Weird Housing Question

[JoMarie]

I was accepted to the CP this morning. I read somewhere that there is an arrival date for 8/30. If I arrived on this date, does anyone know if my chances of getting into Patterson or Chatham would be lower? I REALLY do not want to stay in Vista, but can't arrive earlier than 8/30. Should I not get my hopes up about Patterson or Chatham?

 

[lala88]

I can't answer specifically but from what I imagine is that there are constantly people coming and going so there are always places open at each complex. I would recommend you showing up early on your check in day because I think you have a better chance then!
Hope this helps!

 

[JoMarie]

I can't answer specifically but from what I imagine is that there are constantly people coming and going so there are always places open at each complex. I would recommend you showing up early on your check in day because I think you have a better chance then!
Hope this helps!

Thanks! I'll just camp out the night before! Ok not really, just really early.

 

[ZeroToHero]

Are you doing 8/30?!? If I get in, me too! We can camp out together. I do NOT want Vista.

 

[cuethemusic]

not to steal your thread, but do they give you options for what day you want to check in or something?!

 

[RyanS]

If there's an arrival date, that means many people will be leaving a few days beforehand in every complex. It would be no different if you were arriving in May. The apartment complexes are always occupied, people just come and go in phases.

And for the record, Vista is not as bad as people make it sound. I lived there during my CP in 08 and I loved it. My roommate situation was kind of iffy throughout most of it, but I met many great friends there and had a blast. The apartments and grounds themselves are on the older side and could use some sprucing up, but you'd find after living there that they aren't bad apartments by any means.

Yes, there are lots of parties and if that's not your thing, it's not a big deal because many people there don't go to parties and most of the "bigger" parties will generally happen between 2 or 3 "popular" apartments throughout your stay there (and they will be spread throughout the complex). If you happen to live in the same building as one of those apartments, the noise that you may hear outside won't be that bad (barring you don't have the front bedroom next to the entrance). There were parties in my apartment or at a neighbor's apartment all the time and I had no problem getting to sleep and never had any of my things broken or stolen. There are parties in Chatham and Patterson too, so it's not like they're immune to that sort of lifestyle. It's a college internship, parties happen. Sorry to rant lol, I just felt I needed to defend Vista from this negative stereotype people seem to have about it.

This go-around I'm hoping to stay in Chatham just to try something new, but I will be visiting Vista plenty I'm sure, just like most people. Good luck to everyone applying, fingers crossed!

 

[ZeroToHero]

not to steal your thread, but do they give you options for what day you want to check in or something?!

Yes, depending on when you get in, you usually have a choice of check-in dates.



And Ryan- I'm just worried that with my luck, I'm going to be the one with the popular roommates!

 

[epfootballcutie04]

If you're open to 2/3 housing complex's you should be fine as long as your not too picky with the number of bedrooms that you get. Even if you are, it still shouldn't be that hard.

Vista won't open the gates until around 8 am to let everyone get in line for checking in. That's when all of my friends and I were let in. There were probably 15-20 of us that all wanted to live in chatham and we all got exactly what we wanted with no problems and were right across the driveway from each other or in the same building or same apartment. It was pretty sweet.

I had a friend that lived in Vista and they aren't THAT bad. I wouldn't want to live there, but he didn't really mind it. I know that one of my other friends was career start and arrived last year on may... 20th, i believe... and they had everyone required to stay in Vista. I don't know why that was, but if you're CP you shouldn't have a problem! Just make sure to get there around 8 am if you have specific requests No need to get there earlier than that I would think

 

[lala88]

When you were waiting to be let in, were there alot of people there other than your group?

 

[JoMarie]

Are you doing 8/30?!? If I get in, me too! We can camp out together. I do NOT want Vista.

Yes! I'll break out my sleeping bag!

I don't know how to multiple quote so I'll just answer everything else here.
I just want Chatham and Patterson since they are newer. And with my luck I would also be stuck with the popular apartments. My parents tell me I'm like an old lady as it is, I don't want to be the stick in the mud in the apartment. Although, if it's all that is left, I'll be happy because I'LL BE IN DISNEY WORLD! Ah, I'm just so excited.

 

[groundhog_86]

I want Chatham, But how much is the price difference? I know the more ppl there are in a single appartment, the cheaper also. But I was wondering, Is it worth a few extra dollars??

 

[epfootballcutie04]

When you were waiting to be let in, were there alot of people there other than your group?

Well, yes. I had set up a MASSIVE pre check in dinner the night before check in and there were something like 70 of us that attended. We all hung out that night and got to know each other and we all decided we wanted to basically live in Chatham so we were all there really early... plus there were people there besides us. Some of us got there at like 6 am and parked in a VERY tiny parking lot area across the street from vista, which you aren't really supposed to do... but yeah. there were a lot of us there early and some of my group was out there directing the cp traffic, which was kind of funny if you knew the people... but yes. lol there were definitely people there besides our group!!

