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forever a child
01-02-2015, 01:52 PM
This promises to be an exciting year! My DD is finishing her Junior year in college in engineering and has decided to add one semester of college on and one semester in the DCP! She is going to apply for Fall 2015. She has always wanted to be at Disney for the Halloween festivities and it has never worked in our schedule, so she is choosing the Fall semester. That way if she does not get into the program she can re apply for Spring 2016.

Asking for Pixie Dust for her! I'll update you on her progress! I guess the applications will go on line some time late this Jan or early Feb. She is reading up on the process right now through blogs. She will be starting her own blog as well.

Happy New Year to All!:tink:

Goofeygal
01-02-2015, 02:23 PM
Pixie dust for her. My son did the DCP and had the best experience. If you have questions we will be happy to try and answer them.

joanna71985
01-02-2015, 08:58 PM
Sending pixie dust her way! I did the CP myself (6 times, to be exact), and they were the best experiences of my life

forever a child
01-03-2015, 12:23 PM
Thanks for the pixie dust. She is really excited! How competitive is the application process? She stated that a resume is not required but optional, would you recommend she submit one anyway? She has had two summer jobs of life guarding as well as an internship in her area of study at college in prosthetics, lots of volunteering and a former competitive swimmer. I have no idea what they are looking for in their CP applicants other than a friendly outgoing personality. Any suggestions would be welcome as she begins this process!

Thanks!:mickey:

Goofeygal
01-04-2015, 02:53 PM
I do remember they have a phone interview so being very confident is important.

joanna71985
01-05-2015, 11:16 AM
It's pretty competitive. There are people who don't make it past the online application part unfortunately (which is the first step)

brownie
01-05-2015, 01:02 PM
Good luck!

mousetrapper
01-05-2015, 05:58 PM
Both of my DDs applied within the last few years. Oldest was a theatre major (she's since graduated) and the youngest just wanted to work at WDW.

Oldest DD never got past the online application. She never understood why; they don't provide any kind of feedback. They also restrict you from applying again until the next go-round, so she couldn't apply again because she was studying abroad and then finishing college. She was extremely disappointed in the impersonal process.

Youngest DD got through to the phone interview. A few days later she learned she didn't get in.

My oldest decided to try for a job at WDW after graduating in 2013. She auditioned several times (traveling to Orlando and Philly) but quickly realized the competition was overwhelming. She applied for a job in April and was told she needed to live in FL and also drive. She moved from her home in MD to Kissimmee in Aug. and continued to audition. She reapplied after the 6 month waiting period and just got hired -- not in entertainment as she wants but at least she has her foot in the door!

Suffice it to say any of the Disney CP and career opportunities are highly competitive. What's tough is you don't always find out the reason you don't make it. I'd say try as early as possible so you have time to keep trying if you don't make it in the first time.

forever a child
01-06-2015, 10:34 AM
Both of my DDs applied within the last few years. Oldest was a theatre major (she's since graduated) and the youngest just wanted to work at WDW.

Oldest DD never got past the online application. She never understood why; they don't provide any kind of feedback. They also restrict you from applying again until the next go-round, so she couldn't apply again because she was studying abroad and then finishing college. She was extremely disappointed in the impersonal process.

Youngest DD got through to the phone interview. A few days later she learned she didn't get in.

My oldest decided to try for a job at WDW after graduating in 2013. She auditioned several times (traveling to Orlando and Philly) but quickly realized the competition was overwhelming. She applied for a job in April and was told she needed to live in FL and also drive. She moved from her home in MD to Kissimmee in Aug. and continued to audition. She reapplied after the 6 month waiting period and just got hired -- not in entertainment as she wants but at least she has her foot in the door!

Suffice it to say any of the Disney CP and career opportunities are highly competitive. What's tough is you don't always find out the reason you don't make it. I'd say try as early as possible so you have time to keep trying if you don't make it in the first time.

Congrats to your DD on getting hired at WDW!

Thank you for the advise too. Yes, she will have 3 semesters to attempt to apply during her undergrad. And since she is planning to go to grad school, she could continue on to apply then if she wants to. Though I think she might get discouraged if she was rejected 3 times. We both have been reading on the application and interview process. I just want to get it all over with, LOL so we can know what she will be doing Fall 2015. But it will be an interesting road to see how it goes.

Thanks everyone!

mechanic
01-07-2015, 10:19 PM
You can't expect your major, or previous experience to affect what job you will be assigned. A couple of my friends did the program several years ago. Ended up as custodial and retail clerk. One was engineering and other was sports management. I doubt it does much for long term career, but they said it was great fun.

forever a child
01-24-2015, 12:00 PM
You can't expect your major, or previous experience to affect what job you will be assigned. A couple of my friends did the program several years ago. Ended up as custodial and retail clerk. One was engineering and other was sports management. I doubt it does much for long term career, but they said it was great fun.

