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So, today's letter is F. If Katie had it her way, this would be all about Fantasmic. However, considering I've only ever seen it once, I don't think that's enough to blog about. Especially considering it scared me more than anything (that phobia thing, you know how it goes).
F
Food!
So, I'm mainly going to talk about three things: places to get free food in the parks, the Blue Bayou, and Club 33.
First of all, Mission Tortilla Factory at DCA is definitely my favorite place to get free food. Not only do you get a free tortilla when you do the tour, but if you're wearing a birthday button, you get a lovely bag of a dozen tortillas! Talk about a lovely free snack! Whenever my ex and I went to the park with his little girl, I always made sure I took my birthday button so we had a cheap snack for her. The Boudin Bakery right across the walkway also give you samples of bread. If they're slow, you might get a large handful of bread samples instead of just one or two. There also usually isn't a wait for the bread tour, and you don't have to actually watch the tour, which is nice.
My absolute favorite restaurant, hands down, at Disneyland is the Blue Bayou. It may even possibly be my favorite Disney restaurant EVER. Not only do they have a fantastic Monte Cristo, but the restaurant is inside a ride! Does it get any cooler than that? Honestly? I think not. Just a fun little tip for you: if you make the earliest possibly lunch reservation, which I believe is 11:30, you're guaranteed a seat along the river's edge. When I was little, every trip to Disneyland we would eat at the Blue Bayou. Also, you can only get the Monte Cristo for lunch, in case you wanted to try one, which I highly suggest. Some people are crazy about Dole Whips (I'm not a fan of pineapple), but my obsession is the Monte Cristo.
I'm sure most of you have heard of Club 33, but you probably don't know much about it. To be honest, neither do I. However, you can tell who works there because they have really awesome vests with 33 all over them in gold. You'll be surprised by how many people in the park are actually Club members or going with friends that are Club members. I've never been inside, except for the downstairs, which really wasn't that exciting. I've heard stories of CMs sneaking in, and a guy I worked with showed me a bunch of pictures he took. I've heard that the food is amazing, but also extremely expensive. You'll meet people that have connections to get in though, and I highly recommend taking those people up on their offers to take you. Seriously. I only wish I had the chance. One day, right? Oh, and you can cross train into Club 33, but the requirements are really intense.
Today's letter is only going to have one thing. I've been putting off blogging because I'm getting stuck on letters!
E
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
If there is only one non-Disney thing you do during your program, GO SEE ELLEN! Honestly, it was the most amazing experience ever. Originally I had gotten tickets for November, but I was termed before I was actually able to go. Instead, my friends Katie and Jaime went, but were only in the riff-raff room. The day in November that they went, David Archuleta was there, which I was really OK not seeing. However, they did get his CD, which I guess is better than nothing. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but somehow Katie won tickets to come back for the Twelve Days of Giveaways. If you don't know what that is, just Google it. Anyways, she called me, and asked if I wanted to come down and go with her. Of COURSE I said yes. For Christmas, my mom bought me a plane ticket to go down for a few days.
On December 9, 2008, Katie and I arrived at Warner Brothers Studios relatively early, as we wanted to make sure we got good seats. We checked in and got our tickets, and then walked to Subway and got lunch. The process of getting into the studio is long and relatively uneventful. We were told before we got in that groups might be split up, depending on where the director wanted us to sit. We were probably in the first ten people or so. Once we got into the studio, they sat us on an aisle seat. That enough was exciting, but we were in the row Ellen dances down! We were so excited! Ellen is so pretty, and tiny! Of course, it gets even better. Although we didn't really care about who was there that day, we were excited about the giveaways! In the end, Katie and I each walked out with $100 Visa Giftcard, a Wave skateboard (we gave those away), a pair of $300 sunglasses by Karl Lagerfeld, a $400 pearl necklace, a $1000 watch (the brand name is escaping me because I gave mine to my grandpa), about $200 of Tocca gifts (candles, perfume, soap), and I feel like there was something else, but I can't remember to save my life. Anyways, all in all it was an AMAZING experience. I would highly suggest going. If not to Ellen, then some other talk show or game show in the LA area. They're easy to find and really really fun.
