas during my Grad Nite...so much that I bought a $10 T-Shirt that I still wear! (It looks awesome!)

What about you guys...any Grad Night Experiences, from the student's perspective or cast members...cool stories, tragic breakdowns? Anyone working Grad Nite this year that's excited or nervous about it? I wanna hear them all! Leave them in the comments below...and if you ever get stressed during Grad Nite, doing what Julie does below is totally acceptable..no matter what your manger says!

Talky Blogs: I apparently like to talk alot!

2009-04-14T12:12:00.004-04:00

So I did two Vlogs last night and since YouTube onl lets you put up 10 minute videos at a time, I had to do two (that's right two) videos for you guys! Just updates on what's goig on with me and my program (30 DAYS =P), Shoutouts to other future CP's CS's and Vloggers, and my life as a Campus Representative for my school.

I want to make a questions vlog sometime so send me your questions either here, on the videos or on my twitter --> "@willalphasig".

Stick ound because there's even a Bonus Feature on the second video for you guys featuring one of my favorite characters! Enjoy!

Part One

Part Duex

LOL

2009-04-12T23:48:00.004-04:00

So any fans of Saturday Night Live have probably watched last nights episode with host Zac Efron and the High School Musical 4 skit. I was literally laughing my butt off! Especially with the part of Walt Disney coming back to life and advising Troy to go back to High School because Disney Channel Stars aren't supposed to go to college (example: Raven, Phil of the Future, etc.).

Take a look for yourself...your thoughts? LOL worthy?

Dream Makers

2009-04-12T02:06:00.005-04:00

This was shown to me during my Traditions couse and about 4 times after during my following training sessions. I fell in love with this little movie quickly and smiled the widest smile when I found it on YouTube a few minutes ago.

This is what I've done for two years, will be doing in one month, and will hopefully do for years to come.

I am a dream maker!

Are YOU 23?

2009-04-09T16:54:00.005-04:00

I know I've touched on D23 - the official community for Disney Fans - before. I just came across a sizzle video sent to members on YouTube that I thought I'd share.

Taken from TheDisneyBlog

Here’s an official description for D23:

D23 - Disney’s first official community for fans - celebrates the wonder and excitement that began in 1923 when Walt Disney opened his studio in Hollywood. Through the years, Disney’s stories, characters and experiences have captured the imagination of fans everywhere, and now D23 places you in the middle of the magic. Go backstage, behind closed doors, and get the inside scoop, while experiencing the nostalgia, adventure and fantasy of Disney as never before.

What does D23 mean?

“D” stands for Disney, and “23″ represents 1923, the year that Walt Disney arrived in California and founded what was to ultimately become The Walt Disney Company.

The cost of a membership is $74.99 and it can be given as a gift. If you buy your membership in 2009 you’ll become a D23 Charter Member. A one-year D23 Charter Membership includes:

      Disney ”twenty-three” Quarterly Publication: A one-year subscription (four issues) to D23’s exquisite collectible magazine, filled with stunning photography, dazzling illustrations and the ultimate Disney insider perspective. It’s your all-access pass to discovering the magic of Disney’s past, present and future!

            Membership Card and Certificate: Your membership card and personalized, suitable-for-framing charter member certificate feature many of Disney’s most beloved characters drawn by Disney Master Artist David Pacheco.

            Surprise Collectible Gift: A collectible just for D23 members. You’ll receive a gift you’ll cherish from the new Walt Disney Archives Collection.

            Exclusive Special Events and Merchandise: D23 offers its members unique special-event opportunities throughout the year, as well as access to exclusive, limited-edition merchandise and collectibles.

            D23 Expo: It’s the ultimate Disney fan experience, taking place in Anaheim, California from September 10-13, 2009. This can’t-miss event will feature guest speakers, celebrity appearances, breathtaking exhibitions, sneak peeks, film screenings, one-of-a-kind merchandise, and so much more! Admission will be discounted for D23 members.

            Subscription to bi-weekly D23 FanFare e-newsletter with breaking news and special offers. (You may opt out of receiving FanFare after your first e-newsletter arrives.)

            Plus, stay connected to D23 every day at Disney.com/D23, featuring up-to-the-minute Disney news, feature stories, event info, merchandise and more.

As of now no family memberships are offered. You must be 18 years old to join or purchase membership (so there is no point of a family membership anyway as discounts will probably be applied to something like “up to 4 people” (see D23 Expo details below).

There will be a variety of D23 members-only events throughout the year. Check online at Disney.com/D23 to find out about upcoming events. Special promotional codes and information for some events will be sent out via email and e-newsletters, so once D23 members start receiving D23 emails and e-newsletters, they may not wish to “opt out” of receiving that correspondence.

Finally there are some additional details on the big D23 convention:

D23 Expo What is the D23 Expo?

It’s the ultimate Disney fan experience, taking place at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California (across the street from Disneyland), September 10-13, 2009. This four-day can’t-miss event will feature incredible speakers, celebrity appearances, breathtaking exhibitions, sneak peeks, film screenings, one-of-a-kind merchandise, and so much more! There will be something for children of all ages, fans, the whole family, and friends.

When will tickets go on sale for the Expo?

Tickets will go on sale this spring. Check the D23 Web site for more information. Members will be alerted the day tickets go on sale.

How much will the Expo cost?

General Admission: Adult 1-day $37 Child 1-day $27 Child 4-day $81 (4th day free)

D23 Member Admission (D23 members may purchase up to four discounted tickets per membership): Adult 1-day $30 Adult 4-day $90 (4th day free) Child 1-day $22 Child 4-day $66 (4th day free)

All details are scheduled to change, of course. More details can be found on the official FAQ.

This looks like something profitable to invest in. Granted, I'll be saving my money for various other things this summer, but something like this can be treasured for a lifetime. I'll have to do more research and talk to people I know who are already members of the club to see how "worth" it the experience is but so far it looks promising.

Good Morning George!

2009-04-08T12:48:00.005-04:00

To any of my cast member friends, or anyone as a guest who has heard the tale of George, the spirit that lives within the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Walt Disney World, or even if you're just curious, read this spooky recollection by FoxxFur, a once cast member who worked on the ride before the 2006 refurbishment.

