Ask a Cast Member

Ask a former Disney World Cast Member your questions about anything and everything Disney-related. I did the Disney College Program in Fall 2010, and I'm planning on working there again eventually. I'll be more than glad to answer any questions about the College Program, working for Disney, Disney vacation advice, or anything Disney-related at all.

[askacm]

I'm sure you've all noticed it's been quite some time since I've updated this blog. Sadly, I just don't have time to keep up with AskACM anymore, so I'm officially closing the blog. I'll leave what's already been posted up to serve as a reference for people, but after today, the Ask box will be closed. I had a great time running AskACM while it lasted, and it was awesome being able to help other people out. Hopefully one day I'll have the time to open it back up. Until then, you guys are awesome, and remember: if you can dream it, you can do it. :)

[askacm]

If you decline your offer, it doesn't put you on any list. It doesn't affect your rehire status at all since you haven't officially started working for Disney yet.

I know it doesn't hurt you if you decline your offer, but I've always heard it can if you accept the offer and THEN have to back out, since Disney pretty much considers you contracted to work for them for that semester once you accept your invitation. That's all based on second-hand info, though, not personal experience, so I could be wrong!

[askacm]

Do you have to move into an apt if you live in a house with your parents? And the fee is automatically charged if you get into the program?

Are you asking about the Disneyland or the Disney World program? Because the housing situations are totally different. The Disneyland program has much less housing available, so you're not required to stay in their apartments at all; you'd be perfectly fine staying with your parents. The Disney World program, on the other hand, typically wants almost everyone staying in program housing. They do grant exceptions sometimes, though, so by all means, call and ask after you get accepted.

As far as the fees, it's not exactly an automatic thing. When you get accepted into the program, you'll then have to go online and actually accept the role you were offered. Until then, you've just been offered a job, you haven't actually accepted it. When you log online to accept it, you'll also have to pay the program fees at the same time. It has to be done online, with either a credit or debit card.

[askacm]

Seriously thank you SO much for all your answers! It helped so much, which helped me get into the WDW Spring Advantage 2013 program for Merchandise!! :D I just have one question. How many roomates can you choose? I heard you can only choose one, and the rest is up to disney? I just wanted a clear answer :)

Awesome, congrats! I'm glad I was able to help! =) What you've heard is basically right, yes. You can use the roommate matching system to guarantee yourself one roommate, and the rest is up to Disney. If you have multiple people you'd like to room with, however, if you all show up to check-in at the same time and go through the process together, you can request that you be placed into the same apartment as a group. There's no guarantees, of course, but they'll do what they can.

[askacm]

For the person wondering the Disneyland Spring 2013 arrival dates, it's Jan 13th for housing and Jan 17th or 18th for locals. No Feb dates.

Great, thanks for the info. =)

[askacm]

I was accepted for Spring Advantage but my situation has recently changed and I want to go home in May. Should I call and ask to change it or just leave in May as if it wasnt planned?

Your best bet is to call them and explain that something's come up, and you'd like to switch from Spring Advantage to Spring if it's at all possible. They may or may not be able to change you over, but it's worth a shot, and they're definitely not going to like you leaving a few months before your program is supposed to be over--you'd basically have to self-term, and that's not going to look too great. Hopefully if you explain the situation to them, they'll be able to change you to the Spring program. Good luck!

[askacm]

I just got accepted into the program, YAY except I got quick service food and beverage and only offered $7.80! is this normal? I think Im going to deny because of this but what good things do you have to say about this job role?

That's perfectly normal. Matter of fact, QSFB is one of the higher paid roles on the program. I worked Custodial and only got $7.35. You're lucky. =P

As far as what working QSFB is like, I don't have any personal experience, but I've talked to both people that loved it and people that hated it. You are essentially working fast food, so there is that. It's also one of the easier roles to end up accidentally injuring yourself in (burning yourself, etc.). There's a variety of things you can end up doing, and it's supposed to be very fast-paced and hectic, which you may or may not enjoy--I have heard a lot of people say they liked it because it made the day go by quicker, though. It's also very easy to pick up shifts in other locations if you want more hours, and as I said, it's one of the higher paid roles, so if you're looking to make a decent amount of money while you're there, QSFB is a good bet. All things considered, it's like any other role--it is what you make of it. Go into it with a good attitude, and you'll find things to enjoy.

[askacm]

About the person who is turning 21 during their program, there is no fee to move when you turn 21. The fee is for moving for other reasons.

Ahh, okay. I knew there was a fee for moving, and I just assumed it would apply in that case as well. Thanks for the correction!

[askacm]

I got accepted into Merchandise for Spring 2013, and I'm really excited that I got in, but something came up and I had to decline after I accepted the offer. I really would like to do the DCP later in my college career when things hopefully get back on track. Will my declining effect any chances of me getting accepted later? Or did I just blow it for good?

