The Cost of doing the CRP

So one of the main things to consider when applying for the Cultural Representative Program is the cost. Now when friends ask me about the program who don't know anything about it, they are shocked to hear you have to pay fees for a job. For such a competitive program, it's understandable why Disney don't pay the fees for participants who are only contracted for a year. So here is everything I have had to pay to participate in the program. This list does not include things I have bought like subway tickets, going shopping or going for dinner, but hopefully this gives you an idea of what to expect!

Pre-Screens

So if you receive an email after you submitted your application to say you have made it to pre screens, you have to consider the cost to get to Epping. Since I live in the Scottish Highlands, it cost me considerably more to get there than some other interviewees. I had to get a return flight to London which meant arriving the day before my interview. I landed into Gatwick Airport so I had to get transport from the airport to London. Instead of booking a hotel (which Epping has limited options of) I booked an Air BnB for 1 night. A lot of people who apply for this program happen to live around London so most people just managed to hop on a train so for most people it wouldn't be nearly as money to get to the Pre-Screen.

Flight: £67

Gatwick Express: £22

Air BnB: £47

Final Interview

Similar to pre screens, I had to get a return flight to London however I decided to stay for 2 nights instead of 1. I had to get the Gatwick Express again but what really helped is one of the girls from pre screens offered to let me stay in her hotel room for both nights for free so she is a god send!

Flight: £72

Gatwick Express: £22

Job Payments

Okay so you've made it through the hard parts and now you get to prepare for your program! However this is the most expensive aspect of the process. The first fee you have to pay is your program assessment fee which you have 30 days to pay from the day you receive your offer email. Then Criminal Background Check fee is the second fee you have to pay for. You have to cover the cost of your medical insurance for the first 4 months of your program then you can get on to Disney's Medical Insurance which comes out of your paycheck. The other option is to pay for a full 12 months worth of medical insurance at once and then opt out of Disney Insurance. I opted for the 4 month option so it was less money up front. This part isn't essential but I got extra travel insurance as well because I was paranoid.

Program Assessment fee: £296

Criminal Background Check: £90

Medical Insurance: £148

Travel Insurance: £21

Visa

I had to book a return flight to London for my Embassy appointment, obviously if you live close to London or Belfast this expense won't apply to you. Luckily I managed to get a hotel right by the Embassy for free and given that the prices for one night was £300 that saved me a lot of money! I did have to buy Gatwick Express tickets to get into the city which have gone up a lot in price since last year but I can't complain too much. You have to cover the cost of your US Embassy Appointment as well as if you decide to have your Passport sent back to you. You can collect it for free however I don't live close enough to anywhere that I could pick it up from.

Return Flight to London: £105

Gatwick Express: £34

Visa Appointment: £161.50

Passport Delivery: £19

Orlando Prep

You have to also pay for your flight to Orlando however I have heard when you complete your program Disney cover the cost of your flight home I don't know if that is still the case. The next thing I paid for was my hotel for when I arrive at Disney. You have to arrive to day before your check in date so you need to pay for at least one night in a hotel. Me and one of the girls on my arrival date split the cost of a Disney hotel for 3 nights and had 2 of our friends come and stay with us as well. The only thing you have to pay up front is a £50 deposit for each person.

My original flight plan was to fly from Manchester with Thomas Cook however 4 weeks before my flight Thomas Cook went into liquidation. It was a mad rush to rebook new flights which I managed to get a flight from Glasgow with Virgin Atlantic. We weren't able to get a refund for our hotel at Manchester Airport but we managed to get a hotel at Glasgow airport for free so that has made up for it. I had to wait about 6 weeks to get my refund for the original flight so I was out about £500 for a while. I also paid for extra baggage as I took two large suitcases out.

Disney Hotel: £171 each

One Way Flight: £490

Transfer to Airport: £11

Airport Hotel: £30

New flight: £437.80

Baggage: £65

Everyone debates out how much money to take out with you, I genuinely feel like no matter however much you take it will never feel like enough. There is so much I wanted to do and I never wanted to say no to any experience. Also when you first arrive you will go a couple weeks without a pay check so you need enough to cover for that time. I ended up getting a Monzo and Revolut card. I found Monzo easiest to use so I could easily transfer from my UK bank account and exchange it into dollars on the app all for free. I did however only take $100 in cash and one thing to consider in Orlando is ATMs are very hard to come by especially ones that don't charge you. Especially when tipping is so big in the States I would recommend taking more.

Monzo: £1500

Cash: $100

Taking all of this into account I spent roughly £3400 (I deducted the price of my original flight which I received a refund for). Obviously those who don't have to commit to as much travel as I did this cost would be significantly lower but this is a big thing to consider when applying for the program.