Congratulations, you made it through the Disney College Program! If you were a good employee and did not call in too many times you now have good references from your managers and coordinators and you may also be able to keep your job with the company.
There are several different ways to remain a Castmember, assuming you do not have too many points on your record card.
1. Become a Campus Representative. Being a campus rep. allows you to keep your "Disney Benefits," namely getting into the parks for free, while working on your school campus for Disney. You are responsible for organizing events to recruit other students to go on the College Program.
2. Become a full-time Castmember. You would have to quit school and move to Orlando and find a place to live but then you can start working your way up the ranks, going from regular Castmember to trainer to coordinator then to manager.
3. Become a seasonal Castmember. The requirements for being seasonal continuously change. At one point you had to work 40 hours every six months. Now as long as you work a full shift once every six months you keep your seasonal status. I have kept my seasonal status for two years and plan on keeping it awhile longer.
Joseph, a friend that worked on the CP, went full-time and became a trainer
By keeping contact with Disney you are able to go back to work at any time, and it is much easier to get chosen for a Professional Internship which is more prestigious and closer related to your career.
All good things come to an end and the College Program is no exception. It might be extended but eventually it will draw to a close.
As the CP is winding down the apartment parties amp up, the romances heat up and everyone starts buying as much Disney merchandise as they can make it home with. The Disney classes finish a few weeks before the program does so there is time to get the paperwork completed and credit awarded.
A great thing about the end of the CP is the graduation party that is put on. There is a big barbecue with a lot fun activities and prizes to win. You get a Disney diploma (called a Ducktorate) and a Mickey Ears hat with a tassle to celebrate graduating. Several iconic characters like Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy are out and about to take pictures and sign autograph books.
At work everyone brings their camera and takes photos of the people they will never see again. Some bring autograph books and ask coworkers to write something, similar to a yearbook in high school. Since my coworkers and I are witty, everything written in the books was funny or facetious.
As one program ends, another begins. In the words of the majestic Mufasa, "we are all connnected in the great circle of life."
Friends are the best part of the Disney College Program. I would not have lasted for my whole program if I did not make friends. I would have become too stressed and packed up and went home early.
Okay, maybe I am being melodramatic. The program is not that hard but it is definitely easier and a lot more fun with a good group of friends.
There is such a diverse group of people that work on the College Program and for Disney World in general that it is very easy to make friends. People you live by, people you work with and people you meet on the bus can relate to you because they are all going through the same things.
For me, it was easy to make friends with the people I lived around first. They are some of the first people you meet and you are always around them. You try to get to know them quickly since you will be seeing them almost everyday.
The people I worked with took a little longer to become friends with. At the Jungle Cruise you have to prove how good a skipper you are going to be. Most skippers who have been there for awhile will be friendly but not overly accepting until they have worked with you for awhile. Mike, the skipper in the Jungle Cruise link above, was one of those people. When I started he didn't try and get to know me until we had worked together a lot. We are now great friends. Eventually everyone gets accepted as a "skip." Some of my best friends are from all over the world that I worked with at the Jungle. People from all over America, England, Australia, Bolivia and Portugal, just to name a few. On the College Program we would hang out on all the time at each other's apartments, or we would rent a cabin at Disney's Fort Wilderness. Our group of friends looked a lot like the kids on "It's a Small World."
A metaphorical picture of my Jungle Cruise friends
Finally, the last group I made friends with were people I rode home with on the bus. I've said before how closely packed the buses are, especially at night, so you get very close to the people you sit or stand beside. I made one really close friend while riding the bus home after work. We still keep in touch.
Final advice: make friends on the CP! They will be some of your closest friends and will greatly improve your experience at Disney.
In the movie "Speed," a bus is rigged with a bomb that will explode if it goes below 50 mph. The bus weaves dangerously in and out of traffic. This movie comes to mind every time I see an American Coach bus. Some of the drivers make you wonder if you are going to get off the bus alive.
Disney World uses its own bus system to transport guests to Orlando's international airport plus everywhere on Disney property. The College Program, however, employs a bus company to transport CP's to and from work, restaurants and Wal-Mart. This company is American Coach. They are not owned by Disney so they can hire less than desirable people to drive the buses.
