College Program Parents Thread...

[Boopuff]

Thanks MickeyManiac for the info. And we also bought the mattress protector. Boopuff thanks for posting your DD schedule. We are so excited can hardly stand it! we leave in 3 days!!!

Good luck! It's a very busy time. I hope your kid gets a good apartment, roomies and position. My DD is really happy at AOA and is making tons of new friends from all over the world! (co-workers are from New Zealand and Japan!)

 

[Yvette Q.O.D.]

My DD is going to be a Character Attendant. She's hoping not to sleep in a bunk bed and would love to have a roommate or 2 or 3 from another country.

 

[Deb & Bill]

How many days can a CP get off in a row. My daughter applied for the advantage program and has her interview this week. June 4-14 2016 we are going to visit family in Cuba. Yes, an opportunity of a lifetime. I'm just wondering if it will hurt her chances? Or would it be ok? Does someone know?

My son was lucky enough to get two days in a row. But his roommates weren't that lucky and got a day here and another day a few days later. If she plans on going with you, she needs to skip the Fall Advantage program and just do Fall or Spring.

 

[HM2012Butler]

My son was lucky enough to get two days in a row. But his roommates weren't that lucky and got a day here and another day a few days later. If she plans on going with you, she needs to skip the Fall Advantage program and just do Fall or Spring.

Glo, it is definitely possible to still do the fall advantage. Your daughter could let them know of the plans in her interview. be upfront about it. They can decide whether she will start after the trip, in may before the trip, or if she should just do the regular fall program. 10 days would be rare but possible if they have advanced notice.

 

[heartsy77]

I'm am new to this thread; my dd (19) has just accepted spring advantage program! We are avid Disney World lovers and DVC members. We are going on a previously planned trip to the world from DEC- 6-13; taking our 2 1/2 year old god daughter for her 1st trip!. We had planned to do an adult only trip for food and wine; but, have since changed it to a family trip at the end of July to pick her up! I'm so excited; but, a tad nervous! She attends college only 1.5 hours away from home ; now, she's going to be 1000 miles away from home for 8 months!

 

[Boopuff]

Congratulations! She's going to have the time of her life

 

[trvlqueen]

heartsy 77 - do you know the exact dates yet? My daughter has applied and we're waiting anxiously to find out start and end dates to work around planned family wedidngs (in August) and a cruise that we might need to cancel if it interferes (in January - early). I know it can take some time to get a response - her interview was 9 days ago ... so at this point we're assuming no news is good news, but waiting is SO HARD!!!

I'm am new to this thread; my dd (19) has just accepted spring advantage program! We are avid Disney World lovers and DVC members. We are going on a previously planned trip to the world from DEC- 6-13; taking our 2 1/2 year old god daughter for her 1st trip!. We had planned to do an adult only trip for food and wine; but, have since changed it to a family trip at the end of July to pick her up! I'm so excited; but, a tad nervous! She attends college only 1.5 hours away from home ; now, she's going to be 1000 miles away from home for 8 months!

 

[dizagain]

heartsy 77 - do you know the exact dates yet? My daughter has applied and we're waiting anxiously to find out start and end dates to work around planned family wedidngs (in August) and a cruise that we might need to cancel if it interferes (in January - early). I know it can take some time to get a response - her interview was 9 days ago ... so at this point we're assuming no news is good news, but waiting is SO HARD!!!

My DD just accepted for Spring Advantage. She is arriving Feb.1st and leaving Aug. 4th if that helps. There are arrivals most Mondays between Jan 11th and Feb. 8th, I believe.....you don't always get to choose- mine didn't. Good luck!

 

[heartsy77]

heartsy 77 - do you know the exact dates yet? My daughter has applied and we're waiting anxiously to find out start and end dates to work around planned family wedidngs (in August) and a cruise that we might need to cancel if it interferes (in January - early). I know it can take some time to get a response - her interview was 9 days ago ... so at this point we're assuming no news is good news, but waiting is SO HARD!!!

Yes she moves in Jan 11 and check out day is Aug 4! Good luck!

 

[trvlqueen]

Yes she moves in Jan 11 and check out day is Aug 4! Good luck!

WOOHOO! She got her acceptance today and clicked in to accept - her position is hotel front desk/hospitality. Waiting for the link for payment and the arrival date information for her particular assignment! Hoping for exactly what you have above as we will already be in FL - we come back from a cruise on 1/9, so this would be ideal.

