Hello!! It's been a few weeks since I've written. Life at the castle has been wonderful. I officially started at the Boutique without a trainer a week (and a few days) ago. I've gotten comfortable very quickly. My fellow FGiT's have welcomed me with open arms and have been so amazing. I love them all already! My managers and leaders are also wonderful. They have expressed their approval with me and I couldn't be happier. I've received two GSF (Great Service Fanatic) cards from two different managers for creating magic with our guests. It's a great feeling to know that I'm so well liked and appreciated!
So what does a typical day at Cinderella's Castle look like? It depends when I start. When I open the Boutique, I go in at 7:30am. It sounds early but once I get there I'm up and ready to go. We get to go out of the Castle (one of the very few times Fairy Godmother let's us!) and welcome the princesses and bring them in. It is so much fun! It's really special to not only welcome them, but to bring them in, seat them, and THEN we get to be their FGiT! Once we finish our princess, we walk them up to the cash register where they pay and we say goodbye. We go in the back, wash our hands, and come back out! If there is a chair open we take that chair and another princess. If not, we help other FGiT's with makeup and painting princess's nails. I LOVE when I have another FGiT to help me or when I help them. The stories we tell when we're together are hilarious. They always say two is better than one and it couldn't be more true in this situation. One FGiT can be so great at "playing the part" but when you put two together, we play off of both each other and the princess. It's so much fun! At the end of the night we do something fun called "Final Farewell". When the last princess of the night is about to leave, all of the FGiT's line up and we do something magical and send them off. I've seen lots of tears from the Queen and sometimes even the King of the princesses. It's beautiful.
We've had an exciting week at the Boutique! We had a visit from "Honey Boo Boo" or Alana Thompson. I unfortunately left an hour before she came however I heard that she was a lovely princess who had only positive things to say and was very appreciative. She went around the room and told other princesses how beautiful they looked. How wonderful is that?!
The other day I was graced with my first lice sighting. We are trained at how to handle this and have a strict protocol when this happens. We sanitize everything and the FGiT involved also takes sanitizing measures. I was really worried about how I would act when I would get my first lice encounter. I freaked out internally but I managed to keep my cool and still make the princess feel special. I'm actually really proud of myself for handling it how I did. I thought I would for sure make a face and the parents would know, but thankfully I didn't. So moral of the story, everything worked out!
Oh and one last thing! I was media trained! That means that when a form of media comes to the Boutique (an interviewer, cameras, celebrities...), I am able to talk to them and do their hair! Exciting right?! Okay I have to go get ready for another day at the Castle! I'm so blessed that I can go to work every day with a smile on my face and come home just as happy. I absolutely love it!
- Andrea
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Saturday, February 2, 2013
And It Begins
I'm officially a FGiT trainee! Yesterday and today were my first two days of training. My trainer is a wonderful Puerto Rican woman who is the biggest sweetheart I've ever met. She calls me "mi amor" or my love all the time and tells me how good I'm doing. Everyone I tell that Margarita is my trainer tells me that she is the best of the best. I'm also told that my hairstyles will be perfect because she trains her girls so well. Yesterday I learned all 4 hairstyles. There is the Fairy Tale Princess (a bun with a tiara), Disney Diva (a bun with a hair piece), Pop Princess (twists with clips and a hair piece), and the Courtyard (twists with extensions). I did really well and I felt extremely confident at the end of the day. I learned all of the basics and got a tour of the area too. Today I observed in the Boutique and watched the FGiT interactions with the princess (the girls we make over). My trainer then broke the news that she was confident enough in me that once she demonstrated each hair style, I would do the next one! Holy nerves! I only got the chance to do a Fairy Tale Princess (which is my weakest one, so that was good!) but I was able to transform about 7 princesses! Let me tell you, hair on mannequin heads is a LOT easier to do than clean, smooth, and shiny human hair. It was really hard. It was stressful and nerve wracking and I wasn't enjoying it too much.
Okay that's a lie. I was totally loving life. I didn't stop smiling all day. I'll admit, I talk like an obnoxious Disney princess when I'm there. Just imagine my sweet little high voice saying, "why hello there princess!". Annoyed yet? I'm sure! It's so wonderful though. I feel like a celebrity there. Those princesses act as though they're meeting Cinderella or their idol when I speak. I AM a Fairy Godmother to them and they look at me with stars in their eyes. I may not be in Entertainment but holy cow, working here I feel like I am.
