Tips for future CP's!

TerminationStation

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jan 28, 2014
Hi Guys! I'm new to this whole discussion forum thing so bear with me please!(Did I spell bear wrong?... probably) I did the College Program last spring and wanted to share some tips and a little bit of my story with anyone that is going or is thinking about doing the program.

I did my program in Disney World and was working in the Be Our Guest Restaurant last Spring. I met so many amazing people, and got to do so many awesome things while I was down there. The people you meet while there will truly change your life forever. You get to meet people from all over the world and see how different people live. My work location was amazing as well. Everyday going into work was an adventure and I loved every second of it.

But here comes my warning: You can, and might be terminated (Disney's way of saying fired) for multiple reasons. My roommate got termed for having her sister sleep in our apartment because she couldn't afford a hotel room, I know of people who got termed for showing up late to work too many times (obviously), and I know of people who got termed for playing pranks on their friends. If you live in Disney Housing you will be subject to their rules.

Coming from a college environment to Disney Housing is a huge change. I go to Penn State University so I've lived in dorm settings as well as apartment settings through school but the housing there is way stricter. There is nothing wrong with living in the housing provided, in fact I encourage it because you meet so many cool people there, but you HAVE to be careful. Follow every single rule even if it seems like they are trying to treat you like you're in kindergarten again. If you don't want to be termed follow their rules.

This may seem like a lecture but I want everyone to be able to live out their experience with the program and graduate at the end, something I never got to do. I was terminated a month into my program for something I didn't do (yes this can happen, and it happens often). I had five people give written statements that I didn't do anything and one person said that I did, and yes because of that one person I had to leave. Such is the nature of the beast. I was one of my locations favorite college program students and my manager fought for me to stay but once they decide you're leaving, you leave. So please listen to me when I say, please be careful.

Also, I'm 22 years old, so no I did not go home for underage drinking, and no I did not go home for poor work performance. There are many reasons to be termed during your program, not just underage drinking and poor work performance!

Here's some tips:
1. If you are 21 or over live with only people that are 21 or over, they will give you this option at move in

2. If you are not 21 don't drink. It's not worth it, you will be tempted to and think that nothing will happen to you if you do but don't. If you want to stay with the program just don't do it

3. If you are in housing with all underage people have a talk with your roommates about drinking. Honestly, if you all want to drink while there you need to agree to each other that none of you will call security on the others. This is an important conversation to have and you must have it.

4. If you're in an apartment with 21 and over you need to have a talk about under aged friends coming over. If one of you has an underage friend come over and you give that one friend a beer, one beer even, your entire apartment will be termed no matter if your roommates even knew it was happening or not so again, have this conversation right from the start

Just be careful! Like I said before, this program is an amazing, once in a lifetime experience, and I highly highly recommend it but I want you to leave on a better note than I did. If anyone has any questions or needs advice just message me I can give you my email and we can talk! I'm here to help or just talk about the program with anyone so feel free to talk to me about termination or just random questions about the college program I am here to help!
 
Just curious if Disney came after you for the rest of the rent since you were termed.Sorry it happened to you.Don't feel bad.My son was in the DL program and lots of folks go home along the way and as you state for lots of different reasons including pregnancy.
 
Just curious if Disney came after you for the rest of the rent since you were termed.Sorry it happened to you.Don't feel bad.My son was in the DL program and lots of folks go home along the way and as you state for lots of different reasons including pregnancy.

If you are termed, they will deduct any applicable charges (rent, costumes, etc.) to your final paycheck. If you want to come back for another College a Program/PI/other type of employment, you will be charged the remaining amount. These charges are linked to your PerNer which is linked to your SSN.

I was one of the people that processed those charges years back...
 
Just curious if Disney came after you for the rest of the rent since you were termed.Sorry it happened to you.Don't feel bad.My son was in the DL program and lots of folks go home along the way and as you state for lots of different reasons including pregnancy.

