Hey guys Im currently in WDW working in the Uk pavilion, ive been here 2 months and am getting twitchy feet cos I want to travel!!!!! Im only on merch wages, and Im a participant not a 'disney castmember' so dont get hotel discounts, cruise discounts etc. So basically i was wondering if any alumni could tell me there travelling stories. Let me know where you went and what you did during your year- I want some inspiration!! Bear in mind im doing my traveling on a budget, but i still want to hear what everyone did! Thanks Guys gem xx0x0x
Hey Gem, i was quite fortunate because i got to work in the bar quite quickly, so financially i was ok. The best trip i had was Mardi Gras in New Orleans, not everyones cup of tea i appreciate, but my best all the same. Managed Mexico, Bahamas on the Disney Cruise which was really good actually and Jamaica to name but a few. Internal travel in the States when i was there was very reasonable, probably beacuse air travel is like taking a bus over there. The west coast and Vegas is a great trip to go on, although i spend an absolute fortune in Vegas as i had plently of luck, all of it bad though! the most exhausting trip was washington, as you get worn out with the sightseeing, but thats what the cities all about. so much to see and do. the good thing i found, and i'm not sure what your days off are exactly, we could get a few days off together, hire a car and go to the beaches or towns down the coast. had a great time in places like Naples, Sarasota, Miami, the Keys, Fort Lauderdale, Daytona,clearwater etc. Get yourself down to St Augustine, its particularly nice. I think the nearest place beach wise is Cocoa, which is fine. failing that, you can go to Titusville (near Kennedy Space Centre) and throw yourself out of a perfectly good plane with amazing views for about $100, which was one of the highlights of my whole time on the programme. ;D best of luck and i hope you enjoy your travels wherever you go Paul
Hey Gemma, Time off in HRC is somewhat limited, unless its changed. You'll be lucky to get a couple of long weekends and 6 days paid holiday. I managed to take 5 days off in a row when my family came to visit. A couple of people made it to New York, Miami etc but only for long weekends - 2 or 3 days. Working for Disney is alot easier to get time off. When i worked for them i was able to travel quite a bit. Claire
hey girls well luckily, at the moment its the one thing in HRC which isnt too much of problem becauce currently 5 of us, plus mariann and bev are working at the shop and weve another guy starting next week as well- and as the parks are pretty dead at the mo we are bascially tripping over each other! so getting time off as it stands right now is not a huge deal- its having the money to do anything which is causing me problems!!!!!! hugs gem x0x
Hahaha that was exactly the problem in Canada Merch when I worked there. I remember days when the managers were pretty much giving away ERs because there were too many of us on but no one would take them because we were all broke! It took me ages but I did manage to save enough to do the Disney Cruise. My friend and I went all out and did the 7-night Eastern Caribbean. It was worth it 1000 times over. EVERY CAST MEMBER SHOULD DO THE DISNEY CRUISE!!! The cast discount is amazing and EVERYTHING is included, even tips -- no way I could afford it otherwise. The food alone is worth it! I love mac & cheese, but after months on a Merchie budget it was soooooo nice to dine in 5-star restaurants every night. Made me gain weight even faster than Domino's and Beast did but necessary for the vitamins! Went to bed before midnight (That doesn't happen in the Commons!) and slept like a baby on that king-sized bed. After months of partying my body needed it! It's a great way to see the Caribbean too! Our cruise stopped at St. Thomas (US Virgin Islands), St. Maarten (Dutch West Indies) and Castaway Quay (the island the in Bahamas that Disney owns). Note: Bring good sunscreen and re-apply often. I looked like Sebastian's long-lost sister, minus the pincers. But the #1 reason to go on the cruise: IT MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE A GUEST AGAIN!!! You know how when you go to the parks on your days off you people stop and ask you for directions to Splash Mountain just because you look like you know your way around? Or you see a character in the parade and know that it's the same Vista weirdo you sat next to on the bus to MK two hours ago? Or servers pay less attention to your table because they know you're cast? Let's face it, becoming a CM forever changes your experience in the parks -- it's not worse, just different. For a week I felt like one of those 5-year-olds who skip around in tiaras and princess dresses -- pretty friggin' special!!! Highly recommend the week-long. There are 3 & 4 night cruises but you'll never get a Disney cruise this cheap again so go all out! Probably one of the most magical things I did all year!!!
