So what is the deal with PDD?

So PDD for those that don't know stands for Post Disney Depression. 

Now people can experience a slight taste of this when they return home from their holidays after visiting a Disney park. However, nothing can compare or even come close to when you return home after a whole year being away in the magical place that is often referred to as the Happiest place on Earth.

I found the above photo when I searched the internet for PDD and it made me smile. As it's true you really do miss even the smallest of things that Disney has that isn't just the characters or the rides, yes believe it or not this can even include the bathrooms (or restrooms, or toilets depending on where you are from). Now of course I'm not saying I miss toilets, as that's just plain weird, I'm using this as an example as it just showcases how Disney pays attention to such detail. Even the most mundane and often seemingly dull parts of a normal day can become a little bit more magical thanks to Disney. It is this that I miss, living in a magical world so far removed from reality that you can immerse yourself and leave all your cares and worries behind and release your inner child and just have fun. I always knew saying goodbye to Disney would be the hardest it is a place that holds so many fond memories for me and is one of the reasons I was so keen to have the opportunity to become part of the magic in the first place. 

Whilst I miss Disney, although it may sound odd, I don't necessarily miss the job per sé, and by this I'm referring to the raw root of it, being a merchandise hostess. I had reached a point with it where I had become comfortable within the role as I knew what I was doing and I feel I had taken everything I could possibly learn away from the job. I was ready for a new challenge.

However, although I don't miss the role itself, I do miss working for Disney and the surrounding aspects of the job role. Working for Disney was such an honour. Never before have I had the opportunity to work for an organisation that's main focus is to make other people happy and go above and beyond for a guest (I find it hard to say Customer now as Disney language has become my own now so excuse this!). I got to be a part of creating magic for guests and even if at times I didn't feel I was doing anything extraordinary guests had a wonderful way to let you know how you had helped make their vacation a special one as exampled below. 

The best thing for me is when you had a guest come up to you and say "I remember you, I just want to say thank you..." I particularly remember this one guest who I apparently helped back in September of last year and she returned around April time, (which was a particularly rough time for me then) and said "I'm not sure if you remember me but I just want to say thank you for last time when you offered a kind hand to my Dad who was suffering with Parkinson's, you let him take shelter in your store away from the heat and a step to rest on whilst engaging in a lovely conversation with him. You never forget a kind gesture like that." I remember having to take a few moments to head backstage (by this I mean the stockroom/away from view of guests) to have a little cry. As little did I know back then what a difference I had made to that person's day, but for her to remember me too and to make sure to come find me was all very overwhelming. It struck a personal chord to with me as my own Papa back home equally suffers with Parkinson's and I know all too well what that is like to cope with on a day to day basis. This lovely lady reminded me why I was there and helped me to regain my focus and made me realise even if some days I didn't feel I was being particularly magical, sometimes just being kind and being yourself is enough. 

Furthermore, I miss the people. The people you work with are just second to none. The leaders out there, the coordinators and just generally every cast member you meet. Obviously on a personal level I miss those that I would work with on more of a daily basis, whilst we didn't always see eye to eye on things, overall we all shared the same goal of being a part of the Disney magic and sharing this with others to enjoy. I could spend hours listening to people's stories about Disney, why they chose to work there, where they have worked previously and the stories they have from this. Everyone's journey is unique and special and it was fun to discover them.

One aspect of PDD which makes it hard to cope with is social media, I of course have friends who I know are still out there living the dream and seeing their updates can be hard to see at times particularly on those days when you're feeling sad and wish you were there with them joining in on the fun. But whenever I feel sad like this I try to turn this around and instead be reminded how lucky I was that, that too was my life for a bit. I had that opportunity whereas some have not.  Although it is hard as I might see something someone did that I didn't get round to doing or wish I had done but this is just reason to head back. I try to think well thank goodness I didn't do absolutely everything as it gives me even more reason to head back and do all those things. I did all I wanted and could do with the time I had and circumstances I found myself in. It can be hard at times to think this way but I know I must in order to move on and get through PDD.