Anyways, that's it for today.
I promise I haven't forgotten about this blog. I'm just not really in a blogging mood lately. Hopefully in May things will get back into the swing. Who knows. I'm sorry! I just feel like I'm only doing this for myself, and it seems pointless.
This everyday thing is definitely harder than I originally thought. Well, today is D! This letter was also really hard.
D
Company D
So, the odd thing about this picture is that I found it on flickr, but I actually know the guy in the picture! So weird! Anyways, Company D is the CM store. Things are super discounted, and there's not only merchandise from the parks, but also furniture and such from the resorts. This was probably one of my favorite places to go. There is also CM only merch, which is pretty cool. Word to the wise, however, I would highly suggest not wearing a CM shirt or anything of the sort around Anaheim/DLR. People won't think you're cool, especially considering a majority of them either work there, have worked there before, or know someone that works there. It's definitely more of a fun "back at school/home" thing to have. That's just my opinion though.
Sorry for not posting for the last few days. I've been in a real funk. Luckily, I'm out of it now! You know what that means!
C
Carnegie Plaza
These are the apartments that a majority of CPs live in. During my program, a few lived next door at Broadway Arms, but I never went over there. From what I heard, the were basically the same as Carnegie. The apartments look a lot nicer online. At least, in my opinion (and about everyone I know from my program). I've heard that some rooms now have bunk beds in them, but that is also new since my program. The apartments are all 2 bed/2 bath. They also have a washer/dryer in them. Its only one machine, and it both washes and dries. Except, your clothes never actually get dry. They will always be damp when you take them out. Its just because of the style of machine it is. It can be frustrating. Also, the elevator is extremely slow. I took the stairs almost every day, and I lived on the top floor. To be exact, I lived in the apartment on the top left in this picture. I even had the elevator break down with me in it a time or two. Not a very fun experience. Now, don't get me wrong, I didn't mind the place. However, the fact that I was paying $636 a month to live with three other people seemed like a rip off to me. From what I've heard though, the rate has gone down.
Cast Member Christmas Party
By the time the CM party rolled around, I had already been termed from my program. However, I managed to come down to go to Ellen the same time as the party. Usually, the party falls on at least 2 different nights, so that all the CM can attend. I think that every CM is given two tickets, but can receive more depending on the number of dependents they have. There are usually two types of parties. First, there's the mix-in party, which means that both CMs and guests are in the park at the same time. Then, there are the private parties, which are strictly CMs and the people they've brought with them. During the parties, you get 50% off merch and 35% off food (except ODV). You also get a free ornament and photopass picture! The parties were definitely a blast (I got to go to two) and something I would recommend doing!
So, I found out this morning that a guy I graduated high school with was killed in Afghanistan. Kind of an upsetting start to my day. I think I'm going to put off the next letter until tomorrow. Sorry everyone.
I can't believe I forgot to post yesterday! I was so tired, I fell asleep about ten minutes into SNL. Well, that means I made it 25 days posting without a break. I'm really enjoying blogging, and obviously 27 of you are enjoying me blogging too! Any who, today is the letter B!
B
Baja California Mexican Grille
This is, hands down, the best Mexican food I have ever had. The restaurant is located in the same strip mall as Von's. It's literally less than a five minute walk from Carnegie Plaza (the apartments CPs live in). Not only is the food amazing, but the prices are super cheap. The employees are really nice, and they have a yummy little salsa bar. Definitely a CP hangout. At least, it was on my CP.
Blue Sky Cellar
The Blue Sky Cellar is located in DCA, where the Seasons of the Vine Theater used to be. The Cellar opened on my CP, which was really cool, because CMs and APs got to view it before the general public. Basically, the Cellar is a really neat area where you can see the future plans that the WDIs have in store for DCA. When it first opened, the main attractions on display were the Little Mermaid ride, Cars land, the renovation of the Paradise Pier, and World of Color. Periodically things change in the Cellar, so I'm sure that the place is completely different now. It's definitely worth checking out, even if you only go once.
