Here is what my experience was like having visitors on the DCP!
My fiance, Matt, came to visit me for a week for my birthday! It was a lot of fun, but also a balance between work, the program, and seeing him. I wanted to share with you what the week looked like for us while he was visiting.
Thursday 2/24
Thursday night at 11 pm my fiance ubered from the airport to Flamingo Crossing! This was a little expensive, but we are also not old enough to rent a rental car without a huge fee. The Uber picked me up from Flamingo and brought us both to the hotel.
We stayed at SpringHill Suites at Flamingo Crossing by Marriott. This hotel is by the Target and Walgreens and is only about a 15 minute walk away. The hotel was PERFECT for what we needed. I was able to walk to Flamingo and still use the buses for work when I needed to or run back to my room if I forgot something. This hotel also has a shuttle service that is $5 a day, but we chose to Uber so we didn't have to rely on the times offered by this service. Since it wasn't a super busy area, the Ubers were not expensive.
Friday & Saturday 2/25-2/26
I still had to work on Friday and Saturday, so I woke up with Matt and he left early for parks I then got ready and walked over to Flamingo and took the bus to work. After work, Matt met me at Flamingo and we walked back over to the hotel together. Luckily, he was comfortable exploring the parks on his own. Since it was his first time visiting I made sure to give him a list of "must dos" and things he could skip.
Sunday 2/27
Sunday I didn't have to work until a little bit later so I was able to spend the morning with Matt in Hollywood Studios! We rode a few rides then took the Skyliner over to Epcot together so I could make it to work. He Skylined back and spent the remainder of his day in Studios. Again, we met back at Flamingo and walked to the hotel together.
Monday 2/28
Monday was our first full day together, but there was a catch. I decided it was worth it to call out and take a point.
PLEASE NOTE: If you wish to work for Disney long term, getting points will limit your ability to do that. Ask your leaders any questions you may have before calling out.
For me, I only got 1 day off and I do not wish to work for Disney long term, so this point on my record was worth it. We ubered to Universal and spent the day together there!
Tuesday 3/1
I was luckily able to give away this one shift! We spent the whole day in Epcot to celebrate my BIRTHDAY (23! Whoot!). We took pictures all around the world to practice for our photo shoots in Magic Kingdom the next day.
Wednesday 3/2
This was the day I had been waiting for! We decided, since we were both in Disney, to take our engagement photos in Magic Kingdom. We payed for the PhotoPass services and asked every PhotoPass cast member we saw to take our engagement photos. It was really busy there that day so we didn't get a lot of rides done, but we finished the day out with dinner at Tony's Restaurant.
Thursday 3/3
Thursday was the hardest... Saying goodbye! After Matt walked me back to Flamingo, we said our goodbyes and I went to work and he went to the airport. It was extremely hard to say part ways and then going to work after was even harder. But I am glad I was able to make these magic memories with Matt!
Important tips to note:
Don't call out if you don't want the point. You CANNOT enter a Disney park once you have called out.
Springhill Suites was a great location if you want to be able to spend all each night in the hotel with your visitor. There is a shuttle, but it only has one time for each park, so we did have to Uber a lot.
It was really hard to get any time off. I asked a month in advance and only got 1 day off for the week. Make sure you request your ADOs (Additional Days Off) in advance.