daughter accepted--questions

[daisyx3]

My daughter just started her application two weeks ago and got accepted to quick service today for fall semester!
One easy question--does she have to be driven down? She wants her car but it's a 2001 and I don't think it will make it from Ohio. Plus so far the girl she applied with has not been accepted, and I don't want her to drive it down alone. But the only start date I got out of her was 'fall semester'. I'm a teacher so I think I can fly down for a weekend later in the fall to see her in action, but I can't take time off to move her in (school starts Aug.18); her dad would have to. And he HATES to drive down there; we always fly. Would a carry on and a BIG suitcase on a plane do it? The housing is furnished, right?
What ARE the dates for fall?
Sorry if this is an old question, but like I said she just started to apply two weeks ago and is away at college. We've been to WDW several times and have another trip in June (not with her though; she's working) but I haven't had the time to do the research on the CP!
Daisyx3

 

[BobbyT]

Congratulations to your daughter! She doesn't have to drive down, she can fly and take a taxi from the airport to vista way (20-30 min away) on her check in day. But I HIGHLY recommend she take her car if you believe its in good enough condition to make the trip. There is a bus system but it is extremely unreliable and almost always late. And the buses only go to resorts and parks inside Disney World and a few other places like Wal-Mart, the post office and the mall. So if she would like to do things outside of disney other than grocery shopping, she should make the trip down. I drove all the way from Chicago and it was well worth it.

As for the dates, her arrival will most likely be some time in August (maybe even before you start school) and departure in early January.

The housing is completely furnished she just would need bed linens and her clothes and anything else she thinks she might need. And i don't think they allow extra furniture to be brought in. If she flies a carry on and big suit case should definitely do the job.

 

[I Am What I Am]

My daughter just started her application two weeks ago and got accepted to quick service today for fall semester!
One easy question--does she have to be driven down? She wants her car but it's a 2001 and I don't think it will make it from Ohio. Plus so far the girl she applied with has not been accepted, and I don't want her to drive it down alone. But the only start date I got out of her was 'fall semester'. I'm a teacher so I think I can fly down for a weekend later in the fall to see her in action, but I can't take time off to move her in (school starts Aug.18); her dad would have to. And he HATES to drive down there; we always fly. Would a carry on and a BIG suitcase on a plane do it? The housing is furnished, right?
What ARE the dates for fall?
Sorry if this is an old question, but like I said she just started to apply two weeks ago and is away at college. We've been to WDW several times and have another trip in June (not with her though; she's working) but I haven't had the time to do the research on the CP!
Daisyx3

she doesn't have to be driven down, lots of people fly into Orlando.
The start dates are every Monday in August except the 25th, and September 2d.

 

[chefmb]

HI! My son just got his acceptance today too for QS! I agree with others--if the car can make it, it sounds like a good thing to have there based on the reading I've done. I'm hoping to drive down with my son to share some of the driving. I'll fly home. I am leaving teaching at the end of this school year and am so excited to be able to help him move in!!

 

[jobro912]

I am a teacher as well. My son did Fall 2013, and his move in date was August 12. We went down a few days early and had some park time. Fall check in stars the first Monday in August, and they get to choose their date, so shouldn't be a problem.

 

[carol-lamb]

My daughter did the Spring '13 program and extended twice. Her program ended in January. She had her car and it was definitely a plus. We had her car shipped down from Michigan. It got there a few days before we did.

 

[+Rosetta+]

If you can manage it, bring the car. I did the Fall program in 2009 and I can't imagine not having it. I tried using the bus system for the first couple weeks to save gas and you need to get the bus 1-2hrs before your shift starts in case there are any issues. It was a waste of time I could have been sleeping in the morning before my 7:30 shift ... I'm sure there are roles you could be on stage and have some time to "wake up" but mine wasn't one of them.
It's better to bring it, and use the transportation when you can to save money, than not have it and have to wait around for buses all the time. Also, grocery shopping is a WHOLE lot easier with a car and she'll be "miss popularity" when her roomies and work friends need rides home or to the store. It sounds silly, but you'd be surprised how many friends you make when the bus is late, everyone at the bus stop is freaking out and you say "well, I'm going to drive to Magic Kingdom, who needs a ride?"