Fortunately though, I am blessed to still be in contact with friends I made out there, some who are still over in Disney and others who are now back home in the UK and countries such as France, Canada, Germany, the US and Mexico too! This program is great that you get to meet people from all over the place as it now means we can have new adventures when visiting one another in our 'home lands' how exciting?!

So PDD is an ongoing thing which I am slowly learning to deal with but it's great that I know I can always message one of my Disney friends who no doubt knows exactly what I am going through and feeling and can offer advice and support. 

And as Ellie from UP once said, I thank Disney for the adventure and now it's time for me to have a new one :).

An open letter about my magical year.

Dear all,

I can't tell you how annoyed I am to return to this blog and see it not completed. I honestly was just always so busy and never made the time to sit down and blog. Whilst I regret this a lot, nothing can be done now and there are a wealth of other bloggers out there who do a far better job than me anyway - so find those and read them!

Before going on this program and starting my year of adventure and fun I was full of hope and optimism and although a little apprehensive about what lay ahead I generally was beyond excited (I mean hellooo I was going to work for the big cheese himself - Mickey Mouse!). Having also just graduated in the summer of 2014 I had begun my first real 'adult job' in the big wide world but would often sit at my desk and dream and wonder what it would be like to just pack everything up, purchase a one way ticket and leave. It was daunting of course but I somehow knew I was ready, or so I thought.


I titled this blog 'Rachael's Magical Disney Year' because I thought it would be just that, one complete magical journey from start to finish but let's be real this is still life and life is full of ups and downs. Now don't get me wrong this isn't going to be a post about how it wasn't because overall I feel I can still say with confidence it was a magical year but in a different way to what I thought it would be.

Let's start from the beginning for those who haven't followed my journey from then. With the technical era that we are now in I was blessed to have the social media support of Facebook which allowed me to connect and communicate to all those participants going through this process. Once I had been given a date and confirmation of employment on November 25th 2014, I was able to then network and discover other people who shared my start date July 21st. Like most people we then set up our own private Facebook group where we could share our concerns, thoughts and excitement for the year ahead. We even managed to organise the majority of us to book onto the same flight out there which was of great comfort knowing I wouldn't be flying solo there, as let's be real a 9 hour long flight by yourself would be dull!

I accidentally did the quickest goodbye to my family at the airport which took us all by surprise I think, but I'm glad it was quick as it meant no one had time to have a big cry and get too emotional. Then off I went to meet the other July 21st start date people and away we went. 

The very start of the program is a whirlwind of emotions and fun as you begin to adjust to living in a foreign land, living with people from a variety of countries and getting used to the fact that you not only work for Disney but you get to LIVE there and visit for free...whaaaat?!?! That's a lot to take in.

As hinted my year was full of ups and downs but I won't go into all the details as not only will it probably put you all to sleep and you probably don't even care but this post is already long enough haha.

What I will say is though, the changing nature of the program with regards to people leaving and arriving is super tough. You honestly do begin to form a kind of family out there as you are all in the same boat being away from home it's only natural you begin to form tight bonds with people. What is even more difficult is when you find those people you click with and then their program ends months before yours does. I had this happen and struggled quite a bit, I honestly felt like I had said goodbye to members of my family. However, thanks to some good eggs, I got through it and towards the very end of my program I found some wonderful friends over in the Canada Pavilion who really helped turn my program around and helped make my last couple of months the best it could be. 

Main things I learnt from the program:

1) Sometimes you just have to be selfish and put yourself first
This was THE hardest lesson for me to learn out there. As being a naturally quiet person I can all to easily take a step back and let others go before me. 

I soon learnt that I needed to be more assertive and if I wanted to leave early on a particular day or I wanted to start my day on a particular register/till or I needed X day off for whatever reason I should just go for it. As if I didn't you'd soon find out someone else did without asking or thinking of others. This may seem petty but these little things really get to you out there.

2) You're here for a good time, not a long time.

This is of course just true to life in general. But a very good friend of mine would remind me of this whenever I needed a boost if I was feeling particularly glum. (and for anyone interested this is also an awesome song sung by - Trooper. Who knew? Okay probs the whole world did but shhh).

