IT'S OVER!!!!

Can you believe it?!!! I still can't...
It doesn't actually feel like it has ended. I can't explain how amazing it is to not have not do anything or be anywhere. It is incredible. I also have free internet!!!!

It was so strange saying goo bye to everyone. They have been my family for the last 9 months and I can't imagine not being around them anymore...I wasn't even sad during the moment when we actually parted our separate ways, because I know I'm gonna see some of a lot of them in the future!

Well now I'm off to explore The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and some of the Disney Parks in Orlando. Then Nick and I are flying to New York!!!!

We deserve a break after 6 and a half months without a day off!!!!!!!!!!

Ariel's new friend!!!

Our last performance of Believe received the highest score in the History of DCL!!! 90%
AND SO DID OUR CHARACTERS!!!! 78%
In fact...throughout the contract, each of our main stage shows has benchmarked multiple times. That means our cast has the highest scoring shows ever!!!

Some statistics of my contract...

8 months and 19 days
37 weeks
262 days

49 cruises
14 three-days
21 four-days
14 five-days

Approximately...
100 Golden Mickeys
102 Villians
142 Believes
48 Sail Aways
49 Mickey's Pirates in the Caribbean
48 Club Pirates
90 See Ya Real Soons
111 Princess Gatherings (that's approx. 4,995 families)

63 Castaway Days
35 Sea Days
49 Nassau Days

I've seen approximately 171,500 guests.
I've worked approximately 1596 hours.
I've worked 196 days in a row without a day off.

Time for a vacation!!!!

2 cruises left!!!!!!!

Dream 4 is here!!!!!!!!! The new cast is coming to take over...FINALLY!!! It is so exciting to have new faces onboard. We are slowly easing them into their crazy new lives and we are so happy to be passing the torch. It's nice to make some new friends, but sad we will be leaving them so shortly. I'm actually a little sad to leave this place...I was greeting Cinderella last night and was watching a little girl show Cindy all of her toys and I teared up thinking about how much I'm going to miss those moments. It's a nice break for us because Dream 4 is taking over a lot and we are basically just shadowing them and helping them out where they need it. Oh, and remember my first day on the ship when I got GI and was isolated for 24 hours? Well...that kind of happened again this crossover...I guess it's tradition. Although, I didn't actually have GI thank goodness!

Starting to say our goodbyes...The Disney characters miss their amazing, red-headed, Irish YA friend, Angela!!!!!!   

We moved out of our little cabins and into guest staterooms so the new cast could move into their new cabins!!!

Packed up all my stuff!!!

The living room full of our junk!!!!

See ya neva 4813!!!

Hello big comfy bed and magical porthole!

Guest say the darnest things...
I don’t really think about how crazy this job really is until a guest asks, “so how long before you do another cruise?” I then get to explain to that guest that for the last 5 months I have been on the Disney Dream, we do back to back 3,4, and 5 night cruises. The guests from one cruise get off the ship around 9am and the next cruise of guests start boarding at 11am; then we set sail at 5pm! They react very surprised at how often we cruise and then say, “so you don’t get any vacation between?” or “so you don’t switch between the other ships?” I explain to them that I have worked everyday for the last 5 months without a day off. Once a guest said to me “I wonder what the Entertainment people do with their time off, huh?” My reply...”we do this...we greet the characters...” Sometimes guests’ questions just remind me of how much I need and deserve a vacation.

But their questions also remind me of all of the parts of the job that I am very thankful for as well. Seeing the Disney characters everyday, meeting people from all over the world, visiting a new country that some people will never travel too, experiencing the Bahamian culture on a daily basis, swimming in the beautiful tropical waters of Castaway Cay. And those are the things I’m allowed to tell them about my job...I don’t even get to tell them that I get to hug hundreds of children every cruise. I get to imprint special memories on a child’s heart and I get to collect so many magical moments with guests that I will always remember. 

John Stamos came on a cruise and took and picture with the cast of Believe...and then tweeted it!!!

4th of July...

This is how I spent it...

Woke up at 6:30am for immigration check in Port Canaveral. Basically all that means is that you wake up at the crack of dawn to show an officer that you are an American citizen or have all of the proper papers if you are not. 

