It’s The Holiday Season

Just when you thought Disney World couldn’t get any more magical…Christmas comes. All of the parks and resorts are completely transformed for the most anticipated season of the year. And I am so blessed to have the opportunity to take it all in. My roommates and I didn’t hesitate to jump right into the season. Apt. 7202 has been completely decked out since the beginning of November. I love our little home away from home so much! And to make things even better, my mom was able to come visit to celebrate Thanksgiving a little early with me and my brother. I had forgotten what it was like to have REAL FOOD. (lean cuisines and lunchables can only hold a person over for so long). Seriously, what a blessing it is to have a mother who will travel across the country just to cook for you 😉

Also, Elsa lit Cinderella’s castle (boo) and the Streets of America became a  Spectacle of Dancing Lights. But really I almost cried when I first saw the castle all lit up because it is probably the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! And the lights at Studios are absolutely amazing. You really haven’t seen Christmas lights until you’ve seen Disney Christmas lights.

I also got to help make some Christmas magic by working during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. So fun! I actually got to just sing Christmas carols all night. At one point we had about everyone in Liberty Square join in with us while we sang Let it Go with a little girl dressed like Elsa. How magical is that?

Another fun thing I was able to do with some of my roommates was a trip to Celebration aka the cutest little town in the entire world. It’s so picturesque with the shops and the houses with white picket fences, and it was all decorated for Christmas! I have to admit, though, I was a little disappointed in the lack of authenticity. I’m getting real tired of having to pretend that soap suds are snow. But I guess we just have to make do with what we’ve got here in Florida. (There was also an “ice skating” rink which was really just a big sheet of white plastic). Yet despite my longing for a Utah winter, I can’t help but smile at Florida’s cute attempt.

This past month has just been so much fun, which is going to make it that much harder to leave! But I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to make memories and enjoy this holiday season in such a magical place.

A Not-So-Scary Halloween

Two weeks ago I celebrated Halloween Disney style. And it was the best Halloween ever. My roommate Nikki and I went to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party together and it was so much fun! Halloween music playing down Main Street, fantastic fireworks and parade, meeting characters, and trick or treating throughout the Magic Kingdom. Could you ask for a better Halloween? It was definitely one of the highlights of these past few months! I’m so glad I get to be here to experience Disney World during such a fun time of the year!

 

 

 

Changes

Fall at Disney World is a wonderful time. Come September the Magic Kingdom is filled with pumpkins, colorful leaves, and that feeling that only comes this time of year. And while I’ve felt myself longing for that crisp autumn air amidst what feels like a never ending summer, I’ve truly enjoyed this change of season. With the change of season also came what felt like a change in my program. Around the beginning of September I told myself that I was going to make a change, and create the experience that I had imagined for myself. Once I made that decision I realized that I was so much happier. I started to take the time more often to realize just how amazing it is to be here. And then I realized how fast this is all going by. It’s funny how time as the habit of speeding up just when you want it to slow down.

Now here I am with only two months until I go home. But these next two months are going to be the most magical ever! I’m about to go back to the my original location at the Harbour House, and Disney World is about to transform, yet again, for Christmas. I can’t believe it’s that time already! Winter is on its way to Florida – even though I am now thoroughly convinced that summer here will never actually end – and I’m going to get to spend the most magical time of the year in the most magical place.  I am so excited to experience these changes.

Birthdays and Brewing

Well, it’s been about a month since I last posted so I figured I couldn’t put it off any longer. This past month has probably been the best so far! Here is what I’ve been up to.

First of all, I got to celebrate my 19th birthday in the most magical place. It was wonderful! My day consisted of cake pops, pumpkin spice (basic white girl, I know), a lovely fall morning in Magic Kingdom, lunch at the Grand Floridian, and a rainy evening in Epcot. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday.

About 2 weeks later we got to celebrate Nikki’s birthday with a romantic dinner in Italy, and then just a few days ago it was Kelsey’ birthday! I love my roommates so so much, and I am grateful for all of the moments we get to spend together. Seriously, this program would not be the same without them.

Nikki’s birthday.

