There is so much to do in Disney but it’s sometimes hard to all get time off to do it together. We have been quite successful lately though and have had lots of mini adventures! At the beginning of June we hired a cabin at Fort Wilderness for two nights. Me and Arran were working in the evening on Friday so meet everyone at about 11pm, where they had the bbq going and the beers open! Some people went home at about 2am as they had to work the next day so there were 5 of us staying over. We had a double bed and bunk beds in the bed room and a double bed which came out of the wall in the living room, plenty of space! We all had Saturday off so got up late the next day and hopped on a boat to Magic Kingdom. We did a few of the big rides and saw the parade but didn’t stay too long, we were too hot and tired. Before dinner we went to ‘Chip and Dale’s campfire’ where we toasted marshmallows and sang country songs, seriously! The people from the night before came back for dinner at the Hop de Doo review, the dinner show with unlimited chicken, ribs and sangria. The mash potato was absolutely delicious! We went back to the cabin and drunk more wine and margaritas and it all got a bit messy, but it was good fun!
For my birthday a group of us went out on the Tuesday evening to Downtown Disney. We ate at a restaurant called Bongos, which serves Cuban food. I ordered a pina colada in a souvenir ceramic bongo! At the time I wasn’t aware that it cost $20, but it was my birthday! We then saw Cirque du Soleil which I’ve wanted to see for ages. It was amazing, some of the acts were crazy. It was a really lovely night! On the night before my birthday I stayed at Jenna and Jess’ and we had a sleepover. We put their mattresses in the living room and watched dvds while eating bourbons. In the morning we had a full English fry up before they had to go to work. Although it was ridiculously hot, Dan and Emily came to play mini golf with me! It was Fantasia themed, with dancing hippos and brooms. I lost but only by one shot. We had ice cream milkshakes before heading home. In the afternoon I went to the cinema with Dawn to see Bridesmaids. It was a really funny film, I majorly fell for the male lead! We went to Cowboys in the evening, so a very busy and enjoyable day! I got lots of cards and messages from home too, thank you!
Last Friday I went to Saratoga Springs, a Disney resort, to stay in a villa with Jess, Jenna, Dawn, Emily and Jen, just for fun! Most of us had the whole day off so got there about 1pm and checked in. The villa was lovely, two huge bedrooms with en suite bathrooms and a kitchen. We went to the pool for the afternoon and got roped into the poolside dance routines! We stayed there until it started to rain ridiculously heavily. We went out for dinner then had a midnight dip in the hot tub! A very relaxing and girly evening!
I met Vikki is Miami for two days on her way to Honduras. It was really lovely to see a face from home! I took a coach from Orlando, America is so BIG! It took six hours and that’s not even the whole length of Florida! You can get a coach to New York, I don’t want to know how long that takes. The journey was fine, I didn’t have any one sitting next to me most of the way so just spread out and slept. I thought they might have wifi so I didn’t take a book (I’m also just not very organised!) but they didn’t so I just listened to my iPod. We stopped at a few service station but none of them sold any magazines or books, it was so annoying! They sold dvds though which I thought was silly.
Our hotel was interesting...the bed was comfy and the bathroom was nice but the general theme was very odd. There wasn’t a big light in the middle of the room but they had blue lights around the edge and in the hallway. It had the potential to be really nice and they were renovating it so I’m sure it will be a lot better after. It was really close to the beach and restaurants and the bar staff were really friendly. On Wednesday we went to the Everglades to see the gators! From the boat we saw about 5 alligators and loads of baby ones, they were so cute! Apparently they have really small brains, which is why they just sit around all day. We ate fried alligator tail for lunch, which we thought it tasted very similar to smoked turkey. Then they told us they had given us the wrong order and it actually was a smoked turkey sandwich! When we got the right order it was quite nice, it’s a white meat but tougher than chicken. In the afternoon we went to the beach, it was crazy hot. The water was warm but really shallow. We didn’t go too far out as we wanted to keep an eye on our stuff on the beach. We had dinner in a Cuban bar where they were dancing on the bar and had live music. I left about 1pm the next day and Vikki went to the airport to continue her travels, I hope it all goes really well for her!
I passed my bartender exam, after a lot of studying! I had to learn a page full of cocktails and remember everything about all the beers and wine we sell. I start training on the 3rd of July for 5 days then I have to take another test! This is one of the busiest weeks in Disney because of Independence Day, but hopefully it will all go ok. For a while I will work in the restaurant and bar until some other people leave, which is fine by me. I’m looking forward to doing something a bit different and learning lots of new drinks! It’s been really quiet at work lately, it’s far too hot for people to come to parks and sit down for a hot meal. The humidity is crazy! It’s usually about 94 degrees but feels over 100 degrees. A large portion of our restaurant is outside so no one wants to sit there which is a pain, especially as I always seem to be working there.
I haven’t got any more trips planned at the moment but hoping to arrange a cruise to the Bahamas soon. You can do a three night trip which is relatively cheap so might as well take advantage while I’m so close by. I’ve been here nearly 7 months now and I’m sure they rest will fly by!
From Florida with Love,
Emily
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