Yes, I agree. We were not thinking that her major would be a factor in her acceptance into the program. However, if she is accepted, she is wanting to do the engineering class with DCP. So I hope she gets accepted and early enough to get into the class as that would be a great opportunity for her!

forever a child
01-24-2015, 12:08 PM
Well everyone, we have been doing a great deal of reading, following FB groups and watching Vlogs about the program. One thing that seems important for my DD is that she is apply and putting a "high interest" on her application as a Life guard. It seems the requirements for the ability to swim 200 meters and pass the training are the most challenging and where there are the least amount of qualified applicants. Actually, there are position openings for regular hire life guards posted right now on the careers website. Since my DD has experience as a water park lifeguard with 9 save experiences, CPR/Life guard certified, Swim Instructor and a year round USA competitive swimmer we are hoping that will help her get into the program. Life guarding is her first choice (other than if she got accepted as a Character roll, which she is going to audition for but we know that is a long shot for her).

One of the students posted a letter that her University had up on the bulletin board the other day. It was from DCP stating that the applications would be online Jan 26th, so that is the rumor for Fall 2015 DCP. My DD is in recruitment all weekend for her sorority, so it will be a long weekend and Monday night Bids go out but she is so excited that the applications might be available, the next week should be really exciting!

Toss her some Pixie Dust! I'll let you know how things progress! :blush:

forever a child
01-26-2015, 09:54 AM
The DCP apps went live this morning!

forever a child
01-27-2015, 06:23 PM
Just another update: My DD submitted her ap online last night, got approved to do the web based interview. This afternoon she completed the WBI and passed and now she has a phone interview scheduled for 2/5! That should give her plenty of time to focus on practice for her interview before then.

For anyone interested these are the roles they cast for and this is the preference my daughter listed for them:

high:
lifeguard
recreation
attractions
character performer


Medium:
Photopass Photographer
character attendant
boutique hostess/ pirate league

low:
merchandise
main entrance operations
hospitality
vacation planner
concierge

none:
quick service food and beverage
custodial
full service food and beverage
housekeeping
hopper
bell services
costuming
transportation
floral

forever a child
02-05-2015, 10:25 PM
My DD completed her phone interview today. So now the waiting begins! :wait:

motherhamv
02-07-2015, 10:07 AM
:pixie:

I'm glad I read the post, I can tell my DD there are vlogs about DCP. We have a while before she is ready to apply, but I like her to know the pros and cons. Thanks.

#1donaldfan
02-09-2015, 12:28 PM
My oldest DD did the program several years ago. She was accepted into retail, then learned of an audition in Pittsburgh for entertainment (she was at WVU at the time). We took her to the auditon and for what seemed like to us she being very much out of her league, she passed and is now VERY good friends with many characters....she remains a seasonal employee..:thumbsup: So, good luck !

forever a child
02-09-2015, 01:53 PM
My oldest DD did the program several years ago. She was accepted into retail, then learned of an audition in Pittsburgh for entertainment (she was at WVU at the time). We took her to the auditon and for what seemed like to us she being very much out of her league, she passed and is now VERY good friends with many characters....she remains a seasonal employee..:thumbsup: So, good luck !


Thank you! So far, so good. It's past the 48 hour mark from her phone interview. A lot of phone interviews get NLIC (no longer in consideration) emails within those first 48 hours. So she is still in the game. She is attending the Nashville audition in March since it is the closest to us and it is also during her spring break! So we are going to make a mini fun trip to Nashville. I am not sure how good her chances are with that, but it will be fun either way and she can at least give it her all and try. No harm if she doesn't get chosen. This is all for fun!

I'll keep you all updated. Hoping that acceptance emails begin this week for applicants. BTW, she has a blog but I don't think I am allowed to post it here. If anyone wants to read it for future reference of the application process, send me a PM and I'll forward it to you. :mickey:

Zippy 1
02-10-2015, 06:49 AM
Acceptance e-mails are not expected to start going out until March from all that we are hearing

forever a child
02-10-2015, 08:36 AM
Acceptance e-mails are not expected to start going out until March from all that we are hearing

The CM that answers Q/A's on DCP Twitter had told them that there would be acceptances starting in February. I do believe the bulk of them will be March though.

Good Luck to your daughter next week on her PI! :tink:

forever a child
02-18-2015, 02:40 PM
Well, on the FB page at least, the first wave of DCP acceptance emails began. It looks like most of them are Fall Advantage (FA) applicants (they arrive in summer through the end of the year). The main roles that they were offered were in Hospitality and Main Gate Operations with a few in Attractions.