Me and Kelsey! Not from her birthday, but still a cute picture 🙂

As for the second part the title, a few weeks ago I got transferred to Epcot for the International Food and Wine Festival! The festival lasts for about two months, so I will be working there until mid November. I get to work at different kiosks throughout the world showcase, where they serve specialty food items and drinks from different countries. So far I have been having so much fun! Oh but here is the interesting part. I’ve spent most of my time working at a place called Brewer’s Collection, which is a stand that just serves different kinds of German beer. If you know me, you would know that this is completely out of my element. I have absolutely NO knowledge of this kind of stuff whatsoever. But can we all just take a moment to appreciate the fact that McKenna Heap now knows how to properly tap a keg and pour beer? These are essential life skills, people. So aside from coming home smelling like alcohol every night and the occasional awkward questions from guests when they see BYU on my nametag, I am actually really enjoying this experience. I love working in a place that celebrates cultural diversity, and I love being able look across the water and see England, France, Morocco, and Japan in the distance every day. My love for Epcot just continues to grow!

All in all this past month was really great. So here’s to my 20th year as a human being, 3 more months in the most magical place on earth, and many more great things to come.

Goodbye Summer, Hello…Winter?

Well summer is officially over, school is back in session, and here I am still living the dream in Florida! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little sad about not going back to school, though. I miss BYU and Utah and especially my family and friends. But I am excited to see what the upcoming months will bring. My program’s almost halfway over! Crazy! So I’m trying to enjoy every minute of it.

Last week I enjoyed a bit of wintery summer fun with Katarina. We went to Blizzard Beach for the first time, which was lots of fun! I loved the whole atmosphere and especially the fact that they played beachy Christmas music. It’s never too early to start getting excited for Christmas, right?

Then we went to Hollywood Studios where I took a picture with Walt, which apparently I’ve always overlooked every time I’ve gone there despite the fact that it’s in a very visible spot. Also it snowed that night.

Soap suds, or snow?

The next day I went on a frozen yogurt date with Nikki. Yum!

I also got to visit my CUTEST friend Alice. Love her!

It was definitely a fun week! And now that summer has come to an end and I’m entering into the second half of my program, I’m excited for the new opportunities that will come. Here’s to the next 4 months at the place where dreams come true!

 

The Family Visits

First thing’s first: I love my family SO much. I can’t even explain how grateful I am for them. They are the ones who sparked my love for Disney, and our memories together at the parks go back as far as I can remember. So of course I was beyond excited when they came here to visit a few weeks ago!

My parents and my nephew Dallen arrived on a Thursday (well actually really early Friday morning). I checked in to our resort earlier that day so I got to enjoy the room to myself for the evening! We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside which was absolutely beautiful.

The next day we got up early and fought through extreme tiredness to make our tee time at Disney’s Lake Buena Vista golf course. It was so worth it! Oh and one thing you should know about Dallen, he’s like a 13 year old pro golfer. The rest of us just watch. We also went to the Magnolia golf course another day. We felt so posh being at such fancy courses.

Isn’t my mom the cutest?

Photo credit goes to my dad. I guess he’s like a professional photographer now?

The family, plus Tyler! Our first night all together.

My mom and I, featuring the Disney princesses.

We spent some time on Sunday driving around the resort in this cutest surrey bike.

We went to Universal one day and I about died when I FINALLY saw Diagon Alley for the first time.

Lunch at the Leaky Cauldron.

Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

And, of course, we spent time in each of the Disney Parks. (Yes mom, I now regret not taking more pictures 😦 )

And we ate lots of food.

Also, the People Mover opened back up after being closed for refurbishment all summer and I was SO HAPPY! This is the look of pure joy.

It was so hard to say goodbye after a week and a half, but I am so grateful for the time I was able to spend with my family. They seriously mean more to me than anything in the world! Spending time with them here helped to remind me of my purpose for working at Disney: to help create that magic that has always been so special to us, for other families from all over the world.

 

 

 

 

 

Cool People and Colonial Dresses

Update: MY FAMILY IS HERE! Yay! My parents and nephew Dallen got here last week and we’ve been having the best time together! Don’t worry, I’ll dedicate a whole post to it after they leave. But for now I need to catch up since I haven’t posted anything for so long!

So this past month has consisted of daily adventures at the Harbour House (does burning your arm on the fryer count as an adventure?), more resort hopping, and hanging out at Disney World. You know, the usual.

Sadly, I had to say bye to my friend Rachel from work who went back home to Canada. The Harbour House definitely won’t the same without you, girl!

(don’t mind how awful I look in this photo…it was taken at steak n’ shake at like 2 in the morning)

I had fun at the parks with the one and only Patrick (another one of my friends from work), and we hung out with a few characters. I think he was just a little excited.

