So although I actually had Traditions yesterday, I was incredibly tired after all the events from yesterday, and I had to get up incredibly early this morning for Operations and Entertainment training, so I am a little delayed. But, it's all good! Traditions itself was wonderful! I was a little nervous when I woke up to pouring rain, but cleared up decently well by the time we got there. My class took four and a half hours, but I've heard it can take much longer (up to 8 hours!), so be prepared to bring food. There are several surprises along the way as well, so make sure to wear shoes that look professional, but are also comfortable to walk in. The main point of Traditions is to introduce new cast members to the Disney way of doing things, which emphasizes safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency, in that order. Disney really wants all cast members to understand and be comfortable with these concepts, and how they apply to every role. There is also a pretty good amount of other, more general information. For future DCPer's, make sure to participate! Answering various questions, from trivia to general interest and understanding, can earn you prizes. Today is also the day that you will be able to enter the parks (for free!). Enjoy!
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| Disney University, where Traditions and Welcome to Operations are held, among other things! |
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| Participation awards and MY NAMETAG!!! |
After Traditions, I ran home and changed out of my business casual clothes, then headed over to join some of my friends at the Magic Kingdom. It was an awesome afternoon/evening!!! The very first thing we did was watch the Festival of Fantasy parade, which is marvelous! It's very upbeat and happy, and I was excited to see the Beauty and the Beast and Tangled floats! It's colorful, engaging, and has great music. After, we rode Big Thunder, It's A Small World, Buzz, Haunted Mansion, and a few others. Splash had almost no wait, but it was still a little chilly so I'll save that one for a sunny day. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten the chance to ride the new Seven Dwarves Mine Train yet, so I'll save that for next time! Finally, we watched the Main Street Electrical parade, then found a great spot for Celebrate the Magic/Wishes. Celebrate the Magic was awesome, and it was fun to see that it's changed slightly since the last time I went to Disney! Wishes was, as always, fantastic! It evokes such nostalgia and happiness for me, I love it!
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| Beauty and the Beast on Festival of Fantasy! |
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| Rapunzel and her frying pan, with Maximus and Flynn in view as well! |
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| Maleficent making her way through the parade. I loved the creativity of this float! |
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| And, last but certainly not least, the boss himself! |
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| The Main Street Electrical parade! |
After Wishes, we headed out of the park and I hopped on the monorail to get to the TTC, and then connect through to Epcot. Just for future reference, for myself and others, there is no direct monorail or bus between Epcot and the Magic Kingdom. Oops! Parking at Epcot turned out to be a great decision though, because I was able to run in for the start of Illuminations! I missed the first few minutes, but I'm still crossing off my bucket list that I watched Illuminations and Wishes in the same night! It was really fun to see Epcot as my new home, as well!
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| And all our wishes... |
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| ...will come true! |
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| The beginning (ish) of Illuminations! |
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| Illuminations and Wishes, in one night! |
So, overall, a pretty great day! I experienced Traditions (at last), and went to both the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Thank you for reading, and have a magical day!
-Christie
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