Rent!

Last year my halls at uni cost roughly £130 per week. That paid for my room, a small box-like environment with a desk, bed and small en-suite wetroom, access to a communal kitchen, internet and utilities. Everything else cost more money. So I then had to add on food, transport, gym, etc.

If you’re going to Disney to start your quest for wealth then you really have the wrong job. At the end of the day the wage isn’t great. But here’s the thing...my rent including transport, internet, utilities, pool and gym was $79 a week. So my wage was about 2/3 what it was in the UK but my living costs were probably about 1/3. Also, that doesn’t take into account the numerous benefits you receive such as free park entry, merchandise discounts, etc. Add that to the fact that working at WDW was easily the best job I’ve had and there was never really any doubt about me applying to go back for summer 2011.

I should point out that I was allocated the cheapest type of apartment available to CPs and ICPs, a 3-bedroom apartment in Vista Way. Trolling the internet you hear a lot of things about the apartments at WDW and the fact is they have their good and bad points.

I’ve lived in some pretty “interesting” places and I was dreading being put into Vista Way. I’m not a partier and it does have that reputation. Here are my thoughts on living at Vista Way.

1) The apartments are clean.
2) Utensils are provided (although are occasionally limited)
3) There’s a dishwasher!!!!
4) There are two pools.
5) The buses are based at Vista Way
6) It was only loud if you wanted it to be.
7) One bedroom ensuite, other 2 share a bathroom
8) 2 lockers in each bedroom (padlock not provided)
9) 3 washers and dryers at the bottom of each block of apartments.
10) Each block has a maximum of 12 apartments.
11) There’s was a Wendy’s, Chik-fil-a, a Santa-Fe and a Walgreens within 5 minutes walk.

Overall I was really pleased with the living arrangements at Vista.

Then I visited Chatham.

No doubt about it the apartments at Chatham are much, much nicer than the ones at Vista, although the bedrooms were slightly smaller.

If I had any say on the matter I would probably choose to live at Chatham this summer but would I mind if I was in Vista again? Not really.