My daughter is still "in progress" on her Disney Application dashboard. She did not apply for FA. She applied for Fall Only since she has a full time job in the area she is going to college for this summer. It was offered to her last summer after she did an unpaid internship with the company. So we are still waiting.

I begin to realize the difficulty in this process, not so much in waiting but in trying to make plans for Fall 2015 Classes, Housing and Financial Aid, scholarships, college statue etc. depending on if one gets accepted or not. We have a couple of weeks before she has to start making some commitments and decisions, so I am hoping to hear word on her acceptance or denial before then!

Good luck to everyone else who has family and friends waiting!

forever a child
02-20-2015, 02:44 PM
My DD just received her email from DCP. She has been officially Accepted for Fall 2015 as a Lifeguard. She will be there from Aug 24th - Jan 4th!!!

I am so excited for her! Finally, a Cast Member in the family!!! LOL :magic::party2::tink::swim:

KylesMom
02-20-2015, 03:13 PM
Congratulations to her - what exciting news!!!!

Also, a big thanks on keeping us all informed on how the process works, the different steps, etcetera. I know it has been very helpful to many parents and prospective CP'ers! :mickey:

brownie
02-20-2015, 04:49 PM
Awesome! Congrats to her! :joy:

forever a child
02-20-2015, 05:05 PM
Thank you everyone. My DD has been writing a blog, so if you are interested, feel free to PM me and I will send you the link since I do not think I can post it here.

We will be heading to Nashville, TN for a mini vacation for the March 10 Character Auditions. More than likely, she will not get chosen as a character but she wanted the experience to at least try. Either way, it will be fun and she is still going to Disney!

For those interested, she will not be receiving co-op or internship credit, so she will be take a leave of absence for a semester to do the program. Her college allows one semester leave of absence without affecting scholarships.

joanna71985
02-20-2015, 09:08 PM
Congrats to her!

forever a child
03-04-2015, 10:34 AM
Thank you Joanna and everyone else! I just thought I would share a quick update.

My DD begins her spring break next week. As I mentioned, she will be attending Character Auditions in Nashville on the 10th, so I will be picking her up from Cleveland and then on monday we head to Nashville for 2 days. I know she is excited just to get to experience the auditions, no matter what.

Fortunately, she has a lot going on with school (she is in a sorority, so they have been busy with their new member initiation, big/little reveal, preparing for greek week) not to mention mid term exams, etc. So she has been limited on spending time on the DCP Facebook page (which is good with all the drama that goes on there). However, she is on the DCP Fall 2015 Christian page and she has managed to find 5 other girls all arriving the same date as her for roommates. So now the girls will have the summer to get to know one another a little before they room together in the fall.

At this point, everything is pretty much set. If anything interesting happens, I will share about the auditions. I know a good majority of students are still waiting to hear if they have been accepted to the program. I am thankful she didn't have to wait. It is so hard to know what you need to be doing for housing arrangements for the following school year if you are not sure if you will be in classes or at DCP for the semester. DD will be taking one of the rooms at her sorority house since one of her sisters will be graduating in the fall and leaving, so that was another issue that worked out well and fell into place for our planning purposes.

Best of luck if you are still waiting for your acceptance letter. I think the majority of them will be going out in March! :tink:

forever a child
03-14-2015, 03:53 PM
So I thought I would post an update!

Not much to report. My DD did not attend the Nashville auditions this last week. We were planning on it since she was home on spring break. But she came home and pretty much got a cold immediately! It just seemed like she really needed the extra sleep and some time to be lazy. She is in an engineering program and so the stress is alway pretty high for her (one of the reasons I suggested she reduce her course work load each semester and add another semester of classes and the DCP program on in the first place). I let her decide and since she really was happy with getting her first choice role of lifeguarding, she decided to skip them. So we slept in, LOL!

She has found 5 other girls through the Facebook Christians page to room with. So they are private chatting and getting to know one another better. So she is happy with that!

We did go shopping and she found a couple of outfits on sale to take to FL for her Disney class and the Traditions class since they are business casual, plus she got a wrist watch since she will need one as a lifeguard.

That is really all that I can share. I was hoping that she could have gone to the audition for the experience but it just seemed like resting for a while before she headed back to finish her semester made more sense. She headed back today and I already miss her so much! :mickey:

forever a child
03-29-2015, 01:05 PM
Just a quick update...

There is not much to report. I will update through out the late summer as we get closer to my DD's check in date of Aug 24th of anything relevant prior to arrival.

She is back at school and they are completing their Greek Week competition...so that has kept her mind from being anxious about DCP. Honestly, she got accepted and found her roommates and pretty much as been done with things on the DCP Facebook group which seems to have it's period of high drama, so that is probably best.

I booked two nights at ASSports with the summer discount. We have reservations for Boma's for one of the nights. I might try to sneak in a reservation for myself for a Disney tour. I have always wanted to do one!