I first heard about George on my first program - however I cannot remember by whom I was told the tale. Ever since then, every time I rode the ride I experienced him in one way or another (as you'll read in her post above).

I now feel more informed - and somewhat more spooked - by George and the other spirits that haunt the ride after reading her well-written summary. In one month, I can't wait to wait in line with my new CP friends and share this tale with them as well and finally say "Good Morning George" once again!

Heigh-Ho!

2009-04-08T02:18:00.005-04:00

DISCLAIMER: it's now 2:18am and I should be in bed, but a good Blogger never turns down their thoughts for sleep. So any misspellings or rambles is completely and directly related to my stubbornness and lack of sleep.

During my daily Twittering, I noticed John Hensel made this tweet about working over 145 hours this week because of the Easter Holiday. He even made this video for his YouTube subscribers apologizing that he won't be able to make a full-video due to his lack of sleep and excessive work schedule (okay so maybe not ALL good bloggers turn down their thoughts for sleep!):

This led me to thinking, I know it's a holiday weekend, ergo a lot of people will be spending time at the parks...but does over 145 hours seem a little excessive? When I was a CP in '07, they capped our hours during holiday and peak times at 60-something and wouldn't allow us to work longer than that...and I worked on Main Street in the Emporium! We would always get flooded during the day and especially at night-time after the fireworks when everyone was exiting the parks.

Anyone I've worked with, who has worked in the Emporium or even visited the shop knew how terribly busy we were. Anyone who closed would yearn for the time when managers would say gather round and we would wave goodbye to electronic Mickey as he reminded us to have a magical day and we would slavishly wander in the tunnel to the bus to take us home (or for us CP's, the bus to take us to the OTHER bus to take us home...)

I remember one time I had to work until 3 or 4am (I think it was also around Easter time), got home at around 3:30 because of stupid American Coach (but we'll save that for a different time) and had to be up and back at work at 8am the next day. I was not magical that day let me tell you that.

Even when I worked Grad Nights in May and we would get down close to 5 in the am and some people just stayed in costume downstairs because they had to be back in 5 hours to work a 14 hour shift and felt staying downstairs would benefit more than 3 hours in bed!

Trying to think of the major holidays I'll be working this summer makes me both excited and partially scared: July 4th, Father's Day, heck just summer in general!

So I definitely feel John's pain and I understand it's a holiday weekend, but 145 hours? Really Mickey? What do you guys think? Any work experiences where scheduling just didn't seem to be your friend? Leave them in the comments blow...

Okay the furnace just turned on and being up alone in the basement of my apartment is scaring me so I'm going to bed. Have a magical night!

What will people say when they hear that I'm a Disney-Freak?

2009-04-06T19:51:00.004-04:00

I signed on to my iGoogle account this morning and saw under my Walt Disney Quote widget this interesting quote by the man himself:

All right. I'm corny. But I think there's just about a-hundred-and-forty-million people in this country that are just as corny as I am.
- Walt Disney

This left me thinking back on all the jokes and back-burns I've received ever since I came back from my first program in 2007 about how the "chip" has been activated in my head and I am a slave of the mouse and all that other crap.

Lets back-track: I truly am a kid-at-heart. I watch the Disney Channel, Nickelodeon - The-N, Cartoon Network (in addition to all the grown-up stations like MTV, CNN, MSNBC, BET, etc.) and I do watch shows like Hannah Montana, Wizard of Waverly Place, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Instant Star, The Suite Life On Deck, Sonny With a Chance...shall I go on?

I've watched these networks/shows long before I went on my program, my love for the Disney Company just enhanced my liking towards these networks just a little more after coming back. I especially hit it hard after moving into my fraternity house after coming back and watching my networks a la kids and getting mocked because of it.

Let me point out that I'm not bashing my fraternity brothers, quite the opposite really: I'm questioning society as a whole when it's "not okay" for a 21-year-old man to like High School Musical. Case in point, i was just ridiculed as I'm typing this by one of my fraternity brothers (I'm writing this blog in my computer lab) because 'Fantasmic' is apparantly not a word and the chip in the back of my brain is being activated at this very moment.

I laughed at the South Park episode with the Jonas Brothers and Mickey Mouse, I'm not a total noob when it comes to my interests and what not - but I don't like being put down because of my likes and dislikes.

I love (almost) all aspects of Disney - if I didn't I wouldn't strive so hard to further my career with the company. I am a kid-at-heart. And yes, at times I can be corny, I may imitate Mickey Mouse, I may have a crap-load of pins at my disposal, and yes, I have Hannah Montana, all High School Musical, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Jake Epstien and many others on my iPod and listen to their music while walking to class

Am I a Disney-Freak? Yes. Am I proud of it? Yes. And you know what? Walt was right...there are over 40 million others like me who are proud of it as well. If it wern't for the corni-ness (is that a word?) of one man, the world would be such a different place!

So patronize me all you want. I'll continue to like what I like, do what I do and watch me ending being a CEO of Public Relations for some aspect of the Disney Company in 15 years, with a beautiful corner office, a spending budget, and a family I can share the experience with.

Woman dies after colliding with bus on Disney Propety

2009-04-06T13:05:00.003-04:00

Sad day. I heard about this last night through TheDisneyBlog. You never really think about all the dangers that could happen. My heart and prayers goes out to the woman's family during this tragic time.

A 47 year old Clermont woman is dead after she lost control of her car
and crashed into a Disney bus on Walt Disney World property Sunday.
Reports say she was heading north on World Drive, when she went into the southbound lane and collided with the bus.
The crash happened near the Wilderness Lodge, and south of the Magic Kingdom.
Of the nine people aboard the bus, two were taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Teresa Scarborough was driving a four-door Hyundai north on World Drive when she missed a curve, veered into the wrong lane and struck the bus, the patrol reported.
Residents who live north of Magic Kingdom often use World Drive as a way to avoid the sometimes congested 535 highway.

To all my friends on the program currently, and who I'll be seeing soon: please be safe and watchful at all times. Dream well.

Call me, beep me and become a special agent!

2009-04-06T00:08:00.003-04:00

This is an advertisement from the Disney Parks channel on Youtube from the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure, a new interactive game at EPCOT. Basically you go on missions and defeat some of the villains from the show on Disney Channel while exploring World Pavilion. Probably wont try this at first - if anything, my first expenditure at EPCOT will be drinking around the world, but maybe in the long run.

