Experiences at the Studios

So yesterday I was on my way to work, and I couldn't figure out why the time 3:00 (when I would get off the bus) was sticking in my mind so much. It was important somehow, but I just couldn't remember. Well, when I got backstage I found out really quick.

You see, the parade at Hollywood Studios (The Block Party Bash) starts at 3:00. So when I came around the corner, my exact thoughts were "crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap" since I had to get across the park. So I had to weave and dodge all sorts of entertainment people who were getting into bug, monster, and toy costumes (nearly tripped over Bo Peep) and have security yell at me in order to book it across Hollywood Blvd before the parade actually left and I got stuck on the wrong side of town (so to speak).

I worked at Coaster that day, and I met a guy from Carmichael there. When I checked his ID (he was using a credit card to charge a photo) I was like "Oh, you're from California! Where at?" and he basically told me that I would have no idea where it was, but it was near Sacramento. He laughed pretty hard when I told him that I was from Sacramento too. It's little things like that that make my 10-13 hour shifts not so bad. Speaking of which, I get to work until 4:00 AM on Friday, June 7. Oh boy.

Anyway, the other thing I've noticed lately, is that the park gets kind of creepy when there are no guests left at night. Okay, to be truthful, Sunset Blvd (which is the road I walk down to work) is more creepy than the rest of the park anyway. For example, if you're ever at the Studios, look at the lights on Hollywood Blvd. They're all turned up. But when you turn onto Sunset, they are all turned down, and the lighting level is dimmer. Why, you ask? It's to prepare you to meet the Tower of Terror at the end of the street (insert Twilight Zone music here).

But back on track. It's just weird having no one around. A lot of time there will still be background music playing because there is always one or two guests that take 3 hours to leave the park, even though they can't do much but stand there. Yeah, I'm guilty of staying after hours too, so I know I can't say much about them. But everything's so empty when I'm leaving work, it's a little unnatural.

Oh, and speaking of Tower, I noticed something when I worked there the other day. Our break room is actually inside the tower, right between the two ride shafts. And if you listen carefully, you can actually hear the walls creak as the elevators go past. Oh, and screaming. Lots and lots of screaming...

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When Things Go Wrong

One of the things that I love about Disney (aside from all the tiny details that they put into making magic) is the great way that they improvise. For example, in the last two days, there has been a few mistakes in the Fantasmic show. For those of you who've seen it, you know that Maleficent is supposed to turn into a dragon at the very end of the show (for those of you who haven't seen Fantasmic, look it up on YouTube. It's good).

On these two nights in question, the dragon didn't make an appearance. Not good, right? Wrong. They just stuck Maleficent up there twice. Bingo, problem solved. The show goes on.

So when I was at Fantasmic a few days ago, and it started to rain, I improvised. I ran all the way back to the shed (where we keep the excess merchandise so we can restock our trays) and dumped the glow toys. In minutes I was outside selling ponchos instead. The only bad thing (other than the fact that it only rained for 5 more minutes) was the fact that those ponchos are sooooooo heavy!

So, as usual nothing much is going on. Pretty much the same old at this point. The most exciting thing that happened at work lately was when I worked at Tower on Monday. We had one of the security guards hanging out in the fake bushes we have in the "lobby." He would periodically move the branches and stare at people. Very funny to watch, actually.

I did get to play in the parks a little bit yesterday though, since it was my day off. I headed to Epcot (again) because that's where my roomies wanted to go. Didn't really do anything new, but we did zip over to the Yacht and Beach Club resort to go to the ice cream shop there. It's pretty famous, and it's called Beaches and Cream. I just had a small sundae, but the ice cream was really good. The butter pecan ice cream actually had HUGE pecans in it!

Then it was off to the Studios to meet up with more roommates. We were meeting to watch Fantasmic. I know, I work there, but I haven't seen anything but the top 1/3 of the stage since I've been working there. We also made a brief stop at the Animation Courtyard. I learned how to draw Dopey. That was cool.

Anyway, that's whats new. I'm gearing up for another long day tomorrow, so wish me luck!

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Playing Catch-Up

Well, it had been a few days since my last entry, but to tell the truth, there really isn't that much to report.

First off, I think I'll save my entry about Toy Story Mania until later. The ride opening got pushed back until May 31, so they can do some final testing to make sure it won't break down anymore. Thought if that's a ride that it would be okay to get stuck in, Toy Story Mania is it.

Other than that, it has pretty much been the same old, same old. Tuesday and Wednesday were my days off this week, so I used that to catch up on a lot of stuff (like laundry). Three of us headed over to Epcot on Wednesday, but everyone but me had work so they left early. I decided that I wanted to see IllumiNations again, so I stayed by myself at the park for the rest of the day. It wasn't so bad, since Epcot has a lot of street entertainment in the World Showcase area. I stopped and watched these amazing Chinese acrobats, that was very cool.

