Moving To Florida And Visiting WDW More Often

[jhaig]

So I haven’t posted here in quite a while, but there are some exciting possibilities coming up for myself and my family. We may (stress the word may) be moving to Florida, specifically the Orlando area. I am currently exploring job opportunities in my field with several possibilities. While we are thinking about more important things like selling our home, buying a new one, etc., another thought has come to mind - being close to WDW, how do we go about adjusting to being once a year visitors to locals and soon to be AP holders?

I’m just trying to envision the logistics of having AP’s. For instance, meeting after work for dinner at Le Cellier used to be a dream. Now it could be possible. So now, how does that work? Do we park at Disney Springs and take a bus? Park at Epcot with everyone else? How do FP’s work? We’ve always done everything 180 days out before.

I realize this may be strange but I’ve never before considered being able to visit WDW as often as I want. We always have been able to go once a year, if that. How do we transition to being able to go much more often?

 

[fla4fun]

If you are getting an AP, they include theme park parking, so you just park where you are going. If you are doing day trips, you are limited to seven FP days active at any one time, and you can’t book more than 30 days out. If you stay on property (which I still prefer to do even though I can see MK from my driveway) you can book at 60 days like any other on property guest. I haven’t found the limitations on FP to be a huge problem the few times I have done day trips. Once you settle into your pattern of visiting you can utilize the 30 day window to your advantage. There isn’t any restriction on dining. If you know you want to have Christmas dinner at a Disney restaurant, you can book at 180 days like everyone else.

One thing though. . .it can go the other way too. You may find that you love day trips, or you may still prefer to do weekends or vacations on property. You won’t know until you get here and see how Disney fits into your regular life. I went through a period where I was stopping for dinner two or three times a week, but after more than 25 years as a very local “local”, I don’t do many day trips anymore. I still love the whole bubble for vacation though.

 

[Upatnoon]

So I haven’t posted here in quite a while, but there are some exciting possibilities coming up for myself and my family. We may (stress the word may) be moving to Florida, specifically the Orlando area. I am currently exploring job opportunities in my field with several possibilities. While we are thinking about more important things like selling our home, buying a new one, etc., another thought has come to mind - being close to WDW, how do we go about adjusting to being once a year visitors to locals and soon to be AP holders?

I’m just trying to envision the logistics of having AP’s. For instance, meeting after work for dinner at Le Cellier used to be a dream. Now it could be possible. So now, how does that work? Do we park at Disney Springs and take a bus? Park at Epcot with everyone else? How do FP’s work? We’ve always done everything 180 days out before.

I realize this may be strange but I’ve never before considered being able to visit WDW as often as I want. We always have been able to go once a year, if that. How do we transition to being able to go much more often?

Some people live nearby and never go at all. Others go all the time. Some go a lot at first, get burned out, and stop going.

Having it nearby opens lots of options, but where those options take you is a path you must follow.

My 2 cents is that I would prefer to live a few hours away. I like to "go somewhere" on vacation. Also, tourist areas are not always the best places to live in. Lots of low-paying service jobs, lots of tourist traffic, a more transient population, etc.

The Orlando area is a huge place and there are many different areas to call home, however.

 

[DanInMN]

6 months ago we purchased a future retirement house near Kissimmee. I have flown down at least once each month since, and will retire there in another 3 months. What I have noticed is I will book 3 fast passes for an evening, drive over and use the passes, look at some things, and on the way there I’ll eat at one of the many off property restaurants for half the price of Disney. On hot days I’ll spend some time at the water parks - a lazy river is great on a hot day!

 

[vacationer1954]

We may (stress the word may) be moving to Florida, specifically the Orlando area. I am currently exploring job opportunities in my field with several possibilities.

We are currently exploring no job opportunities.

We're retiring to Florida once our home is built, so I'll be attentively watching this thread.

While we are thinking about more important things like selling our home, buying a new one, etc., another thought has come to mind - being close to WDW, how do we go about adjusting to being once a year visitors to locals and soon to be AP holders?

I believe (and hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong) that it is more complicated than that: Florida residents have myriad options for APs ranging from full access to weekday only. Can someone please outline all the options more clearly?

