What to bring?

[cuethemusic]

For those who have experienced the housing situation for the CP, what items do you recommend upcoming CP participants to bring? Things like towels, bedding, storage bins, etc.


This question is a little premature for me but I figured some of the Fall 2010 folks may appreciate it as well

 

[Kayticheer101]

For those who have experienced the housing situation for the CP, what items do you recommend upcoming CP participants to bring? Things like towels, bedding, storage bins, etc.


This question is a little premature for me but I figured some of the Fall 2010 folks may appreciate it as well

Sure do appreciate the question. I have been wondering as well. I know someone who stayed in the vista apartments last year and they had to bring cups or actually they bought them after they got there because the ones they give you were too small or something for them. I would love to know what to bring also So this is a good question!

 

[ZiPaD3doDAH]

I have been thinking about this for a while, would love to see someone's list!

 

[RyanS]

Having done this before, and currently in the process of doing it again, I'll give you my list and some reasons to/not to bring certain items. Keep in mind this is a list that will take me from March through August, when it will go from sunny and mild to ridiculously humid, rainy and hot. The list is also intended for 1 large suitcase and 1 medium suitcase and flying. If you're doing the Fall or Fall advantage program, it will cool off significantly around late October/early November so you'll probably add a few warmer items. As for packing, if you have space saver bags for your suitcases, USE THEM! I cannot stress enough how much space (and weight, especially important if you're flying) they save.


Clothes

This will probably be the most important item on the list and will vary by person. Think of what you pack for your dorm room and trim that by at least half! You're going to be in your costume most of the time so you won't need as many street clothes as you think. I guarentee you will be buying shirts and other clothes while you're there anyway, so pack light to begin with. The exception to this is socks, bring as many as you can, both white and black and varying cuts because your costume may differ if you work as part of an area and not just one location, and it rains a lot so you definitely want to have dry socks to change into if necessary. My list:

• 7-10 t-shirts
• 2 long sleeve shirts
• 1 sweatshirt
• 1 light jacket
• 3-4 pairs of shorts
• 2 pairs of jeans
• 1 pair of dress slacks
• 2 dress shirts
• 2 belts
• 1 pair sneakers
• 14-20 pairs of boxers
• 1 bathing suit (I'm a guy, no need for more than 1)
• 2 pairs of gym shorts
• 2 pairs pajama pants
• 20+ pairs of socks

The closets are decently sized as well as the dressers. Don't forget hangers. If you don't have room in your suitcase, you can pick up hangers at Wal-Mart relatively cheap. Remember, laundry is on a card system and they're the same size washers/dryers in a typical college laundry room. It's $1 to wash and $1 to dry. Bringing more clothes means you'll likely do less laundry, but when you do attempt laundry, you'll fill up more machines. Overloading the machines will ensure that your clothes do not get washed or dried at all and you will waste money. So there's a trade off there. You DO NOT have to wash your own costumes. You're allowed 5 tops and 5 bottoms at a time for your costume* so don't waste precious washer space and money on them, just drop them off at costuming and check out another one.

*My work area has 3 different costumes. My way of approaching this was to always have at least 1 top and 1 bottom for each location in my closet. Some costumes have accessories like belts, ties, suspenders, and hats. You're allowed to have 1 of each of those checked out at a time. 2 of my 3 costumes had suspenders (different colors/sizes) so I was able to check out one of each in addition to having a tie, a belt, and a hat. It's always good to have a copy of your work schedule on you so you can plan 2 weeks ahead of time for what costumes you'll need and when you think you'll need to do an exchange.

Shoes

Depending on your work area, you will either be wearing solid white or black athletic shoes, black dress shoes*, or brown hiking boots. It's best to hold off on bringing these and just wait until you find out your work location (it will list the shoe requirements for your role) and then buy the appropriate shoes you need. Aside from work shoes, bring what you would normally wear or find comfortable. No matter where you work, or what you do on your days off, there will be A LOT of walking, so comfort should be the first priority.

*Bring black dress shoes either way, you'll need them for Traditions and/or your orientation and if your role requires them, you're all set.

