Beaches and Cream

Ok friends, it's finally time for my first restaurant review!! 

Since Disney food and the theming of Disney restaurant are basically the greatest thing ever, you know I had to try about a million places, and I've still barely grazed all the restaurants on property.  One of my new favorites since participating in the DCP is Beaches and Cream at The Beach Club Resort.  It's a small little place designed after old-fashioned soda fountain, and it's nestled on a quaint little boardwalk overlooking the pool area!  When you walk up, you're greeted by these adorable beachy signs.

The longer one is actually the soda shop menu, because not only do they serve delicious ice cream sundaes, but they also have burgers and other American classics! (There's also an ice cream window where you can just go up and order ice cream to go.)  I never actually took a good picture of the inside (blasphemy, I know), but here's a photo off of the Disney Parks website!

Super beachy and bright and adorable!

As roommates, Beaches and Cream was our very first night out together! We went for their claim to fame, The Kitchen Sink!  Basically it is a literal kitchen sink shaped dish filled with every type of ice cream and topping they have.

   

We had SO much fun eating this, and my roommate Mallory even made a hilarious vlog about it! You can and should watch that here because it really is quite magical. We literally sucked every last drop out of that bowl, and we successfully finished the Kitchen Sink!

All 6 of us, plus our amazing waitress! 

SO it's REVIEW TIME. I'll reveiw everything on a scale of 1-5, 1 being the worst & 5 being the best.

Atmosphere: 5 - the beachy vibe makes for a great spot!

Quality of Service: 5 - I've only eaten here twice, but I've had two fantastic waitresses!

Quality of Food: 5 - Obviously their ice cream is TO DIE for, but their burger was also the best I had across property!

Overall: 5

Thanks for tuning in! And be sure to stop by Beaches and Cream on your next visit to WDW! 

xo Sarah

Check-In, Casting, Traditions...the Whole Shebang.

Hello friends!

So this blog was kind of a flop while I was on my program. Despite having a long list of things I wanted to write about, I never did. HOWEVER now that I've been home for almost 3 months (excuse me, what?!) and I'm going through insane PDD, I've decided to start this up again and write about different aspects of the program!

Let me start with check in day. With the new DORMS system, you no longer have to arrive at Vista Way at ungodly hours of the morning to get the apartment you want! Our check in started at 8, so my roommates and I all decided to meet up at 7 outside of Vista! We were some of the first ones there, and we did have to wait a little outside the complex before they let us in, but we all got to bond so it was wonderful! We got led through the Complex to where check in would be taking place, and we had to go through a bunch of stations to get our program guides, register cars, etc. Honestly, most of check in was a big blur to me because I was just too excited that I was finally there! What I did remember was moving into the next room to get our locations! When I say all of my roommates and I screamed when I found out that my location was going to be Cinderella Castle, it's an understatement. I'm pretty sure we got some odd looks, but we were all so happy! From there, we were split into groups - one group who would be going to Casting that day, and one group who would be going the next day. I was the only one out of all my roommates who would be going the next day, so I had quite a bit of down time. I basically sat around the family and friends waiting area with Josh until my roommate Kelsey could drive us back to the hotel to pick up my luggage!  (Side note about luggage, etc - the DCP Transtar busses are running to take you from Vista to the other complexes with your luggage if you need it, HOWEVER, even on check in day, only program participants are allowed on them, so plan accordingly!) After picking up my luggage (4 suitcases...oi) it was OFF TO CHATHAM!!!

Somewhere along the check in process, we had found out that we would be in a 3 bedroom apartment in Chatham, which was our top choice, so we were happy campers! Chatham is absolutely huge and I basically got lost the first time I walked around it, which is why your program guide has a handy dandy map of all the complexes! We got super lucky and were placed in building 15, which is actually the first building on the left when you're entering security.  PLUS we were on the first floor which made it so much easier moving in and whenever we had groceries and stuff!

The red circle is our building, and as you can see, it's SUPER close to the clubhouse and the bus stop! The little pink star thingy was our laundry room so that was wonderful.

