I just got accepted!! Any advice?

[Daniel Piroli]

I just recently got accepted into the Disney internship program, and being a life long Disney fanatic, I am excited. Just was wondering if anyone has any advice as I prepare to move down there.

 

[HM2012Butler]

Between now and your arrival you'll likely hear many of the same pieces of advice. I'll Try to bullet them out so it is easier to take in:
- Bring a car (or quickly make friends with someone who has one)
---The Disney buses are helpful but still wont take you everywhere
- Don't over pack
---When I did my CP I was the king of preparedness. I had way too much. Most of the time you're in your costume
- You can sleep when you're dead.
--- This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Don't say no to new and fun adventures! Enjoy it!
- Work hard
--- You never know who is watching or if you'll want to return to work for the company. Don't be the person who calls out frequently
- Find the Facebook Group or find a roommate
--- I was lucky to get matched with a great guy who I am friends with to this day. Our 4th roommate was a nightmare... twice. Yes, my two roommates and I had two guys move out while we were there (Maybe it was us?)
- Utilize your CM discounts and keep and eye out for which restaurants have the bigger discount
- Make friends with people in all different roles.
--- Friends in Attractions lead to fastpasses! Friends in resorts can lead to behind the scenes tours/or access (I got to watch the fireworks from the roof of the Wilderness Lodge. Don't just make friends with CPs. You may become a lifer or some of them may become your best friends
- Don't expect to have morning shifts or weekends off
--- The joke is that CP (actual meaning: College Program) stands for "Close Park". As a CP, you will most likely have the late shifts. This can vary from role to role. Fridays/Saturdays/Sundays are usually the days that the full timers want off so that may not be your "Weekend". My weekend was Monday and Tuesday

I hope this helps. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. As you can tell, I love talking about it!

 

[Daniel Piroli]

Between now and your arrival you'll likely hear many of the same pieces of advice. I'll Try to bullet them out so it is easier to take in:
- Bring a car (or quickly make friends with someone who has one)
---The Disney buses are helpful but still wont take you everywhere
- Don't over pack
---When I did my CP I was the king of preparedness. I had way too much. Most of the time you're in your costume
- You can sleep when you're dead.
--- This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Don't say no to new and fun adventures! Enjoy it!
- Work hard
--- You never know who is watching or if you'll want to return to work for the company. Don't be the person who calls out frequently
- Find the Facebook Group or find a roommate
--- I was lucky to get matched with a great guy who I am friends with to this day. Our 4th roommate was a nightmare... twice. Yes, my two roommates and I had two guys move out while we were there (Maybe it was us?)
- Utilize your CM discounts and keep and eye out for which restaurants have the bigger discount
- Make friends with people in all different roles.
--- Friends in Attractions lead to fastpasses! Friends in resorts can lead to behind the scenes tours/or access (I got to watch the fireworks from the roof of the Wilderness Lodge. Don't just make friends with CPs. You may become a lifer or some of them may become your best friends
- Don't expect to have morning shifts or weekends off
--- The joke is that CP (actual meaning: College Program) stands for "Close Park". As a CP, you will most likely have the late shifts. This can vary from role to role. Fridays/Saturdays/Sundays are usually the days that the full timers want off so that may not be your "Weekend". My weekend was Monday and Tuesday

I hope this helps. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. As you can tell, I love talking about it!

Hello HM2012Butler,

Thank you for replying to my post. I appreciate you taking the time to give me some tips on moving into the program.

-I plan on bringing my car down.
---I live in New England, so I am figuring out wether I should drive down or get my Scion FR-S shipped to Orlando. (Taking the snowy weather into consideration).
-I plan on packing my "Summer clothes" plus maybe a sweat shirt and jeans. Should I bring any formal wear?
---As far as electronics go, do you recommend packing a television? or other appliances?
-I don't mind working or being out most of the time.
---I love being in Disney World (even if its to work), so I feel my excitement will get me out of bed in the morning, and prevent me from calling out.
-I saw that I can choose the amount of roommates I plan on having, so I plan on selecting to live with only one roommate if possible (even if it costs more).
---I know someone from my town who is also joining the program, I may reach out to him and see if he wants to room.
-I will have no problem utilizing my CM discounts...(neither will my family members) haha. Thank you for sharing some experiences.
---I love making friends, so I am excited to meet new people from around the country, or even the world.
-As far as working days, again, I don't mind working, I took a large amount of hours during my summer job (including Saturdays).

