Hey guys, so I haven't posted here in nearly 3 weeks now and I figured its about time I did, you see, a lot has developed. So question is, where do I begin...I suppose I may as well drop the bomb right away and inform you all that I am now set to return to NZ on October 27th 2011 (NZ Time). This is obviously A LOT earlier than my planned program end date of July 6th 2012...The reason for this sudden, massive reduction is down to many reasons, but those of which I cannot fully articulate on here with any convincing judgement, besides, the flights are booked, I am very happy with my decision and any questions can be answered upon my return :)
Now then, to move away from the above bombshell I shall write a little bit about whats been happening over here...So the last time I posted I mentioned that I was to complete my deep training the following day, however, due to lifeguard shortages etc I did not receive said training and was instead put on to Shallow Rotation for the first time by myself. Everything went perfectly fine, it was extremely easy, unfortunately just super boring! lol I ended up getting put on Shallow Rotation for the next 2 weeks straight on almost all PM shifts. On Thursday last week I finally got my 2nd day of Deep Training and could officially begin doing the deep rotation by myself. I did just that on the Friday and Saturday, all went very well, and it was a little more interesting so a bit pleased but there is definitely more responsibility...
Anyway, the hours at Typhoon Lagoon have now changed as the Peak Season is coming to an end and there are just single shifts to be had which are 11 hours/day this week, 10 hours/day next week and then down to the normal 8hours/day the week after. Therefore, I have just come off a 3 day stretch of time off (Sunday/Monday/Tuesday) and managed to experience all of Animal Kingdom & Magic Kingdom! (Photos are up on Facebook) I really enjoyed both parks. In between them on the Monday I went and saw Final Destination 5 with a couple others from my intake which was quite good and went to a Pool Party here at Vista - a little lame but got free stuff ;) Today I had my last purely PM shift, and I now have three 11 hour days to look forward to all in a row...YAY! >.< haha
To conclude this post I think I'll write a little bit in regards to my future plans once I arrive back in NZ...First of all, I will be moving out of home! Second, I will be looking for a new 1-day/week part-time job and Third, I will be starting back at Uni in Trimester 1 of 2012. OH! Actually, a little on what is to come for me here in Florida...I shall simply be trying to experience everything I originally wanted to before I head home which there is more than enough time for in the next 2 months, things like Cirque Du Soleil, DisneyQuest, Various well-known Restaurants, all of the parks etc etc...
In other news, this will be my final post...I've decided it is too much effort lol to follow what I am up to, visit my Facebook page and view my photos :)
Ok, now were done! See ya soon guys and girls - Be excited :P
Wednesday, 17 August 2011
Friday, 29 July 2011
The New Lifeguard in Town
So, with this post I can proudly state that I am now a fully fledged, qualified Lifeguard! :D After a 2nd day of training last Saturday I was all prepared to combine everything I had learnt from both days, and apply such skills to the 3 tests on my final day of training. Test 1 was the Group Test, basically it was a randomly thought up scenario that would cover everything we had learnt in to one emergency rescue. Our scenario comprised of a basic conscious struggling victim rescue, leading on to an unconscious child emergency. It all went very smoothly and we pretty much aced the test :P Test 2 was a written test with 60 questions, 80% was needed to pass but the questions were so straight-forward there were no worries there. Test 3 was the CPR test on Adult, Child & Infant. I actually managed to score a perfect 100% on this test and was awarded a special badge for my efforts :)
To celebrate, I decided to go check out Hollywood Studios that same very night and watch Fantasmic! The park was pretty cool, I got through a fair chunk of it (Photos are on FB) and the show was amazing :)
Monday was my very first day at Typhoon Lagoon, I was there from 8am-6pm for a Property Orientation and for learning Emergency Action Plans (EAP's) etc...The park seemed rather large at first, but after a while it gradually shrunk, now I see it as being pretty small! The real excitement was to come though, you see, Monday was the day this beast laptop I am currently typing on arrived, oh and how I love it!! :P
Tuesday brought about my Shallow Rotation training in which I actually performed the job, just with a trainer to help me out. We visited all of the shallow guard stands, fairly easy stuff but you must always remain attentive, especially with random audits always looming. The auditors will literally drop a 'shadow figure' (VAT) on the pool bottom and you are given 10 seconds to spot it and 20 seconds to get it out of the pool, all whilst following correct procedure (Hitting the Operational Alarm [OA], Blowing your whistle etc). This is called 10/20 protection which is strongly enforced. As night rolled around I joined some Aussie friends going to a club called Mako's on the International Party Bus. I enjoyed the bus, disco lights flashing, music blaring...and the club went off, but being sober through it all was just a nightmare and therefore I have decided to not attend any more clubs haha it's too depressing because it's so good (If drinking).