I’m just trying to envision the logistics of having AP’s. For instance, meeting after work for dinner at Le Cellier used to be a dream. Now it could be possible.

On a workday, at least, you might end up becoming more of a fan of Disney Springs, not necessarily because of the hassle of getting into the park and all, but rather because there are some better restaurants there, and (after the novelty of eating at an in-park restaurant wears off) I think the dining experience on a workday may just be nicer overall at Disney Springs.

For us, it probably won't be much of an issue on two accounts: We won't be working, and we won't be eating out much. :\

So now, how does that work? Do we park at Disney Springs and take a bus? Park at Epcot with everyone else?

I was recently informed that there are no buses from Disney Springs to the parks. However, I'm pretty sure that all APs include parking.

 

[FastPasser.]

I'm in the process of doing the opposite. We've lived next door to WDW for decades and are moving out of state in a few months. It's been great, we've enjoyed living here.

We've never needed to buy APs so no help there. We visit WDW mostly when we have family or friends visit us. Because of my history at WDW I don't have the need to visit much anymore.

Depending on where you end up, you'll discover that stopping by at the drop of a hat is not as easy or convenient as it sounds, especially to MK. Due to the cost, you'll find that the frequency of going over just for dinner will diminish over time because there are so many other good choices outside of WDW.

In our case it was very difficult to make the move 25 years ago but we have no regrets. But things were different then and I'm not sure we'd do it again today. The area has become so built up and will be even busier in the coming years. I would test the waters for a few months before committing.

 

[rstevens333]

That sounds really cool. I'd like to try a winter (or chunk of one) some time to see if going to the parks for a few hours at a time before working at night would be fun.

 

[yulilin3]

I'm an Orlando resident of 22 years and AP holder for the past 19 years. I go to the parks for work (I do not work for Disney) and play 3 times a week. I still find value in going, I usually do not go for food, more for some entertainment, I go to watch FotLK, or VoL, sometimes I grab a fp for something, I very rarely spend an entire day unless it's family or friends that are here for the first time.
I have yet to reach a point where what I pay for my ap is not giving me value.
My sister and mom also have an ap they go to the parks maybe once a month and they are fine with that
It really depends on your preference. Like @FastPasser. sometimes it feels like it's more of a hassle to get into the parks for just dinner but if you add some things around it then it feels worth it.
For example during the various festvals I usually arrive around 10:30am to walk around WS and take a look at the food booths and other offerings and leave before like 3pm to avoid the crowds.
I don't think I've never gone into a park just for a meal.

 

[mrsap]

Some people live nearby and never go at all. Others go all the time. Some go a lot at first, get burned out, and stop going.

Having it nearby opens lots of options, but where those options take you is a path you must follow.

My 2 cents is that I would prefer to live a few hours away. I like to "go somewhere" on vacation. Also, tourist areas are not always the best places to live in. Lots of low-paying service jobs, lots of tourist traffic, a more transient population, etc.

The Orlando area is a huge place and there are many different areas to call home, however.

When we move down in a few years, we plan on living within an hour of Disney. Our goal is to keep our annual passes, as well as our DVC memberships. We figure we can make long weekend ‘trips’ and stay on property, so we can still feel like we’re on little getaways throughout the year. We already talk about lunch in the afternoons at Disney springs, and walking into the parks at night. Of course this is a few years away, but if everything works out, I think it would be wonderful. To each their own, but the closer the better for me.

 

[jhaig]

I'm in the process of doing the opposite. We've lived next door to WDW for decades and are moving out of state in a few months. It's been great, we've enjoyed living here.

We've never needed to buy APs so no help there. We visit WDW mostly when we have family or friends visit us. Because of my history at WDW I don't have the need to visit much anymore.

Depending on where you end up, you'll discover that stopping by at the drop of a hat is not as easy or convenient as it sounds, especially to MK. Due to the cost, you'll find that the frequency of going over just for dinner will diminish over time because there are so many other good choices outside of WDW.

In our case it was very difficult to make the move 25 years ago but we have no regrets. But things were different then and I'm not sure we'd do it again today. The area has become so built up and will be even busier in the coming years. I would test the waters for a few months before committing.