I have the next two days off because my trainer is off, and then I go back on Tuesday. I'm SO excited to see how far I come along next week when I finish my training and go solo. I've started a journal of all the crazy, adorable, and wonderful princess moments I've had, so I'll leave you with one from today :)
4 year old princess: "do you know what I want to be when I grow up? The boss of everyone. And a doctor. And a mommy. And a teacher. But the boss too."
- Andrea
Okay that's a lie. I was totally loving life. I didn't stop smiling all day. I'll admit, I talk like an obnoxious Disney princess when I'm there. Just imagine my sweet little high voice saying, "why hello there princess!". Annoyed yet? I'm sure! It's so wonderful though. I feel like a celebrity there. Those princesses act as though they're meeting Cinderella or their idol when I speak. I AM a Fairy Godmother to them and they look at me with stars in their eyes. I may not be in Entertainment but holy cow, working here I feel like I am.
I have the next two days off because my trainer is off, and then I go back on Tuesday. I'm SO excited to see how far I come along next week when I finish my training and go solo. I've started a journal of all the crazy, adorable, and wonderful princess moments I've had, so I'll leave you with one from today :)
4 year old princess: "do you know what I want to be when I grow up? The boss of everyone. And a doctor. And a mommy. And a teacher. But the boss too."
- Andrea
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Welcome To My New Life!
Hey everyone! It's been a while since I've written (well okay only like a week or so but you know!) but so much has happened and I haven't had much time to fill you all in!
I moved into my new apartment on Monday (Jan. 28) with my wonderful roommates. Even though we got in line at 4am there were in the middle of the group of people checking in. We unfortunately did not get the apartment that we had originally wanted but we got the next best option. We are living in Chatham Square (which is where I was last year) in a 2 bedroom apartment. I was worried about living here because it's basically a gamble. Some apartments are super nice while others are pretty disgusting. My apartment last year was one of the not so nice apartments which totally turned me off to living here again, however despite my usual bad luck, our apartment this year is wonderful! There are no gross carpet stains, all of our appliances are clean and work well, and it's pretty big! The location isn't the greatest but I keep reminding myself that it could have been a lot worse. I'll post pictures of my apartment as soon as I finish unpacking everything! (get going, I know right?)
My roommates have to be some of the best girls here. We all met on Facebook and figured that we would work well together and so we decided to live together. This couldn't be more true in person as well. Since we moved in, we haven't stopped laughing. We are all so laid back and we agree on (so far) everything. Our second night here, we had a "cookie party" and invited anyone to come over. We had about 15 people show up which was great! We made some new friends and had a blast! Kaylee is from Missouri and she is an Education major. She is working at Hollywood Studios at the Main Entrance. Skylar is also originally from Missouri but now lives in Salt Lake City. She is also an Education major and she too is at Hollywood Studios but is attractions (not yet sure where!). Both of those girls are dancers so we've talked about picking up some dance classes while we're here! Taylor is sharing a room with me! She is from Indiana and is working at Magic Kingdom in ODF (outdoor foods). I'll post pictures soon!
The past week I've been fortunate enough to get involved with CRU here at Walt Disney World. I have met some wonderful people and friends through CRU. I've already gotten so close with a few of them and I can't wait to see where my life goes here!! Tonight is a party for all of the new CP's! It starts in about a half an hour so I need to go get ready! AND my very first day of training as a FGiT starts tomorrow!! I can't wait to tell you ALL about it!
- Andrea
I moved into my new apartment on Monday (Jan. 28) with my wonderful roommates. Even though we got in line at 4am there were in the middle of the group of people checking in. We unfortunately did not get the apartment that we had originally wanted but we got the next best option. We are living in Chatham Square (which is where I was last year) in a 2 bedroom apartment. I was worried about living here because it's basically a gamble. Some apartments are super nice while others are pretty disgusting. My apartment last year was one of the not so nice apartments which totally turned me off to living here again, however despite my usual bad luck, our apartment this year is wonderful! There are no gross carpet stains, all of our appliances are clean and work well, and it's pretty big! The location isn't the greatest but I keep reminding myself that it could have been a lot worse. I'll post pictures of my apartment as soon as I finish unpacking everything! (get going, I know right?)
My roommates have to be some of the best girls here. We all met on Facebook and figured that we would work well together and so we decided to live together. This couldn't be more true in person as well. Since we moved in, we haven't stopped laughing. We are all so laid back and we agree on (so far) everything. Our second night here, we had a "cookie party" and invited anyone to come over. We had about 15 people show up which was great! We made some new friends and had a blast! Kaylee is from Missouri and she is an Education major. She is working at Hollywood Studios at the Main Entrance. Skylar is also originally from Missouri but now lives in Salt Lake City. She is also an Education major and she too is at Hollywood Studios but is attractions (not yet sure where!). Both of those girls are dancers so we've talked about picking up some dance classes while we're here! Taylor is sharing a room with me! She is from Indiana and is working at Magic Kingdom in ODF (outdoor foods). I'll post pictures soon!
