Tips for the DCP: Arriving

After you’ve made it through the grueling application and interview process of the Disney College Program, it is time to buckle down and get ready for a crazy awesome experience.  

Packing

When I moved to Florida for the DCP, I had my 1997 Honda Civic as full as I could get it.  We won’t talk about how when I moved home two years later how I came back in a full moving truck.  That Cast Member discount though…

Anyway, packing for the move can be hard, especially if you’ve never lived in Florida before.  Florida heat is very different from most places, and you’ll wonder why you ever bought three jackets with you in the first place.  On the other hand, after being in the hot sun all day in a less than flattering, probably polyester costume, you’ll start to get chilly once the sun goes down.  I’ve been out of the Sunshine State for years now and I still get cold when the temperature goes below seventy.  

Yeah.  That purchase had to happen.

The biggest thing to remember to bring with you is Disney Look appropriate attire for your days spent in Traditions and in training.  You’ll be in these clothes for long hours, so make sure it’s something comfortable.  Another very important tip: get the most comfortable shoes you can find.  Those cute heels may look great, but after having to walk all over a theme park for orientation, you will wish you had comfortable flats.  Skip the need to get dressed up and dress comfortable.  Your feet will thank you.

It also wouldn’t hurt to go ahead and get shoes to work in, although Disney does have a store of Disney Look shoes in the Magic Kingdom costume building.  Most - but not all - work locations require black closed toe slip resistant shoes.  The local shops around Walt Disney World know that Disney requires certain shoes, and they are typically good about keeping those in stock if you don’t want to purchase them before the move.

Check In

At 5 a.m. on the day of my check-in, my dad drove me to Vista Way Apartments and dropped me off.  I met up with my three roommates - whom I met via a DCP Facebook group for our arrival date -  and we waited in a long line to get our housing assignments.  Make triple sure that you and your roommates have all the necessary paperwork filled out and ready to go to make this process so much quicker.  We were super lucky and got exactly what we wanted: a two bedroom in Patterson Court.  

After getting our apartment assignments, we took the photos for our housing IDs.  Be sure you are in Disney Look for your photo.  Once they were printed, we were sent to a bus to take us to the Casting building across from Downtown Disney. (And yes, Cody, I heard you sigh just then, but back then it WAS called Downtown Disney).

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Casting

After arriving at the Casting building, we were escorted inside and into another line while we waited to fill out more paperwork and get fingerprinted.  It is here - while waiting in the rotunda of the Casting building - that you will be given your work location.  It’s a moment filled with so much excitement that you’ll totally forget you’ve been up since before the sun to just wait in a bunch of lines.

The hours spent at Casting will take you through a maze of the offices as you set up payroll deduction for your housing payments, have a background check and possibly a drug test, and verify your employment eligibility.  For me, it took about two hours to go through the whole process at the Casting building.  Once everything is complete, you’re free to go back to your apartments.

Housing

At the time of my program, Patterson Court was the newer apartment complex.  We were on the third floor which made for tons of fun during the move into and out of the apartment.  Each complex is different and everyone seems to have a favorite.  Patterson Court was referred to as the retirement community when I was there as it was the quieter of the complexes - a fact I loved.

My little corner of Patterson Court.

If you bring your own car (which I would highly recommend for those who can) be sure to get a parking tag for your car.  You wouldn’t want to be heading out to work to find your car has been towed.  If you’re forgoing the car to take the bus, make sure you plan ahead to get to work.  Buses are on a schedule, and there's even apparently an app out there now to track your bus, but you want to make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get from the bus stop to your work location.

Once you are settled into your apartment, it would be wise to go on to the grocery store.  I know it seems like such a boring task, but your next few days and weeks are going to be crazy, and you will glad to have food at the apartment when you come home.

All participants are required to attend a housing meeting, which typically takes place on your second day of the program.  Generally, it’s a free day otherwise, so be sure to take advantage of your new surroundings.  Drive to your work location or take the bus just to see how traffic and everything is on your commute.  You can’t get into the parks yet so take this day to prepare for impending adventure and get some sleep.  It’s a long standing joke that CP doesn’t stand for College Program but instead Closing Person.  You’ll be working crazy hours in the weeks to come, so don’t forget to get sleep while you can.

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.