A few "basic" questions about visiting my DD during her Disney Professional Internship.

[pjlla]

Hey all.... I'm certain these have been asked a zillion times, but I cannot find the answers, so bear with me while I re-ask.

DD starts her DPI in June. I am super stoked about this for her AND because it means I have an excuse to multiple Disney visits this year!

Here are my primary questions....

as a Disney Professional Intern, I understand that DD can get into the parks any time.... but what kind of "guest passes" does she get (if any)? I'm considering buying an AP but not sure if it is really needed. When visiting her I would probably go to the parks with her on her day(s) off AND want to visit the parks while she was at work.

Are overnight visitors in the Disney housing frowned upon? I understand this would be up to DD's roommates as well, but just thought I'd ask. It would just be me, it wouldn't be for more than 2-3 nights in a row, at most, maybe 2-3 times over the course of the 7 months. Don't lambaste me for the idea..... just thinking out loud.

Are there any other restrictions to visiting my DPI DD that I am not aware of? Thanks in advance for your feedback!..........P

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

Congratulations on your DDs DPI. Our DD did the DCP 2 years ago - so I will give you our experience. In the Disney apartments there are NO overnight guests. If they are caught with an overnight guest they can be kicked out of the program. There are also restrictions as to what time non Disney CMs guests have to leave. To get into the apartment, your DD has to be with you and has to sign you in and anyone older than 18 has to have an I.D. Although once she starts the program she can book your resort rooms at a 40% discount if you stay without her and if she stays with you the room could be 50% discounted.

Yes your DD will get in to any of the parks any day she wants but guests are limited to the amount of tickets that she gets. We all had annual passes so we didn't use them but for the DCP I think it is about 9 park hopper passes for year - 3 days every 150 hours. The only problem with that is she has to be with you to enter the park - so if she is working you can't get into the park. Also you cannot book fastpasses in advance.

Your DD will also get discounts at restaurants. There are many that give 40% off. Sanaa, WCC and Trails End are a few of them.

Our DD absolutely loved her experience in the DCP and has made it her goal to work at Disney eventually.
I hope this helps and if you have any other questions please ask.

 

[wilkeliza]

For tickets I'm not sure which way PIs go. She will be able to get herself in (most days not sure if AK is going to be blacked out even for CMs on weekends this summer like it was at MK when New Fantasyland opened) but may not be able to get you in. If she gets the same thing as CPs it is 3 passes every 150 hours worked. If it is the same as standard CMs then she gets a guest admission pass around her 2nd or 3rd week. It will have a set number of days on it and each day she is allowed to bring up to 3 guests with her. She is suppose to stay with guests the entire time but close relatives are usually okay to leave after first entry. If you are going ot the parks when she is working it is probably best to just get the AP.

For the crashing with her nope it is not okay and can actually get her thrown out of the PI program and a no rehire added to her file for not following housing rules. It just isn't worth risking her career with Disney on. If you want to visit her apartment then you will have to sign in at the guard house with her present. Sometimes PIs are house outside of the CP housing but that is very rarely. If she is outside the CP housing units then it is different but at the same time Disney catches someone in the program housing no matter where it is and she gets kicked out and no rehire. All it takes ia a room mate to get upset and call housing.

Once your daughter has access to the hub she can book pretty significant discounts. They are more if she is listed as an occupant of the room but she is not required to physically stay there as no one will check. She just needs to be with you and show her ID at check in. If you don't want to bother her will being on the reservation then she can book a friends and family discount where she just stops by the resort with in a week of your stay to show her ID. Also once she has access to a Company D store she can buy your AP for a 10% discount.

 

[SureAsLiz]

It looks like most of the advice so far is about the CP housing - PIs live in a different complex not at all connected to or even located near the CP complexes. It is a normal complex that Disney partners with to sublet (other, non-Disney people rent there on their own). I didn't live in Disney sponsored housing during my PI so I don't know those rules, but note that it is different than if she were to live at Patterson/Chatham/Vista

She will earn guest passes at a rate of 3 per milestone of 150/300/600 hours
She will have to be there to enter you in the park, but as you are family she does not have to stay with you. So she can admit you and then head to work.

Also you cannot book fastpasses in advance.

Fastpasses can be booked in advanced with the guest passes

 

[wilkeliza]

I gave both because I know some PIs who were in the CP housing and some who were in the off site housing. It depended on what rooms they had available. The ones who were in CP housing had to follow the CP rules. Just asked a friend who was in the off site housing and said they could give overnight but had to have roommate approval first. So it will depend on what housing unit she ends up at.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

Our DD also had friends in the DPI that lived in Disney housing. So when your DD makes a decision on where to live that will make a difference. If she has a choice. As you know with Disney things change often. I wish her luck.

 

[pjlla]

Thanks all for the helpful information! DD has chosen to live in Disney PI housing for the ease of it. We live in New England and trying to get to Orlando and search for housing in the VERY limited time that she has between graduation and the start of her internship was out of the question! Helpful to me to know that even a quick overnight with her is out of the question..... disappointing but understandable. Maybe if we had known this we may have made more of an effort to look into the off-site housing, but that ship has sailed, so not worth thinking about.

So I guess my next question (for another day) will be finding AFFORDABLE accomodations in the area for me to stay in while I'm helping her move in and get settled. I'll need a place with an airport shuttle, as I don't want to have to depend on DD's schedule when booking my flight home. I'd LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to stay onsite even if we aren't visiting the parks, but with it being summer AND the newly released summer discounts, value resorts are booked solid!

