Nearly time for "the most wonderful time of the year."
Wow, I am so behind. Where to begin??
Work isn't that bad. I have a lot of spare shifts lately, which is where I show up and they randomly throw me somewhere for a person who had to leave early. It's not bad, but it's normally for dining...and at very early hours in the morning. One of my spares this week starts at 7am. *rolls eyes*
Pooh Bear and I have spent a lot of quality time together lately, but my favorite days were my dance party with Jojo and hanging out with Koda at the Animal Kingdom today.
So, class, today we're going to talk about what a "cast preview" is and how it is the most incredible thing ever.
A "cast preview" is when the WDW cast gets to see a parade before the general public. It's generally two days or so before the parade debuts and takes place at midnight. I went to the Halloween preview and it was phenomenal. There is such an amazing feeling walking around the Magic Kingdom at 11:30 at night when there is no one else there...and then to see the wall-to-wall people on Main Street, all pumped up and excited for the parade. There is so much energy on the street that it blows your mind. The only problem we had with Halloween was the rush to get back on the cast bus afterward.
So, when it came time for the Christmas preview, we decided to play it smart and drive ourselves. (Yes, Christmas preview...and November has barely started.)
I went to the Christmas preview with Rob, Jake, JT, Kayla, Kayla, and Natalie. We had a little pre-party at Jake's apartment before piling into JT's truck, blasting holiday music all the way there. We got to MK around eleven and walked over to Toontown, where the crowd was waiting. Hundreds of cast members were in Toontown, waiting impatiently for the rope to drop so we could head to Main Street. We amused ourselves by taking pictures.
(Waiting in Toontown. L-R -- Natalie, Kayla S, Me, Kayla M, Crystal's in the back)
When the rope finally dropped, we formed a train and made our way through Fantasyland and Tomorrowland to Main Street USA. As is our tradition, we went to the Confectionery and were met by Phil, Erik, Crystal, Josh, Libbi and Creighton. The Confectionery is our premium parade-viewing location.
(Everyone at the Confectionery!)
Main Street looked absolutely perfect. There were swags of brightly colored holly over the street, decorated with ornaments and candles. Gobos were projecting snowflakes on to the buildings. The garden in front of the castle courtyard had pinetrees made of poinsettias. The Dapper Dans were singing acapella Christmas carols. Once again, we took dozens of pictures.
(Moments on Main Street. Rob and me.)
All of a sudden, we heard an announcement: the countdown to the official lighting of Cinderella Castle. All at once, Walt Disney World became Times Square. Everyone started counting down from 10, full of heightened anticipation to see the castle decked in the lights they started hanging up in August.
"3...2...1...*screams*"
When I first saw the castle decorated in Christmas lights, my heart stopped. And then it started racing. I had never seen anything so perfect, so breathtaking in my entire life. Rob and I stood in the middle of Main Street, astounded by the castle. Staring at it, he said to me, "This is so much better than Times Square."
Personally, I would have been content leaving right then. The drive and the crowd would have been completely and totally worth it for that single moment in time.
But we musn't forget the parade.
The Christmas parade isn't nearly as good as the Halloween parade, but it's still a lot of fun. All of the floats puff out different holiday scents that make you want to turn around and rush right into the Confectionery. (Talk about subliminal advertising, huh?) I think what made the parade so much fun was that I knew so many people in it. Not to mention that Prince Phillip was wearing the correct hat, which made my night.
Nights like that remind me how lucky I am. I work at the most magical place on earth, I have a family who loves me, the best job ever, and the greatest friends in the world.
Work isn't that bad. I have a lot of spare shifts lately, which is where I show up and they randomly throw me somewhere for a person who had to leave early. It's not bad, but it's normally for dining...and at very early hours in the morning. One of my spares this week starts at 7am. *rolls eyes*
Pooh Bear and I have spent a lot of quality time together lately, but my favorite days were my dance party with Jojo and hanging out with Koda at the Animal Kingdom today.
So, class, today we're going to talk about what a "cast preview" is and how it is the most incredible thing ever.
A "cast preview" is when the WDW cast gets to see a parade before the general public. It's generally two days or so before the parade debuts and takes place at midnight. I went to the Halloween preview and it was phenomenal. There is such an amazing feeling walking around the Magic Kingdom at 11:30 at night when there is no one else there...and then to see the wall-to-wall people on Main Street, all pumped up and excited for the parade. There is so much energy on the street that it blows your mind. The only problem we had with Halloween was the rush to get back on the cast bus afterward.
So, when it came time for the Christmas preview, we decided to play it smart and drive ourselves. (Yes, Christmas preview...and November has barely started.)
I went to the Christmas preview with Rob, Jake, JT, Kayla, Kayla, and Natalie. We had a little pre-party at Jake's apartment before piling into JT's truck, blasting holiday music all the way there. We got to MK around eleven and walked over to Toontown, where the crowd was waiting. Hundreds of cast members were in Toontown, waiting impatiently for the rope to drop so we could head to Main Street. We amused ourselves by taking pictures.
(Waiting in Toontown. L-R -- Natalie, Kayla S, Me, Kayla M, Crystal's in the back)
When the rope finally dropped, we formed a train and made our way through Fantasyland and Tomorrowland to Main Street USA. As is our tradition, we went to the Confectionery and were met by Phil, Erik, Crystal, Josh, Libbi and Creighton. The Confectionery is our premium parade-viewing location.
(Everyone at the Confectionery!)
Main Street looked absolutely perfect. There were swags of brightly colored holly over the street, decorated with ornaments and candles. Gobos were projecting snowflakes on to the buildings. The garden in front of the castle courtyard had pinetrees made of poinsettias. The Dapper Dans were singing acapella Christmas carols. Once again, we took dozens of pictures.
(Moments on Main Street. Rob and me.)
All of a sudden, we heard an announcement: the countdown to the official lighting of Cinderella Castle. All at once, Walt Disney World became Times Square. Everyone started counting down from 10, full of heightened anticipation to see the castle decked in the lights they started hanging up in August.
"3...2...1...*screams*"
When I first saw the castle decorated in Christmas lights, my heart stopped. And then it started racing. I had never seen anything so perfect, so breathtaking in my entire life. Rob and I stood in the middle of Main Street, astounded by the castle. Staring at it, he said to me, "This is so much better than Times Square."
Personally, I would have been content leaving right then. The drive and the crowd would have been completely and totally worth it for that single moment in time.
But we musn't forget the parade.
The Christmas parade isn't nearly as good as the Halloween parade, but it's still a lot of fun. All of the floats puff out different holiday scents that make you want to turn around and rush right into the Confectionery. (Talk about subliminal advertising, huh?) I think what made the parade so much fun was that I knew so many people in it. Not to mention that Prince Phillip was wearing the correct hat, which made my night.
Nights like that remind me how lucky I am. I work at the most magical place on earth, I have a family who loves me, the best job ever, and the greatest friends in the world.