The American Coach bus system in theory serves an excellent purpose. They provide free transportation for College Program castmembers who neither brought their own vehicle nor have friends who did. If at all possible, BRING YOUR OWN VEHICLE! The buses are free but they are also late, overcrowded and time consuming.
If you do not have your own vehicle, you must put up with the hassle of waiting for the American Coach buses late at night when you get off work. Full time castmembers joke that "CP" stands for "close park." You believe it when you see over one hundred CP's waiting to catch a bus home at the end of the day.
The buses are on a schedule and come through approximately every 15 to 20 minutes. They fill up quick. One night there were so many CP's trying to ride the bus that I watched three different buses fill up and drive away before I was finally able to get on.
American Coach is somewhat of a joke among Disney castmembers. They are their own company hired by Disney to transport CP's to and from their apartments. Since they are not owned by Disney, they can hire less than desirable people to drive the buses. Disney's transportation castmembers do not get along with them.
At the Magic Kingdom, every castmember has to take a short bus trip from the parking lot (West Clock) to the opening of the Utilidor (better known as the Tunnels). The American Coach buses drop CP's off at West Clock, at the pick up spot of the "VIP Castmember" bus.
The full- and part time castmembers groan when they see the American Coach bus pull in and release the crowd of CP's that makes its way over to the VIP bus. It makes for one crowded bus ride.
So if you are planning on becoming a College Program castmember and want to increase your speed, bring your own vehicle. You will get where you are going quicker and with less headaches.
If you want to work on being suave, smooth and sophisticated the Disney College Program is the perfect place to practice. Ever been to church camp or any other summer camp? Then you know what it is like: you pick out a specific person, get to know her and try to date in a short amount of time. The CP is the exact same way.
Some people go on the program single and others leave a significant other back home. My biggest piece of advice is be single. You can hang out and have fun with members of the opposite sex without feeling guilty. If you do have a girlfriend back home, end it before you leave (on good terms) and when you get back you might be able to date her again. This may not be ideal and there is a very good chance it will blow up in your face, but if you can pull it off it may work out great in the long run.
I left a girlfriend back home when I went on my CP and decided we could stay together while I was in Florida. Big mistake. Not only are long distance relationships awful in the first place but it is much worse when you work with members of the opposite sex and develop close friendships with them while you are in a long distance relationship. Your girlfriend does not want to constantly hear about all the inside jokes you have with five girls from work. Trust me, it does not go over well.
If you are single on the CP the best thing to do is have fun (but maybe not too much). If your thing is hanging out in groups, make friends at work and with your roommates. Disney is designed for groups to have fun. Go to downtown Orlando, putt-putt golf or watch a movie. These ideas normally work out pretty well unless you have some lame friends.
If you prefer one-on-one dates there are numerous romantic things to do and places to go. For example, watch fireworks from the Polynesian Resort beach while eating soft serve pineapple ice cream. It is amazing.
When you think of Disney World you might think of Mickey Mouse, fireworks and little girls wearing tiaras. Now try to think of Disney World as class, professors and homework. It puts it in perspective.
Some students worry if they go on the College Program they will fall behind at school. This could be true. If a student goes on the CP and just works at their assigned job they will miss out on college credit. But if a student goes on the CP and registers for collegiate courses through the program (s)he will stay on track for graduation.
The DCP education department is certified by the American Council on Education (ACE) and offers around eight collegiate courses for college credit. Although some do not, many campuses accept ACE for credit.
I was attending Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo., when I enrolled and was accepted into the CP. They require their students to maintain a full time student course load (12 hours) while doing the program. Luckily the College Program counts as six credit hours so I only needed to take two three hour classes. Disney offers classes that are great for anyone majoring in business, communication or hospitality. The Education department employees teachers who have worked a number of years for the Disney Corporation and can offer real world experience to the students.
The classes I enrolled in were Corporate Communication and Marketing You. I was scheduled two days off from work and each of those days I attended a three hour lecture. Corporate Communication was a fun and challenging class that dealt mostly with public relations and inter-company relations using Disney as the model. Marketing You sought to build a personal marketing plan and improve our resume. Both courses were similar to a typical college class. There was homework, papers, projects, group discussions and other stuff. The main difference was we had to dress in business casual and wear our nametags. (This sucked because nobody wants to spend three hours of their day dressed up while the beach is calling their name.)
