Cruises, Peter Pan and painful shoes

Ouch! I'm in pain right now! I've just been "breaking in" my new "Disney Look" work shoes. I bought them nearly a month ago but the stupid Shoes For Crews show place sent me the wrong ones. My friend, Emma, exchanged them for me while I was on the cruise (thank you, Em!) so today I had the fun job of trying to make them feel comfortable. I wore them to Downtown Disney and they were on my feet for about two hours. By the end I was walking with a limp. It's not so bad at the front of the shoe, it's the back. I've rubbed my heels raw, especially as I refused to "let the shoes win" by changing out of them. I have to wear them for work so I've got to get used to the little buggers. Besides, you can't return shoes once they are filled with your blood! That's frowned upon. At least I can still retain my sense of humour about them. I bet after tomorrow's twelve hour shift I won't be so cheerful! New shoes for the sake of ten more days....Sometimes I really hate Disney and it's stupid inane rules! My Nan always used to say putting soap on the heel of the shoe softens the leather. I'm not sure if this is true but I've done it anyway. My friend, Kev also suggested sticking them in the tumbledryer so I've tried that too. I even went online and there's an actual serious suggestion of running them over with a truck. I'm not going to try that but the little buggers deserve it!

I didn't mean to start this entry with such a grumble but as my feet are screaming right now, it was the first thing that came out.

Right, so the last time I blogged was graduation. Graduation was so much fun! Straight after graduation was our arrival groups "eleven month anniversary". Unfortunately, I was foodrunning that day so I was the last one to join the group. Nicola had done a little tea for everyone. There were only leftovers remaining when I arrived but they'd put aside a plate for me. It was more important that all of us were there to celebrate our last anniversary (we're all done by our year anniversary). Lauren P and Rhys finish before the rest of us because they are on someone else's visa. Lauren P and I got chatting and she said how she'd like to do a cruise. I had some holiday time to take so we booked another cruise! Then I had nine days off in a row.

I spent my days off well. On the 3rd July, I met up with Louisa and we went round MK. They were doing the Independance Day fireworks on both the 3rd and 4th of July so we went to see those. We spent the whole day in the parks. Louisa is alot of fun to hang out with! In celebration of the day, we both bought headgear. I had a Peter Pan hat while Louisa had some 4th July Mickey ears. The park was actually quite quiet during the day. I guess people assumed it would be busy and stayed away (until around 7pm when they came in for the fireworks...) We took advantage of the short lines and rode all the attractions we wanted to. We even went on the Peter Pan ride as we got fastpasses for it. We met Peter Pan (yay!) and I got a photo which will be my Facebook profile picture for a while!

I've never really explained my Peter Pan fixation. People normally just take it as one of those weird quirks. Peter Pan, to me, is the spirit of youth. He's arrogant and innocent and cocky. He has no responsibilities and his world is restricted only by what he imagines. Plus he can fly. That would be really cool. The idea of never having to grow up appeals to me. Staying young at heart is important. Living without fun is what makes you old! That's why he appeals to me so much! Plus, he wears my favourite colour which is not a bad thing. The original story is amazing and I can't wait to tell that story to Izzy when she's a little older. Disney made Peter a little brash and harsh but the live action one was done brilliantly. He's just a great character.

Louisa and I stayed in the park for the Independance Day fireworks. They were brilliant! At one point they were all around us and they were red, white and blue. When they exploded they were stars! The finale was truly breath taking! I felt a little weird to be British and celebrating a time when we got our arses kicked in a war but at that time I wasn't even alive. I believe a country SHOULD have the chance to decide it's own governments and ideals. If they wish to be independant, they should be. The park was really crowded after the fireworks and it took us ages to get home.

I didn't work Independance Day. I'd booked it off because it was earmarked as the day "I was most likely to be termed". I tend to be sarcastic and sometimes I can come out with things BEFORE I've had the chance to think "should I really have said that?" My mum has the same affliction and more than once I've said things that I really shouldn't have done. We were warned that the Americans like to visit the UK pavillion on Independance Day and gloat about how they beat the English (because apparantly they all fought in a war 200 odd years ago!) I didn't trust the things I might have said. I've had one guest once say how "you'd be speaking German if it wasn't for us winning the second world war" and I was extremely frosty to him. My grandad fought in that war and just because the Americans joined in doesn't mean they swayed it. Besides, they only joined because the attack on Pearl Harbour, they were quite happy to ignore it 'til then. Herbert Hoover did absolutely nothing until......I'm not getting into this. Suffice it to say, I'm glad I was off!