Our plan is to come down for a few days and just drive around. No Disney visits (ok, maybe Raglan Road or the Boathouse) but we want to check out the areas around Orlando and find what will suit us the best. I can’t commit to a job without seeing the surrounding areas first.

 

[jhaig]

Some people live nearby and never go at all. Others go all the time. Some go a lot at first, get burned out, and stop going.

Having it nearby opens lots of options, but where those options take you is a path you must follow.

My 2 cents is that I would prefer to live a few hours away. I like to "go somewhere" on vacation. Also, tourist areas are not always the best places to live in. Lots of low-paying service jobs, lots of tourist traffic, a more transient population, etc.

The Orlando area is a huge place and there are many different areas to call home, however.

I would prefer not to live right in Orlando but maybe a half hour or so outside of the city. We plan on flying down and just driving around to check out the surrounding areas before I commit to anything.

 

[jhaig]

If you are doing day trips, you are limited to seven FP days active at any one time, and you can’t book more than 30 days out. If you stay on property (which I still prefer to do even though I can see MK from my driveway) you can book at 60 days like any other on property guest. I haven’t found the limitations on FP to be a huge problem the few times I have done day trips. Once you settle into your pattern of visiting you can utilize the 30 day window to your advantage.

I’m a little confused. I understand the 30 days out thing, but what do you mean by 7 FP days active?

 

[okilydokily]

Living somewhere is not the same as vacationing there. With a job and regular stuff going on in life, it is difficult to enjoy it as much as you would on vacation. We went to the parks a lot at first, but tapered off. Now we don't even have passes, hoping for an "absence makes the heart fonder" type of thing.

Orlando has some nice things going for it, but I am not sure how much I like living here. The area is crowded. Traffic is terrible, I find most people not as nice as I am used to, rents and food are more expensive, schools are hit or miss, home prices are okay right now, but overall wages are lower, no state income taxes is nice. Toll roads can be avoided, but at cost of time and gas. Like 10 minutes on the toll to 45 on the roads. It is kind of bland in many areas outside the attractions. I miss hills, it is very flat here. Clermont has little hills. Being able to go all the time makes me less tolerant of crowds and people. When on vacation, my problems were 2000 miles away, but now, I am thinking how we have laundry to do, grass to mow, and I want some time to rest. And then we have to be at a ballgame in the morning so lets not stay late. Going hard all the time isn't the priority. I miss things because I would rather get home than fight the after fireworks crowd. Being a hour from the beach is nice, but like the parks, I find we don't go as much as we would like. The weather is great, lots of other things to do outside of Disney is nice. Diverse population. Some nice outdoor/nature activities to enjoy.

I do have fun when we go to Disney, but there were a few times we just said forget this and left as it was more hassle than fun. Popping in is not as easy as you hope, especially at MK. It takes a while to park and get in. My kids are at the age they don't want to hang with mom and dad too much and have many activities going on, so time is a premium. Most of their friends do not have passes, and I can't fork over $100 just to have a friend along for a few hours, so they often are not excited to go. If you have kids, they may not be as excited to go when living here, especially as they get older.

The app is nice to have now. For ADR's and FP's you need to be flexible. Things open up last minute, but you have to be ready to act. Even texting your spouse to see if it works for your schedule can take too long. And then you have to make it there on time if you book a res last minute. Depending on where you work, it can take a long time to get on property, then park, get to the gate/security, go inside, then walk to the place you are eating, check in and sit. It's tiring. When I say traffic is bad, I mean I drive 7 miles home and it can take an hour or more. All depends on where you live of course, but I4 near Disney is bad for hours almost every night. I would keep extra clothes in the car in case we met up there, but after a day of work, it wasn't always fun to go through all that. We used to be able to book FP on the app on the drive over to the park if it was a last minute decision. One of the reasons we didn't renew is it was not as easy to get a good FP last minute anymore. I started to book FP's for any day I even thought we might go. Jut to try and get good ones, and we often didn't make it. Thats not really fair, but the only way I saw to work it.