I really don't anticipate she will need to do too much shopping for things prior to move in. She has most items in her apartment on campus of anything she might need. We have begun moving some of her larger items out already. Normally we would get a summer storage rental unit but she will not need anything for well over a year, so we are moving her stuff back home. When she returns in Jan 2016, she will be moving into the sorority house for the semester, so again, everything is provided. It looks like the Disney apartments supply most everything too, so anyone who is flying to Orlando to do the program really shouldn't have to worry about furniture, household items, kitchen items, etc. It is all provided.

Well, if you have a question...feel free to post or PM me! :mickey:

waymickey
04-06-2015, 03:02 PM
MY DD is also going to be a CP for Fall 2015.:mickey3: She also arrives August 24! She is a graphics major and got assigned as a Photopass photographer!

She is on the roommate hunt now and has found 2 other girls she is interested in living with looking for a few more.

forever a child
04-07-2015, 10:02 AM
MY DD is also going to be a CP for Fall 2015.:mickey3: She also arrives August 24! She is a graphics major and got assigned as a Photopass photographer!

She is on the roommate hunt now and has found 2 other girls she is interested in living with looking for a few more.

:congrats:

Congratulations WayMickey for your DD's DCP acceptance! If I had ever applied to the program, I would have like to have been a Photopass Photographer.

That's so funny that they have the same arrival date. We will probably see you on check in day! I booked a room in ASS and DD booked us ressies for Boma's. Is your DD taking a car? I think mine is but we need to buy her one this summer! LOL

Congratulations again. Glad to hear someone else on Intercot also got accepted.

waymickey
04-08-2015, 12:45 PM
No she does not have a car yet. Deal is she has to afford to buy gas and insurance and repairs, until then no car.
We are staying offsite and will arrive the 20th for a little vacation before hand and leave a few days after her check in.

congratulations to you and your daughter!

PirateLover
04-09-2015, 07:08 PM
Thanks for all the updates! I find this process fascinating. I really can't believe the caliber or people who get turned away. Maybe it has to do with the ranking of jobs you would be willing to do. I know the face roles are highly competitive.

E-Ticket4
04-14-2015, 02:54 PM
My Daughter as well got accepted in the CP and is checking in on August 24th and then out on January 4th. She is doing QSFS which was not really a first choice, but she is okay with it.
She did not apply until the second week of March. Got the online questionaire which had to be done in 3 days, then a phone interview she had to call and schedule within 3 days, then got her acceptance just over 2 weeks after the phone interview. Her whole process was @3 weeks. She is super excited (as is her Mom.) I am driving her down and we are figuring out the days and times around that now. Sounds like so much fun!

#1donaldfan
04-15-2015, 12:04 PM
My DD just received her email from DCP. She has been officially Accepted for Fall 2015 as a Lifeguard. She will be there from Aug 24th - Jan 4th!!!

I am so excited for her! Finally, a Cast Member in the family!!! LOL :magic::party2::tink::swim:

That's great !! She's going to love it. I loved how Disney took care of the kids while there. The gated communities they lived were incredibly nice and secure. I was more comfortable with her there than when we took her to WVU. She still has one very close friend she roomed with and they vacation / work the same seasonal times together :mickey: PS. Our DD took a car and it was a much "needed" perk for her. There's CM transportation, but sometimes it was necessary for her to drive as her hours were very inconsistent.

forever a child
04-17-2015, 07:00 PM
Thanks for all the updates! I find this process fascinating. I really can't believe the caliber or people who get turned away. Maybe it has to do with the ranking of jobs you would be willing to do. I know the face roles are highly competitive.

You are welcome! I know others will be interested in the future, so it is always helpful to read about the process. I didn't personally know anyone else who applied, nor does my DD. So we have no experience with backgrounds/experience of who they accept or not. The whole process of decision-making in some cases seems a mystery and in others seems quite obvious.


My Daughter as well got accepted in the CP and is checking in on August 24th and then out on January 4th. She is doing QSFS which was not really a first choice, but she is okay with it.
She did not apply until the second week of March. Got the online questionaire which had to be done in 3 days, then a phone interview she had to call and schedule within 3 days, then got her acceptance just over 2 weeks after the phone interview. Her whole process was @3 weeks. She is super excited (as is her Mom.) I am driving her down and we are figuring out the days and times around that now. Sounds like so much fun!

Congrats to your DD on getting accepted E-Ticket4! We were thankful not to have to wait either! I was am so thankful DD got accepted the first week acceptances went out, I just don't think I could have handled the stress of not knowing what her fall plans were going to be. Congrats though! We will see you on the 24th since that is her arrival date too.