Disneykid08 tried it earlier today and said it was fun. It seems like it's marketed towards younger kids and families to do together though."

I'll keep it short!

2009-04-05T14:30:00.006-04:00

Happy Sunday!

I figured after the monstrosity that was my Pop Film essay that I posted on Thursday, I'd keep this post short. Big news (for me anyway) is that I've passed the 40 Day Countdown and things are finally starting to come together for me for the summer. I still have some paperwork I have to do, haven't found a roommate yet and I have to patiently wait until after finals to actually get my butt in gear and get things ready for the big move.

I'm kind of sad because the two BG Campus Reps I told you all were coming down with me are no longer accompanying me on this journey. Kelly has a teaching job this summer which she should totally take if she wants to graduate and Tana just told me yesterday she wasn't coming down anymore either...sadness personified. But at least I have Caitlin and all my other friends I've been communicating with through Youtube vlogging...

Speaking of which, my friend Michelle, whom I worked with at the Emporium, is uploading her first vlog today! (She's having trouble because YouTube is being stupid) so once she gets that posted I'll give you all a link.

Finally, someone needs to tell me why I am following Miley Cyrus on Twitter...cause I can't for the life of me. It just happened lol. I even taught her how to "@reply"!

Kay that's all for now, couldn't find a suitable topic to talk about so I thought I'd just update you. This wasn't really that short but shorter than my last post!

Have a magical week!

To Dream of True Love's Kiss: An Essay

2009-04-02T20:45:00.005-04:00

So I had to write a paper in my Pop Film class comparing two movies - one before 1980 and one after. And being the Disney Freak I am, I decided to compare Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Enchanted. I thought I would share that paper with you. Enjoy!

To Dream of True Love’s Kiss

Disney movies have always been a centerpiece in American popular culture. Walt Disney made sure to inject the ideals of family and entertainment in his movies and theme parks. It's also prevalent that his movies were relevant of its time and culture. To say that Disney is a genre of movie is an understatement. Disney movies envelop its culture, and puts them into a time and place where dreams to come reality, and anyone's fantasy will come true.

Two films I'll be analyzing in this paper are Snow White & the Seven Dwarves (1937) and Enchanted (2007). These two films - while they came from two different times and cultures - are wildly similar in content and theme.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves produced by the Walt Disney Co. in 1937, was the first full-length animated feature of the time and went to win many Academy Awards. (IMDB.com) This film also set prevalence for all Disney movies to follow it. In the equilibrium of the film the Evil Queen (Lucille La Verne) consults her magic mirror (Moroni Olsen) stating she wants to be the fairest in the land. However, Snow White (Adriana Cassloti), the true most beautiful, stood in her way. She devises a way to get rid of her in the disequilibrium by commanding her hunter (Stuart Buchanan) to take her into the woods and kill her. The hunter, being weak and kind, cannot so he tells her to run into the woods and he brings back a heart of a pig to the Evil Queen instead. Snow White ends up taking care of seven dwarfs whom she mistakes for children. During many musical numbers she teaches the dwarves how to live sophisticated lives by cleaning, baking and making the dwarves wash their hands. During a new equilibrium, the evil queen sacrifices her beauty to disguise herself as an old ugly witch to try and kill Snow White with a poison apple after which, a sleeping Snow White is awakened from an internal sleep by true love’s kiss and marries her prince to live happily ever after.

This film can be placed into many genre categories including animation, screen musical and Disney. For this assignment, I will only focus on the animation and Disney genres because those two characteristics made the film what it is today. In the animation genre category, there are many elements that are conventional to the genre. Although Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first of its kind, it set the trend for animation films to be set in the wild and far off places such as the kingdom or a forest. The characters are all conventional as well: you have the overly sweet and nice main character, Snow White, the goofy sidekick's, the dwarfs, the Prince (Harry Stockwell), and an evil witch. Snow White was praised for its use of bright coloring in contrast with dark colors to emphasize the mood. This, along with the typical inserting of a hero, heroine and villain provide a typical motif for animation film. In addition, a conventional motif in most animation films is that of the normalcy in singing with a musical background. The characters automatically know to sing once the music starts before them and shows no concern when harmonies begin to develop and when everyone seems to know the song.

   The plot is also typical of any fairy tale where Princess searches for her Prince Charming and a finds adventure, friends and love along the way. The same can be said for a typical Disney genre film. To add to that, many Disney films to follow in the later years will continually use the theme of the Princess (or main character) dying to seek adventure and discover herself (or himself) in a new world for the later films. Examples of this include the Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Aladdin (1992). In addition, there is also an element that is novel for the film. Before this movie a soundtrack for a film was unheard of. The studio use music to set the mood whether it be happy, cautious, or dangerous to further the story.

   The characters in this film fit Propp’s seven stock characters very well. The evil queen (who is also the ugly witch) can be used to fit three categories: the villain, the donor and the false hero. The evil queen is obviously the villain the story in her attempts to kill Snow White and become the most beautiful in the land. She even sacrifices her beauty to complete her goal is ultimately defeated which ties back into the theme of typical fairy tale genre stories. The witch in her role as a donor gives Snow White the poison apple which resulted in her temporary death. In addition, the ugly witch is also the false hero when she tells Snow White that with the bite of the Apple all her wildest dreams will come true. It's unique that the queen fits all three of these categories in her dual personality because in usual fairy tales, those roles are filled by separate characters. The helpers in the story are the seven dwarfs namely: Happy, Dopey, Sleepy, Grumpy, Bashful, Sneezy and Doc. They're the ones who try to save Snow White and her peril and build a coffin for her Prince to kiss her in. That being said, the hero is the Prince that awakens Snow White from her slumber. The dispatcher in the film is the Hunter who refuses to kill Snow White and sends her into the forest where she finds the cabin for the dwarfs. Finally, the princess and her father in the story is obviously Snow White in her quest to find herself in the Prince she longs to be with. This is suggested in the song “Someday My Prince Will Come”.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves makes a great structural analysis because of how opposite the characters are. Their personalities make the conflict easily identifiable.

