Requesting Day's Off -DCP

[ZiPaD3doDAH]

Hey guys!

I'm applying for the DCP Fall program

I have a question for those of you who have done the program for. How easy/hard is it to request a weekend off?

If I get in, I only plan on asking for 3 days off (December 12-14)

So my question is, is it easy to ask for days off if you request them WAY in advance (I would request them my first day on the job If I can)

 

[darthspielberg]

Hey guys!

I'm applying for the DCP Fall program

I have a question for those of you who have done the program for. How easy/hard is it to request a weekend off?

If I get in, I only plan on asking for 3 days off (December 12-14)

So my question is, is it easy to ask for days off if you request them WAY in advance (I would request them my first day on the job If I can)

I could be 100% wrong, since I have never worked for Disney at this point, but I think during December, requests are denied more often than they are approved, because it's their busier season.

 

[JillyBean1899]

You're basically going to be at the bottom of the scheduling totem pole. I would suggest checking with the manager at your location to see what the policy is on trading days off, and then make friends with whoever regularly has off the days you want. The way my schedule worked one year at Universal I was scheduled to have Thanksgiving and the day after, plus Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day off. Since I had no family down there and really didn't care about having holidays off (in fact, I would have gone in anyway because we got free dinners on Thanksgiving and Christmas ), I had lots of people asking me to trade days off with them. And they then owed me *BIG TIME*, so I could get days off I wasn't able to get through "official" channels. Or they made me food/desserts. One of them made a fantastic red velvet cake, which was my absolute favorite.

 

[theladyloki]

Generally, the sooner you request those days off, the more likely your chances are of getting them off.

Most of the FT CM's take their vacation time around Christmas time, so it might be a little tricky.

Also, that is the really busy season for both the parks and the resorts. If you don't get the time off, I'd talk to a manager. So long as you're a good worker (show up on time, don't call in a lot, agree to come in if you're called, ect) most are willing to do what they can to get you those days off.

Also, try talking with your fellow CMs to see if they'd be willing to trade days off - generally, the ones with the most seniority have either Fri/Sat or Sat/Sun as their regular days off.

 

[Mahwah]

My daughter just finished up the Disney College Program...December was a very hard time to get off, but you can certainly try! She needed like 4 days off early December due to a seminar she had to take for this class she was taking at her university, but Disney did NOT honor this request even with a letter from her University so.....she had to drop this class otherwise she would have failed the course not attending the seminar! On the other hand....we spent 4 days at Disney for Christmas and she got ALL 4 days off while we were there....go figure! lol

 

[BobbyT]

Yeah youre pretty much at the bottom of the totem pole when they honor requests. But when I was there last summer, when a lot of people i knew didn't get their requested days off, they just called in to CDS and said they wouldn't be at work that day. I mean if you really need/want a day off thats what you have to do. Yeah you get points on your record that add up to reprimands but in my experience, the repercussions were minimal. I worked in a large resort kitchen with a couple hundred employees and the chefs/managers didn't really get mad at you the next day if you called in. (usually because they didn't remember or care) One of my friends requested an entire week off because he was going back home and he didn't get any of the days so he just called in every day. He told the chefs before he left and they were understanding. They just found someone to replace him.

So what I'm saying is, if you don't get those days off and you absolutely need/want them off. And you're ok with having a few points on your record, just call in, it'll be fine

 

[ZiPaD3doDAH]

Thank you all for your inputs- very helpful!

 

[Berlioz70]

Scheduling works in a very organized patter, each location has a number of days of approvals they can give. If you work at a location with LOTS of CMs the number is higher than if you work in a location with only a couple dozen CMs.

FTers get first pick of days off, they all put in for their vaca requests LAST November/December for the entire 2014 year. After that - it's a free for all based on first come first serve.

You start out at a disadvantage because CMs have had since December to ask for those 3 days off. What you don't know is how many of those requests came from your specific location. Asking your first day with Hub access (which will likely be day 3 or 4 after you start work) is your best bet.

Another level is the waitlist. If they've already reached the maximum number of requests, then they start a waitlist for an additional requests. Now, to make it more complicated, some areas do not put CPs on the waiting list so a FT or PT that puts in the request after you may get waitlisted even though you were flat out denied (again - that varies based on your location).

It's not impossible to get days off, luckily those dates are between Thanks/Xmas so you have a little bit better chance than if it was later in the month.

As all others pointed out, make friends and find your area's FB group to request shift trades/give aways.

