Housing Choices!

Hello friends! 

So after making my post on DORMS I think it's only fair to do my review on the different housings available to you as a Disney college program participant! There are four different apartments: Vista Way, Chatham, Patterson, and Commons. Here's a run down on each:

Commons-

Commons has just recently opened as an option for the DCP as it was mostly for international students only. 

Most buses will not stop here unless by special request (there is a bus stop though)

Amenities inlclude:

• Laundry facilities in every apartment (included in rent)
• Computer lab (7 a.m. until 8 p.m)
• Fitness center (open from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m.)
• Outdoor pool table (cue sticks and balls are available at the front desk)
• 1 swimming pool (open from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m.)
• Tennis court (lit until 1 a.m.)

Wifi is available at:

• The clubroom
• The pool
• The lobby in the clubhouse

Patterson Court-

Patterson is one of the more expensive choices in terms of housing and is referred to as the "retirement home" housing as it is the quietest and most mellow. Patterson doesn't have a bus stop but it's only a three minute walk to the bus stop at Chatham.

• Laundry facilities near buildings 1, 4, 9 and 13 (card-operated, cards can be bought in the laundry room.)
• Computer lab (open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.)
• Fitness center (open from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m.)
• Outdoor pool table (cue sticks and balls are available at the front desk)
• 1 swimming pool (open from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m.)

Wifi is available at

• The classrooms
• The pool
• The lobby of the clubhouse

Chatham-

Chatham is the same price as Patterson and is the second quietest housing available. It has it's own bus stop for castmembers. 

• Laundry facilities in buildings 2, 7, 15 and 19 (card-operated, cards can be bought in the laundry room.)
• Computer lab (Thursday - Tuesday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Wednesday noon - 8.p.m.)
• Fitness center (open from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m.)
• Outdoor pool table (cue sticks and balls are available at the front desk)
• 1 swimming pool (open from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m.)
• Tennis court (lit until 1 a.m.)
• Volleybal court (open from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m.)

Wifi is available at

• The classrooms
• The pool
• The lobby of the clubhouse

Chatham and Patterson Court are also home to Mickey's Retreat, a place where castmembers and their families can play and relax. Boat rentals are $2 a hour and all sports equipment is free. There is a playground, tennis courts, swimming pools, boats, basketball courts, and a banquet hall. 

Vista Way-

Vista Way is the oldest of the housing facilities and doesn't have a bus stop. It is the location of where you will first check in. Also, I've heard it has the reputation of being the "party dorms" so if you don't want to be around that you may look into other options. Vista Way is the cheapest of the four. 

• Laundry facilities on the ground floor of each building (card-operated, cards can be bought outside the clubhouse.)
• Disney Learning Center
• Clubroom Thirtheen501 (Wireless internet lounge)
• Basketball court (lit until 1 a.m.)
• Pavilion (for special events like movie nights)
• Fitness center (open from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m.)
• 2 Hot tubs (open from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m.)
• Outdoor pool table (cue sticks and balls are available at the front desk)
• 2 swimming pools (open from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m.)
• 2 racquetball courts (open from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m.)
• Tennis court (lit until 1 a.m.)
• Volleybal court (open from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m.)

Wifi is available at

• Clubroom Thirteen501 inside
• Clubhouse lobby
• Pool one
• Pool two
• The bus stop
• The pavilion

Pricing (2013)-

Happy housing and have a magical day (Christmas)!

DORMS!

Hello friends! Okay so again I'm awful about being a super involved blogger and making everything cute-sy but I do have updates! After I received an email about how Disney was excited for my arrival soon I got one about the DORMS system! It came in two messages, a part one and part two and contains information about how to contact them with problems and what your roommate ID is. Your roommate ID is what identifies you in the Disney system so be sure to share it with the roomies you want as soon as you get it and get their numbers too! You login using your email and a temporary password they send you, you'll change it as soon as you get in the first time. 

         So the first page is pre-registration which is where you will fill out basic information about yourself such as phone number, address, emergency contact, ect. You will also be able to put if you are opting out of the Disney housing (you can get an apartment that isn't Disney owned if you appeal to Disney and request to opt out) , if you need disability housing (there are no apartments with ramps instead of stairs so they need to place you in a special place like the first floors of the buildings), if you need married living space (husband and wife doing the program) , or if you are bringing your own vehicle (which I am). If you check the box saying that you are bringing your vehicle means you need to fill out what make and model your car is and what year it is, as well as color and license plate number.

           Next, you will view paperwork about housing policies and alcohol policies (for wellness) as well as some other policies. You will put in your birthday at the bottom of each page. When I entered mine it said it was incorrect which just required an email to the disney housing and it was fixed within the hour. If you are bringing your vehicle, there will also be a page about vehicle policy you must initial concerning your decal, security, ect. After all of this comes the roommate and apartment pages!

For the roommate page this is where you will need to put in your roommates numbers which I mentioned before. When I put in one of my roommate's numbers it said it couldn't take it, causing panic on my part. I emailed the housing people and they made me the leader of our roommates and said I had to register everyone and then they could. When I logged back in Disney had put my roommates in for me except for one and I could continue. It seems since this is one of the first times DORMS is being used all of the bugs haven't been ironed out yet. However, they are easy to contact and always reply within the hour to your problem which is great. After you put in what roommates you want (note these are PREFERENCES, not guaranteed) you can move on to the housing page. 

On this page you will put in what housing you wanted and how many bedrooms you want. Keep in mind when signing up for rooms that one bedroom has two beds. The more people, the cheaper the price and more friends you will have to play with in the parks. On the flipside it also makes more room for conflicts and drama, especially with girls who may not like sharing with so many other people. 

When you're done with the process, you will review your information and submit. Check your information carefully as there may be errors in what has been submitted. Also don't submit until you have all of your roommates in the system and are sure everything is how you want it. Also note that your session expires very quickly so you can be times out and have to log back in. Some people experienced problems logging in on this system with password errors and such so email the housing email if you experience this (some people said that they had success getting in by making their emails in all caps). Your boarding pass is around ten pages long (make sure you have ink and paper!) and you must print them to have when you check-in. 

My review on the system? Easy enough if it saves me time waiting in line on check-in day although the prospect of not getting the roomies and apartment I want is frightening. The system has some bugs that need fixed but with Disney communicating so well I really can't complain about it. Unless something goes horribly wrong and nothing I planned ends up happening which would fry my poor anxious, OCD mind!

So what do you think about the DORMS system?