A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes....

Ok so I know some of you are lucky enough to have a membership to this ultimate club located in the Heart of Disneyland! Since this is blog is just about Disney I will share that one of my biggest Dreams is to either become a member of club 33 or to Dine at the club!

Most won't understand this insatiable desire! Not only is the membership waiting list like a few years long but the price is also very steep! I mean VERY steep! Maybe one day I will meet someone with a membership who will allow me to be a guest of theirs inside of the club or I will hit the lotto and will become a member! Wishful thinking? I think not. Look at what Walt was able to accomplish in his life. This should be nothing! Wish me luck as I continue to pursue one of my ultimate desires! You never know when a Dream will Come True!

New Autographs!!!

So like I said is previous post, I was going to update my collection of autographs that I have received while working at Disney. As I find them or receive them I will put them up. Here are the newest ones I am adding to my list: Michael Eisner, President Jimmy Carter, President Bill Clinton, President George W Bush, Shirley MaClaine, Geir Ness, Elizabeth Taylor and Drew Carey, Karl Slover (1 of the last surviving Munchins from the Wizard of Oz) and Jerry Maren (also 1 of the last surviving Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz, The Lollipop Kid).

Sometimes it is OK to Brag...

Well sometimes you just want people to know certain things about you that others might find interesting or funny you just want to brag. In this case I just want to brag!

Back in 1998 - 2004 I was doing a lot of work for the Walt Disney World College Program (CP). After finishing my first CP in 1998 Disney asked students to help recruit from their individual Universities or Colleges as a way to increase the number of attendees at the Information Session put on by recruiters from Disney. Our tasks were to speak with professors, Deans and HR as well as to give presentation to business classes, student groups as well as to conduct your own information sessions about the WDWCP. I was asked to be a Campus rep for Assumption College, the College that I attended and graduated from.

During the next few years I was asked to travel to more than 50 colleges and Univ. to help recruit in areas that needed extra help or where there happened to be no campus reps. I traveled to presentation in more than 8 states and helped increase numbers in some cases by more than 400%! I was very proud of the work I did as well as the work that others were willing to do for me and for Disney. An example of this would be my sister, Heather, who would attend presentations and help staffing career fair booths as well as doing other tasks. Thanks Heather! I will never forget her help!

To get to my point: One day around 2003 I received a very large package from WDW. After just coming back I thought that maybe I had forgotten something in my resort room and maybe they were mailing it back. Upon opening the package there was a letter from the Director of the WDWCP thanking me for my work and determination to increase overall participation levels as well as for the outstanding dedication to the CP. As I slowly opened the package i came face to face with something I never thought I would ever see let alone touch. I received the coveted Mousecar Award!

These awards are very rarely given out and was first created by Walt Disney himself to honor Cast Members for their individual dedication to the company in Helping to Create the Disney Magic!

Thank you Disney for recognizing me as I am honored to work for this company with such an outstanding devoting to our Guests and all the other outstanding Disney Cast Members!

Christmas Time on the Wonder

Some people have asked what the ship looks like at Christmas Time so I thought I would put a few photos here for all to see.

Enjoy and early Christmas!!

How it all started...

Well as promised I said I would begin telling the story of How it all started for me with my interest in Disney and ending up working for them and where I am with them today.

So back around 1992 I went on my first trip to Disney and fell in love everything Disney. I was 13 at the time and celebrated by birthday down in Florida. This was my first time along with my families first time to Disney. After that I looked forward for our trips to Disney from my home state of Connecticut.
This photo is of me working in merchandise at
Star Tours, one of the many locations I have worked!


Upon completing High School I went to a private catholic college in MA, Assumption College and during my first week I thought I was just terribly home sick but it turned out that my appendix had ruptured and I was taken to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. I thought that was going to jeopardize my ability to do the Walt Disney World College Program which I knew would be coming to campus later that year to recruit potential candidates. Well after a time of recovery I went back to college and continued my studies.

January came by and one day my roommate came in saying that the Disney people were downstairs in a common area. I quickly got dressed and ran downstairs to meet them. after a long discussion and finding out the day and time of the presentation I was hooked!! Within just 2 days I put together a resume, found the location which was going to be at a different college, discussed this with my family and friends and spoke with college profs. and guidance councilors.

The day finally came and I was quick to prepare everything that I was required to bring, dressed to the T and drove to the location of the presentation. After meeting the recruiters and making myself known, I sat and got comfortable for the 1 1/2 presentation followed by the interview with 3 other people. I was a s nervous as could be but was quickly put to ease by the recruiter. The 3 other people I interviewed with did not seem to be interested in the program and were only concerned with other things like that atmosphere of things and not about the program itself. The recruiter asked the 3 others to leave while I sat there with her for another 15 -20 minutes answering questions and was finally told that I would hear back from them within 4-6 weeks.

