DCP – Education Registration

Hi guys!

So my roommates and I just experienced the most stressful part of our program since before acceptances dropped: education registration!

Ah, DORMS. Home of system errors and automatic log-outs. Registration started at 12 pm EST, and I only got into the system at 12:30. And not for lack of trying, believe me. It is currently 12:45, and my phone is abuzz with the group chat; I was the first of our group of six to get signed up.

So in case you didn’t know, one of the three aspects of the DCP is Learning. You can learn more about this on the official Disney College Program website, but the basic gist is that you can choose to take collegiate courses, seminars, or nothing at all. The collegiate courses are, as the name describes, on-par with an actual college course. You will have required textbooks and assignments. Some examples of collegiate offerings are Corporate Analysis, Advanced Hospitality Studies, and Human Resources Management. Seminars are a bit more laid-back; they meet for two hours a week, and you do not have textbooks or assignments. The most popular seminar offerings are Disney Heritage and Leadership 101. If you want one of these classes, make sure you’re ready to log in early!

I had my heart set on Disney Heritage. This course focuses on the company history, and anyone who knows me knows that I am such a nerd about the history of the Disney company. I had a backup plan (the Hospitality seminar) but I knew what I really wanted was Heritage. So at 11:45 AM I logged into the system, and at 12 PM on the dot I clicked on the button for education registration…

…and I was immediately frozen out of the page.

This happened probably about twenty times. I finally got into the actual registration process and then got frozen out a few more times. Added Disney Heritage to my cart, got frozen out again. Put in my credit card info, frozen out again! But finally it went through and I got a receipt from Disney, and I am officially enrolled in Disney Heritage for the months of September and October!

Some more random notes on Disney classes:

• They generally cost between $10 and $30. This is a one-time fee. Disney Heritage was $15.
• You are guaranteed to be off work at least two hours before and two hours after your class; for example, my class is from 4 PM to 6 PM so I am guaranteed not to work from 2 PM to 8 PM on Wednesdays. Most CP’s end up having this day completely off work. If you’re on the fence about Disney classes, understand you will spend one of your days off in the class of your choosing.
• You are required to attend every class for it to be considered “completed” at the end of your program.

Well, that’s really all there is to say about education registration! If you’re about to go through it, good luck; if you’ve already gone through it, feel free to contribute in the comments with anything I missed!

(Added note: it is now 1 PM and I just logged into the system; Heritage is full. If that sounds interesting to you, make DOUBLY sure you’re ready when the clock strikes 12!)

Song of the day: We’ll Be the Stars // Sabrina Carpenter

DCP – DORMS Registration

Hi guys!

So today I am exactly three weeks out from my arrival date, and my roommates and I all received our DORMS registration emails today. The process, though hectic, is fairly quick. We were incredibly fortunate and were allowed to link together as a group of six; last week, each participant could only link with two others.

One person in your group will have to register first; I took on this role in my group. Each participant will get a Roommate ID number in the body of their email; the designated leader will need all of these ID’s in order to link roommates. The leader will also list housing preferences; make sure to discuss these with your roommates in advance. (Note: none of your roommate/housing preferences are guaranteed, but Disney does make a stronger effort to match you with your roommates than to put you in your top housing complex.) The other members of the group cannot register until the leader has finished registering, at which point their roommate preferences will be pre-filled on the paperwork.

If you are bringing your car, now is the time to register it for a parking pass. You will not be charged until later, but you do need to know your license plate number and your driver’s license number.

Finally, make sure you print up your onboarding pass. You’ll need it on arrival day!

Wednesday is class registration so I’ll make another blog post then. I’m so excited!!

Song of the day: Strangers Like Me // Phil Collins

DCP – 6 Weeks Out

Hi guys!

So I’m now slightly under six weeks out from my program, which means Disney has been sliding back into my inbox with some important things. The first email I received this week just prompted me to make travel plans ASAP, since my program is only a few short weeks away (!!!). The second, more important email contained my new hire paperwork. 

If you’ve never filled out new hire paperwork before, or even if you have and just haven’t done it for Disney, you should know it takes awhile. I did it all at once and it took me about an hour. You receive a 30-page safety manual, a 90-page cast member manual, a 20-page pamphlet on the Disney Look, and a ton of things to sign. You can save your work and return at a later time, but keep in mind that the whole process is quite lengthy. 

Also, you will need to know your SSN, what town you’d like on your ID badge (CP’s can actually request the name of a city over the name of a university), and your direct deposit information. Your DD numbers can be found on the bottom of a check, or you can bring your debit card to your bank and they’ll write it out for you. Disney collects this information before you arrive. 

All in all it’s a very straightforward, if hefty, process! Right now I have a whole room dedicated to packing my things, and last week I purchased my annual pass to Universal Studios. A side note about Universal AP’s: there are three levels, Power being the cheapest, Preferred being the second cheapest, and Premier being the most expensive. I selected Preferred for one reason only: free parking! Parking at Universal Studios costs $20 per visit, and the difference between Power and Preferred is $75. That means if you visit Universal four or more times, you’re actually paying less per visit with a Preferred pass than you would  with a Power pass. For a Harry Potter geek and roller coaster lover like me, this was a big deal! (Also, the Preferred pass gets you a discount on things like merch, hotel rooms, and, yes, even butterbeer if you order from an indoor location!)

I’m counting down the days until I start my program; I couldn’t be more excited! Education and housing registration should be soon so keep checking my blog!

Song of the day: Everything’s Magic // Angels and Airwaves