As for packing, she will want to bring everything for the 6 months but she's working so much she really doesn't need her ENTIRE dvd collection and every pair of shoes she own lol. Pack light, you'll all thank me when you find out you're stuck moving her into the 3rd floor apt.

 

[eadavis]

I definitely recommend bringing a car, it makes living/ working so much easier as you don't have to rely on the busses for everything (especially grocery shopping). If you're concerned about getting your car down there from Ohio, you can ship it. Shipping your car will run anywhere between $600 - $900. However, that can be pricey because you'll also have to drop about $250 for a plane ticket and another $60 or so for cab rides for pick up.

Another option is the AmTrak AutoTrain out of Lorton, Virginia. It drops off in Sanford, roughly 45 mins-1 hour from WDW. It costs about $250 for the car and $100-$150 for your seat. The only downside is it's an overnight trip. That, and Lorton is about a 7 hour drive from Cleveland or Columbus.

 

[Andtototoo]

My dd has done two CPs. Her first CP in 2012, the bus system was okay. She used the bus and her car alternatively, depending upon how much gas money she had. The 2013 CP was entirely different -- the buses were almost always late or were often missing. The buses were extremely unreliable both in getting the CPers to/from work and especially to/from grocery shopping, etc. There were times when they were waiting an hour past the supposed pick up time at the grocery store -- so if you had frozen/cold food, forget it.

Although the CPer is supposed to not be dinged for being late due to the buses being late, my dd did have that happen to her. One time, she went around and around with her supervisor for weeks and had to get Transportation to provide written proof of that bus being late. Another time, the ding stayed because the supervisor insisted that it was the CPers' fault for not taking the bus that was supposed to leave 2 hours before their shift started. The problem is that the bus that is 2 hours before your shift might show up 2 hours and 1 minute before your shift and you missed it. Or, you might be standing there waiting 90 minutes for that same bus and be sweating it out, wondering if you're going to make it to the time clock in time.

Another point is that during her 2012 CP, there was a party bus that took CPers to a watering hole area. The party bus is not run by Disney and does not stop on Disney property, but exists to cater to CPers. One night, the bus driver from this private company got angry at how rowdy/drunk the kids were on the party bus, pulled over and called the overall CP supervisor. She came out and terminated everyone on the bus. Period. Didn't matter if you were stone cold sober or not or if you were over 21 or not. It did not matter that this behavior happened off of Disney property on your own time. You were gone by 11am the next day. So it wasn't "safe" to take that bus to go out socializing, even though it was the party bus and was "the" way to get to the watering hole for those without cars (or those who didn't want to worry about drinking and driving).

Which is a long way of saying that your dd can manage without her car, but it won't be easy.

We drove her down from WI in the winter. It was a long trip, but worth it.

 

[ashliejere]

The car is a huge plus to have! The busses aren't reliable and half the fun of living in Orlando is living in Orlando. You can't do that without transportation. I drove down my first program from ohio. It's 16 hrs but she can stop Halfway.

 

[Wishes Count]

I took my car on the Amtrak Autotrain. It leaves from Lorton VA. It was a lot easier to drive the 4 hours to the station vs the 22 to FL. You could look into that.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[chinarider]

My daughter did the Spring '13 program and extended twice. Her program ended in January. She had her car and it was definitely a plus. We had her car shipped down from Michigan. It got there a few days before we did.

How do the extensions work? I'm hoping my daughter can get that. She was just accepted and we have her arrival date of Aug 4th 2014. We're in Az so, it's a long way to take a car. She will be dependent on buses and hopefully maybe roommates with have a car as well. Would love to get her on this board

 

[chefmb]

Thanks for the autotrain idea! I hadn't thought about that! That is a good possibility for my son.

 

[sephorachick]

She could drive to Autotrain in VA to FL & do it that way?

 

[BobbyT]

How do the extensions work? I'm hoping my daughter can get that. She was just accepted and we have her arrival date of Aug 4th 2014. We're in Az so, it's a long way to take a car. She will be dependent on buses and hopefully maybe roommates with have a car as well. Would love to get her on this board

They e-mail you a few months into your program and ask if you want to extend. If I remember correctly, it's pretty much another application and acceptance procedure. It's easier to get accepted to extend as long as their record card is pretty clean. I believe that the minimum extension is 2 months past your original departure date and you can stay up to a full year from your arrival date. Also with extensions you can apply to switch jobs (i.e. Quick Service to Attractions). And I believe you also have to move apartments when you extend. I know a bunch of my friends had to move when they extended but a few didn't.