The past week I've been fortunate enough to get involved with CRU here at Walt Disney World. I have met some wonderful people and friends through CRU. I've already gotten so close with a few of them and I can't wait to see where my life goes here!! Tonight is a party for all of the new CP's! It starts in about a half an hour so I need to go get ready! AND my very first day of training as a FGiT starts tomorrow!! I can't wait to tell you ALL about it!
- Andrea
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Splash Support
I went back to work yesterday at my old location. In attractions, in order to keep your training, you must work one shift every 6 months. My 6 months was up February 1 and so I needed to work asap. I was welcomed back with an eleven and a half hour shift (HELLO!) and open arms from my fellow cast members and managers. It was so wonderful seeing everyone. The best feeling was probably hearing from so many people how happy they were to have me back. The hugs were overflowing and it was just such a great day.
I however did not work AT Splash. Splash is being refurbished until March 20 and so I got to stand outside and pin trade with guests and answer questions. It sounds boring but it was probably one of the best Splash shifts I've ever had. I actually got to talk to people. Working in such a popular attraction, I never got the opportunity to hold conversations with guests. It was always "hey guys enjoy your day" or "the bathrooms are straight back on the right". Yesterday I actually got to talk to people and hear about their trip and lives.
I met a family with 5 girls. FIVE! The oldest was 7 and youngest was 3 months old. I actually saw them a few times during the day and I got to know all of their names and their hometown and I remembered each of them when I saw them again and they remembered me. At the end of my night I then met a family with FIVE BOYS!!! The oldest was 9 and youngest was 1. How crazy is that?!? I met two young girls who would not leave my side. They were interested in my job and if I knew the princesses and if I lived in Disney World. I ended up giving them 2 pins they were fascinated by because they had left their lanyards at their hotel and they insisted they would find me the next day to give me one of theirs. It was so sweet. My favorite guest of the day had to have been a family from Atlanta. It was a family of 4 with two grandparents. They started to talk to me about how sad they were that Splash was down, then all of the sudden the Grandfather says, "BUFFALO?!? (what my name tag says) We're from Clarence!!!" His and his wife's face just lit up. He said he's never met another Buffalonian here before and it was very exciting to him (I don't blame him. I get excited when I meet someone even remotely close to home!). They asked why I was there and I gave them a quick run down on my life and they were so attentive and curious. They thought it was great that I am chasing after my dreams and wished me all the best of luck. I promised them to send warm weather back home and they hugged me goodbye. It was just the sweetest thing.
So it was a great day. I never got to experience anything like that. It was so so wonderful.
I've been lucky enough to stay with a few friends these past few days before I move into my apartment on Monday. Until then I'll be hitting up the parks and meeting new friends!! (I've already met a few!!) I don't start training at the Boutique until February 1 so I'll have a nice long week to do some homework for my online class and enjoy my Florida life!!
- Andrea
I however did not work AT Splash. Splash is being refurbished until March 20 and so I got to stand outside and pin trade with guests and answer questions. It sounds boring but it was probably one of the best Splash shifts I've ever had. I actually got to talk to people. Working in such a popular attraction, I never got the opportunity to hold conversations with guests. It was always "hey guys enjoy your day" or "the bathrooms are straight back on the right". Yesterday I actually got to talk to people and hear about their trip and lives.
I met a family with 5 girls. FIVE! The oldest was 7 and youngest was 3 months old. I actually saw them a few times during the day and I got to know all of their names and their hometown and I remembered each of them when I saw them again and they remembered me. At the end of my night I then met a family with FIVE BOYS!!! The oldest was 9 and youngest was 1. How crazy is that?!? I met two young girls who would not leave my side. They were interested in my job and if I knew the princesses and if I lived in Disney World. I ended up giving them 2 pins they were fascinated by because they had left their lanyards at their hotel and they insisted they would find me the next day to give me one of theirs. It was so sweet. My favorite guest of the day had to have been a family from Atlanta. It was a family of 4 with two grandparents. They started to talk to me about how sad they were that Splash was down, then all of the sudden the Grandfather says, "BUFFALO?!? (what my name tag says) We're from Clarence!!!" His and his wife's face just lit up. He said he's never met another Buffalonian here before and it was very exciting to him (I don't blame him. I get excited when I meet someone even remotely close to home!). They asked why I was there and I gave them a quick run down on my life and they were so attentive and curious. They thought it was great that I am chasing after my dreams and wished me all the best of luck. I promised them to send warm weather back home and they hugged me goodbye. It was just the sweetest thing.