My list:

• 1 pair athletic shoes
• 1 pair black dress shoes
• 1 pair sandals
• work shoes upon arrival

Bedding

All the beds in the apartment complexes are twin sized. You'll be able to purchase sheets, pillows and blankets at Wal-Mart in varying costs depending on what you want after you check in. You may also want to invest in an egg-crate foam pad if you find the bed to be uncomfortable, but definitely don't waste space in your suitcase with one of those. If your parents are driving you there or they flew in with you and have a rental car, sending them to Wal-Mart to get this stuff along with groceries while you're going through the check-in process or through the background checks is a great idea since they will have nothing to do anyway.

I personally plan on bringing my own sheets and pillow from home because I'm bringing 2 suitcases and using space saver bags. Doing it this way will save you some money up front. Keep in mind, the apartments are air conditioned and can get very chilly depending on how low you and your roommates set the temperature. My list:

• 1 bed cover
• 2 thin sheets
• 1 light comforter
• 1 pillow
• 2 pillowcases
• 1 fleece blanket

Bathroom Products

Obviously an important subject to everyone. If you want to save space in your suitcase, obviously Wal-Mart probably has everything you would usually buy. If you need medication, bring it and a copy of your prescriptions. Aspirin is generally a good idea too. This list is for a guy, girls are clearly going to have much more stuff in this area:

• 1 toothbrush
• 1 tube of toothpaste
• 1 pack of floss
• 1 razor
• 1 tub of hair gel
• 2 packs razorblade heads
• 1 can of shaving cream
• 2 sticks deoderant
• 2 bottles of bodywash
• 2 cans of body spray
• 1 bottle of shampoo
• 1 body scrubber
• 1 set of nail clippers
• 3 bath towels*

*You may want to bring more, and a beach towel too. I can generally get by on one towel during the week, you should be able to hang towels on a rack in your bathroom or bedroom.

Electronics

Obviously important to any college student, no less important while you're doing the college program. If you have a laptop, BRING IT and don't forget the power chord and a long ethernet cable. If you have a desktop, leave it at home. The computers at the Disney Learning Center are ok, but they are literally the bare minimum and very restrictive of what they allow you to do (i.e. you can't use IM clients, can't transfer pictures from a camera, etc.) and there can often be a line to use them.

A digital camera and extra memory cards are ESSENTIAL. You will be taking so many pictures with friends it's not even funny. Bring at least a 2 gb card and 1 or 2 smaller backups. If you're driving, bring a TV and dvd player (with remote controls and coaxial cable). It's not really essential, but your roommates will collectively want one. You may find yourself throwing some money together with your roommates to go buy a cheap TV after you move in, or you might get lucky and inherit a TV left behind by the former cast members living in your apartment, but that's unlikely. As far as dvds go, on my first program I brought a binder with most of my dvd's in it, which was a mistake. I spent almost no time watching my movies and they just ended up getting scratched being in that binder for so long. The Disney learning center at Vista has a dvd library which you can use to rent movies for your apartment and there is a decent selection to choose from.

If you're driving and plan on bringing a video game system, or plan on having one shipped to you, don't. During your free time, don't be that guy or girl that sits in their room playing video games while everyone else is out having fun. Make friends, go to the parks, go to parties, go to the beach, go to restaurants, clubs and bars, BE SOCIAL! This is no way a slight towards gamers, as I am one myself, but a handheld system like a PSP or Nintendo DS is really all you should consider bringing for long bus rides, etc. Not to mention it's just more clutter in your apartment and you don't want an expensive video game system getting broken or stolen.

iPod, BRING IT. You will often be subject to long bus rides to and from work if you don't have a car, and trust me you will want to listen to music. Don't forget a usb chord or wall charger for it.

Bring your cell phone and its charger, obviously. If you're an ICP, Wal-Mart has some decent pay as you go phones with all kinds of different options, make sure you do that quickly upon arrival. Phone cards are also very useful for calling home.

Your bedroom will have a locker to keep valuable items. You'll definitely want to store anything of value there when it's not being used. Just remember to bring a lock with you, combination or pad locks will work fine.
Anyway, my list:

• 1 netbook with power chord
• 1 wireless mouse
• 1 long ethernet cable
• 1 digital camera with battery charger
• 1 2-GB memory card
• 1 512-MB memory card
• 1 256-MB memory card
• 1 battery charger
• 4 rechargable AA batteries
• 4 rechargable AAA batteries
• 1 cell phone with charger
• 1 ipod with usb cable, wall charger and headphones

Miscellaneous Stuff

One of the most important things you'll need is a backpack. Useful for bringing clothes to change into after work, carrying a lunch, umbrella, rain coat and other things you might need during the day. Not to mention you can pack more (legal in the air) stuff in it as a carry on if you're flying.