I am looking to turn this opportunity into a possible career choice. I love Disney, and if all goes well I plan on getting my foot in the door for a future job opportunity.

 

[HM2012Butler]

Hello HM2012Butler,

Thank you for replying to my post. I appreciate you taking the time to give me some tips on moving into the program..

- I moved from North Jersey in January so I didnt have to worry about as much snow as you would. Once I was out of the state snow wasnt too much of an issue. Driving could be fun if you break it up over a few days. I went to college in North Carolina so I stopped at my school for a few days on the way.

- I would definitely bring the sweatshirt and jeans. A raincoat could be helpful. For Traditions you'll have to dress nicely. Definitely have some khakis or pants and a button down. Going out to the bars happens a lot

- Yes, bring a TV. Maybe and Xbox or Play Station if you have one. Talk to your roommate ahead of time too. You wont need kitchen appliances.

- Living in a one bedroom with one roommate could be weird. I think a two bedroom with three roommates was a happy medium. There was usually someone around but not too many people. One other roommate could get weird. Most people did not enjoy that

Best of luck! I hope you enjoy it. What will your role be?

 

[wilkeliza]

Where in NE do you live? An awesome option that a lot of me NE friends took was the Auto Train on Amtrack. You get it in I think Boston or DC and then you just ride the train down and your car comes along too. The stop for Orlando is a quick drive to WDW.

 

[Daniel Piroli]

Where in NE do you live? An awesome option that a lot of me NE friends took was the Auto Train on Amtrack. You get it in I think Boston or DC and then you just ride the train down and your car comes along too. The stop for Orlando is a quick drive to WDW.

Hello wilkeliza,

Thank you for your advice!

-I live in Connecticut, so it's not to far from Boston, However, driving to DC would be a longer drive.
--It sounds like this option may be better than driving all the way to florida (and more comfortable).

-Did your NE friends mention how much it costs?
--Ive looked into shipping it by truck, and the estimate was around $900, Which, plus a plane ticket, would be out of my price range.

 

[Daniel Piroli]

- I moved from North Jersey in January so I didnt have to worry about as much snow as you would. Once I was out of the state snow wasnt too much of an issue. Driving could be fun if you break it up over a few days. I went to college in North Carolina so I stopped at my school for a few days on the way.

- I would definitely bring the sweatshirt and jeans. A raincoat could be helpful. For Traditions you'll have to dress nicely. Definitely have some khakis or pants and a button down. Going out to the bars happens a lot

- Yes, bring a TV. Maybe and Xbox or Play Station if you have one. Talk to your roommate ahead of time too. You wont need kitchen appliances.

- Living in a one bedroom with one roommate could be weird. I think a two bedroom with three roommates was a happy medium. There was usually someone around but not too many people. One other roommate could get weird. Most people did not enjoy that

Best of luck! I hope you enjoy it. What will your role be?

Thank you! I will be working in transportation.

-If I don't end up rooming with my friend, will they notify me of my roommate they assign me to, and will I be able to contact him before I move down?

-I might enjoy not having too many people around in my off time. I may be taking online classes for my college, and wont mind only having one roommate around.
--Weird in what way? I thought about having three, but I feel like having more than one may have its issues later down the road. For example, who doesn't get along with who, and who's on whos side.

- Is the two person room to small?
--Does it come with a kitchen and living area, or just the bedroom?

Thanks again for your time!

 

[wilkeliza]

Hello wilkeliza,

Thank you for your advice!

-I live in Connecticut, so it's not to far from Boston, However, driving to DC would be a longer drive.
--It sounds like this option may be better than driving all the way to florida (and more comfortable).

-Did your NE friends mention how much it costs?
--Ive looked into shipping it by truck, and the estimate was around $900, Which, plus a plane ticket, would be out of my price range.