Unfortunately though, I was rudely reminded of this a fair few times in my year and by this I am referring to the unbelievable tragic life events that occurred. I won't go into detail of each as I still struggle with them to this day. The attack on Paris back in November of 2015 was the first real reminder that we aren't all here for a long time. Working so closely alongside the French cast members out there and living with my French roommate really brought this home. Not to forget the devastating week for Orlando in June, I honestly thought at one point it would never stop. Being so close as to 5 minutes away of the fatal shooting that night in the nightclub was a real wake up call for me.

Finally, just as I was finishing off my travels over in Canada I got the devastating news that one of my friends I had made during the program had passed away. When someone so kind, so loving, is taken from this Earth too soon this is something I can never truly come to terms with. I just know heaven has gained an all mighty angel and when it comes to my time to leave this place I hope we can meet again in heaven.

I know all too often I will be reminded of this. But I shall use it as a constant reminder to make the most of life, to not stay in a place that makes me unhappy or be with people who bring me down. It's not worth it, life is too precious to be anything but happy.

3) Everything happens for a reason 
This is oh so true. When I found out I didn't get the opportunity to be a trainer for Disney, I'm not going to lie to you I was pretty devastated as having seen so many go before me have this opportunity I felt it was something I needed personally to challenge myself and prove that I was capable of doing more. I wanted it not only for my career growth but personally I needed it at that time for confidence. 

However, instead of putting my head down I also had the upcoming role of being a Tea Tour Guide ahead of me. So I channelled all my energy into this instead and I like to think I did a good job too. I found confidence I didn't know I had and proved to myself if I really want to push myself out of my comfort zone I can do it and I'll survive. This then restored faith in myself and encouraged me to book a solo trip to California for a week. If you would have told me at the start of this program I would be booking and organising travel solo I would have laughed so hard and say I think you've got the wrong person. But it just goes to show we are far more capable then we ever give ourselves credit for.

4) When one door closes another one opens.

Having hinted at already in this post, when some of my very good friends finished their programs around February/March time I really hit an all time low when they left. I had become so used to them being with me that I really noticed their absence and I felt like everything was going wrong around me. I found it hard to enjoy Disney as Disney is meant to be enjoyed with friends not solo. However, I had a couple of amazing people who really took me under their wing and a leader who noticed and understood how I was feeling. These people really helped me persevere through and stick it out and I'm so grateful to them as I then found some of my best friends over in a whole different pavilion who helped me find my spark again and fall back in love with my Disney life. 

Now I'm aware this is all very first world problems and lets be real my life was pretty peachy, but unless you have done and experienced this program it's very hard to explain and help you understand what it feels like.

5) Life goes on...
Ultimately, life does go on. As with everything in life you need some down moments to enjoy the highs and everything has a weird way of working out alright in the end - trust me! 

I'm sure this blog post is pretty boring to most of you reading, but I will be posting a few more blog posts soon as I find this a really helpful way to get to grips with PDD (Post Disney Depression). I find writing my thoughts down a great way to gets things off my chest and out in the open. So if you don't mind reading my rambles then please continue to join me with this blog. 


Peace Out.

- Rachael x

Food and Wine Preview Party

13th August - Food and Wine Cast Preview Party

Food and Wine is an exclusive event to EPCOT which started over 20 years ago. It is an annual event which runs from September through to November and allows you to sample food and beverages from all over the world and includes several countries which are not home to the World Showcase such as Australia, New Zealand, Greece, Poland etc. 

So in anticipation of the event opening to the general public on September 25th 2015, Disney organised a fun preview party exclusive to cast members only. Besides the amazing food and drinks you could sample, they had Chef demonstrations, Character meet and greets, music from the All American Music Machine (which play in the American Adventure pavilion) in addition to DJs, stations set up informing you about the event as well as a sneak peak at the merchandise which would be on offer amongst a photobooth and many many more fun offerings throughout. So if anyone is thinking of doing this program and gets accepted definitely stop by this event - I definitely recommend.

First ever picture with my new Boss - Mickey Mouse!

I blame the humidity for the state of my hair!

