Happy New Year and welcome to 2015! 2014 was a great year and one that lead to a busy schedule for me that included some really amazing travel experiences and kept me busy. The year started out with a return to San Francisco for me but a first visit for my friend Jason when we decided to take our annual boys weekend to visit the bay area. We enjoyed the town and even got a chance to visit the vineyards in Napa, which was such a great time. Then, in March, followed a return trip to London for 10 days with my friend Sawyer where I showed him what it is like to travel abroad and what makes London the city I love. We had a great time and one of the highlights of that trip was a day trip to Cardiff in Wales to visit the Doctor Who Experience. This is something that I would highly recommend to anyone who is a Doctor Who Fan.
Continuing with travel for the year, Sawyer, Joey and I went on the seas for a 7-night voyage aboard the Disney Fantasy taking us to the Eastern Caribbean and then a second weekend with Zach, Josh and Dustin to London in October including a visit to the Harry Potter Studio Tour. I’m still not quite over the fact that I went to London twice this year after not going back for several years. Not all travel was pleasure though. I get to visit Williamstown, MA for my cousin Stephanie’s wedding in the mountains and then Washington, DC for my cousin Lisa’s wedding. Both were great trips and a perfect complement to the year of travel for me.
Work wise, I am keeping busy with Disney and still really enjoying my job with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. I’ve been involved with several high-profile projects and it’s great to see those come to completion. I’m looking forward to seeing what this year may bring.
As for looking forward, travel wise; there are two trips in the plans so far to Disneyland and again to London for me. I’m sure there will be more but I’m still looking for what the next be fun trip will be. I’m sure there will be several trips home later this year as Mom and Dad finish the new cabin on Lake Hubert though.
As you can see, 2014 was a busy year. Here is to 2015 in hopes that it will be just as exciting.
Well, 2012 has come and gone with what seems like record time. It was a pretty busy year for me and one filled so many wonderful opportunities. I’ll share some of the content from the holiday letter I sent out to friends and family this year:
Work is keeping me bust with the the grand opening of New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom® Park and Cars Land at Disney California Adventure® Park along with helping to provide subject mater expertise to several exciting new projects at our various Disney Parks around the globe. Another exciting aspect of work this year is that after nearly two years, I am no longer considered temporary and am now marked as permanent in my role. Something else that was exciting earlier this year was being offered an officer role onboard the Disney Magic with Disney Cruise Line. I decided against making the jump to the sea since I really do love what I do with my current job.
As much as I am loving the exciting new projects that are coming my way, as most of you know I do enjoy my travel and exploring our wonderful world. This year I took several amazing trips including an amazing 7-night Los Angeles to Vancouver voyage onboard the Disney Wonder. I tied this trip in with a visit to the Disneyland® Resort before boarding and got to spend some great time in both San Francisco and Vancouver, both cities I would really love to get back to and explore again. Moving to the East coast, I recently returned from a trip that took me to Belize and Cozumel for the first time where I was able to see some really cool Mayan ruins and race an America’s Cup yacht! In addition to cruising I got to experience Philadelphia with the family and celebrate my cousin’s wedding.
Back in Orlando, I have continued to live a healthy lifestyle by becoming more involved with the YMCA of Central Florida and have made several great improvements. I have also been volunteering to help out with several swim meets and have been able to meet several Olympic Athletes which is a cool added bonus. I’m finally feeling fully settled in to my place after 5 years and have really enjoyed getting more involved in the community here. It’s been a great year filled with lots of great memories from friends and family.
As you can see, 2012 has been a busy year. Aside from all of the fun, we also did have to say goodbye to a wonderful family pal, Camper. 2013 is already starting off to be a busy one with several more vacations with friends planned or in the planning stages and some more updates to things around the house. Here’s to 2013 and hoping that is another great year to all of us and to all of my friends and family around the globe.
Last week I had one of the most amazing experiences I have ever done while working here at the Walt Disney World® Resort. For those that have visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park, you know that there is an attraction called Kilimanjaro Safaris. This attraction takes you on a “two-week” adventure through the Harambe Wildlife Reserve where you get to see lots of animals up-close in their natural habitat from the comfort of a safari vehicle. Up until this year, that was the only way to experience Kilimanjaro Safaris. Now enter in the Wild Africa Trek.