Yesterday (Friday) was the first time I'd worked anywhere other than Fantasmic for a whole week. I had a 14 hour shift (ouch), but I made it through okay despite a pulled muscle in my shoulder. I was at Tower of Terror unitl 6:30, and then ran over to Fantasmic for a quick costume change before going out to sell stuff there. I get to do the same thing about 3 or 4 times next week, so that will be interesting.

The one fun thing that happened was last night while I was doing the show. I ended up talking to these 4 little girls here on a chorus trip. They were all very cute and very excited, and when I went to leave they asked me to sign thier autograph books. So my signature is right there next to Mickey's go figure. :-)

Well, I'm off to another Fantasmic night. I should have time to blog in the next few days, so if something happens, I'll be sure to let you know!

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Hollywood Studios: Work and Play

Yesterday a few of my roommates had the day off, so they decided they wanted to go to one of the parks. Since none of us had been to Hollywood Studios (except for me for work) we decided to go there.

One thing I've noticed more than any other is the fact that with the Studios, you really have to plan your day around the shows you want to see. There isn't many rides (maybe about 6?) but there are a LOT of shows and exhibits. We ended up seeing Lights, Motors, Action!, Beauty and the Beast, and the Indiana Jones show. Kat and I opted out of the Block Party Bash parade and went for Star Tours instead. Other than that, the only rides we went to were the Great Movie Ride, and Tower of Terror, which I opted out of. I just can't do that ride. The first time I went on it, I couldn't bring myself to take an elevator for a month.

Anyway, it was also my first time being in the park when not there for work. I've decided that I really do like the atmosphere at the Studios. I can't explain it, but there's just this special feeling I can't find anywhere else. I really wish I had had time to go on the Backlot tour, but that will have to wait for another day.

Speaking of rides, Toy Story Midway Mania opens up on Thursday. The cast opening ceremonies was this morning, but there was no way I was going to get up and get on a bus at 6:00 AM after last night. We had two Fantasmic shows and I came home with a migraine. I did get to ride it at cast previews last week, so maybe I'll post more about the actual ride for tomorrow. But if you are coming to WDW anytime soon, you'll be able to ride the ride starting Thursday.

And in other Disney news, Prince Caspian comes out on Friday. Yay! Can't wait to see it. We get discount tickets (only $6.50) for the AMC theater at Downtown Disney so maybe my roommates and I will catch it there. Can't wait.

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Flordia Weather Makes Me Grumpy

No really, it does. Everyone's always going on about how nice Florida weather is, but I hate it. California has much better weather. Don't believe me? Two words: no hurricanes.

Take today for instance. If I really wanted to be in the wind all day long, I could have stayed in Idaho. Wind makes me grumpy. Then it rained for about half a minute tonight. If it's going to rain, can't it just rain outright? On second thought, I'm glad it didn't rain. That way I don't have to walk in it.

The worst thing for me is the humidity though. I hate feeling sticky, which is pretty much a given in Flordia when outside. It will be interesting to see what happens when July rolls around.

So sorry about the slightly ranting post, but I needed to vent. Not really anything happened at work and I needed something to post about after all. :-)

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Fantasmic!

This is my second post in one day, so hopefully that makes up for the days that I haven't posted. Although sometimes just nothing happens, so that could be a factor too.

Tonight I worked at Fantasmic! which is pretty much how it's going to go for all of next week too. Tonight was my first night working the carts in the actual theater. It's different because there we actually have cash registers, we get to stay in one place, and there's some exclusive merchandise we don't sell anywhere else (CDs, blankets, playsets, etc).

It was also the first time I got to actually see part of the show. Normally it's a bit of torture since I can hear the show, but I don't get to see it. I thought that tonight would be better, but in a way it was almost worse, since I was even closer (actually in the theater!) and still had to concentrate on work. Boy, they certainly know how to torture a girl.

Anyway, we finished early, so I was able to have enough time to write this when I got home. It's up early tomorrow morning for church, and then back to work at 6:00. Hopefully I'll be able to get Sundays off in the future, but right now I haven't had any luck. Oh well.

By the way, if anyone ever wants to leave me a comment, please do! Even if you just want to say hey. It helps me know who's reading my blog, so I know I'm not just rambling to myself. Though I guess that's not necessarily a bad thing...

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Vote in my Poll!

If you hadn't noticed, I have a poll going on in the sidebar of this blog. It will still run for a few more days, so go ahead and vote if you haven't already! All you have to do is tell me your favorite Disney park. :-)

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