041 - 5/30/10

Today was my going away party with my family and a few family friends. It was definitely good to see everyone. I got two $15 Disney gift cards, a neck pillow, and a book called Girl Power. I love getting presents! Our waiter asked me if it was my birthday. I told him no, but informed him that he could sing to me if he really wanted to. My family is thinking about coming to visit me for Christmas, which would be really cool if they did. I can't believe I only have two weeks until I leave! I have so much to do before then! I've been doing a lot of shopping lately, and I've gotten some really really cute stuff. Plus, I've been cleaning my room at my mom's house, and I found my favorite pair of sunglasses! I did the math today, and if I keep doing a letter a day, I'll finish the day before I leave! Talk about good timing right? I might have a few days of double posting (both ABCs and packing updates), but it depends on how busy I get. Anyways, today is the letter....


M



Malibu

I’m not really a fan of the beach or anything, but Malibu is definitely worth the time to check out. Not only is there an awesome Juicy Couture store (my absolute favorite) in Malibu, but its just all around a beautiful place. Have you ever wondered where Pepperdine University is? Well, if you’re in Malibu, I doubt you’ll miss it. Talk about a school with a view! The Pacific Coast Highway is really pretty too. It’s about an hour to an hour and a half from Anaheim, but the drive through the mountains is so so so pretty.


Magic Mountain

It’s a bit of a drive to Magic Mountain, but I personally think its worth it. I went to MM when I was in high school (I think), and I had a lot of fun. If you like coasters, you will love MM. Goliath is probably one of the most intimidating coasters I have ever been on in my life, but it was worth facing. I was in tears as we climbed the drop, but once it was over I realized how awesome it was. My favorite ride was by far Freefall. From what I hear though, the ride isn’t open anymore, which is heart breaking. I remember having a massive headache about halfway through the day, from going on so many thrill rides back to back. Looking back, I realize that was probably a sign that I should have called it quits. Of course, I didn’t though. MM is about an hour or so from Anaheim as well, but the drive isn’t nearly as pretty as the drive to Malibu.

040 - 5/29/10

I was going to do the letter L about Los Angeles, but I thought that would be way too easy. Instead, I decided to share a little story with all of you (from a DCP e-mail I received when it happened). I used to live an hour outside of Vegas, so I can vouch that the drive really isn't that long. Granted, its mainly desert, but still. If you're 21, you'd probably enjoy a weekend trip to Vegas. Especially if you get lucky, like Sarah did.

L

Las Vegas

So Sarah heads off to Vegas with Mom to do a little celebrating for her 21st birthday. They're getting ready to head out when Sarah realizes she has a $5 play slip for MGM and needs to spend it.  So she plops down at a penny slot machine, and bet the max, a whopping 40 cents, twice. The first 7 comes up, then another, and another and another and then the 5th 7 appears, bells and whistles ringing, lights flashing and Sarah and her Mom sitting there wondering how many pennies 77777 pays out! That's when the gentleman sitting next to her (likely kicking himself at this very minute for choosing the wrong machine) points up and says, I think you just won that car....! Who says what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? Sarah, congratulations and we're sure, a very happy birthday to you indeed!

039 - 5/26/10

I can't believe I have less than three weeks until I'm in Florida! I've started packing (very very slowly) and it's getting me more excited. I also only have a week and a half left of classes, which is extremely exciting. Every day I seem to have some issue or another with this school, and I cannot wait to leave. Well, I just noticed I may need to start doubling up on letters, considering I leave in 18 days and all. For today though, I've only got one: K.


K


Knott's Berry Farm

My mom and I decided to go down to California for Thanksgiving, about a month after I left my program. She found a really good rate at the Knott’s Berry Farm Resort Hotel, so we ended up staying there. We also had our Thanksgiving dinner at Knott’s. The hotel room was pretty nice, but our dinner wasn’t all that great. We were told it was supposed to be a character meal, but there were no characters. Plus, we had a really long wait even though we had reservations. We actually had no intentions of even going to the park, but ended up going Thanksgiving night because we had nothing else to do and the admission was relatively inexpensive by the time we decided to go. I’ve got to say though, it was disappointing. Maybe its from spending all that time at Disneyland, but it just seemed dirty. Plus, the employees seemed to hate their jobs. The rides were OK, but definitely not worth the lines we had to stand in. Overall, I’d say not to waste your money. If you know someone that can get you in for cheap, then maybe. Otherwise, save your money or go to Magic Mountain.

038 - 5/22/10

I think I figured something out for J. It isn't going to be very long, but I think a lot of you will find it helpful. It also isn't Disney-correct, but please don't hurt me for that! Anyways, on to today's letter!

