 |
| My graduation ears |
 |
| I'm officially a DCP graduate! |
Showing posts with label Chatham Square. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chatham Square. Show all posts
August 2, 2014
Disney's Service Celebration
A nice part of the Disney College Program is that they thank their College Program Participants by throwing a service celebration at the end of every program. The celebration that I attended occurred on my second to last day (July 31st) at the Chatham Square field. It was nice to be able to officially "graduate" the program and get my graduation ears and my certificate of completion. However, I was clearly not the only person graduating the program, since we waited in a 40 minute line to check in to the celebration and then a 2 hour line to meet Mickey and Minnie! I thought that was the one thing I was leaving when I departed Disney World - the long lines! Nevertheless, it was worth it, because Mickey and Minnie were very proud of me and it was nice to be able to get some pictures and let loose a little bit. There was music playing, free food, and a lot of people hanging out. After the service celebration I had to go back to my apartment and finish packing up my things, but it was a nice way to unwind and I got some awesome graduation ears (that I had personalized), a nice memory box, a certificate of completion, and most importantly, a great picture with Mickey and Minnie!
May 17, 2014
New Roommates
The fateful day finally arrived when we received a notice on our door on a Thursday afternoon that we would be having new roommates move in on Sunday morning. As you can probably imagine, it was a little bit of a disappointment for us, as we were really hoping we wouldn't have new people move in until after our program was over. Nevertheless, the letter said we had to clean and make our rooms ready, so that's exactly what we did. We made arrangements in the bedrooms and kitchen for our new roommates and we had a cleaning crew come early Sunday morning to clean and sanitize the furniture. We also had a new (additional) refrigerator installed and more lockers come into our closets.
On Sunday morning, our new roommates, Sam and Emily moved into our apartment. I have to admit that I think we lucked out. Both seem like really nice girls and we've worked through the awkwardness of adding two more people into an apartment quite nicely. Sam was actually one of our friends old roommates! Both girls extended their programs, and Sam will be starting at the Contemporary as a concierge and Emily works at Art of Animation in Quick Service Food & Beverage.
The one downside to having two new people move in during the middle of the program is all of the additional stuff we have now! We have two toasters, another TV, way more decorations, and a lot of other things we wouldn't have doubles of if we had been able to talk about things beforehand! We are making it work though, and have managed to find places to put everything that the 6 of us own.
I'm excited to see what the summer holds for me and all of my roommates. I hope that we can enjoy the remainder of our program, and I know for a fact that we will all enjoy the $25 deduction in our rent starting next week!
On Sunday morning, our new roommates, Sam and Emily moved into our apartment. I have to admit that I think we lucked out. Both seem like really nice girls and we've worked through the awkwardness of adding two more people into an apartment quite nicely. Sam was actually one of our friends old roommates! Both girls extended their programs, and Sam will be starting at the Contemporary as a concierge and Emily works at Art of Animation in Quick Service Food & Beverage.
The one downside to having two new people move in during the middle of the program is all of the additional stuff we have now! We have two toasters, another TV, way more decorations, and a lot of other things we wouldn't have doubles of if we had been able to talk about things beforehand! We are making it work though, and have managed to find places to put everything that the 6 of us own.
I'm excited to see what the summer holds for me and all of my roommates. I hope that we can enjoy the remainder of our program, and I know for a fact that we will all enjoy the $25 deduction in our rent starting next week!
April 28, 2014
New Housing Arrangments
As I mentioned earlier, there are some things that happened in my Chatham Square apartment that I am not too happy about. In the middle of March we received an email about them adding furniture to our apartments within the next thirty days. To make a long, annoying story short, about two weeks ago they came into our apartment to install bunk beds in each room and then rearrange our existing furniture. Before the people came to install the furniture, we had to move everything out of our rooms, including removing our bedding. It was not a fun ordeal, especially since we all work 5 days a week. Moving our stuff out of our apartment was not what we had in mind to do with our time off.
On the morning of the furniture installation, a person from the Disney team knocked on our apartment door around 9:15 to remind us that they were coming in a little while. I was annoyed because I was in the middle of taking my online test when she came. She offered me orange juice and a granola bar, a "peace offering" as I like to call it. I took four of each for my roommates and me and quickly shut the door and finished my test.
All in all, the furniture installation was done to make room for a third person in each bedroom. I am obviously not very happy about this, especially because there isn't room for a third person in our apartment. We don't have the closet space, a bathroom drawer, or dresser drawer space for a third roommate. Additionally, we don't have the room in our refrigerator and pantry to add two more people's things to the mix! These apartments just aren't designed for six people, period. To make room, they added a bunk bed in each bedroom and then lofted a single bed to put drawers underneath it. They moved our dresser to in between our beds and took out our nightstands, while my roommates Megan and Danielle got to keep their nightstands because their room is slightly bigger.
