Back Home Again

For our final day in Florida the students split into groups to get in some last minute activities before we boarded the buses for the airports. For our group of thrill seekers, the morning had the highs of riding Velocicoaster one last time, mixed with the lows of Hagrid Motorbike Adventure and the Forbidden Journey both being down. Others hit the CityWalk for some last minute souvenirs, while the reminder enjoyed some rest and relaxation at our hotel.

The buses picked us up and got us to the airport early, and we all made it through security quickly, which gave us time of our last academic activity for the trip: namely the student's elevator pitches. Woven throughout our guest speakers and in park activities was the theme of seeing how others pursued their passions, with the hope of igniting these same passions within the students themselves. For their final elevator pitch, each student had one minute to tell us about their passions, link their own pursuit to something they learned from one of our guest speakers, and share how they would use this to pursue their passions beyond the course. The ideas were distinctive and creative, and I look forward to seeing how these students take these sparks  of inspiration forward in the years to come.

After a slight delay, we were able to board the plane and fly back to Indy. We said our goodbyes at the airport then headed our separate ways. Once again, leading a travel course to Florida was an amazing experience. The students really bonded with each other, the guest speakers we had were amazing, and I think the course achieved all the goals we set out with. I will be reading their final reflections in the upcoming days, and we have one final meeting on campus to share what we learned on March 23rd.

All for now from the blog, thank you for following along with us on our adventures!

Paul Fonstad

 

Our last day at Universal was more of a slow one. Some of the class went to the park early in the morning to ride some things for the final time while others slept in. Later in the day, all the class met up at the pool and swam for a couple hours. There was a race between Logan, Lucas, and Corbin to run the length of the pool. Logan came in first with Lucas trailing behind.

 

Earlier in the morning, a majority of the group rope-dropped Hagrid’s Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure so they had one last chance to ride it. A couple more people joined that group so they could ride VelociCoaster together. 

Our assignment today was to write a letter/email to someone you admire and appreciate. While we could write it to someone we know, we were encouraged to write to someone we have never met. This assignment was to help us become more comfortable stepping outside of our comfort zone to gain connections with people who share similar passions to us. 

After swimming, the group split off until later that night. Ken and I (Lance) wandered around CityWalk, getting dinner from the Panda Express and the Whopper Bar. We wandered around some shops for about an hour and then headed over towards The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium where we had reservation later that night. Nhi was also spotted heading into the parks around that time to do some last-minute shopping for a friend. 

 

The group met up again for our reservations.  The Chocolate Emporium’s main attraction is their huge milkshakes. Some of the group got different flavors of shakes, but the majority got the mint shake. They were super filling and almost no one could finish the whole thing. 

Most of the group went back to the hotel after our late dinner to start getting prepared for our departure tomorrow. A couple of people stayed back at CityWalk for one last performance of karaoke or to grab a donut from Voodoo Donuts. We head back to Indy tomorrow later in the day and we will be presenting our final elevator pitch for the course. 

 Franklin College Day

To kick off our last week in Orlando, our group was fortunate enough to meet with Franklin College alum, Travis Braun, via Zoom. Travis is a film creator and writer for Disney. He has worked for them for seven years now, and has created several popular kids shows such as, T.O.T.S., Fast Layne, and upcoming show, Pupstruction. Braun spoke about his journey through adversities, and emphasized how important it is to stay with your passions and never stray from who you really are. Our group then parted ways, and we all headed to the park. Alli and I grabbed a delicious lunch at Mel’s Diner in Universal Studios. On our way across the street to the Horror Make-up Show, we saw several familiar faces like, Bart Simpson, Marylin Monroe, the Trolls, SpongeBob and Squidward, and characters from Madagascar as well. After the show, we took a trip through Springfield along with the Simpsons family. Next, we hopped on a bike and flew E.T. home to save the planet. Famished from saving the world, we cooled down with Ice Cream from Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

 

 

            While on our way to Islands of Adventure, we stopped to jam out with the Beat Builders, which was one of our favorite moments of the day. Our group met up later, with another Franklin College alum, Kiera. Kiera works part-time at Universal in their Wizarding World of Harry Potter section of the park. She told us about all the cool things she is able to do as an entertainer. We were even able to watch a show that she is sometimes a part of. She, like many others in our group do, studied theater at Franklin. She explained that through the Disney College Program, she was able to land her dream job. It was great talking with her, considering we have a few students interested in the program as well as entertainment.