Snow White Evil Queen
Pure Evil
Innocent Vain
Content Jealous
Naive Aware
Impulsive Watchful
Bright Dark
Triumph Failure

Prince Hunter
Valiant Weak
Romantic Kind
Content Worrisome

Grumpy Dopey
Analytical Naive
Hesitant Willing
Fake True

   There is a lot of evidence inside the film to support these claims. Because Snow White was so pure and beautiful, the Evil Queen had no hesitation in plotting to kill the Princess because of the jealousy and vanity within her. Her knowledge of witchcraft and the young princesses’ inability to know what was going on at the time made easy - in her mind - for her huntsman to take her into the forest and kill her. Snow White showed her impulsiveness by entering, cleaning and sleeping in the dwarves house without even knowing them. Whereas the witch always consulted her magic mirror before making any decisions. The Prince has a vital role in the film because of his valiant and romantic personality by kissing a sleeping princess and awakening her. But she would never enter the force in the first place if the Hunter will haven't been weak in kind enough to warn her of the evil Queen's plans.

   This film both maintains and challenges the hegemony of the culture by keeping with the fairytale rose-colored view that every princess finds her prints and lives happily ever after. Robert Skyler in his book Movie Made America comments on the relationship between film makers of the 1930s depression era quoting” Though [Disney's] work hardly exhausts a variety of movie dreams in the depression era, or the subtlety of relationships between movies and cultural norms, it does offer a clearly marked path along the lines of development during a decade” (197). The film was made during the Depression era yet it brought in a new style of animation with a being a full-length color feature film. If you take an oppositional reading of the text, you might read that the film was made to inspire and inform audiences that tales do have a happy ending in dreams do come true matter how the situation seem. The dominant belief of the culture in the 1930s was at times were hard and they weren't going to get any better soon. This film was in opposition to that, however with the Legion of decency under the Hollywood production code in 1930, some aspects of the film were changed to better fit the code. There was a scene in the beginning of the film about Snow White's mother and her death but they were cut to avoid the wrath of the censor which was key at that point in time (IMDB.com). To also go along with ideology of the film and culture of the time you could look at it as the beginning of an empire for Walt Disney studio. At this time Mickey Mouse on a popular figure, but it took Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to continue Disney on the road to success. The idea of “studio is king” was prevalent to the Walt Disney Animation Studios as many writers directors are directors and engineers were hired during this time to complete the movie. These aspects of the film industry 1930s maintain hegemony of the film industry during a time although Disney's later movies would change that fact, this film was just the beginning.

   The next film to be examined is another Disney movie, Enchanted (2007). While not yet Disney classic, the film reaches close to home for Disney fanatics mostly because it encompasses many characteristics of classic Disney films which will be expanded upon later. Interestingly enough, the film most closely represents the tale of Snow White.

   In the equilibrium of the film, an animated Princess Giselle (Amy Adams) searches for a Prince whom she meets in a dream, and through accident bumps into Prince Edward, (James Marsden) stepson of the Evil Queen Narissa (Susan Saradon) who is in fear of losing her throne if the two marry. The disequilibrium happens in many phases: Narissa plans to get rid of Giselle whom she tricks by pushing her down the magic well that sends her into the real world. Edwards soon follows to look for Giselle and Narissa sends her minion Nathaniel (Timothy Spall) to keep Edward busy kill Giselle in many Disney villainous ways including a poison apple – a subtle reference to Snow White which I will expand apon later.

   Sequentially, in the real world, Giselle meets Robert (Patrick Dempsey) a lawyer whom she falls in love with and teaches him the meaning of fantasy and at the same time learns to live in reality by adjusting to her world. In the new equilibrium Robert and Giselle end up together after an attack by the Queen in dragon form. Edward ends up with Roberts ex-fiancé in the animated world and both Giselle and Robert adjust to their new lives with each other.

   This film can follow Snow White in being placed in the animation and Disney genre. While only parts of the movie are animated, they still encompass conventional characteristics of an animation film even when events happen in modern-day live-action New York. The motif of using bright colors representing good in contrast with dark colors representing evil is used throughout the film in costumes and the setting the beginning of the movie is another wild in far off kingdom in the midst of a forest where Giselle lives. Amusingly the film seeks to challenge the motif of typical Disney in animation films, when Giselle in the real world starts to sing “That's How You Know", Robert seems confused when everyone around her scenes know the song to sing in harmony. There are also conventional characters such as the naïve Princess in peril, the valiant prince to come to rescue, the evil jealous queen and the goofy sidekick. Also the plot is very conventional in a Prince is searching for a prince and a new world and end up finding adventure and love. Again, these characteristics are also control of a classic Disney film. Evidence of this includes shut Giselle singing about her prince, Edward traveling to New York to rescue her, Narissa trying to kill Giselle with the poison Apple and many other poisonous things and everyone reaching the happily ever after the end of the film.

   Being in animation and Disney genre film most characters fit Propps seven stock characters very well. The villain in the story is mainly Queen Narissa who attempts to kill Giselle in many different ways. She can also be considered to be the dispatcher in being the one to send her on her journey down the well into the real world. The donor in the film can be seen as Robert who gives Giselle a place to sleep and the reality world and teaches her how to act human. The helper can be seen as either Pip the chipmunk who aids Prince Edward and his search for Giselle or Nathaniel who aids Narissa in finding Giselle. The Princess and the film is obviously Giselle in her quest to find her prince and find her place in the new world. Nathaniel can be categorized as the false hero by appearing to be incompetent Prince Edward to be his aid and finding his Princess, is actually aiding Narissa.