Yes just as PP said above me. I really didn't have any problem paying the rest of that, as at that point I kind of just wanted to go home. However, the problem was they took away my disney id so I had no way to make sure my costumes got returned and had to leave them at the front desk and put the fate of my 400 dollars in their hands. They did end up returning them for me but scary nonetheless! And thank you for saying that. Definitely was one of the hardest things I had to go through. Getting your dream taken from you like that for something you didn't do is truly heartbreaking, but it's almost been a year now so talking about my experience with others definitely helps and hopefully I'm saving someone from a similar fate like mine!
 


Wow, I'm really sorry that happened to you. Thanks for the advice, though!
 
That's really great advice you've given. I'm 30 and looking to do the ICP as an 'older' college student and when I started researching I found all these jaded, termed, ex-CP blogs that made me think the only people who got terminated were spoilt brats who just didn't they would have to work when they got to Florida.

However, since reading around a bot more I've realised that whilst there do seem to be people out there like that, Disney also seem to be incredibly strict when it comes to CP and ICP rules, particularly in regards to the housing. I think it's good that you mention people need to be careful, because sometimes you can do nothing wrong but still lose out because you weren't careful.

I'm not going to ask about the particulars of your termination because that would be rude, but are there any other situations that you can think of that might lead to termination? Obviously alcohol, drugs, letting people stay over etc are the obvious ones but are there things we wouldn't automatically think of?
 


That's really great advice you've given. I'm 30 and looking to do the ICP as an 'older' college student and when I started researching I found all these jaded, termed, ex-CP blogs that made me think the only people who got terminated were spoilt brats who just didn't they would have to work when they got to Florida.

However, since reading around a bot more I've realised that whilst there do seem to be people out there like that, Disney also seem to be incredibly strict when it comes to CP and ICP rules, particularly in regards to the housing. I think it's good that you mention people need to be careful, because sometimes you can do nothing wrong but still lose out because you weren't careful.

I'm not going to ask about the particulars of your termination because that would be rude, but are there any other situations that you can think of that might lead to termination? Obviously alcohol, drugs, letting people stay over etc are the obvious ones but are there things we wouldn't automatically think of?


Thank you! Yes there are definitely spoiled lazy students that just don't want to work and get termed for that reason. I have seen plenty of that. But yes, Disney is also very strict with their housing rules in particular. Honestly you can get termed for multiple reasons including forgetting to sign out a guest, even if they didn't sleep over, or you had what Disney might term "a weapon" such as a nerf gun or a light saber (yes, light sabers are not allowed in housing). All of this of course is dependent upon somebody telling security that you have one of these items. Here lies the real problem with housing. Their system is set up so that students are telling on other students for simple things that really aren't that harmful but will get them termed. The problem is that if one of your roommates are doing something wrong and you know about it and you don't tell on them and they get caught you all go home, so it puts your opportunity on the line. This creates, what I believe a horrible culture. It turns students against each other and creates problems within apartments because honestly if you don't want to go home what choice do you have but to tell on your friend?

As far as other things getting you termed other than alcohol and drugs. I haven't really heard of that many stories. I do know of someone that hid in the trunk of their friends car and jumped out when they came down the steps and security saw him and kicked him out because of that though. Like i said there are so many reasons to be termed in housing so you just have to be extremely careful. Coming from a student like me, who has never gotten in trouble, and only got sent to the Principles office once in middle school for a cell phone infraction (in which I cried all day), it is not always the trouble makers who get sent home. Thank you for reading! If you have anymore questions let me know!

By the way I still love Disney, a lot. My termination didn't stop that. I think they are a wonderful company and I am counting down the days until I can go back and visit!
 
Oh the spelling errors in my last post! Shameful! :P

Thanks for the info, and I really like that you still have such a mature and positive view of the company after this - it's very refreshing. It's such a tricky situation because with so many college students to keep under control and their closely maintained reputation to uphold I can imagine a program as large as the CP/ICP could potentially cause a lot of difficult problems for Disney. However, it does seem unfair that if one person does the wrong thing then the whole apartment gets sent packing. It certainly seems like an imperfect system (like what if you honestly didn't know your roommate had a banned item?) and, like you said, it breeds a terrible culture where you feel compelled to snitch on the people you live with in order to save yourself.

The fact that light sabers are banned because they're considered a weapon makes me laugh. I mean star wars and Disney are best buds! It's a bit ridiculous really, but I guess all it takes is one idiot with a toy and no self control to ruin it for everyone else huh?