The day after Independance Day was the day of the cruise. I can't believe I've done the cruise twice in less that a month! Still, it was worth it! I had a great time. I went with Lauren Parkin which was fun because she's up for anything. On Nassau day, we did the segway tour. It was brilliant. It was a two hour journey through the forests of Nassau. The ground was uneven and rocky and full of tree roots and hills but it was better like that. I was really nervous and tentative at first but by the end I was happily driving without hands!



If I ever win the lottery, I'm buying a Segway!

Castaway Cay day was also alot of fun. We spent the day just relaxing on the island. Lauren sunbathed while I "shadebathed". I don't trust the sun and I avoid sitting in it as much as possible. On the island we met Jack Sparrow. He was brilliant! He had the voice and the mannerisms and everything! I was wearing a Tinkerbell T-shirt and he made me cover it. I explained that I didn't really like Tinkerbell, I prefer Peter Pan and he got all offended! There's a picture of me, Lauren and Jack and he's shoving me out of the photo! He was great.

That night was Pirate Night and everyone dressed up. Lauren was a pirate, complete with hook and hat. I was Peter Pan! I know he's not technically a pirate but someone has to fight them, right? It was so much fun running around the ship as Peter Pan. I had people coming over and asking for autographs and two people took photos of me (no doubt those photos will end up online titled "saddo on the Disney Wonder") We also met Jack Sparrow again and he remembered us. He told me to "fly off, Peter Pan and don't come back!" I was laughing so hard I could barely stand!

We saw alot of characters round the ship and while waiting in line for Mickey, I spied the real Peter on the deck above. I practically flew up the stairs. Peter Pan loved my costume and I got a special Peter hug! We saw Peter on the last night too and he signed my new Peter Pan bag that Lauren bought for me.

I would have thought the first cruise would have spoiled the experience a little but it was just as fun the second time. We did different stuff, including a "pamper night" in the Vista Spa. That was weird. It included a facial, back massage, head massage, foot and ankle rub, champagne and strawberries. I don't do the girl thing well and while we lay there being massaged, all I could think of was how much trust we were placing in the therapists. If they had chosen, they could have stabbed us and we wouldn't even have seen it coming! I'm pretty sure that's NOT what you're meant to think during a massage. I actually found myself grower tenser and preparing to fight. I don't think I'm destined for the lady of leisure life....

Now I'm back from the cruise and I only have twelve days left until I finish at work. I'm actually a little nervous. I worry about getting termed (fired). I've come close to it before for the silliest things. Disney refunds your flight at the end of your contract so if they can term me first, they'll save themselves alot of money. I've had dreams where I wake up convinced I've been termed for some small dumb thing or another. I don't know where this fear has come from as I know I'm good with my tables. The positive guest comments attest to that. I can't be "got" on Disney Look with my new shoes (read evil devil shoes!) and I'm always over an hour early for work everyday so lateness shouldn't be a problem. I never call in sick unless I'm actually sick so I'm okay there.... Yet it's something I worry about. I'll be glad when this fortnight is over.

People are leaving in droves now. Kevin left today and I was surprised at how much I cared. Kevin is arrogant and obnoxious and no one can push my buttons the way he can and yet I find I'm actually going to miss the git! He's been a very good friend out here and I always kind of took it for granted that I could pop across to his for a night of Wii or a movie. I missed all of his timecard week as I was on the cruise so his leaving crept up on me really suddenly. I wish he'd been in my arrival group but he was the one before. He's a great guy and has more energy than Tigger on prozac, things will seem weird without him.

Right, you're up to date again now. I've got a normal week of shifts and then I start something called "timecard". This is your last week and you're not allowed to get guests on the Dining Plan or that you have to add a gratuity to because you've already got your final paycheck and grat comes up in that. It also means you must do the hours set. Normally we're scheduled until a set time but if you finish earlier or later it doesn't matter. On an AM shift you're normally scheduled until 5.30pm but the latest you're done is around 4.30pm. On timecard, you have to stay until your time. That means sitting by the clock in machine with a book. Sounds okay to me!

In my last week I have our throwout to look forward to (that should be the 21st) and then last meal. Then I'm done with Disney and I have a few days on International Drive to relax before I'm "leaving on a jet plane". I just hope I make it through the next fortnight....

Cruising!

It's been a pretty good few days since I last blogged. It would have been excellent except I've been ill for the last three days. Anyway, I left you last on June 8th just before my final AM shift of the week. That went fine and once we were done, Vikki, Nia and I went to the Florida Mall for the evening. I needed some shoes for my graduation dress, Vikki needed a dress and Nia just needed some retail therapy! We spent the whole evening there and I picked out a really nice blue and white dress that I thought would look good on Vikki. It didn't look good, it looked absolutely amazing! She is so pretty anyway but that dress really makes her look beautiful. I am so jealous! Still, I feel a sense of pride that I helped pick it out. Especially as it was the only one in the whole shop and it just happened to be her size!

