Disney College Program for Parents Thread...

[duchess_tisha]

Generally you cannot book rooms discounts until after you start work. She will receive a company ID number and badge and she will need that to access the Hub. I would book a room ahead of time for the trip down.

When I did the program we did get our parks tickets on the day we checked in (so before traditions). However, I think this has changed. I heard that CP now receive the tickets as they work their hours. Someone who did the program more recently I’m sure can elaborate.

Traditions was a half day class and we did have time afterwards that day. However my parents left after I moved in.

Thanks! Park tickets - I just meant hers personally, I know she doesn't get tickets for friends/family until after so many hours worked. Hoping we will have a little time after we move her in to hit the parks together....I mean since we will be there anyway thanks for the help!

 

[SureAsLiz]

Thanks! Park tickets - I just meant hers personally, I know she doesn't get tickets for friends/family until after so many hours worked. Hoping we will have a little time after we move her in to hit the parks together....I mean since we will be there anyway thanks for the help!

She won't be able to enter the parks until she has her blue ID, which she will receive at Traditions.

 

[duchess_tisha]

She won't be able to enter the parks until she has her blue ID, which she will receive at Traditions.

Thanks!

 

[pattyw]

Just wanted to comment on DS who's there now doing attractions at EPCOT. It's Easter time and the parks are crowded! He's had three days of 12-14 hour shifts! He's a little burnt out! It's a little heart wrenching to talk to him being 1200 miles away! He loves it- he's just tired!

 

[angiegal]

Hi Everyone! I apologize if this has been answered already but I was cross eyed from looking. Our DD got accepted for the Fall 2018 DCP - and her move in day is August 13. So proud of her!! Even though she is in her junior year of college, my husband and I are going to be taking her and helping her move in and get settled. We will be packing up her college apartment stuff and then travelling to Orlando. We were planning on driving down Sunday since her first day is Monday, the 13th. Couple of questions

1 - when can she reserve rooms with her discount - is it after check in on the 13th? Hubby and I trying to decide if we should book ahead of time or wait.
2 - will she have access to her park tickets after Traditions on the 13th? In case she has time to go to the parks after check in.
3 - will she have any free time after Traditions on the 13th to spend with us in/out of the parks, or will she be in training at that point?

Thank you all! We are looking forward to her experience (and living a little vicariously through her, haha!)

1- She won't be able to use her discount until after she is an employee so book now.
2- Arrival/Check in is on Monday, followed by casting (paperwork), and some position specific things throughout the week. Traditions isn't until Friday or Saturday (typically), so no free theme park access until Saturday or Sunday.
3- Everyone's schedule is different, but for the most part, she will have time to spend with you on Monday, but those first few days are really all about settling in and bonding with roommates.

 

[goofy4tink]

Hi Everyone! I apologize if this has been answered already but I was cross eyed from looking. Our DD got accepted for the Fall 2018 DCP - and her move in day is August 13. So proud of her!! Even though she is in her junior year of college, my husband and I are going to be taking her and helping her move in and get settled. We will be packing up her college apartment stuff and then travelling to Orlando. We were planning on driving down Sunday since her first day is Monday, the 13th. Couple of questions

1 - when can she reserve rooms with her discount - is it after check in on the 13th? Hubby and I trying to decide if we should book ahead of time or wait.
2 - will she have access to her park tickets after Traditions on the 13th? In case she has time to go to the parks after check in.
3 - will she have any free time after Traditions on the 13th to spend with us in/out of the parks, or will she be in training at that point?

Thank you all! We are looking forward to her experience (and living a little vicariously through her, haha!)

This is how my dd's first week went, back in Sept '16.
We arrived on the Sat of Labor Day weekend, stayed in a resort. On Tuesday (Monday being Labor Day) at about 8:40. Took about 5 mins to do that. She had Casting at 9:30, she bused over to Casting and that took about 90 mins. We stayed and lugged stuff in from the car to her room. When she got back from Casting, we drove to Target to buy papergoods, groceries, and stuff she needed for her room. She had drug testing around 2ish, since she was working attractions (not everyone has drug testing). We said goodbye to her around 3:30. She had a housing meeting later that day, early evening if I remember correctly. Because we had bought her a 5 day park hopper, she had two days left on it to play in the parks prior to Traditions. She and her roommates drove over to Cocoa Beach one day. She had Traditions on Sat morning. She started training on Sunday. She was able to book discounted rooms after Traditions. And she could access the parks at that time, using her ID.
So...long story short..
Tuesday, Sept 6, check in, Casting and drug testing
Wed-Fri free time with various housing stuff going on
Sat, Sept 10, Traditions
Sn, Sept 11, training started

 

[glencoe]

Tuesday, Sept 6, check in, Casting and drug testing
Wed-Fri free time with various housing stuff going on
Sat, Sept 10, Traditions
Sn, Sept 11, training started

I have read through this thread carefully but trying to figure out my plan. When you say "Wed-Fri free time" was that without you and she was getting to know her roommates etc or did you stay during that time and see her?