On Thursday I had my Deep Rotation training with another trainer just there to help me out along the way. The deep stands have a lot more action going on and I jumped in a good 4 times for various strugglers coming out of the Storm slides, and in the Shark Reef. Thats right, the Shark Reef :) In the deep rotation there is a stand called 'Reef Float' in which I am to just float around in the reef and be there to assist any of the guests who have problems getting across. I also do the 'Reef Dispatch' stand where I have a little spiel about the masks/snorkels etc and get the guests in to the water and off in to the 10ft deep reef. Needless to say the Deep Rotation is a lot more exciting than the Shallow Rotation, but there is also a lot more responsibility that comes associated with it.
Today I checked out Epcot and managed to do everything in the entire park, which is an accomplishment as the place is HUGE! lol photos of the things I saw are on my FB. Overall, it was a fairly average park, but I did still enjoy having a good look around and just experiencing everything it had to offer (A lot of slow-motion tour like rides >.< )
Tomorrow I have another day of Deep Rotation Training before I begin for real the day after! Wish me luck haha not that I'll need it I'm sure - Highly skilled you see ;)
Anyway, that's all for this week! C ya.
To celebrate, I decided to go check out Hollywood Studios that same very night and watch Fantasmic! The park was pretty cool, I got through a fair chunk of it (Photos are on FB) and the show was amazing :)
Monday was my very first day at Typhoon Lagoon, I was there from 8am-6pm for a Property Orientation and for learning Emergency Action Plans (EAP's) etc...The park seemed rather large at first, but after a while it gradually shrunk, now I see it as being pretty small! The real excitement was to come though, you see, Monday was the day this beast laptop I am currently typing on arrived, oh and how I love it!! :P
Tuesday brought about my Shallow Rotation training in which I actually performed the job, just with a trainer to help me out. We visited all of the shallow guard stands, fairly easy stuff but you must always remain attentive, especially with random audits always looming. The auditors will literally drop a 'shadow figure' (VAT) on the pool bottom and you are given 10 seconds to spot it and 20 seconds to get it out of the pool, all whilst following correct procedure (Hitting the Operational Alarm [OA], Blowing your whistle etc). This is called 10/20 protection which is strongly enforced. As night rolled around I joined some Aussie friends going to a club called Mako's on the International Party Bus. I enjoyed the bus, disco lights flashing, music blaring...and the club went off, but being sober through it all was just a nightmare and therefore I have decided to not attend any more clubs haha it's too depressing because it's so good (If drinking).
On Thursday I had my Deep Rotation training with another trainer just there to help me out along the way. The deep stands have a lot more action going on and I jumped in a good 4 times for various strugglers coming out of the Storm slides, and in the Shark Reef. Thats right, the Shark Reef :) In the deep rotation there is a stand called 'Reef Float' in which I am to just float around in the reef and be there to assist any of the guests who have problems getting across. I also do the 'Reef Dispatch' stand where I have a little spiel about the masks/snorkels etc and get the guests in to the water and off in to the 10ft deep reef. Needless to say the Deep Rotation is a lot more exciting than the Shallow Rotation, but there is also a lot more responsibility that comes associated with it.
