A few reservations about applying for the CP

[epfootballcutie04]

I appreciate you not flaming me and actually responding thoughtfully. The reason I would consider doing another CP is because i'd like to work for Disney someday but in an art position. I'd love to draw characters for the guests and do a character artist P.I. But I won't have a shot for either of those most likely until i've worked for the company doing my share. I also don't think I would have a chance at being hired because I left early so I have to redo the CP.

It's nice they got another fridge but I still think I would do better with my own housing which i'm told you can get if you really push for it. Several people were unhappy with certain managers at my location. A few of them left because of it, a few stuck it out. I realize you have to do grunt work when you start out at any position but I don't think it's worth getting behind in school. I'd rather get my degree out of the way.

But like I said I have some incredible memories there. In a few years I think i'll give it another shot in my own place. At least i'll know what i'm getting into this time.

I'm not trying to complain, i'm just trying to tell the other side of the story. It goes about half and half with the CP and I think it's important to tell the bad side too. I don't feel animosity towards Disney because there's so many kids coming in they can't make sure everything is fine for everyone. I just feel like sometimes we can be taken advantage of as workers because we're so plentiful. And yes, the full timers were not so nice to us, although like you said a few were great.

Oh I understand where you're coming from 100%. I would never flame someone for having an opinion. Like you mentioned, it is important for others to hear both sides of the spectrum. I went into the CP thinking I would become best friends with my roommates and my first batch was SO not that way. It couldn't have been further from the truth... but the 2nd batch became my family. I think the most important thing for any future CP (or current CP for that matter) is to keep an open mind. It will help more so than if you didn't.

And a artist position sounds like SO much fun. I adored going to the animation classes at DHS and drawing all the characters. I respect your attitude about still wanting to work your way up and not just expect to get what you want right away. A lot of people lack that so I really like that about you.

Good luck getting your own place!! I know a couple people have done that and are quite happy. I hope everything works out for you

 

[americangeiko]

I've been wanting to do a 'CP Reality' post on my blog for a while now. But due to mid-terms and work, I haven't been able to devote my time to much of ANYTHING, nevermind, posting about Dis.

Things You Don't Get Told Till You Arrive:
-50% your roommates will either self-term, or term, during the program. (It's a fact.) If this happens, then you'll be 'consolidated', which means you and your roommates might be forced to move to another apartment. While there, this could happen AGAIN! If it does, you maybe asked to move AGAIN! Housing tries to make people only move ONCE, but I've heard of people having to do it more than once in their program.
-If you Extend, you're changing apartments, whether you want to or not.
-While I never had safety issues on the program in the apartments, I had heard of someone getting knifed, and if you consider the statistics given for murders and rapists and compare it to the number of people in the program, then you'd understand.
-If you hate your roommates you can pay a fee (like $60) to move to new apartment. HOWEVER, you could move to someplace even worse.
-You are a very tiny voice in a LARGE company, so either you pull 'A Goofy Movie' and 'stand out', or you get ignored/left behind.
-There's a lot of opportunities, but if YOU don't search them out, you'll never know they even exist. (I found out recently about several things I could've done on my CP that I didn't know were possible. )
-A LOT of colleges don't give credit for the classes or the internship. So doing the program could delay your graduation!
-It's Southern Florida, there's bugs, and they don't leave quietly.
-Your mattress is your worst enemy!
-If you take the buses, and they make you late, your manager will tell you that you should've left over 1 hr early. The only exception is if you raise hell with the bus driver/bus office, and they call your manager to say it's their fault. (Don't expect that to happen, period.)
-If you do a Fall program you will be completely miserable around the holidays unless your family can afford to come down TWICE, and you can managed to get the time off.
-If you work less than 30 hours a week your check could go entirely to housing.

 

[Seewhatimesdone]

Just out of curiousity what do you mean about the playboy thing?

And when you say back to backs? How close are the shifts together? And what is the longest shift you worked while down there on the program?

Thanks!

As far as hours go the longest shift I ever had was thirteen hours. Then I would have an eight hour break and then another thirteen hour shift. It's hard to be "magical" when you work these kinds of hours. But, at the end of the day when Wishes started everything sort of melted away. No matter how bad a day I had seeing all the kids get so excited when Tinkerbell flew made everything that much better. Cheesy, but it really was a magical moment for me. That and being able to welcome Japanese guests in Japanese; it really made their trip!