My DS was just accepted to the fall advantage 2018 for Recreation activities! (he was expecting lifeguard due to the way his interview went , that he is an EMT and they seemed to be considering him for deep water (water parks). He is excited and can't wait to find out where he will be.

That being said. I am a teacher in NY...our summer vac. does not start until June 22. Although he is 22, has lived in Canada to play hockey for two years and was away at school for one year- I want to go down with him to get him settled and say goodbye until we visit. He has chosen Monday,June 4 for his check in. We plan on flying down Fri. night hanging for the weekend and then he reports that monday (we have AP). I am not sure when I will be officially saying goodbye to him so I am not sure if I need to take the Mon/Tues or just that Monday off so I only miss one day of work.

We decided he will leave his truck home and use Disney transportation and his bicycle to get around, so I plan on renting a car to help him get starter stuff and he can use an uber if needed and we can use amazon delivery of any other stuff he needs. Any suggestions or ideas on the last day? Thanks!

 

[jessidoll]

I was accepted to fall 2018 DCP. I have spoken. to 3 advisors at my college and NO ONE has any answers!! With such a small window for accepting and paying I;m afraid I'll miss my chance! Morehead State University Kentucky. Does anyone know if the DCP contacts the universities?

 

[Gr8t Fan]

I was accepted to fall 2018 DCP. I have spoken. to 3 advisors at my college and NO ONE has any answers!! With such a small window for accepting and paying I;m afraid I'll miss my chance! Morehead State University Kentucky. Does anyone know if the DCP contacts the universities?

Not Morehead, but my daughter had to make all arrangements with her advisors and the registrar at her college (UIC). DCP did not contact them at all. She did not receive any college credit for her participation in DCP, but was allowed to pause her studies (and also her scholarship) for a semester.

 

[goofy4tink]

I have read through this thread carefully but trying to figure out my plan. When you say "Wed-Fri free time" was that without you and she was getting to know her roommates etc or did you stay during that time and see her?

My DS was just accepted to the fall advantage 2018 for Recreation activities! (he was expecting lifeguard due to the way his interview went , that he is an EMT and they seemed to be considering him for deep water (water parks). He is excited and can't wait to find out where he will be.

That being said. I am a teacher in NY...our summer vac. does not start until June 22. Although he is 22, has lived in Canada to play hockey for two years and was away at school for one year- I want to go down with him to get him settled and say goodbye until we visit. He has chosen Monday,June 4 for his check in. We plan on flying down Fri. night hanging for the weekend and then he reports that monday (we have AP). I am not sure when I will be officially saying goodbye to him so I am not sure if I need to take the Mon/Tues or just that Monday off so I only miss one day of work.

We decided he will leave his truck home and use Disney transportation and his bicycle to get around, so I plan on renting a car to help him get starter stuff and he can use an uber if needed and we can use amazon delivery of any other stuff he needs. Any suggestions or ideas on the last day? Thanks!

We said goodbye to her Tuesday afternoon, around 3:30. We then flew out the next morning. If I were you, I would try to fly out the next morning. That way, if your ds gets a later checkin time, you won't have to worry about it. We got lucky with dd's time since it was very early in the day. But, others had later in the day times...and that could make flying out that night difficult.
Dd spent the days between checkin and Traditions with her roommates. They spent a day at Cocoa Beach, which was nice. We had gotten her a 5 day park hopper pass and she used three of those days prior to checkin, with us. So, she had two days she could hang out in the parks. Since she knew a few people down there already, she could either go solo or meet up with someone.

 

[billybobblockhead]

DD begins on June 4 as well, glencoe. Something that she's been wanting to do for years, and to say she's excited is an understatement. I've scanned several pages and have some parent questions for anyone that can answer....

