Welcome to Ask a Disnerd! You may be wondering, who is this Disnerd? Let me introduce myself.
My name is Stephanie, a current participant of the Disney College Program. I'm also a bit of a Walt Disney World expert.
Want to know more about the Disney College Program? Are you getting ready for a trip to WDW, possibly your first? Just wondering about anything Disney in general? Then send me question!
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
To qualify for the DCP, you just have to be a college student. Location doesn’t matter. However, there are some costs (mainly housing) and most CPs attend school outside central Florida.
However, many CPs transfer to UCF after their program has ended and become part time. For you, I would recommend this route. That way, you don’t have to take off school just to work at Disney. But that’s up to you.
If you would like to apply for part time, just go to this website. That site also has information about the DCP, under students.
Have you ever been to the World of Coke in Atlanta, Georgia? If you have, then you know about all the different Coke products from around the world that you can try. In Epcot, there’s a little spot with the same concept on a much smaller scale: Club Cool.
Stop on in to cool off and try something new. When there, make sure to try Beverly!
A Notice
In order to preserve Disney magic, any questions that regard Disney characters will be answered under a page break. I will still be a bit vague (if you ask for anything too specific then I’ll give a typical cast member answer), but even that can break the magic. I really want this to be a blog for casual Disney fans and Disnerds alike and I know some don’t want to know specifics while others do. So, this is my compromise.
First, I hope you enjoy your trip! Get a First Visit button, because it essentially is your first visit.
*Answer contains info that could break Disney magic.*
Hi, Katie! Glad to see you here. Yeah, I can answer privately, no problem. :)
(This applies to everyone. If you have a question you don’t want published, just let me know.)
I have an important question.
While I’m perfectly willing to answer questions about character performers (this is a blog to ask about anything Disney, after all), a part of me doesn’t like the fact that it ‘breaks’ the magic a bit. I also want this blog to be helpful for first timers and discussing backstage issues, even vaguely, on the same blog bothers me a little bit.
So, my question for you: Whenever I am asked a question dealing with backstage issues (characters performers, for example), should I make a page break? I just think it might be better if those answers weren’t completely in plain sight. This is probably just my cast member conscious talking, but I’m really curious. What do you think?
Yes, like all characters, there is a height requirement for princesses, though it varies from princess to princess. Generally, princess height is between 5’4 and 5’7.
I haven’t heard anything about weight. From what I’ve observed, it’s more about face and body shape than specific weight.
And you know what? That’s okay! The nice thing about the DCP is that you can find out what working for Disney is like while keeping you door open to other options. You may find out you prefer being a guest at Disney and then go back to college. Maybe you find out that Disney is your true calling and that you don’t have the desire the return to school. Or you might find something within Disney that you really want to be a part of, but you need further education in order to achieve that goal.
Really, the DCP can lead to so many good things and the only disadvantage is setting you back a semester in school.
I’m not an expert on character performers, but I am friends with a few and so I’ll answer the best that I can. There are a couple of ways to be a character performer while on the DCP.
The first way occurs before you even arrive. You’ll apply like normal, but also have an additional audition. The audition will be somewhere in your area, though that could end up being a few hours drive away. This is typically for fur characters, but once in a great while, someone will be chosen as a face character. I’m not quite sure exactly what the audition entails, but I do know there is a dance portion.
You can also become a character performer by attending auditions during your program. These are mainly for face characters and, as you’ve been told, you can only attend certain auditions.
Getting chosen as a character performer depends on height and general look (for the face characters). Those, of course, are out of your control. My advice would be to act as animated and enthusiastic as you can. Of course, having a background in acting and/or dancing is very helpful.
(I hope this answered your question. As I said, I don’t know a whole lot about character performers.)
Did You Know?
You can easily walk from Epcot to Hollywood Studios and vice versa. While I don’t recommend doing this in the heat of the day (especially during the summer months), this is my preferred mode of transport if I happen to park hop. The walk is about thirty minutes. Here’s the path I usually take:
It looks longer on the map than it actually is.
You may have noticed that the path goes straight through the Boardwalk. If you happen to be a fan of either Hollywood Studios or Epcot or both, Boardwalk has the ideal location.
