Disney College Program. What Is It? Part 4: Arrival

So you made it in the Disney College Program? Congrats! You know who your roommates could be, you know where you want to live, and you decided how to get there. But what do I do next?

 What should I expect upon arrival to Florida?

  Well the days before your set Check-In date is really up to you. Some people stay at a hotel for a few days before hand and some people drive in or fly in on that day. It's really however you would feel comfortable.

   I do recommend doing what I did, especially if you decide to fly. I flew in with my parents ( a lot of CP's parents come with them) and we stayed at Pop Century Resort for a few days. It worked out really nice. Since I didn't have a car, using the Magical Express from the airport (bus transportation that Disney provides for guests) helped us with costs. Plus we got to stay on Disney Property for a few days! One of my roommates I had met on Facebook was also staying there with her parents so we met up and got to hang out and get to know each other. Although we didn't get to go into the parks, we went to Disney Springs, and watched the Magic Kingdom fireworks on the beach at Polynesian. We kept ourselves busy enough before our Check-In day.

If you do decide to stay at a hotel before your check-in day, DO NOT SPEND MONEY ON THEME PARK TICKETS! I say this because, once you get your ID card, you will be able to go to the parks for free, so the wait is well worth it.

How does Check-In day work?

 Upon acceptance into the program, you will be asked to choose an available date to arrive (mentioned this in part 1) and you will be assigned a specific time to arrive. Check-In is held at Vista Way Apartments in their Club House. So because I didn't have a car, I had to pay for a taxi to take my parents and I to VW. This usually takes most of the morning (depending on your scheduled time) and they also have a designated waiting area for parents.

It's basically just a long line you stand in and you go through, get a folder, and find out which Park or Resort you will be working at and what apartment complex you will be in with what roommates. Once that is over you get your picture taken and you receive a Housing ID, which is used to show security when entering your apartment complex, and you receive your apartment key.
They then walk you through and you get a bag with some free goodies and go to Disney University to complete a background check. This is where you get your fingerprints done, etc..

 Once you are done with check in, you are able to go to your apartment and start moving your stuff in. My roommate I met before hand and we were the first ones to the apartment (along with our parents) I'm not going to lie, though, the place was a little dirty. The rooms were fine, and empty, but the tile floors weren't that great and the kitchen needed some work. Other than that it was pretty easy. We choose which rooms we wanted and soon enough our other roommates arrived and we met them.

Then later in the day I also had to go to VW by myself for a drug test. Yes, I had to pee in a cup and find my way around my own. This is when I first experienced the buses and figured out where to go. And if you don't know where your going, just ask. Everyone is pretty friendly!

What Is Traditions?

 When at Check-In you are given a program guide that has a date and time for your traditions class. Basically traditions is an all day class that every cast member at Disney has to go through. It's  the main start to your training. They go over different safety things etc.. This is also where you receive your name tag, and your Disney ID, along with a couple of surprises. (Make sure you wear comfortable shoes to walk in) So once you have your Disney ID, you are officially a cast member and you know what that means? Parks for FREE! Yes, traditions night is a big night, because this is usually when a lot of the CP's go to magic kingdom for the first time since they arrived.

What happens in the days proceeding Traditions?

  For most CP's you will be scheduled a housing meeting, which goes over all the housing rules and explains how to do what, and where to go.

And then after that, it is different for every person. It depends on the type of job you have. Because I was attractions, I attended a training day called Operations, which was mostly for those who would be operating equipment etc. Then usually you will have another training day specific to your park or resort. Because I worked at Epcot I went to a training day called Discovery Day, which was information specific to Epcot. Here is when I found out which specific attraction I would be working, as well as what my costume was and when my on-site training days were. This is the day to ASK QUESTIONS if you are confused on anything.

You then proceed to do On-site training, which is different for everyone! Some training takes longer than others, depending on your job. But don't worry about training too much. Yes, a lot of information is thrown at you all at once, but as long as you ask your trainer questions and pay attention, you will be fine.

Thanks for reading Part 4!
Next read Part 5 which will cover Extra info you should know.
Thanks!
-S