            With a couple hours to spare before meeting the group for dinner, we took a ride high in the sky with the Suess Trolly Train Ride. We then hopped on the Cat in the Hat ride next door. After a fun evening, the entire group met back at our hotel to enjoy a delicious dinner provided by our instructors. We discussed our days with everyone else. Emily told us about her thrilling ride on the Velocicoaster, Ken and Lance spun around in Storm Force Acceleration, and after much anticipation, Olivia finally got to ride The Hulk! During our dinner, we practiced our elevator speeches to better prepare us for our presentations on Thursday. We also got our new assignment for tomorrow. Now, we will be ending the night with two different watch parties. Let it Shine in one room, and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish in another. Now where’s the popcorn?

 

 

Talk to ya Later! – Kinley & Alli

 

Our first full day at Universal

Today was our first full day at Universal Studios! We started off today by rope-dropping Islands of Adventure.  The first ride we headed to was Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. While a few of us chose not to ride it, it seemed like the rest of the group had fun! After that we walked through Hogwarts castle and some of us continued on to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. 

After these rides, our group split up to explore the parks in different ways. Ken, V, and I (Lance) rode over to Diagon Alley in the Hogwarts Express. We walked around the shops and bought wands and butterbeer. After lunch, we headed over to the Horror Make-Up Show, which was really cool. We ran into several Meet & Greets while were were walking around, including Beetlejuice, Hello Kitty, and Betty Boop.

Our assignment at Universal had us answering two questions. The first question was, “How much of Universal was inspired by Disney?” Everyone will have different answers to this question. As for me, I believe that Universal had taken from Disney was their T-Rex water slide. As Universal is a theme park that goes more foe the thrill they made the drop higher than the ride at Disney. The ride that I believe they took inspiration from is Splash Mountain, as it is a water ride that takes you though a little way to learn about it. The only true difference is the height of the drop. Disney’s ride is only a 50 foot drop and Universal’s is a 85 foot drop.

The second question is the opposite of the first question, “What in Disney was inspired by Universal?” Like with the first question there will be different answers from each person most likely. I will not go into detail as to what I believe, but how I came to my answer. When walking around all of the parks at both Disney and Universal you can see different parts of them that are similar, and when you know the order in which some of the rides and or attractions had came to each of the parks you see what was taken from each. Going to Disney first also aloud us to see everything that has changed since the last time anyone in the group had been there. When going to universal you can see the similarities of them both as well as the differences.

After we completed our assignment and our shopping we headed back to the hotel around dinner time so we could drop stuff off. Since the park was open late, we headed back to Islands of Adventure one more time to watch the Harry Potter night show which was quite a change from the Disney evening shows we'd been seeing. 

Tomorrow as it is our second day in universal we are going to meet two people, while we will not be able to meet our first guest in person we will be able to talk to them and find out how they made it to where they are, as well as their passion in the Disney and Universal theme parks. Their name is Travis Braun. Our second guest speaker works here at universal he works in the Hogwarts part of the park. She will be telling us about what it is like to work here as well as play the part in that area. We will be meeting her in person and at the park, as she has a background in acting due to this job she will also be talking to some of the theater majors on this trip. Her name is Kiera Shackelford.

