Disney College Program for Parents Thread...

[scoopmorgan]

We sent our daughter off this morning- very early this am. I had three hours sleep last night, and I just can't snap out of this zombie-like state. I think letting go of her was harder than I anticipated. I know she'll have a wonderful experience, but boy, this is hard.

 

[KCMiller]

I just dropped off my DD21 for her Fall program (she got the assignment she wanted, Haunted Mansion, whoo hoo!), and have a few tips for parents.

First, drop them off EARLY on check in day. I dropped her at Vista where the check in was at 6:30am, and there were at least 50 people ahead of her online.

If your child has met someone online, on Facebook or at a meet and greet, and they want to room together, they have to be online together. My DD met up with a group the night before at DTD, and a bunch of them hit it off and wanted to room together, but one girl slept in, and so ended up being put with another group.

If you can, go to the WalMart and pick stuff up for your child while they are checking in and going to casting and such. They won't need you for hours (they check in at Vista, then get bussed over to another location for paperwork and such, then bussed back to Vista - hours later). The WalMart got really crowded later in the day, and they ran out of a lot of things. And get the bed risers - it's great to be able to put storage boxes under the beds.

Bring a wheeled cart with you, if you can - getting stuff from the parking areas to the apartments can be quite a haul, and without a cart or something, you'll end up making a bunch of trips.

Plan on just getting the essentials that first day - if you'll be in town for a few days, the roommates will all have a chance to figure out who's brought what, and you can make another run to the store. Or you can just leave money .

And don't worry!

Anything I can help answer, please just let me know!

KC

 

[scoopmorgan]

We sent our DD19 off yesterday, by plane to Orlando. I sure wish we could have gone with her. I'm jealous of those of you who could! We're going to visit in Sept/Oct for our 20th Anniversary, but I wish we lived closer. We are on the West coast.

 

[wdwgirl03]

I just dropped off my DD21 for her Fall program (she got the assignment she wanted, Haunted Mansion, whoo hoo!), and have a few tips for parents.

How cool she got the assignment she wanted! I think my sister's pretty happy with her work location too. She'll be at Hollywood Studios in QSFB!

We sent our DD19 off yesterday, by plane to Orlando. I sure wish we could have gone with her. I'm jealous of those of you who could! We're going to visit in Sept/Oct for our 20th Anniversary, but I wish we lived closer. We are on the West coast.

I'm not a parent but my sister and parents (wisblue is my dad) left on Saturday. I wish I could've gone too, especially since I've gone to WDW the last two summers. It's going to be weird not seeing her for a couple months. Atleast I have a trip coming up in October.

 

[Iris]

Wow, this all brings back memories. Almost exactly three years ago, I drove down with my then DD20 to her CP. She had never lived away from home (University was in our hometown) and moved over 1,100 miles. Those were the best 5 months of her life. She absolutely LOVED it! When she came home, she became a campus rep. Once she graduated, she went back for a professional internship and has stayed on with Disney ever since. It is really a love it or hate it situation. She did get homesick in late October that year, but a quick trip home for the weekend helped a lot. I loved getting phone calls from her about how much fun she and her roommates were having. Her CP was Merchandise in Fantasyland. Very magical. Long hours around the holidays (kept her mind off of being home). Good luck, parents. You will survive.

It brings back memories for me too! A year ago we took our DD down and she has stayed on in Entertainment. It was also her first time away from home, since she started in the Career Start Program fresh out of high school. She will be starting college in January 2012 at Valencia. She LOVED her experience but I admit she was much happier in Entertainment (extended program) than she was in QSFB, but all in all she loved it all. So much so that she stayed on and loves life in Florida. We live up north so she is also pretty far from home and yes, she did get homesick from time to time and even now gets a little homesick but she has been able to visit home in July and will also make a quick trip in early December.

Good luck to all the new CPs and their parents!!!

 

[susan4000]

Well, I wish I had known about this place a few weeks ago! Dropped my 20 year old at the airport last week for her adventure, got a call from her last night in complete tears about how unhappy she was. I know she has a lot going on, been having a hard time for a few weeks, and I think she thought Disney would fix it all. Any advice? Does Disney have any sort of counselling or referrals if she needs to find help? It's pretty hard to coordinate from a thousand miles away, so I would appreciate any and all ideas. Thanks

 

[scoopmorgan]

Well, I wish I had known about this place a few weeks ago! Dropped my 20 year old at the airport last week for her adventure, got a call from her last night in complete tears about how unhappy she was. I know she has a lot going on, been having a hard time for a few weeks, and I think she thought Disney would fix it all. Any advice? Does Disney have any sort of counselling or referrals if she needs to find help? It's pretty hard to coordinate from a thousand miles away, so I would appreciate any and all ideas. Thanks

People have been discussing a medical clinic that is available to the kids. They should be able to offer a referral, otherwise check with the county mental health unit. They usually provide sliding scale, or low fee counseling. I hope she's okay. I know how worried you must be. My daughter went through a similar period a few years back God bless you both.

