disney: your vacation - my reality

i know, i know - it has been way too long since i've written!

i am officially a 'normal' employee of kilimanjaro safaris. in fact, i have been for an entire week. last friday i had my assessment - a manager and a trainer had to ride on my truck while i took guests a few times. surprisingly, i wasn't too incredibly nervous and i did fine during the whole day of 'testing.' friday night melinda (a roommate) and i went to pleasure island with a few of the guys who live in the apartment across from us. we went to the two 'clubs' that are eighteen and over - because melinda and i were the only two under twenty-one. one was a comedy club and the other was called 'adventurer's club' and it was set in the 1920s. i can't believe how many benefits/discounts come with working at disney. getting into pleasure island for FREE is a HUGE plus. i had saturday off and had planned on sleeping in because we had stayed out so late the night before, but my body wouldn't have it. melinda and i went to the company d at epcot - a store just for cast members that sell discounted tickets. that night melinda, mary catherine (a great girl from nc) and i saw '27 dresses' at the downtown disney amc theater. we get major discounts there too! it POURED that night - it felt like a hurricane!

i was nervous coming into work on sunday knowing i wouldn't have my trainer there to answer any questions i had, but the day went great. i absolutely LOVE working at safaris and wouldn't trade it for any job. i work with some really amazing people, and i haven't even come close to meeting them all yet. my voice does get super tired by the end of the day, and my shoulders are constantly in pain after being so tense from driving that TANK - but it's definitely worth it. monday and tuesday went just as well with very few slip-ups. i honestly cannot believe i see those AMAZING animals every day. on tuesday an ostrich stopped right in my path, so i had to call it in and warn my manager that i was stopped. the scariest stories are hearing that the white rinos often charge the trucks. i don't know how i'll keep my cool if that happens to me! i love knowing that each safari is different. you guys are going to be so impressed when you realize how huge this truck is.

on wednesday i went to animal kingdom on my day off with anna echols - she was a senior at meredith when i was just a freshman and we were tennis partners! she lives here in orlando while she's in culinary school. we went and rode my safari and all the other big rides at animal kingdom. i was able to snap a few pictures of my ride since i always want to take so many pictures while i'm driving! it was super crowded in the park that day, not to mention humid as heck - but we still made it fun. that night, melinda and i went with jon (from the apartment across from us) and some of his friends to see 'illuminations' at epcot. we had been before, but we were in an awful spot and couldn't see a thing. this time, jon used his connections (he's a boat captain at mgm and epcot) to get us down on the vip dock right beside the fireworks. it was so much fun and such a perfect night - cool outside without any clouds. we really felt 'magical' that night. ha.

on thursday i had another day off, so anna and i spent the day at mgm (now called 'hollywood studios'). it was the perfect temperature all day and much less crowded, so we were able to see a lot in the park. including the high school musical pep rally - yes! anna wouldn't ride 'tower of terror' with me so i rode it alone - and i instantly regretted it when i felt the elevator flying up. the day was really a lot of fun. last night melinda and i went to buffalo wild wings with the guys and enjoyed live music. we've really developed a bit of a posse.

i'm so exhausted after working today. i literally drove the truck ALL day - no land positions at all! my shoulders will ACHE in the morning. i think i might head to bed soon. i know, it's a friday night. our days are so messed up here - i'm so thrown off by having my days off be in the middle of the week.

on wednesday night i'm flying to raleigh until friday to see 'alice in wonderland' at meredith. i didn't think i would be able to make it, but at the last minute, safaris scheduled me off thursday and friday. so if you're around - please come see me!

i'm LOVING it down here. this disney community is so comforting - even though it is so large. there are ALWAYS new people EVERYWHERE to meet. i'm in at work at 8:15 tomorrow morning. yuck!

please be sure to store any loose articles you may have in the bins in front of you...

I feel like there's so much to write, but I'll never be able to tell you all everything I'm experiencing!

Basically, can I just tell you all that TODAY - Day 2 of my Kilimanjaro Safari Training - I took two trucks of people on their tour of the reserve. Driving and narrating and all! If you had told me YESTERDAY morning that I would be able to reel off that twenty minute dialogue while DRIVING a HUGE thirty foot long truck, I would have LAUGHED. I really lucked out with my trainer at KS (Kilimanjaro Safaris). Because she feels the speech and learning to drive are the hardest parts about this job, she's hardcore about starting out hands on. Yesterday I spent most of the day learning and memorizing the speech, and we drove the truck around the parking lot in the afternoon. First thing this morning I opened up a truck and I started driving the truck around the ride path over and over and over. It takes about eighteen minutes to complete the ride. After I felt (kinda) comfortable - or, as comfortable as I could feel - she drove while I practiced giving the speech to feel the timing. After lunch I started making the rounds doing everything - pointing out animals and providing facts about each while driving and when I thought we were almost done for the day, she told me she felt confident that I was ready for guests! I freaked! Holy cow! We ended up taking two loads of people and both went really well. I messed up a little, but it was nothing too obvious. I could go on and on and on but I am absolutely EXHAUSTED and have to be back at work bright and early! I'm sure my next few days will be a bit slower in action as I have lots of computer work to accomplish since I started all the fun stuff first!
I'll try to write more soon!

jambo

Oh my goodness the days feel so long! But I can honestly say that I absolutely LOVE living and working for Disney. I can't believe this is my life.