   In contrast to Snow White, structural analysis of this film can be viewed in many different ways. While many characters are opposites they help bring out each other's characteristics and can be intertwined together. Because the film is made to mere Snow White many of the characters characteristics are the same as the previous film:

Giselle    Narissa
Pure Evil
Innocent Vain
Content Jealous
Naive Aware
Bright Dark
Triumph Failure

Edward Robert
Fantasy Reality
Romantic Cautious
Valiant Meek
Naive Aware

Giselle Nancy
Animated Reality
Helpless Romantic Problems in relationship

   Much like Snow White, the evil Queen Narissa wanted to get rid of Giselle so that she can keep her throne but not because she was jealous of her beauty rather jealous that she would get a Queen one day and said of her. Her knowledge of witchcraft and Nathaniel's willingness to serve her a easy in her mind to kill the Princess. It's Robert sense of reality that change is Giselle's character of a fantasy princess to reality. On the reverse, hey it sells bright and innocent personality and teaches Robert about love and fantasy. At the end of the film Nancy falls in love with Edward and moves back to and Andalasia, the fantasy kingdom, and Giselle stays Robert in the real world which changes their personality traits. Edward shows his valiant sea and romantic nature by chasing after Giselle in the city in which he is not familiar, whereas Robert is cautious and aware of his relationship situation and does not seek to invite Nancy over to stay with him because of his young daughter and try to teach same to Giselle despite her many attempts to bring the fantasy world into reality through song and dance.

   The film challenges the hegemony of the modern culture by refuting the idea that the modern fairy tale is dead. The film does this by echoing and twisting many previous Disney films such as the storybook opening is a tribute to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Giselle's animal call is very similar to that of Snow White, and she and Prince Edward ride off into the sunset shadowing the end of the film as well. Giselle mistaking a little person in New York City for Grumpy, Prince Edward callomg the television set a magic mirror, and Narissa’s poisoned apples are all preferences to the film as well. When Giselle loses a slipper at the ball and Edward puts it on Nancy’s foot where it happens to be a perfect fit is a reference to Cinderella. To name in a few more popular ones, the Queen transforming into an ugly witch to trick the Princess (Snow White) and giving her a poison Apple to eat telling her it will make all her dreams come true. The evil Queen turns into a dragon to conduct a final plan of killing the Princess and fails (Sleeping Beauty). However the twist is instead of the Prince saving the Princess, the opposite happens. Giselle sings working songs when she cleans Roberts apartment, inviting animals to help her on her task (Snow White, Cinderella). Robert and Giselle go on a boat ride while singing romantic song (The Little Mermaid). The Princess’ true love kisses her to wake her from a deathly slumber (Snow White and Sleeping Beauty), the couple dances at a ball under a shining chandelier (Beauty and the Beast). To go even further the directors cast two memorable Disney princesses in live action roles in the film. Jodi Benson who plays the secretary is known to let her voice to Princess Ariel in The Little Mermaid, and Paige O'Hara who has a cameo in a dramatic scene on a television set is known for her voice as Belle in Beauty and the Beast. (IMDB.com)

   All these references to earlier Disney movies and more are examples of how Disney tries to make the point that the modern fairy tale isn't dead regardless of what the culture might think. When the movie was made there wasn't a lot a fairytale stories out there mainly because audiences didn't want to see fairy tale stories as much as they did in earlier years.

   As I said before in these two films are equivalently similar. Not only does Enchanted take elements of story-line, setting, scene and even characters from Snow White, it also challenges the hegemony of today's and yesterday's society to which culture believes that the classic fairy tale is dead. The American culture is no longer interested in the happily ever after, because they've come to terms that happiness is not found in fairytale but rather that happiness can be found elsewhere. The extreme similarities between the two also tells us that not only is a classic fairytale not dead, but it is embedded within many Americans in whichever setting they choose to see it in whether to be a classic Disney tale or a new twist on an old one.

Works Cited
"Enchanted (2007)." Enchanted (2007). The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). 02 Apr. 2009 .

Graeme., Turner,. Film as social practice. New York: Routledge, 2006.

Sklar, Robert. Movie-made America a cultural history of American movies. New York: Vintage Books, 1994.

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937)." Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. International Movie Database. 02 Apr. 2009 .

Talky Blog: It's APRIL!

2009-04-01T20:08:00.003-04:00

It's finally April...which means a month and a couple of days until I move to Florida! I did this while I was SUPPOSED to be studying for a marketing exam...so if I fail...its your fault =P

The Fairest of them All...

2009-04-01T14:49:00.004-04:00

This could possibly be the coolest (if only) thing I have seen coming from a merger between Disney and Apple.

While this MacBook cover designed by a Flickr user isn't a certified product by the two companies, I still think it's pretty sweet.

Details about the cover aren't clear, though it looks like a vinyl sticker pasted on.

While creative, you can't help but look at the irony - while I'm sure pun was intended. Snow White fell into a fatal sleep when she bit into the poison apple given to her by (what was unknown to her) her wicked step-mother queen. Not to say Apple's technology can lead to death...it's still kind of funny.

It would've been even more awesome if the princess were on the right side of the apple making the bite seem more believable. Yet and still - I'm amused.

A Space Trip Delayed

2009-03-31T23:04:00.009-04:00

For most of you who didn't know already, Space Mountain at WDW will soon begin refurbishment. Taken from the Orlando Sentinel:

Walt Disney World has filed notice that work is about to begin on its Space Mountain overhaul. The filing doesn’t provide many new details about what’s in store for the iconic Magic Kingdom coaster. But it does say improvements will be made in four areas: Facility, ride control, fire alarm and guest flow.
Disney has previously said the rehab will include installing new track (though the track layout won’t change), a new queue enclosure and a new ceiling. Space Mountain will shut down April 19, just after the Easter holiday. It isn’t scheduled to reopen again until Nov. 21.

This obviously means I won't be able to ride it while on my program. Not that it's my favorite ride, I mean I'm in fear of decapitation or severance of my limbs every time I ride but it's still a classic ride at the Magic Kingdom that I enjoy riding. I fortunately got the opportunity during my Spring Program to ride it with the lights on and see everything that it entails - let me tell you how both exciting and terrifying the experience was! But it was fun seeing all the CP's in the light and how much different the atmosphere was...it's a well known fact that you either want the front or the back to get the most out of the ride!

There are some advantages however. They did mention guest flow would be improved and that would be a major improvement to waiting in that long line that seemed to stretch on into eternity. while the giant meteorites that looked like chocolate chip cookies were ample entertainment paired with the sequenced screams of passengers passing by, the wait for the ride is always long, boring and tedious so I'm glad that will be improving.

Also if a new track is being put in, it might make for a fun ride. Lets just hope they don't do anything stupid like they did with the original "It's a Small World" in Disneyland CA, and input Stitch, Wall-E or any other Disney space-esque character into the ride, because I've already done a post about the stupidity of some of Disney's ideas. See previous post.