 

[trvlqueen]

We got our dates - when she first made her payment the only available check in date was 2/9! I asked her not to select it yet and to log back in the next day and see if it was the same - truly did not want to make the trip back from Chicago to Orlando in mid-winter less than a month after returning home - and we got lucky! Her check-in date is 1/11. So, I've extended my time in Florida and rented a car, and I now fly home on 1/16 ($49 on Southwest from Orlando to Chicago- WOOT!).

So, now I'm trying to decide what to do ... I know she will have some downtime during the week, and I was able to nab a stay, play and dine deal for myself at Port Orleans Riverside ... but I didn't put her on the reservation. It would cost me $500 to add her, but she'd then have the dining plan for the week and a 2 day ticket ... she already has an unused 5 day ticket with no expiration, but I could save her 2 day and use it to apply to the cost of an annual pass for my youngest daughter, which is what I'm planning to do with my 2 day ticket (I have 8 or 9 unused days on a no-expiration ticket). I know she has to eat, but just wondering if any of you parents who currently have kiddos in the program can give me any insight as to what her time might look like. I know it can vary, but would love to hear what your move-in week looked like. We are very excited - and she's in the process of leaving her current school - she's applying to one in IL and to UCF - her current school, while she loves a lot of it - is becoming toxic due to budget cuts and the way the professors and department heads are responding - IL is a mess, and it's public universities are suffering for it.

Anyway, looking forward ... share your move in week stories! Inquiring minds want to know (and I want to know how much solo time I get to enjoy around the parks).

 

[Redheadmom]

My daughter was also accepted with a move in date of Jan 11th. Would love to know what there first week will be like. I know Monday is move in. What day do they have traditions? Don't know how long we will stay in Florida. We are driving so we are flexible. Don't wont to over stay and be in her way.

 

[dizagain]

When my first DD did her program, we arrived day before check in and just played at DD. After check in, she got on a bus for casting and I went outlet shopping. I picked her up a few hours later and we grabbed lunch and went to apartment. We did the big Wal-Mart shop and got her settled. I took her to dinner and she slept at the apartment. Next morning she had a housing meeting and I took her outlet shopping before my flight home. Out of 8 girls, only one had family staying for the week. None of the girls had park tix- they went resort hopping and to DD. They had Traditions on Thursday and could go to parks after that. Some start training as early as Friday but others have a few more days. I am doing the same thing with my other DD in Feb. Her future roomies are talking about going to Universal one day that week....

 

[Redheadmom]

We have heard two different stories about what day traditions might be. We heard maybe Wednesday or Thursday.

 

[dpswift]

We arrived on a Saturday morning spent a couple days in the park. She moved in on Monday and was busy until around 3 pm. We went back to her apartment unloaded her stuff and the went to Sanaa for dinner. We honestly did not see much of her after that. I think that she would have spent more time with us if she had a park ticket

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We arrived on a Saturday morning spent a couple days in the park. She moved in on Monday and was busy until around 3 pm. We went back to her apartment unloaded her stuff and the went to Sanaa for dinner. We honestly did not see much of her after that. I think that she would have spent more time with us if she had a park ticket

This. My DD arrived on a Saturday, moved in on Monday and didn't have Traditions until Wednesday. She spent the days in between move-in and Traditions exploring different resorts with her roommates (who had Traditions on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday). We weren't there with her, but feel like the time she spent with her roommates before they had their Maingate Passes allowed them to really bond. Now they all work at different parks, but they try to make it a priority to spend time together when they can.

 

[trvlqueen]

This. My DD arrived on a Saturday, moved in on Monday and didn't have Traditions until Wednesday. She spent the days in between move-in and Traditions exploring different resorts with her roommates (who had Traditions on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday). We weren't there with her, but feel like the time she spent with her roommates before they had their Maingate Passes allowed them to really bond. Now they all work at different parks, but they try to make it a priority to spend time together when they can.

I'm fine if I get to see her and I'm fine if I don't ... I really want her to have the best possible experience - and I have friends in town. I just don't want to make plans with any of them and then find out I'm leaving dd hanging if she needs me ... right now, the plan is to arrive Saturday from Miami, drop her big sister at the airport to fly back to Chicago, and then I got us reservations for the Luau at the Poly - she doesn't know, but I figured it might be a fun way to celebrate. Sunday we'll hit MK, and I have Crystal Palace ressies prior to park open - aside from that, whatever she needs or wants is fine - but it sounded like there might be a good deal of down time ... if she can spend that getting to know her roomies, I think that is time well spent. I think I'll plan to play it by ear a little bit and see how things go.

