After applications have been accepted and you’ve arrived in Central Florida, it’s time to get to work. Literally. The Disney College Program is a working internship after all.
Disney Traditions
On your first official day as a Cast Member, you will attend Disney Traditions. This is a day filled with the history and heritage of The Walt Disney Company that is taught by a current Cast Member. The class is taught at Disney University, which is located behind the Magic Kingdom. I would highly recommend that you take the bus since parking is limited and you wouldn’t want to be late for your first day.
For Disney Traditions you will need to be dressed in Disney Look, otherwise you will not be admitted into the class. It would also be a good idea to bring a snack and/or money for food for when you get a break. If you get cold easily, be sure to also bring a jacket as the rooms at Disney University are more often than not rather chilly.
SPOILER ALERTS AHEAD
Usually halfway through your Disney Traditions class, your facilitator will lead you out to the buses where you will head to the Magic Kingdom to walk through the Utilidors and have class inside the park for a few moments. It’s a truly magical experience, and for me, it was the moment where it all hit me that I was a Cast Member. Be sure to take a picture on the trip to Magic Kingdom! You’ll want it to remember the day.
Back at Disney University, you will find your blue Disney IDs have arrived at your table! The facilitator will finish the class and then inform you that a special guest has arrived. The door to the room will open and in will walk Mickey Mouse carrying a box with your name tags in it. Having Mickey give me my name tag was a moment I will never forget. It is like Walt Disney is passing along the torch to you, and it’s your turn to create magic.
Orientation & Training
After you’ve completed Disney Traditions, it will be time to begin your work location orientation and training. My time at Disney’s Hollywood Studios started with On With the Show, the orientation class for DHS Cast Members. It includes a walking tour of the park to get familiar with the layout as well as backstage areas for Cast Members so we know where everything is located.
Honestly, my training days were a blur and I’m no longer sure what happened on what days, but I know over the course of two weeks, I learned everything from where the break rooms were to how to stock merchandise shelves. Since I was in merchandise, I also had to attend a Merchentainment class. This class teaches you how to entertain with the merchandise, like wearing a Mickey glove and waving at guests, for example. The class also teaches you how to count money the Disney Way, which honestly, I never really mastered.
The first few days on the job are stressful and you will mess up and have to ask for help, but the great thing about Disney is everyone is generally very helpful. Aside from a few gruff Cast Members you will meet, everyone is eager to help the next generation of CMs out however they can.
It is important to remember that although you may not have gotten the role or location you had been dreaming about, everyone is there for a purpose and that is to carry on Walt’s dream. This is where going into the DCP with an open mind is key. During my first DCP, I was asked to work in the bakery in my merchandise location. I protested (very loudly to my mother) about it but eventually gave in, and it was in that role that I made friends with several people whom I still talk to regularly. If I hadn’t sucked it up and taken the role in front of me, I would have missed arguably the best part of my DCP and beyond.
The Hours
Some people think that CP stands for College Program, but really, it stands for Closing Person. CPs generally get stuck with the shifts that full timers, part timers, and seasonal Cast Members don’t want, and this means a lot of shifts starting in the evening and going to the early morning hours. It can be a hard schedule to adjust to for some but after a few weeks, you will get used to it.
A key thing to remember is that Disney runs on a 24 hour clock. This means if your shift starts at 6 p.m., it will say 18:00 on your schedule. One way to get accustomed to this is to change the setting on your phone to run on the 24 hour clock as well. During my time at Disney, I got so used to the system that I haven’t changed my phone back even almost three years later.
In addition to working long hours, you will also be working holidays and weekends. Walt Disney World is open 365 days a year and that means Cast Members have to be there every day of the year. Since full-time Cast Members can ask off for holidays, it’s often left to the CPs to work those days.
Enjoy It
Before you know it, you will look at the calendar one day and realize your program is coming to an end. It will be time to go back to your college life or step out into the real world. While you are at Disney, embrace everything there is to do. If you are able to, pick up shifts on your days off in areas that you don’t normally work.
Most importantly, get to know your coworkers because they will become your second family. You will be spending more time with them than anyone else, so it is best to get to know each other. Although you may not like everyone you work with, you will make friendships on your DCP that will last long past the end of your program.
Also, get to know the managers and leaders in your area. They are in management roles for a reason and they know how to help you achieve your goals, whether they are within the Walt Disney Company or beyond. During my time at Disney, I sought advice from my managers regularly, as I knew I wanted to stay on with the Company after my Program ended. I spent several days following managers around, shadowing them in their roles to see if that was a job I would want to pursue. I scheduled meetings with managers and leaders outside of my work area to get to know other parts of the park I hadn’t gotten to work in. I strongly credit my management team and their constant willingness to help for getting me where I wanted to go within the Company, and that connection all started on my College Program.
As Charles Dickens once said in his novel A Tale of Two Cities, the Disney College Program will be the best of times and the worst of times. You’ll experience immense joy when Mickey Mouse hands you your nametag, and you will be ready to cry (ok, you’ll probably actually cry) when you are so stressed when long hours, no sleep, homesickness, and roommate drama all combine to hit you at the most inopportune time.
At the end of the day, though, the Disney College Program is an experience you will never forget. The things you learn - both on and off the job - will teach you more than you can learn anywhere else, in my opinion. I learned more about myself and what I wanted in life during my time on the DCP than I ever thought possible. It was hard at times, yes; but it was so worth it in the end.
Robyn Fleenor is a contributing writer for The Mouse Knows Best Podcast. She is an avid Disney fanatic and would rather be at Walt Disney World eating glazed almonds than anything else. When she isn't working to pay for her next Disney vacation, she likes to binge watch TV shows and fall in love with fictional characters. She can be found tweeting at @rahrah6263.