I also spent a day exploring the Magic Kingdom resorts with my roommate Padley. We don’t get to hang out very much because of our opposite schedules, so I always enjoy it when we get the chance! I really don’t see any of my roommates as much as I would like to, but that is to be expected since we all work a lot. I love all of the little moments that we do have though, and I’m so grateful to be experiencing all of this with them!

I also love spending time with my brother Logan. Whether it’s going to dinner at Epcot, braving the Downtown Disney construction in pursuit of Wetzel’s Pretzels, or just hanging out at his apartment, I’m always grateful for a chance to spend time with him.

Oh and speaking of Wetzel’s Pretzels

YUM.

Also, have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE Epcot? I just really love it.

Aaand I finally got trained front of house! I think it is so much fun. I actually get to interact with people. And it finally feels like I’m doing what I came here to do! I’m excited for the new experiences that this will hopefully bring.

Oh and here’s a picture of my cute costume, in case you were wondering.

Patrick and I were just really excited.

Yeah we definitely rock that colonial style.

Well I guess that’s all for now. More to come soon!

 

 

A Bit of Everything

One of the best parts about being on the college program here at Disney World is the endless opportunities you have to explore and enjoy all that Disney has to offer. I have already been able to experience so much, and it’s still just the beginning!

This week I did some resort/park hopping. I am OBSESSED with the Disney resorts and love exploring them. So on one of my days off this week I went around to some different resorts with my roommate Katarina and our friend April. We decided to just hop on the first bus that was headed to a resort and then we went from there!

Our first stop was Old Key West (Hey! My brother works there!)

A few bus rides later we ended up at Coronado Springs, where we ate some good Mexican food!

Then we took a bus to Epcot, where we walked through the park to go to Yacht and Beach Club. Side note — Epcot has officially become my favorite park for the time being. I love it SO MUCH. Also Yacht and Beach may be one of my favorite resorts (out of the ones I’ve seen, of course). And that’s where my roommate Padley works!

Here is a view of the Boardwalk from Yacht and Beach. We didn’t go there – it’s still on my list! But this area is absolutely beautiful. (You can walk straight to Epcot from both of these resorts).

I also went to Port Orleans another day this week on my own, which was so nice. The whole resort reminded me of New Orlean’s Square at Disneyland.

I also spent a day at the parks with some friends this week! We started out at Epcot, then decided we wanted to ride some rides at Hollywood Studios so we headed over there. But of course since Frozen has completely taken over the world and everyone has flocked to Studios for the whole summer fun event, we weren’t really able to ride anything. SO we decided to go to Magic Kingdom! In the end we unintentionally visited three parks in half a day. Seriously though, when else in my life am I going to be able to do this kind of stuff?! I love it!

Here we are with sand Olaf!

We also met talking Mickey that night at Magic Kingdom. Talking. Mickey. It was absolutely terrifying. Cool, but terrifying. haha!

Oh and another thing that I love is getting off work early and just being able to stay at Magic Kingdom. Sometimes that’s all it takes to remind me that I really am at such a magical place, and I get to just take it all in.

So that’s pretty much what I’ve been up to lately! Other than work, of course. Oh but good news! I will be getting trained front of house the first week of August! And then my family comes!!! The reservations are made and it’s all set, and I could not be more excited!

An Update, Perhaps?

Hello friends! I’m starting to realize that I should try to update this more often because so much keeps happening! Apart from the long busy work days, I have had a lot of fun days! It’s so great to be in a place where there is so much to do and explore. I basically live for my days off! But who doesn’t, right?

So one of my days off last week I spent in Magic Kingdom with Katarina 🙂

We met Gaston.

And we were swooning so hard.

Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate this zoomed up screenshot from one of the photos? Thanks.

We also met Pooh and Tigger, but I look super awkward in all of the pictures haha.

Then this past Sunday was my roommate Padley’s birthday! Luckily most of us were able to get work off and we spent the day together 🙂 I went to church in the morning with some friends from the ward, and then us roommates celebrated Padley’s birthday by going to lunch, the mall, and the Yacht and Beach club resort, where we ended the day by eating the famous Kitchen Sink at Beaches and Cream. And we finished it like champions.

before

after

Eight scoops of ice cream, every single topping, and a whole can of whipped cream (“a whole caaaan?!”) can you say stomach ache? But yeah we were pretty proud.

