As for housing, there are many PIs that do not use the housing. I agree that the facebook group is a good place to look. I found the best thing was to actually go to Orlando and look!! Take a weekend (do your research before hand) and visit LOTS of places! As you are in Gainesville this should be doable and it is totally worth the effort!
This. Absolutely this.
I've browsed apartments near Disney on 2 different occasions and going to the properties, talking to the staff, seeing the apts, has made all the difference. I toured 3 complexes yesterday and it has narrowed down my housing decisions completely. I only toured a total of 5 because honestly those 5 were the only ones I was even considering because of location/price range. I'll give a brief review for the ones I've seen.
Cagan Crossings - I actually really liked this place. Good location as far as being surrounded by stuff (Walmart, Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks, etc.) and it is a newish community so everything feels/looks super nice. The office staff was great and the various communities within Cagan offers good options as far as price ranging. However, for my preference, it's a little too far out from Disney. If you have traffic patience/gas money, then whatever, move that far out. Some people don't even think it's far.
Alexandria Parc Vue - Location is okay, although I wouldn't prefer being on that side of the 535 area. The traffic congestion near Cross Roads is a little too much for me. The office staff was ok, not great. The actual property itself did not have a newish/luxurious feel. The buildings look a little older, so does the leasing office, etc etc.
Abaco Key - The woman who was speaking to me was acting like a used car salesman attempting to get me to sign now because they are always full and there's a waiting list, blah blah blah. I didn't appreciate that. Location wise, it's near Parc Vue so my feelings are the same on that. The apts look nice from the outside, but I was extremely unimpressed with the inside. They felt old, the ceilings felt very low (i know that sounds weird), there was no counter space in the bathroom, little storage space in general/small closet. Pool wasn't impressive.
Bella - The concept of this place is great. They really are a luxury community. The pool is fabulous, the jogging trail has special rubbery bouncy mulch on it, the clubhouse is beautiful, the gym is great (technically 2 gyms), they offer free fitness classes to residents, the buildings have elevators, the apartments are gorgeous inside (GREAT walk in closet, nice sized bedroom, pretty bathroom but little counter space, nice kitchen, built in desk in kitchen, etc), and very large patio areas. The location is doable although not the closest to Disney (I just really don't like the road it is off of with all the traffic lights and stuff haha personal preference). My only qualm about this place is the pricing. It is already pricey for monthly rent, but this place tacks on fees anywhere they can. I forgot all the additional fees she told me about, but I know for a fact that depending on what floor you're on, there is an additional fee. It's like an extra $20 per month to be on 1st floor, an extra $40 to be on fourth floor. Then if you wanted an apartment with all tile floors throughout, that's extra. There were more extra fees too (I just forgot them).
Cumberland Park - Location is great. Right across from CP Housing (Chatham Square and Patterson Court). Beautiful clubhouse. They have an indoor basketball court, nice gym, and game room. The feature that really struck me is their movie theater. It is absolutely precious. It looks like a real movie theater and they show movies in it every Thursday night. Pretty neat. They have a beach style entry pool. Their apts have screened in patios. The apt floor plans are really nice. I read some reviews online though that they were having crime problems? Whattt?
Personally, I've narrowed my choices down to Cumberland Park and Bella. Bella is a bit more pricey and I'm unsure how I would handle all those fees, but I really liked those 2 complexes.