First Full Day in Florida

Good evening everyone!

To spare you with the long details of our 15+ hour road trip down to Florida, I'll sum it up really quickly. After getting set back from some traffic, we were put a bit behind schedule and had to spend the night in North Carolina rather than South Carolina. Not a bad thing, it just meant we had more driving to do on Saturday. We made it to our hotel, Disney's Pop Century, around 7:20 on Saturday, August 29th and we pretty much just checked in, ate dinner and relaxed in the room.

The adorable Pop Century Resort! 

Today, Sunday August 30th, was our first full day in Florida. Kelsey and I woke up at 5:30 am (after getting about only five hours of sleep) to meet up with her family at Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure. I purchased my preferred annual pass which is good for an entire year -- I get to visit the parks anytime I want and also get some discounts and free parking with it. Definitely has its perks!

Off to Neverland

 

When there's a smile in your heart, there's no better time to start...

Today is the big day! The moment I've been waiting for my whole life. I leave the comfort of my home, a place I've been familiar with for 22 years, to head to the Most Magical Place on Earth for four months. It's time to begin a new chapter in my life, one that will be filled with new experiences and emotions. It has been crazy hard saying "see you later" to my loved ones, but I know that in just four short months this will all be over. In about less than an hour, I'm going to head down to my roommate Kelsey's house, and from there, we will begin the long roadtrip to Orlando. I have no idea how long it'll take to get there, but we plan on spending the night in South Carolina and then continuing our way on Saturday. 

This is probably the last post I'll be making until I'm in Florida. I can't wait to update everyone on my travels. I've never been on a roadtrip this long before so wish me luck on my sanity! 

Have a magical day and I'll see ya real soon! 

<3 Lindsey 

Nerves

Hey guys!

It is unbelievable how quickly this past summer has gone. In just eight days, I will be checking in at Vista Way (the center of Disney housing) and beginning my Disney College Program. It's amazing to think that it's already been over six (very long) months since I first got accepted, and now check-in is right around the corner.

Magic Bands!

Hey guys! Look what came today! 

I'm so excited! My roommate Kelsey and I are staying on Disney's property before our DCP check-in. We booked our hotel just last week. I just received the magic bands that we'll use for our stay!

For those that don't know what magic bands are, or don't know how they work, they are pretty much an all-in-one device that makes your Disney vacation a heck of a lot easier. They help you connect all the things that you plan out for your trip from My Disney Experience. My Disney Experience is your online Disney vacation planner -- your reservations, accommodations, itinerary, Fast Passes, etc are all booked and found on there.

Once your My Disney Experience is connected to your magic band, the magic band works as your resort key, tickets to the parks, Fast Passes for rides, and you can even connect your credit card on there to buy merchandise and food. Super nifty!

From my past two experiences with the magic band, I have found them to be quite comfortable and easy to manage. You can adjust the size of the band and can customize the colors online. At the parks, you can buy cute accessories to decorate your magic band with if you so choose. One of the greatest things about the magic bands are that they're water proof! Don't worry about getting caught in a Florida downpour while wearing one -- and don't even bother taking it off before taking a dip in the pool! They're called magic bands for a reason LOL.

I'm so excited to wear my latest magic band to Disney and hope to collect all the colors they offer!

I hope you have a magical day and I'll see ya real soon!

<3, Lindsey

30 Days Pre Check-In Thoughts

Hello everyone,

Today is August 1, 2015. In 27 days, my roommate Kelsey and I will begin our roadtrip to the Sunshine Stage. And in 30 days is the Disney College Program check-in date for August 31st arrivals!

Now that I'm in the final month of being home surrounded by the people I care about, it's really beginning to sink in that I'll be leaving very soon. It's unbelievable how fast time has flown the past couple months. I feel like I'm in a mad scramble to see as many people as I can before I leave and spending as much time as I can with the people closest to me. It's crazy that I've already said some goodbyes to people, like some close college friends that live far from my hometown that I won't get to see until next year. There's no time to waste because before I know it, it'll be time to load up the car and head south for the fall.

I'm experiencing a mix of emotions at this current state. I'm so excited to begin my journey with Disney and ready to experience all the magic and find out my work location/meet new friends, nervous about the unknown and the uncertainty, sad to leave people I care about behind and not being able to see them for a long time, overwhelmed with how little time I have left to prepare, a little scared to live completely on my own (I don't count my experiences dorming at school), and a lot more. I guess these are all completely normal things to feel and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.

So for now, I will continue to spend a lot of time with the people I care about, eat as many Jersey bagels, pizza and disco fries before I go, and slowly (or maybe quickly) get ready for Disney.

I hope you all have a magical day, and I'll see ya real soon!

<3 Lindsey