Today I checked out Epcot and managed to do everything in the entire park, which is an accomplishment as the place is HUGE! lol photos of the things I saw are on my FB. Overall, it was a fairly average park, but I did still enjoy having a good look around and just experiencing everything it had to offer (A lot of slow-motion tour like rides >.< )
Tomorrow I have another day of Deep Rotation Training before I begin for real the day after! Wish me luck haha not that I'll need it I'm sure - Highly skilled you see ;)
Anyway, that's all for this week! C ya.
Friday, 22 July 2011
First Week Complete
Well well, I've survived a week here @ Disney and I've gotta say I'm really enjoying it :) Aside from the fact that I just got word my new laptop won't be here until Monday, everything is great! So lets take a look back at what I've been up to since arriving here at Disney...
On the 16th I moved in to Vista Way, Apartment #2606, and got all settled in before heading down to Walmart on the Disney Bus and purchasing all of my bedding sheets, some food etc etc...Later that night it was 'Lone Star' for dinner with about 16 other Aussies/Kiwis & then drinks back at Jayden's room, sucks I couldn't ACTUALLY drink (Grape Fanta FTW), Booze is so ridiculously cheap over here its insane!! Oh well...
The second day was rather boring, it was scheduled as a day off for all of the others arriving on the group flight. With no computer and no free access to the theme parks yet because our Disney ID's were yet to be issued, it was pretty bad...I tried out the pools a few times just for the hell of it though, they're so nice and refreshing! :)
We then had 2 days of Orientation which just included a couple welcome/information meetings and the completion of some forms...Groups of us chilled by the pools and just relaxed during the afternoons, was pretty nice. I also had my swim test which I passed easily.
On the Wednesday there was 'Traditions' class, our official welcome to Disney with Disney ID's issued, Name Badges given out and a little tour under and around Magic Kingdom. I also received a little Disney toy from Mickey himself when he burst through the doors lol shook his hand and got a picture, that was cool :) Afterwards I went to Walmart, this time by myself, and did my big shop for the week. I bought a good amount of food, as well as some other apartment essentials. I came back to the apartment and did my 1st load of washing which was extremely easy! I ate dinner and then headed out to Magic Kingdom to experience the Fireworks show 'Wishes', with the 'Electric Avenue Parade' before it too. The fireworks were awesome, but the Memories show which turned the entire Cinderella Castle into a projector screen was soooooo good! After the shows Jake and I went on a quick Buzz Lightyear ride and saw a Monsters Inc show which was really funny :P
The next day I had a class 'Welcome to Recreation' which was extremely boring with about 5 virtual lessons and other stupid crap, but I got paid so all good haha
Today I had my first day of lifeguard training (Day 1 of 7) which was actually rather interesting. We did the swim test once again before learning 5 different rescue methods that adapted to different situations. After lunch we learnt all about CPR and did all of the breathing/compression drills on dummies and eachother etc...was good.
So there you have it, my first week at Disney, it wasn't exactly a standard week I can soon expect but it was a pretty good insight in to what its going to be like and I'm not complaining :) I do really miss Amanda though...and Farhaad, you are somewhat missed too lol...Dylan - No! Jokes <3 haha aaaaaaaaaand I guess my Family too! lol anyways thats all I have to say for now...
Peace.
On the 16th I moved in to Vista Way, Apartment #2606, and got all settled in before heading down to Walmart on the Disney Bus and purchasing all of my bedding sheets, some food etc etc...Later that night it was 'Lone Star' for dinner with about 16 other Aussies/Kiwis & then drinks back at Jayden's room, sucks I couldn't ACTUALLY drink (Grape Fanta FTW), Booze is so ridiculously cheap over here its insane!! Oh well...
