What is in the Tunnels?

I pulled this picture off of google images. NOT MY PICTURE!!!

 If you work at Magic Kingdom you park your car in the employee lot where you take a bus to the actual tunnels. You must show your cast member ID with Drivers license picture to Disney Security.When you first walk in it is the Aramark cast member cafeteria area on your right. I would normally grab food there & then bring it back to the Fantasyland break room area around the corner from the Tea cups behind the wooden gates. I believe HR is around the same area along with face character area as well(Next to cafeteria).Everyone is given their own locker. I could not check out more than one costume at a time. I wore the older Fantasyland costume. You would turn in your costume at the end of your shift. Every item of clothing is bar coded so if it went missing it was your butt! I got the top of my ear pierced right before my college program & Disney made me take it out. Security ALWAYS screened bags so you couldn't ever take anything home anyways. If you ever got caught taking pictures in the tunnels it was IMMEDIATE termination! There are signs posted EVERYWHERE that say that. No exceptions! It wasn't worth the chance to me.

All of the walls are color coded by Land so it was easy to get around. They have a HUGE trash system down there as well. That was the coolest thing I've ever seen.I  miss working there so much but I cannot convince my husband to move to FL. :(

In the back of Magic Kingdom next to the employee parking lot there is a huge tent where they sell overstock,discontinued items,slightly damaged goods to cast members at a huge discount between 50-80% depending on what it was. They call this place "Property Control."I got a bunch of snow globes,hoodies,tin Cinderella boxes for cheap. I still have all of that stuff to this day!

Right before my college program ended I discovered a beauty salon in the tunnels. It was VERY cheap & a small salon but it was a hidden gem. I think I just got highlights for around $50ish bucks back in 2000. It was nothing fancy inside. They only had enough room for 2 or 3 chairs but they did a good job & were super sweet ladies.

My WDW badge card and name tags over the two semesters I was there 

Cinderella tin from Property control I keep all my WDW keepsakes in!

Disneyland Oatmeal Chocolate chip cookie recipe

I like to try out the Disney recipes now & then. I have made these cookies a few times. This recipe is AMAZING! I use ch. chips instead of raisins. The recipe says it only makes 24 but I can make 73 regular sized cookies with it?! I brought them to work today & they were gone by 11am! The guys said "they are crack & are Pepperidge Farms quality!"I'm a HUGE baker to begin with. Most of the Disney recipes I try are very good. I've only had a few flops so far. I will continue to post my Disney cooking recipes with reviews. These are definitely a crowd pleaser! See below for the Recipe!

I highly recommend this attachment saves me time!

After mixing crisco,sugars,eggs...

After mixing all the dry ingredients except ch chips & oats

DISNEYLAND CAFE OATMEAL-RAISIN COOKIES Here's an old-fashioned favorite from the "Happiest Place on Earth" - Disneyland. The recipe is easy and quick to prepare, and the cookies are a great snack food. You also can take them to a new level by substituting dried cranberries or cherries for the raisins. 3½ cups all purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons shortening 1¾ cups packed brown sugar 1½ cups granulated sugar 3 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 4 cups rolled oats 2½ cups raisins Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl, blend the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, blend the shortening, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Add the flour and baking powder mixture to the shortening mixture and combine until everything is well blended, about 2 minutes. Stir in the oats and raisins to finish making the dough. Divide the dough into approximately 24 balls, each containing about 2 ½ tablespoons (about the size of an ice cream scoop). Place each ball on a baking sheet and press down until the dough is about ¼-inch thick and about 3 inches in diameter. The cookies should be separated by about 2 inches. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet.

Blue Skies Greece Pavilion Part 3

We're into the middle section of the Greece pavilion at Epcot's World Showcase.  This is the historical section or "the Greece that was."  Greek history is such a huge subject that it would easily create dense clutter trying to cover too much.  It's not just history, but the legacy of science, mathematics and other fields that would be here.  One Disney connection already established is an old educational film called "Donald in Mathmagic Land" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_in_Mathmagic_Land.  Donald Duck spends quite a lot of time with the Pythagoreans, so there is a good reason to see him greeting guests.

The ancient Olympics provides some live entertainment with "Who Wants to be an Olympian?" I can see some performers showing proper form for throwing the discus.  Actually, most of the very old Olympics consisted of foot races.  Chariot racing would be difficult to stage, but performers could show up in a chariot.  The marathon was not part of the ancient Olympics.  That could be re-staged elsewhere with the story of Pheidippides although there should be some mention that it's never been proven that he ran from Marathon to Athens.

The architectural elements could lead guests backwards through time.  The columns in this area would start out Corinthian, then turn Ionic and finally Doric.   

One might have a chance encounter with a philosopher just hanging about.   Maybe Plato and Aristotle would be arguing about something important.  Also, the musical selections here would be played less with the modern instruments.  Interestingly, much of Greek music was prevented from modernizing for about a millennium (give or take) during the Byzantine period.  