In more personal news, 43 actually days until the big move to Orlando! I've started to prioritize and see what exactly I'll need on my first trip down, and started to see if anyone wants to room with my sorry self =P. In being a good campus Rep, tomorrow I'll be calling one of my student's parents to talk with them about the program, they wanted to talk to someone who's done the program before and wanted their input. So that will be fun. I'll start to put together a send-ff party for our students and send them on their way!

But until then..I have a marketing exam that needs to be taken, a Pop Film paper that needs to be written and bed that needs to be slept in.

All that, plus it's GREEK WEEK! =)

Have a magical week!

EPIC FAILURE: Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice Live Action Film

2009-03-29T22:51:00.010-04:00

If anyone has not heard lately, Disney has started production on their live action take of The Sorcerer's Apprentice from Fantasia featuring Nicholas Cage as Yen Sid.

According to Ace Showbiz the movie "will tell the story of an apprentice, played by Jay Baruchel, who is left to tend to a magic workshop when his sorcerer master, portrayed by Cage, leaves it in his hands. Trying to make his job easier he gets a broomstick to do the chores for him, but he finds himself in trouble when the broom develops a mind of its own." The movie would be set in a New York-set modernization of the tale -- a big-budget family-friendly adventure epic in which Cage would play a sorcerer who needs, you guessed it, an apprentice.

No director is connected to the project just yet, but we're told the screenplay comes from the writing team of Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal -- also known as the guys who wrote "The Jewel of the Nile," "Superman 4: The Quest for Peace," "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Mighty Joe Young," and "Planet of the Apes." (Rotten Tomatoes)
The movie is set for a 2010 release with other Disney Films Prince of Persia: Sands of Time and Toy Story 3. **UPDATE: The movie is scheduled to release July 16th, 2010**

Here's why I give this idea an EPIC FAIL.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice is not only a classic itself, but was originated from a classic Fantasia. To mess with its origin and meaning is not a good thing. It ruins the classic auroa of the film. Take a look at the original film for example:

You don't mess with this. This is pure art. I understand that Disney is trying to reach a new target audience and everything with re-emphasizing the classic fairy tales and stories a la Enchanted, I just feel that this could tank.

Nicholas Cage may have been good in the National Treasure films, but this is something out of his character. I cannot see him playing a Yen Sid -type character, especially in the setting they're talking about.

This is like taking something like Lilo and Stitch and making it live action where instead of aliens, you have foreigners who become best friends and instead of being set in Hawaii, it'd be set in Suburban Rhode Island. You don't reconstruct something like The Sorcerer's Apprentice to your own bidding.

EPIC FAILURE

Hannah Montana: The Movie - Promo Bloopers

2009-03-28T22:54:00.004-04:00

Don't ask why...just go with the flow.
Found at Ace Show Biz

The American Idol Experience & Fun with Hulu

2009-03-28T02:42:00.009-04:00

Hey there blog buddies, So I was watching American Idol tonight (of course on DVR because I'm too busy during the week to watch live TV) and I thought to myself "I wonder what it would be like to actually be on American Idol?I

For those who know me, I like to sing. I haven't done any formal performances in almost 4 years, but singing is what I like to do...my friends tell me all the time that I should try out for AI but school has gotten in the way. But tonight, a thought accoured to me...

I could actually "audition" for American Idol and not have it interfere with school! How is this possible you might ask? Through the American Idol Experience at the Disney Studios!

When I first heard of this attraction I got super psyched. I know a couple of people who have exerienced it and they said it was awesome. I personally haven't gone down there to try it yet so I'm not sure how it works. That is what you'll have to tell me. I thought to myself today as Seacrest prolonged the answer as to who was getting voted off...but it really didn't matter because I had it DVR'ed but didn't have the sense to fast forward...ummm where was I?

Oh yea...I thought to myself (again) "What if I 'auditioned' at the parks and see what happens?" On my last program I didn't do the Night of Stars competition for CP's or even Cool Beans Cafe...speaking of which, those are pretty chill. Im goinna go to as much of those as I can to meet new people and get back to performing and having a good time. I think this time I'll get back to doing what I love (at least when I have the free time) and sing the pants off Disney World (is that even possible?). **UPDATE: My friend and one-time Cast Member Serena informed me that cast members are not able to audition which pretty much rules this out...but hey...at least I can still go and watch! And Night of Stars/ Cool Beans Cafe is still an option...**

The only thing is I'm not sure how the process works though. Anyone have any experience going through the attraction? How does it work? How do you get fast-pass to perform? I'm curious...

On another note...I heard through the grapevine, and by the grapevine i mean TheDisneyBlog that Disney, mainly ABC is having talks with Hulu to put their shows on their website.

Here's why I think it's a good idea:

It gets more viewers to traffic their shows, not just the regular viewers they get from television.
It's FREE
They can put old movies up on Hulu as well...movies that people haven't seen in a long time or TV specials that only came on once that people missed.
It's FREE
Disney needs to jump on the bandwagon. they've got Facebook down pact, but sites like Hulu, **Twitter and the like are slowly rising to the peak of popularity. Better to get on board now than wish you had later...
It's FREE
Hulu is starting to become (in my opinion) as popular as YouTube especially with liscensed shows you cannot find on YouTube, Disney would be stupid not to put their shows up on Hulu.
P.S. It's F-R-E-E!

These are just rumors I've heard, nothing solid as of right now now but i'll keep you all posted. Otherwise, 47 days until the big move...I'm getting more and more excited every day! I actually got an email from recruiting today welcoming me to the program (again) and telling me to keep an eye out on the website for updates and links to helpful sites within the Login pages. I actually got to take a look at the Eyes and Ears for March, so if anyone wants to check that issue out let me know.

Keep up with these posts and my Video Logs on Youtube so you can follow along with me on this fantasmic journey as a CP!

Make it Magical!

**P.S. My Twitter...follow me!

Talky Blog: CP Shoutout!

2009-03-25T22:36:00.002-04:00

I give a shout out to my friend Caitlin who just got her Purple Folder yesterday!

I Spy With My Little Eye...a Celebrity!