Don't forget an alarm clock, even if you use your cell phone as an alarm, have a backup because you don't want to be late for a bus or work over getting AM/PM mixed up. If you can get one in military time, you're golden because that's what Disney and the buses use and it's impossible to mistake 7AM for 19:00. Set them a few minutes fast too, it will help you be on time.
My list:

• 1 backpack
• 1 alarm clock
• 1 pair sunglasses
• 1 hat
• 1 nalgene bottle
• 1 checkbook*
• 1 credit card**
• 1 ID lanyard

*Good to have just in case, and if you want to do direct deposit into your home bank, you'll need the 9-digit routing number which can be found on the bottom of your checks.

**BE VERY CAREFUL with this one. I'm still paying off my balance from 2008 because of the College Program. Use it for emergency purposes only and not on food in the parks, it adds up so fast it will make your head spin. I'm bringing mine, but I would advise doing like me and keeping it locked in your locker. After the first 3 weeks, you should have enough money to get by comfortably.


So that's all that comes to mind right now, if I think of anything later I'll be sure to update this thread. Feel free to ask any questions too!

 

[Kayticheer101]

Having done this before, and currently in the process of doing it again, I'll give you my list and some reasons to/not to bring certain items. Keep in mind this is a list that will take me from March through August, when it will go from sunny and mild to ridiculously humid, rainy and hot. The list is also intended for 1 large suitcase and 1 medium suitcase and flying. If you're doing the Fall or Fall advantage program, it will cool off significantly around late October/early November so you'll probably add a few warmer items. As for packing, if you have space saver bags for your suitcases, USE THEM! I cannot stress enough how much space (and weight, especially important if you're flying) they save.


Clothes

This will probably be the most important item on the list and will vary by person. Think of what you pack for your dorm room and trim that by at least half! You're going to be in your costume most of the time so you won't need as many street clothes as you think. I guarentee you will be buying shirts and other clothes while you're there anyway, so pack light to begin with. The exception to this is socks, bring as many as you can, both white and black and varying cuts because your costume may differ if you work as part of an area and not just one location, and it rains a lot so you definitely want to have dry socks to change into if necessary. My list:

• 7-10 t-shirts
• 2 long sleeve shirts
• 1 sweatshirt
• 1 light jacket
• 3-4 pairs of shorts
• 2 pairs of jeans
• 1 pair of dress slacks
• 2 dress shirts
• 2 belts
• 1 pair sneakers
• 14-20 pairs of boxers
• 1 bathing suit (I'm a guy, no need for more than 1)
• 2 pairs of gym shorts
• 2 pairs pajama pants
• 20+ pairs of socks

The closets are decently sized as well as the dressers. Don't forget hangers. If you don't have room in your suitcase, you can pick up hangers at Wal-Mart relatively cheap. Remember, laundry is on a card system and they're the same size washers/dryers in a typical college laundry room. It's $1 to wash and $1 to dry. Bringing more clothes means you'll likely do less laundry, but when you do attempt laundry, you'll fill up more machines. Overloading the machines will ensure that your clothes do not get washed or dried at all and you will waste money. So there's a trade off there. You DO NOT have to wash your own costumes. You're allowed 5 tops and 5 bottoms at a time for your costume* so don't waste precious washer space and money on them, just drop them off at costuming and check out another one.

*My work area has 3 different costumes. My way of approaching this was to always have at least 1 top and 1 bottom for each location in my closet. Some costumes have accessories like belts, ties, suspenders, and hats. You're allowed to have 1 of each of those checked out at a time. 2 of my 3 costumes had suspenders (different colors/sizes) so I was able to check out one of each in addition to having a tie, a belt, and a hat. It's always good to have a copy of your work schedule on you so you can plan 2 weeks ahead of time for what costumes you'll need and when you think you'll need to do an exchange.