After immigration, our cast had planned to have a nice 4th of July breakfast at IHOP. Unfortunately, security wasn't going to let anyone off the ship until 8:30 and we didn't want to wait in line for another 30 minutes so we just went to the mess instead.  After a disappointing breakfast, I went back to my room and slept until noon. I decided not to get off the ship since I really didn't have anything important I needed to do in Port. I called my mom, saw my boyfriend for a little while before he had to work and then continued my day with Sailing Away and The Golden Mickeys for the rest of the evening. The whole day, I was really homesick and missing the festivities I would shave been participating in at home: the Marina Hills community carnival, a hot beach day with friends, fireworks, fun outfits...I didn't even get to wear red, white and blue the whole day. It really made me miss California :(

The characters put on a 4th of July show called Flag Waving American! Aren't they're costumes adorable!!!!! Chip was my personal favorite ;)

The end is near!!!!!!!!!!

It’s a red carpet countdown...

Less than 5 weeks left in the contract. The end is so close I can taste it. Lately I’ve been so homesick I’ve had dreams combining situations from the ship with friends from back home. I don’t think I ever mentioned the fact that whenever anyone in our cast (including myself) has a dream, it usually has to do with greeting or performing on set...This is what working every single day will do to you. It’s hard to get a full night’s sleep because you’re always worried you set your alarm wrong or you’ll sleep through it and be late for work. There was a short period of time at the beginning of the contract when I would talk/animate in my sleep. But all of that anxiety will soon come to an end. Just 1 week until the new cast comes onboard for crossover and then two weeks until our contract officially ends. 

I am especially excited for what is to come after the contract because Nick and I will be spending a few days in Orlando going to all the Disney Parks and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Then come July 26th, we will fly up to New York to stay with a fellow cast member in Brooklyn and explore the city together. We plan on taking some dance classes and hopefully going to a few auditions if we can find any! Then we fly back to LA together July 31st and finally get to relax back at home.

So that’s everything I’m counting down to right now!!! We still have some exciting things coming up on the ship before the end though! 

We are back to 5 day cruises again (thank goodness) and my parents came to visit May 27th for our first one. It was so amazing seeing my mom and dad. I hadn’t seen my mom since the time she cruised in February and I hadn’t seen my dad since Christmas! I was lucky enough to greet them right as they got on the ship! I was so happy to see them I started to cry. It felt like a little piece of home coming to visit. It’s hard to explain, but whenever someone in the cast had family on, everybody gets exciting. We are a family, so we are always so excited for each other. So when my parents stepped on the ship, some of my Cruise Staff and Youth Counselor friends teared up a little along with me when I introduced them to my parents.

We had the most marvelous time together while they were here! My dad and my boyfriend, Nick, met for the first time and got on quite nicely! Nick was so nervous he kept asking me for my opinion on his outfits...so cute. I was even lucky enough to eat 4 out of 5 dinners with them! I only had about an hour each time I joined them, but our servers were wonderful and made sure all of my meals got out on time so I was able to enjoy them before going back to work! I still thank them whenever I see them around the crew areas! 

Last time when my mom cruised, it was raining when we were in Nassau so she didn’t even get off the ship. This time, I had enough time to go on a Port Adventure with them!!! We went on one called Discover Atlantis. A shuttle took us on a short tour around Nassau on the way to the Atlantis Resort and then we went on a guided tour through all of the aquariums inside the Resort. Atlantis is beautiful and after we saw all the different sea creatures, we explored the rest of the resort. It is huge. There is a suite that connects two of the towers together called the Michael Jackson suite. It is $25,000 a night to stay there! After we were done Discovering Atlantis, we went to the shopping area across the street and had some Johnny Rockets for lunch. It’s always a treat to eat some good old American junk food. Then we took a crazy bus ride back to the ship and I went back to work for the night!

I had a nice break on the second Castaway Day so Nick and I joined my parents on the island. We rode Pelican Plunge (a little water slide that is on the island) and we snorkeled around the man-made shipwreck. We had some lunch and then it started to rain. Nick had to get back to the ship for a rehearsal so I went with my parents to the adult beach and took a nap on a beach chair under the umbrella until we had to go.