J

Job Hours

So, I know that technically this post should be "Role Hours" but then I wouldn't have anything for the letter J! Anyways, from the sounds of it hours at WDW are different for CPs than they are at DLR. According to what I've been hearing, CPs work a lot of late nights down in Florida. However, I don't remember that being the case when I was in California. In fact, about 85% of the time, I had to be at work before the park even opened. I only remember one or two shifts when I worked any later than eight or nine at night. Usually when I had to be up early, my roommate was up pretty early too. She was a Vacation Planner, and her hours seemed to vary a little more. Vacation Planners at DLR are the same as Main Entrance Operations at WDW. She worked the ticket booths and parade control mainly, which is why she would work later sometimes. I also had friends working various QSFB, Merch, and Attraction locations, and a majority of the time, they were off at night too. I know this because we used to get big groups together and go to the park at night. Plus, there were a lot of drunk girls stumbling around the apartments relatively early on in the night. So, if you're going to DLR and thinking you're only going to be working night shifts, don't get your hopes up. Working early is nice though, because then you have a majority of your day left to do whatever you please.

037 - 5/19/10

I'm thinking I might just skip J. I've been racking my brain for the last week, and the only things that have J in them don't really have anything to do with anything. I could do it on the Jungle Cruise, but I really can't stand that ride. I could do it on January, like Kristin did, but I didn't make it to January on my first program.  No one is giving me any ideas, so I'm at a loss. If I still haven't thought of anything for J by Friday, I'm going to move on to K. 


Congrats to everyone checking in today! I'm definitely jealous, but not ready to leave. My best friend just came home from Delaware for two months, so I'm trying to spend as much time with her as possible before I have to leave.

036 - 5/13/10

In exactly one month, I will be on a plane headed for Florida! I honestly cannot wait for this month to be over! Do any of you have any ideas for what I should do with J? I'm completely stuck. This ABCs business is way more difficult than I thought. Oddly enough, I've gotten all the crazy letters like Q and Z figured out. Today, however, is the letter I! I apologize that so many of my posts are about food, but I like to eat!


I



In-N-Out

My New Year’s Resolution this year was to stop eating fast food, but In-N-Out is my weakness. If only there were any within a day’s drive from here! Honestly, In-N-Out is hands down, my favorite place to eat. I always get a number two, no tomato - with onions and animal style fries. If you’ve never eaten there, I suggest you try it. If you have eaten there, I’m sure you understand how delicious it is. The closest one to Carnegie is about a ten minute drive, and the area is a little sketchy. I loved going at midnight with a car full of people, but that’s usually when the drive thru lines are the longest. If you’re wondering what I’m even talking about right now, google it. Animal style is the way to go. The menu is simple, but their “not so secret menu” has some pretty good things on it. Boy oh boy do I miss those burgers and fries.


Inn Between

Between Main Street USA and Tomorrowland, there is a large CM eatery known as the Inn Between. I’m assuming it has that name because it is in between the two lands. This is probably the nicest of CM dining options, next to the Eat Ticket (I’ll talk about that when we get to T) of course. The Inn Between seems to have the most variety of food, at least from what I remember. They have a grill, for burgers and such, as well as a salad/wrap station and an always changing menu of specials. There is also a nice selection of quick food, like pre-packaged salads and snack foods. I loved getting the daily special for about $2 I believe. My favorite were the enchiladas. The chicken sandwich was pretty good too. If you’re working in Tomorrowland, Main Street USA, or even the main costuming building, this is probably your best bet for a decent meal. The building has two or three time clocks around it, as well as a really large eating area. There is seating inside, as well as on the porch. Below the porch is more seating, which is usually were the smokers like to hang out. If you look closely at this picture, you can see the Inn Between. It’s slightly to the left of the middle of the picture.

035 - 5/9/10

Happy Mother's Day! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! The weather is slowly getting nice here in Washington, but not nice enough! Tomorrow it's only supposed to be 60 AND it's going to rain. However, by Friday we are supposed to be in the 80s. Anyways, today's letter is H!

H


Hollywood

I’ve been to Hollywood quite a few times prior to DCP, so to me it really isn’t any big deal. However, if you’ve never been, it is definitely worth going. Going to see a movie at  El Capitan is a really cool experience. It’s right on Hollywood Boulevard, you can’t miss it. Jaime, my mom, and I saw Bolt there when it was playing. The tickets definitely aren’t cheap, but it’s a fun off-property Disney experience. Toy Story 3 will be running from June 18 - August 29. If you’re there in time, check it out! It’s also fun to see the stars on Hollywood Boulevard. I’m pretty sure Walt Disney has a star, along with a few Disney stars. If you have a car and want a fun adventure, buy a map of the stars’ homes and go on the hunt for a few of your favorite! The maps are about $10-20, but they’re pretty fun.

Haunted Mansion

If you’re doing the fall program, then most of the time your in California the Haunted Mansion will be all decked out in Nightmare Before Christmas attire. Before my DCP, I had never seen the Haunted Mansion Holiday, so it was a really awesome experience. Try to catch it once, before the change over happens in late September/early October. It amazes me how they can transform the Haunted Mansion into a completely different ride, practically overnight. I will say that the fall version is a lot less scary, at least in my opinion. Everything is more colorful, and all the Nightmare Before Christmas characters are hanging out. Another cool feature about the HMH is that every week, for thirteen weeks, a new advent is revealed on a huge advent calendar behind the loading area. Trust me, you can’t miss it!