Land and V

 From the World to the Universe

Today was a  travel day for our class, and a day off of blogging for the students. We started the morning by saying goodbye to Animal Kingdom Lodge. The unexpected upgrade was an amazing way to start the trip, and there really was something magical about being able to look out off of our balcony to see giraffes, zebras, wildebeests whenever we went back to the room.

Before we left, the students took a little time to practice their elevator speeches to each other. These  short, one minute talks on their own passion projects will be their last assignment before we head home. We still have more to accomplish here in Florida and more guest speakers to meet, but getting a sense for just how much time they have is an important first step.

After a short bus ride, we came to our new hotel, the Surfside Inn and Suites. We  had some down time before our rooms were ready, which the students to advantage of by relaxing, trying out some puzzles, or doing some coloring in the lobby.

Eventually, while part of our group waited at the hotel for our rooms to be ready, he rest went in to start exploring our two new theme parks. Lines were long, but they managed to ride both Spiderman and Cat in the Hat, as well as explore some of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter too.

The evening concluded with a pizza party back at our hotel. With the promise of an early morning rope drop, most of us turned in for the night, while a few went back to Citywalk to try their hand at karaoke. Tomorrow we will take a look at how Universal was inspired by the Mouse, and how Disney was in turn inspired by Universal. 

Thanks for reading! - Paul Fonstad 

 Keys to the Kingdom

Today, we woke up with the sunrise to pouring rain, but we didn’t let that stop us. We had two different groups taking the “Keys to the Kingdom” tour. This was a first for many of our group members and acted as our daily meeting. We got to get a deeper look into the magic that surrounds Magic Kingdom. Our tour guide, Darlene, was from Anaheim, CA. Her father was an original Imagineer from Disneyland. Darlene often saw the magic Walt made up close, as he would spend time with her. Darlene pursued her passions and lifetime dream to work as a tour guide in Disney parks. She followed Walt’s quote from so long ago, “don’t give up on a dream because a dream won’t give up on you”. He told her this as they ate ice cream near Main Street in Disneyland. 

 

This specific tour can take the magic away from Disney, as you see many secrets of making the magic. However, many of us left the tour feeling inspired by the true magic that grew within Walt himself. Nate Irskins said, “When I finished the tour, I looked down Main Street and saw pure magic being created flawlessly”. Keys to the Kingdom is a magical experience to learn about the risks and rewards of following your passions. Fully immersed in magic, I have never felt more inspired by the littlest things in each park. Small features have colossal meaning to fulfilling the dream of a man with a raging imagination. 

 

 

Once the tour ended, we found ourselves free to explore the parks. Today was all about diving deeper into our passions to make a draft of our elevator pitch. This will be a fun way to apply all of the knowledge we have gained thus far. Some of us found ourselves watching the Festival of Fantasy parade, while others said a tearful goodbye to Splash Mountain. Of course, with it being in the 60s, Splash Mountain was hysterically freezing. Teeth chattering and laughter were the new staple for our group.

 

 

We had another surprise added to our trip this evening! Junior Ken Casey and Sophomore Lance Fennell got engaged today. The whole group was extremely excited for them and gave proper congratulations! We wish them the best in their future endeavors together!

 

 

Tomorrow marks the end of our time at Disney. While many of us are sad to leave, we are equally excited to travel to Universal at eleven in the morning. We will spend our day relaxing before going to enjoy the parks on Sunday. We are so excited to pursue our passions at Universal. 

 

Elizabeth and Emily

 Race Day

After several of us stayed out until 1 AM at the Magic Kingdom, this morning’s wakeup call came very early for the group. Many of us were at the bus stop by 7:30 to hop on a bus bound for EPCOT, where we would divide into teams and take part in a knapsack race. From park opening, 8:30, until 12:30, all of the teams were on a mad dash to complete all the rides they could to accumulate varying point totals. The “bigger rides”, such as Test Track and Cosmic Rewind, were worth more than the “smaller rides”, such as Nemo and Figment. A few of us had some interesting encounters while taking part in the race. One team, Team Vanellope, while riding Mission Space: Orange dealt with some strangers who, to put it lightly, could not exactly handle their stomachs. It was definitely scarring to a certain extent, but the seven points earned were well worth it! We took part in this race to pay homage to Len Testa, who we had the privilege of meeting with later in the day. Len is the creator of Touring Plans, which helps guest optimize the way to maneuver the parks to get the most accomplished. The winning team accumulated a whopping 82 points in those short few hours!

