Living near Disney

[Magical Mama]

Thanks everyone. Sounds like Windermere is a favorite. We will add that to the list of areas to research we currently have. We used to live within walking distance of the Daytona International Speedway. I can say, living near a tourist area does not take away the magic- at least for us. Hearing and feeling the cars, the fly overs, it was an incredible experience. Living close to where some vacation isn’t for everyone, but we definitely love it! I’m sure Disney would be no different.

 

[MoLoh]

We must be in the minority. We specifically chose to move to Orlando to be close to WDW and the endless entertainment, shopping and restaurant choices. We’ve lived here for almost 4 years. We currently live in Windermere (we can see Magic Kingdom fireworks from our front porch every night), but we are building a home in Horizon West (Winter Garden). My property line literally abuts to Disney’s property line and we can not only see the MK fireworks from our new lanai every night, we can hear the accompanying music, & all of the bells, whistles and distant screams from those riding Big Thunder. It’s the best thing ever, in our opinion! We don’t need to vacation at WDW, but we still stay on property occasionally. We pop over for a meal, catch a concert at Epcot, do a few Fastpasses or none at all and go home. Yes, we still have our lives to live, but that life includes Disney. Now we take Disney cruises with our fabulous FL resident rates. The Magic has only been enhanced!!
As for schools, ours are in Orange County (so no vacation homes) and the schools in my area are top rated. Last month, my 3rd grade son had a field trip to Epcot, last year it was Animal Kingdom, among other great trips to see musicals at the Dr. Phillips Center and such. We are very happy with our purposeful decision to settle near WDW.

Can I ask you which neighborhood in Windermere you are in where you can see the Fireworks and hear the music? You can message it to me if you are not comfortable posting it. I have been looking into relocating to Windermere because I heard it is the best area to live and I would love to be within ear shot of Disney! My friend moved from our city in Ohio to Winter Garden and loves the area! Thank you!

 

[tasha99]

Not just Disney but anywhere you love to vacation, I think living close would kill the buzz

Isn't it the truth? I've lived in a lot of touristy places, and most of my sightseeing involved someone coming to visit me. Still, I think if I lived near WDW, I'd get off my duff and go now and then.

 

[jaychis]

We must be in the minority. We specifically chose to move to Orlando to be close to WDW and the endless entertainment, shopping and restaurant choices. We’ve lived here for almost 4 years. We currently live in Windermere (we can see Magic Kingdom fireworks from our front porch every night), but we are building a home in Horizon West (Winter Garden). My property line literally abuts to Disney’s property line and we can not only see the MK fireworks from our new lanai every night, we can hear the accompanying music, & all of the bells, whistles and distant screams from those riding Big Thunder. It’s the best thing ever, in our opinion! We don’t need to vacation at WDW, but we still stay on property occasionally. We pop over for a meal, catch a concert at Epcot, do a few Fastpasses or none at all and go home. Yes, we still have our lives to live, but that life includes Disney. Now we take Disney cruises with our fabulous FL resident rates. The Magic has only been enhanced!!
As for schools, ours are in Orange County (so no vacation homes) and the schools in my area are top rated. Last month, my 3rd grade son had a field trip to Epcot, last year it was Animal Kingdom, among other great trips to see musicals at the Dr. Phillips Center and such. We are very happy with our purposeful decision to settle near WDW.

I agree with you as well. We moved to the Orlando area and we're Disney fans as well. We heard the same thing, " living so close to where you like to vacation will ruin how you feel about the place." For us, it has made our experiences much, much better. We do not have to spend entire days trying to cram everything in and deal with a cranky miserable child to get our money's worth. We can go later in the day and do a few rides or even just walk around. If our son is feeling tired we can go home knowing that we can go back whenever we want. Our experiences have been much more stress free and more rewarding then when we had to travel from further away. I have even gone to the parks on days my son is in school for a few rides when the Crowds Are lower.