It was a perfect cruise and they had a wonderful time! I was so happy they both got to see the ship and all of my shows and everything! only 6 weeks until I see them again!

Just a few days later, was my 20th birthday!!! Nick got me some bug spray (I keep getting mosquito bites while greeting), a disposable camera for New York, and a dress. He also set up a brunch date at Palo on my birthday!!! It was delicious and we stuffed ourselves with all sorts of treats.

A couple cruises ago, my roomate, Maleah debarked for some personal reasons. I was really sad to see her go, but I know that she needed some time at home away from ship life. She’s hoping to come back for crossover, but there is only a few weeks left so we just don’t know if that will work out. So for now, I have the cabin all to myself. It’s lonely and little creepy sometimes but also kinda nice to have my very own little space to escape. But now I never want to leave my room and it makes me homesick because it reminds me of my room at home. Wishing you all the best, Maleah! Miss you<3

So all together, we have had 4 cast members medically debarked and 5 replacements from past contracts come onboard. At the beginning of the contract, I truly thought our cast would stay together until the end...then a handful of people started getting injured...never a dull moment here on the Dream!

Until next time...

Dreams Comes True

Like I said before, the cruises are much harder to get through now that we are just past our half-way mark and nearing the end of our contract. Although it's nice to be in Port Canaveral every few days because of the 3 and 4 day itineraries, it's completely exhausting. Only four and a half more cruises until we go back to 5 days! One extra day really does make all the difference.

This last cruise I was reminded of why I am here. 

Ariel met the most amazing family. A small family of a little girl named Ariel, her younger brother, their Mother and their grandmother. They attended Ariel's first meet and greet, and one of the Princess Gatherings. Ariel was so excited to meet a friend with the same name as her. The little boy of about 5 years old was very enthusiastic about his sister's name as well. They were silly little starfish and Ariel loved talking to them. They took some pictures and their mother decided she wanted to be on one of the pictures and also invited the kids' grandma to join in as well. She was a very kind woman who gave Ariel one of the warmest hugs she's ever experienced. She was very gracious toward Ariel for the time she had spent with little Ariel and her son. The next afternoon at the Princess Gathering, Ariel recognizes her new friends and was so happy to see them again. She asked about all the fun things they had done since she had seen them last and they told her they had been playing lots of fun games. They took some more pictures, and then the mother said she wanted to take a picture alone with Ariel. She gave Ariel another warm hug and said to her, "I saw your movie in 1985 and fell in love!"She told Ariel some other very kinds things that completely warmed her heart and almost brought tears to her eyes! Ariel gave her the biggest hug and they took a beautiful picture together! Ariel was so happy to have met such a wonderful woman that she asked one of her friends to take down the woman's information so she could send her something special. The woman's name was Jenifer Renz and Ariel wanted to write her a letter to thank her for her kindness. Ariel found the pictures that had been taken the first time she had met the family and sent a couple photos to the Renz family along with the note for Jenifer! She hoped the letter and photographs would reach her well. On the last day of the cruise, Ariel came out one last time to say goodbye to her new friends that she had met. Jenifer showed up to say goodbye all by herself, without the kinds and without the grandmother. She wrote Ariel a letter from her and the kids for her to read later that evening. The children had brought some seashells from Castaway Cay for Ariel along with a giant conch shell: a "piece of home" as Jenifer called it. Both Ariel and Jenifer were in tears and beaming with joy. Ariel was so happy to hear that the family had received their gifts and was so thankful for the beautiful gifts from the children and from Jenifer. She couldn't wait to read the note!!! They couldn't stop hugging each other or thanking each other for all of the kind words. Jenifer said to Ariel, "Thank you for making my dreams come true," and Ariel said, "No. Thank you for making MY dreams come true." They took some final pictures and said their goodbyes completely touched by the moment and so sad that it had to end because Ariel had a lot more friends to say goodbye to. Ariel will never forget Jenifer and hopes that Jenifer will never forget her either!

Witnessing the magic between Ariel and the Renz family is what reminded me of how lucky I am to be on this ship. Yes, it is exhausting beyond belief and really really hard work sometimes, but moments like this are unforgettable and only happen once in a lifetime. I am so blessed to be here.

