CP Alumni - DCP Housing Pros and Cons

[mynameisnobody]

I'm looking for opinions regarding DCP housing and whether or not the experience of living in DCP housing is considered as a positive or negative part whole DCP experience. I'm looking beyond the basics of proximity to work and access to transportation. My daughter has been accepted for Spring Advantage 2013 and is seriously considering not staying in DCP Housing.

• For those CP alumni that stayed in DCP Housing do you feel that the experiences and activities available were a valuable part of your term?
• If given you had the opportunity to stay in an apartment with the same proximity to WDW at essentially the same cost would you stay off-site or utilized DCP Housing again?
• For those CP Alumni who have not used DCP Housing do you feel you missed anything in the experience based on your interactions with other CP that did stay in DCP Housing?
• If you have done multiple programs have you stayed in DCP Housing every time?

Thank you in advance for your responses,

Mike

 

[AliSW]

I would stay in the Disney housing definitely. Everyone you meet on the CP will live there or somewhere close and it's really easy to hang out. The activities are great to meet people. Also if you don't live in the housing and want to visit your friends at their apartment you'll have to leave at 11pm (something like that) while everyone else will be able to stay, and you'll have to get someone to check you in to even enter the complex. Whenever I went home from work I would drive my friends too and then we'd just sit outside for hours and it was the best. can't happen if you don't live in housing
Also the majority of my roommates were great. maybe I was lucky but that's what I was worried about and it was fine.
I would only live outside of housing if I had someone to live with and didn't want to meet people haha.

 

[leeg229]

For those CP alumni that stayed in DCP Housing do you feel that the experiences and activities available were a valuable part of your term?

They were BEYOND valuable. Grocery bingo was a riot, and the Cinco de Mayo party was great. I wasn't able to attend the Starlit Splash because of work, but the other various parties they threw were awesome and that's a big part of how I made new friends. As for roommates, I think they were the single best part of my internship. We were always doing things and there was never a dull moment. I was an "honorary" roommate with a few people from Puerto Rico and learned a lot from them.

If given you had the opportunity to stay in an apartment with the same proximity to WDW at essentially the same cost would you stay off-site or utilized DCP Housing again?

Without a doubt I would take advantage of the housing again. It's simply too convenient. The rent is taken straight out of your check so you don't need to worry about budgeting for it. Also, socializing is much more convenient if you stay in the housing. The area I was in had 21 CPs 14 of which lived in the same complex so it was very easy for us to set up going to Applebees or having a small party together. Staying offsite I would feel isolated from my fellow CPs and I would feel that I wasn't getting everything out of the program that I would like.

 

[angelbear425]

I am doing Spring Advantage also (so not alum), but I would also like to add that if you don't stay in the CP housing you also cannot utilize their transportation and must provide your own.

 

[aznshents]

Coming from someone who has CP friends as a PI, and stays in 'company sponsored housing' for the PIs, the CP housing is invaluable for meeting people. On the PI, it's that much harder to meet and make friends outside of social 'events' that we put together.

The fact that you are all centrally located in three places that are all really close to one another, and there being a ~95% chance that whomever you meet on the program will live in housing that you can access easily, makes meeting people SO easy. I met my best friend on a bus from Magic Kingdom, and met some other really friends doing the Disney Programs and Internships Night of Stars talent competition, an event that's run by Disney Housing and attended by 700+ CPs. I've made new lasting friends at the pool one night just randomly tossing around an inflated whale.

I got accepted into the CP for this next term (Spring) and had the opportunity to live offsite, but I knew I was going to take the housing because I wanted it to be that much easier on my social life. I'm not a big partier, I don't drink to get wasted, so it's not that kind of life at all if you don't want it, but take it from someone who's on a PI and not completely surrounded by other Interns- it does wonders for your social life, whatever you decide that may be.