So you’ve been accepted to the Disney College Program (DCP) and you’re trying to decide which housing complex you’d prefer to live in! First of all, congratulations! I loved both of my DCPs, and I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time as well!
My living situation really affected my experience, so picking roommates and a housing complex can make a huge difference. Today I’ll be giving you some info about the different housing complexes and their amenities. This will hopefully help you decide which complex would fit your lifestyle best!
Amenities Included in ALL Complexes:
- 24-hour security
- Utilities are included in rent, and rent is automatically taken out of your paycheck
- WiFi is provided
- Ubers/Lyfts/Taxis cannot drive into the complex, you will have to meet them outside the entrance to the complexes
- Complexes all have at least 1 pool
- Complexes all have a gym
Vista Way:
- Further away from the other 3 complexes (not within walking distance to the other complexes)
- Has 2 pools
- Has the main bus hub, which is inside the complex
- All bus routes stop here
- Complex is next to a Wendy’s and other restaurants/shops
- Some classes are held in the Vista Way Pavilion
- There are 3 washers and 3 dryers for laundry on the bottom floor of each building
- The oldest complex, but many of the apartments have been refurbished in recent years
Vista Way is the largest housing complex which is why it gets the reputation for being the “party complex”. I lived in Vista Way for one of my programs and I didn’t notice it being louder than the other complexes. I also didn’t notice more parties happening than at the other complexes.
Having laundry facilities at every building is really convenient even though there are only 3 of each machine at each building. There are approximately 12 apartments in each building, but I never had any issues when I wanted to do laundry. I could easily walk next door and use the machines in the next building if the machines were being used at my building.
The main bus hub is located in Vista Way, which is a major positive. The bus hub is located inside the complex which is safer when waiting for the bus since everyone at the bus stop has gone through security to get there. Every bus route goes to Vista Way, which is really convenient if you don’t have a car. The bus drivers take their scheduled breaks when they arrive to Vista Way. People coming from other complexes sometimes have to wait for 15 minutes on the bus at Vista Way before the bus will continue on to the next destination. You don’t need to board the bus until the end of those scheduled breaks if you’re at Vista Way. So you may not need to leave for work as early as other people.
Chatham Square:
- Housing events are often held here
- Has classrooms where some DCP classes are held
- All buses stop here, but the bus stop is outside of the complex
- There are a few laundry buildings in the complex
I have also lived in Chatham Square and I loved it. It was great that many of the Housing Events are held in Chatham, because that makes it so easy to drop by and get some free food and see what is going on. This is where the big Welcome events and the Graduation events are held, which you definitely don’t want to miss.
All buses stop at Chatham Square, which is important if you don’t have a car. The one drawback to the bus stop is that it is located just outside of the complex. So anyone could be hanging out by the bus stop since you don’t need to pass through security to get to it. When you’re waiting for the bus late at night, just be aware since not everyone around you is necessarily part of the DCP.
My building was only a few buildings away from a laundry location but I still had to go outside and walk to get to the laundry machines. This was not ideal if it was raining or if my laundry had gotten heavy from me procrastinating on doing it. It would’ve been worse if my building was further away from the laundry buildings, but there’s no way to know which building you’re in until you arrive on Check In Day. And while there are approximately 10 washers & dryers in the laundry buildings, you’re still sharing the facilities with a ton of other people, so sometimes the machines were all in use when I had gotten there and then I had to walk all the way back to my apartment and try again later. Not a huge issue, but something to keep in mind.
The Commons:
- Most buses go here, but not all
- Bus stop inside the complex
- Laundry machines are inside each apartment
- There is a small convenience store in the complex
I have not lived here but my sisters have lived here over the last couple of years. They appreciated having laundry machines inside the apartment. You’re only sharing with your roommates and you don’t have to go outside to do laundry. However, this perk does make rent higher at this complex.
Most buses stop here and the bus stop is inside the complex. Again, this is much safer since no one can get to the bus stop unless they go through security. Some bus routes stop going to The Commons after 6:00pm unless you specifically talk to the bus driver and request to go to The Commons. This can be annoying to deal with, but it’s not the end of the world depending on where you need to go most often.
Patterson Court:
- There are a few classrooms where DCP classes may be held
- Few buses stop here
- Bus stop is inside the complex
- Smallest Complex
- Patterson is about a 5-minute walk to the Chatham Square Bus Stop
I have not lived at Patterson Court so I don’t have much insight as to what it is really like to live there. The bus stop is inside the complex (again, this is safer), but the only bus routes that stop here are the ones that take you to the grocery store/post office/the mall. The buses don’t take you to Disney locations. This is why people don’t usually want to live here unless they have a car with them. It is a 5-minute walk to get to the Chatham bus stop from the entrance of Patterson. You can make it work if you don’t have a car (or your car breaks down), but doing that walk late at night after a long shift might not be ideal.
I took one DCP class that met in a Patterson classroom. I noticed several stray cats in the complex while I was there though I’ve heard that there has recently been an effort to rid the complexes of stray cats. I’ve seen cats at all of the complexes, but it seemed like there were more in Patterson comparatively. I also saw the pool at Patterson, which was pretty big and looked really nice.
Hopefully this will help you figure out which complex(es) would fit your needs best!
Leave a comment to let me know which complex you’ve lived in or which complex you would like to live in!