Disney Apartments - Update on Buena Vista Place

[singingintherain]

Hey everyone! I just got accepted into the Disney College Program!!! Yes! I'm super excited, but I want to live with my husband (of course! ) so I won't do the disney housing.

Buena Vista Place apartments looks the best! Not expensive, but that's not what drew me in the most. It's sooo close! It seems you can just walk to work!

Or can you? That's why I need help. I was wondering if you really could walk to work and back. If it was safe enough? Is there like buses at the parking lot or can you jump on the monorail right there? That's what it looked like on google earth but I'm not sure. Yes, I have searched through forum after forum on the subject, but none of it is very current, and there's not much on the whole monorail, bus transportation from the parking lot. Like say if I end up working Animal Kingdom insteak of MK. It would still work if the monorail could take me there and I wouldn't have to deal with traffic.

Any input on this and the apartments themselves at all would be so appreciated! I live too far away to go there and look for myself.

Thank you!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Well, the monorail won't go there, that's for sure. If has a high density of CM's, possible they may have a shuttle there to the park. Here is a driving route map, not sure if it can be walked or not.

http://g.co/maps/9d9k6

And congratulations, hope to see you there.

 

[maelstrom]

The monorail goes to the Magic Kingdom, Transportation & Ticket Center, Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, and Epcot. That's it. I don't know where you got the idea that it goes anywhere else.

 

[dakcp2001]

Do you mean Vista Way? When I was a CP there was Chatahm and Vista Way, neither were in walking distance to work. They did both have shuttles, but I had my own car. The shuttles are good, unless you work somewhere that has off hours. I had to be at work super early so it would not have worked for me. I am sure they can accomodate your hours if you ride the shuttle.

BTW congratulations! My CP experience was awesome! You are going to love it!

 

[SandrA9810]

Beuna Vista Place is located behind the Magic Kingdom, it's more of a bike ride distance than walking, but it located across the street from the MK parking lot. From the MK parking lot you are bused to the entrance of the tunnels. It is the only way to get into the park as a CM. You will want to be on that bus at least 20-30 minutes prior to the start of your shift. It takes forever to get to your work location.

However, if you work any where else on property, you will need to drive yourself. CM lots and entrances are not near the Guest entrance (except DAK). You are not allowed to be in Guest areas in costume. That means you can not use the Disney buses for transportation to and from work (except from the TTC, as that's where the city buses drop off).

Beuna Vista Place is also income restricted, you must make under $24,000 a year for 2 people in the apartment, be prepared to show taxes and paystubs for approval. 1 bedrooms are hard to come by, 2 and 3 bedrooms are a little easier. I have heard it's not the best of places to live, others are mediocre about it.

Due to it's close location, you will be right behind the fireworks that go off every night. Now looking at Google Earth, to the right of the parking lot is where they park the 12 monorails and 4 trains for the night, the roundhouse. Costuming (for MK CMs), Cast Connection, Disney University, laundry facilities and a few other departments work behind the Magic Kingdom park.


BTW, if you're going to work at Disney, you have a LOT to learn about the set up of the park system. It is approximately 6 miles between the MK and DAK. On average it would take me 20 mins to get from the CM lot of the MK to the CM lot of DAK. If I pulled a double (morning shift at DAK and an evening shift at MK), it was usually 45 minutes at least to switch locations.


Before I left Florida, the room-mate I had was a CP as well. She had 2 cats and wanted to stay in Florida after her program. So she rented a room, which was a lot cheaper than renting her own apartment. You also have to remember you make bottom of the barrel wages. As an internship, they do not have to pay you minimum wage (since it's supposed to be educational training), although I do think CP's get Florida minimum wage ($7.25).

 

[SandrA9810]

Here's a map for you.

 

[dakcp2001]

Sandra, can you recommend a nice area to live near Celebration for a couple in their 30's? Also is Davenport too far to commute? I have family moving there to work near Celebration, but they are having a hard time knowing where to go.

 

[singingintherain]

Thank you so much! I can see now why I thought the monorails went there. They park them there! It did seem too good to be true based on a blurred pic on google earth.

I have so much to learn! I have to admit I have never been to Disney World, so please excuse my lack of knowledge. It makes it hard trying to find an apartment because I don't know which area would be the best. I thought Buena Vista Place might be, but now i'm seeing that what I thought was a huge advantage, might not be so advantageous.

My second choice is Discovery Palms or Maribella Residences (once Vinnings at Lake Buena Vista) Any opinions on those? They seem to have more traffic, but nicer and not so isolated.

 

[singingintherain]

Do you mean Vista Way? When I was a CP there was Chatahm and Vista Way, neither were in walking distance to work. They did both have shuttles, but I had my own car. The shuttles are good, unless you work somewhere that has off hours. I had to be at work super early so it would not have worked for me. I am sure they can accomodate your hours if you ride the shuttle.

