Send an application in. The application is fairly easy and doesn't really have any curveballs. Poopoo hit the fan for me finishing my masters this semester (advisor hasn't edited my thesis yet and he has had it since goddamned January) this summer and I applied online to be a ride-op less than a week ago and got a phone call the next work day, followed by a skype interview. I applied on a friday and got a phone call on the following monday so IDK if that counts as "next day" but they were definitely interested. I'm assuming you're in high school so the interest level may not be as high with you. The skype interview was primarily them asking about what I'm doing with myself, and had a heavy focus on customer service and getting along with people. They asked me my most stand out customer service experience, and we also interested in any felonies, fighting in high school, and generic "don't be an idiot" stuff like that. I also think the skype interview functioned as a "doesn't have pink hair and facial tattoos" screen-out test.
I'm grossly overqualified for the position so they nicely stuck me on the Mantis crew (that may change and they were very clear about it) despite having no experience. This surprised me because I was expecting to be stuck running the merry-go-round or something terrible and boring like that so I have no problem with that and I'm pretty thankful. It also could be because I'm able to work into September and the high school kids start going back to school mid-late August, or it's because I clarified in my application that I'm applying for reasons other than hitting rock bottom, I have career goals, etc.
As far as getting a job there goes, can you work maybe at King's Dominion or Busch Gardens Europe? They're closer to you (while possibly still being far enough away to put you in dorms) and it would be much easier to get to those parks within a day for you. I'm supposed to show up at CP in early May mid-afternoon, and you'll have serious complications doing the same if you're underaged and need to get a hotel room the night before. CP is 5 hours and some change away from me, so I'm just going to leave at 6AM that day, which allows me a 3 hour cushion to pump gas/eat/get lost. You wouldn't have this same "ease of getting there" without creating a big overnight to-do with your parents being involved.
I applied to CP because major job fairs for my field of study are in September, and if I need to get a rig job which would require extensive travel (backup plan if conferences don't work out) I will be fired from it or not allowed to take time off if I go to those conferences. My sister's wedding is also during that month. CP allows me to quit around the time of those conferences and finish a "season" without committing career suicide, and quite frankly it beats dealing with executive yuppies at the local Starbucks. I live too close to live in the dorms and yet simultaneously far enough away to have gas be a major paycheck dent, and I'm sure as hell not going to apply to the Wisconsin white-trash Disneyland. The CP job gets me out of the house (it's a pride issue at my age despite it having nothing to do with my actions) and it allows me to work a fair amount of hours so I can afford the airfare and hotel fees at these conferences. I don't see this job being any harder than the old high school job I had in a Chicago ghetto, and I'm treating it as an "experience". I'm not thrilled about doing thesis edits on days off near a theme park, but I'll survive I suppose and I need to do what I have to do.
To answer your housing question, they're deducting around 30 bucks a week for housing (depending on where I choose to live) and I also have to buy food. This is most likely cheaper for me than paying for the gas to get to and from SFGAm assuming I got something there near me (employee dorms have a shuttle bus. I plan on driving nowhere for several months). You will have at least one roommate (probably 3-5) from what I have read in the information PDF thingy they sent me so prepare for that. Also some dorms do and some dorms don't have air conditioning, so if you're a heat wuss be aware of that. Some that have AC have a "main room" with AC and the bedrooms don't. I haven't personally been in them yet, but that usually at least in apartments means that if it's 95 out it'll be 80 in the room with the AC unit in it at 85 in the rooms that don't have it.
"Careful man, there's a beverage here!"