 

[mare07]

I was so glad to see this thread on the boards. I am always reading these posts from people who have a glamorized view of the program! There are definitely two groups, people who love it and people who hate it, but at some point almost everyone will be miserable/think about leaving. The person who posted the "things they don't tell you" was right on. There are always stories about bad things happening, but there are also a lot of people doing this program where this is their first taste of the real world and lose their heads. Here are some of my recommendations:
1. No matter what the recruiters tell you, only put down the roles you really think you'd like to pursue. Why would you apply for a job you didn't really want?
2. Realize this is a full-time job and that Disney is open 365
3. If at all possible, bring a car
4. The management. It doesn't much matter, because by the time you get down there it's probably changed. I went through 16 managers and 2 area managers in 12 months...they like to move them around.
5. Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions. The e-pres is good, but if you can, get to a real one and meet the CR's. They will be more than happy to discuss their program and no, not all of them had a great experience.
6. Getting time off is never easy. Yes, you may get a few days to go home, but then again, you may not. This doesn't change whether you are a CP or FT.
7. Every work location and role is different and each has their own personality, but if you give it a try you can find your place
8. Take some time to explore the area and spend time in the parks. There are people out there who like to do this and when you find them you'll know it. This makes your program 10 x better.
9. Want to move up in the company? It's up to YOU to take advantage and get to know your managers. Good work will often do this. Don't call in all the time, the managers will notice.
10. The work gets boring and the hours can be long and the guests can be mean, but it can also be fun and there are guests that are awesome.

 

[kmg148]

...

 

[yuffie]

Hi! My name is Cari, but on forums such as these I go by Yuffie (From Final Fantasy VII - it's a video game *she was in Kingdom Hearts too ^_^*)

Anyway, first let me say that I am SO glad I found this forum! So many places have left me feeling sad and uneasy about doing the CP. I've never done it and I'm actually not planning on doing it, but I do have some relevant questions that I simply can't find the answers to!

Quick back story: I'm a Senior at UGA, graduating in December. I applied to the CP & was accepted, but declined the offer due to family reasons. My dream is to be a Disney Princess at WDW, but I'd be willing to be any character. I'm debating whether it would be a good career idea to first complete a CP before auditioning, but I don't see how that would really affect things.
Which brings me to my first question:

(1) Is there a cut off for the CP? For example, take me! LOL I'm graduating this semester, but I was told I could still apply for the Spring 2010 internship. How long after graduation to be elligable for CP? (could I apply, say, in the Spring). I know I wouldn't be a student, but people go back to college all the time. =)

Okay, now for the list of random questions:

(2) Where does the bus drop you off? And are there designated parking areas for each attraction, or only one cast member lot?

(3) How flexible are the schedules as far as religious obligations? (weekly services on Sunday)

(4) Are the break laws enforced? (for example, in GA for every 4hrs you get a 15min break, every 8hrs you get a 30min break with 2 optional 15 min breaks)

(5) I know CP is different from normal full-time positions, but do you know if the schedules are done on a weekly basis? If you ask in advance, would they be willing to schedule for time off?

Hmm... I know I had more, but my first attempt at a post was erased >.< If I remember I'll come back LOL

Edit to add: I remembered!
(6) Are all cast members (full-time/part-time) allowed to enter WDW on their days off? (regardless of the area they work, like retail, food, entertainment etc)

(7) I read somewhere that family members of cast members were given free/discounted tickets to WDW - a. is this true and b. do you know the rules? (once every 6mo, once a month etc and how many people? 1? 4?)

Thank you in advance! Sorry for being so annoying

 

[kmg148]

Which brings me to my first question:

(1) Is there a cut off for the CP? For example, take me! LOL I'm graduating this semester, but I was told I could still apply for the Spring 2010 internship. How long after graduation to be elligable for CP? (could I apply, say, in the Spring). I know I wouldn't be a student, but people go back to college all the time. =)

Okay, now for the list of random questions:

(2) Where does the bus drop you off? And are there designated parking areas for each attraction, or only one cast member lot?

(3) How flexible are the schedules as far as religious obligations? (weekly services on Sunday)

(4) Are the break laws enforced? (for example, in GA for every 4hrs you get a 15min break, every 8hrs you get a 30min break with 2 optional 15 min breaks)

(5) I know CP is different from normal full-time positions, but do you know if the schedules are done on a weekly basis? If you ask in advance, would they be willing to schedule for time off?

Hmm... I know I had more, but my first attempt at a post was erased >.< If I remember I'll come back LOL

Edit to add: I remembered!
(6) Are all cast members (full-time/part-time) allowed to enter WDW on their days off? (regardless of the area they work, like retail, food, entertainment etc)

(7) I read somewhere that family members of cast members were given free/discounted tickets to WDW - a. is this true and b. do you know the rules? (once every 6mo, once a month etc and how many people? 1? 4?)

Thank you in advance! Sorry for being so annoying

Hi Cari!

1. No, sadly you would not be able to apply for the CP in the spring unless you enrolled in continuing classes somewhere. In order to do a CP, you must apply while still enrolled. I'm still trying to find out if non-credit classes at community college count, but I haven't gotten that far yet.