Tables in Wonderland is well worth having if you plan to eat at the parks. I'd suggest branching out to resorts more and trying new things. I know I am in the minority, but I don't think a lot of the restaurants are worth it. I mean they are magical on vacation, but not many are really worth the premium price to me. How many times are you going to eat at Be Our Guest or the Yachtsman? A lot of times it is easier and just as nice to go to the place down the street than go to the park to eat. DS is great now, easier to get to with 3 garages, and a lot more food options.

I realize this all sounds pretty negative. To me it is just the reality of living in a place as opposed to vacationing there. Going to the parks on a regular basis is great, I know we will be back at it soon. It just hasn't stayed conductive to my family situation right now. Living here has issues, but so would anyplace else you live in as well. I took a 15 day vacation one time before moving here and loved it, but it is just different when you live in the area.

 

[teach22180]

Has anyone tried to find a job at Disney in their retirement? I admit it's a dream of mine.

 

[tltay2005]

We have been annual pass holders for 30 years (Gasp! I'm old, lol). We have always lived about 35 miles SW of WDW and have never gotten tire of going. We have the Silver AP as it is too hot (as you will learn) to go in the summer and too busy to go at Christmas and Easter ( which is when the black out dates are) and find that gives us plenty of trips in the year. The great thing about APs is you don't have to worry about "getting your money's worth" by getting to a park at rope drop and staying to close the park down. You can make FPs, go for a few hours and go home. We love to camp and stay at FW three or four times a year and having the FP makes it extra nice as we just pop over to a park when we feel like it. You also get the discount perks.

 

[JRodgers]

My family and I moved down about two years ago. We moved down because we always loved our vacations here and the climate was better for my wife than our previous home. We live in Clermont, just west of Disney but there are lots of options. Take a good look at schools, if that is a concern, and road accessibility to wherever you're planning on needing to be.

Okily is right that living here does change things. Some of those changes are good, and others not so much. I find myself agreeing with most of the points made, especially traffic and the little things like mowing the lawn. You say you want to live 30 minutes outside of the city but 30 minutes down here isn't nearly as far as most would think. I live 8 miles from MK and it still takes 30 minutes for me to get there.

You have numerous options for annual pass. Our first year my family was gold members, which meant we could go pretty much whenever. There were a few weeks that were blocked out but it was no big deal. Going to the parks in the summer is just something we found we didn't enjoy. Every time we'd go to the park we'd ask each other why we weren't in the pool instead. Much respect to those who do not let the heat get to them in the parks but we couldn't do it. Due to this I kept one gold pass on our account (for included photopass) and switched the others to silver, which in addition to the same restrictions gold has it also has summer blocked out. AP's are great but the 30 day window on fast passes means there are some rides you'll just need to be exceptionally lucky to ever get. I still haven't gotten a single FOP fast pass yet and quite a few are surprisingly hard to get.

We never go full-day, open to close, to the parks anymore. We book our fast passes and use them. Sometime's we just dine and leave. We probably spend 3-4 hours at a park now and find that to be just right. We end up at a park probably 3 times a month. Worth it to keep the pass but not nearly as much as I thought we'd use it when we first moved down.

We eat at a Disney restaurant maybe once a week. We find that frequently we'll go to a resort or Disney springs rather than one in the parks to eat. We *have* gone to epcot and animal kingdom in the past with the primary purpose of just going to a restaurant but it's fairly uncommon. We kind of treat these as "mini-vacations" as we know we're paying more for the food than we would down the street but I still think it's worthwhile to see my wife interacting with grumpy and the evil queen when we go someplace like artist point. Moments like those are really one of the biggest benefits of being nearby and to me are what make it worth it.

 

[FastPasser.]

Has anyone tried to find a job at Disney in their retirement? I admit it's a dream of mine.

That would be me. The day after I ended my real career I went to casting and was hired on the spot. I was a CM until about 6 months ago when I got my gold retirement watch from Disney. We'll still spend a few months in Florida so Disney will continue to be a part of my life because retirees remain connected to the company due to the benefit package.

 

[cgattis]

That would be me. The day after I ended my real career I went to casting and was hired on the spot. I was a CM until about 6 months ago when I got my gold retirement watch from Disney. We'll still spend a few months in Florida so Disney will continue to be a part of my life because retirees remain connected to the company due to the benefit package.

Good grief, how old ARE you??!? LOL

That sounds like a great career path. Congrats on all the hard work and good luck in your next chapter!