Shoes

Depending on your work area, you will either be wearing solid white or black athletic shoes, black dress shoes*, or brown hiking boots. It's best to hold off on bringing these and just wait until you find out your work location (it will list the shoe requirements for your role) and then buy the appropriate shoes you need. Aside from work shoes, bring what you would normally wear or find comfortable. No matter where you work, or what you do on your days off, there will be A LOT of walking, so comfort should be the first priority.

*Bring black dress shoes either way, you'll need them for Traditions and/or your orientation and if your role requires them, you're all set.

My list:

• 1 pair athletic shoes
• 1 pair black dress shoes
• 1 pair sandals
• work shoes upon arrival

Bedding

All the beds in the apartment complexes are twin sized. You'll be able to purchase sheets, pillows and blankets at Wal-Mart in varying costs depending on what you want after you check in. You may also want to invest in an egg-crate foam pad if you find the bed to be uncomfortable, but definitely don't waste space in your suitcase with one of those. If your parents are driving you there or they flew in with you and have a rental car, sending them to Wal-Mart to get this stuff along with groceries while you're going through the check-in process or through the background checks is a great idea since they will have nothing to do anyway.

I personally plan on bringing my own sheets and pillow from home because I'm bringing 2 suitcases and using space saver bags. Doing it this way will save you some money up front. Keep in mind, the apartments are air conditioned and can get very chilly depending on how low you and your roommates set the temperature. My list:

• 1 bed cover
• 2 thin sheets
• 1 light comforter
• 1 pillow
• 2 pillowcases
• 1 fleece blanket

Bathroom Products

Obviously an important subject to everyone. If you want to save space in your suitcase, obviously Wal-Mart probably has everything you would usually buy. If you need medication, bring it and a copy of your prescriptions. Aspirin is generally a good idea too. This list is for a guy, girls are clearly going to have much more stuff in this area:

• 1 toothbrush
• 1 tube of toothpaste
• 1 pack of floss
• 1 razor
• 1 tub of hair gel
• 2 packs razorblade heads
• 1 can of shaving cream
• 2 sticks deoderant
• 2 bottles of bodywash
• 2 cans of body spray
• 1 bottle of shampoo
• 1 body scrubber
• 1 set of nail clippers
• 3 bath towels*

*You may want to bring more, and a beach towel too. I can generally get by on one towel during the week, you should be able to hang towels on a rack in your bathroom or bedroom.

Electronics

Obviously important to any college student, no less important while you're doing the college program. If you have a laptop, BRING IT and don't forget the power chord and a long ethernet cable. If you have a desktop, leave it at home. The computers at the Disney Learning Center are ok, but they are literally the bare minimum and very restrictive of what they allow you to do (i.e. you can't use IM clients, can't transfer pictures from a camera, etc.) and there can often be a line to use them.

A digital camera and extra memory cards are ESSENTIAL. You will be taking so many pictures with friends it's not even funny. Bring at least a 2 gb card and 1 or 2 smaller backups. If you're driving, bring a TV and dvd player (with remote controls and coaxial cable). It's not really essential, but your roommates will collectively want one. You may find yourself throwing some money together with your roommates to go buy a cheap TV after you move in, or you might get lucky and inherit a TV left behind by the former cast members living in your apartment, but that's unlikely. As far as dvds go, on my first program I brought a binder with most of my dvd's in it, which was a mistake. I spent almost no time watching my movies and they just ended up getting scratched being in that binder for so long. The Disney learning center at Vista has a dvd library which you can use to rent movies for your apartment and there is a decent selection to choose from.

If you're driving and plan on bringing a video game system, or plan on having one shipped to you, don't. During your free time, don't be that guy or girl that sits in their room playing video games while everyone else is out having fun. Make friends, go to the parks, go to parties, go to the beach, go to restaurants, clubs and bars, BE SOCIAL! This is no way a slight towards gamers, as I am one myself, but a handheld system like a PSP or Nintendo DS is really all you should consider bringing for long bus rides, etc. Not to mention it's just more clutter in your apartment and you don't want an expensive video game system getting broken or stolen.

iPod, BRING IT. You will often be subject to long bus rides to and from work if you don't have a car, and trust me you will want to listen to music. Don't forget a usb chord or wall charger for it.

