Shopping And social life

[ChefBen]

Hey i was wondering being that this is my 1st time in the program how far are the places around Orlando to shop and hangout and buy food and stuff and what would be the best appts to stay in??

 

[DisneyJersey]

Hey i was wondering being that this is my 1st time in the program how far are the places around Orlando to shop and hangout and buy food and stuff and what would be the best appts to stay in??

millenia mall is about 30 min away, busses go there once a week, but you need to reserve a seat on the bus, 1st come, 1st serve.. also outlet mall down the road from vista..pleasure island is a good place to shop, busses go there regularly. next door to vista is a 7/11, food/drinks (except alcohol) can get discount on by showing housing id.. also publix (food shopping) which is near chatham.. next door to vista is also a wendy's, chick fil a, and bennigans across the street... i would say vista is a good place to stay, rent is cheaper, thus more money to take home, also its more convenient, since if you come home late, which you may do often, you can just go next door, and grab some food instead of cooking late..chatham is pretty good too, but convenience, not really convienient at all..

 

[ChefBen]

millenia mall is about 30 min away, busses go there once a week, but you need to reserve a seat on the bus, 1st come, 1st serve.. also outlet mall down the road from vista..pleasure island is a good place to shop, busses go there regularly. next door to vista is a 7/11, food/drinks (except alcohol) can get discount on by showing housing id.. also publix (food shopping) which is near chatham.. next door to vista is also a wendy's, chick fil a, and bennigans across the street... i would say vista is a good place to stay, rent is cheaper, thus more money to take home, also its more convenient, since if you come home late, which you may do often, you can just go next door, and grab some food instead of cooking late..chatham is pretty good too, but convenience, not really convienient at all..

so vista would basically be the best place to live now it taht what they call a wellness appt also??

 

[DisneyJersey]

so vista would basically be the best place to live now it taht what they call a wellness appt also??

both chatham and vista have wellness apts..and I'm not sure, but I think the new patterson apts as well.. so you should be fine either way...don't know if you will have a choice of where since it depends on availability and when you check in.. vista tends to have apts that hold a larger number of roomies as opposed to vista..for example, i was in a 3 bedroom, 2 bath apt.. we had 6 guys in the apt in vista..

 

[csaribay]

millenia mall is about 30 min away, busses go there once a week, but you need to reserve a seat on the bus, 1st come, 1st serve..

Just a small correction on that part... the busses now run to the Florida Mall instead of the Mall at Millenia once a week. Still first come, first serve.

Ben - all apartment complexes have wellness and non-wellness apartments. Wellness is a completely dry apartment (no alcohol for any reason) while non-wellness permits alcohol. If you're under 21, you're automatically placed in wellness, and if you're over, you can request it if you wish. Vista doesn't really hold a larger number of people- each bedroom (no matter which complex) is double occupancy- so a three bedroom at Vista Way, Chatham Square and Patterson Court all house six people. If you're interested in a four bedroom with up to eight roommates (and the cheapest apartment overall), that's only available at Chatham and Patterson.

Vista is great for convenience though, I'll back Justin up on that one. I'd go to Wendy's once in a while after work, since I didn't feel like cooking at midnight.

 

[ChefBen]

oh ok now rite now vista is sounding really good as far as location and social life but how much was it when you al was there and what is this new patterson place im hearing about??

 

[DisneyJersey]

oh ok now rite now vista is sounding really good as far as location and social life but how much was it when you al was there and what is this new patterson place im hearing about??

socially, everything was cool, had a lot of events and such, but i worked so much, i barely had time to socialize.. would get in at 11 to work, and wouldn't come home until midnight most, if not all nights..i worked QS f and b.. during spring break, to give you an idea of how much i worked, 65 hours 2 weeks straight ( and they were assigned hours, not picked up shifts), so trust me, you will be working a ton, depending on your role, especially qs f and b in the parks..

patterson is a new apt complex next door to chatham.. just an addition due to the growth of the program..

 

[carlwitac]

google earth is a great little program that shows some neat stuff...
patterson isn't on it yet though everything else is IE chatham, vista way, commons and everything in between. lol

 

[ChefBen]

lol well ironically i got quick foods so umm yea lol there goes my social life i guess an its during this fall of 08 i start in aug 13th. how god was the pay?? and did you take classes also??

 

[DisneyJersey]

lol well ironically i got quick foods so umm yea lol there goes my social life i guess an its during this fall of 08 i start in aug 13th. how god was the pay?? and did you take classes also??

i was there 3 yrs ago, so the pay has increased, you will be around 7.25 or so..not sure how much it is now.. it was 6.25 for me 3 yrs ago.. i took 2 classes towards the end, thank god i did, i was able to get 2 days off as a result, but thats not always going to happen. I got lucky i guess..

 

[ChefBen]

na i mean how good was the pay for the appts like how much was it??

 

[csaribay]

na i mean how good was the pay for the appts like how much was it??

I posted this elsewhere, but good to know:

Current housing rates for domestic complexes:

Vista Way
Two bedroom: $85/weekly
Three bedroom: $75/weekly

Chatham Square
One and Two bedroom: $90/weekly
Three and Four bedroom: $80/weekly

Patterson Court
One and Two bedroom: $91/weekly
Three and Four bedroom: $81/weekly

Keep in mind that apartment sizes and complexes are based upon availability. It's fairly reasonable since it includes everything (all utilities, basic furniture, etc.), but don't expect that this experience will be anything more than break-even financially, if you factor in all your living expenses and some money towards entertainment (obviously if you don't spend much on entertainment, it's possible to take a modest amount of money home from your program).