 

[jhaig]

Living somewhere is not the same as vacationing there. With a job and regular stuff going on in life, it is difficult to enjoy it as much as you would on vacation. We went to the parks a lot at first, but tapered off. Now we don't even have passes, hoping for an "absence makes the heart fonder" type of thing.

Orlando has some nice things going for it, but I am not sure how much I like living here. The area is crowded. Traffic is terrible, I find most people not as nice as I am used to, rents and food are more expensive, schools are hit or miss, home prices are okay right now, but overall wages are lower, no state income taxes is nice. Toll roads can be avoided, but at cost of time and gas. Like 10 minutes on the toll to 45 on the roads. It is kind of bland in many areas outside the attractions. I miss hills, it is very flat here. Clermont has little hills. Being able to go all the time makes me less tolerant of crowds and people. When on vacation, my problems were 2000 miles away, but now, I am thinking how we have laundry to do, grass to mow, and I want some time to rest. And then we have to be at a ballgame in the morning so lets not stay late. Going hard all the time isn't the priority. I miss things because I would rather get home than fight the after fireworks crowd. Being a hour from the beach is nice, but like the parks, I find we don't go as much as we would like. The weather is great, lots of other things to do outside of Disney is nice. Diverse population. Some nice outdoor/nature activities to enjoy.

I do have fun when we go to Disney, but there were a few times we just said forget this and left as it was more hassle than fun. Popping in is not as easy as you hope, especially at MK. It takes a while to park and get in. My kids are at the age they don't want to hang with mom and dad too much and have many activities going on, so time is a premium. Most of their friends do not have passes, and I can't fork over $100 just to have a friend along for a few hours, so they often are not excited to go. If you have kids, they may not be as excited to go when living here, especially as they get older.

The app is nice to have now. For ADR's and FP's you need to be flexible. Things open up last minute, but you have to be ready to act. Even texting your spouse to see if it works for your schedule can take too long. And then you have to make it there on time if you book a res last minute. Depending on where you work, it can take a long time to get on property, then park, get to the gate/security, go inside, then walk to the place you are eating, check in and sit. It's tiring. When I say traffic is bad, I mean I drive 7 miles home and it can take an hour or more. All depends on where you live of course, but I4 near Disney is bad for hours almost every night. I would keep extra clothes in the car in case we met up there, but after a day of work, it wasn't always fun to go through all that. We used to be able to book FP on the app on the drive over to the park if it was a last minute decision. One of the reasons we didn't renew is it was not as easy to get a good FP last minute anymore. I started to book FP's for any day I even thought we might go. Jut to try and get good ones, and we often didn't make it. Thats not really fair, but the only way I saw to work it.

Tables in Wonderland is well worth having if you plan to eat at the parks. I'd suggest branching out to resorts more and trying new things. I know I am in the minority, but I don't think a lot of the restaurants are worth it. I mean they are magical on vacation, but not many are really worth the premium price to me. How many times are you going to eat at Be Our Guest or the Yachtsman? A lot of times it is easier and just as nice to go to the place down the street than go to the park to eat. DS is great now, easier to get to with 3 garages, and a lot more food options.

I realize this all sounds pretty negative. To me it is just the reality of living in a place as opposed to vacationing there. Going to the parks on a regular basis is great, I know we will be back at it soon. It just hasn't stayed conductive to my family situation right now. Living here has issues, but so would anyplace else you live in as well. I took a 15 day vacation one time before moving here and loved it, but it is just different when you live in the area.

This is exactly what I needed to hear, a dose of reality. Every place is going to have its issues, but after almost 50 years of northeastern winters, it’s time for a change. I also agree with your view on restaurants. There’s only a few we would eat at more than once.

 

[fla4fun]

I’m a little confused. I understand the 30 days out thing, but what do you mean by 7 FP days active?

A passholder can have seven days of FP booked at one time, no more. Let’s say you are planning on doing three long weekends of day trips, or a total of nine days within the next 30 days. You will be able to book seven of them, but you can’t book the last two until you have used (or cancelled) two of the seven you have already booked.

If you are staying on property, like I do, you are able to book for length of stay like everyone else.