2. There's designated parking for each location. I only know where my work location parking is, but each hotel should have one and each park would have one as well. The bus would drop you near the bus stop areas (or backstage areas) of your work location. Sometimes you have to transfer buses but they will get you where you want to go. (I never took the bus though).

3. You would have to speak to your work location. As far as I know, I didn't know anyone who was given a special schedule for religious reasons. Doesn't mean it can't happen, but they have made religious accommodations in the past. Just be ready if it doesn't happen.

4. They usually are, however different places do them differently. If I understand correctly, if you are working in attractions, through CDS (the rotation computer system) you are automatically scheduled and factored in breaks. Where I worked, since it was a restaurant and you can't really take a break, we had our 30 minute break 30-1 hour into our shifts, then sometimes another 15 minutes later in the night, if it allowed.

5. Usually all schedule requests go through the labor team. A lot of times they get denied too, but you can usually switch around or ask people to pick up shifts and work for you. They will usually deny anything over 3 or 4 days in a row in the same work week. The schedules vary, but mine was posted 2 weeks before the date, so I would have it posted at the beginning of the current week for the next week.

6. Yes! You can go to the parks on your days off (part of the perk of working there!) and you can also go before you start work. You only get in trouble if you are in the parks while you are supposed to be working. Example: You called in sick, yet went to the park. Managers can look up activity on your ID.

7. A few weeks into the program you get a maingate pass. This allows up to three people, six times. You can have as many as three or only one person each time, but you will lose a day each time, no matter how many guests you bring. Your 6 days for 3 people does not equal 18 park visits. It's six times, for up to three people. I hope that makes sense!

If you go seasonal, depending on when you are put into the system (before June or before November) you will be in the complimentary ticket distribution and receive 2 extra tickets!

You also get up to 50% off rooms for yourself for any of the Disney hotels (so you can book for your family, as long as you are staying in the room with them) and 40% off if you are booking for someone else and you are not staying with them. There's also other discounts to broadway shows, restaurants, places in Downtown Disney, etc.

Hope this helps!

 

[DisneyAngie]

deleted

 

[epfootballcutie04]

I'm glad you brought up switching shifts or having people cover for you. That's something I've been wondering about. If you need a certain day off, get denied through scheduling, and arrange for someone to cover your shift, is there any penalty? Obviously, you wouldn't make as much money which can get sticky for paying rent, but do they give you points or frown upon people covering other people's shifts? Is it generally better to swap shifts than have another person cover yours? How does that all work, exactly? Do you have to tell one of your managers that that's what's happening, or can the other person just show up for your shift?

switching shifts or someone just taking your shift is all done through the hub.
That being said, and strictly speaking for my location alone, I never brought it to my managers attention unless it was less than 2 days out because sometimes the hub wont get the request until noon the day before I needed them too, and I just wanted to make sure everything was ok.

For my location in hospitality, switching with someone or having someone take my shift, was never a problem unless the other person would be getting overtime for my shift. If I wanted someone to work a holiday, it was never approved unless it was a CP taking my shift since CP's don't get holiday pay.

There were also a couple times where the Labor team denied my request but I talked to a manager directly, explained the situation, and they approved and overrided the request. As long as you have someone come in for your shift that has been approved by your labor team or management, you will not get any points for it. Points only occur (attendance wise) if you call in or just don't show up without having someone cover your shift, or if you clock in OR out late.

But generally speaking, everything you will ever need to do in terms of scheduling, pickign up or giving away hours, requesting time off, etc is all done on the hub which you get access to during training.

And in terms of rent: Be careful with how many days a week you ask off for. I normally had 2 days a week off, and I had roughly 120-140 a week in pay after rent and taxes... but if i had any days i let someone take my hours, then i would have significantly less.

I always made my rent, but there were a couple weeks i only had like 30 bucks to my check. If for whatever reason you do not make your rent one week, they will take the remainder PLUS your regular rent out of the next check, and continue to do so until you are caught up.

wow, that was a lot. haha. I hope that all makes sense

 

[kmg148]

I'm glad you brought up switching shifts or having people cover for you. That's something I've been wondering about. If you need a certain day off, get denied through scheduling, and arrange for someone to cover your shift, is there any penalty? Obviously, you wouldn't make as much money which can get sticky for paying rent, but do they give you points or frown upon people covering other people's shifts? Is it generally better to swap shifts than have another person cover yours? How does that all work, exactly? Do you have to tell one of your managers that that's what's happening, or can the other person just show up for your shift?

As the previous answerer to your question said, as long as you get someone to cover it (whether with management last minute or through the Hub) it will be fine. My locations always said do it through the Hub, unless something unforeseen came up last minute. They usually approve any switches, again unless it allows the other employee to have a sixth day in one week, or overtime.

I got a check for something like $5 once when I went home for 4 days. It's not a big deal, you just wont have any money!