1) Banking. How have folks handled this? We're considering opening up a Chase checking account for her Disney checks since their ATMs are more than plentiful around the Disney parks. If she needs cash, I don't want her to have to pay any fees just to withdraw some cash. Has anyone done this before, and do you have recommendations for banks outside of Chase? Again just looking at Chase simply because of their bajillion tellers in the vicinity.
2) There is no way that my wife or I can get off to be there for the June 4 start date. Is it mandated for parents to be there? At 20, she's more than an adult (albeit a young one) and can make her own decisions. Good thing is there isn't much stuff to move in that she can't (and hasn't) handle or already done for 3 years at her dorms. We're gonna have multiple trips throughout the fall to see her.
3) Do they need to go down a day early to get moved in, or does everything (move in, casting, etc...) start on June 4?

And to add what others have said about loans, scholarships, etc...., out daughter had to make all of the arrangements via her school/registrar/cashier at her university as well to get those taken care of.

 

[Jules76126]

DD begins on June 4 as well, glencoe. Something that she's been wanting to do for years, and to say she's excited is an understatement. I've scanned several pages and have some parent questions for anyone that can answer....

1) Banking. How have folks handled this? We're considering opening up a Chase checking account for her Disney checks since their ATMs are more than plentiful around the Disney parks. If she needs cash, I don't want her to have to pay any fees just to withdraw some cash. Has anyone done this before, and do you have recommendations for banks outside of Chase? Again just looking at Chase simply because of their bajillion tellers in the vicinity.
2) There is no way that my wife or I can get off to be there for the June 4 start date. Is it mandated for parents to be there? At 20, she's more than an adult (albeit a young one) and can make her own decisions. Good thing is there isn't much stuff to move in that she can't (and hasn't) handle or already done for 3 years at her dorms. We're gonna have multiple trips throughout the fall to see her.
3) Do they need to go down a day early to get moved in, or does everything (move in, casting, etc...) start on June 4?

And to add what others have said about loans, scholarships, etc...., out daughter had to make all of the arrangements via her school/registrar/cashier at her university as well to get those taken care of.

1. I had Bank of America when I did both my programs. I did not want to open a new account just for the program. I had all my checks direct deposited into my account. If I needed cash, I just did cash back on my debit card at Walgreens or the supermarket. I didn’t really need cash that often as most places take credit cards so it worked out for me.

2. You do not need to be there. My parents came both times but that was because coming from MA it was a haul and i didn’t have a car so it was helpful to have them the first day. But they didn’t move me out either time and I could have survived without them.

3. Her check in date is the date that she moved in. She does not need to be there earlier.

I also had to arrange everything with the schools. I was able to do it as a semester off so I didn’t have to pay tutition or anything and didn’t lose scholarships but every school is different.

 

[goofy4tink]

DD begins on June 4 as well, glencoe. Something that she's been wanting to do for years, and to say she's excited is an understatement. I've scanned several pages and have some parent questions for anyone that can answer....

1) Banking. How have folks handled this? We're considering opening up a Chase checking account for her Disney checks since their ATMs are more than plentiful around the Disney parks. If she needs cash, I don't want her to have to pay any fees just to withdraw some cash. Has anyone done this before, and do you have recommendations for banks outside of Chase? Again just looking at Chase simply because of their bajillion tellers in the vicinity.
2) There is no way that my wife or I can get off to be there for the June 4 start date. Is it mandated for parents to be there? At 20, she's more than an adult (albeit a young one) and can make her own decisions. Good thing is there isn't much stuff to move in that she can't (and hasn't) handle or already done for 3 years at her dorms. We're gonna have multiple trips throughout the fall to see her.
3) Do they need to go down a day early to get moved in, or does everything (move in, casting, etc...) start on June 4?

And to add what others have said about loans, scholarships, etc...., out daughter had to make all of the arrangements via her school/registrar/cashier at her university as well to get those taken care of.

1. My dd kept her BoA account...had no issues. As Jules said, just take out cash at Walmart or such. Dd now has a Chase account but she waited until she was hired p/t to do that.

2/3. No worries. Lots of kids manage to get themselves there and set up. I tend to recommend that they get there the day before..just in case there's an issue with travel. My dd had an early checkin time...8:40. That would have made it hard to arrive on that day. If your dd wants to arrive the day before, I would recommend her getting a room at a Disney value resort. Then, she can take DME to the resort, and take an uber to checkin, with her stuff, the next day. Very easy to do that way.