Thanks again for your insights :)
 
Oh the spelling errors in my last post! Shameful! :P

Thanks for the info, and I really like that you still have such a mature and positive view of the company after this - it's very refreshing. It's such a tricky situation because with so many college students to keep under control and their closely maintained reputation to uphold I can imagine a program as large as the CP/ICP could potentially cause a lot of difficult problems for Disney. However, it does seem unfair that if one person does the wrong thing then the whole apartment gets sent packing. It certainly seems like an imperfect system (like what if you honestly didn't know your roommate had a banned item?) and, like you said, it breeds a terrible culture where you feel compelled to snitch on the people you live with in order to save yourself.

The fact that light sabers are banned because they're considered a weapon makes me laugh. I mean star wars and Disney are best buds! It's a bit ridiculous really, but I guess all it takes is one idiot with a toy and no self control to ruin it for everyone else huh?

Thanks again for your insights :)

Oh the light saber thing still has me laughing for days! Thank you so much! If you have any more questions I would be happy to answer! :)
 
Good discussion. Thanks TerminationStation for your insights!

My daughter will be applying for Fall 2014.

I always told her that I didn't want to hear tattling unless someone was going to get hurt. But as Becsta points out, this housing situation requires a different sort of mindset.
 
Good discussion. Thanks TerminationStation for your insights!

My daughter will be applying for Fall 2014.

I always told her that I didn't want to hear tattling unless someone was going to get hurt. But as Becsta points out, this housing situation requires a different sort of mindset.

Yes definitely good advice for your daughter! And absolutely Disney definitely has a lot on the line here! Tell her good luck and let me know if she needs any advice for the phone interview!!
 
Yes definitely good advice for your daughter! And absolutely Disney definitely has a lot on the line here! Tell her good luck and let me know if she needs any advice for the phone interview!!

Thanks for the offer. She actually applied for Spring 2014 and passed everything. We think she would have gotten in but applied so late that there was just nothing left. Disney extended her 'in consideration' time into December then told her all the position were filled.

Although every recruitment period is a new ballgame I hope she'll do as well. At least she shouldn't have to do the WBI again.

Best of luck to you in what eve you do.
 
That makes me super super nervous. My first two years of college, that was the mentality in the dorm I was in, tattle or you'll be grouped in with the rule breakers, often even if you weren't around when the rule breaking occurred. It was very stressful and led to a lot of paranoia and ugliness, to the point where I had to move out because the drama was just too much. I spent the next 2 years in a different dorm with a much better environment. Still strict rules, but the mentality was more that people were responsible for their own actions, and not that of their roommates or friends. So if I get accepted to the program, I'm quite nervous about living in that kind of environment again, especially if I end up in a 4-bedroom apartment. Then I'd have to make sure to know everything that was going on with 7 other people, poised to go running to the people in charge, lest I be termed for something I have no knowledge of? I just want to work and spend my free time at the parks; I wasn't even planning on spending all that much time in the actual apartment.

Sorry for the rant, it's just scary to think that my dream could be cut short just by being assigned to live with one person who makes a wrong move. :(
 
That makes me super super nervous. My first two years of college, that was the mentality in the dorm I was in, tattle or you'll be grouped in with the rule breakers, often even if you weren't around when the rule breaking occurred. It was very stressful and led to a lot of paranoia and ugliness, to the point where I had to move out because the drama was just too much. I spent the next 2 years in a different dorm with a much better environment. Still strict rules, but the mentality was more that people were responsible for their own actions, and not that of their roommates or friends. So if I get accepted to the program, I'm quite nervous about living in that kind of environment again, especially if I end up in a 4-bedroom apartment. Then I'd have to make sure to know everything that was going on with 7 other people, poised to go running to the people in charge, lest I be termed for something I have no knowledge of? I just want to work and spend my free time at the parks; I wasn't even planning on spending all that much time in the actual apartment.

