It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. It was the Disney College Program.

I participated in the Disney College Program in the fall of 2022, and was lucky enough to be a placed at the Haunted Mansion. I was SUPER fortunate to end up with such a cool role (they’re all random), but I still dealt with the same hardships that any College Program participant (CP) had to deal with. I’m here to shed light on some of the hard truths of the Disney College Program that I simply didn’t expect.

Now, the goal here isn’t to gripe and whine about my experience. The goal is to give a heads up to anyone considering the program as well as to provide some fun insight for those who are merely curious! Let’s go! First, we’ll start with one of the most important parts of any job: the moolah.

I never had any money. Like, seriously.

As a Disney College Program participant in 2022, I made $14 an hour. I opted to live at Flamingo Crossings Village, which is the housing that Disney provides for CPs. If you choose to live here, you can either pay your rent up front or have it taken out of your paycheck once a week. Disney paychecks come every Thursday, so these paychecks weren’t a whole lot to begin with.

After rent and taxes, there were some weeks that my paychecks were as little as $25! As a CP, you have very little control over your schedule. Back then, it wasn’t super easy to just pick up a shift, either. You had to go through a leader first — which involved emails and potentially chatting in person to try to get them to check the email! Now, I’ve heard that CPs can do this through the Disney Cast Life app, which is a huge plus!

For this reason, I always recommend that those who will soon participate in the program begin to save money ahead of time.

Tip 1 — SAVE, SAVE, SAVE.

It’s natural to want to head into the parks and enjoy some treats and souvenirs throughout the program, but unless you’re super financially responsible and ALSO have prior savings, it might not be possible. Coming into the program with prior savings is the best way to avoid financial woes. Also, the DCP is a great opportunity to teach yourself financial responsibility and make those paychecks and savings last. Budgeting one park day per week where you only purchase one snack or meal is also a plus!

I know that this isn’t in the cards for everyone, but having an outside support system to help you financially is also great.

Tip 2 — Have a support system!

While my parents didn’t necessarily support me financially the entire time I was there, they did somewhat keep tabs on my bank account to keep me afloat. Plus, I got lots of Disney Gift Cards as my graduation present, as I left for my program 2 months after I graduated college. So, even asking for Disney Gift Cards as gifts from those close to you can be a huge help.

It was hard to adjust to the heat, but even harder to adjust  to cooler temperatures.

I was born and raised in Tennessee. I am used to mild temperatures year round, and SEASONS. If you know anything about Disney World, it’s that there are not really any seasons there, and there’s mostly just HOT and HOTTER. When I arrived to Disney World for my program, it was August 1st. In other words, I’d arrived during the HOTTEST time of the year. Most days were sunny and the temperature was above 95 degrees. Some days reached upward of 100! This was a difficult adjustment for those of us in the wool-blend Victorian getup, but with some extra hydration efforts, I was well-adjusted within a few weeks.

HOWEVER. Adjusting to cooler temperatures was WAY harder. When the weather dropped below 80 degrees, I was FREEZING. I almost always wore an overcoat during my shift. Having an overcoat, though, was a MIRACLE — and in the colder months, snagging a costuming coat is hard to come by.

Tip 3 — Grab a costuming coat when it’s still hot out.

The only reason I was able to snag a coat was because my trainer told me to grab one while it was still hot and to just keep it in my closet until I needed it. You see, the coats go like HOT CAKES once the weather cools down, and a lot of folks are left without one! Grab it ahead of time, trust me!

I got Mouse trapped for the money I did have! 😂

Remember when I mentioned earlier that it’s natural to want to head to the parks and spend your paychecks on snacks and souvenirs? Well, this is pretty easy to do when you have a Cast Member discount. Merch and snacks were 30 percent off, and were often raised to 40 and 50 percent off as a little treat. So, of course I spent the money I DID have on snacks, merchandise, and even hotel stays.

It’s needless to say that when I returned home, I had to start from scratch with savings. I truly have no regrets, though. None at all!

Tip 4 — Start saving DURING your program.

It might seem hard to do with those smaller paychecks, but setting aside half of your paychecks during your program and using the rest of your weekly paycheck for whatever you want can be a great thing. Then, if anything comes up, you won’t have to ask to borrow money from your fam.

None of this is to say that you shouldn’t do the Disney College Program. It’s to help you prepare for when you embark on your own DCP journey! A lot of folks only talk about the rainbows and butterflies of the program, and I really wish I had known some of these things before I went.

We’ll be sure to keep you updated with more Disney news and advice, so make sure to follow along so that you’re always in the loop!

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Have you ever done the Disney College Program? Let us know in the comments!