SDA: Episode 19 - Please Stand Clear of the Doors

Ok....so I made this a little sooner than anticipated. I blame Becca's MouseCast for a temporary boost in my excitement for a summer in WDW. Enjoy! (Apologies for the small child screams)

Let's get to talking.

Over the last few days there seems to have been a sudden rush of comments and such like about the vlogs, blogs and my photos. I'm loving the comments and as always if you have any questions or suggestions feel free to get in touch.

Organisation for a London ICP Meet Up on 20th April seems to be well underway. I must say it will be nice to not have to do 5 hours+ of driving and to also know where I'm going! Relevant links are all on the Facebook group.

This week I've also managed to finally find some time to listen to Becca's MouseCasts which are fabulous. I've been informed that I will be featured in the next one so that will be something to listen out for. You can find her MouseCast here so once you've finished reading this go have a listen if you haven't already.

Today I had a moment of inspiration for a mini-series of sorts. I'm not going to say too much about it other than watch this space (just in case it doesn't work out) but there is an idea in the works.

The closer the summer gets the more I have been craving American food and this week this has taken the form of the sandwich. There is something about sandwiches in the US that is so much more satisfying that ones we make at home here. So I made one with fresh bread, mayo, wholegrain mustard, ham, cucumber, lettuce, tomato and cheese. Yummy! I can't wait to go to Downtown Disney and grab some food from Earl of Sandwich. The sandwiches there are full of awesomeness. Click here to peruse their delicious menu. My personal favourite is "The Full Montagu" which is freshly roasted beef, turkey, aged swiss and sharp cheddar cheese, lettuce, roma tomatoes and the Earl's mustard sauce on an artisan baked loaf. I substitute horseradish for the mustard and it tastes soooooo good. *cue stomach rumbling*

I can't talk about food without mentioning two places that for me are American institutions (at least when it comes to me and my family visiting WDW). The first is IHOP (International House of Pancakes) which, not surprisingly, is famous for its pancakes. Check out their menu here. If you're not a pancake fan they do serve other stuff as well. Last summer they had some really good flavoured lemonades that were to die for. The second place is Perkins which is to pies what IHOP is to pancakes. Their menu can be found here and they typically have a seasonal pie. I'm not much of a pie person but theirs are amazing. They (as do IHOP and many other American restaurants) serve much larger portions than restaurants do at home so I often end up taking half a main course home with a slice of pie which makes the meal twice the value. Don't be afraid to ask for a box in US restaurants. It's common practice and will save you money. Certain things reheat better than others so I tend to pick my meal accordingly or prioritise eating the bit that I don't think will reheat so well (i.e. fries).

All this talk about food is now making me hungry. I do have a special vlog planned that I'm sure anyone who applied for the ICP will enjoy. I'm hoping to get the next vlog sorted within the next couple of weeks. Apologies for it probably not being sooner but life at Uni is a bit hectic at the moment.

MM

MM stands for many things, such as Mickey Mouse, Magical Milestones and 2000.

That's right my vlog series, Suzie's Disney Adventure, has now had over 2000 views. It may still be a little fish in the big pond that is YouTube but it's 2000 more views than I thought I'd get when I started making them last year. One of the ultimate compliments was hearing people singing the theme tune at me in the middle of Birmingham during the ICP meet up last weekend. Once again I was asked if it's me singing and the answer is yes, although I did change it so it sounded high pitched. It's also me playing the guitar. So now you know!

Today saw 2 things of interest happening in the Magic Kingdom. First, Mickey's new home was officially announced complete with artists renderings of the adapted Exposition Hall. Rumours are also abound as to whether Mickey will converse with guests like he does in Disneyland. It was also announced that Mickey's meet and greet will feature Fastpass which will, I'm sure, please many a guest that is used to waiting in a long line to get to meet the big cheese.

The other development was over at the Haunted Mansion. If you've been on the attraction then you're probably familiar with the Hitchhiking Ghosts at the end of the ride. The ghosts and the mirrors have apparently been covered over with black and their images are being projected onto the cloth so that they're floating home with you. Rumour has it that this is temporary while more exciting changes are happening with the ghosts.
The awesome peeps at Inside The Magic have filmed the altered ending so here's the video:

Question Time!

