Frustrated with DCP park access

[JJsmama]

Just a bit of a vent here, but I really wish they'd either open up AP sales or scrap the park reservations, at least for cast members. DD is down there working in the DCP, and one of the touted benefits has always been free admission to the parks. Too bad cast member park reservations are largely blocked out for spring, and the few available go very quickly. DD would love to go to MK, but CPs are blocked out for all of March and April. She had 3 days in a row off a few weeks ago and couldn't get into a single park. If AP passes would open up I'd offer to split the cost of an AP with her - we plan on spending 4 - 5 days there when I go down at the end of her program and I'm going to be buying her a hopper for that anyway. I just feel bad for the kids like DD who have planned to do the DCP for years, only to find the benefits so much less than they were. She's still having a good time, but is definitely frustrated at how difficult it is to actually use her park admission.

I’m sorry. That’s crappy that they make it so hard for CMs to visit. It’s a tight labor market and no longer a fun, magical place to work. When the touted benefits to being a CM disappear, so will the great CMs.

 

[jeneric997]

We did not know that. My DD's boyfriend, is getting there in August, he will not be happy to hear that his family is planning on going to visit him for the holidays, but he can't go with them to the parks !
Do you know around what dates during the Holidays?
I would assume the week of Thanksgiving and around Christmas.
So sad for them.

Another piece of advice- if they are staying on property, put him on the room reservation. That way he is in the resort pile of park reservations. The truth is, he won't know his schedule until a week or so before, so it's hard to just buy a ticket for a specific day. I am just realizing how awful the park reservation system is for CMs. My D only gets 1 week of scheduling for her job. I am thankful she has an AP.

 

[vinmar4]

Another piece of advice- if they are staying on property, put him on the room reservation. That way he is in the resort pile of park reservations. The truth is, he won't know his schedule until a week or so before, so it's hard to just buy a ticket for a specific day. I am just realizing how awful the park reservation system is for CMs. My D only gets 1 week of scheduling for her job. I am thankful she has an AP.

Great advice, thank you and good luck to your DD.

 

[HopperFan]

Based on what DD has been told & what I have found in some posts here, Disney doesn’t consider DCPs to be Florida residents if they don’t otherwise already qualify.

She wouldn't be able to qualify for Florida Resident.

When my DD did the program all of her friends had Universal APs. They are not expensive and they spent lots of time there. But they got them right on arrival to get value, and half of them stayed the year.

We did not know that. My DD's boyfriend, is getting there in August, he will not be happy to hear that his family is planning on going to visit him for the holidays, but he can't go with them to the parks !
Do you know around what dates during the Holidays?
I would assume the week of Thanksgiving and around Christmas.
So sad for them.

When DD was there we opted to have our "Christmas" week with her mid-December before she was blocked out. We took a 6 ft tree, a few decorations and gifts. We booked the Christmas Party and it was great.

But the easiest with this system is for them to just buy his ticket with theirs.

 

[Shannon G]

She wouldn't be able to qualify for Florida Resident.

When my DD did the program all of her friends had Universal APs. They are not expensive and they spent lots of time there. But they got them right on arrival to get value, and half of them stayed the year.

DD did get a Universal AP (and was able to get the Florida resident rate there by showing a copy of her lease). It’s just frustrating that the only way she can really spend time in the Disney Parks most days right now would be to buy individual one-day tickets when she has a day off.

 

[HopperFan]

DD did get a Universal AP (and was able to get the Florida resident rate there by showing a copy of her lease). It’s just frustrating that the only way she can really spend time in the Disney Parks most days right now would be to buy individual one-day tickets when she has a day off.

A DCP housing lease?

EDIT: I just re-read your comment ... are you saying she got a Universal AP at Florida Resident rate using DCP lease? That I would believe. The price difference isn't that much and Universal is very welcoming to Disney CMs so I wouldn't be surprised if they accepted a lease (although DD didn't get an actual lease when she did DCP, more a DCP contract).

I thought you were saying she got Florida Resident Disney rate tickets. My comment was that Disney has never accepted DCP as Florida Residents for AP/tickets if they were living in Disney housing.

 

[AGaley]

I have questions and need advice on using my CP's "free" tickets for friends and family.

1. Does he have to enter the park with me each time I use them? If so, should I go ahead and have him assign them to me so I can be sure and get reservations for our trip in June even though I don't know if he will be able to let me in due to his work schedule? Several other family members are going and have already purchased tickets/made reservations. We plan to go to the parks with or without him.

2. What are the steps for him to assign them to me? He works crazy hours & says he "needs help" figuring out how to assign them. If I could get him started, he might be able to figure it out.

I want to use those tickets so badly, but it just seems like a lot of work and a big game to figure out.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I have questions and need advice on using my CP's "free" tickets for friends and family.

1. Does he have to enter the park with me each time I use them? If so, should I go ahead and have him assign them to me so I can be sure and get reservations for our trip in June even though I don't know if he will be able to let me in due to his work schedule? Several other family members are going and have already purchased tickets/made reservations. We plan to go to the parks with or without him.

2. What are the steps for him to assign them to me? He works crazy hours & says he "needs help" figuring out how to assign them. If I could get him started, he might be able to figure it out.

I want to use those tickets so badly, but it just seems like a lot of work and a big game to figure out.

This is your son? For the sake of my example, I'll assume he's your son.

There are two different types of tickets, Guest Passes and Comp Tickets.

Guest Pass:

• These are three, physical, plastic cards that your son should have on hand already. On the off chance that he has 4+ children, he would have as many Guest Passes as he has children. But minimum 3.
• Yes, he has to enter the park with you every time you use them. He would enter the park using his Main Entrance Pass and you would enter immediately behind him using one of the Guest Passes.
• There is no way for a Guest Pass to be "assigned" to you. That's not a thing, because you might use the pass one day, his sister might use the pass the next day, and a friend might use the pass a third day.
• If his work schedule doesn't allow him to let you in, you won't be able to use the pass. Cast Members are allowed to arrive to the front gates in costume to admit guests if necessary.
• Anyone who is not an immediate family member must be accompanied by the cast member at all times. Immediate family members can be admitted and then the Cast Member can leave.
• YOU will not have a park reservation for any days you're using a Guest Pass. The Guest Pass will have the park reservation. So pretend your name is Tammy Smith and your son's name is Joe Smith. Tammy Smith won't have a park reservation, Joe Smith Guest 1 and Joe Smith himself must have the park reservation. You won't be able to see any of this in My Disney Experience, but he will.
• You can park hop without him needing to be with you at the second park.
• Guest Passes can hold a maximum of 3 days of park reservations at a time. You can make a reservation for your 4th day after the 1st day has ended and so forth.

Comp Ticket:

• These are essentially unrestricted 1 day park hoppers. He can print out a physical piece of paper with a digital code that you can link to your own My Disney Experience account.
• Pretty much no rules on these. You would make park reservations the same way you would as if you had purchased a normal ticket from Disney.
• The cast member can give these away to friends, family, charities, total strangers, or whoever they want. They just can't sell them.
• I'm not even sure if CPs are eligible for these and they're only issued twice per year. He can check if he has any at compadmission.disney.com.