Today is my 6 month Anniversary with Nick!!! So we did what we always do and went to lunch in Nassau and got some free internet! He wrote the sweetest note to me and got me an Ariel watch that I am OBSESSED with, and a Winnie the Pooh watch to replace my old broken one :) He is the best and I love him more than anything!!!! 

10 weeks left!!!

Ohhhh We're halfway there.

13 weeks left!!!

I think I've finally reached that point of "this job is fun and exciting, but I can't wait to go home!"
It's a whole different world here on the ship and I feel very separated from my life back in California. It feels like my life is on pause while everyone else is in fast forward at home. Don't get me wrong, I love it here. I am still learning brand new things everyday and getting to experience the most incredible people, places, and things, but I am finally feeling a little homesick.

The Fantasy cruised by our ship while we we at Castaway Cay. It looks exactly like our ship on the outside! It go so close to us!

I recently developed a minor obsession with The Hunger Games series! I just bought a kindle so I could read more books without having to carry around hard copies...there is just not enough storage space on the ship! I zoomed through the first book just in time to see the movie on a Port day. I am now reading the third book! Reading is a great way to pass time on the ship when you have a decent break or even just 5 minutes here or there. My next few books on my reading list are Animal Farm, 1984, and The Giver.

We had lots of visitors these last few cruises. My roomate's twin visited for two 5 day cruises. My good friend's girlfriend who I was lucky enough to meet in Toronto also came on for a couple of cruises. Brooke (Justin's girlfriend), Justin, Nick and I took a trip to Atlantis on a Nassau day.

 It is a beautiful resort! Nick also had a good friend of his come! We rented scooters and rode around Nassau! We rode to McDonald's and Junkanoo Beach!

We had a real fun Easter Sunday!!! Mickey and Minnie wore their adorable Easter outfits and the White Rabbit even made an appearance! There was a huge chocolate egg sculpture in the Atrium and there was a little Ariel figurine inside!

We had a cast Easter Egg Hunt in the Walt Disney Theater! 500 chocolate eggs were hidden around the Theater for us to collect!

Pluto personally delivered this special egg to me!!!!

Happy Belated Easter!!!!

5 Days!!!

We finally had our first 5 day cruise!!! It was nice to have a brand new schedule after finally settling into our 3 and 4 day itineraries. Things start to feel repetitive here onboard the Dream. Of course there are always new guests and new experiences and interactions each and every cruise, but we still travel to the same ports of call, work the same shifts, and give the same repetitive answers to clueless guests' questions. Having a new schedule almost made it feel like we were in crossover again!

Our 5 day itineraries also include some new characters! Woody and Jessie, Mr. and Mrs. Incredible, and Remy all cruise along with us! These Pixar favorites are extremely popular since they aren't offered on the 3 and 4 day cruises and I assume they would be difficult to catch in the Disney parks. Naturally, the lines for these characters were insane! Luckily, I was not the greeter for any of these characters. In case you're wondering what a greeter is: each character meet and greet set is controlled by at least two character greeters who set up and organize the line, make sure guests are ready to see the character, works with the photographer who takes shots of the interaction, and monitors the length of the line and overall time frame of the set. I usually really enjoy greeting characters because it allows me the opportunity to meet some guests and talk to the kids in line. I thoroughly enjoy asking little girls who if they've met the princesses and if they have a favorite princess! If they say their favorite is Ariel, I always tell them she is my favorite too!

This is me greeting the line for Goofy on Deck 11!

Each character set has specific time frames that we must follow. Our fur characters (Minnie, Mickey, Woody, Jessie, etc.) are only allowed to be out on set for 30-45 minutes. Our princesses and other face characters like Aladdin, Peter Pan, and Captain Jack Sparrow, are allowed to be out on set for 30-120 minutes. Obviously some characters are a lot more popular than others and those lines are anticipated to be incredibly hectic and difficult to control. For example, Woody and Jessie were scheduled to go out for a 30 minute set, have a 30 minute break in between, and then go out for another 30 minute set after. The line for the first set was so crazy that they were out there for 50 minutes, had a 10 minute break, then went back out for another 45 minutes!!! That's the craziest it's ever been!!! Again, thank goodness I did not have to greet that line of impatient guests!!!