 

[graygables]

Well, I wish I had known about this place a few weeks ago! Dropped my 20 year old at the airport last week for her adventure, got a call from her last night in complete tears about how unhappy she was. I know she has a lot going on, been having a hard time for a few weeks, and I think she thought Disney would fix it all. Any advice? Does Disney have any sort of counselling or referrals if she needs to find help? It's pretty hard to coordinate from a thousand miles away, so I would appreciate any and all ideas. Thanks

Sent you a PM

 

[DISshopkeeper]

Well, I wish I had known about this place a few weeks ago! Dropped my 20 year old at the airport last week for her adventure, got a call from her last night in complete tears about how unhappy she was. I know she has a lot going on, been having a hard time for a few weeks, and I think she thought Disney would fix it all. Any advice? Does Disney have any sort of counselling or referrals if she needs to find help? It's pretty hard to coordinate from a thousand miles away, so I would appreciate any and all ideas. Thanks

Oh, how hard for you AND her! Hope she acclimates soon, so hard to deal with unhappiness from afar!!!!

 

[susan4000]

Thanks for the thoughts, she seems to be having a better few days now, but I will be looking into some sort of referral, even if only to rule out anything serious. @GrayGables - Thank you so much for your PM, she's at American Idol and is enjoying the job more each day. She has such a bright personality that I'm surprised she is finding this so difficult. Thank you for all your support, it is greatly appreciated.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Thanks for the thoughts, she seems to be having a better few days now, but I will be looking into some sort of referral, even if only to rule out anything serious. @GrayGables - Thank you so much for your PM, she's at American Idol and is enjoying the job more each day. She has such a bright personality that I'm surprised she is finding this so difficult. Thank you for all your support, it is greatly appreciated.

Glad to hear your daughter is doing better. How fun that she is working at American Idol. One of my favorite attractions! My sister is going to be working at DHS too (she just checked in on Monday)-maybe they will cross paths sometime!

 

[BadDad]

my s just returned from Spring Adv (6 months). The first weeks were rough, his roommates were a collective group of jerks, He was threaten and moved. His second set of roommates were better but still immature. His final roommate was excellent. Is the problem work, roommates, or homesickness?

 

[susan4000]

thanks for your post, it helped me narrow it down. Her problem isn't work, she says she's good at the job and likes it (but at first she didn't think it was a "magical" attraction) and her roommates seem fine, her computer isn't working and they have been letting her use theirs, so they seem decent. The problem must be more homesick. She's been away at college for two years, so I didn't think that would be a problem, but she did go to college with friends, so she always knew somebody while she was away. Now she is in a totally new place without anybody, and I think its probably hitting her hard. She hasn't called in tears for a few days, so I'm hoping she's doing better. Thanks to everyone, your posts make me feel better about her situation.

 

[wisblue]

I have a question about the use of the cast member gate pass to get tickets for guests.

We will be visiting our daughter in October and staying at a DVC resort. Can she get park tickets for us that we can use for morning EMH? The way I understand it, the cast member presents his/her pass at a ticket window and receives up to 3 one day hopper tickets for the guests. Can she do this and enter the park with us during EMH, or would she be declined entry because she is not a resort guest?

 

[Traveliz]

I have a question about the use of the cast member gate pass to get tickets for guests.

We will be visiting our daughter in October and staying at a DVC resort. Can she get park tickets for us that we can use for morning EMH? The way I understand it, the cast member presents his/her pass at a ticket window and receives up to 3 one day hopper tickets for the guests. Can she do this and enter the park with us during EMH, or would she be declined entry because she is not a resort guest?

We always included our daughter on our resort reservation and she stayed with us during our visits. She is then considered a resort guest as well.

Liz

 

[momimouse27]

Just wanted to drop in and say I'm enjoying this thread!

My daughter, who is also on the boards here, is a freshman this year and planning on applying for 2012 Fall Advantage in January. It is really helping to get all the info now, because it makes me less nervous about her going so far away! It's something she has wanted for a while, so I hope she gets in.

 

[KatKing]

Hey Momimouse27, I'm in the same boat as you. My daughter is starting college next week and eager to apply for the fall advantage. I have read this entire thread over the past month and have taken many notes. My fingers are crossed all goes well. My daughter isn't nearly as nervous about all this as I am.

 

[scoopmorgan]

My daughter started her research, and these boards provided a lot of it, about this time last year, for her CP which began on Aug 22. She made several friends ahead of time, and even met and got to know her roommates before they ever arrived! So far, Disney has been outstanding, as far as organization, efficiency, and most importantly, safety for the kids. I wish your children good luck. I know they will have an amazing adventure if they make it.

 

[DISshopkeeper]

I just dropped my daughter off Aug 22. Here's an address your GPS CAN find to get you to Vista Way:

Walgreen's
13502 S Apopka Vineland Rd
Orlando, FL 32821

It sits at the corner where you need to turn into Vista Way. The Walgreens is on the same side of 535 as VW.

 

[graygables]

CP parents, just want to toss this out there, but I'm currently a manager at WDW, came through the CP myself as did my oldest 2 DDs, did a professional internship, and was statused a year and a day after my Traditions class. If you have a student participating who needs a little extra dose of pixie dust, some wise counsel, a mentor, lunch to chat, career planning, resume review, etc. I'm VERY happy to do that (I used to teach high school English, too). Please feel free to PM me for my info and I would be thrilled to help in any way I can. Nothing I love more than seeing my "CPeeps" set up for success!