Week #9 - ...and so, our journey comes to an end
Hi everyone, and welcome to my last post! As I'm sure you are all aware, Disney has closed down due to the COVID pandemic and so I've been home for a few weeks since all the college program participants were sent home due to this. It's taken me a little while to get around to writing this post, because to be completely honest, when I got back home, it was an adjustment to get used to going back to "normal" life and getting out of the Disney bubble I'd been used to for the past couple of months; it just was a lot to process emotionally. Also, I think I was trying to put off writing about the last few days because although I made lots of memories, those were some of the toughest times I've had to experience in my life so far. However, I want to write about what those days were like for my own memories and for you all to know what happened leading up to me leaving the Disney College Program.
Sunday was the first day after my family had left from their visit and it was nice because I had the day off and could get some rest after a busy week. I just relaxed most of the day before going to church that evening, and then I went with my friend Erin to Disney Springs to go eat at Chicken Guy and watch the new Disney movie Onward. We both loved the movie; it was a lot better than I even expected it to be!
The next day, I also had the day off so I met up at Epcot with my friend Jason to hang out for the day. We started off in Future World, and did most of the rides there before heading over to World Showcase. Our main goal for the day was to try some drinks and specialty foods for the Flower and Garden Festival. We started off in Mexico with the margaritas (my favorite drink in Epcot) and then stopped for lunch at the brand new restaurant in the America pavilion called Regal Eagle Smokehouse, where I got the brisket sandwich and onion rings - it was pretty good! Then we were able to try a few other snacks, including the mini funnel cake and wine slushees in France. At the end of the night, we watched the Epcot Forever fireworks show. Little did I know that would be my last trip to Epcot during my college program, but I'm glad it was a great last day at least!
On Tuesday and Wednesday I just had work but on Wednesday, March 12 was when news broke that Disney World would be closing temporarily until the end of the month. Sunday night would be when everything was shut down and Monday would be the first day the parks wouldn't be open. My friends and I were all expecting this to happen, since Disneyland has recently announced they were doing that, but it was still a little shocking and we started to wonder what we would do on our 2 week break from work, which we would still be paid for. I was actually getting excited about the possibility of having some beach days and exploring around Florida a bit more...once again, if only I would've known what was coming up next!
Thursday I picked up a shift at Wilderness Lodge to work in the resort gift shop, Wilderness Mercantile. It was an interesting experience getting to work at one of the resorts instead of in the parks like usual, but I quickly found out that I was glad that a resort wasn't my home location. It definitely was much slower paced and a little boring; I much preferred the busyness of the parks! After I got off work that afternoon, my friend Shelby came over and met me there to eat at their quick service restaurant outside called Geyser Point. They have some delicious food and it's a really nice atmosphere getting to sit out by the lake. The cast member there was super nice, and she even gave us each a free berry whip dessert, similar to the pineapple dole whips.
The uncertainty of what was going to happen to us with Disney temporarily shutting down was weighing heavily on our minds, and needing a distraction and wanting to have fun, later that night, Shelby and I decided to go out to Cowboys, a line dancing bar in Orlando. Thursdays are always their college program night where you can get in free. On the bus over, we met some other friends that also lived at Chatham Square which was fun! We had a great time, and again, didn't know that would be our last Thursday night there.
The next morning, I got ready and headed over to Magic Kingdom, because I didn't have to work until that night. I had plans to meet with a photographer named Alex, who has a business called AJM Photography, that was offering a special price for DCP participants who wanted a photoshoot at one of the parks. She was super nice and I had such a fun time with her! We got some pictures in front of the castle, on Tom Sawyer's Island, Main Street, and the Confectionary. I'm especially grateful I was able to do the photoshoot when I did, since I didn't know the next day I would get the big news.
After leaving Magic Kingdom, I left for Hollywood Studios, where I had traded a shift to be able to work at the shops on Hollywood Boulevard. It was a really great experience being able to work there, especially since I was blocked out from visiting the park as a normal guest. I worked until close so I got the opportunity to get some fun pictures with the park completely empty! I even got to meet some other CPs who usually worked in Animal Kingdom like I did - we just all happened to have picked up a shift that night which was a fun coincidence!
Saturday, March 14, I woke up just like a normal day and had a relaxing morning before I had to get ready for work. I was super excited for this day because I had finally been able to pick up a shift at a location I thought would be so much fun - Fantasyland merchandise in Magic Kingdom! After lunch, I drove over to get my costume and headed to go clock in at work. I clocked in at 2, and I could just tell the atmosphere there seemed a little tense like something was going on. One of the leaders there gave me a tour of the shops and told me there may be groups of CPs called back for meetings throughout the day, but she was very vague on it. I had a bad feeling, and it got worse when I started feeling my cell phone vibrate in my pocket over and over with texts coming in. I went back to the break room because I was getting worried, and that's when everything changed. My group texts with my friends were blowing up with texts about the fact that our program was cancelled and we were being sent home. Looking at my email confirmed this with a message they had sent out to all the participants. I immediately just started crying and felt so much sadness, anger, and hurt; my heart really felt like it was breaking. It's hard to explain this to anyone who hasn't went through a DCP, but you make so many amazing memories and friends and it's hard enough to leave at the end of your program, but having to leave early is truly heartbreaking.