I didn't have work until 3.30pm and others also didn't have work until later so after sampling all the fun at the preview party we opted to go on Spaceship Earth and have a mooch around before beginning our shifts.

Arrival Group Friends

First Disney Keeno Day and First Water Park

11th August - Magic Kingdom with Giss

When Giss and me realised we both had the same days off we decided to have a Disney Keeno day at Magic Kingdom. Upon arrival first on my list was to purchase some Minnie Mouse ears, I had originally thought I'd want the sequinned ones but when I tried them on I found them to be really scratchy so opted for the felted ones instead which were much comfier. Then time to pose for a quick snap with my new ears in front of the castle!!! Eeeek!

We had no real itinerary for what we wanted to go on so just casually joined lines for any rides we were in the mood to go on. We ended up going on most of the rides and I also got to meet my first Disney Princess Tiana!! I was concerned about meeting her as everyone in the line before us were children all under the age of 10, and her interactions with them were so cute. So I figured as Giss and I were older she wouldn't really interact with us much but boy was I wrong, I had so much fun talking to her about Jaffa Cakes, bacon haha  she was so much fun to meet.

Giss had to go and collect something at Epcot so we said goodbye to Magic Kingdom and hopped onto the monorail over to there, our home park.

We joined the single rider line for Test Track which was at 20 minutes, but we somehow ended up just walking on to the ride and having a car to ourselves...madness but hey I'm not complaining :P. Then after some exploring around Future world and going on some more rides we headed over to our workplace the World Showcase and had a mooch around. 

Yet again, another wonderful day in Walt Disney World.

12th August - Typhoon Lagoon

 The sun was shining, the temperature was soaring so what better than to spend a day at a water park - Typhoon Lagoon!

From memory I think this was my favourite of the Disney water parks as a child so I was keen to return, but this time with my Mexican flatmates Anilu and Giss. 

After getting ourselves a locker and finding the perfect spot to set up base, we headed on out to explore the park, and we ended up spending a lot of our time out on the lazy river - one of the best things there is as well as spending some time in the wave machine pool. It was so nice to sunbathe and relax, then on our way out of the park who should we bump into but Stitch doing a meet and greet, so of course we had to stop for a photo with him (even though if I am honest I'm not really his biggest fan - shhh!)

In the afternoon we ventured over to Coronado Springs Resort which is where Anilu had worked previously as a Concierge Cast Member, so we were able to have a guided tour around which was really cool and Anilu got to meet up with some familiar faces which was lovely. 

We finished the day by heading to Cast Connections, which is an exclusive cast member only place where you can purchase discounted merchandise. You want to take the whole shop home but your bank balance soon reminds you to calm the heck down and take control of your finances haha otherwise it would be so easy to take so much away with you.

Days out with two Hollie/Holly's at two wonderful Disney Kingdoms

Walmart Shopping and first trip to THE Magic Kingdom with Holly - 3rd August

The bus to Walmart from Disney Housing takes foreverrrr THEN when you get there you lose hours of your life, that is if like me you have no real plan/idea on what you need/how to navigate around. Whereas my friend Laura from my arrival group is quite the pro and can be in and out in 30mins whereas it takes me a minimum of an hour and that's on a good day (Mental Note Made: I need to learn lessons from Laura).

The things you find in Walmart are most bizarre so not only is there an aisle dedicated to 'gun accessories' a sight you would never see back home you can find baked beans in a tin which are MAPLE flavoured?!?!

Like that is NOT okay, and Vodka Pasta Sauce? It baffles me to be honest. Not forgetting the fact that you just cannot fully explain the size of the place and the size of the things they sell. So say you wanted a loaf of bread or some grapes or a carton of juice? over here (well in Walmart at least) you can only purchase things that will feed a family of 4 for a fortnight. So shopping for one is very hard especially when you know your flat only has one fridge/freezer for 6 of you. What fun!


