2 months later...

and I finally remember my log-in details :D

So it's been two months since my last post ... wow!
Well I had a lovely time with my family! They left the same day that Joe self-termed so there were a few tears that day, a lot of goodbyes.
I ws deployed a couple of times so I also worked in World of Disney & the right block in Hollywood Studios which included the Darkroom, Cover Stroy, Celebrity Five & Dime and L.A. Prop. I also worked at the Sorcerer's Hat and the pin station on Sunset Blvd. It was a lot of fun, I think what made it easier was that other people from Days of Christmas were deployed there as well :)
When I finished my deployment my first day back at Christmas was my birthday! So naturally that meant another night at House of Blues (it was a Sunday) which as usual something bad happened. House of Blues really is not for me! My bag fell in the sink when I was washing my hands which meant my phone & camera got wet and stopped working for a couple of days. They're up and running again now though so all is well.
So then the last week in Disney began, all good things must come to an end I suppose. It was difficult saying goodbye to everyone because they are all amazing people. I cannot explain how lucky I am to have met so many wonderful people this summer, it is definitely a summer I won't be forgetting and it will be difficult to beat!
After a few tears Luke and I hopped on a plane to Washington Dulles airport and spent a weekend at Deep Creek Lake before exploring Washington D.C.
The lake was beautiful and Washington was just something else entirely. I had an amazing time. The memorable thing will probably be the earthquake we happened to experience whilst in the American Indian museum which shook like it was made from cardboard. It completely freaked us out!
All in all we had great week going around and seeing the White House, top of the old post office tower, Arlington Cemetery, Georgetown, Natural History Museum, Madam Tussauds, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, the Monument etc.
Now Luke is back in Orlando and I'm in San Diego :D
I love love love San Diego, it's such a beautiful city! On my first afternoon/evening here I took the ferry to Coronado Island to see the San Diego skyline and then have a walk around Coronado. It was such a nice place and it has a beautiful beach! Had a great night.
Today I went to the San Diego Zoo, which is amazing! It's a gorgeous place and it's huge! I had such a fun day, there is loads to see and do. I saw polar bears playing with inflatible balls which was a strange thing to see, but fun! I also saw a 1day old giraffe - it was so cute!
It's definitely a place you need to spend a lot of time in to be able to do and see everything!

That is no where near everything that has happened over the past 2 months, but it all I have time to write :D
Ciao!

'Gemma's Disney dream fans need to be fed soon.' - Laura Browne

 I thought it was about time to update this since people keep telling me off. =)Since my last update I've finally seen Fantasmic! (twice) so I'm a happy girl. I've been to Animal Kingdom and will never get tired of Expedition Everest and getting soaked on the rapids.
 I've also seen Green Lantern and despite what the reviews say I enjoyed it, but I may be biased because I was distracted by Ryan Reynolds.
Over the past couple of weeks the lovely Daniel McErlean, Chelsea Bianca Bassnett, Siobhan Crinson, Lauren Adams and Alison Faragher have joined me in Orlando. I first saw Danny at the pool party, bumped into Chelsea on the bus to Epcot, spent a day at Florida Mall with Siobhan followed by a night at Downtown Disney along with Caroline and Jade. Then I finally saw Lauren and we spent a night at Hollywood Studios with Siobhan and Caroline even though it was raining with thunder and lightning. As soon as we walked a man that was leaving came over to us and gave us four fast-pass tickets for Tower of Terror! So we got to walk straight on and experience it in the dark with thunder & lightning outside! After this we went over Star-Tours and again someone came over to us and gave us their fast pass tickets, but they only had two so we went over to the cast member on the front of star-tours and asked if we could have an extra two fast-passes because we only had two and their was four of us, so she did! After that we went straight over to Fantasmic!
Since then I've been deployed to World of Disney (which is the largest Disney store in the world) for one week. It's a crazy place to work and is so big I asked if they have a map of the store, thinking that there probably wasn't & it was a bit of a long shot, but they do actually have a map specifically for cast members! It's a totally different experience that I hated at first but it's getting a bit  better now that I'm getting used to it. I do really miss the Christmas store and the people there though and I'm looking forward to going back there.
Yesterday, Luke and I went to the Commons to pick up our main gate passes, right in time for my mum, dad, Mark and his girlfriend Jess to get here! They arrived yesterday afternoon, I have missed them so much! Last night they came round to Vista pick me up and take me to the house they're staying in. They have a spare room that I stayed in last night, I'm spending the day with them today and signing them into Magic Kingdom tomorrow! It's so great to see them!
That's about it for now! xx <3

Finally an update... & it's Christmas everyday!

