I did the culinary program in Fall 2011. I was lucky enough to be one of those to work for about a month at a resort (All-Star Sports), then at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival for the rest of it.
The interview process is a little different. Yes, you get the standard web interview and phone interview, but you also have one more phone interview with a chef. You'll be quizzed on your ServSafe basics, and you'll be asked questions like what three vegetables are in season right now, how would you build the perfect salad, what kind of dinner would you make for friends, how do you tell whether a fish on the grill has been cooked thoroughly, how do you make a bechamel sauce, etc.
The culinary program can vary A LOT in length. I wish I could've taken a class, but my program lasted from August 22 to November 11. I believe the Disney classes lasted until December, so they weren't an option for me. However, I had the shortest program I knew of, and all the other culinaries I knew were staying longer. Some were assigned to stay until January, so you just never know. As long as your program lasts long enough, there's no reason why you can't take the classes.
I've heard culinaries used to be housed together, but that wasn't the case for me or other culinaries I knew. I stayed with five girls in Patterson who were all regular CPers.
PERKS:
1. Culinary interns are entitled to meal vouchers. I forget exactly how much they're worth, but I know it's more than $1 and less than $3. It helped, since I usually got something to eat at the cast member cafe in the Odyssey Center.
2. Getting an actual job at Disney after your program is over seems pretty easy for culinaries who work hard and keep their records squeaky-clean (few to no marks for clocking in late, not leaving too early, etc). There are always jobs in the kitchen. Several culinaries I worked with ended up working full-time at some pretty cool places.
3. You get to wear a chef's coat, which looks pretty professional compared to the costumes a lot of other CPers have to wear. Unfortunately it fits a lot of girls like a bag, but hey. People will still call you chef, even if you all you're doing is making kalua pork sliders.