Ask a Cast Member

I’m sure you’ve all noticed it’s been quite some time since I’ve updated this blog. Sadly, I just don’t have time to keep up with AskACM anymore, so I’m officially closing the blog. I’ll leave what’s already been posted up to serve as a reference for people, but after today, the Ask box will be closed. I had a great time running AskACM while it lasted, and it was awesome being able to help other people out. Hopefully one day I’ll have the time to open it back up. Until then, you guys are awesome, and remember: if you can dream it, you can do it. :)

somethin-is-brewin asked: If you decline your offer, it doesn't put you on any list. It doesn't affect your rehire status at all since you haven't officially started working for Disney yet.

I know it doesn’t hurt you if you decline your offer, but I’ve always heard it can if you accept the offer and THEN have to back out, since Disney pretty much considers you contracted to work for them for that semester once you accept your invitation. That’s all based on second-hand info, though, not personal experience, so I could be wrong!

itscathydawg asked: Do you have to move into an apt if you live in a house with your parents? And the fee is automatically charged if you get into the program?

Are you asking about the Disneyland or the Disney World program? Because the housing situations are totally different. The Disneyland program has much less housing available, so you’re not required to stay in their apartments at all; you’d be perfectly fine staying with your parents. The Disney World program, on the other hand, typically wants almost everyone staying in program housing. They do grant exceptions sometimes, though, so by all means, call and ask after you get accepted.

As far as the fees, it’s not exactly an automatic thing. When you get accepted into the program, you’ll then have to go online and actually accept the role you were offered. Until then, you’ve just been offered a job, you haven’t actually accepted it. When you log online to accept it, you’ll also have to pay the program fees at the same time. It has to be done online, with either a credit or debit card.

prischung asked: Seriously thank you SO much for all your answers! It helped so much, which helped me get into the WDW Spring Advantage 2013 program for Merchandise!! :D I just have one question. How many roomates can you choose? I heard you can only choose one, and the rest is up to disney? I just wanted a clear answer :)

Awesome, congrats! I’m glad I was able to help! =) What you’ve heard is basically right, yes. You can use the roommate matching system to guarantee yourself one roommate, and the rest is up to Disney. If you have multiple people you’d like to room with, however, if you all show up to check-in at the same time and go through the process together, you can request that you be placed into the same apartment as a group. There’s no guarantees, of course, but they’ll do what they can.

lightspeedtoendor asked: For the person wondering the Disneyland Spring 2013 arrival dates, it's Jan 13th for housing and Jan 17th or 18th for locals. No Feb dates.

Great, thanks for the info. =)

Anonymous asked: I was accepted for Spring Advantage but my situation has recently changed and I want to go home in May. Should I call and ask to change it or just leave in May as if it wasnt planned?

Your best bet is to call them and explain that something’s come up, and you’d like to switch from Spring Advantage to Spring if it’s at all possible. They may or may not be able to change you over, but it’s worth a shot, and they’re definitely not going to like you leaving a few months before your program is supposed to be over—you’d basically have to self-term, and that’s not going to look too great. Hopefully if you explain the situation to them, they’ll be able to change you to the Spring program. Good luck!

Anonymous asked: I just got accepted into the program, YAY except I got quick service food and beverage and only offered $7.80! is this normal? I think Im going to deny because of this but what good things do you have to say about this job role?

That’s perfectly normal. Matter of fact, QSFB is one of the higher paid roles on the program. I worked Custodial and only got $7.35. You’re lucky. =P

As far as what working QSFB is like, I don’t have any personal experience, but I’ve talked to both people that loved it and people that hated it. You are essentially working fast food, so there is that. It’s also one of the easier roles to end up accidentally injuring yourself in (burning yourself, etc.). There’s a variety of things you can end up doing, and it’s supposed to be very fast-paced and hectic, which you may or may not enjoy—I have heard a lot of people say they liked it because it made the day go by quicker, though. It’s also very easy to pick up shifts in other locations if you want more hours, and as I said, it’s one of the higher paid roles, so if you’re looking to make a decent amount of money while you’re there, QSFB is a good bet. All things considered, it’s like any other role—it is what you make of it. Go into it with a good attitude, and you’ll find things to enjoy.

Anonymous asked: About the person who is turning 21 during their program, there is no fee to move when you turn 21. The fee is for moving for other reasons.

Ahh, okay. I knew there was a fee for moving, and I just assumed it would apply in that case as well. Thanks for the correction!

meticulousplanning asked: I got accepted into Merchandise for Spring 2013, and I'm really excited that I got in, but something came up and I had to decline after I accepted the offer. I really would like to do the DCP later in my college career when things hopefully get back on track. Will my declining effect any chances of me getting accepted later? Or did I just blow it for good?

The bad news is, from what I understand, backing out after you accept your offer can indeed get you put on a restricted-rehire list. The good news is, it’s very possible to get off that list and get hired again when things are going better for you; it just means you’ll have some extra paperwork to fill out. Once you’re ready to try again, go ahead and apply. If you did get put on restricted-rehire, at some point during the application process they’ll let you know that, and they’ll direct you to the paperwork you’ll need to fill out to request being taken off. And I wouldn’t stress out too much. Disney understands that sometimes things come up; as long as you have a good reason why you had to decline and you can explain that to them, you should be fine. Good luck! =)

ontheedgeandfallingoff asked: Do you need to have hair experience to work at the Bippidy Boppidy Boutique? I mean, I can do braids and french braids and that kind of simple thing, but I've never really "done hair" before. But I do have experience with kids (teaching at a preschool, kindergarten, and babysitting). So would I have a (good?) chance at getting that job?

Salon experience definitely does help a lot when it comes to getting a job at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, but it’s not necessarily a requirement. So yes, I would say you’ve still got a good chance of getting that role, especially if you’ve got a lot of experience in dealing with kids. Just stress to your interviewer how much you would love to have a role at the Boutique, how much experience you have in dealing with kids, and so on. Good luck!