Sorry for the rant, it's just scary to think that my dream could be cut short just by being assigned to live with one person who makes a wrong move. :(

Trust me! I understand that statement more than anybody! That's why I made this post, I'm sorry to make you nervous but I just want to make you aware of what could happen if you're not careful. I will say if you're not in your apartment when something happens you probably won't be in trouble for it. The real key is to just talk to your roommates. Most likely they'll all be really cool people and everything will work out great, but communication is key! Just keep an open and honest line of communication between your roommates and everything will work out fine! If you need anymore advice or just need to talk let me know :)
 
Trust me! I understand that statement more than anybody! That's why I made this post, I'm sorry to make you nervous but I just want to make you aware of what could happen if you're not careful. I will say if you're not in your apartment when something happens you probably won't be in trouble for it. The real key is to just talk to your roommates. Most likely they'll all be really cool people and everything will work out great, but communication is key! Just keep an open and honest line of communication between your roommates and everything will work out fine! If you need anymore advice or just need to talk let me know :)

It's okay! And thank you so much for taking the time to make this thread! As nervous as it made me, it's definitely better to go in knowing what's possible than to have it come up later in the program. Now I know that that's something that definitely needs to be talked about with all of the people in the apartment right away, which should be totally fine; I assume they wouldn't want to go home either! Thanks again for posting this!
 
It's okay! And thank you so much for taking the time to make this thread! As nervous as it made me, it's definitely better to go in knowing what's possible than to have it come up later in the program. Now I know that that's something that definitely needs to be talked about with all of the people in the apartment right away, which should be totally fine; I assume they wouldn't want to go home either! Thanks again for posting this!

Of course! It makes me feel so much better that I get the opportunity to help other people not go through what I did. Hopefully you talk to your roommates about this and there are zero problems and you think to yourself, "This Katie girl is crazy..." That is my honest hope for you! Good luck with everything let me know if you need advice on getting in to the program!
 
The way housing is set up is silly. I know a girl who got termed because her room mate blamed her for the alcohol in the apartment, even though it wasn't hers (it was actually the girl blaming her) - so she got termed and the other girl got to stay. It really depends on who you talk to I think. I'd say most people are pretty cool and respectable, and to be perfectly honest you probably won't see them all that much; the girl I shared my room with and I never saw each other because I worked early and she worked late. I'd say 99% of the people I knew had good room mates or at least tolerable and reasonable ones. It's hard to make a decision about telling or not, but you'll get the "gut" feeling and you'll do the right thing!

This thread is great though - it really shows how silly some of the rules are and how stressful housing can be. When I first got there, we were told that we weren't in a wellness apartment, because myself and 2 of my roomies were 21, and one wasn't. We don't know how she ended up with us but it worked out in the end. If theres one thing to re-iterate is that if you aren't of age, don't drink. It's taken really seriously and its just not worth it, especially if you are ICP like me and could be deported for it :sad1: If anyone has any questions I'm also free to answer anything you want to know :)
 
The way housing is set up is silly. I know a girl who got termed because her room mate blamed her for the alcohol in the apartment, even though it wasn't hers (it was actually the girl blaming her) - so she got termed and the other girl got to stay. It really depends on who you talk to I think. I'd say most people are pretty cool and respectable, and to be perfectly honest you probably won't see them all that much; the girl I shared my room with and I never saw each other because I worked early and she worked late. I'd say 99% of the people I knew had good room mates or at least tolerable and reasonable ones. It's hard to make a decision about telling or not, but you'll get the "gut" feeling and you'll do the right thing!

This thread is great though - it really shows how silly some of the rules are and how stressful housing can be. When I first got there, we were told that we weren't in a wellness apartment, because myself and 2 of my roomies were 21, and one wasn't. We don't know how she ended up with us but it worked out in the end. If theres one thing to re-iterate is that if you aren't of age, don't drink. It's taken really seriously and its just not worth it, especially if you are ICP like me and could be deported for it :sad1: If anyone has any questions I'm also free to answer anything you want to know :)

Definitely! I know a lot of people who never had problems at all, so that's a very good point. I sincerely hope that no one has to go through what I did, it was really awful being blamed for something you didn't do and getting sent home for it. I agree with the statement if you aren't of age don't drink. It is totally not worth it at all. There is so much else to do while down there other than drink and if you value your program experience you'll be smart and stay away! Thanks for commenting!
 

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