That's great !! She's going to love it. I loved how Disney took care of the kids while there. The gated communities they lived were incredibly nice and secure. I was more comfortable with her there than when we took her to WVU. She still has one very close friend she roomed with and they vacation / work the same seasonal times together :mickey: PS. Our DD took a car and it was a much "needed" perk for her. There's CM transportation, but sometimes it was necessary for her to drive as her hours were very inconsistent.

Thanks for the encouragement #1donaldfan! I think my biggest concern in her driving in a new town. DD doesn't drive a lot as she bikes/walks on her campus. She has friends who drive when they need to go somewhere off campus but for the most part, everything she needs is within walking distance. She takes a taxi to airport or I pick her up when she comes home. She needs a truck to move out of her apartment usually anyway each semester. She does drive at home during the summer, but this will be a challenge with all the traffic for guests and other CM's getting to work. But I know having a car will be the more practical approach, so I gotta let her! I'll just be praying a bit more than usual! :blush:

joanna71985
04-18-2015, 01:17 PM
Thanks for the encouragement #1donaldfan! I think my biggest concern in her driving in a new town. DD doesn't drive a lot as she bikes/walks on her campus. She has friends who drive when they need to go somewhere off campus but for the most part, everything she needs is within walking distance. She takes a taxi to airport or I pick her up when she comes home. She needs a truck to move out of her apartment usually anyway each semester. She does drive at home during the summer, but this will be a challenge with all the traffic for guests and other CM's getting to work. But I know having a car will be the more practical approach, so I gotta let her! I'll just be praying a bit more than usual! :blush:

The nice thing about the CP is that the buses are an option. So if she doesn't feel comfortable driving somewhere, she could just take the bus (of course, at times she will be happy with a car- I look back and wish I had mine with me on my programs)

biggun35
04-21-2015, 02:12 PM
My son was also accepted in the College Program and is arriving May 26. He went to the auditions in Nashville and found out a few weeks ago that he will be a character, being an athletic male and 6'3" didn't hurt! He's taking his car and we are driving down with him to spend a couple of days onsite before we say good-bye until Jan. We also have a trip planned in Sept and hope to spend some time with him then.

forever a child
04-21-2015, 09:22 PM
My son was also accepted in the College Program and is arriving May 26. He went to the auditions in Nashville and found out a few weeks ago that he will be a character, being an athletic male and 6'3" didn't hurt! He's taking his car and we are driving down with him to spend a couple of days onsite before we say good-bye until Jan. We also have a trip planned in Sept and hope to spend some time with him then.

Congrats!! That is exciting. We would have run into you had my DD made the Nashville auditions. Anyway, please share who your son will be "friends" with once he finds out!!!

As much as I am glad that my DD is going to DCP, I am glad she is only going to be there from Aug - Jan! She'll be home for the summer working FT for the company she hopes to work for after graduation. She is away for college so I am glad to be having her home for a few months.

Congrats again though!!! :mickey:

Ramblingman
05-04-2015, 03:07 PM
My DD did the CP intern program and wound up staying there for two years. She began as a CP on retail in MK and then moved into part time on rides in MK then transitioned to full time on rides before getting picked for the beta rollout team for FP+.

After coming home and doing another year of college, she has gotten "homesick" and has been accepted for another CP tour beginning in August. This time she will be working in resorts.

For those parents of CP interns, pay attention to all the discounts. You can save tons of money with a little planning. They also get special discounts on a seasonal basis that will save even more money.

And lastly, for those of you who might be afraid that working for the Mouse might kill a little of the magic, know that for our DD, it merely enhanced it. She now has all sorts of behind the scenes knowledge that just makes it even more magical for her.

For those accepted already - Congrats! Enjoy! And TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES! You will remember this for the rest of your life (as well as the friends you make).

forever a child
05-09-2015, 02:02 PM
My DD did the CP intern program and wound up staying there for two years. She began as a CP on retail in MK and then moved into part time on rides in MK then transitioned to full time on rides before getting picked for the beta rollout team for FP+.

After coming home and doing another year of college, she has gotten "homesick" and has been accepted for another CP tour beginning in August. This time she will be working in resorts.

For those parents of CP interns, pay attention to all the discounts. You can save tons of money with a little planning. They also get special discounts on a seasonal basis that will save even more money.

And lastly, for those of you who might be afraid that working for the Mouse might kill a little of the magic, know that for our DD, it merely enhanced it. She now has all sorts of behind the scenes knowledge that just makes it even more magical for her.

For those accepted already - Congrats! Enjoy! And TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES! You will remember this for the rest of your life (as well as the friends you make).

Congrats Ramblingman on your DD returning this August. We'll see you then! :wave: I don't think I want my DD staying 2 years, LOL. I want her to finish her program at college. She really doesn't have a fantasy to work for WDW after graduation. But you never know, DCP Fall 2015 could change all of that for her I guess.

