wdw bound

[emlovessid]

i’m missing disney a whole heckin lot so please go and give my new insta a follow 💕

[emmadreamsofdisney]

#45

My heart is honestly breaking for all the cp’s whose programs have been cut short!! Everyone has been saying it, but the DCP was the best year of my life and I can’t even imagine how tough this must be. Here’s to hoping that they’ll be able to go back once everything has returned to normal ❤️

[emmadreamsofdisney]

#44

It’s crazy to think that two years ago I was only just arriving in Florida to start the adventure of a lifetime. And now it’s been more than a year since I left and the Disney withdrawals are as strong as ever. But in just a few months I’ll be off to Tokyo Disneyland - it’s not home, but it’s pretty darn close!!

[emmadreamsofdisney]

#43

Two years ago today I was accepted into the Disney Cultural Exchange Program and oh boy, what a journey it was!! There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t miss it with every part of me, but I have the most amazing memories and friends that mean the world to me. So thank you to Disney Programs, to Walt and to Mickey for the opportunity of a lifetime!!!

[emmadreamsofdisney]

Another bucket list item, eat ALL the food at Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival!

[emmadreamsofdisney]

#41

Recently my friend’s sister got accepted to participate in the Disney Cultural Exchange Program and I am so beyond excited for her!! It got me thinking about those “must do” things I would recommend as a cast member, so I put together a bit of a list of things I wouldn’t miss out on:

Work a shift at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

Attend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (and watch Boo To You!!)

Four parks one day

All the buffet breakfasts - but in particular Trails End and Boma

Starlit Splash and the Winter Formal

See the Gingerbread House at the Grand Floridian

Dapper Day

Stay at Magic Kingdom from park open to park close - also stay back to get the classic photo sitting on an empty main street!

Resort hop

The Kitchen Sink at Beaches and Cream

Hoop De Doo Musical Revue

The Epcot New Year’s Eve fireworks - sadly cast members are blocked out on NYE so I watched them from the Boardwalk, but if you’re lucky enough to be working at Epcot, work a shift on NYE!!!

[emmadreamsofdisney]

It’s kind of fun to do the impossible - Walt Disney

Disney College Program Spring & Fall 2017 ♥

[emmadreamsofdisney]

#39

I have been back in Australia for three days and I still can’t believe that my Disney adventure is over.

The last few days of my program were extremely emotional. Not only did I have to say goodbye to my home away from home, Everest and Rivers of Light, but I also had to say goodbye to all of the amazing people I have become friends with this year.

Despite reading all the blogs before I came over about how hard leaving would be, I really wasn’t prepared for just how hard it was. I sobbed when I watched my last Rivers show and I sobbed when I sent my last train of guests into the forbidden mountain. I sobbed when I watched Happily Ever After on my final night and I sobbed a whole lot more when I had to say goodbye to my roommates and my Asia family.

It’s so crazy to think that one year ago I didn’t know any of these people, and now they are such a big part of me that I feel a little empty without them. I know that I will see a lot of them again, but it breaks my heart that when I do, it won’t be the same. It won’t be ordering maccas at 4am in our pyjamas or coming up with ridiculous poses for ride through at the end of the night.

I am so thankful that I was lucky enough to be chosen for this program. Yes, it was hard working long hours and being so far from home, but it has genuinely been the greatest year of my life and I wouldn’t change a thing about it!

[emmadreamsofdisney]

#38

Today I went to Epcot for the last time and said goodbye to my original home here at Disney. To say it was heartbreaking was an understatement - I teared up when I met Mickey, Minnie and Goofy at Character Spot and I cried a little riding the Seas, but when Squirt came out chanting “EAC EAC” at the end of Turtle Talk, I actually sobbed. It’s so sad to think that I can’t pop in and visit everyone whenever I feel like it anymore. I won’t just bump into Eddie and Ryan in the hallways backstage. By the time I get back to Disney World to visit, half of these people will probably be gone.

I’m so thankful for the time I had at the Seas and all the friends and memories I made there. Thanks for making me feel at home on the other side of the world. Until next time explorers, you so totally rock!!

[emmadreamsofdisney]

#37

With only nine days to go, it’s really started dawning on me just how much I’m going to miss my life here at Disney. This time next week I will have finished my last shift, and while I’m very excited to never again have to ask a guest to pull up on their lap bar, I’m seriously going to miss my Sherpa’s and all the shenanigans we get up to at work. The thought that I will probably never see most of them again after next week is so hard to imagine and I just want to soak up every last moment with them. I was so devastated when I was transferred to Animal Kingdom, and now Everest and my Asia family are such a big part of me that I can’t imagine where I would be without them!

[emmadreamsofdisney]

#36

One month today until my program ends!! Where did all that time go?

[emmadreamsofdisney]

#35

Happy Thanksgiving y’all!

For my first ever Thanksgiving, I’m so thankful for all the amazing friends I’ve made over here in America and for all the amazing things I’ve had the opportunity to do. I just got back from staying with a friend and her family in Georgia for a couple of days, the week before that I was in the Bahamas, and today I got to have Thanksgiving lunch with my Sherpa family.

It’s hard to believe that in less than six weeks I’ll be flying back home and saying goodbye to the place and the people that have become my temporary home. It’s been such an incredible year and I will truly cherish the memories forever.

[emmadreamsofdisney]

#34

A Day in the Life: Expedition Everest

Spending day in and out at the mountain can sometimes be stressful, but also a lot of fun. Working at Expedition Everest involves greeting guests, scanning fastpasses, checking heights, grouping guests into rows and checking lap bars. So many lap bars. It also involves monitoring the attraction by watching cameras placed throughout different sections of the ride.

Typically shifts are six hours long - however sometimes the overtime gods are in your favour and you’ll be blessed with a 12+ hour shift. Like most other Disney attractions, you will work for approximately two hours between each break, with positions rotating every 45 minutes.

Some positions like Grouper and Load can be a little stressful and frustrating, but it’s honestly all worth it when you get to board your own train to the forbidden mountain at the end of the day and wish Betty - our resident yeti - a good night!

[emmadreamsofdisney]

#33

It’s only 100 days until my program is over and I fly back home and I am not ready to accept that! How has my program flown by so fast??

[emmadreamsofdisney]

When I extended my program, the number one thing on my Disney bucket list was to work a shift at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. This week that dream came true and it was everything I hoped it would be!!

[emmadreamsofdisney]

#31

Today marks one year since I received my acceptance for this program!!! It’s so crazy to think that I’m now more than eight months in - I honestly can’t believe I’ve made it this far. Here’s to making the next three months the most magical they can be!

[emmadreamsofdisney]

#30

I officially became a true Floridian this weekend - I survived my first (and hopefully last) hurricane. Early last week there was a hurricane building in the Atlantic and, come Saturday, we were stocked up on bottled water, canned food, snacks and batteries as we went into lockdown for 48 hours. Hurricane Irma came through overnight on Sunday, and while the wind and rain were pretty crazy, we were lucky enough not to lose power as we had been expecting. While this is definitely not an experience I would wish upon anyone, I lived through it and now I can add it to my list of cultural experiences I’ve had in America!