Throughout the Years..

I wanted to give you guys some pictures of my life with Disney throughout the years! I know a lot of people are annual guests and stuff like that, but with Disney being so personal for me I wanted to share some before and after pictures of me throughout the years! Just to show how some characters have changed and how I can see myself grow up through theses pictures. It's really a blessing knowing how lucky I am to have been able to spend my life growing up in the place!

These photos were taking in 2000. This is the year I stayed at The Wilderness Lodge and the first time I had eaten at Liberty Tree Tavern inside the Magic Kingdom. The costumes have changed over time but the magic stays the same! I was 6 in these pictures!

Who doesn't remember Doug when it was on TV! Meeting these characters was definitely a great time! Bring back One Saturday Mornings on ABC!

The lady posing in this picture is my cousin Tina. She was my inspiration to do the Program. Here she is in the old Tower of Terror merchandise costumes! She's wearing her Earning My Ears ribbon that I also have for when I was in training! Now Merchandise workers in Disney's Hollywood Studios, except those working in Wandering Oaken's Trading Post, Writer's Block and a few others where the costume that is located at Keystone Clothiers, Mickeys of Hollywood, and the shops located on Sunset Boulevard.

Here is a picture of the Wilderness Lodge from Bay Lake. Before the finishing of the Villas here.

The year of the Millennium, is when Epcot adorned the famous wand and 2000 on top of the ball. It was later changed to Epcot after the year 2000 but was taken down a few years later, now just the original Epcot Ball, home to Spaceship Earth, without and decoration is the centerpiece of Epcot. 

I'm standing outside the famous Princess Couture shop that currently is located behind the Castle. I'm not sure what the name of the store was before Princess Couture or if the name had even changed but I should probably look that up(:

The lovely Minnie Mouse in the Liberty Tree Tavern.

My older brother Zak on a fishing excursion in the Seven Seas Lagoon from the Grand Floridian.

One thing I can say that hasn't changed in the Tower Gift Shop was the layout of the check out counter and the decorations behind it! Somethings are better left untouched(:

The Festival of the Lion King before the refurbishment. Around 2000. Timon still unsuccessfully leads the monkeys! 

Still my favorite part of the show, the bird ballet to Can You Feel The Love Tonight? Elton John wrote some of the most memorable songs in history and these songs are brought to life and bring tears to my eyes thinking of this beautiful show!

Epcot ball from the American Adventure Pavilion in World Showcase.

Back to the days when you could meet the dwarfs in the Germany Pavilion!

Being able to meet my future boss by Mouse Gear in the Future World Central Hub.

What's funny is I just found this umbrella a few days ago when I was moving stuff into storage! I definitely tried to get my horse to hop off the track and float through the Magic Kingdom like Mary Poppins did on the race course.

The days before splash mountain had the safety bar!

Zak's fishing excursion!

I remember seeing Fantasmic! for the first time. This was in 2000 and the show was still new to what was then Disney's MGM Studios! I remember clearly being awed at Mickey defeating Maleficent and Sorcerer Mickey leading the fireworks in an amazing show!  

It used to be so hard to take a serious picture. But gotta embrace your inner pirate on this amazing attraction! This was taken before Jack and Barbossa were added to the famed ride!

Now this trip was in 2004. This was my little brother Sam's first trip and he was in awe the whole time! Like I still am!

Meeting Piglet at the Crystal Palace in 2004!

This display was when It's Tough To Be A Bug made it's debut in the Animal Kingdom!

In 2004 we stayed at the Polynesian Resort. Before it was changed back to Disney's Polynesian Village. This was taken at Ohana's, the family restaurant. 

Sam's first time eating at The Liberty Tree Tavern.

"Remember you're the one who can fill the world with sunshine"

Snow White at Germany

Miko even came to visit at the Liberty Tree. The girl on the right is my cousin Adison that we ran into when we were down there! 

Like I said, Epcot ball has had many designs throughout the years! (:

Kermit and Miss Piggy outside Muppet Vision 3D in Disney's Hollywood Studios, what was then Disney's MGM Studios.

I had to get a picture with Sam inside Pete's Garage. I had had one taken of me when I was his age with my dad. Sadly, Pete's Garage is no longer there. Mickey's Toon Town Fair has had many changes throughout the years, now it's called Storybook Circus in the Magic Kingdom.