Wednesday was my four hour 'Traditions' class. In it we learned a lot about the history of Disney, the mission statement, and all kinds of odds and ends. We received our Disney nametags (which only have our first names and schools, because Disney works on a first name basis). So now - EVERYWHERE I go, if I'm wearing my nametag, people who work for Disney are like, 'hey ashley.' ha! Sadly, Disney spelled Meredith - 'Merdith' on my nametag. I'll have that changed asap because MERDITH sounds really hick-ish! At the end of this session, we (finally) got our Disney ids - which allows us free access and parking to any Disney theme park! As soon as we got back to apartments we (my whole apartment and a friend of mine's whole apartment) changed clothes (because we had to be dressed in only professional attire - we even had a 'disney look' check) and headed to Epcot. We rode Mission Space (i seriously almost threw up - if you ride it, opt for the easier ride. It's the only ride at Disney with barf bags), Test Track, and Soarin' (my new FAVORITE ride at Disney. It was seriously AMAZING - so peaceful and REAL!). We stuck around for the light show at the World Showcase at 9pm. We couldn't believe we were walking around for free!

I had yesterday off so a friend from Mass and I went to Animal Kingdom so I could ride the safari ride and re-familiarize myself. We rode it twice and the new Everest rollercoaster once - I'm still amazed that the safari is my JOB. Last night all of us roommates had dinner at the apartment and then a few of us rode to Wal-Mart (again). We met a new neighbor last night that has done the college program before, so we had lots of questions for him!

Today was a really fun day - but SUPER tiring! My DAKlimation (cute, huh? Disney's Animal Kingdom Orientation) began at 8:30 in AK, but I decided to ride the bus just to get used to where I'd be heading. I had to be on it at 7:07 this morning! It just seems like so much wasted time when it really only takes 10-15 minutes to drive there! During today's orientation we learned a lot about specifically the Animal Kingdom, and then took a 2 hour tour of the park. We walked 'backstage' a lot - we would just pop out of the woodwork back 'onstage.' Seeing the characters backstage without their heads on was a real shocker! At the end of our tour, surprise surprise - we all rode the safari ride together! Our guide this time was AMAZING. I hope i'm as good as him! We all ate lunch in the cast cafeteria - who would've thought they'd have food places JUST for the cast!? After lunch we went to wardrobe and tried on our COSTUMES! Once we found our sizes we walked away with five of each, a jacket, cold weather gear - and for my ride - an AWESOME belt with a killer buckle and the hottest hat ever. There were two guys in our group today who were also doing the safari ride - we were the only three! They both seemed really fun - I'm excited! The costume is definitely not flattering - as with almost all outfits at Disney - but I definitely love the hat. When I (finally) got back home - the bus ride back was long as well - one of my roommates and I (Melinda) checked out our apartment's pool and then headed over to Mickey's Retreat (walking distance from our complex) because we hadn't been. Cast members can bring friends and family to the retreat - there are two pools, sand volleyball courts, tennis courts, grills, picnic table, and an amazing man-made beach with chair to to tan in. There's a lake with paddle boats and canoes. Oh man it was so pretty! Melinda and I each laid in a hammock on the beach and watched the sun set through the palm trees. Is this my life!?

If you can't tell, I'm loving Florida. The weather is perfect right now, a LITTLE chilly at night and in the mornings, but very warm during the day. Mom says my accent sounds northern - so I'll definitely have to work on that! Everyone's rubbing off on me. I met a lot of new people today that will be working in Animal Kingdom and that live in my complex. I'm really excited to be at AK because it closes so early - it's the earliest theme park to close. AND - my safari ride closes as soon as the sun goes down, meaning I'll always have my nights free! I have tomorrow off and I'm really looking forward to having lunch with Anna Echols from Meredith. It will be great to see a familiar face!
Sunday starts my OJT (on the job training) and hopefully I'll drive a truck right away! ha!

the dream that you wish will come true

it's now day two now of my disney experience, and while i felt a bit of hesitation moving in yesterday, everything seems to be falling into place. my parents and i spent a mostly relaxing weekend in orlando - although we did dare to brave the saturday crowds at sea world. we made a full day of it - and even walked away with a season pass for the year. i can go back anytime - and so can they! mine includes a season pass to bush gardens africa in tampa. i can't wait to try it out. we spent sunday in downtown disney, wrapping up our trip with dinner at house of blues.

yesterday morning we were among the first in line to register and had moved into my new apartment by 10am. i opted to live in the 'chatham' apartment complex. these apartments are newer, but are a little bit more secluded from the disney chaos. i chose a two bedroom apartment, meaning there are three other girls living here. melinda from illinois (chicago), lori from mississippi, and hannah from illinois. everybody seems to be pretty happy and the apartment is great. plenty of room.

and now for the drumroll. we just found out this morning exactly what our job would be and - i'll be working at the kilimanjaro safari ride at the animal kingdom! i am SO excited as this means i will be DRIVING the safari 'jeeps' (more like a BUS!) that DO NOT have tracks - all thew while giving the (long) narration about all the (live) surrounding animals. i honestly couldn't think of an attraction i would rather have. i feel so lucky and blessed to have landed such a fun ride. tomorrow i have a disney orientation (wherein i'll receive my disney id meaning i can officially enter the parks when i please) and the day off on thursday! i will definitely be riding the safari ride several times to see what exactly my job will entail! on friday i have an orientation of the entire animal kingdom, and then another day off on saturday. and sunday begins my week of safari ride training!

i'm really excited to learn my job and learn the faces i'll be working with. meeting a ton of people has proved difficult so far - but i'm sure once we're put into orientation groups and such, those pieces will also fall into place.

here's my address!
Ashley Lewis
8274 Chatham Manor Blvd. Apt # 20202
Orlando, FL 32821

write me!

a dream is a wish your heart makes

In light of this (exciting) Disney adventure quickly approaching, I have decided that 'blogging' will be the most efficient way to keep you all informed.

We'll be driving down to Orlando on Friday, and there we'll spend the next few days relaxing at Sea World, City Walk, and Downtown Disney. I officially move into the Disney apartment on Monday. I will be sure to let you all know exactly what my job will entail as soon as I find out.