As a guest looks towards the back of the pavilion, one might catch a glimpse of the Acropolis with the Parthenon restored to its full glory.  Behind that would be Mt. Olympus in the third section of the Greek Pavilion, mythical Greece.  That's where we're going next time.

So Long Snow White....

I'm very sad that I have to write this posting. I have a soft spot in my heart for Snow White's Scary Adventure. At first the ride scared me ( If you don't know me I'm a HUGE chicken!) Working at the attraction forced me to have to ride it after my shift on my "ride through" & we also had to do a walk through. I will share my pictures of my last few days at WDW. All the interns took pics inside of the ride scenes. It was a rare opportunity I'm glad I had a chance to have. They have since retired my old costume. I guess if I ever want to ride it again I will have to go to DL! RIP Snow White. I'm hoping the new mine coaster will be amazing! Sorry my pictures are bad quality. I was there pre-digital cameras! 

Greek Pavilion Part 2

Diples :)P

Part 1 left off after describing the location of a Greece pavilion at Epcot's World Showcase and its breakdown into three sections: modern, historical, and mythical.  This was without regard to limiting matters such as funding or other naysaying.

The location of this Blue Sky thought experiment is in the area between China and Germany where Equatorial Africa could have been. Instead, Disney dared to dream bigger and built the continent of Africa section of Animal Kingdom. Well dare to dream big here too.

We'll proceed with modern Greece as it is the section closest to the lagoon and perhaps extends into it.  Much of Greek life still centers around the Agora (the marketplace). The modern section isn't the prime spot for rides and attractions.  Food, drink, dance and music are called for here. This is also as good a place for the inevitable gift shop.

Most appear familiar with souvlakia and gyros, but this is more of counter service fare. A high-end sit-down restaurant would serve a greater variety. The Taverna can also double as an area to display Greek dancing and music.

For drinks, Greece has some odd choices for alcohol. Retsina is that fine wine with a hint of.. pine?  There is the traditional Ouzeria which serves the ubiquitous Ouzo. Drinking around the world just got a new stop. Greek coffee keep you awake for the fireworks.

To go with your coffee, you'll need some pastry. People tend to think baklava, but there's much more. A personal favorite is diples (DEEP-lahz), a crisp shell with honey. 

Folk music and dance continues in the open air section leading.  Several other World Showcase pavilions have acts such as these.

A bit of edutainment may be blended in with this section.  Guests can learn something about the Greek language which could come in handy as they travel back in time to the historical Greece section.  That's where we're off to next time. - Jeff 

Adding Disney Details to your wedding

It was my dream to get married at WDW but we simply couldn't afford it plus I wanted a fall wedding. I had a surprise Mickey Mouse Bridal Shower & had a few details of Mickey at my wedding. My mom ordered a black & red cake for my shower. Being the mother that she is it had to be different as you can see in the wording. ;)My favors were Mickey wedding mini candles that my Maid of honor got off of Etsy. My mom made all the centerpieces herself as well. I got to wear my personalized Wedding MM ears. Luckily my best friend lives in Orlando & brought them to VA for my surprise shower!

I saw a picture of this MM ring online & thought it was to die for! Unfortunately QVC is sold out of them. :(------

My programs had the Mickey & Minnie Silhouette on them which I really loved. That was a surprise on the day of my wedding & I was very happy when I saw them! I just used MM salt & pepper shakers for my cake topper. My favorite Mickey item for my entire wedding was my Swarvoski Clutch I had made from etsy seller Jesrael. I still use my clutch to this day. It 

is all in the details! I'm actually happy we had our wedding in Virginia since the fall weather was so beautiful & it is exactly what I wanted. I did ask my husband if we could do a Mickey wedding but he said no so we changed it to fall themed. I tried though right?! 

We are going to WDW in October to meet my old Disney college program roommate & her husband to celebrate both of our wedding anniversaries!   

All of the wedding pictures are courtesy of ABrittonPhotography. They were amazing photographers for our wedding!

Casey's Corner Review...An Oldie but a Goodie!

I'd like to recommend a great lunch/dinner stop for your next trip. Casey's Corner is located at the end of Main street in the Magic Kingdom. I always get a plain hot dog and then add liquid cheese from the condiments bar to my dog & fries. AMAZING! It is to die for but I'm a huge dog fan myself. The best hot dogs I've ever had in my life have been @ WDW. They have some tables inside & outside or you can take a seat in one of the bleacher style seats while you eat & watch old baseball cartoons. I've never had a bad meal or experience here. The lines go by fast & are very efficient. I definitely hit up this place every trip I can. This gets an A+ from me!

The bleachers you can eat at inside. There are 2 of them inside.

The best hot dog ever!

Monika enjoying her chili cheese dog.