Soon, some more of the CPs came backstage, and we all just started crying together about it. I barely knew these girls, but the CPs are all a big family and we all felt each other's pain. I can still vividly remember being in the tunnel under the Fantasyland shops and Cinderella's Castle and just sitting there crying. Not only was this a huge shock of my dreams coming to a close, but it was also a moment of panic knowing that we had to be out of our apartments by 11 on Wednesday morning, only giving us a few short days to make travel plans. I called my mom and told her it was all true because she had been seeing the rumors of this start circulating online, and she helped me calm down a little bit and to know we would get it all figured out on how I would get back home. Luckily the other cast members understood what we were going through, because we were back there for close to an hour trying to find the strength to go back out and put on a happy face for the guests.
The rest of the day was pretty much a blur, so sadly I couldn't really enjoy working in Fantasyland like I had hoped. I worked until 8 that night and then was able to go change and make it in time to grab one last Mickey pretzel and watch Happily Ever After with some of my roommates and a couple of friends. This would be my last time seeing this show as a cast member, so emotions were very strong that night. Then after leaving Magic Kingdom, I went to meet up for a late dinner at Blaze Pizza in Disney Springs with all of my work family from Africa that could make it that night, because we were all upset that we didn't have much time left with each other. Also, with some of them already making plans to leave in a day or 2, some of us had to say our final goodbyes. Even though we didn't know each other for a super long time, we had all grown to be a close family and it was hard knowing we all had to leave each other!
The next day was Sunday, and not only was it my last day of work, but the last day the parks were actually going to be open. I took full advantage of this and went to Magic Kingdom at opening. There, I met up with my friend Sabrina and we went to go say goodbye to our boss Mickey. It was nice because they had a separate line for just CPs to go into, so people were free to take their time. It was hard watching people cry and get emotional knowing this was their last day as official cast members! Mickey hugged me and I got a little teary when he handed me a note thanking me for making the magic and carrying on Walt's legacy.
Thankfully, the crowds weren't too bad that day so I was able to soak in my last magical day in the park and experience going on all the rides I enjoyed most one last time. At lunchtime, I met up to say goodbye to my friend Angela and got one of my favorites, corn dog nuggets from Casey's Corner. Then I made a couple of last minute purchases in the Emporium of course! About that time, it was time to leave to get ready for my last work shift. I remember turning around when I was about to exit the park to see the castle one last time.. it was definitely tough having to walk out and leave that day!
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| Last time driving under the Disney sign :( |
It was very bittersweet going to work that afternoon. It was great being able to see some of my coworkers for the last time, but also I was still really sad knowing I had to be leaving in a couple of days. I got to say bye to a lot of the part-time and full-time CMs, as well as some more of the CPs who hadn't made it to the dinner the night before. Some that weren't working that day even came in just to tell us all bye. The leaders even had some pizza delivered for us all which was nice! It wasn't the most fun having to spend my last few hours the parks were open actually having to work, but I'm glad it was at least around my friends. Plus, they had a surprise for all of us Animal Kingdom CPs that night. After the park closed, we got the opportunity if we wanted to, to go on Expedition Everest, Flight of Passage, and Na'vi River Journey, some of the most popular rides in the park! That was a blast and a memory I won't forget, especially because they surprised us even more when we got loaded onto the Everest rollercoaster and were told that the entire track would be lit up for us to see it all, which hardly ever happens. We got that behind the scenes look of when the track flips over when you go backwards and got to view the whole Yeti animatronic; I was shocked at how big it actually is! Plus, they were handing out free Mickey ice cream bars and popsicles to us that night which was awesome. It was an amazing last night with some of my work family!
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| Gina and I trying to brave Everest! |
When my mom arrived on Tuesday, we finished packing a few last things and got my car all loaded up and ready to go. I said goodbye to the roommates, went to turn in my key, where they gave me a cute pair of Mickey graduation ears, and drove out of Chatham Square for the last time. :( We drove for awhile that day until we reached Gainesville, Florida, where we stayed for the night.
On Wednesday morning, we slept in a bit before heading out of the hotel to start driving again. We were just taking a slow pace, since really there was no hurry to get back home and we both were exhausted from just the stress of the last few days. Because of that, after driving for most of the day, we decided to go ahead and stop in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and stay the night instead of trying to push ourselves to make it all the way back home.
When we had arrived at our hotel the night before, we had noticed there was a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts shop dangerously close! So to brighten up the day a little bit, we stopped on Thursday morning to grab a dozen so we had a couple for breakfast and several to take home too. It was nice because that day we only had about 4 hours left until we finally reached home. As you can see in the pictures, it was a big change from Florida's weather! I wasn't too happy about going back to gloomy and cold Illinois, but I was happy to be able to see my dad and brother when I got back home. It was mixed emotions being back home, but I was glad to be able to be around my family again.
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Overall, it's hard to put into words how much this experience meant to me! All I have to say is it was the best 2 months of my life so far. It changed me a lot and created so many memories and friendships that I know will carry on for years. I want to thank all of you reading for following along on my adventures. All of the comments and encouragement to follow my dreams from my friends and family were so amazing throughout my program. This wasn't the way I had hoped and planned for things to work out, but I have faith that God has everything happen for a reason, and He has something great planned for me in the future! I will forever be grateful to have been a cast member and to be able to say I was a part of the magic. Bye for now, or as we like to say here at Disney, see ya real soon!
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