But about the car thing again, I can't stress enough how bad the bus system is. I realize that Arizona is a very far drive but one of my roommates drove all the way from Oregon with his family and they made a vaction out of the drive, visiting places all along the way. Just a suggestion to consider

 

[CaptainKat]

I definitely recommend bringing a car, it makes living/ working so much easier as you don't have to rely on the busses for everything (especially grocery shopping). If you're concerned about getting your car down there from Ohio, you can ship it. Shipping your car will run anywhere between $600 - $900. However, that can be pricey because you'll also have to drop about $250 for a plane ticket and another $60 or so for cab rides for pick up.

Another option is the AmTrak AutoTrain out of Lorton, Virginia. It drops off in Sanford, roughly 45 mins-1 hour from WDW. It costs about $250 for the car and $100-$150 for your seat. The only downside is it's an overnight trip. That, and Lorton is about a 7 hour drive from Cleveland or Columbus.

I was gonna sugest this too! We're in CT, also about a 7 hour drive from the VA station, and we've done this a few times for longer trips to save money on renting a car. I just got my acceptance letter yesterday and this is definitely the way I'm getting down there. It is overnight, but it really isn't any longer than us driving the whole way (especially since it's doubtful we could drive through the night), and we get to relax on the train rather than deal with traffic and stuff. The tickets for passengers are often cheaper than plane tickets too, and the price to take the car on is possibly comparable to what you'd be spending on gas, depending on your car.

Congratulations to your daughter by the way!

 

[Goofy4WDW1964]

My daughter did the Spring '13 program and extended twice. Her program ended in January. She had her car and it was definitely a plus. We had her car shipped down from Michigan. It got there a few days before we did.

My son just got accepted and he too wants to take his car. It is a 1998 low mileage Nissan. I am going to have it completely checked over because the furthest it has been in ten years is to St. Louis. We live in central Illinois. If it isn't too personal, could you let me know how much it cost to ship it down and how far you had to ship it?

 

[daisyx3]

Still not sure how we will get car there. She applied with a friend who was going to take HER car...but friends phone interview was day before my daughters and she hasn't heard anything yet. Is there a last date for notification? If her friend gets in they will just share her car and we won't need to drive her down. On the other hand, is that realistic?
One more question. Daughter is in quick service. She says she won't know where until she gets there. Is that how it works? I want to fly down for a weekend in November and was going to stay as close to her park as possible, which won't work unless I know where she is!

 

[TerminationStation]

Still not sure how we will get car there. She applied with a friend who was going to take HER car...but friends phone interview was day before my daughters and she hasn't heard anything yet. Is there a last date for notification? If her friend gets in they will just share her car and we won't need to drive her down. On the other hand, is that realistic?
One more question. Daughter is in quick service. She says she won't know where until she gets there. Is that how it works? I want to fly down for a weekend in November and was going to stay as close to her park as possible, which won't work unless I know where she is! ��
Daisyx3

Yes, your daughter will not find out where she is working until move-in day, unfortunately. Which also brings up the issue with sharing a car with a friend. It's a good idea in theory but bad in practice. Her friend may end up working in a completely different park then her and may have conflicting times they are scheduled, which could cause your daughter to have to ride the bus. Riding the bus is not the worst thing in the world but the Disney busses are not very reliable, and if your daughter is like me and likes being on time for work or even early she is going to have to wake up way earlier than when her shift starts to catch the bus.

I had a car down there, and my family drove from PA down to Orlando and then they flew home. As you said you can't make the trip down because of work but she may be able to pick a date before work starts for you so that you can. If not you may be able to drive her down earlier than her move in date and just have her get a hotel room until move in and you can fly back. I know this sounds like a lot of work and driving, and money but it is so worth it. I can't even begin to explain to you how much I valued having a car down there especially with being in a new place you're not familiar with and being over a 1,000 miles away from home it's very reassuring to know you have a car to go wherever you need or want to.

Plus, she will make tons of friends having a car. It was basically the first question people asked once you started to get to know them. You get to meet a lot of people this way.

 

[poison ivy]

another vote for the autotrain.

Our son has an old pickup and this option worked great for us.