Someone mentioned DD being able to get a discount on the AP from the "Company D" store. How long before that is possible? I was actually thinking of buying my AP the day we arrive because we are planning one park day before she moves in. Is there a better plan?

Thanks again!....................P

 

[wilkeliza]

Thanks all for the helpful information! DD has chosen to live in Disney PI housing for the ease of it. We live in New England and trying to get to Orlando and search for housing in the VERY limited time that she has between graduation and the start of her internship was out of the question! Helpful to me to know that even a quick overnight with her is out of the question..... disappointing but understandable. Maybe if we had known this we may have made more of an effort to look into the off-site housing, but that ship has sailed, so not worth thinking about.

So I guess my next question (for another day) will be finding AFFORDABLE accomodations in the area for me to stay in while I'm helping her move in and get settled. I'll need a place with an airport shuttle, as I don't want to have to depend on DD's schedule when booking my flight home. I'd LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to stay onsite even if we aren't visiting the parks, but with it being summer AND the newly released summer discounts, value resorts are booked solid!

Someone mentioned DD being able to get a discount on the AP from the "Company D" store. How long before that is possible? I was actually thinking of buying my AP the day we arrive because we are planning one park day before she moves in. Is there a better plan?

Thanks again!....................P

Just wondering since you would need a shuttle is that because your DD won't have a car? I think if she doesn't have a car she's in the CP housing but if she has a car she may be at the offsite apartments and then with her roommate's knowledge and permission you could crash with her.

Company D is as soon as she has her blue ID. If this is her first time with Disney it will be after traditions. This is usually with in the first week of program as it is needed to start work.

If you are going the day before she moves in then she will need a ticket as well just FYI. She is not a Disney CM officially until she has finished Traditions and has her blue company ID.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

Exactly what @wilkeliza says. Depending on when your DDs Traditions is - is when she will get her ID. When our DD checked in on a Monday - she didn't have Traditions until Thursday - so that is when she got her ID. Once she gets her ID she will then have full benefits. While we were there with her to check her in - we didn't do the parks. We went to Disney Springs - did some shopping for more items she needed - and did a few Resort dinners. It was fun without going into the parks. Once we moved her in there was tons of shopping to do.

Try some of the travel agents for rooms. I hope you get a room. Enjoy.

 

[pjlla]

Just wondering since you would need a shuttle is that because your DD won't have a car? I think if she doesn't have a car she's in the CP housing but if she has a car she may be at the offsite apartments and then with her roommate's knowledge and permission you could crash with her.

Company D is as soon as she has her blue ID. If this is her first time with Disney it will be after traditions. This is usually with in the first week of program as it is needed to start work.

If you are going the day before she moves in then she will need a ticket as well just FYI. She is not a Disney CM officially until she has finished Traditions and has her blue company ID.

She will have a car, but I don't want to have to depend on her for a ride to the airport. I want her to be able to get settled in to her new apartment and all without worrying about when she needs to drive me to the airport. She is actually required to have a car for the DPI.

I do understand that she won't have "free" park access until after Traditions, but I don't mind buying her a 1 day pass so that we can have a day together. We weren't sure about exactly WHEN after Traditions that she may have access and a day to go into the parks, so we were planning on visiting BEFORE move-in day. But if I have an AP and she gets access right after Traditions, maybe we could do TWO days before I head home~! That would be such a bonus!! Thanks for the info!!

Exactly what @wilkeliza says. Depending on when your DDs Traditions is - is when she will get her ID. When our DD checked in on a Monday - she didn't have Traditions until Thursday - so that is when she got her ID. Once she gets her ID she will then have full benefits. While we were there with her to check her in - we didn't do the parks. We went to Disney Springs - did some shopping for more items she needed - and did a few Resort dinners. It was fun without going into the parks. Once we moved her in there was tons of shopping to do.

Try some of the travel agents for rooms. I hope you get a room. Enjoy.

Thanks for the info and thoughts. She moves in 6/7 and has Traditions 6/8. Not sure exactly what her schedule will be after that, which is why I didn't want to add the stress of driving Mom to the airport to her schedule! Hoping and PRAYING that we won't have a ton of shopping to do. She will be moving there almost directly from an on-campus apartment.... so other than groceries and detergent I don't anticipate needing too much! The budget is already groaning with end-of-year expenses, so buying as little as possible would be a blessing. ................P

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

Thanks for the info and thoughts. She moves in 6/7 and has Traditions 6/8. Not sure exactly what her schedule will be after that, which is why I didn't want to add the stress of driving Mom to the airport to her schedule! Hoping and PRAYING that we won't have a ton of shopping to do. She will be moving there almost directly from an on-campus apartment.... so other than groceries and detergent I don't anticipate needing too much! The budget is already groaning with end-of-year expenses, so buying as little as possible would be a blessing. ................P

I pray is all works out. I will say that my DDs bathroom was gross. We had to go out and buy bleach and scrubbers. We had regular cleaning products but it wasn't enough. There was also rust everywhere. They eventually got the tub re-glazed and re-grouted the floor - then in looked much better.

We had brought over the door holders - but they didn't fit so we had to go buy different ones. Also their clothing closet was in the bathroom so we put up a curtain so you can go into the closet while someone was going to the bathroom or showering and they had privacy.

All in all our DD LOVED the DCP program - it will all work out. Also if you stay at a Disney Resort - you will get Magical Express to take you to the airport. Tell you DD to have fun.