A World beyond believe

Oel Ngati Kameie or I see you! Welcome to Pandora!

After months of waiting and excitement i was finally able to walk into a world beyond believe: Pandora - The World of Avatar at Disney`s Animal Kingdom.
As with every big Announcement from Disney, i've been thrilled to hear that i will be able to discover Pandora before my program comes to an end on July 20th. Unfortunetally, i didn't make it for Cast Previews and as our Cast Admission has been blocked for the opening weekend, i had to wait 2 weeks. 2 weeks of every of the guests telling me how amazing it is there...thanks.

On May 31st i finally walked over the bridge that connects Pandora with the real world just to see... a lot of people. But not getting bothered by all the crowds that blocked the view to nearly everything, i made it all the way to the middle of the area to stand under the floating mountains! And it's just as impressive as everyone said! Beeing surounded by all the alien - like flowers and plants, standing under that massive floating rockwork, i just stared up and couldnt handle my excitement. The rest of the area is just as impressive! There are just so many details in every corner.

After waiting over 2 hours in the rain, i even made it on the Na`Vi River Journey. A slow moving boat takes you down a River to explore the World of the Na`vi and it's just as expected: a lot of glowing "bioluminescent" plants, Navi walking along the boats on massive screens and one of the most advanced Audio-Animatronic!

Another 30 minutes later i even managed to get in to the Satu`li Canteen to catch one of the (in my opinion) best quick-service offerings at Disney World.

In the dark the whole world changes and shows itself in a completely different light! Everything lights up and makes you feel like you're on a different planet! It's actually not as bright and "bioluminescent" as expected but still breathtaking and something you havent seen before anywhere else! At this point i need to mention that i was actually to excited about the whole area that i forgot to take pictures after i got off the boat ride. Sry :D

Entrance Bridge

Interactive Pandora Flower

Water Animals

Pandora

Pandora

Floating Mountains

Na`Vi

Na`vi River Journey

Flight of Passage

Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse

Chopped Chicken Bowl

Pandora at Night

I'm glad i made it to Pandora and can't wait to get back there again. As excited as i've been about my trip to Pandora, there is still something that i am more excited about. Due to one unreliable person, booked as a last minute trip, on the first of June i am flying to Los Angeles to check off the Selfie at Hollywood Hills from my bucket list! And a trip to Walt Disneys original Disneyland is planned as well!! Check back for a lot of pictures - i promise 😊


// Learn the Language //
kaltxì - Hello
rutxe - Please
irayo - Thanks

// Insider Tip //
While waiting in line for the rides, you can now order your food at the Satu`li Canteen on the MyDisneyExperience App. Check out their menu by clicking here.

// Transportation Tip //
// Animal Kingdom - J Bus Route (Housing > Animal Kingdom Cast Parking Lot)

Happily Ever After

As one of the first Fireworks i`ve seen here at Walt Disney World, Wishes has always been the most emotional of all of them. No matter how many times i've seen it, it always reminded me of the first time i walked trough the Entrance at Main Street Station and spotted the castle at the end of it. That moment where i couldn't hold back with my excitement about that big step that changed my life: beeing brave enough to go out of my comfort zone, going abroad and working at the most magical place on earth.

Even though Whishes has always been THAT special ending to a special day at the Magic Kingdom, starting in 2017 the other Disney Parks got my attention with their newest Nighttime-Spectaculars: Hollywood Studios now takes us to a galaxy far far away with Star Wars - A Galactic Spectacular, Animal Kingdom let's us discover our connection with nature at Rivers of Light and Epcot still greets us back home with Illumination - Reflections of Earth.
And as im only here for a year, i am happy about every new experience that i'm able to get. That's why i have been super excited when Disney first announced in February that Wishes is getting replaced by a new Show.

After watching Happily Ever After on the opening day on May 12th, i can tell you that it wasn't only me beeing flashed by the projections on the castle, the music, the lasers and of course the fireworks! This new show takes you on a journey to find your dream-desire trough all your favourite Disney characters.

Ready to begin....

"Each of us has a dream, a hearts desire, it calls to us. And when we are brave enough to listen, bold enough to presume, that dream will lead us on a journey to discover who we are meant to be. All we have to do is look inside our hearts and unlock the magic within..."

Happily Ever After

Happily Ever After

Happily Ever After

Happily Ever After

Happily Ever After

Happily Ever After

Happily Ever After

Happily Ever After

Happily Ever After

Happily Ever After

Happily Ever After

Happily Ever After

...and they all lived Happily Ever After!


