Day 4 Otherwise Known As Cleanup Day:

So we move to the city tomorrow and finally leave the Tokyo Disney bubble.  I had a fabulous time and yah... it'll be sad to leave.  I am looking forward to seeing the sights and sounds of Tokyo though.

... I'm on my 10th Minute Maid Hot Lemonade bottle.  I'm going to be sad that I can't get this in the States.  It's good and it helps with my cough/sore throat shit I've been hit with since I've gotten here in Japan.

Today I woke up early while Steve and Jeff slept in.  I went to Tokyo Disneyland and hit some stuff that I wasn't able to do... Splash Mountain (with all the effect WORKING unlike the domestic Parks!), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (felt so much like home but didn't), the Enchanted Tiki Room w/ Stitch (it was okay), and the Western River Railway (think Disneyland or Magic Kingdom train but with no stops... even has Primeval World, which I wasn't expecting).  I had lunch at the Hungry Bear Restaruant which actually sells curry and not burgers and fries like back at Disneyland.

RANT TIME!  Okay, at Tokyo Disneyland in Splash Mountain they have an owl Audio-Animatronic WITHIN FUCKING ARM'S REACH.  IN FUCKING ARM'S REACH AND IT'S STILL PERFECT.  No vandalism, it wasn't broken (or fuckin' STOLEN), nothing.  It was perfect and working.  You can't even do something like that in the States because our a lot of members of our society are HORRIBLE PIECES OF CRAP.  Back home if they were stupid enough to even have something within arm's reach, it'd be stolen, broken, ripped off, vandalized... you name it.  It's really sad that I come here and see, once again, how we can't have nice things because our society just raises people to be disrespectful.  Case in point?  Snow White's apple.

I went back to the room then and thought that Steve and Jeff would have left for Tokyo DisneySea, but they were still in the room when I got there.  So after a little bit we went over to Tokyo DisneySea and saw Legend of Mythica again (this time from the fort which was a completely different perspective then the other day when I saw it).  I took video again so I'll have both to show sometime eventually.  Did I mention that Legend of Mythica is like a super cool awesome show?  Well, it is.  That show is fucking awesome.

We then walked around for a bit and just explored a little bit.  We went up and walked around the deck of the S.S. Columbia and went down side streets in Med. Harbor and I was just blown away on how much detail was put into little things that most people wouldn't even notice.  They definately paid attention to detail and spared no expense.

We also explored a little bit of the Hotel Miracosta...  that hotel is OFF-THE-FUCKING-CHAIN.  I also spent a little bit watching the Cast Members and what it seems to be their normal operation.  I want to take a few things that I observed and start doing some of those things when I'm working at my hotel.  It's certainly inspired me.

I took off back towards the room a little early since I was tired.  Today is the last day in the bubble and yah... I'll be sad to leave Tokyo Disney Resort.  The Cast Members, the Guests, the sights and sounds were just so awesome... though it slightly felt like home and what I was used to, it was very different.  I'm blessed for being able to visit this magical place and I can't wait to come back.  I'm thinking Spring 2013.

Cleanup Day Photos (Part 1)

Cleanup Day Photos (Part 2)

Day 3 at Tokyo Disneyland and random UTTER FAILURES OF LIFE:

Today's secret word is... OBAKE.  O-B-A-K-E.  O-B-A-K-E.  OBAKE!

Obake is the Japanese word for spirit or dead people or ghost.  It sounds awfully like BUKKAKE.  Which could actually best some up what happened to us today... and boy did we not like it.

It all started when we got up and went downstairs to the lobby to purchase Cirque du Soleil tickets.  ZED is the show here and it is closing at the end of the year... so we all wanted to see it.  Unfortunately, BUKKAKE decided to rear it's ugly head and made it so there was only ONE seat in the entire house available.  Fail.  So now we're trying to see if we should go on the weekend, since the show is dark on Thursday and Fridays, or if I should try to see it on my own on Monday before my flight.  Scary.  Damn BUKKAKE. :(

So we went to Tokyo Disneyland and also saw the Disneyland Hotel later that day.  Boy, that Disneyland Hotel is so beautiful.  We went to Monster's Inc. and got a Fastpass for that and also hopped in the regular queue.  After that we had to go to lunch to meet up with Steve and Jeff's friend, who had cancelled at the last minute, so we had lunch at some Hawaiian burger place at Iskipari.  Jeff and I had a hawaiian pineapple bacon burger set.  Steve had a major fail and wound up getting a BLT avacado SANDWICH.  Who the hell goes to a good burger joint and gets a sandwich?  Unfortunately, he actually wanted the burger but didn't say that so they gave him the sandwich.  Lulz.