 

After each team was spent from racing around the park, keeping track of times, enjoying attractions, and filling out score cards, we were treated to a fabulous lunch at the Sunshine Seasons restaurant located in The Land. We partook of a wide array of dishes, such as oak-grilled salmon, stir-fries, and roast beef sandwiches. It was a much needed break and opportunity to cool off and reset for the remainder of the day. After lunch and discussing our Len Testa inspired assignment for the day, we parted ways and returned to enjoying Walt Disney World at our own paces for most of the afternoon. After we enjoyed some snacks, rides, and rest, we were excited to meet with the man who not only created an ideal way for guests to enjoy the parks, but also writes the Unofficial Guides. We had heard a copious amount of good things about Len and were looking forward to what he had to say. 

 

We met with Len Testa at Connections Eatery. As mentioned earlier, Len is the creator of Touring Plans and the Unofficial Guide books. Len is a computer scientist that uses his love of Disney to solve logistical problems in the theme parks and ease the process of planning a vacation. He talked about the various services that he created to help guests have their best trip possible. To give an idea of what they offer, Touring Plans has a picture from every hotel room, optimized touring plans for each park, “true” wait times, and other features.

Len grew up going to Disney at a young age and has carried a lifelong passion for the parks. He enjoys helping others with questions, especially with how complicated Disney is, and is thrilled to have a career based around Disney World. Overall, Len was a great guest speaker and we loved his energy he brought to our course. He is a great example of how pursuit one’s passions can create a lifelong career that has meaning. 

 

After Len, some of us park hopped to Hollywood Studios to close out the night. We rode Rock n Rollercoaster and finished out with Fantasmic, a favorite of our group. Lucas, Logan, and I (Corbin) got very excited for the show, much to the dismay of the guy in front of us. We had a perfect day and are looking forward to experiencing the Keys to the Kingdom tour bright and early. 

 

A Chill Day

Today we had more of a chill day! With no guest speakers or special events, groups were able to wander as they please throughout the parks. Our group started off our day by going to Disney Springs and checking out the shopping center! Our favorite place to visit was the World of Disney store, as they had stuff from all franchises such as Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars! It was very captivating to see how everything connected. They also still had a bunch of the 50th anniversary collection!

 

Our group then headed over to Animal Kingdom for our park reservation. We wandered around Asia and Pandora. Pandora is super pretty at night and we were all excited to see it! There were a lot of black lights that made our clothes glow the same way as the tree. 

 

 When every one was exploring the parks, we all did it differently. In the group with Corbin, Nate, Logan, Lucas, Emily, and Elizabeth had went to Disney Springs, Animal Kingdom, and Magic Kingdom. They had a full day of fun when it came to our free day. Corbin, while in Disney Springs, had gotten scared by the one and only Coca-Cola polar bear. The group had gotten to try a new place for them today, It was Chicken Guy, which is located in Disney springs. All I can say about what I see from the photo is that it looks amazing, and I know I will have to try it at some point in time. Magic Kingdom also held a very late night, which leaves the group closing out their day at Magic Kingdom as it closes at 1am. Our professors had also seemed to have a day of fun, as Brad had gotten to meet Kevin, from the movie “UP”, he was so excited that he met him he told the whole group! This is not the only thing he did today, while fireworks were going off him and Paul had gotten on Splash Mountain and got the perfect view from the ride of the fireworks.