My friend Michael greeting the HUGE line for Princess Gathering!

At some point during each scheduled meet and greet, we must cut off the line. Busy lines are the most unfortunate to close because you have to turn away lots of guests who don't understand the time limits of our characters. Though our characters are out for 30 minutes, we close the line after 15 because it accumulates over that time period. It's hard to explain this to guests because they see a character and a line and figure that the character is open for meet and greets. This mostly happens when the character is seeing their last family and guest will run up thinking there is no line! Guests are not very happy when they are told, "This is actually Mickey's last family for right now, but he is coming back later if you'd like to get pictures and autographs then!" Even if you give them 5 more meet and greet times for Mickey Mouse and you have the brightest smile on your face and the kindest tone to your voice, these guests 8 out of 10 times will plead with you to see "just one more family" or else storm off angry. And that's when we get negative comments. A lot of guests will leave comments about the lines being too long, or that they were turned away from every character, or that the characters were not out enough. The truth is, if guests arrive on time for any advertised set (they are all advertised) they are guaranteed to see that character. They may have to wait in a line, but with 4000 guests, they really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone!

On a lighter note, guests can also leave positive comments! Guests will comment on specific characters and even specific greeters that went above and beyond their expectations to make their cruise special. I made it my contract goal to receive a positive greeting comment, and guess what...I got one!!! My good friend Ariel also received a positive comment a couple cruises ago! She hopes to receive more in the future!!!

The Disney Fantasy is now Sailing around the Bahamas and based out of Port Canaveral just like the Dream! She was Christened in the New York Harbor just last month and her godmother is Mariah Carey! There was a spectacular show in the Walt Disney Theatre hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and all of the Disney Characters were invited!!! Hopefully I'll get a chance to explore the ship  someday when we're in port together!!!

This banner was hanging when we docked in Port Canaveral! I guess we just missed the Fantasy!

Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day!!!!

Rockin and a Rollin, Splishin and a Splashin!!!

Chip and Dale

Super rocky seas last night!!! The worst it’s been so far! The funny thing is...I LOVE it! I think it is so much fun! We were outrunning a tropical storm on our way back to Port Canaveral from Castaway Cay. Luckily, I didn’t have to do any onstage performances which could have been very difficult! The characters said their farewell with “See Ya Real Soon” which includes all of the VIP characters (Minnie, Mickey, Donald, etc.) and 4 of the Princesses (Ariel, Belle, Tiana, Aurora). They all come out and all at the same time in different areas of the Atrium, they have a 20 minute set for those last chance photos and autographs. Right at the end of the set, a couple went up to meet Belle, after they took the picture, the man got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend!!! The crowd went wild and Belle even teared up! It was a magical night!

Ariel and Tiana and great friends!

Ariel with my Mom

She loves the babies the most!!!

My mom came to visit this week!!! She came on the 4 day cruise from last Sunday to Thursday and had a magnificent time! She was ecstatic to finally be able to see the ship and all of the different things that I do. She got to watch all of the Walt Disney Theater shows and deck parties and she came to every one of my sets and watched all 3 princess gatherings! It was so wonderful to see her again and show her all that I do. I had just enough break time to have one dinner, one lunch, and even one port day with her! We ate dinner at the Royal Palace! I had never even been in there because crew are not allowed to eat in the restaurants unless they have special permission from the cruise director. I ordered a delicious smoothie called the Princess Delight! Unfortunately, I had to work and didn’t get to finish my dinner with her. Her stateroom was absolutely beautiful and there was so much space! I spent every evening after work with her just catching up and ordering room service! It was so nice to eat real food again! My absolute favorite part of her visit was going to Castaway Cay with her!  It was so nice to take a break from work and just relax on the beach in the warm sun and take a nap in a hammock! It was perfect.

Character Greeting on Deck 11

SAILING AWAY PARTY

We are in the process of a leader change-out! We are getting a new Character Manager and Stage Manager! It’s so exciting to work with so many different people in the company and learn all about where they come from and the work they have done within The Walt Disney Company! 

