Traditions

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.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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!

"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

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.