Just did some research. It is from Lorton, VA to Sanford, FL. The cost for a seat is 258 and a "roomette" is 549 for you. Then you add 239 for your car.So if you are okay spending an overnight in a seat it is only 500 but if you want a bed to sleep in it is going to be 800. The people I know who did it decided the drive to Lorton was better than the drive to FL so they did that and the drove the train. The train leaves at 4pm from Lorton, VA and gets to Sanford FL at 8 am the next day.

 

[wilkeliza]

Thank you! I will be working in transportation.

-If I don't end up rooming with my friend, will they notify me of my roommate they assign me to, and will I be able to contact him before I move down?

-I might enjoy not having too many people around in my off time. I may be taking online classes for my college, and wont mind only having one roommate around.
--Weird in what way? I thought about having three, but I feel like having more than one may have its issues later down the road. For example, who doesn't get along with who, and who's on whos side.

- Is the two person room to small?
--Does it come with a kitchen and living area, or just the bedroom?

Thanks again for your time!

All rooms have a living room, dinning room , and kitchen. The one bedroom room has just as much space as any of the bigger apartments.

I had a one bedroom. It can get "weird" because if you get stuck with a crappy roommate there is no one else to talk to and it becomes a he said he said thing if you go to housing about complaints. There are pluses though. For 1 there is only 1 other person to make messes. That means for inspection you aren't having to clean up 3-5 other guys mess. Also it is 1 person you have to learn to deal with. Everyone will have a roommate no matter how big your apartment is. So you can get a crappy sleeping partner no matter what. My 1 bedroom actually worked out in the fact that my original roommate got sent home and then they didn't assign me a new roommate until the last 2 weeks of the program. I basically had 3 months of an apartment to myself and it was glorious.

I didn't see you say but are your over 21?

 

[Daniel Piroli]

Just did some research. It is from Lorton, VA to Sanford, FL. The cost for a seat is 258 and a "roomette" is 549 for you. Then you add 239 for your car.So if you are okay spending an overnight in a seat it is only 500 but if you want a bed to sleep in it is going to be 800. The people I know who did it decided the drive to Lorton was better than the drive to FL so they did that and the drove the train. The train leaves at 4pm from Lorton, VA and gets to Sanford FL at 8 am the next day.

Thank you for helping me out!

I will definitely look into the auto train.

 

[Daniel Piroli]

All rooms have a living room, dinning room , and kitchen. The one bedroom room has just as much space as any of the bigger apartments.

I had a one bedroom. It can get "weird" because if you get stuck with a crappy roommate there is no one else to talk to and it becomes a he said he said thing if you go to housing about complaints. There are pluses though. For 1 there is only 1 other person to make messes. That means for inspection you aren't having to clean up 3-5 other guys mess. Also it is 1 person you have to learn to deal with. Everyone will have a roommate no matter how big your apartment is. So you can get a crappy sleeping partner no matter what. My 1 bedroom actually worked out in the fact that my original roommate got sent home and then they didn't assign me a new roommate until the last 2 weeks of the program. I basically had 3 months of an apartment to myself and it was glorious.

I didn't see you say but are your over 21?

Thank you,

-Yeah, I am leaning more towards one roommate, but this is all good to think about when making my final decision.

-No I will be 20 during my stay.

 

[wilkeliza]

Thank you,

-Yeah, I am leaning more towards one roommate, but this is all good to think about when making my final decision.

-No I will be 20 during my stay.

So with that knowledge I give you one word of warning. Do not drink in housing! If your roommate is drinking in your apartment do turn him in. Trust me it isn't worth going home and getting a no rehire status just to be the "cool roommate" who doesn't tell housing. It is a 0 tolerance policy and they send the whole apartment home if underage CPs are found with alcohol.

Also if you go out and drink either don't get drunk or don't come back to housing. If the guards think you are drunk and you are underage that's a fast ticket home.

 

[Daniel Piroli]

So with that knowledge I give you one word of warning. Do not drink in housing! If your roommate is drinking in your apartment do turn him in. Trust me it isn't worth going home and getting a no rehire status just to be the "cool roommate" who doesn't tell housing. It is a 0 tolerance policy and they send the whole apartment home if underage CPs are found with alcohol.