 

[ChefBen]

I posted this elsewhere, but good to know:



Keep in mind that apartment sizes and complexes are based upon availability. It's fairly reasonable since it includes everything (all utilities, basic furniture, etc.), but don't expect that this experience will be anything more than break-even financially, if you factor in all your living expenses and some money towards entertainment (obviously if you don't spend much on entertainment, it's possible to take a modest amount of money home from your program).

oh ok thanks i think ill deffinatly end up wanting vista

 

[carlwitac]

what are the stories i hear about the extreme partying at vista way apartments

 

[csaribay]

what are the stories i hear about the extreme partying at vista way apartments

They're blown way out of proportion. If you combine college age people with an environment clear of parents and other authoritative adults, then some will obviously have a wild time and partying ensues.

I would hardly say however that Vista Way is some crazy complex- it's not any different from a dorm in that aspect. Do crazy things happen? Sometimes. Is Vista Way party central 24/7? No. For that matter, Chatham Square isn't a "retirement" home either: all of the housing complexes are adult housing complexes, and yes, adult behavior exists in all of them.

 

[ChefBen]

oh ok so are there like clubs and such there if so which one would you recomend

 

[browneyedgal]

oh ok so are there like clubs and such there if so which one would you recomend

I've been told that there are some places at Pleasure Island that are worth checking out. I found some details on the clubs at the official Disney website, and I've pasted them below:

8 Trax – Boogie oogie oogie to this '70s and '80s club for all your retro dancing favorites. If you love to get down to the Bee Gees, Donna Summer and the Village People, make tracks over to 8 Trax!

Adventurers Club –Journey into the past in this audience-participation comedy club featuring tall tales of explorers' exploits. Get into the fun of it and shout the rallying cry: Kungaloosh!

BET Soundstage™ Club – Bust a move on over to this two-story soundstage environment and groove on down to the dance floor where the DJ spins phat tunes from the latest hip-hop to old-school R&B favorites.

Mannequins Dance Palace – It's a dance revolution at this pulsating, flashing nightclub that includes a huge dance floor which actually rotates as you gyrate to the throbbing sounds of techno-trance tunes.

Motion – Bump and jump to the latest and greatest music videos on the massive screen, and twist and turn to totally trendy Top 40 tunes! If it's happening now, it's happening here!

The Comedy Warehouse – Get in on the act at this warehouse where the tin roof rattles with laughter. Catch the best in Improv comedy — you never know what's going to happen next!

 

[sylvesterT21]

I've been told that there are some places at Pleasure Island that are worth checking out. I found some details on the clubs at the official Disney website, and I've pasted them below:

8 Trax – Boogie oogie oogie to this '70s and '80s club for all your retro dancing favorites. If you love to get down to the Bee Gees, Donna Summer and the Village People, make tracks over to 8 Trax!

Adventurers Club –Journey into the past in this audience-participation comedy club featuring tall tales of explorers' exploits. Get into the fun of it and shout the rallying cry: Kungaloosh!

BET Soundstage™ Club – Bust a move on over to this two-story soundstage environment and groove on down to the dance floor where the DJ spins phat tunes from the latest hip-hop to old-school R&B favorites.

Mannequins Dance Palace – It's a dance revolution at this pulsating, flashing nightclub that includes a huge dance floor which actually rotates as you gyrate to the throbbing sounds of techno-trance tunes.

Motion – Bump and jump to the latest and greatest music videos on the massive screen, and twist and turn to totally trendy Top 40 tunes! If it's happening now, it's happening here!

The Comedy Warehouse – Get in on the act at this warehouse where the tin roof rattles with laughter. Catch the best in Improv comedy — you never know what's going to happen next!

I've never been inside those places...though everytime I go to P.I., I like to walk around and see the places...Motion has a huge video screen outside that plays music videos and it seems like a very cool place

 

[ChefBen]

I've been told that there are some places at Pleasure Island that are worth checking out. I found some details on the clubs at the official Disney website, and I've pasted them below:

8 Trax – Boogie oogie oogie to this '70s and '80s club for all your retro dancing favorites. If you love to get down to the Bee Gees, Donna Summer and the Village People, make tracks over to 8 Trax!

Adventurers Club –Journey into the past in this audience-participation comedy club featuring tall tales of explorers' exploits. Get into the fun of it and shout the rallying cry: Kungaloosh!

BET Soundstage™ Club – Bust a move on over to this two-story soundstage environment and groove on down to the dance floor where the DJ spins phat tunes from the latest hip-hop to old-school R&B favorites.

Mannequins Dance Palace – It's a dance revolution at this pulsating, flashing nightclub that includes a huge dance floor which actually rotates as you gyrate to the throbbing sounds of techno-trance tunes.

Motion – Bump and jump to the latest and greatest music videos on the massive screen, and twist and turn to totally trendy Top 40 tunes! If it's happening now, it's happening here!

The Comedy Warehouse – Get in on the act at this warehouse where the tin roof rattles with laughter. Catch the best in Improv comedy — you never know what's going to happen next!

YEA THT SOUNDS REALLY HOT. I THINK IMA HAVE ALOT OF FUN. OH AND HOW MUCH MONEY SHOULD I BRING BEFORE MY 1ST PAY CHECK

 

[browneyedgal]

YEA THT SOUNDS REALLY HOT. I THINK IMA HAVE ALOT OF FUN. OH AND HOW MUCH MONEY SHOULD I BRING BEFORE MY 1ST PAY CHECK

A quote from the FAQ's section of the CareerStart website:

"Because you may not receive your first paycheck until about a week and a half after you arrive, we recommend that you bring $350-$400 for living expenses. This is only a recommendation and will vary among students."