I don't know if/when they are moving a third person in, but if/when it happens, you can bet that I will be one unhappy girl!
A word of advice to incoming DCP participants: DON'T PICK A CHATHAM 1 OR 2 BEDROOM! There are plenty of three bedroom apartments that house 6 people that are made for 6 people. The one and two bedroom apartments in Chatham are now housing 3 or 6 people, respectively, when they are not designed to do that.
Here are some pictures of our new bedroom (excuse the mess), complete with bunk beds and all. The only good thing is that they added a third bulletin board, which meant I got to make a "Disney board" to decorate our room!
 |
| My side of the room, with a now lofted bed |
 |
| Allie's side with the new bunk beds |
 |
| The dresser is now in the middle of our beds |
 |
| Our new bulletin board behind the TV |
 |
| The drawers below my bed (there are 4) |
 |
| Our new Disney bulletin board! |
March 8, 2014
Living In Chatham Square
So, after living in Chatham Square for close to two months, I can say that I have a fairly good grasp on the living arrangements here. I wanted to make a post about Chatham so that people have a good idea of where I am living, and future DCPer's can get a good feel for the complex!
There are 4 different apartment complexes that Disney allows College Program participants to live in. There is Vista Way, Chatham Square, Patterson Court, and The Commons. Each comes with their own reputation. I can't really speak to the reputations much since I haven't lived in the other complexes, but I'll let you know anyway. Vista has the reputation of being the "party" place. It's the oldest complex, so the apartments aren't as nice as the other ones, but they are still pretty decent. I hear that Vista is the most social complex and it's really close to a bunch of restaurants and shops, which makes it convenient for people who don't have cars. Patterson is known as the "grandparent" complex. It's the newest one, so the apartments are really nice and the facilities are beautiful. However, it has the reputation of being very quiet and many people I know that live there say that they don't really know their neighbors. Another disadvantage to Patterson is that it's the only apartment complex without a bus stop right in front of it. Patterson and Chatham share a bus stop in front of Chatham. The Commons just became available to all DCP participants this year. Previously, it was where all the International students stayed, but this semester they opened it up to everyone. The nice thing about the Commons is that you have a washer and dryer inside your apartment, but you also pay more for the apartment every week. Chatham Square is known as the middle-ground between Vista and Patterson. It's in the middle in terms of apartment "niceness" and social life. I know a lot of my neighbors and am friends with a lot of people in the complex itself. Most of my friends live in Chatham, which makes it extra nice because we don't have to leave the complex to visit one another. Chatham, Patterson, and The Commons are within walking distance of one another while Vista is further away. If you want to know more about my apartment, visit "My Apartment" post on this blog to see pictures of my 2 bedroom in Chatham Square!
Chatham is a really nice apartment complex. It has a very small gym for everyone to use, a pool area, and a field that they frequently use for DCP events. Mailboxes are separated by area and are found usually within a block of your apartment. We have a key that opens our box when we need to check the mail. Packages that are delivered by the USPS come to the clubhouse, while FedEx and UPS deliver directly to your apartment door. The clubhouse is where you can go to pick up packages, report maintenance issues, use free computers, or where you can pick up extra keys if you lock yourself out. The clubhouse also has the Disney Service Center inside it, which is where Cast Members who work in the housing and internships department work. They can answer questions about anything work related, they work out roommate issues, and help answer any questions you may have.
Security is probably my least favorite thing about living in the apartments here. I have a sticker on my car which lets me park in Chatham, yet every time I enter the complex I have to stop at the security gate and show my ID to get in. I also have to sign in any guests I want to bring to my apartment if they aren't housing participants. The sign in process is long and exasperating, especially since when I am normally at school, no one cares who I bring into my room. I get the whole safety aspect of the security team, it's just frustrating to me, someone who is used to living on their own and not having anybody really care about what you do in your space.
Another key aspect of living in DCP housing is the rules. Rule number 1: no sleepovers. This means if you have friends come to visit, they can't stay with you over night. Now, technically security has no way of knowing if someone is staying with you, but if they came over past curfew (2 AM) and found someone in your room, you could easily get fired from Disney. Rule number 2: keep your apartment clean. If you read my post on inspections, you can find out more about inspections, but essentially people come to check if your apartment is in tip-top shape a few times during your program, and you have to pass if you do not want to be fined. Rule number 3: no hanging things on walls. This means you can't have posters, pictures, etc. hanging on the bare white walls in your room. They do give you one small corkboard to put pictures on, but it's not a lot of space. Some people I know put posters and pictures up on the walls and then just take them down for inspections, but if you ask me, that's too much work just for simple decorations. There are tons of other rules for living in the complexes, but those are the three that really stand out to me.
