#dcpfall15

First of all, before our arrival we were sent a check-in time. My check-in time was different from two of my roommates, but ultimately it didn’t matter. Your check-in time is based on your role, not your housing placement. Nothing is first-come first-serve anymore so be sure to follow the arrival time you have been given. If you arrive early they will send you away.

When you drive into Vista Way, they give you a parking pass and guide you to parking. Your parents can go to a welcome pavilion where they hang out while you check in. 

I was able to text my roommates and meet up with Molly & Chelsea in line so we could go through check-in together, which was so nice. One of the first things you do on check-in day is figure out your work location.

Mine is... ANIMAL KINGDOM!! I could not be more excited!! My sticker officially says “Stroller Rental” but I have read on other blogs that this means all main entrance shops in Animal Kingdom. I will keep you posted, but even if I do end up in stroller rental for the next six months, I will be the happiest person in the world. Animal Kingdom is my absolute favorite park and I cannot wait to start training!

After this we walked through and received our housing where my roommates and I learned that we would all be rooming together! Our location is... PATTERSON COURT!! Originally we wanted the Commons because we had read that this was the best of the best. We mostly wanted it because of the laundry IN the apartment. But it turns out, Patterson is perfect. We got Building 5 so we’re right by the pool and right by a laundry building. We are also fairly close to the front of Patterson Court which means walking to the Chatham bus stop is no big deal at all. The only thing that is “far” from us is our mailbox, but that really doesn’t bother any of us, especially because it isn’t even that far. 

Check-in is also where you will receive your apartment key and housing ID. They give you an itenerary for the rest of your week so you know when you have to do a drug test (IF you have to do one), as well as have your Casting, Traditions, language tests (again, not mandatory for all participants), and your housing meeting. Your times will differ from the people around you, including your roommates, but don’t panic. It’s a great opportunity to meet more people in the program! 

Some of my roommates and I actually had Casting on the same day as Check-In. They tell you everything you need to know about Casting. They tell you what to expect, what to bring, and where to go. The only thing is, my roommates and I decided to go back to our apartments first so we could see the place before going to the bus stop. There were two bus stops available for us. Apparently the first bus that picked people up at Vista Way was the “main bus” that did Disney trivia and counted down as they went under the Walt Disney World entrance. We took the Chatham bus and honestly our bus didn’t do any of that. xD We were a bit disappointed but my roommate Joy and I made up for it a bit later by driving through again and doing our own countdown. ;) 

Casting can be stressful if it’s on the same day as check-in but again, they could not have made it easier for everybody. They tell you where to go, what to do, and how to do it. As long as you’ve brought the information that they told you to bring at Check-In, you’re good to go. At this point, all you need to do is enjoy the magic!

After Casting my roommates and I were able to go back to the apartment and get everything ready. The Vlogs make it look so easy: unpack, have dinner together, and open roommate gifts. This is NOT as easy as it looks. My roommates and I still had family in town that we all wanted to say goodbye to, so we kind of went our separate ways on our first night. Plus we didn’t even have the chance to go grocery shopping so going out to eat was really the only option. 

Beyond this, prepare for a kind of late night. We have been settling in our rooms and everything for quite a few days now and some of us are still not done. Settling is a long process but enjoy it and bond with your roommates. While it can be stressful, it’s seriously some of the most fun you’ll have. 

I hope this answers kind of what happens on Check-In day. I know it’s a lot of repeating of what the Disney blogs tell you, but really and truly I promise that they walk you through step by step. It’s hard to get lost. Just follow your paperwork and you’ll be good to go. 

1.     Date of Registration In the first e-mail regarding course registration you will receive all the details about enrolling for all courses. Dates for Collegiate and Exploration Series registration will be included as well as the typical running dates for 8 week long and 4 week long courses. While Collegiate Course registration happens earlier, the Exploration Series courses (along with major-specific and distance learning courses) will have a later registration time. Our date was supposed to be August 5th. On August 4th, we received an e-mail letting us know the date had been moved to August 6th. If you have the first arrival date in the Fall semester and are planning a road trip to Florida a week prior to your arrival date, expect to have to register on the road. You will want hotels with WiFi for all dates, in case the registration date changes. If you are only looking at taking 4 week courses, there are two different registration dates depending on if you want to take the first session or second session. My recommendation is to try for the first session and if you do not get in, try for the second. Use the second session as a last resort if you really want to take the course.

2.     Time of Registration Our registration opened at 8AM EST. I was in Texas during the registration so I woke up at 6:30AM to prepare. I logged into DORMS prior to the registration time being opened and found that registration was actually open a bit before 8AM so be prepared for that.