Show-Tip
// Showtimes vary daily depending on the Park hours. To get the right time, check the MyDisneyExperience App or the Showtimes Schedule at the park. The best spot to watch
the Fireworks and Projections would be the middle of Main Street USA.

Transportation Tip
// Magic Kingdom - A Bus Route (Housing > Contemporary > Walk)

Having a wild Adventure

Some things take a bit more time when you are having fun: finding the coinfidence to make a wish come true (as Jiminy always says). As my favourite Fireworks Show at the Magic Kingdom "Wishes" is going extinct next week, i tried to take as many pictures as possible. I might have taken to many though... untill i've sorted them out and got some nice ones from the new show "Happily Ever After", here are some shots of one of my wildest adventures from last week!

When driving trough the Savanna of the Kilimanjaro Safari at the Animal Kingdom, i always thought about how amazing it must be to get really close to the seen animals. Guess what: i did that! 

As part of Disneys "Adventures by Disney" i went on the Wild Africa Trek (with a nearly 50% Cast Member Discount) and had an amazing time! It all started at the entrance to Kilimanjaro Safari where i got a Harness and some safety instructions... actually a lot of safety instructions! After that we went off to the Tour, walking next to all those amazing animals while receiving interesting information about them.

After 3 hours of excitement, lunch was served from BOMA (the Restaurant inside Disney`s Animal Kingdom Lodge). I even ate a flower !!! Beside the great experience we had with the animals, the food was one of the highlights of the Tour: Chicken curry salad, Sun-dried tomato hummus and mini pita, Marinated tandoori shrimp, Smoked salmon roulade with dill, Air-dried beef and prosciutto & Fresh fruit marinated in mint and ginger.

Like the food offering isn`t reason enough to like this tour, i could go on and on to explain about how amazing the whole experience was. But nothing`s as impressive as pictures (which were included in the price).

Adventure Entrance

Adventure Transportation

Hyena

Baby Stella

Hippo

Giraffe

Adventure Stop

Time for food

BOMA Lunch Offering

Lions

Adventure Bridge

Alligators

Adventure Bridge

Wild Safari

Rhino having fun

Rhino having fun

Rhino and Zebra

Mickey and Minnie

As Mickey & Minnie where hanging up at the Animal Kingdom, i went to say hi to the big cheese. And of course no evening at the Animal Kingdom is complete without the Rivers of Light. After a hot and long day, i jumped on the Cast Bus for a fun journey back home  where i fell dead in my bed.

...just kidding ... nothing was fun about the bus journey!! :D

 // Transportation Tip //
// Animal Kingdom - J Bus Route (Housing > Animal Kingdom Cast Parking Lot)

It`s a Festival of Fantasy

I can`t actually tell  how many times i`ve talked about my home country, my name (no it`s not spanish!) or the fastest way to the closest restroom. But i do remember a lot of conversations about my wildest adventures: my first visit at a Disney Park, swimming with Dolphins, chilling on the Bahamas with one of my closest friends or the evenings at the Discovery Island Carnivale. Those evenings where i am dancing with Baloo while the sun slowly starts hiding behind the castle of the Magic Kingdom.
Even when i get home from some unmagical days, i am always thankful for this chance i got here in the United States. A chance that stays with me for the rest of my life. Working at Disney World is an experience that i would not want have missed. I am also thankful for all those friends i made around the world: UK, Italy, America and even some Germans. Just enjoying those special moments... like the following pictures from the last 4 weeks.

Festival of Fantasy Parade

Festival of Fantasy Parade

Jungle Cruise

Move it! Shake it! Parade

Light up the Night

With the #1 Duck

Kilimanjaro Safari

Discovery Island Carnivale

Discovery Island Carnivale

Discovery Island Carnivale

Discovery Island Carnivale

Dolphins in Depth Tour

SkyTower view on Mako

Opening Race trough NewYork

Diagon Alley

The summer is finally back (it`s not like it has been away for too long anyway...). As i am getting closer to the end of my program, i try to find places worth visiting, try to enjoy places that i`ve already visited, try to discover the wild site of Florida and just sing "on top of the world" while the sun goes down.... let the last three months start :) !

// Transportation Tip //

// Magic Kingdom - A Bus Route (Housing > Contemporary > Walk)

// Animal Kingdom - J Bus Route (Housing > Animal Kingdom Cast Parking Lot)
// Hollywood Studios - E Bus Route (Housing > Hollywood Studios Cast Services > Walk)

// EPCOT - C Bus Route (Housing > Epcot Cast Services > East Bus)

// Universal - Lynx (Vineland Outlets > Universal Orlando)

// SeaWorld - I.ride (Vineland Outlets [Red/Green Line 28] > SeaWorld)