I woke up Tuesday so very confused. I was in my own pajamas, under my own comforter, with my head on my own pillow but I was not in my own room. Where am I? Why is the sun shining? Who is this person sleeping next to me?
And then it hit me...
I'M IN ORLANDO! I'M IN MY NEW HOME IN ORLANDO! I'M ON MY COLLEGE PROGRAM IN MY NEW HOME IN ORLANDO!
Everything was perfect.
The only things on my schedule for the day was a trip to Disney Casting at 10:30 a.m. and a roommate dinner in the evening.
Of the six of us, only me and Marlee had Casting at the same time. Ashton had it the day before, Becky had it earlier in the day, and Aly and Brandi had it later that afternoon.
And now that she's been introduced, let's meet Marlee!
She likes to play an exciting game called 'Where Can I Fit?' ...she's pretty good.
Number of previous Walt Disney World Trips: 5
Favorite movie: Beauty and the Beast
Favorite character: Mike Wazowski
Favorite park: Magic Kingdom
Favorite ride: Haunted Mansion
Favorite in-park show: Fantasmic!
Favorite in-park parade: Main Street Electrical Parade
So anyway, despite the building's name, we weren't actually 'casted' at Casting. On the bus ride over, Tara, our guide, explained that everyone who wants to work for Disney must come to the Casting building to interview. As College Program participants, however, we are the only exception as we are interviewed over the phone. Because of that, we need to then come to the Casting building upon our acceptance to take care of all of the paperwork and whatnot.
On our way to Casting, Tara led us in THE MOST EXCITING countdown as we drove under the Walt Disney World arch.
I'm kidding, it was the most anticlimactic countdown ever but it was fun regardless.
I can't share too much about Casting because of the personal-ness of it all but I can share my photos - YAY!
As you walk up to the building, you're greeted by the most wonderful doorknobs.
Doorknob:
Why it's simply impassible!
Alice:
Why, don't you mean impossible?
Doorknob:
No, I do mean impassible. Nothing's impossible!
So cute though, right?
Right inside of the building is a rotunda that features twelve golden Disney characters.
I met some really wonderful people at Casting! FRIENDS.
After we got back to the apartment, I finished unpacking and ran to the supermarket to food shop. It wasn't very eventful sooo I don't have too much to write about.
However, our night got so much more exciting when we started to get ready for dinner! Months and months and months ago, like before the six of us ever found each other, Marlee had made dinner reservations for the California Grill. Like a good Disney fan, Marlee scheduled our dinner so that we could watch Wishes!
...so imagine our disappointment when we learned that Wishes had actually happened at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday night and not 9:00 p.m. when we had our reservation.
OH WELL! Good thing we're here for four months!
We spent some time outside on the observation desk just soaking in the perfection of Magic Kingdom.
And then the most wonderful thing happened - the Electrical Water Pageant took over the Seven Seas Lagoon! It was the first time that any of us had seen it and although the observation deck wasn't the besttt view, it was still adorable.
But even more adorable...
From left to right: Becky, Ashton, Marlee, Brandi, Aly, and me!
We headed back inside once our buzzer went off and were seated at the most perfect table to continue staring at Cinderella Castle. I seriously could not peel my eyes off of that beauty. Like, hi, we're eating dinner and there's a castle.
Keeping up with our new bucket list challenge, Ashton and I each ordered a Twisted Mai Tai (Mount Gay Rum, Crème de Noyaux, Orange Juice, and Pineapple Juice with a splash of Lime). YUM YUM YUM. It was yum.
For dinner, I ordered the Lobster and Squash Bisque and the [children's] Grilled Seasonal Vegetable Lettuce Wraps (I have the worst addiction to lettuce wraps, they are why I exist).
Everything was incredible. The soup was rich and warm and as someone who isn't crazy about seafood, the lobster was the perfectly subtle. Even the lettuce wraps were flavorful despite being from the children's menu!
We said farewell to our David, our waiter, and headed back downstairs. We browsed (read: played) in the Fantasia Shop for a bit. It felt so nice just to be fun and carefree with all of the roommates - everyone was meshing together so wonderfully! Aly also meshed quite nicely with a pair of Darth Vader ears.
Before leaving, I snagged another pressed penny and admired the Contemporary's mural. Mary Blair is my absolute favorite Disney legend (besides Walt, of course); it's no wonder that I adore 'it's a small world' so much.
Our night ended just as it had before, with six very full, very sleepy, and very Disney-happy girls.
This was becoming our new normal.
