Deployment

       At Disney World when there is not a high need for workers in your location, you get "deployed." This means that you are working at a different location for a week at a time. On your first day you get a two hour training for the resort before you are on your own. I got deployed for the first time two weeks ago to Saratoga Springs. When I found out I was terrified. I barely felt comfortable at the Boardwalk, how on earth was I supposed to work somewhere new? My only saving grace was that I've stayed at Saratoga Springs before.
       The first day I got there and unfortunately my trainer had called out so I got a mini session instead. Saratoga is such a big resort, so big that people drive and take buses to get from place to place around it. It was a little overwhelming when people would ask me how to get places. I usually ended up asking someone around me who worked at the resort regularly.
       Saratoga was only at about 40% occupancy when I was working there, so the days were really slow. Also there we get one hour long break and at the Boardwalk we get two half hour breaks, which is a nice way to break up the day. I did mostly check-in related tasks at Saratoga and only a handful of concierge related tasks. By the time I was on my second to last day and I had a really complex situation  to handle with I was excited with the chance to challenge myself.
       My second week of deployment was at the Grand Floridian. At first when I learned this I was scared to death because the Grand Floridian is one of the fanciest, best resorts in Disney World. I was afraid I wouldn't fit in and wouldn't be able to handle guest situations. On my first day I had a two hour training with a trainer who seemed to know everything you could possibly think of about the resort. She really prepared me well for my deployment. I ended up really enjoying my time at the Grand Floridian and would definitely pick up shifts there in the future. All of the leaders were fantastic and everyone was so helpful if I needed assistance. I met a lot of wonderful guests and had tons of memorable interactions with them.

 ^My costume for Saratoga Springs

^My costume for the Grand Floridian

The Beginning of September....

       September has been great so far! Zach & I celebrated our 4 year anniversary on the 1st. We got reservations at Be Our Guest for dinner and had the best steak I've ever had. It is without a doubt the best food I've ever had on Disney property.

       The very next day I went to 'Ohana to celebrate mine and my friend Lex's birthdays. It was an amazing atmosphere and the food was incredible. We had such a great night, but we were so incredibly full afterwards we were waddling around all night. 

       I've grown extremely close to the people in the pictures above, Lex, Tabitha & Anthony. They're my Disney 'Ohana and I'm so incredibly grateful to have them in my life. They are truly making my program.

       Last night, Zach & I went to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party as Disney Tourists! There were villains and special characters everywhere, and we trick or treated for more candy than I know what to do with.  My favorite part was the parade, and watching Celebrate the Magic from up close!

^ Zach as a Disney Tourist!

August Recap!

       So I have been really busy (lazy) lately and haven’t gotten the chance to write on my blog in a month. School started this week though, which means my psychology practicum has officially started and I am blogging for a grade, so I will be writing more often.

I’m going to do a quick recap of August!

       In the beginning of August, Zach’s family came to visit. They stayed at POP! Century where Zach works! I was able to see them on two different days. The first day we went to Epcot all day and finished off the night at Magic Kingdom. We ate at Biergarten which is a German buffet. The atmosphere was amazing, it made you feel like you were outside in the middle of Oktoberfest. There was live entertainment, and pretzel rolls that were to die for. The rest of the food wasn’t really my cup of tea but it was fun nonetheless. It was a little tricky to take pictures inside but I’ll post a few to give you the feel for it:

       The second day I spent with Zach’s family was at his aunt & uncle’s house in Deltona where they were holding a birthday party for Zach’s Aunt Jenny. It was super fun, but unfortunately Zach couldn’t get off of work so we had to leave early for his shift.

       

       Towards the end of August my mom came and visited me! We had such a great week together. On the first night we went to Cape May (our favorite!) and the Top of the World Lounge at the Bay Lake Tower Resort to watch the fireworks. That was something we've never done before and it was amazing!

^^The view from the Top of the World!

^^My strawberry lemonade with lime foam :)

       On the second day of her visit we spent the day at the Orlando Premium Outlets and ate at Big River Grille. On the third day we went resort hopping. We visited the Animal Kingdom Lodge which is somewhere we'd never been before. We ended the night watching Frozen on a big blow up screen on the lawn of the Boardwalk!

^The inside of the Animal Kingdom Lodge lobby

^The resort's resident Giraffe!

^Me on the big couch at the Boardwalk:)

       On Thursday we went to Magic Kingdom and ate at Be Our Guest for lunch! The park was empty, and we were able to go on all of the rides we wanted to by 7 o'clock so we decided to head over to Hollywood Studios for a few rides and the Frozen Fireworks!

       It was a great week with my mama and I didn't want it to end. We are planning a trip for her to come down in November though and I planned a spontaneous trip home next week!