We then went back to Tokyo Disneyland and tried to get a Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Fastpass.  Well, we would have if we got there 10 seconds sooner because right as we popped our tickets in the machine, they ran out.   Queue the Price is Right fail horn sound.   FAIL.  BUKKAKE'd #3.

We then sat down to watch the Halloween parade, "Welcome to Spooky Street", which I got good video of and will post soon.  Horrible.  That's when we learned a new Japanese word.  OBAKE.  Again, sounds awfully like BUKKAKE.  O-B-A-K-E.  They also had this weird Macarena-style hand motion thing dance weird OBAKE thing.  It was hilarious to watch.

We saw Haunted Mansion Holiday which was AWESOME.  It's just weird to see Disneyland's version and then see what WDW's could be (since TDL's Mansion is almost exactly like WDW's version minus the upgrades in the last few years) and it made me sad because WDW really needs Haunted Mansion Holiday.  Fuck the tourists.

We then got a waffle!  They have a place that sells Mickey waffles ALL DAY LONG.  I was in heaven.

We then went back to use our Monster's Inc. Fastpasses and then went to the Disneyland Hotel.  The Disneyland Hotel is AMAZING.  Absolutely amazing.  Such detail and it's just so wonderful.  Speaking of Monster's Inc... that ride is amazing too.  So much fun.

After the Disneyland Hotel we went back to the room for a quick nap before heading outside of the Disney bubble to meet up with Steve and Jeff's friend who couldn't meet up with us for lunch.  We went to like this dive Japanese restaurant but it was fun.  My first visit outside of the bubble though was this really kinda rundown shopping mall that was kinda scary but hey, that's part of the real Tokyo right?

Boy, what a long day but super amazing.  So many people dressed up in costume (one of the few times of the year during Halloween season where even adults can go in full costume) and a lot of them were really good.

Rant time!

What is up with Tokyo Disney Resort's merchandise situation?  There is like NO good merchandise anywhere... and all the cool stuff I had heard about (like Shirki stuff at Tower of Terror and the Rocky character stuff from Monster's Inc.) is all gone and replaced with generic shit.  Seriously, that's the one thing that I don't like about Tokyo Disney Resort... the merchandise selection sucks balls.  Total bukkake.

The Cast Members are so polite and wonderful though... they thank you for waiting even if you only waited for like five seconds.  They spiel to Guests in walkways and attractions, even if there is no one to spiel to... they are constantly waving at you as you pass by them on foot or on an attraction.  The Guests don't raise their voice, I didn't see anyone screaming at anyone else, at parades and shows everyone is seated and doesn't crowd around you, there is no flash bulbs going off in ANY show or attraction... it's like the Twilight Zone of Disney Parks.  I wish we in the States could learn a lesson from the Guest and Cast Members here on how to fucking behave.  Being here for the last few days makes me realize how fucking awful we as a society are... it's really sad.

Last day at the Tokyo Disney Resort tomorrow!  I can't wait to see the shit that I didn't yet and then move to the city the next day.

OBAKE Photo Album!

Day 2 in Tokyo DisneySea:

Full day at Tokyo DisneySea today.  After a semi-late start, we got a Fastpass for Journey to the Center of the Earth and then we went through the standby queue.  The lava monster looks like Magmaw from Blackwing Decent in World of Warcraft.  HA HA.

After that we got some Yukatan Sausage Rolls which was good... and I washed it down with a melon soda (their larges are not that large) and a apple tea soda.  Indiana Jones was down so we got some chocolate popcorn.  We went on the DisneySea Electric Railway to get Fastpasses for Tower of Terror.  The standby was too long so we decided to see the Mystic Rhythms show which was fucking good for a stageshow.  After that we went to the Fort and did this game called Leonardo's Challenge, which was all in Japanese but we still kicked it's ass.  Then Steve and I went to see the Legend of Mythica and that was FUCKING AWESOME.  I took video of the show so I'll post that soon.  We then we back to the room (Jeff had gone back to his room earlier because his vagina hurt and he was tired... oh yah, he's a Ginger and he can't be out in the sun for very long).

Steve and I went to Iskipari (which is like a non-Disney run Downtown Disney complete with drug store and supermarket) and we went shopping.  We got back to the room and I just hit the wall... I was so tired.  We took a nap for an hour and then we got up to go see FANTASMIC!.

O.M.G.  FANTASMIC! was FUCKING AWFUL.  Steve Davidson, what did you do?  World of Color was so AMAZING and this was absolutely AWFUL.  Honestly, I think Florida's FANTASMIC! was better.  HOLY SHIT.  Just kidding, they both are FUCKING AWFUL.