One last question - from a discount perspective, I was thinking of buying an annual pass - can she get me a discount on that, or should I just go ahead and do it when I get there. Right now, because I have so many days left on a no-expiration pass, I was thinking I'd just use that for park entry, and use the tix that came with my package to put towards an AP, but I don't know if I can combine that with her discount to upgrade or if it needs to be one or the other. Her plan is to transfer to UCF when she finishes the CP, so I'm sure I'll get plenty of use out of the AP.

 

[Traveliz]

I'm fine if I get to see her and I'm fine if I don't ... I really want her to have the best possible experience - and I have friends in town. I just don't want to make plans with any of them and then find out I'm leaving dd hanging if she needs me ... right now, the plan is to arrive Saturday from Miami, drop her big sister at the airport to fly back to Chicago, and then I got us reservations for the Luau at the Poly - she doesn't know, but I figured it might be a fun way to celebrate. Sunday we'll hit MK, and I have Crystal Palace ressies prior to park open - aside from that, whatever she needs or wants is fine - but it sounded like there might be a good deal of down time ... if she can spend that getting to know her roomies, I think that is time well spent. I think I'll plan to play it by ear a little bit and see how things go.

One last question - from a discount perspective, I was thinking of buying an annual pass - can she get me a discount on that, or should I just go ahead and do it when I get there. Right now, because I have so many days left on a no-expiration pass, I was thinking I'd just use that for park entry, and use the tix that came with my package to put towards an AP, but I don't know if I can combine that with her discount to upgrade or if it needs to be one or the other. Her plan is to transfer to UCF when she finishes the CP, so I'm sure I'll get plenty of use out of the AP.

Yes she can get you an Annual Pass and it sounds like you are from FL so she can get you the FL Annual Pass CM rate...its nice. She has to buy the pass and I am fairly certain she won't able to combine your tickets to do so. Once she gets settled and can see the prices on the Hub you can figure out what is best to do.

Liz

 

[dpswift]

I'm fine if I get to see her and I'm fine if I don't ... I really want her to have the best possible experience - and I have friends in town. I just don't want to make plans with any of them and then find out I'm leaving dd hanging if she needs me ... right now, the plan is to arrive Saturday from Miami, drop her big sister at the airport to fly back to Chicago, and then I got us reservations for the Luau at the Poly - she doesn't know, but I figured it might be a fun way to celebrate. Sunday we'll hit MK, and I have Crystal Palace ressies prior to park open - aside from that, whatever she needs or wants is fine - but it sounded like there might be a good deal of down time ... if she can spend that getting to know her roomies, I think that is time well spent. I think I'll plan to play it by ear a little bit and see how things go.

That is how we felt. Even though we bought her a good amount of stuff while she was at her first meeting she still wanted to shop with her roommates. They also did a dinner at T Rex.

One last question - from a discount perspective, I was thinking of buying an annual pass - can she get me a discount on that, or should I just go ahead and do it when I get there. Right now, because I have so many days left on a no-expiration pass, I was thinking I'd just use that for park entry, and use the tix that came with my package to put towards an AP, but I don't know if I can combine that with her discount to upgrade or if it needs to be one or the other. Her plan is to transfer to UCF when she finishes the CP, so I'm sure I'll get plenty of use out of the AP.

We bought annual passes to begin with. Just the trips to drop her off and pick her up was the break even point. My husband is going at the end of the month to go to F and W and the Halloween party. I am going next month for a week with my sons

 

[trvlqueen]

Yes she can get you an Annual Pass and it sounds like you are from FL so she can get you the FL Annual Pass CM rate...its nice. She has to buy the pass and I am fairly certain she won't able to combine your tickets to do so. Once she gets settled and can see the prices on the Hub you can figure out what is best to do.

Liz

Thank you! I am not from Florida - not yet, anyway. Our plan is to get the youngest through high school and then get the heck out of this broken state I live in (IL) - both hubby and I have Florida on our respective lists of places we'd like to live - and its the only state in common right now, so likely will be where we'll move - not to mention that I can transfer with my job and there is a lot of opportunity in his line of work down there as well ... both of my girls will be working all summer in Orlando, though, and we are spending 3 weeks in FL after Christmas and planning to go back at least a few times over the year - specifically in May when I move my other daughter down, sometime during the summer to visit both of them, and we'll be there in August prior to a wedding and to help one or both move out in August depending on whether she decides to extend, which is what she's thinking right now - but she hasn't been there yet, so I'm not counting on that. Even if she doesn't extend, she's planning to transfer to UCF, so I am sure I can make that AP pay for itself.