Disney markets this unique experience as part of the Tours and Special Experiences that are offered to Guests who would like to explore more in to the parks than the usual Guest. The description for the Wild Africa Trek is:
Join the ultimate animal adventure! Journey deep into Pangani Forest on a thrilling, privately guided expedition featuring close encounters with exotic wildlife species. Get closer than you ever dreamed possible to Nile crocodiles and massive hippos. Venture on to a VIP safari across an open savanna teeming with native African creatures!
This experience truly is a VIP Safari. Our trek started us through the Pangani Forest where our amazing Guides, Andy and Devin, talked more in depth about some of the animals that are in the walking trail area of Pangani Forest. After walking through the forest, you come up on the hippo pool but this is where the experience really changes than what the average person sees. We exited from the walking trail in to the forest which is part of the Kilimanjaro Safari attraction and got to meet up with several trainers who were feeding the hippos who told us more details about them.
The next stop on the way to the savanna was a walking tour over the crocodiles on a rope bridge. Talk about a unique view and perspective! After crossing this step, it was time to board our VIP safari truck and head out to the savanna to view the animals. Along the way, we made a stop a a private outpost where food was served and yet another unique and VIP viewing experience for the animals in the savanna before returning back to the village of Harambe.
The total experience lasted just over three-hours and costs $189 on top of regular park admission. Included with the price is an exclusive Wild Africa Trek water bottle, a Disney’s PhotoPass® CD with all of the pictures your guide takes on your trip, and a light meal while out on the savanna. If you are looking for that unique experience or are looking for something new and exciting to do while at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I highly recommend this experience. Below are the rest of my pictures from the experience:
Well, it’s been a little over a week since I posted from the Disney Magic. and I’m actually home for a weekend before traveling again. I had a great 7-Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise and would jump again at an opportunity to do another 7-Night voyage or longer. I made some really great friends on the trip and came off the ship with a lot to think about on where I want to possibly take my career. Last weekend I had a great visit ton Minnesota to see Mom and Dad for mother’s day and had a great visit with some old friends as well. Today I am finally playing catch up with house work before I pack again to go on the beautiful Disney Dream again on Thursday for a 3-Night voyage. It will be short but it will be fun. Tonight I will be going back to the Dr. P Phillips YMCA for a scholarship campaign that I will be helping with and to top it off, I was also chosen as Member of the Month! Look for pictures from my last cruise to be posted shortly.
Well, things are finally all getting in to a usual grove for me these days. I’ve got a great schedule with work and head to the YMCA almost every day after work. It’s nice to have a job that I love what I do and really enjoy what I do to keep things exciting. I’m also keeping busy with traveling and visiting family in Naples. I was down there last weekend with Mom, Dad and my brother and will be down again this coming week for Thanksgiving with my cousins. It’s always nice to get away for a weekend and relax. Yesterday I had a nice visit int he parks with my college roommate Aaron and we couldn’t have asked for a better day weather wise and attendance wise in the parks.
Today I am just relaxing and cleaning around the house. Not much to watch on TV so I have been flipping though Netflix on my Apple TV looking for something good to watch. So far, nothing that is peaking my interest yet. Time for more laundry and ironing. Anyways, just a quick update for now.
Well, work has been going great. I am still very much loving the new role and to date, could not be happier where I am at. It’s also been a nice relaxing last couple of weeks. First, Dad came down for a father and son weekend which was nice and relaxing and included a relaxing visit to Eckerd College, Ft De Soto State Park and the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. Here are a few pictures from the visit to St. Petersburg.
So what else can make last week better? How about finishing it off with a 3-Night Bahamian Cruise on the Disney Wonder? My friend Brian and I took a last minute cruise deal and decided to head to the Bahamas for the weekend. Pictures are up below. That’s all for now folks. I’m back to cleaning house and getting settled back in to dry land.
So, I’m still getting used to having Saturday and Sunday off after being off different days for so many years. So far, I am really enjoying my new role and am really going to like where this will bring me in my career. Today I’ve been pretty productive and have gone to the bank, the YMCA Aquatic Center and Publix before coming home and cleaning the house. Just taking a break now and then meeting up with some friends later tonight.