We went on the cruise this week and it was brilliant. It felt really weird for me though. I never expected to even see the Wonder ever again but I got a huge thrill of excitement when I saw her in Port Canaveral. It was a strange mix of the familiar and unfamiliar. I knew the ship, I knew the procedures, I knew where everything was and the difference between forward and aft but I didn't know what the guests could do and I've never had whole areas of the ship that are off limits before. I can see why people would come on a cruise and decide "wow, I want to work here!" The guests are treated so well. Plus, there is just so much to do! We were busy from the second we came onboard.

Our first night we got onboard at around 1pm and had a buffet lunch at Beach Blanket Buffet (Deck 9, aft). Then we had a quick look round the ship and I said hello to the people who remembered me. We played shuffleboard out on deck 4 and then played the gameshow Mickey Mania. That was followed by the very impressive show, The Golden Mickeys and then dinner in Animators Palate. That is a great restaurant. It starts off in black and white and changes to colour throughout your meal. Even the server uniforms change! I ditched the boys for an hour while they went up to the hot tubs on deck 9 so I could go and say hi to a few friends. I spent an hour in Flounder's Reef Nursery (Deck 5) reminiscing with Neil and Yuri. Neil still tells a certain story about me to the new hires and it's my claim to fame on the Wonder (and the Magic as Neil told them too!) I can't repeat it here but I know for a fact, anyone on that ship knows what I'm talking about. Oh yeah, and Stephen? Say anything and I'll give your class full permission to attack you with Hannah Monatana CD's!

The second day was Kevin's 24th birthday. We docked in Nassau and Captain Henry gave the same lame "we've found Nassau" joke that I've heard a million times. I'd arranged for the cabin to be decorated for Kevin's birthday so we had to get Kevin out of the cabin as fast as we could. The poor guy must have wondered what the rush was!

AJ, Kevin and I had booked a shore excursion out to Blue Lagoon Island where we did the sealion interaction. It was great! We got to stroke, touch, kiss, hug and play with our sealion, Maggie. We even touched her tongue and teeth! I was a bit disappointed that you couldn't swim with them though.

Once we got back to the ship, we'd missed lunch so we ordered room service which is free on the ship!!!! We ordered so much food and relaxed for a while. Then Kevin went off to play Bingo and AJ went upstairs to sun himself on deck. I had a slight headache so I took some Resolve and slept for a while. When we all got together again, we went to see Toy Story The Musical - a new show for me too as it was Hercules when I was onboard. It was a decent enough show but not as impressive as the Golden Mickeys and not as Magical as Disney Dreams (my favourite). After the show, we had dinner at Parrot Cay (Deck 3). Our server brought over a cake for Kevin which was really cool. We finished the day by watching "Up" in 3D which is a really good movie but the beginning was so sad I was in tears!

Our final day we docked at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. We had another very busy day! We hired bikes in the morning and cycled out to the observation tower on the island (I think that must be new, I don't remember seeing that before!) Then we hired floats and sat back on huge rubber rings in the ocean. The water was so warm it was like bath water. Salty bath water, anyway. Next we did snorkel lagoon which I wasn't too keen on. I love to snorkel but there needs to be something interesting to look at. All they had was sand. I ended up going right to the back to find something to see and then had to kill myself swimming back. Finally, we did the stingray encounter where we snorkelled with huge stingrays. It was okay but nothing spectacular. Still, we managed to get some relax time on the beach too so it was a nice relaxing day.

We missed lunch again so we ordered more roomservice (free?!?! I may have mentionned that before!) Then we went down to see my absolute favourite show, Disney Dreams. It's had a little bit of a makeover since I last saw it which was nice as it wasn't all exactly the same. Still, Peter Pan was still the main lead and the songs were all the same and I sat there watching it with a huge smile on my face.

After the show it was dinner at Tritons followed by a few meet and greets with the characters. Then we watched "Til We Meet Again" which is a short goodbye and then headed for bed.

The day we disembarked the ship, Captain Henry was at the gangplank. He not only remembered me but he knew my name! Even after all this time! I felt quite special!

We got a taxi back to The Commons where I slept for a few hours and went to work. Work was pretty good. I had one five top that were especially lovely. Their meal came to $95 and the tipped me $65 on top! That's the best tip I've ever had and I was really grateful for it.

The last three days I've been in pain. I won't say why as it's not very nice but it's been a nasty three days. I've had to call in sick at work, pretty much one of the first times I've done that! Still, I'm feeling alot better now. So glad it's sorted.

So, once again, you're up to date. I've got a few days of work (and I'm hoping to pick up some mids) and then it's graduation! Guess that will be my next report!