Also if you go out and drink either don't get drunk or don't come back to housing. If the guards think you are drunk and you are underage that's a fast ticket home.

Yeah, I do not want that to happen.

-I don't drink anyway, nor do I want to during my stay.
--The only thing I would have to worry about is my roommate. I feel that if I only have one other roommate, I would have less of a chance running into any situations involving alcohol, than I would if I was rooming with 3 or more roommates.

 

[Hannahinwonderland]

That's kind of why I recommend picking roommates in advance; you can pick people who are very much on the same level with you about alcohol. That being said, don't expect to 100% get your housing preferences- I had a room of 3 people I picked out, and they added two randoms to our group.

The people that I know who lived in a one-bedroom with just one roommate either loved it, or hated it. It's not for me personally. Your roommate will most likely have an opposite or different work schedule from you, so you'll rarely see them. If you love being alone, that's fine. I worked at MK and my roommate worked at DHS- she went to bed before I got home and was at work before I even woke up at least half of the time.

Also: CONGRATS!! You are going to have such a fun time. You may have mentioned it but what's your role?

 

[Daniel Piroli]

That's kind of why I recommend picking roommates in advance; you can pick people who are very much on the same level with you about alcohol. That being said, don't expect to 100% get your housing preferences- I had a room of 3 people I picked out, and they added two randoms to our group.

The people that I know who lived in a one-bedroom with just one roommate either loved it, or hated it. It's not for me personally. Your roommate will most likely have an opposite or different work schedule from you, so you'll rarely see them. If you love being alone, that's fine. I worked at MK and my roommate worked at DHS- she went to bed before I got home and was at work before I even woke up at least half of the time.

Also: CONGRATS!! You are going to have such a fun time. You may have mentioned it but what's your role?

Thank you!!! I am working in Transportation.

-Where can I choose roommates?
--Is there a Facebook group where students who are enrolled can meet and choose, or is there a place on the website for me to choose between roommates?

-I don't mind being alone, plus I can always make friends outside of the Dorms to hang out with after work.
--It would be nice to have some time to myself rather than always having someone around.

 

[Hannahinwonderland]

There should be a DCP Spring 2016 Facebook Group. I was in one for my DCP and people started posting roommate surveys the day they were accepted.

 

[Daniel Piroli]

There should be a DCP Spring 2016 Facebook Group. I was in one for my DCP and people started posting roommate surveys the day they were accepted.

Just joined it! Thank you so much for your help!

 

[theladyloki]

Cannot emphasize enough:
1) Bring your own car. I worked in resorts and some of the shifts ended like 1 minute before the last bus of the night was supposed to arrive - so many CPs would have to ER (Early Release from their shift) nightly just to make the bus...if it arrived. My car was in the shop for 4 days during my CP and having to rely on the busing for those few days was beyond awful. I had to call in 1 day because they couldn't get me an early enough lift to my 5am start time.
2) Try to meet your roommates on FaceBook. Out of all the people I met on my CP, my apartment was the only one that didn't have at least 1 roommate they hated. The 4 of us got along spectacularly!!! My actual bedroom roommate is to this day one of my closets friends - we're planning a DL adventure for the Summer.
3) Take advantage of the events offered. I didn't really do any of the CP events offered because I tried to pick up as many shifts possible (on the CP, it's really hard to say no to OT pay). But my location offered a few Behind the Scenes/Backstage Tours. Got to do Rock n' Rollercoaster, Haunted Mansion and Spaceship Earth. Absolutely amazing experiences! If you can do any of them, do! They're incredible.
4) Don't overpack. I'm terrible about overpacking and having a car made it waaaaaaaaaay too easy to bring way more than I needed. Also try to message your roommates and see who is bringing what.
5) Take it seriously. Your work location managers and coworkers can do a lot to help you (let's say with like a day off you desperately need but were denied) if you're a hard-worker and take it seriously. You're gonna be stuck with these people daily for a while, so make it count. Also, I wanted to go to seasonal status at the end of my program. My managers are the ones that made that happen.
And lastly...
6) HAVE FUN and take a lot of pictures!!!! It's an absolutely incredible experience. I don't even recognize the person I was the day I left for my CP. The friends and memories I have are something no one I know from my HS and town have and you can't put a price on that!
Good luck and enjoy it!
If you have any other questions or anything, feel free to PM me.