The other groups had seemed to have a more chill day. Kinley and Alli had a rather chill day here at the resorts and the park. They had spent the day at the pool here at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Once they had finished up at the pool they headed to Magic Kingdom and rode Splash Mountain 3 times in a row, they also are finishing their day at the late night tonight. Ashlynn and Nhi seemed to have a little trouble while at the parks today, they had fought some birds. If you have never been to Disney the animal life is very up front about the fact that they know you have food, they will sit and look at you or even jump up on tables and look for your food or take it from the table themselves if you do not give them food.

While in the parks, we were tasked to do a task related to the Unofficial Disney Cookbook by Ashley Craft!  When it came to finding foods or drinks for our assignment to figure out a recipe for, it was a challenge.  Some of the recipes we decided to cover were the Black Caf coffee from Galaxies Edge, Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese from Animal Kingdom, and the EARidecent Firefly with Glow also from Animal Kingdom.Each item I tried was was amazing, but I did have to avoid the topping of the Black Caf coffee since it had cream cheese in it. 

Later on, a lot of our class decided to take advantage of Magic Kingdom’s after magic hours! This is where the park is open for two more hours after close for deluxe resort guests. Tomorrow. We will be meeting with Len Testa to discuss the app he created, and compete in a Knapsack race with our classmates! Until tomorrow!

Ken and V

 Another day in Hollywood

Here we are again at Hollywood Studios for day 6! Many woke up bright and early to rope drop Rise of the Resistance and Tower of Terror for a thrilling start to our day. The sun was shining and the weather was perfect for a nice tanning day. There are so many possibilities for the morning until we meet our guest speaker at PizzeRizzo for lunch.  

 

Our guest speaker was Alicia Stella the Patent Princess who shared many fun stories about her blogging and YouTube career. She uses schematics and permits to create videos on future rides and attractions at Universal and Disney. Alicia mostly writes about Universal and the new and upcoming Epic Universe park. Our group quite enjoyed meeting with her and learning how she works and how she turned her passion for theme parks into a full blown career. Many questions were asked about how she does what she does and personally I enjoyed being able to connect with her and see how one can find their career in what they love.

 

Part of our work alongside meeting Alicia was to watch one of her videos and also read her article on what was supposed to be on Rise of the Resistance before it opened. The videos we watch was about the new Epic Universe park being built at Universal Orlando. These were very intriguing and allowed us to dive deeper into understanding the kind of permits she worked with and studied. We also rode Rise of the Resistance again to see how close her predictions were to the real thing. Fascinatingly enough, she really only missed one detail about the ride, her research was so meticulously planned out that she was able to describe the ride before anyone had ridden it! She is simply amazing at what she does and it was really cool to both meet her and act like we too were bloggers writing about a new source.

 

We all went on a few more attractions such as the Slinky Roller Coaster, Star Tours, and Beauty and the Beast (Park edition). We even got special seating as a group for the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt show (thanks, Toni!). Despite how fun it was, today was not without its challenges. I [Nate]lost my phone and, well, I freaked out a little. Thankfully not only did I learn my lesson about keeping my phone in my pocket, it was returned. Guest services went above and beyond and I am truly thankful for them. 

 

Tomorrow is intended to be a relaxing day with laundry and lounging around the pool. However, it still may entail a trip to the Animal Kingdom, and we do have a task related to Ashley Craft and her Unofficial Disney cookbooks. Whatever the rest of our time at Disney holds in store for us, I know this one thing, it has been a magical experience!! 

Nate and Logan

 

Saving the Galaxy

Day number five began with meeting Freddie Gunzel at 9 o’clock sharp just as we had mentioned in the previous blog. He shared with us how he got to his current position of Area Manager here at Disney and the lessons he had learned along the way. The main lesson that we took away is that it can take time to pursue your passions and to get the job or position that you want in life. His road came with many challenges and benefits, but he is happy with where he is today at Disney. However, he hasn’t stopped there; he has worked to expand his knowledge about theater and everything that comes with it to keep up to date with the newest technology and methods used in his field. Personally, we found his journey inspirational.