I just want Chatham and Patterson since they are newer. And with my luck I would also be stuck with the popular apartments. My parents tell me I'm like an old lady as it is, I don't want to be the stick in the mud in the apartment. Although, if it's all that is left, I'll be happy because I'LL BE IN DISNEY WORLD! Ah, I'm just so excited.

Good attitude to have, that you'll be happy just because you're in Disney World I started off that way, too!! However, I thought I had the BEST roomies EVER when I got down there and it's a long story of why things turned BAD and QUICK but... I ended up moving apartments. I'm not going to go into details but all I'm going to say is be careful who you trust down there.

It cost 50 dollars for me to move but I didn't care because I got to move into the same size apartment with 7 other girls I was already friends with so it was all good I was much happier after I moved. MUCH much happier.

And just a heads up about Chatham... it is newer than Vista, but some of the apartments are starting to show some wear and tear. Not as bad as vista, but if you want the NEW looking apartments, pick patterson

I want Chatham, But how much is the price difference? I know the more ppl there are in a single appartment, the cheaper also. But I was wondering, Is it worth a few extra dollars??

When I was down there in spring 09, the price difference between patterson and chatham was only a dollar or two. I cant remember exactly what it was but I think I paid 86/week for a 4 bedroom in chatham... which if you do the math of 86 times 4 weeks... times 8 girls.... that comes out to be 2752 a month for rent... but it is semi furnished and all your stuff is included...

I know from cheapest to most expensive it goes something like this:

Vista 3-4 bed
Vista 1-2 bed
Chatham 3-4 bed
Chatham 1-2 bed
Patterson 3-4 bed
Patterson 1-2 bed.

*note: I can't remember exactly but I believe chatham is the only complex with 4 bedrooms... and those 4 bedrooms EACH have TWO fridges and TWO freezers!!!! We got them installed while I was on my program and it is VERY nice

 

[~Zephyr~]

I did the thing where Disney picks a roommate for you beforehand that you can talk to before you get down there. That was a mistake. He wasn't a bad guy, but once we got in the apartment (it was a 3 bedroom at Vista... and I made it very clear I didn't want to be in Vista, btw.) it was good for the first two weeks... then the drama ensued. Long story short, there was stuff missing and massive amounts of passive aggressiveness. So, I paid the $50 and moved to a 3 bedroom at Chatham, and I had THE BEST ROOMMATES EVER. Seriously, the guys I moved in with were the most awesome people I've ever met. And it was only 5 dollars more a week, so it wasn't like a super noticeable price increase.

Vista was ok... it had its ups and downs. It was definitely a lot more conveniently placed, since it was closer to Chick-Fil-A, Walgreens, and a lot of other stuff, but Chatham/Patterson was in walking distance of Publix/Walgreens/7-Eleven.

Chatham was nicely designed, but it really depends on your building. Chatham apartments can be pretty shabby if you're in the wrong one. Also, my apartment in Vista was one of the nicer ones, it was a lot cleaner and had the newer appliances. Patterson has the rep of being nicer, but it really wasn't all that different from Chatham, so I'd recommend staying in Chatham, just because it's cheaper.

So if you don't like your apartment, don't be afraid to try a new one. And I know, this post was all over the place, but I was just saying what was on my mind. 0(^_^)0

 

[Kayticheer101]

Question!!! haha how many bathrooms are in each apartmen? like the 4 bedroom one and 3 bedroom one.. etc

 

[Reinhart_x]

Question!!! haha how many bathrooms are in each apartmen? like the 4 bedroom one and 3 bedroom one.. etc

I can safely say that there were two bathrooms in my 3 bedroom apartment in Vista. One of them was in the bedroom closest to the door and the other was in the hallway between the kitchen and the other bedrooms. Hope that helps

As for you, JoMarie...Vista Way! The Legacy! Haha, I wouldn't have given up my apartment for somewhere else any day! Vista's nothing special to look at, I guess, but it's just...awesome. I've been to the Chatham apartments a few times and I didn't care for them that much, or at least I didn't feel I was missing out on much. Heck, one of my coworkers even moved into my apartment at VW when one of our roommates got terminated. He lived in Chatham and didn't think it was that great either. Couldn't tell you anything about Patterson because it wasn't finished in '07.

I'm not trying to sway you or anything (or am I? ), I'm just trying to say that Vista is not that bad. Quite the contrary, it's too much fun! By the way, they changed our furniture at the end of '07, so it's fairly new...right? No matter where you end up, I hope you have a good time and good roommates. Let's face it, bad roommates can happen anywhere. Take care!


/biased reminiscent post about the awesomeness of Vista Way