So it was a great day. I never got to experience anything like that. It was so so wonderful.
I've been lucky enough to stay with a few friends these past few days before I move into my apartment on Monday. Until then I'll be hitting up the parks and meeting new friends!! (I've already met a few!!) I don't start training at the Boutique until February 1 so I'll have a nice long week to do some homework for my online class and enjoy my Florida life!!
- Andrea
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Orlando!
We made it! My mom and I left at about 7:30 Sunday morning. We made it to Charlotte, North Carolina and decided to stop for the night around 7:30. It was the easiest drive of my life. I joke around that I'm just like a baby; put me in a car and I'll pass out. However, I didn't sleep one minute of the entire 19 hour trip! There was no traffic. None. At all. It was incredible! The weather was also amazing. There was a bit of wind when we first left Buffalo but it was pretty much finished by the time we got closer to Pittsburgh. It also started to snow pretty hard in Erie but that too ended quickly for us (unfortunately that wasn't the case for everyone back home). Other than that, our drive was easy and very safe!
We then drove on Monday to my grandparents house in Satsuma, Florida. They drove some of my things down for me and I accidentally left my work shoes with them, which I need for my shift on Friday. Oops! Luckily their house was along the way. That night we had dinner with my Great Aunt (who also lives in the area) and my cousin who was in town. It turned out to be a good accident!!
We left their house yesterday and only had a 2 hour drive to Orlando, where we finally saw traffic. Let me tell you, I DID NOT miss this traffic. If you thought traffic on Transit was bad, you have no idea. The traffic here is brutal. Although I'll take it any day over the cold back home! I'm watching the Today Show currently and can't believe how cold it is!!! I got out just in time. Stay warm everyone!
I said goodbye to my mom this morning. She's always the hardest goodbye. We always seem to get really close right before I leave. We had a lot of fun (well if a 19 hour drive is considered fun...) on our drive down and both agreed that it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. It was quite easy and seemed to go by fast! Yesterday we went to the Outlets and I got a belated Christmas present (a raincoat. I'll definitely use that here!) and my mom spoiled herself and bought a really nice pair of Uggs. I guess it was her motivation to get on a plane to go back home to the freezing cold? Hey I would have done the same thing.
I'm going to miss my family. It was nice to be able to see them everyday for a while, but I'm excited about what's to come! I'm "moving in" to my friend's apartment today. She was generous enough to let me stay with her for a few days before I move into my apartment on Monday. Today I also have to go get my new Disney ID so I can go to work on Friday! I'm hoping to meet a few new friends at the parks after!! And tonight I'm going to a get together with a bunch of people I've met online. I'm really excited to start meeting everyone!!
Everyone back home: STAY WARM!! I won't tell you how warm it is here but to make you feel better, it's chilly! No shorts or tshirts here! Love and miss you all already!
- Andrea
We then drove on Monday to my grandparents house in Satsuma, Florida. They drove some of my things down for me and I accidentally left my work shoes with them, which I need for my shift on Friday. Oops! Luckily their house was along the way. That night we had dinner with my Great Aunt (who also lives in the area) and my cousin who was in town. It turned out to be a good accident!!
We left their house yesterday and only had a 2 hour drive to Orlando, where we finally saw traffic. Let me tell you, I DID NOT miss this traffic. If you thought traffic on Transit was bad, you have no idea. The traffic here is brutal. Although I'll take it any day over the cold back home! I'm watching the Today Show currently and can't believe how cold it is!!! I got out just in time. Stay warm everyone!
I said goodbye to my mom this morning. She's always the hardest goodbye. We always seem to get really close right before I leave. We had a lot of fun (well if a 19 hour drive is considered fun...) on our drive down and both agreed that it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. It was quite easy and seemed to go by fast! Yesterday we went to the Outlets and I got a belated Christmas present (a raincoat. I'll definitely use that here!) and my mom spoiled herself and bought a really nice pair of Uggs. I guess it was her motivation to get on a plane to go back home to the freezing cold? Hey I would have done the same thing.
I'm going to miss my family. It was nice to be able to see them everyday for a while, but I'm excited about what's to come! I'm "moving in" to my friend's apartment today. She was generous enough to let me stay with her for a few days before I move into my apartment on Monday. Today I also have to go get my new Disney ID so I can go to work on Friday! I'm hoping to meet a few new friends at the parks after!! And tonight I'm going to a get together with a bunch of people I've met online. I'm really excited to start meeting everyone!!