Pocahontas inside Rafiki's Planet Watch in 2004 up top and then Pocahontas with my roommate Holley in the forests of the Animal Kingdom in 2014. Ten years later!

When Stanley was on TV. Rafiki's Planet Watch.

Just to show the difference in Minnie's Costume in just a matter of four years!

Tigger at the Crystal Palace in 2004 and 2014!

Who doesn't love a friendly CHIPmunk!

A ten year difference meeting Eeyore!

Oo-de-lally oo-del-lally, golly what a day (:

The Polynesian lobby before the renovation!

My mom and I, after 10 years of having fun in Epcot.

My first trip in September of 1996, we stayed at the Yacht Club.

I know most of the older generation remembers this eyesore. I'm sorry to ever say this about the castle but it was the worst decoration its ever had! 

Pluto lovin 19 years and counting!

This restaurant no longer exists in Disney's Hollywood Studios but we were able to meet characters like Aladdin, the Genie, Quasi Modo and others!

Many still ride this train! It's located in the marketplace at Downtown Disney and is right down the street from World of Disney!

Pooh kisses!

Even Donald's outfits will change!

The pool at the Yacht Club is still like it was 19 years ago! 

When DHS had parades!

My first time meeting my boss! (:

I hope you guys enjoyed the photos! Just a glimpse of what my life started out like with the mouse! (:

The Wilderness Lodge

For anyone that wishes to go to Disney,

I strongly and whole-heartedly encourage you to visit or stay at the Wilderness Lodge. This place is very near and dear to my heart as I made some life-long friendships here and it was also the home of where I spent my program! I was a Quick-Service Food & Beverage Representative at the Roaring Fork, located on the lower level of the Resort, right underneath Artist Point.

I can't begin to explain how lucky I was to meet such a great group of people. On my first day of OJT or On the Job Training, I was greeted by none other than Santos Perez.

The relationship I created with my leader hold no comparison to relationships I would have in other workplaces. Santos has the heart of a child and spread Disney Magic to all that he interacted with. He was like a father to me and others I worked with and we always went to him when we were struggling. He never failed to make us laugh! 

The Roaring Fork is a Quick-Service location in this resort and it is the only one on resort property! We are located next to the pool so there was always a mass of people coming in and out throughout the day. We sold hot items and cold items like burgers and salads but then we also sold the novelty Mickey Ice-Cream Bars and Ice-Cream Sandwiches. Every time I would see a little girl or boy eating one and getting the chocolate all over their faces reminded me of when I would come to Disney World at their age and be doing the exact same thing!

I had actually stayed at the Wilderness Lodge in 2000. It was the Year of the Millenium and The Disney Vacation Club Villas had not even been built yet! With only about 700-900 rooms the Wilderness Lodge is the second smallest resort on Disney Property. The smallest being The Twilight Zone's Tower of Terror, it was given an honorary Five Diamond Award and can thus be considered a hotel. Just because it's haunted doesn't mean it can't fit in with the other resorts on Property (:

The Wilderness Lodge had undergone some extensive refurbishment throughout my Program. The pool and gotten a fence put around it which also improved the walkways to the boat dock at the back of the resort and also to the Teton Boat and Bike Rental shop on the beach front. The Waterfall had made a nice recovery throughout my program and is now as beautiful as ever. The DVC rooms had a new makeover and are now themed to Bambi and the forrest! The DVC building also has a room called the Train Room which contains one of Walt's Models for his train that he built for his children to ride around on. That model also became one of the scale models for the trains that run across Disneyland and Disney World! 

It is always such an honor to realize that little bits of history and magic were around me daily! This place was magical as it is historical! 

One thing that is always hard to talk about is realizing that you leave these people after a few months. But the best thing that comes out of this program is the friendships you make here last forever! The girl I am hugging at the top is a sweetheart from France named Nina! We still talk on Facebook every now and then but programs are short and thats the biggest and only heartache of the program. One thing that you always remember though is that we all have Disney, The Forkers are a family and that is the truest statement ever spoken. We all came here because we love what Disney does and want to be apart of the magic that people experience. Actually producing the magic and making people experience what we experience as a guest is so rewarding. In my opinion, sharing the magic made me happier than experiencing it. I've never been happier than when I'd be with my forkers. 