 

[JillyBean1899]

Yeah youre pretty much at the bottom of the totem pole when they honor requests. But when I was there last summer, when a lot of people i knew didn't get their requested days off, they just called in to CDS and said they wouldn't be at work that day. I mean if you really need/want a day off thats what you have to do. Yeah you get points on your record that add up to reprimands but in my experience, the repercussions were minimal. I worked in a large resort kitchen with a couple hundred employees and the chefs/managers didn't really get mad at you the next day if you called in. (usually because they didn't remember or care) One of my friends requested an entire week off because he was going back home and he didn't get any of the days so he just called in every day. He told the chefs before he left and they were understanding. They just found someone to replace him.

So what I'm saying is, if you don't get those days off and you absolutely need/want them off. And you're ok with having a few points on your record, just call in, it'll be fine

I completely disagree with this train of thought. You didn't say why you wanted the days off. If it's something vitally important, like a doctor's appointment that is scheduled 6 months out and can't be changed, I would consider it OK to call in absent for that. But don't wait until 10 minutes before your shift starts. Let your boss know when they deny the request that you will try to trade shifts, but you won't be there if you can't. It may not make a huge problem if you're one of 100 people at your location, but if it's just you and a few other people, you're going to make them do more work to cover for you. Think about how you would feel if you worked at a cart with one other person, and they didn't show up one day. You'd be doing twice the work for the same pay!

If it's just because you want the days off, well, suck it up. I know that sounds mean, but if you're going to work in a tourism/service industry job, you need to get used to it. You *WILL* miss things like concerts, parties, birthdays, holidays, etc. due to your work schedule. If you can't handle that, then Disney may not be the best job for you.

 

[leeg229]

For what it's worth I requested 12/9-12/13 this past December to travel home to visit my family for Thanksmas as i called it and I had all of my days approved. I also requested the days 4 months in advance.

 

[BobbyT]

I completely disagree with this train of thought. You didn't say why you wanted the days off. If it's something vitally important, like a doctor's appointment that is scheduled 6 months out and can't be changed, I would consider it OK to call in absent for that. But don't wait until 10 minutes before your shift starts. Let your boss know when they deny the request that you will try to trade shifts, but you won't be there if you can't. It may not make a huge problem if you're one of 100 people at your location, but if it's just you and a few other people, you're going to make them do more work to cover for you. Think about how you would feel if you worked at a cart with one other person, and they didn't show up one day. You'd be doing twice the work for the same pay!

If it's just because you want the days off, well, suck it up. I know that sounds mean, but if you're going to work in a tourism/service industry job, you need to get used to it. You *WILL* miss things like concerts, parties, birthdays, holidays, etc. due to your work schedule. If you can't handle that, then Disney may not be the best job for you.

I never said anything about myself. I'm only talking about some of my friends. And i certainly never said anything about calling in 10 minutes before your shift thats really irresponsible. I personally only called off once during my program.

But I disagree with what youre saying. DCP isn't just a job its an experience. You go to florida to work and have fun while doing it. It's not all about work and being a "grown up". You're supposed to do a bunch of stuff and experience new things in and outside of disney world. With that being said I don't see any problem with calling off because you bought concert tickets months earlier and request the day off the day you buy the tickets and you don't get the day off, especially if you can be easily replaced.

And i see where you're coming from when you say people *WILL* miss those events, but again this is DCP not a PI or FT CM. It's meant to be a fun experience all around.

 

[JillyBean1899]

I never said anything about myself. I'm only talking about some of my friends. And i certainly never said anything about calling in 10 minutes before your shift thats really irresponsible. I personally only called off once during my program.

But I disagree with what youre saying. DCP isn't just a job its an experience. You go to florida to work and have fun while doing it. It's not all about work and being a "grown up". You're supposed to do a bunch of stuff and experience new things in and outside of disney world. With that being said I don't see any problem with calling off because you bought concert tickets months earlier and request the day off the day you buy the tickets and you don't get the day off, especially if you can be easily replaced.

And i see where you're coming from when you say people *WILL* miss those events, but again this is DCP not a PI or FT CM. It's meant to be a fun experience all around.

And I never said anything about *YOU*. I just gave my opinion on why I thought calling in sick for random things was a bad idea. I was under the impression that while DCP was to be fun, it also was to be treated as a real job. I mean, you have serious responsibilities and you're receiving a paycheck, right? If you were a supervisor in the DCP program, and you had to decide at the end of the term who you were going to offer a full time job to, would you pick the person that showed up for their job every day, or the person that just showed up when they felt like it? Absences/points are to be used when *NEEDED*, not when *WANTED*. For example, if you can only miss 4 days during a 6 month time period, and you use them all at the beginning because you want to go visit your buddies, then you get sick later in the term, you no longer have days to lose, and you might get terminated. Yes, it is a lot of fun to work with people your age and your friends, but it is still first and foremost a job. And with a job comes certain responsibilities. And if one person slacks on those responsibilities, others have to pick them up, which isn't fair to them.