Bring your cell phone and its charger, obviously. If you're an ICP, Wal-Mart has some decent pay as you go phones with all kinds of different options, make sure you do that quickly upon arrival. Phone cards are also very useful for calling home.

Your bedroom will have a locker to keep valuable items. You'll definitely want to store anything of value there when it's not being used. Just remember to bring a lock with you, combination or pad locks will work fine.
Anyway, my list:

• 1 netbook with power chord
• 1 wireless mouse
• 1 long ethernet cable
• 1 digital camera with battery charger
• 1 2-GB memory card
• 1 512-MB memory card
• 1 256-MB memory card
• 1 battery charger
• 4 rechargable AA batteries
• 4 rechargable AAA batteries
• 1 cell phone with charger
• 1 ipod with usb cable, wall charger and headphones

Miscellaneous Stuff

One of the most important things you'll need is a backpack. Useful for bringing clothes to change into after work, carrying a lunch, umbrella, rain coat and other things you might need during the day. Not to mention you can pack more (legal in the air) stuff in it as a carry on if you're flying.

Don't forget an alarm clock, even if you use your cell phone as an alarm, have a backup because you don't want to be late for a bus or work over getting AM/PM mixed up. If you can get one in military time, you're golden because that's what Disney and the buses use and it's impossible to mistake 7AM for 19:00. Set them a few minutes fast too, it will help you be on time.
My list:

• 1 backpack
• 1 alarm clock
• 1 pair sunglasses
• 1 hat
• 1 nalgene bottle
• 1 checkbook*
• 1 credit card**
• 1 ID lanyard

*Good to have just in case, and if you want to do direct deposit into your home bank, you'll need the 9-digit routing number which can be found on the bottom of your checks.

**BE VERY CAREFUL with this one. I'm still paying off my balance from 2008 because of the College Program. Use it for emergency purposes only and not on food in the parks, it adds up so fast it will make your head spin. I'm bringing mine, but I would advise doing like me and keeping it locked in your locker. After the first 3 weeks, you should have enough money to get by comfortably.


So that's all that comes to mind right now, if I think of anything later I'll be sure to update this thread. Feel free to ask any questions too!

Wow! thanks for all that info! I had a few questions. this is great yo uknow so much! Okay:

1. Pertaining to the laptop...can you plug it in to your room and be able to get on the internet or how does that work. do they have wireless??? just wondering.

2. What all appliances does the apartments come with.. vaccumm kitchen things etc???

3. also..what is the check in day like. what is the sequence of events. after everyone is checked in they take us to walmart right??? or how does that all work?

4. i think that is it but any other elaborate info would be great

 

[Amanda08]

Wow RyanS! That post is really thought out and well written..and also VERY helpful! Thanks so much!

 

[RyanS]

Wow! thanks for all that info! I had a few questions. this is great yo uknow so much! Okay:

1. Pertaining to the laptop...can you plug it in to your room and be able to get on the internet or how does that work. do they have wireless??? just wondering.

2. What all appliances does the apartments come with.. vaccumm kitchen things etc???

3. also..what is the check in day like. what is the sequence of events. after everyone is checked in they take us to walmart right??? or how does that all work?

4. i think that is it but any other elaborate info would be great

1. Depending how you set up the room, there will be outlets for you to plug into. I forgot to mention this, but the internet access is in the living room area in the apartments, at least it is in Vista. Having a wireless router is very useful if you don't have a long ethernet cable. That's probably one of the things you and your roommates will pitch in to buy together.

2. The apartments are fully furnished. Refrigerator, microwave, oven, stovetops, sink, dish washer, pots, pans, silverware, glasses, plates, bowls, cutting board, tea kettle all come in the apartment. Vacuums can be checked out at the front desks of the complexes.

3. I last went through check in in May 2008, I'm pretty sure it's different now. But my day (from what I can recall) went like this: Day 1 - Get to vista, drive back to the check in tent, get my picture taken for my id, get assigned an apartment and key, find out work location and training schedule, go through some questionnaires, find out which traditions class I will be attending, Move into apartment, background check, run to wal-mart for items, get on bus to the commons for housing meeting, mingle in the apartment complex, sleep. I got into Vista around 2pm and all the meetings and such were done by 7.

Day 2 - Go over legal stuff, sign papers, i think that was it.