The biggest blessing I had ever received was the happiness of a child. They are all here because of the same reason you are and its to experience the magic and happiness that encompasses Disney World. Talking to little kids and calling them prince or princess makes them so extremely happy it can't be put into words. Children and parents are so grateful to you and to Disney in general, it creates a lifetime of memories for families and yourself as well! 

Now this girl you see in many of my pictures is none other than my closest friend Heidi. She actually came here in January and was originally going to leave in August but extended her program until January! If she hadn't done that, I don't think we'd be the best friends that we are now. Mind you she lives in Texas also and I'm in Illinois and there isn't a day that goes by where we haven't spoken to each other. The times I've had with her only made my program so much more rewarding and enjoyable for me. We plan to return, just we don't know when because we are both in school haha! We want to make magic together and experience together and if we didn't bond over cheerleading or Bob's Burgers I don't think we'd be where we are now hah! (:

This is just a glimpse of the beautiful place I had been lucky enough to work at. The exterior and interior beautiful does little in comparison to the wonderful people that work here! I miss you all so much and cannot wait to return.

The man at the top was my other leader and his name is Kyle Baker. He was born in Ireland and moved to Illinois! We both love soccer and whenever we needed a story we could go to Kyle for story-hour! (: But I have to thank Kyle for all he has done for me in regards to support and helping me better my Resumé. As well as to Santos, the support he gave me throughout my program cannot be described! He was always there for a heart-to-heart and was an amazing role model for me and others! 

Last but certainly not least are these two amazing people in this picture. Tim and Heidi. Without these two I definitely would not have had the memories I have now. They were my best friends throughout my program and I am still in contact with them all. You meet wonderful people throughout your life and they certainly made my life wonderful. 

I hope you guys enjoyed this and hope everyone has a magical day!

First Day of Work

Five days after I checked into the Program,

I had my first day of work. For Cast Members, the first day of work is called Traditions. It's a full day where we learn about the Company's ideals and what we do for the community. It's literally a day full of magic and happiness. I remember specifically the video they showed of children finding out they were going to Disney World and it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it!

The following pictures are from my Check-In Day. We received our Housing ID and we got on a bus and headed to Disney's Casting Building. For those that wish to apply for a job with Disney World can go to this building! It is open to the public and it located across from Downtown Disney. It is across from Team Disney (the building that has the giant smoke that looking thing on top! Psst! It's actually a Sun Dial!). 

Our process in this building was to officially sign our papers and contracts to become official employees of the Walt Disney Company. After this we went back to our new apartments and finished moving in! 

This is my housing ID for Chatham Square. The ID's will change after a certain number of months and you will need to switch it depending on how long your program is! They check your ID whenever you get on the Disney Housing Bus System. They use Transtar. They will also check your ID at all housing events to make sure you are a College Program student and whenever you enter a housing complex! The four housing complexes are Chatham Square, Patterson Court, The Commons and Vista Way. My best friend Heidi lived at Chatham Square but extended her program and ended up moving to The Commons!

Traditions

Disney Traditions is the day-long class where you learn about the principles of the Company and what makes Disney, Disney. On this day is when you get your Blue Company ID and you also get your name tag. A special guest comes at the end to hand out some ID's as well (hint: he's the leader of that band that's made for you and me!). Afterwards, you embark on a walking tour of the Magic Kingdom. You enter through the Utilidors, which is the basement of the Magic Kingdom. It is an underground system of tunnels and walkways that allow Cast Members to go from one end of the park to another without distracting guests from the area that they are in! Meaning you will never see someone from Tomorrowland in Frontierland and no one from Adventureland in Fantasyland and vice-versa. It is a very unique system and the ultimate example of Show Quality which makes the Magic of Disney feel so real. Cause it IS! (:

The Traditions class is held at Disney University. Yes it is a real place haha! It is located behind the Magic Kingdom towards the end of the Magic Kingdom Property. 

Halfway through the day we are given a box on our desk! Our leaders tell us to open it and inside are our very own pair of Mickey Ears! They prepare us for our Graduation Ears that we receive upon our Program Graduation at the end of our program.

The girl in this picture is named Jackie, I met her on this day and we became friends throughout the program. These are the ears that they gave us upon completing the first half of our day!