See Ya Real Soon

Riding Around

My schedule is becoming more regular which is nice because I can get a better idea of when I’m going to have time to go into port! A couple cruises ago, Nick and I went in to Nassau and rented a little motor bike. Nick had done it twice before and he knew the guys who rented them out so he got a good deal and he already knew some fun places to go. We went to this little shack in the middle of town called The Chicken Shack! We ordered Conch for lunch! Then we drove over to this private beach and enjoyed the sun and the beautiful view. Lastly, we stopped at McDonald’s for some quick internet before heading back to the ship! It was one of the best times I’ve had in port!

Beautiful Nassau

Missing everyone back home very very much!!!

The Calm Before the Storm

Vamos a la playa!!!

Trash and Treasure party from Dream 2!!!

Two cruises down, MANY MANY more to go!!! The rest of the Dream 2 cast that extended is all gone now and we are completely on our own. No pressure right? Our busy schedules are settling down and becoming a little more normal now that we are all done rehearsing shows and doing demos for special effects and pyro. All during crossover we would have to get up at 7:00am in the morning to rehearse before the guests were awake. Because three of our shows are outside on the deck, we had to block the contingencies that would be done if there is ever bad weather or something that prevents us from being able to perform outside on the deck! 

The one downside to shiplife: the crew mess. The mess is where all the crew members get to eat! Incidentally, the mess is located directly above the place where all of the garbage on the ship goes! There is a very distinct odor that rises from the mess and at times the combination of that and the garbage below makes me completely lose my appetite. I’ve never been a picky eater before in my entire life, but for some reason, I just never want to eat any of the food served here. Most of the time I just eat rice, cereal, fresh fruit, pasta, and french fries. My favorite food in the mess are these little corn dogs that they serve at lunch sometime! Yum!!! It’s so sad that every time Nick and I go into Nassau, the first place we want to go is MacDonald’s. Mind there is also free wifi there, but I am constantly craving cheap, greasy, fattening American fast food!!! I desperately miss In and Out and Buffalo Wild Wings...

I REALLY want to buy this picture from the art gallery! A little girl brought one to Ariel so she could sign it!!!

Ariel has been having lots of fun meeting many new friends on each cruise. At least twice every cruise, there is an event called Princess Gathering. Disney Princesses Snow White, Tiana, Belle, Aurora, Cinderella, and Ariel all meet in the middle of the Atrium and there is one big long line of guests waiting to meet each princess. It can last anywhere from 1-2 1/2 hours!!! It’s pretty hectic because the Disney Princesses are very popular among the little girls onboard! Ariel is also a popular favorite among these girls! Some little girls come back to each Princess Gathering and meet and greet to see her again and again! She loves asking them what they have done since they last swam with her and what their favorite part of their cruise has been! One time, Ariel and Snow went strolling around the ship together. They visited the Nursery and the Kid’s Club! The kids were all very excited to have the princesses visit them and they showed Ariel and Snow all around the club! Ariel doesn’t know much about human things but is always eager to learn all about them. The kids taught her all about computers and showed her all around  each room! Two little girls drew beautiful pictures for Ariel and gave them to her to put in her human collection! Actually, guests love to give gifts to all of the characters! It is the sweetest thing in the world! One family gave a bag of snacks to every single character!!! Of course, Ariel couldn’t wait to put it on display in her grotto back home in Atlantica!!!

A goody bag of treats from Ariel!!

The last few cruises there have been several special events going on around the ship. Captain Hook, Mickey and Minnie were invited to film promos for Amazon and Macy’s!  Donald and Daisy attended a private party endorsed by Coca Cola! It’s exciting to have these things happen around the ship!

I finally had time to get off the ship on Castaway day and visit the crew beach!! We are in Castaway Cay on Tuesdays and Saturdays! It’s about a mile from the ship to the crew beach. It’s next to the Adult beach for the guests and it’s absolutely beautiful! They always have burgers and hot dogs and chips (which we never get in the crew mess)! The water was warm and although it was a little windy, it felt just like California. The water is thigh deep for several hundred yards and there are no waves so you can just sit and relax in the clear blue water. It was perfection to be able to lay on the beach in the warm sun and remind myself, this is what I get to do on my work break!! It felt just like vacation! The island is absolutely beautiful!!