 

[wilkeliza]

5) Take it seriously. Your work location managers and coworkers can do a lot to help you (let's say with like a day off you desperately need but were denied) if you're a hard-worker and take it seriously. You're gonna be stuck with these people daily for a while, so make it count.
And lastly...

I can not stress this enough! I was suppose to work Thanksgiving but by some miracle was given the day before and the day after off. My fiance's (boyfriend at the time) family is in Boca about a 3 hour drive south of Orlando. So he said if I could get Thanksgiving off I should come spend time with them. I found someone to give the shift to but it was denied. The other person and I went to our manager on duty that day and plead our case. Eugene (the manager) told me straight out he was approving the swap and would force it through simply because of my work ethic. The approach I took was to say I completely understood the business needs and the rules and as it was only 1 hour of OT could they make an exception. I even said I understood if the answer was no and if so I would still come to work with a smile and make some magic for our guests. He said that attitude, the fact I had 0 points on my record at that time, and my over all passion as a CM was why he said yes. He said had I done what other people do and said well I'm calling out and doing this either way so make your life easier or deal with it when I call out he would have denied it. The reason is if you call out on a holiday you get a point so he'd rather have bad CMs racking up points so they could be fired instead of just letting them off the hook.

I also magically had Christmas off and once again a manager let it slip that they messed with that schedule before it went live and gave the top workers priority for having it off out of those of us who didn't ask for it. We were shocked and ended up spending the day drinking around the world in celebration haha. It wasn't just CPs but full timers and part timers.

 

[Daniel Piroli]

Cannot emphasize enough:
1) Bring your own car. I worked in resorts and some of the shifts ended like 1 minute before the last bus of the night was supposed to arrive - so many CPs would have to ER (Early Release from their shift) nightly just to make the bus...if it arrived. My car was in the shop for 4 days during my CP and having to rely on the busing for those few days was beyond awful. I had to call in 1 day because they couldn't get me an early enough lift to my 5am start time.
2) Try to meet your roommates on FaceBook. Out of all the people I met on my CP, my apartment was the only one that didn't have at least 1 roommate they hated. The 4 of us got along spectacularly!!! My actual bedroom roommate is to this day one of my closets friends - we're planning a DL adventure for the Summer.
3) Take advantage of the events offered. I didn't really do any of the CP events offered because I tried to pick up as many shifts possible (on the CP, it's really hard to say no to OT pay). But my location offered a few Behind the Scenes/Backstage Tours. Got to do Rock n' Rollercoaster, Haunted Mansion and Spaceship Earth. Absolutely amazing experiences! If you can do any of them, do! They're incredible.
4) Don't overpack. I'm terrible about overpacking and having a car made it waaaaaaaaaay too easy to bring way more than I needed. Also try to message your roommates and see who is bringing what.
5) Take it seriously. Your work location managers and coworkers can do a lot to help you (let's say with like a day off you desperately need but were denied) if you're a hard-worker and take it seriously. You're gonna be stuck with these people daily for a while, so make it count. Also, I wanted to go to seasonal status at the end of my program. My managers are the ones that made that happen.
And lastly...
6) HAVE FUN and take a lot of pictures!!!! It's an absolutely incredible experience. I don't even recognize the person I was the day I left for my CP. The friends and memories I have are something no one I know from my HS and town have and you can't put a price on that!
Good luck and enjoy it!
If you have any other questions or anything, feel free to PM me.

Thank you so much for your advice!

-I am bringing my own car so I do not plan on taking the buses.
--I have joined the Facebook page and already met a lot of wonderful people... still looking for roommates, I am not a partier and will be 20 so I want to stay away from alcohol.

-I will be in the parks everyday off I get haha.
--I am also an over packer, so I will make a note not to go crazy!

-I would like to make a career at Walt Disney World when I get out of college, so I will be taking this seriously.
--Im already excited about the fun I will have! Looking forward to it.