The second day was rather boring, it was scheduled as a day off for all of the others arriving on the group flight. With no computer and no free access to the theme parks yet because our Disney ID's were yet to be issued, it was pretty bad...I tried out the pools a few times just for the hell of it though, they're so nice and refreshing! :)
We then had 2 days of Orientation which just included a couple welcome/information meetings and the completion of some forms...Groups of us chilled by the pools and just relaxed during the afternoons, was pretty nice. I also had my swim test which I passed easily.
On the Wednesday there was 'Traditions' class, our official welcome to Disney with Disney ID's issued, Name Badges given out and a little tour under and around Magic Kingdom. I also received a little Disney toy from Mickey himself when he burst through the doors lol shook his hand and got a picture, that was cool :) Afterwards I went to Walmart, this time by myself, and did my big shop for the week. I bought a good amount of food, as well as some other apartment essentials. I came back to the apartment and did my 1st load of washing which was extremely easy! I ate dinner and then headed out to Magic Kingdom to experience the Fireworks show 'Wishes', with the 'Electric Avenue Parade' before it too. The fireworks were awesome, but the Memories show which turned the entire Cinderella Castle into a projector screen was soooooo good! After the shows Jake and I went on a quick Buzz Lightyear ride and saw a Monsters Inc show which was really funny :P
The next day I had a class 'Welcome to Recreation' which was extremely boring with about 5 virtual lessons and other stupid crap, but I got paid so all good haha
Today I had my first day of lifeguard training (Day 1 of 7) which was actually rather interesting. We did the swim test once again before learning 5 different rescue methods that adapted to different situations. After lunch we learnt all about CPR and did all of the breathing/compression drills on dummies and eachother etc...was good.
So there you have it, my first week at Disney, it wasn't exactly a standard week I can soon expect but it was a pretty good insight in to what its going to be like and I'm not complaining :) I do really miss Amanda though...and Farhaad, you are somewhat missed too lol...Dylan - No! Jokes <3 haha aaaaaaaaaand I guess my Family too! lol anyways thats all I have to say for now...
Peace.
Friday, 15 July 2011
Pre-Disney Adventures
Ok so its nearly midnight here on the final night before I head on down to Disney at 8.30am tomorrow morning! Very excite :D So anyways I just thought I'd let you guys in on what I've been up to for the past 3 days here in Orlando...
July 13th:
Alright so here we took a trip down to one of the Orlando Premium Outlet Malls at the end of International Drive and had a rather large clothes shopping experience, very unusual for me I know but it was great. Everything was so cheap and I managed to pick up 3 pairs of Levi Shorts (2 Jean, 1 Cargo), a casual-dress type Levi shirt, Good Quality Jandals & White Chuck Taylor All Stars shoes, 2 Nike T-Shirts and Awesome Boardshorts for USD$200 :) After heading back to the hotel we received notice that Hard Rock was to be dinner for tomorrow night instead and ended up heading to the girls hotel about 10mins up the road. We all went to get food at Denny's across the road which was alright (American food is absolute shit!) and after Jake and I headed back to the hotel. We did go for a nice walk over to Walmart to look at bedding etc for Disney and then that was it for the day.
July 14th:
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS!! :D We caught the 8.50am shuttle in, arriving by 9.20am, and went straight on in. Right off the bat we went on the Rip-Ride Rock-It, followed by Twister, The Mummy, Jaws & The Simpsons (Best Ride of the Day!!) We then had some lunch before going to see Jess get 6 scorpions put on her head at Fear Factor Live which was a great show, park guests doing the Fear Factor challenge right in front of us! Afterwards we went on an assortment of other rides/attractions, did The Mummy a good 4 times or so (Good fun) and just took in the atmosphere snapping photos constantly. Afterwards we went and had dinner at The Hard Rock Cafe which was pretty good, I got some Spicy Chicken Wings and Fries. We ended up getting the 8.40pm shuttle back to the hotel and decided to jump in the pool until around 10pm before bed.