BTW congratulations! My CP experience was awesome! You are going to love it!

Thanks! I'm SUPER excited! It's definitely going to be an adventure!

 

[PeterPan09]

Sandra, can you recommend a nice area to live near Celebration for a couple in their 30's? Also is Davenport too far to commute? I have family moving there to work near Celebration, but they are having a hard time knowing where to go.

Davenport is close, I have a few friends that live in that area, and it's close to Celebration as well. It's close, but not that touristy.

 

[SandrA9810]

Davenport is a nice area to be in. So in Champions Gate area.

The only problem is, some of these neighborhoods are high in tourist rentals. Yay you live close to work, not so yay you have new neighbors every week.

I lived in Kissimmee off of 192 and John Young Pkwy. I also have a friend that lives in Hunter's Creek just north of that. There was some one I knew that lived in the apartments on International Dr and Osceola Pkwy (by Gaylord Palms). You should be able to pull up a google map with the street names.

The biggest downfall to living behind the MK, is you are isolated. It'd probably take you like 30 minutes just to get to the grocery store... Walmart and Target, even further. That is one issue with Champions Gate (south of Celebration, off of I-4), there's a Publix but everything else takes forever to get to.

I loved living in Kissimmee. It wasn't extremely close to work, but everything was easily accessible. Hunter's Creek and Williamsburg (just behind Sea World) are also good locations for easy access.

Don't underestimate how much time it really takes to get to work. Some locations are a pain, because you can only clock-in in your area, and that could be on the other side of the park. Some parks you enter from the back, side, or front. MK takes the longest of all.

 

[ilovefh]

Hey everyone! I just got accepted into the Disney College Program!!! Yes! I'm super excited, but I want to live with my husband (of course! ) so I won't do the disney housing.

Buena Vista Place apartments looks the best! Not expensive, but that's not what drew me in the most. It's sooo close! It seems you can just walk to work!

Or can you? That's why I need help. I was wondering if you really could walk to work and back. If it was safe enough? Is there like buses at the parking lot or can you jump on the monorail right there? That's what it looked like on google earth but I'm not sure. Yes, I have searched through forum after forum on the subject, but none of it is very current, and there's not much on the whole monorail, bus transportation from the parking lot. Like say if I end up working Animal Kingdom insteak of MK. It would still work if the monorail could take me there and I wouldn't have to deal with traffic.

Any input on this and the apartments themselves at all would be so appreciated! I live too far away to go there and look for myself.

Thank you!

Congratulations on getting accepted to the CP. I did it 10 years ago and it was a blast! I'm not sure if you have any desire to live near CP housing but Sabal Palm at LBV is across the street from Vista Way. I think there are also some apartments by Chatham Square and Patterson Court too. Good luck and enjoy! Remember you won't be making much money. I'm assuming your DH will have a job?

Sandra, can you recommend a nice area to live near Celebration for a couple in their 30's? Also is Davenport too far to commute? I have family moving there to work near Celebration, but they are having a hard time knowing where to go.

We live in Davenport (close to Champion's Gate) and we love it. Our neighborhood does have some vacation rentals, but there are only two on our street. Everyone else is a permanent resident. We like it because we are only a 15 minute drive to everything but it feels like we are worlds away when we are home. We can hear the Epcot fireworks in the distance every night.

Before we moved here we researched a lot. We read the city data forums and everything we read said Davenport was overrun with gangs. Please know the land size of Davenport is HUGE. While there may be gangs in downtown Davenport (I don't know, we don't go there) where we live is incredibly safe (off Ronald Reagan Parkway). It takes us 15 minutes to get into Davenport proper.

Polk County is not so great if they have kids. I would not hesitate to send my son to his zoned elementary school but I would not send him to the middle school (shared between Davenport and Haines City) for any amount of money. I'm hoping if we stay here that I stay at the school I am currently at and Osceola will keep the policy that your child can go to school in the county if you teach there.

If they have kids I'd suggest living in Celebration itself if they are looking for an apartment or off Old Lake Wilson Rd if they are looking for a house. Old Lake Wilson Rd. meets up with 192, but it is in Kissimmee and zoned for a good K-8 school and Celebration for high school.

Like Sandra said things are a bit of a drive from here. We have two Publix stores within 2 miles but not much else. There is Posner Park with a few places like JC Penney and Target which is close by. To go to a Walmart we have to drive to Haines City or Clermont. We go to Hunter's Creek alot and to The Loop in Kissimmee for most things. It's about a 25 minute drive but doesn't seem that long.

 

[darby01_2007]

I live in BVP apartments and is super convenient because I work at the Contemporary, so it takes me 3 minutes to get to work. There is also a new shopping center right down the road!! Publix, McDonalds, 711, and other stores