The following pictures are of my name tag that I wore every day of work still have it in my dorm room on a shelf dedicated to my program! The blue ID is our Company ID that we used to clock in and out of work, and also is used as our Main Entrance Pass or Maingate Pass until we get our actual Main Entrance Passes a week later. This can also be used for the discounts you can receive also. Just present your ID and your drivers license or Passport and are good to go!

This is the first photo I took of the Castle on my first day of work, even though it was cloudy it was best first day of the best job I've ever had! Even on a cloudy day, it's as beautiful as ever and always will be!(:

Hope you guys enjoy this and it brings some happiness on this dreary day in Illinois! Hopefully your days are sunny and full of magic!

See ya real soon!

May 27, 2014

On this day,

Almost a year ago I moved to the most Magical Place on Earth. The day before was my older brother's wedding and I went out with a bang, celebrating two happy occasions! On May 27 I got on a plane with my mom and we flew down to Orlando. My mom had a round trip but I had a one-way ticket. As we landed in Orlando International Airport, I had my Disney playlist blasting in my ears as I was preparing to live seven months in the Happiest Place on Earth. This had been my dream since I was 6 years old when I went down on vacation and visited my cousin Tina doing to same program. She worked at the Twilight Zone's Tower of Terror attraction and was a Bellhop in the Hotel Gift Shop.

As we landed, my mother and I drove to our resort. We are DVC members (Disney Vacation Club) and so we had booked Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa to spend 3 days before I checked in at Vista Way for my Program. As we walked through the doors we were greeted by none other than a CP doing the on-line check in for guests. She introduced herself and gave me tips as to make my program the best time of my life. We went to our room and unpacked then went right to Downtown Disney. Soon to be Disney Springs.

This picture was taken at the time when theres was barely any construction in Downtown Disney and the bridge connecting Saratoga Springs to the Marketplace Entrance had not yet been completed, yet preparations were being made. 

That night we had ventured to Raglan Road. This restaurant is my favorite because of the atmosphere and it's a place where I can celebrate my Irish heritage without it being St. Patrick's Day, because it's St. Patrick's Day every day of the year!!

This gentleman singing is one of the many bands they have playing in Raglan Road's outdoor seating area! The Irish bands are just the icing on the cake when it comes to this lively place!

These are just a few of the Lego sculptures that were built when I moved down here. When I left in December, the only one still standing was Snow White kissing Dopey, the Dwarf's Mine and Maleficent. The Woody and Buzz Rocket Ship one had been taken down but a life-size Woody and Buzz could be seen inside the store!

My mother and I had decided to go to Epcot the next day to spend our full day in the park. I knew I would be here for a long time so I let my mom decide which park to go to, her favorite being Epcot so that's where we went! (:

We had arrived as the Flower and Garden Festival was just ending. So there were not as many topiaries still floating around as there are when the Festival is in full swing!  My mom shares the same love for Disney as I do and so sharing my last day with her in our favorite place was the best thing I could ask for. 

Behind us are the Leave A Legacy Monuments..I know these monuments can be an eyesore for some yet extremely magical and memorable for others. Me included as I have two squares from two separate trips! 

For those that do not know, The Leave A Legacy event was supposed to be a 15-month long celebration of the Millenium. It was a way for guests young and old to celebrate coming into the new century together. After we are one big family!(: 

Leave A Legacy was only supposed to last for a short time but sales officially stopped in 2007. Disney had sold around 550,000 squares and there is still room for many many more on the monuments. 

The monuments were designed by Disney Legend John Hench (1908 - 2004). John Hench was also the Imagineer who designed Spaceship Earth, the giant golfball-like structure home to the attraction Spaceship Earth. The monuments will be there for sure until 2027 but it is highly unlikely that they will be moved afterwards. Each monument can weigh up to 50,000 pounds. So it is not joke that it would difficult on top of angering thousands of guests who have made a permanent home in the forecourt of Epcot.

My first square I had taken over the 4th of July weekend with my older brother Zak. I had just found out recently that I had taken one with my little brother Sam in 2004 for his first trip! I was extremely excited as I was going through my basement looking for old memories that I stumbled across an envelope from Leave A Legacy, Epcot addressed to Lydia Zimmerman! I opened it up and found the lithograph of my first picture and then a surprise one with my baby brother!! It was amazing knowing I have another one to find on my next trip! Each lithograph has the placement of where the square is located! So its treasure upon treasure and memory upon memory for me and this place! 