After unpacking and getting acquainted and all that jazz, I had to get a good night sleep for casting the next day!! Casting sounds real exciting, and the Casting Center building is cool, but it was actually quite boring. It was just a whole lot of paperwork and background checks. 

  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

The murals inside the Casting Center are all so beautiful!!

"Impossible." "You mean impassable! Nothing's impossible!"

(by far my favorite part of Casting)

Later that week, my roommate/coworker Sarah (yes we have the same name, we're twins) and I had TRADITIONS! Now this was incredibly exciting, but unfortunately, I really can't say much about it. We had the first one of the day, so we were up bright and early to get on the bus to take us there. It was a LONG day but so, so much fun!! After that, we were officially Disney cast members so we RAN to Magic Kingdom to play for the very first time!! 

So yeah that was a lot of info, but that was basically my first week on the program! It was crazy, and filled with a TON of information, but it was so much fun!

That's all for now friends, see ya real soon!

xo Sarah

Wait...It's Almost March??

Hello friends!

I've gotten a lot of grief from people for not posting more often like I said I would, and it's true, I have definitely been slacking.  I have quite a few posts in the making and for some reason I've just never gotten around to posting any of them.  I've been so crazy busy with work and trying to fit in as much park time as possible, that I've kind of let this project fall into the sidelines.  Starting today though, I plan on changing that! I'm roughly a month and a half into my program now, and I want to really start documenting everything that's happening, right down to the little details! I've been writing little things down and taking pictures of things that make me happy here, for the campaign "100 Happy Days," so I've decided I'm going to move that here and have a continuous post where every day I write down one thing that made me smile; especially those magical moments I have at work! Along with this, I do have my restaurant posts coming as promised, and I will FINALLY write about check in, casting and Traditions!

As for a quick update with life here in Florida - the weather is finally getting warmer! For a while, we were having mornings in the 30s and eventually even my body thought 50s and 60s were cold!  I've been working a lot, and while constant 12 hour, open to close shifts (7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.) can get really tiring, I'm absolutely in love with my job.  I love the people I work with, especially all the CPs, and I adore making magic for these little girls (and boys)!
I've gone on a little exploring here in Florida, including a recent day trip to Tampa with my roommate Kelsey to go to Busch Gardens! While I can safely say that I still love Disney more, it was so much fun to get away and go on a bunch of roller coasters!

Today, I'm even more excited! I have the next few days off from work because the Loell's are coming! I'm so excited to see them and stay in a Disney resort for the first time in a long time! It's going to be like a mini-vacation and I am so thrilled!

That's all for now my friends! TTFN!
xo Sarah

Magic Kingdom fun with Josh!

Hello everyone! It's time for my very first DCP update!
Today is day 2 of my program and so much has already happened!

Josh and I arrived in Orlando on Saturday to absolutely GORGEOUS weather - mid to high 70s and very little humidity.  I was itching to get on Disney property, so after a minor fiasco with the Orlando public bus system (let's just say they're changing the bus routes and Google maps hasn't updated them yet) we made it to Downtown Disney! I basically started skipping around like a 5 year old and ran to Guest Services where we got our Magic Kingdom tickets for the next day! We ate at Cookes of Dublin for dinner and it was delicious. It's just a quick-service place, but the food is wonderful and there's cute seating inside! While we were there it started pouring in typical Florida fashion, so we made our way over to get lost in World of Disney. After mentally making a list of everything I wanted to buy once I get my Cast Member discount, we went back to the hotel to prepare for a full day in Magic Kingdom!

Sunday in the Magic Kingdom was perfect. We ran off the monorail right at rope drop when they started singing the good morning song and obviously I sang along with every word while Josh laughed at me. We walked into the park and were greeted by this beautiful sight

The park was essentially empty all morning; we walked on multiple rides and met Alice and the White Rabbit, Ariel and Gaston with not long waits at all! We managed to do essentially everything in the park, and stayed until park close with a wonderful ending to the day by watching Wishes! Here are some pictures from the day!

