Advice for going from the College Program to part/full time:
Yay!! You decided to stay (what else is new, we all decide this is home and can’t leave)!! These are my biggest tips for staying. Well, tip. I really only have one, and that is don’t get too close to the CP’s when you decide to stay. Now you may think I’m crazy but seriously, save yourself the heartbreak of getting close to someone and then having them leave you and you may never see them again. And honestly you probably will never see them again. I was honestly SHOCKED when my CP roomie came to visit me- I mean I said you can crash at my place and I’ll get you in the park so it is the most budget friendly Disney vacation out there 😂😂.
When I was a CP I made friends with EVERYONE: cps, part timers, full timers, ICPs, and leaders alike. I love having friends that are all over the world, but like those friends from your childhood you slowly fell away from they also stop replying and it sucks. My current roomie told me when I was a CP she doesn’t get close to them because it’s like they died. I thought she was being dramatic, but honesty I’ve come to agree. You still will come around the corner and expect them to be there. You’ll be surprised when someone doesn’t know who you’re talking about, and then you realize their program has been long over and the new cast member has no idea who they are. It truly is as if they vanished from existence, if it weren’t for social media.
But social media is so much a part of us don’t worry if you don’t heed the warning or didn’t get it soon enough. all those CP friends you made, they will be FIRST to like all your Disney pics. They will be the ones to reply to your stories and say how much they miss home. They will message you when they plan their next trip back, and hopefully not just for your tickets and discounts they can’t get anymore.
I didn’t (and probably never will) heed my own advice. I love people and I find college programmers to be some of the kindest most full of life people I’ve ever met. So many cast members who have been cast members forever forget what it’s like to have fun in the parks. We need the excitement of going to a park with someone who still hasn’t done everything yet. Riding our favorite rides with someone who hasn’t ridden them yet-or at the very least ridden them with you. Ha! Keep your CP mindset. Go to the parks, use those holiday coupons, and invite people to visit. Disney is best shared with friends after all-and even if those friends go away. You’ll always have Disney ❤️
The Wordy Over Thinker 