Everyone back home: STAY WARM!! I won't tell you how warm it is here but to make you feel better, it's chilly! No shorts or tshirts here! Love and miss you all already!
- Andrea
Saturday, January 19, 2013
TOOOOO-MARROW!
Hey, my first role onstage was Annie so I felt it was only necessary ;)
I leave tomorrow! I can't wait! I've been itching to get back ever since I knew I was going back. Seeing everyone's facebook posts and blog updates and pictures have been torture! Of course I've been excited for everyone but it has made me so anxious to get there! My mom and I are leaving bright and early tomorrow morning and we're hoping to go as far as Southern Virginia or hopefully just into North Carolina before stopping. I've got to go shopping later for some snacks for the ride. My car is pretty much packed and we'll be ready to head out!
I'm sad to leave everyone. I love my family but I am glad to be on my own again (sorry mom). I have loved seeing my parents everyday and being so close to my extended family. Tonight we're having my big crazy family over for dinner and to hang out and play games. I will definitely miss that. It'll be hard to say goodbyes. I'm not very good at them, especially because I cry at pretty much anything. I'll probably even cry saying goodbye to my cat (don't judge, she's my baby). But once I say goodbye, I'll be okay. It's like ripping off a band aid right?
A bit of a quick update. I have scoliosis. I was born with it, and lately my back has really been hurting me. I had X-rays taken yesterday and thankfully I am okay, but I need physical therapy, which will have to be done in Orlando. That took me aback but I'm thankful that I can go on with my life! Now I'm just hoping that the pain will go away soon!
I'm not sure if I'll be updating during the trip, but if not, I'll see you at Disney World!!!
- Andrea
I leave tomorrow! I can't wait! I've been itching to get back ever since I knew I was going back. Seeing everyone's facebook posts and blog updates and pictures have been torture! Of course I've been excited for everyone but it has made me so anxious to get there! My mom and I are leaving bright and early tomorrow morning and we're hoping to go as far as Southern Virginia or hopefully just into North Carolina before stopping. I've got to go shopping later for some snacks for the ride. My car is pretty much packed and we'll be ready to head out!
I'm sad to leave everyone. I love my family but I am glad to be on my own again (sorry mom). I have loved seeing my parents everyday and being so close to my extended family. Tonight we're having my big crazy family over for dinner and to hang out and play games. I will definitely miss that. It'll be hard to say goodbyes. I'm not very good at them, especially because I cry at pretty much anything. I'll probably even cry saying goodbye to my cat (don't judge, she's my baby). But once I say goodbye, I'll be okay. It's like ripping off a band aid right?
A bit of a quick update. I have scoliosis. I was born with it, and lately my back has really been hurting me. I had X-rays taken yesterday and thankfully I am okay, but I need physical therapy, which will have to be done in Orlando. That took me aback but I'm thankful that I can go on with my life! Now I'm just hoping that the pain will go away soon!
I'm not sure if I'll be updating during the trip, but if not, I'll see you at Disney World!!!
- Andrea
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Waiting
I had planned on leaving tomorrow. That is unfortunately not happening. I haven't been able to pick up a shift at Splash Mountain and I didn't want to go early and pay to stay there and not work. However because of a wonderful friend, I was given a shift on the 25th! As of right now, I'm not sure exactly when I'll be leaving. My mom is driving down with me and she is trying to work around her schedule. I'm hoping to leave on Saturday (the 19th) by we'll see what actually happens. Regardless, I'm extremely thankful that I'll be able to work and keep my training at Splash!! That will be such a help if I'm ever short on hours at the Boutique! Almost all of my new friends have checked in and are now officially on their program or are on their way to Orlando. Seeing all of their pictures and updates is making me incredibly anxious!! I'm so ready to be home again.
Oh! There's been another huge update in my life. On Friday I brought home my baby! Having a car is one of the best feelings in the world. I've never had a car of my own and I feel so independent. I can't wait to have it in Florida with me!
I hope I'll be able to give more updates by the middle of this week!
- Andrea (oh and here's some pictures of my new car "Pixie!")
Oh! There's been another huge update in my life. On Friday I brought home my baby! Having a car is one of the best feelings in the world. I've never had a car of my own and I feel so independent. I can't wait to have it in Florida with me!
I hope I'll be able to give more updates by the middle of this week!
- Andrea (oh and here's some pictures of my new car "Pixie!")
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