Looks like we will be seeing a lot of Intercot families there this fall for DCP!

biggun35
06-05-2015, 01:02 PM
My son was also accepted in the College Program and is arriving May 26. He went to the auditions in Nashville and found out a few weeks ago that he will be a character, being an athletic male and 6'3" didn't hurt! He's taking his car and we are driving down with him to spend a couple of days onsite before we say good-bye until Jan. We also have a trip planned in Sept and hope to spend some time with him then.

Our DS checked into the DCP last week and has been very busy so far. He and his new friend Goofy made some friends at EPCOT yesterday, he and his other friend Baloo are making some friends today. He has said nothing but great things about his experience and the people that he has met so far. We were very pleased with the security at his "dorm" and the bus system for the castmembers, it relieved some of our stress about his trip. Can't wait until Sept when we get to see him and meet his new friends.

forever a child
06-13-2015, 04:53 PM
Our DS checked into the DCP last week and has been very busy so far. He and his new friend Goofy made some friends at EPCOT yesterday, he and his other friend Baloo are making some friends today. He has said nothing but great things about his experience and the people that he has met so far. We were very pleased with the security at his "dorm" and the bus system for the castmembers, it relieved some of our stress about his trip. Can't wait until Sept when we get to see him and meet his new friends.

Biggun, thanks for the update. We are enjoying the summer but looking forward to August when DD will start her adventure. So I have concerns about the bussing system. Does your Son have a vehicle or only use the bus for transportation? How does that seem to be working out for shopping for groceries? It looks like my DD will be without a vehicle for her DCP program so I am concerned.

biggun35
06-16-2015, 08:40 AM
Biggun, thanks for the update. We are enjoying the summer but looking forward to August when DD will start her adventure. So I have concerns about the bussing system. Does your Son have a vehicle or only use the bus for transportation? How does that seem to be working out for shopping for groceries? It looks like my DD will be without a vehicle for her DCP program so I am concerned.

He uses both his car and the bus system for work and other trips. He is in Patterson and there is a Publix grocery store near by, I think he drives his roomates without cars to the store when they have the same time off so I'm sure her roommates will do the same. I believe the Orlando bus system has a stop by the dorms and it might be free for DCP'ers but not sure about that, I'll ask him about it. We did notice groups of kids walking to nearby stores when we dropped him off, the Publix is within walking distance along with several outlet malls.

biggun35
06-16-2015, 01:03 PM
Forever a child,

I found the following on one of the DCP Guides:

Do students have access to grocery stores or other things outside
of the housing complex?
Our transportation system provides buses to and from work, as well as the grocery store, post office,
bank, shopping mall and other areas of interest near our housing complexes. In addition, there are
grocery stores and drug stores located within walking distance of each of our complexes.

forever a child
06-19-2015, 11:02 AM
He uses both his car and the bus system for work and other trips. He is in Patterson and there is a Publix grocery store near by, I think he drives his roomates without cars to the store when they have the same time off so I'm sure her roommates will do the same. I believe the Orlando bus system has a stop by the dorms and it might be free for DCP'ers but not sure about that, I'll ask him about it. We did notice groups of kids walking to nearby stores when we dropped him off, the Publix is within walking distance along with several outlet malls.


Forever a child,

I found the following on one of the DCP Guides:

Do students have access to grocery stores or other things outside
of the housing complex?
Our transportation system provides buses to and from work, as well as the grocery store, post office,
bank, shopping mall and other areas of interest near our housing complexes. In addition, there are
grocery stores and drug stores located within walking distance of each of our complexes.


Thanks for the explanation. I knew the buses were going to the nearby stores. I just haven't heard how well it was working out for someone who might be doing that. I believe all DD's roommates will have vehicles. We have never purchased a car for her since she does not need one at her college. We are still debating if we will make the investment or not.

Thanks again for sharing your son's experience!

forever a child
08-02-2015, 08:39 PM
In the final couple of weeks before my DD leaves. :( She has to head back to her college for a few days for her sorority sisterhood week and then she will head directly to WDW. So I am sad to see her going!

We have been challenged with trying to get everything she needs for her Spring college semester and for her semester at WDW. So we have packing piles for both, LOL. Bought new luggage as she is flying and I'll ship a few things. Hopefully she will fair well without the car.

I have my trip planned for Sept and Dec to visit her. So I am excited about that. :mickey:

forever a child
08-18-2015, 01:27 PM
My daughter leaves tomorrow and I am trying not to be sad. But it is hard. I will miss her! She won't get to come back home until next May! :crying:

forever a child
08-24-2015, 09:29 PM
My DD will be lifeguarding at the Disney's Polynesian Resort! :tikki:

joanna71985
08-26-2015, 09:56 PM
That's awesome!

