I Did the Disney College Program — Here Are 5 Things I Wish I Knew BEFORE I Signed Up

One of the BEST decisions I ever made was applying to the Disney College Program (DCP).

I went to Disney World for the first time when I was 19 and a sophomore in college, and went a few more times after that throughout my college experience. While in the parks, I heard about the DCP through the Cast Members with their college listed on their name tags. So, I did ALL SORTS of research, readied my resume, and did everything I could to ensure my own acceptance into the program. Except…once I arrived to Florida for my program, I realized that there were several things that absolutely nothing could have prepared me for.

Here are five things I wish I knew before doing the Disney College Program.

You might not be in the parks as much as you may think!

One of the BIGGEST highlights of the DCP is free park admission. While Cast Members are subject to a lot of block out dates, most folks doing the program visit the parks pretty frequently.

Before doing the program, I expected to spend all my free time in the parks. I planned to visit the parks before work (most DCP participants work the later shifts) as well as on my off day. HAAA! I went to the parks maybe once a month. I was completely and utterly exhausted from work and from training for a runDisney half marathon. Instead, I frequently found myself at Disney Springs shopping and enjoying some snacks!

You should DEFINITELY pack warm clothes.

My program lasted from August 1st to January 5th. I was like, “It’s Florida! It’ll be warm!” and packed zero warm clothes. September rolled around, and I was shakin’ in my boots. I was FREEZING. I had to go and buy warm clothes just to be comfortable.

So, if you will be working there during the winter months, pack warm clothes. Even if you think 75 degrees feels warm now, you won’t think it’s warm when your body gets a little too adjusted to 100-degree weather.

Not all jobs are created equal.

One of the not-so-exciting aspects of the DCP is that you have virtually no say in your placement when it comes to your role. It’s all completely random these days. You could be placed in attractions, food or beverage, hotel concierge, custodial, and more.

While all of these jobs can be GREAT experiences, they’ll all be very DIFFERENT experiences. For example, different leaders may have different rules. Where I worked, I was allowed to wear jewelry and have painted nails. Other locations might not allow that. I worked anywhere from 30 to 60 hours a week, and it was VERY inconsistent, while I had friends that consistently worked 9AM to 5PM Monday through Friday. It all just depends, and you won’t know until you’re there. The most important thing here is to go into things with an open mind so that you’re ready for anything!

Bringing a car might/might not be worth it.

One of the biggest debates when it comes to the program is whether or not a participant should bring their car. Parking at Flamingo Crossings Village (Disney’s DCP housing) is expensive, and so is gas. But, it can be worth it depending on your needs.

The truth is, there’s no right or wrong answer to whether or not you should bring a car. Consider YOUR. OWN. NEEDS. beforehand and don’t take advice from people who are outside your situation. For me, having a car was the BEST decision I made. Not having to rely on the buses or have to stand on a crowded bus after a 14-hour shift made having a car worth it for me. However, if you’d rather not worry about a car, the buses will have your back!

The networking experience is what YOU make it.

As a DCP participant, you’ll have access to all sorts of networking events and classes. Outside of that, though, you also have access to your leaders. Networking is truly what you make it, and you’ll often get out of the experience what you put in.

I did not network because I was planning a wedding and knew that I would move to be with my fiancé after my program. I knew that I probably wouldn’t be working for Disney immediately after my program. However, I had friends that made it their second job to network with Disney during their college program, and now they have really cool jobs and internships with the company! Now, that’s not to say that you should just totally burn bridges with the company if you know you have no desire to work there after your program is complete, but don’t force yourself to a ton of classes and events if it doesn’t interest you.

And there you have it! I totally loved my experience working at Disney World, but if I had known these things ahead of time, the transition would have been much smoother. We’re always down to chat about our former Cast Member days, so make sure to follow along here at AE for more posts like this!

 I was a Disney World Cast Member, and I’m letting you in on a parade SECRET. 

Have you ever been a Cast Member? Let us know in the comments! 

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