July 15th:
Definitely the biggest and baddest day of them all, a 5.30am wake-up got us on our way, catching a taxi-cab to the park in order to get full use out of our early-access passes - and wow was it worth it! Upon arriving we were among the very 1st in the gates right on 7am along with what must have been 300 others...EVERYONE went straight on up to 'Hogsmeade' in Harry Potter World, all for 'The Forbidden Journey' Ride which was well known for producing extremely long wait times all throughout the day. After experiencing the ride for myself with essentially no wait time there was no question as to why that is...BEST-RIDE-EVER! :P Its really hard to explain on here what it was like but wow was it good, edging out The Simpsons Ride to take top spot. We then went on 'Ride of the Hippogriff' and the 'Dragon Challenge' twice which was cool before sitting down to breakfast at 'The Three Broomsticks'. The food was pretty terrible, Butterbeer was good though, was like a butterscotch icecream spider. After having a good look around all of Hogsmeade and taking tonnes of photos we moved on to the other areas of the park which included Jurassic Park, a few Water rides, Marvel Island (Sweet area), Cat in the Hat and a Lost City area. We got absolutely drenched on the water drop rides, The Amazing Spiderman Ride was awesome and Hulk was pretty cool too. All in all the park was a lot of fun and we left there about 5pm. Jake and I then got some BK before lining up for nearly 2 hours for Harry Potter 7 Part 2 at AMC Cineplex just outside the parks in amongst the CityWalk. Lucky we did too! When we got there, there were already 50 or so people in the line and it didn't take too long in stretching quite a way behind us! The movie (In IMAX 3D) was amazing, it of course being the culmination of around 10 years of Harry Potter year in, year out :D Caught a Taxi home afterwards and well now here I am, ready and packed to set off for Disney in the morning! So I guess I'll end this here, will fill you all in about how I settle in and such next week kk, Peace! ^_^
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
Made it!
Woot! Just thought I'd make this post to inform you all that I have arrived safe and sound in Orlando. After a quick flight to Auckland with its fair share of turbulence in the storms I was all set and ready to hit the skies big time with the 12 hours to LA. The flight was delayed an extra hour due to said thunder storms preventing ground staff to get us up and running, but once we were in the air it was pretty smooth sailing all the way. I watched 4 movies - Rango, Morning Glory, You Again, and The Princess & The Frog, plus 6 assorted TV show episodes to keep me stimulated during the long haul. The dinner was actually awesome too! Butter Chicken mmmmm :P
Upon arrival into the US I went through customs with ease before encountering a bit of confusion at LAX, the worst airport ever haha. I eventually figured it all out and decided to flag any LA adventures, so just checked in waaaaay early and endured life sucking boredom at a Terminal with about 4 shops...To feed my face I got a combo from 'Ruby's Diner', average...Next I was off to Newark, New Jersey which was a PSP filled flight to ward off the constant presence of boredom...McD's for brekkie there and then finally I was on my way to Orlando which was a nice, quick 2 hour flight :)
Orlando International Airport was great! I took a few photos so I'll upload those on to Facebook once I get the chance. I had a look around all of the shops killing time while waiting for Jake to arrive which he did 3 hours later. Another quick McD's combo later (hehe keeping count?) and we were off to the hotel on a $2 bus, cheap huh! The hotel is amazing, its so freakin' hot and humid here we had to have a swim which was great, we then went for a walk down International Drive which is jammed pack with things to do and shopping malls etc...had dinner (Taco's & Burrito's this time lol) & 2 Banana Split Sundaes for $3 to cap it off.
