Living

Another question that is always asked by people I tell about my internship is that of housing. Yes, Disney does provide housing for College Interns. There are four hosing complexes that are available solely to college interns, and each college intern is guaranteed an apartment. The Commons is only for international students. So I don't know much about it. But then there is Vista Way (the oldest), Patterson Court (the newest), and Chatham Square (the in between-est). Vista has a bad reputation, although I don't think it's probably as bad as all the rumors say. It's known as the place to go if you want to party. Patterson is rumored to be pretty quiet. And I am told that Chatham is a nice happy medium between the two. I am hoping to live in Chatham or Patterson, pictured below from Google Maps.

The dark-roofed buildings to the West make up Chatham Square. The lighter-roofed buildings to the East are Patterson Court.

All of the complexes are apartment-style housing. Each apartment has a kitchen, "dining room," and living room. They come fully furnished with couches and tables. The kitchen is stocked with utensils and silverware, bakeware and flatware. Each apartment has one to four bedrooms; each room houses 2 people. That means there can be anywhere from 2 to 8 people in each apartment. The bedrooms also come fully furnished with beds, nightstands, and dressers. One to three bedroom apartments have one bathroom per bedroom. Which means, participants only have to share their bathroom with one other person. Four bedrooms, I am told, have 2.5 bathrooms. Each bedroom also has a walk-in closet shared by both occupants. 

Each complex does have laundry facilities. These are not in the apartment but in its own separate place shared by many apartments. Each complex also has a pool, gym, and other recreational areas. Occupants also receive access to a wireless internet lounge, high-speed internet in the apartment, local phone service, and cable. The complexes also come with maintenance, all utilities (water, electricity, waste disposal), and security.

I do have to pay rent to live in these complexes. Rent is based on what complex and how many roommates. But even the most expensive apartment is still only about $100 a week. This pays for the rent itself, as well as everything listed above. It also gives us access to Disney's public transportation as well as various programs/trips throughout our stay in the complex. When you add it all together, $100/week or $400/month is quite a good deal when you think about it. This rent is deducted directly from our weekly paycheck, so we never have to worry about paying the rent; it's taken care of for us.