AFter that we went to use all of our Fastpasses starting with Tower of Terror.  I loved it and the queue (like all the other queues) are great.  Then at Indiana Jones, Steve and Jeff got "WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH!!!"ed by the Cast Member checking Fastpasses because all of ours we like HOURS after the time we were supposed to use it.  I guess in Japan they can and have denied people coming back after their return time ended.  Indiana Jones felt like home and it made me miss working the attraction.  We then went back to Journey to the Center of the Earth and then left DisneySea.

Everything closes at like 11pm at the hotel so Steve and I ordered room service.  We had kasudon, however I didn't realize it had egg so literally I spent like $30 for rice and miso.  Ugh.  I couldn't scrap enough egg off and egg grosses me out.

So we're going to Tokyo Disneyland tomorrow bright and early... hopefully I can get enough sleep and I won't hit the wall halfway through the day like I did today.

Oh yah, yesterday going through Customs the agent asked me where I was going and I told him Tokyo Disney.  He then took a good look at me and asked, "Do you work for Disney?".  Mind you, I wasn't wearing ANY Disney apparel at all.  I guess I just have that fucking Disney magic aura or something.  Jeff is laughing and making fun of me right now... but he's a Ginger and he has no soul anyways so it doesn't matter.

Until next time!

Day 2 Photo Album!

Things to do on my next two days off...

1) Exploit my friends and beg for money so I can go to Japan next year then remember not to thank anyone afterwards. A few months after that I can do it again for Disneyland Paris. My friends should be paying for my vacations anyways, that's all they are good for.

2) Keep calling Apple and nag them for discounts on their products because I'm a Disney podcast e-lebrity and then get comments about it written about me on my Apple account.

3) Sell someone else's broadcast/video of some random Disney show on a DVD... maybe one of those testing sessions of World of Color that's on YouTube. I'm sure the creator won't notice and I could make a killing.

4) Throw a hissy fit and leave some group that I'm a part of because I can't have my way... then tell everyone that they kicked me out.

5) Give a fellow Disney podcaster the wrong audio settings to sabotage their audio, fail to mention that I'm in town as well, and then run out to my car to be the first one on the block with a new recording of a brand new ride.

Some of you might be curious on where this is coming from.  Well, there is a podcaster that does Window to the Magic.  It's a fairly popular (if not boring) podcast in the Disney community done by a guy named Paul Barrie.  Paul is not someone that I would call very trustworthy or very respectable, but his fans seem to love him.

Currently, he's been asking for donations... for his vacations to Disney.  He's dropped from weekly shows to two shows a week and now he's saying that if his fans don't donate to him then he might stop making the shows entirely... which needless to say has caused a small panic among the Window Lickers (my little pet name for his fans).  He says it costs too much to produce and host his shows... when we all know it isn't.

While I do admire that he has come out and said that the donations will be used to offset the costs of his vacations to Disney; park tickets, hotel, airfare, and other associated travel costs... I feel that there is something not right about the whole thing.  I feel that he's exploiting his fans to help pay for his... VACATIONS.  Not for hosting or for bandwidth or for his equipment... but for his vacations to Disney.  That doesn't sit well with me.  Vacations are a luxury.

Bottom line is, that's what it is.  He's holding his hand out to his fans, that for some odd reason love him, to help pay for his vacations to Disneyland... not to mention a few years ago he did that so he and his son can go to Walt Disney World for the first time.  That doesn't sit well with me and reminds me how televangelists exploit the faithful or that asshole Kevin Trudeau exploits the stupid.  It reeks something awful and the sad thing is, his loyal fans are falling for it.  One Window Licker I saw is donating $5 a month to help pay for Paul to go on vacation.

It's sad when someone takes something that is magical and brings people together like Disney and then exploits it for their own greed.  It angers me as a long time Disney fan and it should anger you too.

Well, I'm the newest Walt Disney World Cast Member now. I start on the 28th... so not much time to pack up my stuff after BlizzCon and drive out there.

So basically I called WDW again and the CM read the transfer process "word for word". I apply online, wait until a response, then FLY over to do an interview. No phone interviews anymore. I asked if that wasn't the process for a few folks I spoke with and she said that she's reading it "word for word". Wow... talk about making it difficult/impossible.

So much for the "One Parks" initative... no wonder it seems like no one can get anything done around here. When did Disney regress into the stone age of doing business?

She also told me that she could not give me a follow up on the DPC position I applied for on JOBS. Said that after four weeks it's probably "safe to say that you are no longer a candidate" because not everyone gets a follow-up of acceptance or rejection.

