Left my heart in Disney...

Ok so the disney cep blog posts will be coming after my program as there is simply no time to write them! 

But this post is a travel related post, as I got to spend four days in my favourite place in the world... DISNEYWORLD!!!

So working for disney has its perks and one of them is free entry to all the theme parks and a whopping 50% discount of hotel rooms, so four of us interns decided to book four nights at Disneys Carribean Beach Resort, a moderate resort near Epcot. 

So, we left Hilton Head around 7pm on the Tuesday and arrived in Orlando at 12.30am. Can I just say that I drove 5 and a half hours on American roads in an automatic car! Scariest experience ever especially as I've never driven abroad ever and have only been driving 3 years! But it turned out to be very easy and the best way to get there.

When I arrived I was tired and physically drained from working a 6 day week then driving for 5 hours, so as soon as I got into bed I crashed out. Waking up the next day was very exciting though as we had booked a pirate themed room which meant we were literally sleeping in pirate ships! Pretty cool huh?

So Wednesday was day one and it had to be Magic Kingdom! The sun was shining and we hopped on the bus to the place where dreams come true. I haven't been to Disney World for 5 years so coming back was an amazing experience, it really felt like I had never left! Seriously, walking down Main Street USA is one of the best experiences when you see the castle!

As we were staying on disney property, we all had a magic band. These are great for the trip as they hold you room key, fast passes and any reservations you make on them! Perfect for that time when your room key is at the bottom of your bag! It made the trip so much easier. They also held our dining plan on them. We went for the standard dining plan!

The magic bands are customisable!

Now I've never really eaten in disney before, we always used to take our own food and eat outside the parks. This dining plan meant we could get one quick service meal (entree, dessert and drink), one sit down meal (entree, dessert, drink) and a snack. This is per day. That's a lot of food!!

Bearing in mind a snack can be one of the famous giant cupcakes or Rice Krispie treats, or it can simply be an apple/bottle of water. The choice is yours but seeing as I wouldn't know the last time I would be in disney, I went all out and ate the most unhealthiest choices. Look at that cupcake!

Olaf Carrot Cupcake. The most delicious cupcake I've ever eaten!

In Magic Kingdom we managed to fit in a fair bit including most rides like Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Peter Pans flight, 3 o'clock parade, a character buffet plus wishes and the night time parade. It was exhausting! The only thing we didn't manage to do due to large crowds was the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train which is a fairly new ride, and Space Mountain. All the more reason to go back! 

So as this is a long post already, I'm going to summarise Magic Kingdom in photos! Enjoy!

The famous walk down Main Street USA

Breakfast!

3 o'clock Parade

Character buffet at Crystal Palace

Celebrate the Magic

Wishes

Well that kind of summarises day one but one thing I will say is sometimes you just have to experience it in person to be able to really understand disney, and I wouldn't hesitate to go back tomorrow if I could. 

Oh and also watch out for post disney depression, its a real thing! 

More posts to follow on the rest of the vacation! 

A Taste of the big Apple

 

What can I say, New York was a whirlwind.

After arriving in New York after possibly the best flight ever, where I managed to bag two empty seats to myself and spread out for comfortable naps (this never happens to me), I was greeted with glorious city heat and bright sunshine. 

I arrived at my hostel which was the best hostel I've ever stayed at (American Dream Hostel) and wasted no time in exploring the city. We went straight to Times Square to see the lights in the evening and I tried my first five guys burger (loved it).

The first full day started early due to jet lag, but this left more time to explore the city in the day and take advantage of the breakfast. The hostel provided dunkin donuts for breakfast! Only in NYC! 

Dunkin Donuts for breakfast!

The first stop was Times Square again. The day was a Sunday, and Times Square on a Sunday morning is so pleasant, no crowds and plenty of space to take pictures in the sunshine. We looked around the shops for a bit, ones worth visiting are Sephora, Hershey's (free chocolate samples), forever 21 and the best Disney store I've ever visited. 

During this day we did so much that I felt like I never stopped to breathe! I saw a broadway show called Hedwig starring Darren Criss, ate lunch in supposedley the place to go for New York cheesecake (Juniors) and bought an I Love New York hoodie to cover myself from the massive thunderstorm that suddenly appeared! I also tried my first Pinkberry and went to this amazing diner which featured the waiters and waitresses singing on the tables. Seriously go visit this place, its quite expensive but you pay for a broadway performance basically! The waiters usually star on broadway whilst working there so their singing is amazing! I think it was called Ellen's Starlight Diner, definitely worth checking out even if it is expensive.

Broadway show: Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Juniors cheesecake and yes it was that big!

Pinkberry with brownie bites and cookie dough

Ellen's Starlight Diner

The next day was another early start, and we headed downtown to Soho to visit the 9/11 memorial. The last time I went to New York this wasn't open, so being my first time I was absolutely blown away by the dedication of the memorial to all who died. It is moving and I think everyone needs to visit it. Costing only $24, it is well worth the money. The weather was a little rainy so we ventured to see the Statue of Liberty but it was very cloudy, so we took a walk around battery park before heading back to the hotel to freshen up for our last evening.