2009-03-25T00:41:00.004-04:00

So have you ever been walking around the parks either as a guest or a cast member and look across the way and shout either to yourself (if no-one else is around you) or to your friend next to you - (who's not paying attention because she's anxious to go on It's a Small World) "Hey! That's (Insert Celebrity Here)!!" - and try to restrain yourself from rushing over there for their autograph? Because you'd get terminated if you did so (maybe not as a guest but it'd just be tacky...I mean come on - they're on vacation too!).

A couple of days ago John Stamos and Tina Fey visited the Magic Kingdom and took a picture with Snow White, Cinderella and Belle inside Cinderella's castle. That got me to thinking back on my celebrity experiences as a cast member and those I've heard about:

During the cast preview of the Pirate and Princess Party (one of the perks of being a cast member - getting sneak peaks of events and attractions), it was rumored that the Jack Sparrow in the parade was actually Johnny Depp in makeup. From street view I could hardly tell the difference but it could've been. (I also heard that he was actually at the event, but hiding up on one of the roofs of Main Street watching the parade so I'm not sure which one to believe...
One time while browsing EPCOT, I saw both Steve Harvey and rapper Ludacris with his young daughter walking around the park. I was with friends and we were on a tight schedule though and there were already other people lining up around them. I didn't want to bother.
One time in the Magic Kingdom while waiting in line for Splash Mountain I saw the Harlem Globetrotter team exiting the special exit. They really stuck out. (Because they were very tall and surrounded by body guards)
While working Grad Night at the Emporium, one of my friends told me of his friend who worked the year previous that during his Grad Night he went to the service elevator to bring a bin of toys up to the floor and as soon as the elevator opened up Beyonce stepped out with a white flowing gown and the light was shining down on her. He didn't know what to do so he just fell to his knees and smiled. She smiled and asked him if he wanted a picture and he nodded. (this one I know is true because there's a picture of B with 3 princesses in front of the castle on one of our pictures for our Campus Rep display board!)
Also during Grad Night, as I was preparing for my 10pm shift riding the bus from Property Control to the Main Entrance way for cast members, The Fray (who was headlining that night) was on the bus just chilling! I got to chat with them and they said they had a little bit of time before they had to do a shound check and they were bored. It was awesome I didn't really know what to say but it was really cool.

That's all that I can remember for now. Anyone have any celebrity experiences of their own while on their program or at the parks? Any rumors you found out to be true/false? What about mine? Are they believable? Leave your stories in the comments.

In other news...Today marks the 50 Day Countdown until check in at Vista Way. I still have some things to figure out, like what to pack, what to take with, how much cash flow I need to survive for the first few weeks and where I want to live + how many roommates.

I'm making a Talky Blog later on today for a special person who just revived her letter after a LONG time of waiting so keep an eye out for that.

Nothing else to report! So with that...Have a magical day!

Disney Look: This could be a problem!! + Other Disney Updates

2009-03-23T22:07:00.007-04:00

So I was shaving today and it reminded me of the problems I could have while trying to follow the oh-so-highly-regarded Disney Look. Now don't get me wrong, I like the Disney Look, don't have any problems with my (lack of) hair, fingernails (I bite them), personal hygiene (I shower daily) and tattoos and/or piercings - mainly because I don't have any.

The number one thing that caused a problem for me on my last program was shaving. During my last program I shaved with a razor every other day to make sure my face was clean shaven.

Now let me get something out of the way...I'm African American (**GASP!/SHOCK!**) and my hair grows differently than other people! It curls and it's hard (almost impossible) to shave completely with an electric razor which doesn't do any damage to my skin. During Check-In Day, I shaved with my electric razor to see what they would say and I thought I did a pretty good job, but they said I could've shaven a little bit more. I did the same one day when I went into work and my manager handed me a razor and told me to go downstairs to shave because I left stubble.

If I shave with a non-electric razor, my skin - while it gets clean - eventually develops bumps where in-grown hairs get stuck because they curl deep into the skin and my skin gets itchy and starts to burn. It gets annoying during my shift to continually rub it - especially if I'm not having such a 'magical' day!

I tried using rubbing alcohol and and Aloe to rub on my skin and they either didn't help or made things worse...

So I go back in May and I've been conditioning my skin to shave as close as possible with my electric razor and it's been getting really close...I plan on not shaving with a non-electric razor for check-in day and seeing what they say. Hopefully they won't make me shave more cause my skin can't take it!

What do you guys think? Do you have any suggestions for me to try? Any 'Disney Look' experiences to share?

In other Disney news:

A New Store in Downtown Disney opened today replacing Summer Sands - it's a trendy (haha get it?) designer boutique that has designers like Roxy, Kidada Jones, Tarina Tarantino. The merchandise they sell here can’t be found in any other store at Walt Disney World.

The Flower and Garden Festival is happening at EPCOT. This year's theme is "Celebrate Springtime" with 70 amazing topiaries featuring your favorite Disney characters." Although EPCOT isn't my favorite park to visit, it's still nice to walk through and see what they do with all the topiary there it's pretty amazing. Visit my Facebook Album "CP Graduation/Last few weeks of Disney Magic!!!!" <--yes, there are 3 exclamation points...get over it lol
The Official Countdown is 53 Days! Getting excited every minute!

In Non-Disney News:

For anyone interested, we raised over $126,000 during BGSU's Dance Marathon for the Children's Miracle Network and St. Vincent's hospital in Toledo, OH! I'm very proud of all my DM'er and for me it's a bittersweet moment because it was my last DM as an undergrad. But I plan on coming back as an Alumni Dancer so we'll see how that goes! I posted a Vlog during Dance Marathon yesterday so check it out below or here!

Thats about it! Enjoy your week and I hope it's magical!

Talky Blog: Live from Dance Marathon '09!

2009-03-22T05:29:00.002-04:00

Video made at 2:00a
Posted at 5:30 a

No More Main Entrance Passes?

2009-03-21T02:05:00.005-04:00

So I know it's late, and I have to be up for our school's Dance Marathon tomorrow morning (GO DM!) but this was on my mind. I recently got a Campus Rep Email concerning Cast Member's maingate passes. Basically, they're cutting out giving Temporary Cast Members and theirMaingate Passes unless they work one shift (6 hours first). Here's part of the email I received...