Meeting Alice and the White Rabbit

Outside Gaston's Tavern in Fantasyland

Gaston was beyond perfect. It was like he was straight out of the movie.

Just hanging out under the sea with Ariel.

My favorite castle-picture spot.

For more pictures, you can check out my Flickr here! My next few posts will be more DCP relevant; about my apartment complex, Casting and Traditions, roommate adventures, and my first "restaurant review!" :)

xo Sarah

The time has come, the walrus said...

"You see, the most fantastic, magical things can happen, and it all starts with a wish!"

- Jiminy Cricket

Almost 17 years ago, at 4 years old, I experienced the magic of Disney for the very first time.  While I don't remember much from that first trip other than what I see in pictures, that was when my love for all things Disney began.  As I got older, I only fell in love with it more, and I wanted more than anything to be a part of the magic.  Now, I finally get to do that as a part of the Disney College Program.  

Today is my last day at home here in Massachusetts. It feels like yesterday I was applying and, but now my countdowns are all down to 1, and my bags are (almost) packed and ready to go.  Tomorrow morning, I leave for Florida.  What I've been dreaming of for so long is finally happening, and I'm both terrified and excited. It's a scary thing, moving 1,000+ miles away from home, even if it's only for 4 months.  I'm going to miss everything about home SO MUCH (except of course the cold and snow), but I know this experience is going to be an amazing one!  I'm so thankful for the chance to be a part of this program, and for the chance to experience Disney World through the eyes of a Cast Member. 

To my friends and family at home, and to anyone else who wants to follow my journey through the DCP, I'll be posting here as often as I can!  I'll be doing updates throughout my program about work and all the different things I'm doing!  I'll also be including as much information as I can about the program itself for anyone who's interested!  Beyond this blog, I'll also be attempting to vlog (a video blog, for those of you who don't know) and I'll be posting as many pictures as I can on my tumblr; both the links to my YouTube channel and my tumblr can be found in the navigation bar at the top of the page! :)

Thanks to all of you who have been supporting me! I can't wait to start this magical journey!

As Princess Tiana sings;

                    I'm almost there, I'm almost there 

                   People down here think I'm crazy, but I don't care. 

                   Trials and tribulations, I've had my share 

                   There ain't nothing gonna stop me now 'cause I'm almost there!

xo Sarah

Packing, Packing and more Packing

Hello friends!

So I woke up this morning to find my countdown to my flight to Florida at 7 days so you could say I am extremely excited! ONLY ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL DISNEY!

Since my time at home is getting short, I decided that it's time for me to start packing for my big adventure! The only large packing experience I have is for school, but that doesn't really help me much because it's a 45 minute car ride away, so I can basically pack whatever and however I want.  With Florida, I have SO much more to pack, but I'm limited to suitcases since I'm flying.  Luckily enough, I'm flying Southwest, which allows each passenger to have 2 free checked bags (yippee, money saver right here!), plus a carry on and a personal item, and since my boyfriend is only bringing a carry on I have the ability to use 4 suitcases!

I've been searching through DCP blogs and vlogs to compile different packing lists to make one that seems to make the most sense for me.  If you're wondering, my two favorite packing lists come from blogger Kaela and vlogger Amy.  You can find their packing lists here and here, respectively.

The good thing about packing is that a lot of things on my list can be shared apartment wide, and some of my roommates are already bringing things!  I highly suggest to discuss with your roommates shared items ahead of time so you don't bring duplicates of anything and waste space! My roommates and I created a Google Doc so we could freely edit and share what we were bringing that everyone could use!

For anyone who's interested, here's my whole packing list! There'll probably be some things I end up adding or removing as I go, but this is what I'm starting with! Also, a lot of the things on this list, especially those that are being bought there can be shared!