Well 4 weeks then 6 then 8 then 12 went by and I heard nothing. I was told that no matter what I would hear from them but was confused as I had not heard a peep. Well finally in the 3 week of May my mother called me to let me know that I had received a package in the mail from Disney. I rushed home as school was over and I was working at the time and opened the packet to find out that I had been accepted to be part of the Summer College Program of 1998 as a Walt Disney World Attractions Cast Member in a brand new Theme of park, Disney's Animal Kingdom! I had 2 weeks to accept, prepare and get to Florida. It turned out that no one found out about whether or not they were accepted until 3 weeks prior to them having to be in Florida.

Stay tuned for the continuation of my adventures with Disney!

Fish Extender Gifts...

In my previous posts I spoke of Fish Extenders and how guests give gifts and surprises to other guests (read my other post for more details). Well I did not have a photo of any of the gifts that I received but I did find this picture of some of the gifts this guest received. In the post it stated that this was only a portion of what the family had received.

On my last cruise, some of the more memorable gifts I received were: lip balm with the logo of the DISForum, a sharpie with the name and date of the cruise, magnets with my user name as well as sticky notes with the same, folders for all of the paper materials you receive on board, a rum cake, nips, a hand-held battery operated game like 20 questions, a Disney frame, bath and body works items along with make-up and a host of other items.

I received so much and some items that I could / would never use (make-up) that I decided to put an entire bag together of items I would not use as well as items that I thought my stateroom Hostess would like, like the Bath and Body Works lotions, candies, toiletry items that she could use instead of having to buy. On the last night of the cruise right before dinner I put the bag on the bed and left for dinner with a note thanking her for everything. Upon returning to the room the bed was turned down and a long note was on the bed thank me so very much for the thoughtful gift I had given to her. She loved the items and it made her feel like a bit more like home since she was not able to get certain items other than at a mall. It was also right before Christmas and she felt like she received a Christmas gift. It made me so happy as well. In addition she left me extra bath products that I love as well as other products that you can only get if your in a suite so it was an added surprise for me!

My New fascination!!!

Hi All,
Well I have a new fascination and its called DISboards.com! Hello to my fellow DISdisboards.com Disney Cruise Line Forum! I love reading the questions and hopefully helping those that need some help! It's just a blast to be able to do this. I too have many questions and love posting new threads and answering them!

I hope my friends from the forum sign-up and follow my blog.
Enjoy and ask me any questions that you may have. You can also ask on this blog as well and I will try to answer your questions!

Visit me on the DISboards.com DCL forum!!!

Fish Extenders?

Ok So what the heck is a Fish Extender (FE)? This is something that is known for on the Disney Cruise Line (DCL). So after hearing about this a lot and wondering what it was my immediate thought was that it was a special fishing pole that you use to fish over the side of your balcony. WRONG!

So by every door, near your cabin room number there is a decorative fish where cabin stewards or other guests might slip a note onto. Well now on every DC a group of people come together and are asigned cabins of individuals they do not know usually. Each cabin places some type of decorative holding item such as a decorative bag, stocking at christmas time, or some other type of hanging item which is hung over the fish this comes the term Fish Extender! Well whatever cabins your are assigned to you either can buy or make gifts to which you place in the assigned FE. Gifts can include sometype of item from your home area such as Maple syrup from Canada or liquer etc..

Well on my last cruise it was the first time I participated and each day I placed items in 10 other FE's I was assigned to. I gave away pens from DVC, candy for kids, postcards from Bar Harbor Maine, and a load of other items. In return I received bags of goodies, a rum cake, bath products from bath and Body works and just a load of items. It was around christmas time so I used a stocking and each time I came back to my stateroom there was a gift! It was the best!

Now that I am preparing to go on the Inagural Cruise of the Disney Dream I have begun planning my FE gifts and as of today I received my first bunch. this time I ordered some gifts from vista print that i designed myself! Im still not done and cannot wait to see whatelse I come up with to give away and what I receive. Oh and the best part, its mostly done secretively! Some place their names and stateroom numbers on the gifts which is also fun to do. I'll be sure to update you!

PS: THis is not my FE but one that I found online to show as an example. Each of the squares is a pocket for people to place gifts and surprises into. This family also loves to decorate their stateroom door! What Fun!!