I have to agree with the drive to Titusville and throw yourself out of a plane over the Space Centre comment. Would NEVER have done that at home. It doesn't matter where you go (if anywhere), just do one thing that you'll remember forever. I went around Florida to all the typical places...St.Augustine, Daytona, Cocoa, Tampa, Clearwater, Sarasota, Miami, etc. One day, three of us rented a car and we just drove. If we saw something cool, we stopped. Ended up in some weird back country Florida, and went to some strange off the beaten path tourist places and had the best day. Have the funniest pics from that day. But I also have my tattoo and my skydive certificate which are two of my favourite memories because they were only things I would've done there! Shannon
OK so I went in to service quite quickly but we were low on servers at the time so did a lot of 6 day weeks. Also because of the fact my schedule very rarely worked out right (even my last week I had a day booked off and was put down to work it so had to see Tim to get him to sort it out for me) I only ended up with 2 back to backs. The first one I was meant to be going to South America for a beach holiday but my Grandad died two days before and so I had to use the time to go home for his funeral (not really a trip you want to take as I did a 3 day visit to the UK and spent about a month recovering from jet lag). Then my second back to back I went to California. I stayed at Best Western opposite Disneyland and it was cheap and cheerful. We also did a cool LA tour with Star Tours that took you around all the local sights. Only went for 4 days but it was fun. With the few days leave I had I booked off just over a week at the end of my contract (the week before podium week) and went to the Bahamas for 5 days. We got a really cheap flight from Orlando to Nassau and stayed at the All-inclusive Holiday Inn Paradise Island. It was cheap but nice and they included alcohol in the price which was good (they also let you make your own margaretias and pina coladas as they had a machine with the frozen mix in and a bottle tequila / rum next to it). This was really good if all you want to do is relax. They have entertainment in the hotel and the Atlantis is just up the road if you want a Casino. The other days I had off we went to busch gardens and Kennedy Space centre. That was about it really. Didn't do much because I didn't seem to get much time off.
Gem, Travelling is what the whole year's about. Whether you're on a budget or not, you have to get out and see America. Florida itself is an awesome place. We hired a mustang and went to Miami for a few nights which was great. Also, Captiva Island, Tampa, Ft Myers and the Everglades (you have to try the air boats!) are places to add to your list. Like Shannon, I too went on a 'random' road trip, and we ended up doing a 400+ mile trip around Florida in 36 hours. We got down to the Everglades and back, stopping to recharge at a motel. Beyond Florida, we went to Savannah in Georgia for a weekend. That was a long drive through some seriously bad weather, but was, once again, great fun. Also, New York is a sin to miss out on! Go there, and see all you can. The Empire State building, Central Park, 5th Avenue and Broadway are all brilliant, and well worth it. We managed to get into the mountains too, and went to Colorado Springs. That's a great place. They have the only mountain zoo in the US and, if you can, I recommend a horse ride through the Garden of the Gods. Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon are definate sites to see too! We stayed at the Aladdin hotel on the strip and had a great time. The only mistake we probably made was going in the summer months, as it was so hot! Venturing out away from the air con was difficult! But a trip to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas on a 16-seater plane is amazing. That is a site to see, without a doubt! God, talking about it now is making me want to go back. Got loads of photos, but nothing will ever beat actually being there! Have fun! Tom
all brill ideas - Tom's right Florida is beautiful with some fantastic National Parks - while I was there we bought a tent from Walmart and did some weird and wonderful roadtrips Miami and the Keys are great to do if you can only get a few days off 8) ...its making me wish I was back out there....!!
The cheek of the girl! The secret it to rota back-to-backs i.e. Friday - Saturday off one week and Sunday - Monday off the next. Then you can get away for a long weekend somewhere. Make use of ATLAS (if I remember it's name correctly) and make sure you take off all the time you're entitled to, otherwise you will miss out, and regret it! The work in between your days off, and trips away can be a bit of a drag though! But you have to take the rough with the smooth, as they say! Tom
I didn't travel all that many places. I went to Tampa once, and Miami countless times; my boyfriend lived in Miami, so I travelled there often!!! I also came home for a visit once..with, ahem, another boyfriend of mine!! LMAO!! Ah, how I miss WDW!
thanks guys! I think the problem is i dont drive- so my road trips have to involve a volunteer lol! But i am hoping to do something while Im here, i looked at the grand canyon, but on a merchie budget Ill never afford it! I think ill stick with whats realistic, last minute cruises to the caribean etc are going for $200 at the mo so im looking at doing one of them! I am hopefully going to the beach this weekend for the first time too! Unfortunately i also work for the articipant company in the UK so booking time off isnt quite so easy for me, I have to discuss it with my boss rather than book it through the portal or whetever because I cant even get on the portal! But i will make at least one trip while i am here!!! Thanks for all you stories guys! Hugs Gem x0x0x0x
I didn't have a car, and I flew back and forth between Orlando and Miami... Fort Lauderdale to be exact. I just used Mears for $10 to get to the airport from Vista Way, and either cabbed it when I got to FLL, or had my boyfriend come get me...but if you stay at a hotel, you can ask about shuttles... Anyways, check out Southwest Airlines...they are SO cheap. Like a one way ticket between Orlando and FLL right now is $67.80 with tax. http://www.southwest.com/cgi-bin/buildItinerary2?hps=nb They're cheap and they fly all over the US.
Song airlines are really cheap too for flights and stuff! Also look at packages to the Caribbean from MCO as sometimes that's cheaper than a cruise and works better with days off as obviously cruises only go on specific days packages you can get any day. Our trip to Paradise Island, Bahamas was only around $200 for the accomadation between us and about $100 flight so mega cheap and was all inclusive!