 

[billybobblockhead]

Thanks for the input re: the banking angle. Massive brain fart on my end for the cash back at WalMart, Walgreens, etc.... I haven't done that in years and totally forgot that option. I must be old

Once she starts getting all of the info (hopefully in the next couple of weeks), we'll start trying to figure out how the logistics of getting there. Simple 10 hour drive for us/her that she's done before, if a 10 hour drive can be simple. I agree on going down on the 3rd as I'm betting there will be less traffic coming in than on a Monday during the lunch to 5 o'clock time frame.

 

[glencoe]

Thanks for the info!! Since he is driving down, I am going with him to split up the drive. He has lived away from home on his own in Canada for 2 years (hockey) and away at school for 1 year so although he certainly doesn't need me to go down with him, I am going to keep him company (and to say goodbye again!! We are hoping to make good driving time so we can have time in the parks and eat places.

He luckily found a group of guys to room with (he is over 21) so they are all on the same page so he is happy about that. (facebook group) He has always wanted to do this as well "billy", so he is thrilled he got in the advantage program. As for banking he has his own account and I have the sign-on info so I can deposit a check on my end into his account if needed.

I also was able to get him my disney visa account card in his name for any emergency. It is the same # as my card but has his name on it which works out great. Sometimes debit cards are not accepted...or if a major car problem not enough $$ available in an account.

All in all...should be an adventure!!! I am already trying to book future visits...does anyone know if the resort room discounts are only during certain times or once they finish traditions they can book rooms anytime if available?
Thanks again!!

 

[teachertink]

My DS was offered a fall advantage position starting 1/4. He received his pre background email. He had to respond yes to prior conviction. At 20 years old, he received a ticket for a possession of alcohol by a minor which is a simple misdemeanor. Does anyone have a child who was not able to go on due to a conviction of this sort?
Thank you

 

[kytiam]

My DS was offered a fall advantage position starting 1/4. He received his pre background email. He had to respond yes to prior conviction. At 20 years old, he received a ticket for a possession of alcohol by a minor which is a simple misdemeanor. Does anyone have a child who was not able to go on due to a conviction of this sort?
Thank you

Mine had to answer yes due to a trespassing conviction. He got in but during one of the early stages of checking in they did pull him aside to privately ask him for more detail about the issue. He was honest about it and it was never brought up again.

 

[teachertink]

Hey everyone, my DD was accepted into the 2017 Fall DCP earlier this week! Her arrival date is Aug. 7th and she will also be working in QSFB. It's weird, on her PI they spoke exclusively about her top 3 roles and she thought for sure she would be placed in Merch, but she is super excited to be working there. Makes me wonder how useful that part of the PI actually is because that role wasn't discussed at all?
Anyway, she just turned 22 & will be graduating college in early May. We live in NJ & she goes to school in PA. Even though she has been living mainly away from home the past 4 years, I don't feel comfortable with her driving to FL all by herself. Soooooo, the family is going to Disney!! We've never gone 2 years in a row before!
She has friends & even a cousin down there now doing the program, but I look forward to chatting with all of you about the process and planning!
I just booked our rooms only (so far) for POR - first time there! I am an uber-planner, so to me this is last minute.

My DS is also 22 and heading to the world in the fall. Graduated in May. I am wondering how your DD's experience was after being a college graduate. I wondered if they almost seem to old for the program and wondered if you would be able to provide feedback on her experience.

 

[Deb & Bill]

My DS is also 22 and heading to the world in the fall. Graduated in May. I am wondering how your DD's experience was after being a college graduate. I wondered if they almost seem to old for the program and wondered if you would be able to provide feedback on her experience.

My son applied for both the College Program and a Professional Internship during his last semester of college. He was accepted into both, but did the Internship first. He worked in the Horticulture Dept for 12 weeks, then did about one week of the College Program before he was hired full time by Horticulture. He worked there about two years and left to go back to Grad School in Landscape Architecture.

 

[Jules76126]

My DS is also 22 and heading to the world in the fall. Graduated in May. I am wondering how your DD's experience was after being a college graduate. I wondered if they almost seem to old for the program and wondered if you would be able to provide feedback on her experience.

I did the program while in college and then the semester after I graduated college. It was fine both times. I did not feel old by any stretch. There are a mix of ages on the program. He will be housed with students over 21. I had a mix of friends both who were under 21 and over 21 and really the only difference was that some of us could order a beer at dinner and others couldn't. With more students going to school for 5 instead of 4 years or taking gap years before college, there are more and more people doing the program at 21 and 22.

The other thing is you make friends with people that you work with and there will be tons of young people in their 20s who work either full time part time so lots of options.