So thats about it, here we are! I hope it all made sense up there lol probably not the best flow in the world but I really can't be bothered proof reading a blog so deal with it :P That and my brain is probably not at its optimal capacity at present as I have not slept in 60 hours! xD Anyways, off to the big mall and Hard Rock Cafe tomorrow, Universal the next day and Islands of Adventure the next! Until next time have a good week, I know I will ^_^
Upon arrival into the US I went through customs with ease before encountering a bit of confusion at LAX, the worst airport ever haha. I eventually figured it all out and decided to flag any LA adventures, so just checked in waaaaay early and endured life sucking boredom at a Terminal with about 4 shops...To feed my face I got a combo from 'Ruby's Diner', average...Next I was off to Newark, New Jersey which was a PSP filled flight to ward off the constant presence of boredom...McD's for brekkie there and then finally I was on my way to Orlando which was a nice, quick 2 hour flight :)
Orlando International Airport was great! I took a few photos so I'll upload those on to Facebook once I get the chance. I had a look around all of the shops killing time while waiting for Jake to arrive which he did 3 hours later. Another quick McD's combo later (hehe keeping count?) and we were off to the hotel on a $2 bus, cheap huh! The hotel is amazing, its so freakin' hot and humid here we had to have a swim which was great, we then went for a walk down International Drive which is jammed pack with things to do and shopping malls etc...had dinner (Taco's & Burrito's this time lol) & 2 Banana Split Sundaes for $3 to cap it off.
So thats about it, here we are! I hope it all made sense up there lol probably not the best flow in the world but I really can't be bothered proof reading a blog so deal with it :P That and my brain is probably not at its optimal capacity at present as I have not slept in 60 hours! xD Anyways, off to the big mall and Hard Rock Cafe tomorrow, Universal the next day and Islands of Adventure the next! Until next time have a good week, I know I will ^_^
Thursday, 30 June 2011
To all those interested in my travels :)
Alright guys so initially I wasn't intending to make a blog, a lot of my fellow future cast members have been writing them for months just leading up to the time we go away but you all know me, I am faaar too lazy haha ^_^ However, it has come to my attention that there are quite a few of you who seem to want to be kept informed regarding my Disney adventure...thus, here it is, my official blog! I shall do my best to get a new post up every Friday (So that'll be Saturday for you guys here in NZ), and perhaps when something particularly exciting goes down as well.
So, first order of business, lets get you all up to date with where I'm at right now in preparation for this amazing experience. I have got my American J-1 Visa, sorted out my Travel/Medical Insurance, paid all of the necessary fees, enrolled in a Marketing Exploration Course at Disney and am set to fly out on Monday 11th of July @ 5pm. My flight Itinerary is as follows:
So, first order of business, lets get you all up to date with where I'm at right now in preparation for this amazing experience. I have got my American J-1 Visa, sorted out my Travel/Medical Insurance, paid all of the necessary fees, enrolled in a Marketing Exploration Course at Disney and am set to fly out on Monday 11th of July @ 5pm. My flight Itinerary is as follows:
- Wellington -> Auckland (1 Hour)
- Auckland -> Los Angeles (12 Hours) - [10 Hour Stopover in LA]
- Los Angeles -> New Jersey (5 Hours)
- New Jersey -> Orlando (3 Hours) - [Arrive at 10.20am EST on the 12th]
I will be flying with Continental Airlines, however flights 1 & 2 will be staffed by Air NZ.
To start off the trip, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a great deal with a few other Disney goers to experience Universal in Orlando. The package I bought includes 4 nights at a hotel on International Drive, 3-Day Park entrance to 'Islands of Adventure' (Where the 'Wizarding world of Harry Potter' is now situated) & Universal Studios, along with early access passes, free travel to and from the parks, a city boardwalk pass for the night life and breakfast on the 15th at the 'Three Broomsticks'. Also on the 15th, we now have tickets booked to go and see the final installment of Harry Potter in IMAX 3D at the Universal AMC Cinaplex @7.20pm.
On the 16th we will be travelling down to Vista Way at Disney World where I will check in and officially start my Disney International Program! I will then be subject to a 'Traditions' class of which all cast members must attend, learning the history and culture of Disney, before commencing training to become a lifeguard for 6-Months :)
Hopefully this post was fairly informative as to what I shall be doing in 10 days, I shall plan to write a 2nd one upon arrival in the US! Sweet.
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