Day 3 - Traditions, then finally park hopping!

It may be different now, but I'm sure it's generally along those lines.

 

[Kayticheer101]

1. Depending how you set up the room, there will be outlets for you to plug into. I forgot to mention this, but the internet access is in the living room area in the apartments, at least it is in Vista. Having a wireless router is very useful if you don't have a long ethernet cable. That's probably one of the things you and your roommates will pitch in to buy together.

2. The apartments are fully furnished. Refrigerator, microwave, oven, stovetops, sink, dish washer, silverware, glasses, plates, bowls, cutting board, tea kettle all come in the apartment. Vacuums can be checked out at the front desks of the complexes.

3. I last went through check in in May 2008, I'm pretty sure it's different now. But my day (from what I can recall) went like this: Day 1 - Get to vista, drive back to the check in tent, get my picture taken for my id, get assigned an apartment and key, find out work location and training schedule, go through some questionnaires, find out which traditions class I will be attending, Move into apartment, background check, run to wal-mart for items, get on bus to the commons for housing meeting, mingle in the apartment complex, sleep. I got into Vista around 2pm and all the meetings and such were done by 7.

Day 2 - Go over legal stuff, sign papers, i think that was it.

Day 3 - Traditions, then finally park hopping!

It may be different now, but I'm sure it's generally along those lines.

Thanks okay so sorry to be annoying or anything i may sounds like haha but by ethernet cable...where would yo uplug that into. im not a technology major or anything so i need to be explained this too haha. I know all about the wireless routers and how to use those but can you just use a ethernet cable?

Okay and then i guess my last question is does disney take us all to walmart? because im not bringing my car so i dont know how all this is working out for check in day??

 

[RyanS]

No Problem, I'm happy to answer anything.

Ethernet cables are the way to connect to a router or modem, they look like phone lines, but a little bigger. They come in all different lengths, so if you're not using wireless, the longer the ethernet cable the more mobility you will have in your apartment. A wireless router is definitely not necessary for the apartment, but it is extremely useful instead of having wires everywhere. There is free wireless at Clubroom Thirteen 501 at Vista too.

And there is a bus that takes you to Wal-Mart (H bus), I think it leaves on every hour, but don't quote me on that. You'll get a bus schedule with all the pick up and depart times.

 

[Kayticheer101]

No Problem, I'm happy to answer anything.

Ethernet cables are the way to connect to a router or modem, they look like phone lines, but a little bigger. They come in all different lengths, so if you're not using wireless, the longer the ethernet cable the more mobility you will have in your apartment. A wireless router is definitely not necessary for the apartment, but it is extremely useful instead of having wires everywhere. There is free wireless at Clubroom Thirteen 501 at Vista too.

And there is a bus that takes you to Wal-Mart (H bus), I think it leaves on every hour, but don't quote me on that. You'll get a bus schedule with all the pick up and depart times.

Thanks thats helpful. I was wondering about how the buses worked. So once you get your schedule of where yo uwork and when.. Do yo uyourself need to plan when and where to get on a bus to get there or how does that work??

 

[RyanS]

Thanks thats helpful. I was wondering about how the buses worked. So once you get your schedule of where yo uwork and when.. Do yo uyourself need to plan when and where to get on a bus to get there or how does that work??

You're welcome. How you use the busses is entirely up to you. I work at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and on my college program the busses (E bus for Hollywood Studios) would pick up from Vista way at every :02 and :32 of the hour and leave DHS on every :17 and :47 on the hour. These aren't precise times due to traffic or incidents with the bus, but they're on time 98% of the time I would guess. I don't remember the Chatham and Commons stop times for that route, but figure there are always at least 2 buses (for the most part, Epcot and MK have 3 I believe) going on a route at any given time.

You'll get a full list of the bus routes and times when you check in and from there you basically use them how you would see fit. I always wanted to be at work 45 minutes to an hour early, so if I had a shift at 10am, I would get on the 9:02 E bus to get me to DHS around 9:17 leaving me plenty of time to get a costume, get to my break room, eat a snack, relax and clock in for my shift on time.