For a Company that's all about customer service, that doesn't seem at all very courteous... right?

Oops!

So I guess I wasn't supposed to go through JOBS Online? I went over to Casting (TDA) and they kinda laughed at me when I told them that I felt that JOBS Online either doesn't work or I have a feeling that wasn't supposed to be the way current Cast Members are supposed to apply for stuff... and they didn't deny it. :/

Ugh. So they gave me the number to call in WDW and I spoke with Casting over at WDW. They told me that there was no transfer applications but I had to just apply online like someone walking off the street. Sigh.

So I did. Put in for Disney Planning Center Coordinator, Hotel Concierge, and I think Front Desk. I can't even remember what my third choice was. Heh.

Daisy e-mailed me today and said that the Concierge positions open at the Lodge are just Lobby Concierge, not the positions at the Old Faithful Club. Still good though, I guess it depends on if it's full-time, the amount of hours that I will get, and how much of a decrease in pay (which will be made up by the hours, I guess) I'll have to take.

Well, I haven't heard back at all from the Disney Planning Center Coordinator position that I applied to a few weeks ago... and now I'm convinced that JOBS Online either hates me or something. I seriously wonder if it's just borked for current Cast Members, because it technically goes through Monster.com... you would think that current Cast Members would be treated differently then people applying from the outside.

My girl BFF Daisy, who works at WDW, just e-mailed me this morning saying that there are positions opened up in her department... so I'm in the process of finding out how to go about applying for it and not go through the JOBS Online board. Anyways, I checked and it's not even on JOBS Online so now I don't know what to do. I guess I go to our Casting (or maybe call WDW's Casting?)... maybe I should just cash in my FF miles on Delta and fly down over there and apply in person, but I'd rather not do that.

Sigh.

It's been seven days since the deadline for applications... and I'm sad because I haven't heard back from it yet. I'm convinced that the JOBS Online site either hates me or doesn't work.

Well, the Disney JOBS board and I have like this love/hate relationship. It happily tells me that there are positions available all around Resort and also with the entire Company... but when I reach for that carrot and actually apply for jobs that I'm qualified for, I never get a response back from a live human being.

I just get that automated, "Thanks for applying!" e-mail with the job posting... and that's it.

So yah, I reached out for that carrot again... this time for Walt Disney World for a position that is VERY similar to what I do now.

We'll see this time. I think I'll just be ecstatic if I get a response from a real person.

So I upgraded my phone from the Sprint HTC Mogul to the Palm Pre. I actually went out and stood in line at 8am in the morning when the Sprint store opened and got one on the very first day.

Overall? I really like the phone... though there are a few issues that I don't like about it. Big complaint I have is the keyboard... I need to have a hardware keyboard but geeze, could they have made the thing any smaller? I love the way it multitasks and I think it's a very beautiful phone overall. I probably will exchange it at some point because of the light leakage on the bottom right corner of my screen, but other then that... even that process will be easy since everything is saved in the "cloud" so restoring my replacement phone to be like the old one will be quick and painless.

Other then that... I've been applying for new jobs left and right. Again, I don't want to leave Disney but the department I'm in has been pretty dead-end for me, even though it wasn't billed as such when I transferred back. When I transferred back, no one knew that we were going to be overloaded with College Program kids who are guaranteed to have 30+ hours a week. Well, those hours have to come from somewhere and it comes from all the part-timers. Then I lost out on backup Specialist and Emerging Leaders was canceled this term... so yah, part of me feels like I completely made a mistake and wasted my time coming back to this department that I really liked in the past. I still love what I do and I love helping my Guests... but I feel that at my age, it's not something that will support me very much longer if it continues to stay the way that it is now.

So I've been shopping around. I got denied a while back for a transfer to the Front Desk over at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel, but I think a lot has to do with a boneheaded decision that my manager made to cover his ass (he actually put a coaching on my record card for attendance the week of my interview and then actually told me that it shouldn't affect the transfer process when I confronted him about it). Seriously, wtf. I put in for a transfer to Guest Services at the Disney Cruise Line but haven't gotten a response back. I'm probably going to be putting in an application tonight for a Guest Services Specialist position with Disney Visa/Disney Gift Card... so wish me luck.

I also put in an application to Blizzard (makers of World of Warcraft) for a Forum Moderator position a month ago... but I've never received a response back from them in the past so I don't expect one this time either. It would be nice though for once.

Other then that, it's been going pretty good. I could use more hours but eh, what can you do when we are completely overstaffed because of the College Program.