Again, the "you" isn't directed towards any one person, it's a general "you", as in "a specific person".

 

[eadavis]

I never said anything about myself. I'm only talking about some of my friends. And i certainly never said anything about calling in 10 minutes before your shift thats really irresponsible. I personally only called off once during my program. But I disagree with what youre saying. DCP isn't just a job its an experience. You go to florida to work and have fun while doing it. It's not all about work and being a "grown up". You're supposed to do a bunch of stuff and experience new things in and outside of disney world. With that being said I don't see any problem with calling off because you bought concert tickets months earlier and request the day off the day you buy the tickets and you don't get the day off, especially if you can be easily replaced. And i see where you're coming from when you say people *WILL* miss those events, but again this is DCP not a PI or FT CM. It's meant to be a fun experience all around.

Oh Bobby...

The DCP is an experience yes...but first and foremost, the DCP is an opportunity to gain valuable work experience and prepare you for the real world. You may not see anything wrong with calling off to go to a concert or a party - but you are putting your managers, co-workers, and job location in a bind as they are expecting you to be there. Having been a manager in the resorts...you cannot be "easily replaced."

And some food for thought...when you come to the end of your program and you want to extend, those with points seldom get the offer as extensions are competitive due to limited slots available. In addition, those wanting to return for PI's, your record card plays a key role. No manager will hire someone they can't rely on to show up.

Harsh yes, but that's the reality after the rose colored glasses come off. You're down here to work AND have fun, all while being a responsible "grown up."

 

[BobbyT]

Oh Bobby...

The DCP is an experience yes...but first and foremost, the DCP is an opportunity to gain valuable work experience and prepare you for the real world. You may not see anything wrong with calling off to go to a concert or a party - but you are putting your managers, co-workers, and job location in a bind as they are expecting you to be there. Having been a manager in the resorts...you cannot be "easily replaced."

And some food for thought...when you come to the end of your program and you want to extend, those with points seldom get the offer as extensions are competitive due to limited slots available. In addition, those wanting to return for PI's, your record card plays a key role. No manager will hire someone they can't rely on to show up.

Harsh yes, but that's the reality after the rose colored glasses come off. You're down here to work AND have fun, all while being a responsible "grown up."

Alright everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I'm just saying how i feel about the situation and how it could work out based on my own experience. I saw plenty of people call out and the chefs/managers almost always easily replaced them

 

[leeg229]

those with points seldom get the offer as extensions are competitive due to limited slots available.

This is not necessarily true. The fear that if you have even one or two points automatically disqualifies you is incorrect. There was a person this last season who had a reprimand who was accepted to extend. True that fewer points makes you a more likely candidate to extend, but it's not a disqualifier to have points. And if you're going seasonal, as long as you meet transfer guidelines it's up to your managers who they select.

 

[eadavis]

This is not necessarily true. The fear that if you have even one or two points automatically disqualifies you is incorrect. There was a person this last season who had a reprimand who was accepted to extend. True that fewer points makes you a more likely candidate to extend, but it's not a disqualifier to have points. And if you're going seasonal, as long as you meet transfer guidelines it's up to your managers who they select.

Exactly, which is why I used the qualifier "seldom." Some areas have higher demand than others. And when managers are making selections...don't you think absenteeism plays a part of the decision making process...why do something to make you LESS competitive...

 

[leeg229]

Exactly, which is why I used the qualifier "seldom." Some areas have higher demand than others. And when managers are making selections...don't you think absenteeism plays a part of the decision making process...why do something to make you LESS competitive...

Everyone knows that you need to show up to work; it's needless to point that out. As two of my area managers have discussed, the point system isn't everything. Your performance, attitude, recognitions, and relationship with your leaders play just as big, if not a bigger role in determining whether or not you go seasonal. The main thing that matters is that you meet transfer guidelines. As long as you do that you're not disqualified.

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

As two of my area managers have discussed, the point system isn't everything. Your performance, attitude, recognitions, and relationship with your leaders play just as big, if not a bigger role in determining whether or not you go seasonal.

Yes, but think of it this way ... you're an area manager, with space in your headcount for 1 CP to go seasonal. You have 2 CPs in your area who are interested. Both are basically equal - good at their jobs, friendly with the guests, etc. One has never called in, the other has called in 4 times in the 4 months they've been there. Since everything else is equal, you're probably going to pick the one with fewer points.

 

[touchthesky]

I had no points come extension time and I was denied my extension. I asked my managers about it and was told that it depends on a number of variables, including which positions you want to extend into, compliments on your record, and how many people applied to extend. I worked in an area that was very small but had a lot of CPs. Almost everyone in my area applied to extend (I'd say about 10 of us) and only 3 got accepted to extend, one of whom got moved to a different role.