These courses not only added to the number of college credit hours I already had but also added knowledge to the experience I gained at work. I remember both teachers and even some of the stuff they taught me. I strongly recommend enrolling in at least one class and sticking it out until the end. It will feel like time wasted until you are in a professional setting and put to use some of the things you learned.
You have been accepted into the DCP, you have arrived in Orlando and have been assigned an apartment to live in. You have met your roommates and attended the apartment meetings. You can not wait to start your job and get this show on the road. The only thing standing between you and your first day of work is about three solid days of getting to know the company.
Traditions is the first training tool used by Disney. This is a six hour class that every employee goes through to familiarize them with the history of the company and what it stands for. This class also goes through Disney's sexual harassment and hazmat (hazardous material) policies and procedures for dealing with each. At Traditions you also get your first official Walt Disney World name tag.
Sometimes they do not have everyone's name tag made in which case you get a sticker and you write your name on it. I know from experience because I was one of the unlucky sticker people. Very embarrassing.
If you do not die from boredom in Traditions you make it to the second day of training where they take you to the specific park you are going to be working at. Each park has a different way to train you. I worked at the Magic Kingdom so I can only talk about their training regimen. The day before MK's training they told us to dress in business casual but wear very comfortable walking shoes.
MK's training is called Once Upon a Time.... It has changed since I went through it but the gist of it is to walk everyone in your group through the Magic Kindgom park and give the history as well as fun facts about it. Our guide took us on the Haunted Mansion and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (which I got a very low score on) so it broke up the monotony. Better to be walking around at the Magic Kingdom than sitting inside all day.
After Once Upon a Time.... you find out exactly where you are working and go to Costuming to get several sets of costumes. Mine happened to be khaki pants, shirt, hat and a brown belt. So begins Day Three of training: Be a Guest, For a Guest. This day is the most fun because you get to interact with guests. Every trainer does something a little different with their trainees. I was still pretty timid about talking to guests when my trainer threw me into the middle of parade crowd control. I had never had to yell at so many people to get off a street in my life. It was fun but kind of scary. Near the end of the day the trainer takes you to the ride you had been assigned and shows you around.
That concludes your park training, and next comes the part you had been waiting for: training for your assigned job.
Everybody has their own idea on how to relax. On the College Program a lot of people lay out by the pool, play in the parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom), or go to a beach. However, many people prefer going out to bars and throwing parties in their apartments. No matter what you decide to do, after working 40-75 hours per week surrounded by thousands of guests you have to find a way of relaxing and unwinding.
The Good
Depending on your personality, there are a lot of good ways to relax on your day off. Most of the girls I knew would go out and lay by the pool for hours upon hours. Since you are in Florida, might as well take advantage of the Sun right?
I couldn't relax that way so my favorite thing to do on my day off was go to the different parks and ride all my favorite rides. Hollywood Studios (Studios) was the park of choice since it had Rock'n Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror.
The beach was another amazing place to go and chill. Orlando is in the middle of the state so the beaches on the Atlantic side and the Gulf side are only about a 45 minute drive. If you go Atlantic side there are tolls, so keep that in mind. Cocoa Beach and Ron Jon Surf Shop was my favorite beach.
The Bad
If you are not fond of relaxing by some water or enjoying rollercoasters, there are restaurants and bars to go to in the CP area. The only reason I am calling it "The Bad" is because if you are not 21 you can not get in to some places. One place called Jelly Rolls was a dueling piano bar that was supposed to be fun until they catch you with a fake i.d. A roommate of mine had to leave pretty quick before the police showed up.
The two main restaurant-bars that CP's go to is Buffalo Wild Wings and Ale House. The first is pretty well known everywhere and the second is a known for their beer and fish. It is a good place to meet up with friends and coworkers and relax and talk about work horror stories.