When we wrapped up the talk  our class headed to Epcot. More specifically, the Guardians: Cosmic Rewind attraction at Epcot. It was a stunning ride that was well loved by most of the class. In our opinion we wouldn’t mind waiting twice in the standby line for that ride. It was well worth the hype, a fast but smooth ride for sure. With extra evening hours thanks to our Animal Kingdom Lodge upgrade, we ended up coming back to it at the very end of the day to catch one last ride with the Guardians of the Galaxy.

But we digress. After the first time we rode the Cosmic Rewind we were on our own until the evening. Our group ended up traveling to the Test Track. A fast coaster for sure, but that’s about all it has to its name. Then we checked out the Seas of Epcot and looked at mantes and dolphins they had. With that came the craving of some more Tropical Serenade Float which a quick trip to Magic Kingdom on the monorails fixed.

Our group wondered after that until the next class meeting at eight in the Italy pavilion- one of the many country-themed pavilions found in the back of Epcot. From there we watched the Harmonious show out on the lake. It was a brilliant show with some well-known Disney characters and songs. Full of flashing and dancing lights with timed fireworks to pull it all together. It was a little cold with the cool wind blowing across the lake, but it was quite a fun show to see!

 

We hope you have enjoyed our blogging, join us tomorrow when we return to Hollywood Studios!

Ashlynn Meadows and Nhi Tran

 

An Easy Breezy Day

Day number four at Disney started leisurely with freedom to wake up after six o’clock in the morning for those who decided not to go to the rope drop MK. Those dedicated early morning students encountered heavy traffic unfortunately, or so the GroupMe messages talking about the hour wait to get to Magic Kingdom on the bus told. Luckily it had cleared up around eleven, which was good as the class meeting was going to be at one in the Tortuga Tavern.

There the class discussed the Disney Channel Theme video created by the YouTuber Defunctland, a.k.a. Kevin Perjurer. It was a highly interesting and an extremely well-documented investigation about who wrote those four notes of the Disney Channel theme song. There are many lessons that can be interpreted from the hour and a half long video about legacy, passion, and the lengths you sometimes have to go to do what you love.

With that being said, we were given a task to explore a detail about the Disney parks that interest our groups. Our group discussed what we should talk about and we thought maybe about the multiple treats and food that can be found throughout the parks, but that idea was eventually lost as we devoured the Tropical Serenade Float.

Then we went on one of the Ferry rides available in Magic Kingdom. It was quite fun and not at all crowded by the time we went, making a joyful and sort of serene experience. It was there that we came up with the idea that we should do our project over the multiple methods of transportation at Disney! The monorails, the buses, the boats- it is a complex system that many, many people rely on to travel between resorts and parks; we being included in those ‘many, many people’. It was the perfect topic for us to write about and came to us just in time as our day drew to a close. 

Tomorrow is an early morning, but not as early as the first couple of days where we will meet with Freddie Gunzel, ride the Guardians: Cosmic Rewind, and watch Harmonious. A busy day for sure!

            Until tomorrow,

Ashlynn Meadows and Nhi Tran

 

 runDisney Day

Welcome back to your favorite Disney travel blog for day number three. This morning began at 3am with Professor Fonstad and I (Corbin) participating in the Walt Disney World Half Marathon. The race started in the Epcot parking lot and took us to Magic Kingdom and back, totaling 13.1 miles of running! Along the highway there were spots to meet your favorite Disney characters such as Mickey, Lotso, Buzz Lightyear, Sally, The Beast and other favorites. My favorite part was easily running down Main Street U.S.A and through Cinderella’s Castle. It was a surreal moment that I will never forget and will motivate me to do more runDisney races.