As far as paying rent, Disney takes rent directly out of your paycheck every week. I live in a 2 bedroom in Chatham Square, so I pay $103 a week for rent. The more people you live with, the less rent you pay. And generally, Vista is the cheapest, followed by Chatham, Patterson, and The Commons. We are lucky because we do not have to pay for utilities, that is all covered by our rent, so we don't have to worry about how much water, electricity, etc. we are using.
One final note about Chatham is that they give you internet, but it is wired, so you have to bring a router if you want wireless internet. The internet connection isn't great, and it goes in and out sometimes, but it's not awful.
If you have any questions about the living experience on the DCP or about Chatham or any of the complexes in general, please let me know! I hope everyone is having a magical day! (:
There are 4 different apartment complexes that Disney allows College Program participants to live in. There is Vista Way, Chatham Square, Patterson Court, and The Commons. Each comes with their own reputation. I can't really speak to the reputations much since I haven't lived in the other complexes, but I'll let you know anyway. Vista has the reputation of being the "party" place. It's the oldest complex, so the apartments aren't as nice as the other ones, but they are still pretty decent. I hear that Vista is the most social complex and it's really close to a bunch of restaurants and shops, which makes it convenient for people who don't have cars. Patterson is known as the "grandparent" complex. It's the newest one, so the apartments are really nice and the facilities are beautiful. However, it has the reputation of being very quiet and many people I know that live there say that they don't really know their neighbors. Another disadvantage to Patterson is that it's the only apartment complex without a bus stop right in front of it. Patterson and Chatham share a bus stop in front of Chatham. The Commons just became available to all DCP participants this year. Previously, it was where all the International students stayed, but this semester they opened it up to everyone. The nice thing about the Commons is that you have a washer and dryer inside your apartment, but you also pay more for the apartment every week. Chatham Square is known as the middle-ground between Vista and Patterson. It's in the middle in terms of apartment "niceness" and social life. I know a lot of my neighbors and am friends with a lot of people in the complex itself. Most of my friends live in Chatham, which makes it extra nice because we don't have to leave the complex to visit one another. Chatham, Patterson, and The Commons are within walking distance of one another while Vista is further away. If you want to know more about my apartment, visit "My Apartment" post on this blog to see pictures of my 2 bedroom in Chatham Square!
Chatham is a really nice apartment complex. It has a very small gym for everyone to use, a pool area, and a field that they frequently use for DCP events. Mailboxes are separated by area and are found usually within a block of your apartment. We have a key that opens our box when we need to check the mail. Packages that are delivered by the USPS come to the clubhouse, while FedEx and UPS deliver directly to your apartment door. The clubhouse is where you can go to pick up packages, report maintenance issues, use free computers, or where you can pick up extra keys if you lock yourself out. The clubhouse also has the Disney Service Center inside it, which is where Cast Members who work in the housing and internships department work. They can answer questions about anything work related, they work out roommate issues, and help answer any questions you may have.
Security is probably my least favorite thing about living in the apartments here. I have a sticker on my car which lets me park in Chatham, yet every time I enter the complex I have to stop at the security gate and show my ID to get in. I also have to sign in any guests I want to bring to my apartment if they aren't housing participants. The sign in process is long and exasperating, especially since when I am normally at school, no one cares who I bring into my room. I get the whole safety aspect of the security team, it's just frustrating to me, someone who is used to living on their own and not having anybody really care about what you do in your space.
Another key aspect of living in DCP housing is the rules. Rule number 1: no sleepovers. This means if you have friends come to visit, they can't stay with you over night. Now, technically security has no way of knowing if someone is staying with you, but if they came over past curfew (2 AM) and found someone in your room, you could easily get fired from Disney. Rule number 2: keep your apartment clean. If you read my post on inspections, you can find out more about inspections, but essentially people come to check if your apartment is in tip-top shape a few times during your program, and you have to pass if you do not want to be fined. Rule number 3: no hanging things on walls. This means you can't have posters, pictures, etc. hanging on the bare white walls in your room. They do give you one small corkboard to put pictures on, but it's not a lot of space. Some people I know put posters and pictures up on the walls and then just take them down for inspections, but if you ask me, that's too much work just for simple decorations. There are tons of other rules for living in the complexes, but those are the three that really stand out to me.
As far as paying rent, Disney takes rent directly out of your paycheck every week. I live in a 2 bedroom in Chatham Square, so I pay $103 a week for rent. The more people you live with, the less rent you pay. And generally, Vista is the cheapest, followed by Chatham, Patterson, and The Commons. We are lucky because we do not have to pay for utilities, that is all covered by our rent, so we don't have to worry about how much water, electricity, etc. we are using.