The Ugly
Parties in the apartment complexes are a pretty common way of blowing off steam. The biggest thing to watch out for is getting terminated for underage drinking. If you are under 21 and are caught drinking you will probably be catching a flight back home the next day. If there is alcohol in a Wellness Apartment (dry apartment meaning everyone is under 21) every roommate could be sent home whether they knew about it or not. Also, if you are over 21 and throw a party where minors are drinking you have a great chance of going home.
There are three separate apartment complexes used by the College Program: Vista Way, Patterson Court, and Chatham Square. Vista is where you live if you want to party; Patterson is where you live if you want peace and quiet; Chatham is a mix between the two. Luckily you pick which complex you want to live in so I picked Patterson.
This video is about the party life at Vista. It's explicit but does a good job of showing the atmosphere of that complex. Do not watch if you are offended by: language, alcohol, or poor video producing skills.
So that sums up the most popular ways to unwind after a long hard week working for the Mouse.
"Congratulations, you have been accepted into Disney's College Program!"
This message, or one just like it, officially says you are a Walt Disney World Resort Castmember. They do not send you a wimpy letter: they send you a PACKET. The packet has all kinds of information in it including where you are going to work, when you are supposed to check in, and when to pay your entry fee. Yeah, they have a fee to hold your spot but luckily it is not a large amount. Even if you do not pay it by the deadline, you can still go. I know this from experience. I forgot to pay until the week after the deadline and the only bad thing to come of it was I did not get my name tag when I arrived. If you do not want to be Pat from Auburndale, FL, I suggest paying your fee on time.
Thankfully I got Attractions (which was my first choice). Sadly, though, I had to do research on different Disney attractions because I had never been to any Disney park and had no idea what I was getting myself in to.
I did not choose which attraction I worked on, but some of my friends said they requested a specific ride and they got it. If you get Attractions, I strongly suggest doing some research on the different attractions before requesting a ride. Every ride has a different theme, back story, and atmosphere. Some are exciting, some are educational; many are directed only at children while others are geared for adults.
Just to name a few...
The ones above are some of the most well-known and exciting rides. Others, like It's A Small World and The Carousel of Progress, are classics but would be awful to work on due to the songs that get stuck in your head.
I personally wanted to work on Pirates of the Caribbean or on The Hollywood Tower of Terror. Both are some of the most well-known rides in the world; Pirates has its own movie franchise and Tower is exempt from one of Disney's major rules: SMILE. Luckily I was placed on the greatest ride at any of the Disney Parks, and possibly any ride in the world: The World Famous Jungle Cruise.
But I digress. You find out which area you are assigned to when you are checking in and getting your assignment the first day you are there. You find out which ride you get your second or third day of training, at which time you go to costuming.
Each ride has a separate character that Castmembers must play. Pirates must act like swashbuckling scalawags; Haunted Mansion maids and butlers must be withdrawn and a little creepy; Jungle Cruise Skippers must be witty. So moral to the story: when requesting a ride, choose one that you will be happy "staying in character and playing the part" for the duration of your program.
For starters: the Disney College Program started at the Magic Kingdom Park in Orlando 30 years ago. With 200 students interning at one park, the College Program was not a big deal. Since then the College Program has blown up. The Walt Disney World Resort has employed over 45,000 students since 1981 and is one of the most well known and respected paid internships in the world.
<https://www.wdwcollegeprogram.com/sap/its/mimes/zh_wdwcp/educators/program_info/cp_history.html>
Many people have different experiences on the College Program (CP). Some work nonstop trying to make as much money as possible; others mix work and play; many work as little as possible to party it up every night at Ale House and Thursday's at Buffalo Wild Wings (karaoke night) and end up leaving the program early. Being a Disney College Program alum, I plan on sharing how to enjoy (and survive) the program and keep ties with the largest and most respected entertainment company in the world.
To land a spot on the CP is surprisingly easy. There is an informational session that must be attended where you learn about how great Florida is and how great the company is and how great the program is. You get a packet to fill out where you choose three areas you would be interested in working. (My choices were Attractions, Photo Pass and Merchandise.) After the session they schedule a phone interview. The interview is easy. The best way to get your first choice of job is be American. Americans normally get their first choice and the international kids get plugged in to fill the available holes.
Once you are hired (which you will be unless you have a criminal record that involves hate crimes against children) you better get ready for the best and craziest five months of your life.