Tying the race into the theme of the course, the Walt Disney World Half Marathon is a direct result of pursuing my passions. Running is one of the biggest passions in my life and I have been competing for over 11 seasons, with four of them on the Franklin College cross country and track teams. Running brings me fulfilment and combining it with my love of Disney is truly unforgettable. I finished in 1:33:40 (78^th overall) and Professor Fonstad finished in 3:08:11.

 

For the rest of us, today began bright and early catching a bus ride at 6:30 this morning, to rope dropped the Avatars “Flight of Passage” ride in Animal Kingdom. What a thrilling and fun ride, and what a start to our day to ride a feared banshee as an Avatar yourself. After that we were free to explore the rest of the awesome Animal Kingdom park. 

 Since we didn't run the half marathon, our assignment today was to visit the runExpo at the Wide World of Sports Disney property to see people pursing their passions. The expo was filled with vendors supporting and selling lots of different things to all of the racers and Disney fans. Alongside the expo was official race merchandise and cool eateries. Many raced today bright and early. 

 

The rest of the day was up to us, will you embark on the dangerous quest upon Mt Everest to face the Yeti? Or maybe walk among the Dinosaurs in DinoLand! Whatever each group chose to do, I know it was filled with crazy safaris and animals galore. Thank you for stopping by today to explore Animal Kingdom and stay tuned for another amazing day tomorrow visiting Magic Kingdom itself! 

"Ahhhhhhhhhh"

Corbin and Logan

 

A Fantasmic Day at Hollywood Studios

 

            To kick off day two of our trip, we woke up early and headed to Hollywood Studios. We were there well before park opening so that we could rope drop Rise of the Resistance in Galaxy’s Edge. Despite Kylo Ren and the First Order’s best efforts, our entire group successfully completed the mission and escaped their wrath. We had a great deal of fun, and it was an amazing way to jumpstart an action-packed day.

 

Our assignment for the day had us focus in on the top three experiences, whether it be a ride, an interaction, or any occurrence, that we enjoyed throughout the day. This task was, in a way, tied to our interview with Main Street Magic later in the day, as their theme song highlights their love for “Top 10 Lists”. Many of us described the various attractions we enjoyed, such as Rise of the Resistance, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Also, as part of our assignment, keeping step with Main Street Magic’s mantra of “Be Nice to Cast Members”, we were to describe a cast member interaction that really exemplified the Disney Magic. Several of us were impressed by Shawn at Toy Story Mania, as he was doing impressions and quoting movie scenes. Shawn and many others help to make the Disney Parks an unforgettable experience.

 

As aforementioned, later in the afternoon, we had the privilege of meeting with Jeremy and Rhonda from the Main Street Magic podcast. They even recorded a podcast with us, as well as let us ask questions and be a part of the entire process! This was honestly a tremendously awesome experience. It was so interesting to hear about their backgrounds, as well as how their podcast has evolved and blossomed into such an insightful bright spot and encouragement to so many. Their love for Disney and the parks was so evident and infectious, as it seemingly just oozed out of them. Jeremy and Rhonda were both extremely kind and were truly a special treat. We were even able to continue our conversation with them over dinner at the Riviera’s Primo Piatto, where we all enjoyed some great meals! A major thank you to Main Street Magic for helping make today magical!

 

To round out a wonderful day, the whole group returned to Hollywood Studios to enjoy the amazing Fantasmic show. We all were mesmerized by how great of a production it truly is. Throughout the show, we got to see many of our favorite Disney characters, and enjoyed the awesome water, pyro, and lighting effects. Some of us even sang along with some of our favorite Disney tunes! After it had ended, I even heard a member of our group say, “Well that’s hard to beat.” I cannot think of a better way to close out a really special day.

One unique thing that happened today was on Rise of the Resistance. The droid’s and my (Nate) screams were apparently so similar, it was hard to tell us apart. Tomorrow, we release our wild side and head to the Animal Kingdom.

 

That’s all for now,

            Lucas Densford and Nathan Irskens