Do I need to do anything about getting a visa and how much will it cost me?
Panic not fellow ICPs you don't need to do anything visa-related until the nice people at Yummy Jobs send you the relevant documentation. If you're still worried, don't be. The current typical wait time for a visa appointment is 3 days and the current typical processing time is 4 working days (3 in Belfast) so theoretically you don't need to worry until about 2 weeks before your departure date.
As for cost the first one is calling to arrange your interview. Calls are charged at £1.23/min so expect a reasonably pricey call. DON'T call from a mobile because it will be even more expensive!
Cost #2 is the appointment fee (also known as the MRV fee. This is currently $140 and is paid over the phone when you make the appointment to go to the embassy. They only accept Visa, Mastercard and Amex so be prepared for that.
#3 is the Sevis fee which I believe is currently set at about $35. You pay this online prior to your interview.
#4 is the courier fee. When you apply for a visa you hand your passport over to the embassy and it can only be returned to you via courier. They currently say that fees begin at £14.50 and are payable by debit or credit card only. They have various delivery options and the more specific you are the more expensive it is. Last year I went for the basic service and had my passport back within 2 days of leaving the embassy (just so you know). For any more visa specific info either visit the US Embassy Website or contact Yummy Jobs (although check the information documents they provide first!).

Do the apartments have WiFi and how much does it cost?
The apartments themselves have a wired internet connection. Use is included in the rent (unless you want to upgrade the speed) but you will need to take your own ethernet cable with you. If you want WiFi in the apartment then you'll need to get a wireless router (which you can buy from Walmart). Some of the complexes have WiFi in the pool/clubhouse areas. I know Vista Way definitely does but I'm not sure about the others. I highly recommend that you take your own laptop with you (if you have one) because it is not always convenient to use the computer labs due to working late/long shifts.

Move it, Shake it, Celebrate it!

Sometimes people's support is overwhelming. I've been lucky enough to experience this with my blogging and vlogging and am grateful to all 50 subscribers and for all the lovely comments. I'm getting ever closer to the 2000 view mark and SDA's 1st anniversary which is quite exciting.

Actually, today has been full of excitement because it was the day of the ICP meet up in Birmingham. I spent over 5 hours driving but it was worth it to meet 20 of the lovely people that I get to work with this summer.

Birmingham is very disorientating and I did have trouble finding my way back to the car afterwards - oops! For those that are interested we gathered at the station (thankfully the distinctive ICP hoodies made everyone fairly easy to spot) before heading to watch Tangled in 3D.Apart from some initial projection issues during the trailers most people seemed to enjoy the film and then we headed briefly to the Disney Store before gaining more people and heading to Nandos for some food. Cue some table shuffling to make sure we all could sit together. After that it was a short walk to Wetherspoons and then back to the station via Starbucks.

Meeting everyone was a lot of fun and I got to see a little more of Birmingham than I had before and, for the most part, with the added benefit of not getting lost.

Unfortunately there was a distinct lack of vlogging though with the exception of a few snippets of me in the car beforehand. Suziefail!

I am now completely exhausted and am ready for bed. So with that I shall bid you all adieu!

Just a Dream Away

Last night I was busy waiting for the new episode to upload and came across a site called Yesterland
Yesterland mainly focuses on Disneyland and the attractions, shops, parades, etc that are now in the archives of human memory. While most of the site is dedicated to Disneyland itself there are also some nice bits specifically about WDW.

There are some really great things in there including:

- Nominating the old Skyway stations as locations for beer terraces.
- A great quote about CMs using the Epcot Icon Tower as directions to the toilets.
-Photos of 'The World According to Goofy'

It's definitely worth a read. There are some great photos in there of the DL and WDW of the past and it's great to see how things have evolved.

Go check it out!

Suzie's Disney Adventure: Episode 18 - Attack of the Voiceover

Now approaching Carousel of Progress

Well, not a Carousel, more like a Vlog. That's right a new episode is currently in progress! I've been promising one on Star Wars Weekends for a while now and it's on its way!
It's now 36 hours until I hit the road and head towards the big ICP meet-up in Birmingham which of course means even more vlogs are on the way.