Boo to You!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Believe it or not, it's officially Halloween at the Walt Disney World Resort. I've been here just about a month and a half, and I've settled into the Disney lifestyle. I've adjusted as much as humanly possible... but seeing that there is no rhyme, reason, or sense to our schedules my body isn't exactly on a time clock. Oh well, that's working for the Mouse, I guess. My boss is a tough cookie.

Halloween time at Disney world starts, officially, on September 13, 2011 and runs through November 1, 2011. Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is the center of attention for the WDW Resort this time of year, and for good reason. As an extra ticket event, a select number of ticket-holding guests are admitted to the Magic Kingdom Theme Part, exclusively, from 7:30p until midnight. Any other guest at the park, starting at 7:00p, will be escorted out by a Cast Member until only those wearing the Not-So-Scary wristbands are left in the park. The Halloween Party has a separate, Villain-themed Castle Stage Show, a unique fireworks spectacular, "Hallowishes," meet and greets with characters who can be seen ONLY at Mickey's Halloween Bash, as well as the highlight of the show, "Disney's Boo to You Halloween Parade," which shows twice per party. 

I had the opportunity to view the cast preview of "Boo to You" and it was an experience! The photo shown at the beginning of the blog is the Headless Horseman, who starts the parade by galloping down the parade route, from Frontierland to Mainstreet USA. The horse is unbelievably beautiful, which is why this was my personal favorite part of the parade. 

I'm the first to admit that working at WDW has destroyed a lot of the world famous "Disney Magic" that tourists from all around the globe come to Florida to see. There are Disney theme parks in California, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Shanghai... but Walt Disney World in Orlando was Walt Disney's dream, and I've heard that there is nothing like the real thing! Despite the lack of Magical Moments in my Disney life, watching the Boo to You parade brought that Disney magic back to life for me. It's engaging, it's fun, and the character performers are so ridiculously talented! 

Disney employment isn't all it's advertised and cracked up to be, I'm going to give it some time to settle and see what sort of tomfoolery Cinderella can get me into until I formally share my opinions with everyone. My job is exactly that... a job. One that consists of crazy hours, crazy guests, and a crazy over-priced menu! ;)

Aside from my job, I'm meeting new people from across the country, and they are making my time off from Disney an adventure in and of itself. 

I'm heading home for a visit in three weeks (to the day!) and I'm ready for some Fargo Hospitality. I'll tell you one thing, since Orlando *IS* a tourist town the folks down here are NOT so friendly! Once you get outside the Disney bubble they are some of the most rude, inconsiderate citizens I've had the displeasure of meeting... someone needs to send them up north for a lesson in Minnesota Nice! 

I've said this once, and I will say it every day until this program is complete... THANK GOD FOR SKYPE. It is keeping me connected with my boyfriend back home, and it's a lifesaver for me when I'm feeling down. My evening off tonight consisted of a hardcore study session with Mr. Ali Dhanani for an upcoming anatomy exam, and it was an excellent night off. I love being able to have a sense of normalcy and consistency in my life, and seeing his face every night before I go to bed brings me right back home. 

That's all for now, I have some more creative updates stored in my memory banks... unfortunately, unlike when I'm in ND... down in FL I have seasonal allergies, and they are kicking my ass right now! My brain's in a fog, my nose is itching ALMOST as much as my eyes... and seeing as Disney housing is pretty similar to a freshman dorm's social setting, sleep is hard to come by with your neighbors slamming doors and jamming out to music at all hours. As soon as I have a minute to process my thoughts you'll hear all about the precious younglings I've met so far, the code Vs, the AFRs, the code yellows... so much to share, so little energy and brain cells.