9/11 Memorial

We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, definitely go there! It's not as expensive as you think it will be and I tried the pulled chicken sandwich. It was soo good and all for under $20.Their cocktails are out of this world but because I was under 21, I couldn't try any!

Our last night in NY couldn't have been less perfect! Although the weather wasn't the best, squeezing the sights and sounds of the city into two days was the best and most tiring idea ever! 

The next day I boarded a plane to Savannah to begin my summer adventure working on Hilton Head Island!

Review: Jamie's Italian and Afternoon Tea at Bill's

So this week was mine and my dad's birthday, so I wanted to review two places that I went to:

Jamie's Italian

For my dad's birthday, we went out for a meal at one of Jamie's Italian restaurants in our local town. This was a small location so it was the Trattoria version, and had only recently opened. I've been to the Brighton Jamie's Italian for my 18th birthday and the food was amazing (definitely recommended), but I always see it as a pricey restaurant to visit on a regular basis.

As this was a birthday, we decided to treat ourselves and splash out. The Trattoria menu basically incorporates the most popular dishes of the normal Jamie's Italian restaurants, therefore it's a miniature version. Luckily they had the dish I was eager to have again, the Tagliatelle Bolognese. It is basically spaghetti bolognese, and although it doesn't sound adventurous, I can guarantee it's one of the best tasting bolognese I've ever had!
There are other delicious italian dishes that I sampled from the what the rest of my family ordered, such as the Porcini Fettuccine, the special risotto for that day was amazing, and my mum tried the italian beef burger. All of these tasted amazing and I would happily eat any one of these dishes.

So as far as food is concerned, Jamie's Italian is highly recommended for good tasting and flavoursome italian dishes. One thing I was disappointed by was the lack of a cocktail menu. The last time I had visited I had this delicious cocktail called the Florence Fizz, but due to it being a Trattoria restaurant, it wasn't included in the menu. But I did try the non-alcoholic cocktail called Citrus Crush which was soo good and made up for the other drink being absent.

Citrus Crush

Tagliatelle Bolognese

Overall, it was a nice meal out, and the atmosphere as well as the staff made the evening really pleasant and enjoyable. The decor was kind of old fashioned italian, and the toilets were amazing! Worth a visit! This was the perfect place for a birthday meal. My only fault for it are the prices, which aren't that much higher than the usual high street restaurants, but when drinks are incorporated it can become pricey, and dessert was out of the question. For a special occasion, this place is the perfect location to eat.

Bill's Afternoon Tea

Onto the next review, for my birthday I decided to go up to London for afternoon tea but as I had done this before in a fancy hotel, I wanted somewhere cheap. I came across afternoon tea at Bill's restaurant in Covent Garden. For only £9 something, it was perfect as I didn't want to pay excessive amounts for the location. When we arrived the location of the restaurant is in St Martin's Courtyard which is nestled in the side streets of Covent Garden and is in a really prime and pleasant location.

Bill's restaurants are very nicely decorated, and it was pleasant to sit down and enjoy the experience. When afternoon tea came, they gave us two stands for 4 people which included a selection of traditional finger sandwiches (around 3 per person), 4 mini cakes (brownie, strawberry and cream shortbread, lemon and poppyseed sponge and a marshmallow) plus two scones with jam and clotted cream. The food was nice and the mini versions meant we could eat all of it and still feel full up. Afternoon tea is a sugar overload though, so we were buzzing off sugar for the rest of the day!

Selection of mini cakes

Scones

The tea supplied was plentiful (I had 5 cups, that combined with all the sugar was a bad combination), and there is a selection of many different flavours. For £12, you can also upgrade to a glass of fizz.

English Breakfast Tea

It was good for the money and I wasn't expecting anything more, however I felt like because it was cheap then it was what we were getting. The staff didn't really know that we were there for afternoon tea even though we had booked it, and they gave us general menus to start with. We always had to go up to get there attention (we weren't handed any cutlery to cut the scones or cakes with) and I felt like I should have paid a little more for a better afternoon tea experience. Groupon always offer deals for not much more money and having afternoon tea whilst everyone around you is there for lunch felt kind of wrong. The atmosphere was very loud and it was difficult to have a conversation. In a hotel setting, it's usually in a high class restaurant so you do get the high tea experience, and this was lacking.

My advice is as a casual tea place, yes go to Bill's, but if you are looking for the classic and traditional 'High Tea" experience, then do it the proper way and book into a fancier location.

Disney HHI: Final Checklist

Ok so with 3 days to go, this post will be the final checklist for your Disney International Program. Of course it may differ from the Orlando programme, however it is roughly the same and includes a general checklist of things you will need to take.

