Long stay, working remotely - is it a good idea?

[sm210606]

Hello everyone,

Ever since having been a cast member at Disneyland Paris, I wanted to work at Disneyworld, which unfortunately didn't work out.
Instead, I'm thinking of staying near Disney for two or three months (the visa would allow for 90 days at max), working for my company remotely, and visiting Orlando's parks as much as possible. I'm at the very start of my research and have tons of questions and I was hoping some of you could maybe point me in the right direction.

1. Is going to Disney after work even possible? Or will it take so much time getting there that it would rather be limited to weekends? If so, I guess staying closer to Universal could be a better idea.
2. What sites to look at for accommodation? Do you maybe even have recommendations? It seems hard to find accommodation that is well-suited for working there.
3. Can you do it without a car? I suppose that would force me to stay as close as possible to Disney Springs, or, if it can't be done to visit Disney on weekdays, rather the Universal area as their parks are way more approachable.

Thank you for reading this. I'd appreciate any advice.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

1. Yes, going after work is possible, but going to the Magic Kingdom after work is less practical, since it takes longer to get in from the parking lot. Much more doable for the other three parks.
2. Look to rent a house, apartment, or a unit in a preferably quieter condo resort. Before renting, confirm with the owner that their wifi is reliable enough for remote work. You could start by looking on Vrbo.
3. The whole plan is not practical without a car.

 

[stephk1981]

We live between 15-18 minutes from MK. It is possible to go to the parks after work, but will it be *worth* it to you time wise after work, I don't know. Especially with upcoming crowds starting this week, things are going to get crazy. Weekends are always busier because we have a lot of locals going on weekends. We homeschool, and pop into a park for a couple of hours on a weekday morning, and it's very time efficient ( we can normally fit in 2 headliners plus 3-4 not as popular rides, plus a mobile order from a QS within 2 hours.) There are tons of townhouses that you can rent some even have business centers for anything you can't bring with you...such as copiers, fax machines etc. I-4 is a mess, as everyone knows, but if you hit it at a good time, we normally leave home at 7 30 for an 8am opening, we can get there with little traffic. You NEED a car, zero way would I spend more than a couple of weeks here without a vehicle. This is not going to be a economical venture, rental for 2 months plus car rental; but it is very doable and there are so many things to do and see beyond the parks that would make it well worth it. Good luck.

 

[Nabas]

Unless you stay onsite (prohibitively expensive), you're going to need a car. Ubering everywhere is time-consuming and expensive. Mass transit is not the same as in many European countries. If you are not doing a car rental, I suggest not doing the trip.

There are many homes and condos for rent within 15 minutes of WDW. However, finding one with 3 months of availability will be tough. You might have to do a split stay.

 

[NH-to-FL]

1. Yes, it would be possible to visit a park after work, depending on where you will be staying. In the afternoons, I-4 west is the busier direction. I will second @stephk1981 that a quick visit in the morning might be more productive, depending on your work time requirements. Our winter home is about 20-30 minutes southwest of WDW and we prefer to make morning visits.

There are a number of extended stay hotel rooms with small kitchens. That said I agree with previous posters that there are a lot of condos and homes available for rent in the WDW area. VRBO is a good place to search possibilities. Ask about a discount for an extended stay. Though you might have difficulty booking a 60+ day stay in one location as they are frequently booked well in advance.

You will need a car. There is very limited public bus transportation in the WDW area. Ask the car rental companies about a monthly rental option though it will still not be cheap.

 

[NH-to-FL]

I just saw this thread which has some extended stay hotel information you might helpful:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/sonesta-es-suites.3853990/

 

[LYSE]

Totally doable but you will need a car, we spent about 6 weeks living out of our RV in Clermont along with a few additional weeks at fort wilderness, all working remotely as I always do.

 

[happiestpoe]

I've never done it myself, but someone on one of my teacher forums stayed at AKL for a month. She taught online school in the morning, break for lunch, and spent her afternoons (from 3pm or so) in the parks or poolside. I say do it. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity.

 

[kwdw]

I’m not sure I’d spend more than 10 days in Orlando without a car. You can rent cars by the month. I think this would be a big expense to look at, but if you deem this affordable, the rest is just logistics. House rentals or extended stay hotels are easily findable. You might have to change rental if you can’t get something the whole time or if you want to vary the location for fun anyway. As long as you can get all your stuff in one car load, not a big deal to move a couple of times. You would need to get an international driving permit in your home country, assuming you have a drivers license in your home country.

I don’t think your idea works without a car. Sure, you can use buses and rideshare, but it will take so much more time, you would find that costly and time consuming. A quick trip to a park at the end of the day won’t be so easy.

You definitely need to make sure you have great internet if you are working remotely, and well, will the time difference matter or is that flexible for you?

I agree with other posters that getting to MK on a work night could be more trouble than it’s worth if the park isn’t open late. But the other parks are just drive, park, walk.

And of course, budget the park pass cost! I don’t know the rules for being a FL resident, but I suspect you might not be able to get that.

I think it’s a pricey adventure, but if you can afford it, why not?

 

[bryanb]

I don’t think you mentioned what hours you plan to be working. Assuming that your company is in the UK or Europe, there’s a 5-6 hour time difference. Do you have complete flexibility on your working hours?

If you’re willing to wake up early and finish your day by 1:00pm (6pm GMT) or even a little later, maximizing the overlap of working hours, then it will certainly be worth it for you to visit the parks after work. And you might avoid rush hour traffic too. You probably won’t want to stay out late every night, but you’ll have plenty of choices.

We have a woman at our office who starts work at 7am to 3pm to best match the needs of our East Coast USA and European offices, for example. She really enjoys her afternoons when there is still plenty of sun.

This sounds really exciting! The new world of remote working is sure to open so many more possibilities for people to take extended trips and experience life in other cities!

 

[DaisyDuck001]

I don’t know the rules for being a FL resident, but I suspect you might not be able to get that.

A temporary resident is not eligible for a Florida resident Disney park pass.