So after my Walmart adventure, three hours later I had returned home and was preparing to leave for an evening of magic. I had arranged to go to Magic Kingdom for the first time this program with Holly (who I had interviewed with back in Oct'14). We arranged to meet after she had finished work and she would get the Monorail over to Magic Kingdom and meet me at the bus stop (as I would have been clueless as to which direction to head in). As we wondered over I caught the far off views of Space Mountain and my excitement began to build. Stepping through those gates/check in area for the first time as a cast member was just the best feeling ever!! I had finally arrived. All those wishing on stars and all the stress and emotional roller-coaster it took to get here it was now a reality. Seeing Cinderella's castle even though having seen it before when I was 6 years old and 15 years old was just as magical and exciting as the first time.

We managed to pack in quite a bit and Holly being the pro had sorted us out for fast passes so we managed to go on quite a few rides such as Ariel's (Under The Sea - Journey of The Little Mermaid), Peter Pan's Flight and I went on Haunted Mansion for the first time which was cool. I had previously avoided Haunted Mansion thinking it was a creepy house you walked around...oh what a fool was I or should I say foolish mortal ;). It ended up being lots of fun to ride. 

Then the magical moments of the evening included being Pixie dusted for the first time which is just amazing, you can get it done at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and if you are a Disney Keeno like myself then it is simply a must! Then I got to see Celebrate The Magic for the first time which was just incredible. Without sounding too old, the whole phrase of "kids these days don't realise how lucky they are", the technology that Disney has access to now only enhances the Disney experience and if you ever visit it is a must do alongside Wishes. Wishes is definitely one of those tear jerker's for Disney Keenos there is just so many feels when you watch and listen to it. Yet again a must do to anyone who visits.

We got to also see the ending of Main Street Electrical Parade which I remember being in awe of as a child. Overall it was just a magical evening and big thanks goes out to Holly for planning such a magical time :).

Animal Kingdom with Hollie - 4th August

From one Kingdom to another and time to meet my FIRST Disney character - of course my favourite - POCAHONTAS!!!!!!! This was the highlight of the day for me 

We of course took the obligatory selfie with the Tree of Life then headed on our merry way to It's Tough to Be a Bug 4D which is full of special effects and some creepy crawlies too! After the show we braved it and went to Expedition Everest of which we opted for the single rider queue and practically were able to walk on. I love the buzz you get after coming off this ride, as I am one big wimp it's always a sense of achievement when I get off this ride. Then time for my first ride on Dinosaur, a lot of people had gotten me nervous about this ride saying how terrifying it was, so I spent the majority of my time on the ride anticipating something really bad to happen, only it never did and I got off like what the hell was everyone on about? They are clearly quite the pranksters. 

After a lot of fun going on all the rides it was time for a pit stop and grab some food. We chose Flame Tree BBQ, where I got to try corn bread for the first time, and I wasn't that much of a fan of it to be honest but pleased I got to try it, then I had some BBQ beans with some ribs. Now it being Animal Kingdom and all it was only right that as Hollie and I were eating we were joined by lots of wildlife how very Disney of us. 

In the evening we decided to go shopping at the Outlets and I ended up wanting to party in Forever 21 as the music selection they play in store is very much on point!

Last few days of training then hi ho, hi ho it's off to work we go!

This is when I wish I had kept a diary as I cannot fully remember everything about these few days now as it is all one big blur. However, what I do remember was that there was lots of information to take in and I had the classic new job jitters so it made for an overwhelming few days, but thanks to my fantastic colleagues, my trainer Louise, the co-ordinators and leaders it wasn't that scary and ended up being lots of fun!

Tier 3 Training - 1st August

Ahh so first real on-the-job training begins! We were scheduled for 10am-6:30pm.

We started with our first morning meeting and leader Tracey informed us all of any important updates that we needed to know with regards to our role or the park itself. 

Let's do this, let's make this dream a reality! Never been so keen to start a job.

Then I'm not too sure what we did next as such, we may have wondered around the pavilion again to get familiar with the shops, but I can't be too sure. However, I do remember training on the till with our trainer Louise. There is one merchandise location in the pavilion which is only really used during peak times and this was the register where we would begin putting into practice what we had learned at our Merchantainment class. After being made familiar again with the layout of the register our trainer got us involved with doing a bit of role play. Our trainer placed our register on training mode, which allowed us to quite literally 'play shops' placing transactions through, getting familiar with the currency (because American currency is very confusing because their 10 cents/Dime looks like our 5p and their 5 cents is very similar size to their 25 cent/Quarter coin and their notes are all the SAME colour and size - nightmare!). 