Sometimes, you'll have an afternoon or night shift and you may want to spend the morning park hopping. If that's the case, take whatever bus you want to whatever park you're going to in the morning. Instead of using the American Coach busses (the ones for the CP, you'll get to know them very well) to go back to your apartment, bring your costume, lunch, etc. with you in a backpack and then just take the Disney busses, monorail, ferry, (or walk if it's within distance) etc. to your work location. Just make sure you give yourself at least an hour and a half to two hours if you're going from your last park to another to work, just to be safe. Obviously you can do whatever you like, these are just my suggestions.

After a couple of weeks, you'll know the bus schedule (at least the one you use to get to and from work) so well you won't even need to look at it. Just be aware the schedules change every few months, not by much, but enough that it may cause you to miss a bus by a minute or two; so just pay attention to the changes. You can always grab an up to date schedule from the bus stops.

 

[Kayticheer101]

After a couple of weeks, you'll know the bus schedule (at least the one you use to get to and from work) so well you won't even need to look at it. Just be aware the schedules change every few months, not by much, but enough that it may cause you to miss a bus by a minute or two; so just pay attention to the changes. You can always grab an up to date schedule from the bus stops.

Oh okay, well thanks for all that info. It really helped alot!

 

[Pure_Imagination]

Brings LOTS of clothes if you can. That was my mistake when I came down this Spring. Laundry is probably not something you'll want to do, even if it's every week. It's hard to find the time- on your days off it's hard to commit a couple of hours to laundry. Plus it costs money each time you do a load. Just make sure you have plenty of each kind of clothes to get you through a couple of weeks. Jeans are always okay to where over and over again for weeks, in my opinion, as long as you hang them up or fold them nicely and don't get any stains on them.

If you're driving, bring plenty of cash, or buy one of the express passes that can get you through the express lane on toll roads. Even though you really don't need to go on any toll roads in case you're near the airport, in my first couple of weeks here I kept getting seriously lost and I ALWAYS seemed to end up on toll roads! So make sure you bring plenty of cash so you don't get stuck at a toll road! I'm not really sure how the express passes work, but they might be helpful for the first couple of weeks so that you don't have to panic and search for money each time you've realized that you've gotten caught on a toll road.

Some advice: set your GPS to avoid toll roads. Yes, sometimes this means the GPS will take you around the world in a circle or square to get you to your destination, but at least you don't have to pay for toll roads.

A GPS is a MUST if you're driving! It's helpful even if you're just using it to guide yourself around the city! If you're completely new to the city you won't know where anything is, and even going to Wal-Mart could be a nightmare if you're not careful. You'll learn the city though, and use good judgement because sometimes the GPS is crazy.

Bring sunscreen! And a water bottle.

And seriously, people are serious when they say the one thing they recommend to bring is a car. The busses can be a nightmare. Sure they're free, but this is usually how riding the bus went for me:

* it's already recommended to be at work 30 minutes early
* you have to be at the bus stop 15 minutes early
* and the busses usually got me to my work location even earlier than the 30 minutes, but if I caught a later bus, I would be late.

Sometimes it meant leaving an hour and a half before my shift, and if you're working in the morning you do NOT want to do that! My first week was MISERABLE, and I'm so grateful that I could bring my car.

Plus after you get off of work you'll want to go home, not wait outside for a bus to come. And if you're already paying insurance or monthly payments on your car, in my opinion it's a waste to just leave the car sitting at home all that time.

Bringing one of those mini backpacks would probably be a good idea. They're great for the parks! I don't have one yet, but I wish I did. You might need some kind of mini backpack or backpack to carry all your stuff in to work.

The one thing I wish I brought was a blanket. I don't know if this will be a problem for the fall CPs, but our apartment is FREEZING, especially in the bedrooms, even with the heat turned up. I swear, I can't find blankets anywhere! I'm looking for Disney ones, but now I would go with anything.

One last piece of advice: bring a lunch box/lunch bag! It adds up when you buy lunch every day, plus at some locations it's nearly impossible to run from wherever your work location is to wherever the nearest place to buy food is.

 

[jewjubean]

Tupperware and a Lunch bag are good to have also for bringing your lunch to work.

 

[Amanda08]

Is there a place to put our things while at work...like a locker or something...if we bring a change of clothes, or lunch, or anything like that? Just curious.

