If you have ever dreamed of spending your summer working at Walt Disney World, then you might have come across the Cultural Exchange Program (or CEP). For three glorious months of sunshine, magic and memories UK university students can participate in this cultural exchange, and work across the Disney World Resort in Florida.
Sounds intriguing?
Living in the Disney bubble is truly an experience unlike no other; and it truly was the most exciting, emotional, thrilling summer of my life. Participants can be placed as cast members in any park, hotel, resort or job but you do get the chance to specify which area you would prefer.
The main roles up for grabs are:
- Food and Beverage
- Merchandise
- Custiodial
- Attractions
- Recreations (my role!)
- Lifeguarding
During my program, most people were Quick service food and beverage (working in any of the fast food restaurants spanning Walt Disney World) or Merchandise (retail stores), however I had one of the least talked about/known roles: Recreations Hostess. I will do a full post regarding this role soon, but I will give a quick overview in the meantime.
As a recreations host, my main tasks were monitoring the poolside decks to ensure they’re clean and tidy, welcoming guests to the pools, setting up and serving cabanas as well as ensuring that they lifeguards had everything they needed to perform their job effectively. Additionally/unofficially, I was able to help out with the children’s activities such as poolside games, movie nights, pottery painting and more!
Overall I adored my role and would give anything to be back at the Grand Floridian making Mickey shaped towel art and dancing to the party cart.
If you are applying for the CEP- I would highly encourage you to research the roles that you are thinking about ranking highly on your preference list, and make sure you fully understand that even though you have selected a certain role as your No. 1, Disney hire based on needs so you are not guaranteed to get that position.
Don’t let that put you off though; all roles have their own positives and negatives, and the experiences you have whilst working and whilst exploring in your free time will easily make up for any disappointment you might feel upon receiving your role!
Work Work Work…
It isn’t all work- CEP’s are all guaranteed at least 30 hours of work a week, with a maximum of 40 hours, so you will have roughly two days off each week (sometimes more!) to spend in the parks, exploring Florida or simply relaxing in the pools onsite.
Shift lengths vary based on your location and role: if you’re working in the parks you might work later than resort cast members due to extended park hours and special events, however resort cast tended to have longer shifts (8.5-9 hours vs 4-8 hours).
After paying rent, I tended to have roughly $300+ left over to spend as I pleased- I did have more hours compared to my friends but I was glad to have the extra money to save up to go travelling at the end of the programme! Rent costs vary based on your accommodation allocation, but you will always have enough money left over to still have fun and make the most of the parks, restaurants and merchandise.
Accommodation: how likely am I to get a shared room?
Most participants get placed in a shared room on the Flamingo Crossings Village (FCV) Campus, in either the West or East side. The benefits of a shared room are that it is the cheapest rent option, and a great social opportunity right from the start. My roommate was already living their upon my arrival and helped me settle in, and took me to Hollywood studios one night before we had received our self entry passes which was really kind!
At first this can seem quite overwhelming but do not panic, if you are allocated a shared room the likelihood is your roommate will be on opposite schedules that you are and you will rarely see them. Some people I know made their closest friends through rooming with them, and it can be comforting to have a built in connection made for you if you feel lonely on the first few days of the programme.
FCV itself is built like an American campus with different apartment blocks, two pools in each side of the campus, plus communal areas, a gym, sports areas, and study halls. It feels like it has come straight out of an americana movie and was quite an amazing experience for a small town British girl!
So, how do I sign up?
Applications open up once a year through Yummy Jobs, a recruitment team that pre-screen applicants before referring you to Disney for a second round of applications and interviews. I go into more depth in my post: Applying for the CEP, but the key points are:
- To be eligible, you must have completed at least one year of university upon application, and be able to attend a series of interviews prior to acceptance.
- There are 2 face to face interviews and one phone interview.
- The Yummy jobs website contains all the fine print regarding Visa applications and the documentation you will need.
I hope this overview gave a little insight into one of the coolest summer jobs around, check out my more in depth posts if you want more specific guidance and feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the experience!
Levelling up Life 
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