My DCP Packing List

* - buy in Florida

** - roommates are bringing

BEDROOM

Bedding

• sheets 
• blankets - probably 2, I like blankets!
• comforter
• egg crate
• mattress pad
• pillows - praying I can fit 2 in my suitcases
• pillowcases
• stuffed animals - cause everyone needs their best buds with them when they move 1,000+ miles from home

Storage

• space bags  -- use to pack
• accessory storage?
• closet organizers - the cloth hanging ones if I have space

Clothing/Closet/Laundry

• shirts 
• tank tops
• shorts
• skirts/dresses
• jeans - only one pair
• sweatshirts - one or two
• a rain coat
• socks
• shoes - sneakers, flip flops, work shoes and dressy shoes
• swimsuits
• bathrobe?
• lots of underwear
• pajama tops and bottoms
• sweatpants/yoga pants
• professional clothes
• belt
• clothes hangers (I have no idea how I'm going to pack these)
• iron/ironing board (hopefully someone brings this)
• laundry bag/basket
• laundry detergent *
• dryer sheets **

Mousellaneous (this is a fun word and I blame Kaela and her blog post for getting me into it)

• alarm clock
• camera and batteries/charger, extra SD card
• ethernet cord if you don’t have a router
• extension cords **
• headphones
• ihome/speakers?
• laptop & charger
• lock for your locker
• phone charger
• photos/decor from home
• picture frames
• surge protector(S) **
• pushpins
• pens
• notebook
• agenda
• post its
• park backpack
• purse

BATHROOM

Shower, Toilet & Sink

• bath/beach towels
• hand soap **
• hand towels 
• face cloths
• shower curtain & liner *
• shower organizer? *
• toilet brush *
• toilet cleaner *
• toilet paper *
• toilet plunger  *

Toiletries

• aloe vera gel *
• bug spray *
• chapstick
• glasses
• deodorant
• face wash
• hair stuff - brush, bobby pins, hair ties, headbands, hair dryer, straightener
• makeup
• makeup remover/wipes
• nail clippers
• body spray
• razors/shaving cream 
• shampoo/conditioner
• soap/body wash
• sunscreen
• tampons/pads
• tissues *
• toothbrush/toothpaste
• band-aids **
• ibuprofen
• meds

Mousellaneous

• air freshener *
• bath mat/rug **
• over-the-door hooks for towels and stuff **

KITCHEN

Appliances and Utilities - You obviously don’t necessarily need all of this, it’s just what I found in other packing lists, plus it totally depends on how much you think you'll want! Since I'm flying, I can't pack any of this, so if we need it and no one else is bringing it, most of it will be bought there!

• baking sheets
• toaster **
• blender **
• extra bowls
• coffee maker **
• crock pot **
• muffin tin
• cups and mugs **
• silverware **
• measuring cups **
• mixing bowls **
• napkins **
• oven mitts **
• place mats
• extra plates **
• extra pots and pans
• sharp knives
• wooden spoon
• spatula
• waffle iron (hopefully getting this shipped down)

Storage, Cleaning and Other Supplies

• all-purpose cleaner *
• dish soap *
• dish towels **
• dishwasher soap *
• Clorox/Lysol wipes **
• paper towels *
• sponges/dish scrubbers **
• Swiffer? *
• trash bags **
• Windex *

Mousellaneous

• tinfoil *
• saran wrap *
• wax paper *
• magnetic calendar for fridge **
• other magnets
• tupperware **
• ziplock bags **
• Pyrex baking/storage dishes **

LIVING ROOM

• TV (apparently it must be digital) **
• DVD/blue ray player
• MOVIES!
• coasters
• coaxial cable (so you can get cable) **
• a Roku ** (my roomie is bringing this; I have no idea what is is but it seems AWESOME)
• wireless router
• throw pillows (gonna make some of these yeahh)
• throw blankets **

So that's my list! There's a LOT of stuff and it would definitely be easier if I were driving, but I'll make it work! I can't wait to be in FLORIDAAAAA!!! I'll be sure to post a final pic/outline of what I ended up packing to take with me on the plane, and what I'll be having shipped down!

xo Sarah