3.     Do you have to receive the e-mail first? No. In fact, you may not receive an e-mail at all. This might be because we received an e-mail a few days ago letting us know that the registration was to be held on the 6th instead of the 5th, but regardless be aware that you may not receive a reminder e-mail. You can log in and register at the registration time regardless of when you receive the e-mail.

4.     How do I select the class? Once you log in you will be asked what you wish to do. Click on Education Registration and select the semester you are participating in. The Collegiate courses will load first so select next. Then you can select your 8 week course. Click next. Then you can select your 4 week course. Click next. This is also how you register for Distance Learning and major-specific classes, but to be honest I am not sure how those work at all. I know it requires files to be attached, but I don’t know much else.

5.     How do I complete the registration? Check to make sure your schedule does not conflict. It will ask for a verification code and will have a red asterisk to indicate that this is required. That being said, because you are not paying anything this step is automatically skipped. You do NOT need a verification code to register for free courses.

6.     How do I verify that I have completed registration? You will receive an e-mail letting you know that you have registered for classes. The e-mail will not list out which classes you have successfully registered for. Another way to verify you got the course is to log back in to DORMS, go into education registration, and view the course list. Next to the courses you selected, instead of add or waitlist button, there will be a “Drop” button. This will mean you are successfully in the course with an option to drop it and replace it with a new one.

7.     I tried to log in to register, but the site is down? This happens often. All Fall & Fall Advantage participants have the same registration date because courses are not determined by arrival date. This means that literally hundreds of people are trying to log into the site at once and because everybody wants their first choice of classes and class times, everybody logs in right when it opens. You can choose to call Disney Housing if the site crashes to ensure the site has crashed and you’re not just locked out, or you can wait it out. Chances are if the site is not loading, everybody is locked out, not just you. You will have to keep checking back throughout the day to see when it has come back up so you can get the classes you want. You may not receive an e-mail right when the site comes back up. DORMS did not send me an e-mail until the next morning, after it had been open for many hours the day before.

8.     How many classes can I register for? Two.

9.     Is the class schedule released prior to registration? You can look at course offerings and syllabi prior to registration but you will not be able to look at an actual course schedule before registration opens.

10. Do popular courses have more than one section? Each course will offer at least one section, but some of the more popular will offer 2 or more sections. Whether they be at different times or different days, this gives participants more of an opportunity to take the courses they want. It is especially nice if another course you are already registered for conflicts with one section, because there may be another section for you to choose.

11. I’m debating on taking classes! What do I do? Stay tuned for my next post! I went through this same debate in my head so in my next post I’ll go through my own thought process with some pros and cons for taking courses and some tips to split the difference if you are really unsure!

Top 5 Reasons for Road Tripping it to Florida 1. I wanted a car. Plain and simple. I know that they provide public transportation. I know that sometimes Cast parking is horrible. I know that there are complications to bringing your vehicle. That being said, my older sister did the program and felt she would have had a lot more freedom had she brought her car. Since she was at the mercy of the public transportation, there were times she was running late or couldn’t get to the grocery store as often as she would have liked. She felt the public transportation was more of a hassle and had she had the opportunity to bring her car, she would have. I took this advice seriously. While I’m sure public transportation is great for some people, I would much rather have my car with me and use the public transportation if I wish.

2. I’m making car payments anyway. My car is a lease vehicle so I have monthly payments regardless of where it is. If it sits at home in the driveway I’ll still have to pay for it, so might as well have it!

3. It makes packing so much simpler. I didn’t have to worry about what would fit in plane-approved luggage. I was just able to pack what I needed and shove it into my car. My roommates have been stressing about this process and I was able to pack in a day and go without freaking out.

4. Flying makes me nervous. I can only imagine how I would feel on the flight to one of the biggest adventures of my life. Talk about panic attacks!

5. This gives me the chance to see my new permanent residence in Texas!

It’s easy to see that there are only a couple reasons that could apply to other people. The decision was ultimately a personal choice. I think everybody has to decide whether or not they want to fly or drive based on their personal needs. I just wanted to provide some insight as to why I chose to drive!

Where am I going? Day One: We left at 6AM from our home in Southern California. We drove through Arizona and New Mexico. We are now staying at a hotel at the end of New Mexico just before El Paso, TX.  Day Two: Driving through Texas to my new permanent residence. Day Three: Staying in Texas to explore the new neighborhood. Day Four: Staying in Texas to see my cousins for my 22nd Birthday! Day Five: Traveling to Alabama Day Six: Traveling to Orlando, FL. Day Seven: CHECK IN DAY!!!! - August 10th!!! I’m not so thrilled about another 11 hour day in the car tomorrow but I am excited to be staying in Texas for a couple nights. Of course I’m VERY excited to get into Orlando, Florida!!