Then after some role play our trainer had confidence in us that we knew what we were doing and it was time for us to try out some real life transactions. Dun dun dun duuun. So leader Jesic got us set up with our logins for the registers then we could practice for real.

I think it all went pretty well but I was definitely ready for bed when the time came. Being new is tiring having to use your brain as a sponge trying to soak up all the new information/reinforcing information - but hey I WORK IN WALT DISNEY WORLD and life legit couldn't feel any better. Excuse the cheesiness but wearing the costume and being on stage for the first time was quite emotional. I've wanted this once in a lifetime opportunity more than anything and for it to now be here and real is really overwhelming and I do not take one second of it for granted. 

Tier 4 Training - 2nd August

Work Schedule: 13:00-21:30

Tier 4 training allowed us to try out each register in the pavilion and get a sense for what each store is like and what some of the common questions you might get asked by guests within them. For instance, in our Sports shop you guessed it, people will ask what's your favourite football/soccer team? or Why don't you have any of ____ football team merchandise in here? Or where can I find___? and you soon discovered which shops were the busiest and which ones are the quieter ones e.t.c. it was a really insightful day.

Then park closed at 9pm and this was our time to be trained on how to cash up. As with anything new thing, there was lots of information to take in but thanks to my amazing trainer Louise, she provided me with some very helpful notes to take home with me so I could have them in case of emergency, as if anyone doesn't know me that well I can be a bit of a Dory at times and I need new information to be repeated to me at least 3 times before I fully grasp things. 

So after all that fun at work it was time for my first throw out experience which is obviously the opposite to a 'Throw In'. It is a weird occasion as it's both happy and sad. Happy because you all get together as a UK Merch fam and you might be able to take home some goodies with you but sad as it means people are leaving and it signals the start of them leaving. So very mixed emotions throw outs are but I loved my first experience of it nevertheless. 

First Throw Out Experience

Tier 4 Cont Training. - 5th August

Work Schedule: 11:00-19:30

Last Day photo tradition in Christopher Robin's bedroom <3

Yet again thanks to my Dory memory I can't remember what order things happened on this day as such. However, I do know that we started our day saying our goodbyes to those who were leaving our pavilion and taking photos with them. I got to go to Christopher Robin's bedroom for the very first time in my life and just wow is that room special, it has been so wonderfully fitted out, any Winnie The Pooh fan would be wowed by it, I was in awe. 

When it was time to open the shops, I feel Kim and I got to practice again on registers for a bit then we went for our test which I am pleased to say I passed which meant I was/am fully trained and qualified to start my role and go into rotation - YIPEE!!!. My first rotation/assignment was for me to go on cart (our only outdoor position we have) which turned out to be a girl called Sarah's last ever bumpout which was crazy. Her program was coming to an end whereas mine was just beginning. 

About half way through being on rotation it was time for Kim's and mine leader engagement, which is an opportunity for us to not only meet a leader on a one-to-one kind of basis but also allowed us to ask any last minute queries/questions we had about our role and for us to be updated on expectations and guidelines we will need to follow.

Again another splendid day in the UK Pavilion finally making this dream a complete reality now as a fully fledged, fully trained Merchandise Cast Member for DISNEY! So so blessed to be able to have this opportunity. 

First free couple of days - EPCOT and Universal Studios

E P C O T

First day off training so I decided to head to EPCOT to do some exploring and go on some rides for research purposes you know so I can advise guests on where to go and what to go on ;). As a big fan of Ellen Degeneres I just had to go on my first Disney Ride with Ellen as the leading role 'Ellen's Energy Adventure', an old school ride that needs updating but hey Ellen is there so what's not to love?