Many of you know that the entrance to the Magic Kingdom has the tiles that guests were able to buy for the 25th birthday of Magic Kingdom and were able to buy many years later and my aunt and uncle have a tile for them as well! It is such a blessing knowing that my family can be brought together over the talk of Disney and the memories that we have shared together and apart because we all appreciate the Magic. 

Those lovely pigtails belong to me. (:

The last thing I wanted to reminisce about was meeting Tigger and Pooh in Christopher Robin's bedroom inside the Great Britain pavilion. Winnie the Pooh had been a huge part of my childhood as I'm sure has been a part of many of yours!

I hate to cut out Tigger but I found this gem and just think it's interesting to see how the characters change over time as well! The picture on the left is from my first trip in 1996 to the day I moved down here in May last year! Time flies by. 18 months old to 19 years old!

Here you go Tigger! (:

As we walked around World Showcase we had to stop in France for my mom to get some Champagne (; I spotted a line waiting around a Gazebo, it looked like they were waiting for Marie since its France and that's the usual spot where one meets an Aristocat but to my surprise I see Princess Aurora coming down the street of Paris to greet many excited princesses waiting to get her autograph. Princess Aurora is my mom's favorite princess so we got in line and waited patiently for our turn to meet the Sweet Princess. 

"Sweet Princess, if through this wicked witch's trick, a spindle should your finger prick...a ray of hope there still might be in this, the gift I give to thee. Not in death, but just in sleep, the fateful prophecy you'll keep. And from this slumber you shall wake, with true love's kiss, the spell shall break. For true love conquers all!" - Merryweather and Chorus

After we made our way around the countries, from France to Japan, we had to stop in Morocco. Walking through the outdoor marketplace you can smell the incense and here the finger symbols snapping together. We spotted a sign that said Jasmine! Jasmine is my favorite princess so I had to get in line for her!

The last time I met Jasmine was in 1998 when Hollywood Studios had the Animation Restaurant. Her Quasi Modo and others were among those in attendance. Jasmine noticed my necklace that said "Let it Be". It was a gift from my brother and my sister-in-law for Christmas. She asked me if "someone special gave me that pendant" I replied with "just my brother and my sister-in-law" she said to "take those people as something special, relatives are everything because the closest thing she had to a brother was a pet tiger named Raja." (: 

Just feeling nostalgic as it's almost been a year since I met these wonderful people. But I hope you guys enjoy this and feel a little nostalgic and magical yourselves!

Have a magical day!

1900 Park Fair

1900 Park Fair

1900 Park Fair is located inside the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The restaurant is set in the Victorian Era and has a multitude of Disney Characters that come stop by your table! You can meet Characters like Mary Poppins and Alice during the Supercalifragilistic Breakfast then for dinner you can join Cinderella and Prince Charming and an array of other Princesses as you are the honored of guests of Royalty!

Reservations are highly recommended and can be made up to 180 days in advance!

The prices range from $15 to $29.99 an adult and $30 to $59.99 an adult.

Some Dining Plans are accepted here!

Along with the Breakfast and Dinner..Little prince and princesses can indulge in a Wonderland Tea Party for kids aged 4-12. This is an hour long event and kids get to meet many Characters from Wonderland! This is an hour-long tea party where kids can make crafts, and decorate cupcakes and much more!

The number to call if you wish to make a reservation is (407) WDW-DINE or (409) 939-3463.

 taken from Disney.go.com

Supercalifragilistic Breakfast

This is a breakfast buffet where you can meet Mary Poppins, Alice, The Mad Hatter, Tigger and Pooh.

It is all you can eat with breakfast favorites and of course Mickey Mouse Waffles!!

Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner

All who enter here are guests of Cinderella and Prince Charming as you engage in a ball made for Royalty! Little princes and princesses can meet Cinderella and Prince Charming with many others as you engage in a buffet with food from kingdoms far and wide!

Hope you guys enjoy this and let me know if theres any corrections or things to add! I hope this helps and remember to Show Your Disney Side!!