Firstly and most importantly, the documents you need to take that will allow you into the country are:
- DS-2019
- Passport with Visa
- Disney offer letter
- Proof of medical insurance
- Flights tickets
- Onboarding paperwork
- Photocopies of passport photo page and visa page
- Travel Insurance

Towards the end, these documents aren't necessary but good to have on you just in case. For Hilton Head programme, we don't have to pay a program assessment fee therefore I haven't included it, but do check the requirements for your program.

Next is a general list. I've tried to pack as little as possible with the intention of buying everything else out there:

- Clothes (for the suitable temperature)
- Shoes
- Underwear
- Make-up/toiletries
- Smart business wear (a few days worth)
- Medications/painkillers
- Hair/Jewellery
- Waterproof
- Chargers/adapters
- Towel (Hilton head have bedding provided)
- Suncream
- Litte satchel
- First Aid- plasters
- Swimwear

This list is for hand luggage but could be optional or taken in your luggage:
- Phone/charger
- Sunglasses
- Documents!
- Money
- Camera
- Ipad/Things for the plane

There are other things that you will need but this post only aims to cover the basics. One thing I've done is bought travel miniatures of shampoo/conditioner etc and then buy bigger versions at Walmart. This saves space and weight! Make-up is cheaper out there as well as outlet malls so I am aiming to take as little as possible and come back with more than I went out with. It's proving harder than it looks!

My Summer Awaits...

I can finally say that exams are OVER!!!

It feels so good to not have to revise, or feel guilty about not revising! I have worked my butt off for these exams and I have revised properly since January. I have to say, second year of university has been tough in so many ways, and I would be lying if I said I didn't struggle.

There have been times where I have felt like giving up, but I persevered and I am so glad I did. My one piece of advice for anyone in a similar position is that no matter how hard it is, it is only temporary and by working hard and having motivation, it pays off in the end. I now have one more year of my degree and then I will hopefully be a graduate! But for now, I have 3 months of living and working in the USA to look forward to!

So now I am back home and I have begun packing and sorting out all my documents. This week I have my dad's birthday, my birthday on Thursday and then New York on Saturday. A very exciting week up ahead.

Hopefully I will be blogging over summer, so expect lots of posts about my adventures! For now, its back to packing!

Disney HHI: The Countdown Begins!

Well it's been a long time since I've written a post about my Disney CEP, but I've been in the midst of 4 massive exams so I've dedicated all my spare time to revision. I still have two more to go, but I've managed to exclude myself from textbooks to update everyone!

It's exactly two weeks till I leave for the US, yep thats right, TWO WEEKS! That gives me 14 days to finish exams, move out of university, pack and get everything sorted. Not to mention I also have my dads birthday and then mine! Talk about last minute stress!


So in two weeks I will be flying to New York for 3 days, then I fly down to Hilton Head Island to begin my 3 months working at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort. I am so excited!! All my paperwork is done including visa and medical insurance, plus I've sorted out a Fairfx card for spending dollars in America (you can find a link to this at the bottom of the post). This basically means I don't have to carry around big lumps of cash, instead I can use it like an ordinary debit card.

I'm not sure what to expect when I get out there, I have been given instructions about the first few days including training, and details of our accommodation but apart from that I'm flying out there not knowing much (which slightly scares me!)

I guess I should start packing soon, the advice I've received from others has been to pack as lightly as possible as you buy lots out there, so I'm trying to take this onboard. It's proving very difficult!

As soon as exams are over I will post a packing list including all the documents you need to take. For now though, its back to the textbooks...


This is where I bought my cash card, which had the best exchange rate:
https://www.fairfx.com/

Review: A Day at the Spa

As a middle of exams treat, today I visited the Imagine Spa at the Hilton Heathrow hotel (T5). It was part of a groupon deal which included 4 hours use of the spa and a mud bath treatment. Now four hours in a spa is a lot so we didn't actually end up spending that long in there, but we spent a good four hours overall (including about an hours worth of the mud bath treatment). The spa was small and only included a hydrotherapy pool, sauna and a steam room as well as a salt mineral room (my favourite).

Altogether with the deal, it cost around £30. I wouldn't recommend paying full price for the spa as it's not that big and there was no proper swimming pool. 

However, with the treatment included in the deal, it was ok and the mud treatment is great for your skin, as well as smelling amazing! Seriously, it smelt like chocolate so it was hard not to eat it! Plus you do it yourself which gave you time to relax by yourself and go at your own pace. Other treatments available include massages and beauty treatments. Take a look at the range of treatments from the link below!

As a treat this is a good place to go, however I know there are plenty of spa's set in nicer locations and with bigger facilities. The hotel was a heathrow one so there was issues with accessing it. We ended up driving but it is hard to get to via tube. Also, we got there early to eat before but the hotel cafe and restaurant was majorly overpriced and although there were a few local pubs around, it is not near any town or central London meaning there was a lack of choice.

These sorts of deals come up on Groupon on a daily basis, however I would recommend you choose a location that is either pretty and has bigger facilities, or is in a central area. Head over to Groupon to see the latest deals, but one this you have to be is quick as they don't last long!

http://imaginespa.co.uk/thamesvalley/beauty-treatments/