KylesMom
08-27-2015, 10:18 AM
I agree - that's awesome! After so much planning she's rewarded with a great location to work. I am so happy for her!!!! :mickey:

forever a child
09-04-2015, 11:24 AM
Thanks Joanna and KylesMom!

Well, DD officially completed and passed the Ellis training and exam. So she is officially a lifeguard! She also found out she will be guarding at both the Grand Floridian and Polynesian! So she is super happy about her locations. She started her training yesterday and will be working on earning her ears through next week. She had to go to two locations to find some suits that were small enough for her. LOL

My trip is set for the end of the month and she was able to secure us 50% off at AKL for four of our 5 nights. I am taking my niece on her first trip to WDW. Her mother agreed to let her miss school to do this trip with me! So I am super excited to get to take my niece, visit my DD and stay at our very first Deluxe! Our last night will be at CBR which is also a new resort for me so I am super excited! :mickey:

joanna71985
09-04-2015, 10:20 PM
Congrats to her!

And you'll love AKL- I stayed there after one of my CPs and it is such a beautiful resort

mouseketeer mom
09-22-2015, 11:35 AM
My daughter had her phone interview yesterday, so now the waiting begins...question...any perks for the families of the CP kids? Any breaks on tickets and such?

forever a child
09-24-2015, 01:52 PM
My daughter had her phone interview yesterday, so now the waiting begins...question...any perks for the families of the CP kids? Any breaks on tickets and such?

Good Luck to your daughter. My DD is really enjoying her time in the program.

My DD was able to get me 50% off rack room rates for our AKL stay in a standard room. For Christmas so far we have 50% off POR. The 50% discount is with her also staying in the room as a guest. If she was not staying in the room, it would have been 40% off.

She currently has 20% off most TS restaurants but there are time restrictions and BOG and all QS are not include. That runs through Oct 3rd then there will be a new discount. She will be receiving their Christmas discount booklet some time in late Oct, so I have no idea what that will be at the moment. Depending on the day, there has been possible DDP discounts, sadly when I called yesterday to add to our sept visit, there were not any showing up in the system. CM's can add them up to 24 hours before Check-in.

Merchandise is 20% off but she has been buying stuff at the D Store so those discounts can be quite a bit more. CM's can get discounts (I believe 20%) on select nights in Sept for the MNSSHP which could include guests too. My DD is going to the last one in Sept. Sadly though, we arrive the night after the last sept date so I had to pay full price for our Oct 1 party tickets.

DCP CM's get 6 guest park entry days and can get up to 3 guests for each of those days in for free. There are black out dates and so for example, F&W Sat & Sun were blacked out at Epcot for us, so we are planning our Epcot visit on Friday, so you just have to plan ahead. They post black out dates for 3 months out, so it makes it a challenge for those of us who plan further out. I just looked at past historical black out dates to help me, which you can easily google. CM's can also get discounts on MYW Park Tickets, I believe it is only 10% and they have to purchase at the D Store. So for example, during my Christmas trip there will be total black out of parks for her guest pass but I already had a 5 day ticket saved for that but if wanted to you could get the 10% off the purchase of your tickets for those times.

Hope this helps. :mickey:

mouseketeer mom
09-25-2015, 07:39 AM
Wow, that all sounds complicated. I look forward to checking her in, visiting her, etc....however the expense of that is something I do not look forward to...thanks for the info!!

WDWFanatic
09-26-2015, 09:34 AM
What an exciting time for all of you! Is she enjoying the life guarding? I would want to sit by the pool and take pictures of her working, lol.

Enjoy your visits with her.

forever a child
10-07-2015, 08:48 PM
Wow, that all sounds complicated. I look forward to checking her in, visiting her, etc....however the expense of that is something I do not look forward to...thanks for the info!!

I has been a new experience trying to book a trip since booking as a CM is different. We are doing two trips...so yeah, it is expensive this year. There will be no WDW trips next year.


What an exciting time for all of you! Is she enjoying the life guarding? I would want to sit by the pool and take pictures of her working, lol.

Enjoy your visits with her.

It is really exciting. We had a great time! She had all of her time off during our stay so I didn't get to see her work. We visited the Poly and she showed us the pool where she works. We have been there before but not since the renovations. She really loves both resorts for different reasons. She is planning to spend a lot of time at the F&W during her free time. And she has been taking advantage of the classes, the seminars and networking events.

forever a child
11-01-2015, 07:11 PM
Thought I would check in and update. My DD has really been enjoying her time with the DCP. She completed all six of the two-hour seminar classes. She has two more weeks of her regular classes which have been great to introduce her to different areas within Disney as an employer and what those areas do. She has had one networking meet-n-greet with a department that works in the area where she could use her degree. She is trying to get a few more of those networking meetings in before her program ends. She has decided to apply for the professional internship within the department she meet with.