I had the next two days off, but unfortunately I came down with a nasty cold which I am still trying to get over. I am lucky that it came during my days off though! Then yesterday I was feeling a little better so Logan and I went to Universal again which was fun 🙂 AND they were doing a soft opening of the Hogwarts Express while we were there, so I was able to go on it before it officially opens next week with Diagon Alley! It was beautiful. I actually almost cried. Haha not really, but maybe.

Then we saw Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone at the movie theater there at Universal which was a lot of fun! I never thought I’d be seeing it in theaters again!

I was able get the day off today too which is great since I still haven’t been feeling well. So I have had a 4 day weekend! (you all are going to think I never work…I swear I DO. Honestly I think that’s why I got sick – from overworking myself and not getting enough rest.) So this morning I went to breakfast with some of my roommates at Trail’s End at Fort Wilderness which was so cute! And it was a buffet which we were really excited about. Then I mostly just slept and watched movies the rest of the day which was wonderful. It’s been really nice to have this time off and I really needed it! But of course, it’s time to get back to work.

Oh! And my family is officially coming to visit in just over a month from now! I cannot wait to see them, and I’m so glad I have that to look forward to. 🙂

 

A Great Weekend, a Princess Audition, and a Magical Moment

Well today marks one month since the start of my program! Time has gone by so fast already (although some days it really doesn’t feel like it). And despite my not-so-great job, I really have had some great experiences that make it all feel worth it.

Last weekend I had some of the best days yet. I decided to give away my Saturday shift because, well, I figured I deserved a break after working myself to a puddle of sweat and tears my very first week. Plus I really wanted to spend some time with my brother! Luckily at my location there are a lot of seasonal and part-timers who are always looking to pick up shifts, so it wasn’t that hard to find someone who wanted it. So me and Logan decided to plan on going to Universal Studios since he had the day off too. I was super stoked, and then of course because it’s Florida the weather decided to go all crazy torrential downpour right before we were going to leave. Seriously though the rain here is crazy. Apparently it does that like every day (I honestly wouldn’t even know since I work back behind all human existence and any kind of association with the outside world). Anyways, we decided to go and I’m so glad we did! We both ended up buying annual passes which I’m way excited about! And since it was a rainy day it really wasn’t that busy. First stop of course was Wizarding World of Harry Potter (I had only been once before so I was so excited to go back!)

We had lunch at the Three Broomsticks (which was like the first real food I’ve eaten since I’ve been here) and had Butterbeer which is pretty much the best thing to ever happen to this world.

We also took some selfies by the castle.

We went to both Universal parks and then ended the day at Magic Kingdom with some corn dog nuggets from Casey’s Corner. And we rode the Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train for the first time which was a lot of fun! So all in all it was a pretty great day.

I also had Sunday and Monday off as my normal days off for the week. It was so nice to have a long weekend! Sunday morning I was able to go to church and then Logan and I decided to go for a casual stroll around the World Showcase at Epcot. We also drove around Old Key West which is the resort he will be working at as a manager, and it is so nice! I’m way excited for him!

Then on Monday there was a face character audition for CPs, so I decided to go with my roommates (spoiler alert: I’m not going to be a princess). It pretty much went exactly how I expected it to go. They measured us. They lined us up in groups. They looked at us. They called a few numbers. And that was it! There were well over 200 girls there and they only kept 8! But seriously, who needs to be a Disney princess when you could be frying french fries and doing dishes and taking out smelly trash all day, right? 😉 haha! Anyways, later on that day some of my roommates and I went to Hollywood Studios and then came back and ordered pizza and had a movie night. I love those moments I get to have with them; they are rare now that we all have crazy schedules.

So work is still really tough, but I’m doing all right. And a few days ago I finally got to experience my first Magical Moment! It was someone’s birthday, so a bunch of us went to their table with a little chocolate cake with a candle in it and sang to them. It was simple but I was so glad I got to be a part of it! Since I work in the kitchen I really don’t get to have those kind of experiences very often, so it made me happy 🙂 Also, another day this week I decided to just stay in Magic Kingdom after work and I was able to meet up with some of my roommates. I almost forgot that I work in such a magical place!

I’m still really hoping to be trained FOH (front of house) where I can have more guest interaction. But as of right now it doesn’t look like that will happen very soon so I’m just going to take it one day at a time and try to make the most of it. Even though my job isn’t very fun, it’s the little moments that are really going to make this experience for me.