Due to a recent company-wide effort to maintain consistency with issuing Main Entrance Passes (MEP), all Casual Temporary (CT) Cast Members are ineligible to receive a pass prior to having worked a paid shift. Now, all Cast Members must first work one paid, on-site shift to be eligible to receive a MEP. As a Campus Rep who is statused as CT, you will need to work a paid shift at the Walt Disney World Resort. To schedule a shift, please follow the process outlined in the Campus Rep Handbook. Contact the Campus Rep Inbox if you have any additional questions regarding this process. Please note that all shifts will be available solely based on business need at your former work area. Once you have worked your shift, a MEP request will be submitted for you. The pass will be mailed to your permanent address two weeks after you completed your shift.

They said they're doing this to maintain uniformity and such, but part of me is wondering if the recession is partly responsible. I know myself, I haven't been down to FL since I left almost two years ago, and I've received 3 MEP's, 2 of which I haven't used yet. They might be doing this to cut down the costs of sending out MEP's to CT's who might not even use them in the at all. Could this be a reason why they're purging some seasonal members as well?

This really doesn't affect me because I'll be a CP in May and I'll have used my MEP for the year by the end of my term, but this does affect my other friends who aren't doing the Summer Alumni Program and who aren't full time cast members (i.e. Campus Representatives, Seasonal, etc.)...

What do you guys think? What's the real deal? Remember, If you're looking at this on Facebook, make sure to visit the original post this came from at http://willsfantasmicjourney.blogspot.com/

In other news...54 Days until i move to Florida for the summer! I'm so excited! I've already begun packing!

LOL

2009-03-19T22:48:00.007-04:00

I just think this is hilarious.

Found at http://www.icanhaspixiedust.com

Roomate Notification...To Do or not To Do?

2009-03-18T12:34:00.004-04:00

So I got an email today from casting/recruiting letting me know the opportunity to put myself in the roommate selection database was available to me. Basically what this is is a way for me to know the identity of one of my roommates way in advance so I can meet them, chat with them and get to know them before my program begins.

It seems like a good idea, they do the same thing in university. However my experience with that my freshman year wasn't the best - I tried contacting my roommate about 5 times, said he was from Las Vegas, on the 6th try his dad picked up and said he dropped out of school and to stop calling. Hence I didn't have a roommate for the first 2 days of freshman year, but that's besides the point...

It would be nice to know who I'm sharing a room with for the three months but the only problem I have with the system is that once you sign up, and if the person you're automatically matched with has signed in before you did and already preferences their housing option, you automatically get stuck with that housing.

Me myself, I would like to be put in Patterson Court. The chances of that happening? I'm not so sure, but it would be good to have the option. If I get matched up with someone who previously selected Chatham Square (where I stayed on my last program - really nice apartments) or even worse Vista Way (party central, really small apartments, yet equally friendly) I have no choice in the matter. Plus, they didn't have this option during my first program so I went in blind. I ended up being good friends with all 5 of my roomates and we all stay in contact today. In fact One of my roomates Jeff, currently is a castmember and I'll be seeing him in May, and my actual roomate Terrence lives in Tallahasse and said he'd come visit in the summer. So I don't have a problem with rooming blind.

Yet on the other hand, getting to know someone in advance leaves many opportunities open. We could figure out who brings what, what our interests are and help us to be better roommates before we even get down to Florida.

What do you guys think? Should I go into the roommate selection option and hope for the best? Should I put all my eggs in one basket on move-in day and hope I get the housing option I want and a good roommate? The answers aren't clear, and I have time to decide. It's not necessarily life or death right now but something to consider...

Talky Blogs: Purple Folder and 60 Day Countdown

2009-03-17T00:05:00.002-04:00

60 Day Countdown!

2009-03-16T23:26:00.003-04:00

As I sit here facing my computer looking at my Pirates of the Caribbean flag in the background and my many Disney paraphernalia around my room including (but not limited to), many lanyards of pins, a goofy pirate hat, my character autograph book, Stitch (both regular and (Tower of Terror edition) dolls, Campus Rep bag, Disney College Program banner, Mickey Mouse doll, my graduation ears from my last program and many many photos of friends and characters met...i can't help but smile as I internally shout:

I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!!

I was accepted into the Disney College Summer Alumni program on February 20th after one month of patiently waiting for my purple folder to come. The moment I heard about the summer alumni program (which was on the first day they announced it) I didn't hesitate to apply. Partly because I was super excited, and partly because I applied for the Disney Land Summer Alumni program last summer, and they never even let me know if I was aaccepted or not, so I wanted to make sure my information was in on the first day.

My role is Merchandise, and I hope to God that I get put back into the Emporium. As much as I complained about it when I was on my first program, I miss the place. The people, the co-workes, the atmosphere, the rush, the way that people always seemed to ask stupid quesitons , the way that the shop would get flooded after the fireworks, the long hours, the frustrating managers, the painfully uncomfortable and tacky costumes...everything.

More than that, I'm excited to be on this program because I'm using it as a chanse to network. I plan on auditioning for a role with the company after graduation and this would be a great place to start. Although sumemr alumni CP's are not able to attend classes, there are still speaker series available and chanses to network. I plan on taking full advantage of it, making business cards, making contacts, shadowing, anything I can do to get my name out there.

Also I get to see old friends again doign the program with me, this time around, I'm gonna have the time of my life and I'll never forget it.

So you're thinking to yourself...Why do I care?...I mean you're visiting this site for a reason anyway...unless it just to happened to pop up under "I'm feeling lucky" under Google in that case...WELCOME! But ther reason you should care is because you're going to be expereinceing everything I do with me! I plan on making this blog not only so I can remember everyhing that happened leading up to and during my program, but to share it with my friends and loved ones! So suscribe, bookmark, whatever you want to do with this page because I'll be updating it frequently with everything relating to my program, anything Disney and anything particualry interesting relating to those topics lol.

This year the park's theme is "What Will You Celebrate?" It's only March and that quesiton has already been answered for me...I'm celebrating being a castmember at the Walt Disney World Resort once again!!

Who's excited? You're excited!! Heck, I'M EXCITED!!

Have a Magical Day!

- Will

(60 Days)