I also wanted to share something cool I picked up the other night at The Art of Disney. I had read about these great new items coming out for Disneyland’s 55th Birthday but, I never would have believed that they would show up here in Florida. The first thing I got was the ceramic version of the original paper cups used at Disneyland and the second is a tea cup modeled after the originals in the Mad Tea Party ride. I just htink these are cool and worth checking out. Anyways, that’s all I have for now. Enjoy the weekend everyone.
So here we are almost two months down of 2010 and I’m fianlly getting back to posting on here. Things have been pretty hectic for me the past few months with my return to Magic Kingdom® Guest Relations and then my return back to Ticketing last month. Lots of exciting new opportunities back at Ticketing which makes the future look bright.
Anyways, work aside, I am finally on a kick to get myself back in to shape. I took the time to join the YMCA Aquatic Center and have made it a goal to go every day after work. So far, two weeks down and I’ve done it every day! I’m starting off with a mix of gym, weights, abs/core classes and swimming laps. I didn’t realize how much I missed swimming and the water so it’s nice to be back in a routine and back at a Y. For those that are new to following me on here, I’ve worked at two YMCAs and was a lifeguard and swim instructor for close to 8 years.
Well, laundry is almost done and I can put the last bit of stuff in my suitcase for my trip tomorrow. Here’s to hoping it warms up and that the weather is nicer in the Bahamas!
So a lot of you might be wondering why I have been AWOL for a good month or so with a few random updates here and there. It’s been over the past several months that I have come to learn a lot about myself. Who I am and what I strive for in my career and what will shape me to what I want to do with the Company. When I accepted my current role with Ticketing, it looked at the time as what I saw as following a passion I developed for tickets. It’s over the past few months that I have come to realize how much of a Guest Service person I am. I no longer have any contact with Guests and find myself finding excuses to get back in the park just to have that “one little spark” with our Guests.
Over the various jobs that I have held since high school, Guest Service and customer interaction have always been an integral part of my job. Be it as a lifeguard or swim instructor, member services or Guest Relations, Guest Service has always been there. It’s taken a lot of thinking and bouncing ideas of my mentors but I have come to a decision that I know will be the right one for me.
This morning, I reapplied to go back to the Dream Squad on another temporary assignment. This is just the start of another casting call process similar to the last time I applied and Guest Relations. I feel that taking a step backwards to a role such as Dream Squad will help me get the balance of Pixie Dust and Guest Service back that I have missed so much working in an office. Our Guests are the main reason that I work for The Walt Disney Company. To see the pure happiness in their eyes when you do something as simple as smile and wave or just saying a quick hello. That is why I work where I do. I miss creating that extra special magic for so many wonderful people and I hope that this step backwards will be the beginning to a great journey forwards.
Just as Walt Disney said himself, “we keep moving forward”. My experience at Ticketing has been one with a lot of learning. Learning that I know will help me down the road when I do decide to apply for Leadership Casting Call. I am glad to have had the experience but I also know when I need to make a decision that is best for myself. I will keep everyone posted over the next couple weeks on my decision to move back to the parks. Feel free to shoot me a line or leave a comments. Thanks everyone for your support!
Well, today I enjoyed a much needed day to just relax around the house. The last several weeks have been pretty busy with travel, work and friends. Since my friend Adam moved back in to a place in Chatham Square (Disney CP Housing), I have gained most of my condo back and took the day to straighten things up.
Last week, I even had a chance to finally get that new dresser I have been eying for a while that goes with my bed and night stand. Unfortunately, IKEA doesn’t make it in the color I have the other pieces in anymore but I got a color that seems to fit in really well. Thank you to Aunt Nancy, Uncle Peter, Chris, and Hannah along with Adam who helped provide the IKEA gift cards that helped me purchase it. as you can see below, it fits perfectly in my room and gives me some much needed extra drawers to store my cloths in. Thank you as well to my friend Steven who helped me assemble it as well.
Not much else new to report. Just enjoying my condo and doing my thing.
Welcome to Webby Aquatics! This site will give you a look in to the life of Tom Webster. For more information, please visit About Webby or one of the social networking sites above.
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