Okay so my first update is that I've been moved from Goofy's Candy Co and Design-a-Tee to Disney's Day's of Christmas :D so it's Christmas everyday for me! It's actually fun working there and everyone is really nice and really friendly so I'm loving working there. Plus I get a lot of 'Oh my God I love your accent' and 'Your accent is beautiful say something else'. Plus a really cute little girl who was dressed like a princess said 'You talk like Mary Poppins'. Even though I'm wrapping up Christmas ornaments all day everyday it's a great place to work.
I've seen Wishes at Magic Kingdom three times now and I don't think I'll ever get sick of it. So yeah I've been to Magic Kingdom three times, Hollywood Studios once (but I've not seen Fantasmic yet!) Epcot once to watch the illuminations, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach yesterday - I went on the huge slide and don't think I will go on it again. Spent a few nights in Downtown Disney - (yes even though I work there) -  two nights walking around the shops, one night at the cinema watching X-Men and one night out at the House of Blues. I've also been to two pool parties which are pretty good, the first one at Patterson Court and the second one at Vista Way which was the better one (and not just because I live in Vista)

A Goofy week ...

It's about time I updated this!
So I've been living in Vista Way for about a week now and thinking back it's been a pretty busy week, although compard to what I've got coming up I'm pretty sure I can class it as a holiday.
I've met loads of great people already and cannot wait to meet more. I'm sharing an apartment with four girls from Hong Kong and my room mate is English and goes to Manchester Metropolitan University!
Traditions was interesting and I have my name tag and all ID cards that are needed - but I have a little ribbon on my name tag saying 'earning my ears' until I have finished my training.
So far I've found out that for my first proper week of training I will be in Goofy's Candy Co store in Downtown Disney, and then I will move over to Design-a-Tee which looks pretty good.
So enough about work.... I've watched the Wishes fireworks display in Magic Kingdom twice! Once was from across the lake, sat on a little hill that we found by the Polynesian resort -(this is Thursday) which was amazing, even though you couldn't hear the music of see the projections on the castle, you could see the fireworks a lot better! There was also an electric lights parade across the lake with dancing water animals and King Triton - the most random thing I have ever seen! Then the following night (Friday) we watched Wishes up close inside Magic Kingdom. As soon as we got there the rain decided to pour. So yes we were running around Magic Kingdom in the rain, with everyone else finding shelter, we decided to run to Space Mountain! Then when we got out the rain had stopped and Wishes began :) T
On Saturday night we went to Epcot to watch the Illuminations fireworks display, which is another incredible thing to see, most definitely a must!
The friends I have made so far are incredible, and I feel so lucky to have met so many great people in less than a week! A pretty great start I think ...


If you have taken the time to read this, thank you :) xx

Univeral Studios & Islands of Adventure

Yesterday Kelly and I headed over to Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure where we spent most of our time in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
We were actually in the parks from open until close so today I have major blisters on my feet and a slightly burnt back. Something I will need to take care of before I start working in Walt Disney World!
We powered through the sore feet and 94 degree blistering heat and all in all had an amazing day!
The things I found quite funny to say were 'do you fancy getting lunch in the three broomsticks?' and 'should we go and see what sweets they sell in honeydukes?'

So I'm Finally in the Sunshine State!

It's been a while since I've updated this! But it's about time I did since I arrived in Florida last night! :D woop woop!

Travelling here was long and tiring but I'm here and luckily made in one piece with my lovely friend Kelly! The flight from Manchester to JFK was around 8 hours and once we got off the plane Kelly was terrified of the customs and immigration officers because they were carrying huge guns!
The switch to the flight to Orlando ran smooth and painless :D and the main thing I'm happy about is that we both made it over without getting lost or hurt!

So my first day in Florida was spent shopping :) Went to walmart to get some stuff like sunscreen, shampoo, toothpaste etc and then we went to Sanford Mall to look at clothes we couldn't afford (but I did end up buying shoes, shorts, sunglasses and a dress).
 That's about it for now!

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS TOMORROW! :D
<3<3

23 Days ...

With 23 days to go until 'I'm leaving on a jet plane...' I don't feel at all ready!
Even though I'm excited and have my visa, passport and documents all safe and sound - I still need to get my medical insurance, pay the Disney fee and get packed! I've noticed a few other people are the same but I can't help feeling totally unprepared. But I'm also excited at the same time! Does that make sense? ... I'll be surprised if the answer is yes! There is also a lot university work that I need finish and an exam to prepare for so maybe that's part of it.

On another note... I decided to try my hand at video making! I've made a little video with a couple of highlights from my holiday last year, it's the first time I've done something like this so it's probably not that great and I would definitely appreciate feedback :D