The answer is not a lot besides working! Paying for all the CRP costs has pretty much killed my social life, but I've finally finished forking out for everything I need. Below is a list of all the things I had to pay for and how much they cost:
- Program Assessment Fee - The first thing you have to pay for when you find out you've got the job. This is paid directly to Disney at a cost of $104.50, which worked out as £63.81 on my credit card bill (plus a Foreign Exchange fee of £1.75). It covers all the fun events and activities that will be arranged for you as a Cast Member, such as Grocery Bingo.
- CRB - Because you'll be around children a lot, you need to have a criminal background check. Yummy Jobs send you a form which you fill out and return to them as well as paying £60 so it can be officially declared that you are not a criminal! Phew, I'm glad they cleared that up for me because I still haven't paid my library fine.
- Flight - First thing I did when I found out I had the job (besides freak out) was book my flight. I used Yummy Travel on Louise's advice and they got me a real bargain - a one-way flight with Virgin for £370.87. I chose one-way because you are given a month after you finish work to travel in the US and as a travel agent I am already aware that flights cannot be picked up more than a year in advance. Plus, Disney give you some dosh for the flight home so best to hold out until nearer the time.
- Travel Insurance - This is one of the most important things you buy before you fly. A lot of people tend to buy 4 months of insurance from Yummy Travel and then get on the Disney Insurance once they're out there, I have a special condition so I had to shop around and I bought the whole year so I knew I was definitely covered. We all know how funny Americans can be about health insurance! I used Essential Travel who were super helpful and pretty reasonable too - £383.18 for over a year and that was with Excess Waiver. They also cover a number of pre-existing conditions at no extra cost which was perfect for me.
- Visa - Sweet Baby Jesus in the Manger, this was the scariest and most stressful part of my CRP prep so far. Fortunately it was also pretty much the last step! Yummy Jobs send you a pack in the post with instructions to log on to the US Visa Application website. You fill in a very lengthy questionnaire which asks you all kinds of stuff. Be sure to have a camera on hand to take numerous selfies, because their photo requirements are seriously strict. It took me 4 hours to get my Visa form sorted and at least one of those hours was dedicated solely to getting an appropriate snap of my face. Once the form is complete, you make your appointment at the Embassy. The Visa itself costs £118.75.
- US Embassy Appointment - At any time from 8am you may find yourself queuing outside the US Embassy, nervously rummaging through your paperwork. They will check your documents and Passport, put your keys and phone in a little plastic bag (yes, they let you take phones in now!) and then you sit and wait until your number is called. You go to a window, they scan your fingerprints (no paper cuts allowed as I learnt from my buddies - they had really researched this much more than me haha) and ask you some questions about why you need a Visa. The lady who interviewed me was super nice, she knew from my application I was going to work at Disney and asked me why I was a good representative for the UK and what I planned to do when I returned home. You're approved on the spot and then your passport is returned to you within a week. You can pay to have it couriered to you which I did, at a cost of $30 or you can pick it up at a designated point for free.
Looking forward to payday on Monday and all the fun that April will bring - 34 days to go!!
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