She was able to be housed with only one of the five other girls she was trying to be roommates with. The roommate situation is ok. Not great, but not awful either. There seem to be only two girls that do any any cleaning (my DD and one other girl). They don't seem to understand the concept of loading/unloading the dishwasher, cleaning your shedding hair out of the shower or sink, vacuuming, etc. I thought my DD might be the messy one, so apparently they are worse then her, which she is not really thrilled about.

She ended up in Vista and she said it has not been awful. It is close to the buses, she is really close to where her classes are held and can just walk to them. And it hasn't been loud. If there are a ton of parties, they must be somewhere else as she hasn't had any issues with noise and the general craziness that Vista is known for.

When I visited, I saw her apartment. They were really dirty when she moved in (I sent her with some cleaning items thinking this might be the case). They were ok. Not filthy but maintenance seems to [not do a great job]. For example, they used spray paint to touch up the trim along the floor instead of paint from a can with a brush, so there is overspray on the carpet. Just a ton of silly things like that.

Since she is a lifeguard, her hours are not awful. Obviously, the pools don't open and close near as early or late as the parks so she has never worked super late. I think she did an inservice training once that ran her until 12:30 pm. She she has never worked till 1 or 3 am like many. She wanted to try to work the MNSSHP giving out trick or treat candy just to have the experience of working in MK but her classes and regular work schedule always conflicted with trying to do that.

Overall, she is doing really well and enjoying her program. I was really worried she would feel like she was getting too much Disney and regret taking the semester off. The opposite has happened. She likes the people she works with and really is taking advantage of the classes, seminars, networking and having fun too.

forever a child
12-08-2015, 06:44 PM
Well, I will be in WDW a week from today to spend the week with my DD as she approaches the end of her DCP program. She has really had a great time. She attended "Graduation" last week and this week was the CP Winter Formal at Coronado Springs. She has not had a problem getting days off when she needs them. Her boyfriend visited her over Thanksgiving week and they had a great time together. It was his first visit for the most part so she had to introduce him to her "home away from home."

I am looking forward to all new dining experiences and two new deluxe resorts to visit. We are also really excited that she was granted early release from work by her manager so that she can spend two weeks at home before returning to college. So she is not sure if she will get to return on 12/24 or 12/27 yet but we are really excited to have a little time together. She has one more professional meet & greet this week with another imagineer who is working on the Frozen ride in Epcot, so she is excited about that opportunity.

I feel this has been a wonderful experience for her. She is graduating at the end of 2016 and will be reapplying for the Professional Internship with Disney. I am not sure where this experience will lead her but it has given her something to strive for. Thanks for taking this journey with us.

WDWFanatic
12-31-2015, 03:38 PM
Thank you for keeping us updated! It's been a lot of fun reading about it. I hope you are enjoying your time with her before she returns back to school.

forever a child
06-21-2017, 04:14 PM
It was not that long ago I was sending my DD off to college. She graduated this January with her degree in Biomedical Engineering. :grad: She began applying to WDW Professional Internships and other internships and full time positions.

She was being NLIC'd (No Longer in Consideration) for many of the WDW PI Internships. She got a little desperate and applied to the Disney College Program for a second term. If you are not familiar, you need to have been in school within the last 6 months to apply for either the DCP or the PI programs with WDW. So this was her last chance to do either unless she went back to school to take a class, which she really didn't want to do any time too soon.

She was offered a couple of positions with local companies which were really not that interesting to her and not really in her speciality area. She was also offered a second opportunity with WDW in the DCP program in her first choice, attractions. For some reason she had selected the extended program which would have been from like June through December. She turned it down. It was hard but she really wanted a PI with WDW. In March she finally was offered a contract position with a local company in her focus area, which will more than likely turn into a FT salaried position by the end of summer. She began working there in April and loves it.

So....she had pretty much given up the idea that a PI position was in her future this year. But, she finally got an email from HR for a screening interview. It was a non-technical screening interview where selected candidates are then handed to the hiring managers for each department. Still, she did not think it would amount to anything since they are so competitive. Then over two weeks ago, she got the offer for a phone interview! She said they asked to speak with her a little longer than was scheduled and she felt like it went well. But these are so competitive that you just never know. The position she was interviewing for only had one opening. I am not going to mention the position but it is in the engineering technology area.

Now she finds out that she is being offered the position! :rotfl: Excitement! :party2:Yes! Decisions...yes! Some very hard decisions for her to make. She loves where she is at and I think she is also very interested in the position at WDW. I am glad she has options but I know what ever she decides will be hard because she loves both companies and both opportunities.

On a side note, we are attending our first D23 Expo in July and visiting DL for the very first time!