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! (:
