Family visit on DCP

hannahb129

Earning My Ears
Joined
Aug 3, 2019
Hi,

Does anyone know how a family vacation would work on a DCP? I want to do the DCP in Spring 2020, and I am wondering how it would work if my family would want to come visit me. How would the hotel discount work? And when would we be able to book a room?
 
Wow, thanks! We will definitely wait until I am accepted! Does the discount work at any of the hotels and during any time?
 
Wow, thanks! We will definitely wait until I am accepted! Does the discount work at any of the hotels and during any time?
Discounts vary and are NOT guaranteed. There may be better discounts than general public or there may not be. You do earn passes per hours worked, but you must be there to let them in the first time they enter the park on that ticket.

Also it is not as easy as "just visit the resort for the discount" on hotels: once you are through traditions you have access to the online portal called the Hub. It is there you will find if any discounts are available. If you do reserve a room with your discount via the Hub (you can reserve and use parents credit card to pay-that is fine) you do need to visit the resort within 10 days of check in date (can even be day of check in) to show your blue ID to secure the discount rate.

Good luck-the DCP is very hard work but a great experience! Both myself and my husband did the program back in the 90's, and our daughter has done 2 programs and possibly planning to apply for third next fall after she graduates college.
 


DD was there for a year. She rarely got more than a day or two off to hang with us other than to grab a meal. Because we have APs we traveled there about 6 times during her year and not once were we able to use hotel discounts. The only rooms ever available were expensive deluxe and it wasn't a big enough discount to bother with (we are park people). I think the best we were offered was around $300 for AKL. She did use it once for herself with a friend in October at CSR which was decent. The other time a friend visited she couldn't get anything so stayed offsite. I would suggest they book what they are prepared to pay and where they would like to stay .... then when you have access you see if you can do better for them.

Good Luck!
 
I participated Spring 17. I had the first arrival date. As soon as I was able to, I requested the days off that I knew I needed. I was able to get those off with no issue. Later in my program I tried to request days off but was unable to get any of them officially off. I did notice, on two instances, that I was given those days off when I checked my schedule.

The DCP changes each year, but my advice would be to request days off immediately. Hopefully friends and family can plan ahead to help you out. If planning ahead is not possible, then request off anyway. They most likely will deny you, but you may find that you get it off later on. However, NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING.

I stayed in a number of resorts and was able to get some great discounts. I did, however, book for stays during slow times.
 
My sister was there all of 2017. My mum and I visited in April/May and stayed in a cabin at Fort Wilderness and then a 1 bedroom villa at Old Key West. I then went back after Christmas (I had an AP and had time off work) and we stayed a couple of nights at All Star Movies and then in a pirate room at Caribbean Beach.

My sister did manage to get lots of time off when we came in April/May; she had the first week off with us, then mum and I flew to Jamaica for about 6 days and then we came back for another 6 days which she also had off. However, I think that was only because her leaders really liked her (she was the first international CP in her area and role to ever get promoted to coordinator) and knew that we’d come a really long way to visit.

You get a certain number of free passes, but they are built up over time, so it would be better if they came later in your program. You can also buy discounted tickets. You’ll have to do the math to work out the best way to distribute your passes amongst your family (which was why I ended up getting an AP).
 



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