 

[GreatWideSomewhere]

Here is my list from my program (excluding clothes). I drove down with my parents, so I could bring a lot more than some others. One of the best things both myself and my roommate brought were bed risers. That way you can store suitcases or storage bins under your bed. They also make it seem more like home and not a dorm room.

Disney College Program Packing List!
Bedroom
- Bed set
- Mattress pad
- Foam pad
- Alarm clock
- bedside lamp
- Books
- Pictures
- Jewelry/makeup box
- Calendar
- White board
- Ribbon & tacks for pictures
- Dvds in CD case (my roommate brought the tv/dvd player)
- Laptop, charger, case, surge protector
- Router
- Printer
- Notebook/pens/pencils
- Hangers
- Combination lock (most workplaces have lockers available, so you might want to bring two. I trusted my roommates, so I didn't use one at home.)
- vacuum (my family has a small extra one...it was so much easier to use, then having to lug the one up from the office at the apartments!)

Bathroom
- Towels (bring at least 2! It gets really humid in Florida and our towels were often not all the dry when we had to use them)
- Flat iron/hair dryer
- Brush/tooth brush
- Hair ties, bobby pins, head bands
- Shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, gel, toothpaste, soap, etc
- Bins/baskets (important for keeping all the girly soap products organized under the sink. )
- Bath mat
- Over the door towel rack (This definitely came in handy)
- Mirror hook (suction cup hook for hand towel)
- Night light (2) (We had one in our kitchen and bathroom for whoever got home at 2 am from work.)

Kitchen
- Water pitcher (Having cold, filtered water is very nice)
- Coffee maker
- Filters (for water pitcher)
- Towels/rags (the apts don't come with these, so you might want to bring or buy them when you get down there)
- Tupperware (so good to have to take food in for lunch at work, I think that almost all work locations have access to at least a microwave. Even though I was the Magic Kingdom and we had a couple of places to buy food, we often didn't have enough time on our breaks to get all the way there and back and still have time to eat, so bringing food was a must)
- Sharpie (yes, that frozen macaroni and cheese is MINE, thank you. )
- Magnets (perfect for putting work schedules up for everyone to see...bus schedules too.)

Other:
- Storage bins
- Bed risers
- Camera/chargers
- Sunglasses (two pairs. My nice ones for everyday, and a cheap pair for work. I went through 3 of the cheap ones during my program. Don't wear Coach ones to work!)

 

[Kayticheer101]

- Sunglasses (two pairs. My nice ones for everyday, and a cheap pair for work. I went through 3 of the cheap ones during my program. Don't wear Coach ones to work!)[/QUOTE]

Thats great!!!! Thanks I have a question as for the sunglasses thing you said. .. Are we allowd to wear sunglasses if we work somewhere outside? or what are we allowed to wear and all that?

 

[ltwentyone]

Thanks for all the info everyone! If I get accepted, I will definitely be printing this thread out!

 

[GreatWideSomewhere]

- Sunglasses (two pairs. My nice ones for everyday, and a cheap pair for work. I went through 3 of the cheap ones during my program. Don't wear Coach ones to work!)

Thats great!!!! Thanks I have a question as for the sunglasses thing you said. .. Are we allowd to wear sunglasses if we work somewhere outside? or what are we allowed to wear and all that?[/QUOTE]

Yes, you can. Your work location will have specific rules regrading them, but you should be able to wear them if you work somewhere in the direct sun. They need to fit into the Disney Look standards and if you are conversing with a guest, you have to take them off to be more respectful. But you should be able to wear them.

Oh, and you can't have them on your head if you are not wearing them. I would always forget about that rule. They have to be either on your face or out of sight.

 

[Kayticheer101]

Thats great!!!! Thanks I have a question as for the sunglasses thing you said. .. Are we allowd to wear sunglasses if we work somewhere outside? or what are we allowed to wear and all that?

Yes, you can. Your work location will have specific rules regrading them, but you should be able to wear them if you work somewhere in the direct sun. They need to fit into the Disney Look standards and if you are conversing with a guest, you have to take them off to be more respectful. But you should be able to wear them.

Oh, and you can't have them on your head if you are not wearing them. I would always forget about that rule. They have to be either on your face or out of sight. [/QUOTE]

Gotcha. Alright sounds good. Ill think of anymore question I have haha. I might be bugging you with some more. haha