Monday was check-in day! We left Pop Century and arrived at Vista Way at 8 am. BJ was separated from me while I waited in a long line to check in. First they gave me a program guide and I waited in a line to get my housing assignment. They asked me if I would rather live at Vista or Chatham, and I told them Chatham. I also asked to be on the 1st or 2nd floor, they said the only one open was a 4 bedroom, meaning I would have 7 roommates! I said it was okay and I moved through the line, signing the release form and getting my key, then I got my photo taken for my ID. It looks terrible. It is an extreme closeup and looks like a mugshot. I met up with some of my roommates after that while in line and we started talking. Then we got our time to go to casting. Then I went to my apartment and started to unload my car. But there was no time to unpack because I had to go to casting.
At casting I had to wait in another extremely long line. At the end of the line they took us 3 at a time and told us where we will be working. Drum roll please! I am working at Hollywood Studios on the left block, all the stores on the lefthand side when you walk in!
The excitement quickly wore off as I had to wait in multiple lines. First for discussion of the Disney look, then for my onboarding paperwork, next was the payroll card, then my I-9 employment form, then it was downstairs for fingerprinting and background check. BJ was falling asleep in the waiting area!
After casting we went over to downtown Disney to eat at Earl of Sandwich. Then we returned to unpack some stuff. At 2:20 I had to take BJ back to Pop Century so he could take the magical express to the airport. I cried when I had to leave, but I couldn't stay because I had to be back for the housing meeting at 2:45.
The housing meeting was really long and boring. They basically just went over all the rules and stuff. After that my roommates and I all went out to House of Blues for dinner.
May I ask the difference between Vista or Chatham? I am doing the Fall Advantage 2013 and I've been trying to figure out where I want to live. I don't really party and I am dedicated to my work. Thank you for helping me. I am glad you enjoyed your college program. I hope you have a nice day!
ReplyDeleteHi Ariel! I will do my best to share the differences
ReplyDelete1. Apartment sizes and Amenities
Vista: 2 or 3 bedrooms apartments. Bathroom has a sink on inside and a vanity on the outside. there are Laundry facilities on the 1st floor of each building. There are 2 swimming pools and a hot tub. The Learning Center is located here which consists of a computer lab and a sort of library to check out books/DVDs. Any CP from any complex can check out materials though. The bus stop is actually inside the gates. I did not find Vista to be “run down” or needing repairs.
Chatham: 1-4 bedroom apartments. Apartments have a pantry with shelves for food storage in the kitchen and a Linen closet in the bedrooms. There is no sink in the bathrooms, just a vanity area in each bedroom, outside the bathroom. Some apartments have balconies/patios. Laundry facilities are spread out in little buildings across the complex. 1 Swimming pool. Shares a bus stop with Patterson, outside the gates. Not far, basically right past security.
Location:
Vista; Walking distance to Walgreens, Liquor Store, Gas Station, Chick-fil-A and Wendy’s. Down the street farther is a CiCis, Applebees and a club called Fafel, which is frequented by CPs.
Chatham: Of the main drag, walking distance to the outlet mall. A Grocery Store, Mcdonalds, Panera and few other places are maybe less than 1 mile away. Do able to walk, but I wouldn’t try it on a hot day. Right across the street from Mickey’s Retreat: a park type area for Cast Members. Traffic can be a pain depending on where you are trying to go, because of the outlet mall and a large church that has mass several days a week. There is a back entrance you can use if you don’t mind taking a longer route.
Social Scene:
Vista: To be honest I did not think it was that much of a party place. I think it is a stereotype really. People are definitely more social and you will always see people walking around, out at the pool or at the gym. I only once had a problem with neighbors who were too loud, and you can either politely talk to them yourself or just call security to come talk to them.
Chatham: I never really saw to many people just walking around or hanging out. There would be people at the pool, but not nearly as many as at Vista. I had issues with noisy neighbors here too, so really it can happen at any of the complexes, it just depends who you live around.
I would live at either again. Some people have complained that Vista is run down, but personally I think it was nicer than a lot of the apartments most college aged kids live in while they are in school. If something is broken or missing you just call maintenance and they come take care of it. I actually had more things break while I was at Chatham than at Vista. So I guess it just was bad luck.
Also consider how many roommates you want. I did 4 bedroom at Chatham and would never ever do that again. It was just way to many people to try to get alone with. I did a 2 bedroom at Vista and was much happier.
Hope this helps!!