March 10, 2008 (Vol. 7, No. 4)

Theme Park Management Course at Walt Disney World This Summer

Students enrolled in the Theme Park Management course gather around Minnie Mouse at Walt Disney World.

Students enrolling in Professor Orazio Caroleo's summer course on Theme Park Management (REC 360/REC 680) can anticipate a challenging schedule that condenses a semester's worth of work into five days. Fortunately for the students, their classroom will be Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

"This is an experiential course in which students see theories in action," says Professor Caroleo (Health Sciences). "We study queuing, commercial recreation practices, crowd control, and consumer marketing." Other tasks will include analyzing how guests with physical disabilities navigate the theme park and use hotel facilities, such as swimming pools and ramps. "By observing and interviewing Disney employees," he added, "we also evaluate how well the park and staff handle visitors with disabilities."

The three-credit course is open to all Lehman students as an elective and is designed for those seeking either a bachelor's or master's degree in recreation education; it will run from June 1 through June 5, 2008.

The finale of the trip is a luau, a traditional Hawaiian feast and show, which students evaluate by conducting interviews with Disney staff and judging the quality of Disney's staff training. When the students return to Lehman, they are assigned five papers that require them to make use of their observations, notes, and interviews. Although the trip is rigorously scheduled, there will still be free time to enjoy the park.

The total cost of the trip, including all taxes and transfers, is $871 per person for double-occupancy accommodations, and $770 per person for triple accommodations. This price includes round-trip airfare on Delta Airlines from LaGuardia Airport, a four-day Park Hopper Pass, four nights of accommodations at the Coronado Springs Resort, and the Disney Luau Dinner and Show. The cost of tuition is not included in the cost of the trip.

A non-refundable deposit of $235 per person for airfare (payable by check or credit card to Gover Travel) and $75 per person for the land portion of the trip (also non-refundable and payable by check to Gover Travel) is due by March 25. The balance, also payable by check to Gover Travel, is due April 10.

For more information, contact Professor Caroleo at orazio.caroleo@lehman.cuny.edu or 718-960-8067.

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