The bad news is, from what I understand, backing out after you accept your offer can indeed get you put on a restricted-rehire list. The good news is, it's very possible to get off that list and get hired again when things are going better for you; it just means you'll have some extra paperwork to fill out. Once you're ready to try again, go ahead and apply. If you did get put on restricted-rehire, at some point during the application process they'll let you know that, and they'll direct you to the paperwork you'll need to fill out to request being taken off. And I wouldn't stress out too much. Disney understands that sometimes things come up; as long as you have a good reason why you had to decline and you can explain that to them, you should be fine. Good luck! =)

[askacm]

Do you need to have hair experience to work at the Bippidy Boppidy Boutique? I mean, I can do braids and french braids and that kind of simple thing, but I've never really "done hair" before. But I do have experience with kids (teaching at a preschool, kindergarten, and babysitting). So would I have a (good?) chance at getting that job?

Salon experience definitely does help a lot when it comes to getting a job at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, but it's not necessarily a requirement. So yes, I would say you've still got a good chance of getting that role, especially if you've got a lot of experience in dealing with kids. Just stress to your interviewer how much you would love to have a role at the Boutique, how much experience you have in dealing with kids, and so on. Good luck!

[askacm]

What the address where castmember pick up there dianey i.d at

You get your Disney ID during the check-in and training process.

[askacm]

What does a pending status mean

Pending just means that, for one reason or another, it's taking them longer to process your application than they expected. It's not a bad thing, or a good thing--honestly, it doesn't mean all that much. It's just their way of letting you know that they haven't forgotten about you, it's just taking them some time.

[askacm]

A family friend's daughter is in DCP at Disney World, came in June, leaving in January. She would like to extend, but is not sure when the applications are posted for that. Do you know the dates she would be able to apply? Thank you!

Applications to extend generally go out towards the end of the program. If she's leaving in January, I would guess they'll probably be available sometime in December. Whenever she's eligible to apply to extend, they'll send out an email to all the program participants and let them know what to go about doing from there. And if she has any questions about extending, she can always ask one of her managers--they're usually pretty helpful. =)

[askacm]

So I applied for the DCP and my phone interview is on Tuesday. Im really excited but I have some questions. I want to be a character performer. I want that more than anything. Lets say I do get it does that mean after I've been accepted into the program I then go to auditions? And is it true that I can't be a face character in the DCP? I really hope this isn't true :( also what classes are offered for someone majored in the arts (theater) in the program? Please write back it would be helpful!

You can actually go to auditions at any point during the application process--before you apply, after you apply, or after you've already been accepted. If you get accepted, you may get assigned a role somewhere else, but then if they like you during the auditions, you'll get switched from that role into Entertainment. And you definitely can get assigned to be a face character in the DCP! They cast both face and fur characters from the DCP, although face characters are harder to get cast as, for obvious reasons (you have to look a LOT like the character in question). Also, just for clarification, you should know that most CPs in Entertainment end up doing almost entirely meet-and-greets. It is possible for them to get cast in a show or a parade, but it's very, very rare. Just so you know exactly what you'll be doing. =)

As far as classes, most of the classes offered on the program are more along the lines of business classes, unfortunately. They've got a complete list of the classes they offer here, and you can even look at the syllabi to get a better idea of what each class will be like. Have a look there, and see if you can't find anything that seems interesting or relevant. Good luck with everything!

[askacm]

If you get cut the first round can you still possibly be cast as a character ?

Unfortunately not, no. If you get cut during auditions, then you're out, at least for that particular round of auditions. But there's no reason you can't practice and try again next time they hold auditions, either. =)

[askacm]

Do you know the arrival dates for the Disneyland Spring 2013 college program? Any Feb dates?

I don't know any specific arrival dates, no. However, the program website says that the Disneyland Spring program usually begins in mid-January to early February, so I would guess there probably are a few dates in February to choose from. Followers, do any of you know the specific dates? Help me out here if you do. =)

[askacm]

i'll be turning 21 while i'm in the program so I know I have to live in wellness, but does that mean once I am 21 I still can't go grocery shopping at get a bottle of wine and bring it back to my apartment or anything?

If you're still living in a wellness apartment, then even if you're over 21, you're not allowed to have anything alcohol-related in your apartment, even empty bottles and such. You're still free to go out and drink, or to drink in other people's non-wellness apartments, but alcohol is strictly prohibited inside any wellness apartment. If you want to, once you turn 21, you can apply to move into a non-wellness apartment, although it can take a while for them to process your application and actually get you moved. A lot of people just don't bother, and just stay in their wellness apartment and go elsewhere to drink. The decision is yours.

Edit: Originally I said there was a fee to move as well, and I've found out since then that I was mistaken. Normally there is a moving fee, but it doesn't apply if you're moving into a non-wellness apartment because you turned 21.