I then ventured over to The Land to do the 'Living with the Land' ride which is a little boat tour inside a greenhouse where you can see the various ways of food production and you can also see the various ecosystems and get to see creatures such as baby alligators, eels and various other fish (and some hidden mickeys are to be seen on the ride too if you keep your eyes peeled). After my boat ride I went to go on the Figment ride for the first time ever. Figment is a small purple Dragon and is deemed as the mascot to the Imagination at EPCOT. The ride was interesting, it won't be a favourite of mine but I'm pleased I have been on it now. I then went for a wonder around Mouse Gear then headed over to the World Showcase and found myself drawn to tuneful songs sung by the acapella group The All American Music Machine. I think I will now be their number 1 fan. It's like real life Pitch Perfect - my idea of heaven! There I met up with my friend Hollie who works over at HRC (Historical Research Centre) after the performance we continued to explore all the various countries the world showcase has to offer and the delights they have in store such as in Japan they sell Pineapple flavoured gummy sweets, marshmallows that have nutella hidden inside, amongst Hello Kitty Merchandise, swords oh and in Germany they have an AMAZING caramel shop called "Karamell-Kuche" which is a must visit and I could go on as each country has so much to offer, but I'll save that for a post another day. So we finished our world travelling at Mexico and went on Mexico's Three Caballeros ride which if you haven't been on before is a boat ride inside the pyramid which takes you on a journey to explore and discover the wonders of Mexico and of course the Three Caballeros in the form of Donald Duck and his friends Jose and Panchito join you for the fun.

Having finished exploring the world showcase we decided to head on over to Future World West to check out the Seas with Nemo and Friends area we checked out the ride and went to Turtle Talk with Crush which is amazing, then hopped off and went exploring the tanks they have there where I got to see the biggest Sting Ray I have ever seen in my life.

Hi Mr.Ray!!!

We also then went exploring the other tanks and got to see some divers, Manatees, Dolphins, Jellyfish e.t.c. and I also took part in a quiz where I pretty much failed but did get given the title of Sea Worthy so...yeah. 

Then time to go on Spaceship Earth for the first time since arriving here! I love this ride not only because number one it's really cool that you get to go INSIDE the big golf ball (it's correct name is Spaceship Earth) but two it's educational in a fun way talking you through the development of communication and the best bit Judi Dench is the narrator for it -what more could you want from a ride? Haha :P. It was a lot of fun as you also get to create your own future world which is hilarious but I won't give away any spoliers on here.

To finish the day we ate at Electric Umbrella both Hollie's and my first Disney Dining experience.

This is the life, I could get used to this!

From the World to the Universe - 

First Universal Studios day!

After some confusion over how to get to Universal we decided to ditch waiting for the iTrolley and try out Uber instead, which ended up getting us there much quicker than the bus would have done - hooray!


First stop after arriving and taking the obligatory group photo by the spinny sign, purchase of our annual passes, which for me was pretty straight forward as all I had to do was show a letter I got from Disney Housing to confirm I am a Floridian resident, show my photo ID then voila one Florida Resident's annual pass to Universal I have! Score!

At this point we were all pretty hungry so we headed for food in the Universal Studios' Classic Monsters Cafe where we got to use our annual passes for discount - win! Over food we discussed our next move and chose The Mummy ride for the first ride to go on. To say I was nervous would be an understatement but I sucked it up and ended up going on it twice in a row as the queue was so small - success! I was very proud. After a bit of an adrenaline rush we walked by the start of the Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue show so decided to pop on in. I loved the music but as Hollie and I agreed if we actually had seen the movie I'm sure it would have made much more sense. But hey it was good whether we understood what was happening or not haha!

Then what our group was most looking forward to Diagon Alley!!! Hollie had been before so for the rest of us we were in complete awe. Now I'm not the biggest Harry Potter fan and certainly no Potter Head but even I was blown away and amazed at what an incredible job Universal has done. My hat goes off to them. We explored all the shops and went on the Gringotts ride which was full of surprises (don't worry I won't spoil it for those who haven't been) but OMG it is good! After the ride we went to get some ice cream and boarded the Hogwarts Express train over to the second park Universal has, Islands of Adventure which is home to Hogsmeade. Hands down the best train ride I have ever had haha.

The rest of the group went on some more rides until the park closed and we headed back home.

One big fun day at Universal Studios!