One final note about Chatham is that they give you internet, but it is wired, so you have to bring a router if you want wireless internet. The internet connection isn't great, and it goes in and out sometimes, but it's not awful.
If you have any questions about the living experience on the DCP or about Chatham or any of the complexes in general, please let me know! I hope everyone is having a magical day! (:
February 24, 2014
Housing Inspections
One of the "living" parts of the Disney College Program is housing inspections. Essentially, inspections are when they come to your apartment and check to make sure that your trash is taken out, all your furniture is in good shape, and that you have a clean kitchen, dining room, bedroom, and bathroom. Disney wants your apartment to be "show ready" meaning that if someone walked into it, they would have a good impression of you as a Cast Member and a person.
Honestly, I was stressing out about inspections a little bit. I'm one of those people who doesn't like to do things halfway, so when I heard that inspections were coming, I knew we really needed to buckle down and clean the apartment and get it "show ready." They don't tell you what particular day they will be inspecting your apartment, but they give you a 2 week window and they could come at any point during those two weeks. Luckily, my roommates and I were lucky enough to get inspected on day 1 of inspections.
The night before I went into super-cleaning mode. I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the floors, I vacuumed the entire apartment, cleaned the counters, microwave, oven, and sinks, cleaned the entire bathroom (shower, sink, toilet, and floors), straightened up my bedroom, and put away all of the miscellaneous things sitting around the apartment. It took me all night to do everything, but all the hardwork payed off because the next morning at inspections we were given the WHITE GLOVE AWARD! Basically, this means that not only did our apartment pass inspections, but they were extra impressed with us, so they gave us an award to acknowledge all our hard work! Only one of my roommates was home, so they took her picture and will put it up in the clubhouse and apparently we can go pick up goodies at the front desk tomorrow for winning! I was excited to hear that we had won the White Glove Award and glad that we got inspections done on day 1, but I have to admit that I'm slightly disappointed that we won't have an excuse to keep the apartment extra neat and clean anymore!
Honestly, I was stressing out about inspections a little bit. I'm one of those people who doesn't like to do things halfway, so when I heard that inspections were coming, I knew we really needed to buckle down and clean the apartment and get it "show ready." They don't tell you what particular day they will be inspecting your apartment, but they give you a 2 week window and they could come at any point during those two weeks. Luckily, my roommates and I were lucky enough to get inspected on day 1 of inspections.
The night before I went into super-cleaning mode. I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the floors, I vacuumed the entire apartment, cleaned the counters, microwave, oven, and sinks, cleaned the entire bathroom (shower, sink, toilet, and floors), straightened up my bedroom, and put away all of the miscellaneous things sitting around the apartment. It took me all night to do everything, but all the hardwork payed off because the next morning at inspections we were given the WHITE GLOVE AWARD! Basically, this means that not only did our apartment pass inspections, but they were extra impressed with us, so they gave us an award to acknowledge all our hard work! Only one of my roommates was home, so they took her picture and will put it up in the clubhouse and apparently we can go pick up goodies at the front desk tomorrow for winning! I was excited to hear that we had won the White Glove Award and glad that we got inspections done on day 1, but I have to admit that I'm slightly disappointed that we won't have an excuse to keep the apartment extra neat and clean anymore!
January 17, 2014
My Apartment
So, for those of you who are interested in the DCP housing experience, I thought I would share some pictures of my apartment in Chatham Square. There are 4 housing options for participants in the DCP. Vista Way, Chatham Square, Patterson Court, and The Commons. My roommates and I chose Chatham because it seemed like a nice middle-ground. There seems to be a lot going on, but it's never too crazy or loud. The apartments are also pretty nice (only minor issues) and the complex itself has really nice amenities, including a pool, fitness center, clubhouse, field, and laundry facilities.
I'm living in a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment, meaning that I have 3 roommates. It's a really nice size and I like all the space we have. Also, as a plus, I love all my roommates; we're getting along so well!!
If you have any questions about housing, Chatham, or the DCP in general, feel free to comment below!
I'm living in a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment, meaning that I have 3 roommates. It's a really nice size and I like all the space we have. Also, as a plus, I love all my roommates; we're getting along so well!!
If you have any questions about housing, Chatham, or the DCP in general, feel free to comment below!
 |
| My side of the bedroom! |
 |
| Our bathroom |
 |
| More of my bedroom |
 |
| Our common area |
 |
| Walk-in Closet |
 |
| Living Room (and the attractive furniture they provide) |
 |
| Dining Area |
 |
| Kitchen |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)