Would/Have you moved to FL (in part) for WDW?

[Tony the Tigger]

I am toying with the idea of getting an apartment for about a year (or two) near there and just spending an entire year pretty much living at WDW and Uni. I can 'early' retire at 48 if I want. That notion of spending a year over there is a huge carrot.

Hmm,, been a long time since I have lived in an apartment. Can you get 6 month leases? Cause that would be better. Snowbird there oct-march and vacate for the summer crowds. I love WDW but I dislove Crowds and heat more. =P

Oh and yes, I suspect you can find short-term leases. I leased an apartment in Tampa for 9 months. Ack. Not my kind of town lol. Was glad to leave.

 

[sfeinst]

I will be retiring in about 6 years, and I plan to move from Dallas to the Orlando area and spend my retirement driving boats for Disney. The only downer in this plan is the weather - it's freakin' HOT in Orlando! But then it's pretty hot here in Dallas. My routine now is to be outside as much as possible, and to mentally adjust my attitude from "freakin' HOT" to "it's not so bad". I'll let you know how I'm doing as retirement approaches!

That's probably a good idea, but I think Orlando is a lot more humid than Dallas (never been there but would like to visit some day) and for me humidity with cooler temps is actually worse than hotter temps without humidity.

 

[ShoalFox]

I live in Florida, but I'm going to college in a year, probably not in Florida. I won't have the benefits for much longer...

 

[sfeinst]

I live in Florida, but I'm going to college in a year, probably not in Florida. I won't have the benefits for much longer...

You have one of the best benefits, you can go in January when you get home. Nice and empty

 

[Chef Mickey]

This is a possibility for me as well, although it would be sooner than 40 years LOL. I'll be 44 in a couple of weeks.

In a similar scenario, I moved from New Jersey to South Florida about 18 years ago. My main reason was because I loved the beach so much in NJ, and you only got 2 months of it at best. I moved for the beach and the weather (no snow, and I hate being cold.)

I love South Florida, and I fully appreciate the weather (even with the hurricanes) but - I pretty much stopped going to the beach after the first few years. I go when we have out of town guests. But I don't generally go because you always think "it will be there tomorrow."

Plus, when you are on vacation, you are on vacation. When you are not on vacation in a vacation area, it's different. When you do have out of town guests, you have to remind them sometimes they are on vacation but you are not, and you can't keep up with all they want to do LOL.

Now, don't get me wrong, while we don't go to the beach, we can still go out in the pool in our own backyard almost year-round. This is where I belong to live.

We have considered eventually retiring either to the Keys or to the Disney area. I could easily see myself working at WDW, especially for the perks. The thing is, Orlando itself is not cute. I know there are nice areas here and there, but I've spent extensive amounts of time there, and overall, not the nicest place to live. I would look outside the WDW area most likely, unless Celebration is affordable.

When you live somewhere touristy, you are less likely to put up with the barriers you know you have to deal with on vacation. For example: just the parking situation near the beach is enough to keep me in my backyard. If I were on vacation, it would be an expected inconvenience and expense. I live 10 minutes from the beach but it can take 20 minutes to park. So I could see living near WDW and thinking hmmm...go eat at Be Our Guest or our local restaurant? Well, if I have to go through the whole parking routine at WDW, it might be easier to just go more often to our local place. No wading through children and strollers, no (sigh) tourists - you'll be surprised how quickly you start talking about tourists that way LOL.

I agree, Orlando is not a great city outside of WDW and I'd probably be looking at living a couple hours outside of Orlando. Miami is also not great, unless you are a $20M+ net worth kind of person.

I don't know the market that well, but I'd really study it before moving there. I don't need to be 5 minutes from the park, but it'd be nice being in the same state as my favorite parks.

 

[Chef Mickey]

You have one of the best benefits, you can go in January when you get home. Nice and empty

You'd think that, but WDW is basically never "empty" anymore. I've gone in mid/late January and while not as crowded as holiday times of course, there are still PLENTY of people with the same idea. I've gone in September and October, same thing.

We've gotten to a point where it's either somewhat crowded or unbearable.

 

[mf1972]

we live in NJ & joked about moving down there. for us, I'd like to make sure we'd be in a nice area & make sure we have a job too.

 

[danyoung56]

I think Orlando is a lot more humid than Dallas .... and for me humidity with cooler temps is actually worse than hotter temps without humidity.

I completely agree, sfeinst. I've experienced 90 degree days in Orlando that just about killed me, while 108 here in Dallas can be livable. I'm not at all big on humidity, but it's something I'll have to deal with, especially if I'm going to work outside for Disney.

 

[officialtom]

I can't wait until my bf and I retire so we can become snowbirds like so many other Canadians, wintering in beautiful Florida and maybe working part-time at WDW!

 

[POLY LOVER]

I agree, Orlando is not a great city outside of WDW and I'd probably be looking at living a couple hours outside of Orlando. Miami is also not great, unless you are a $20M+ net worth kind of person.

I don't know the market that well, but I'd really study it before moving there. I don't need to be 5 minutes from the park, but it'd be nice being in the same state as my favorite parks.

you would want to live in Celebration a 5 min. trip outside of WDW. Great place to live and work for WDW.
picture perfect place to live.

 

[ElvisMickey]

I would and did! However I should clarify...my company relocated my department in 2013 from Central NJ to Lake Mary, FL, which is about 30 miles North of WDW. Can you imagine being a HUGE Disney fan, going into work one day and hearing, "Oh, by the way, the department is moving to the Orlando area in about a year." It was like I won the lottery without even playing. I still can't believe it happened.

 

[Disnee4Me]

My DH and I actually bought property 28 years ago 2 hrs south of WDW in Port St. Lucie, with the intention of moving there to be close to the world, but it never worked out and we eventually sold the lot we bought. Now I'm to inherit 1/2 of a condo down in Delray Beach someday, but am thinking of just having my brother buy out my half and use the $$$ to be closer to WDW!!! But that still won't be until I retire (2023 at the earliest)!!

 

[JIMINYCR]

Well thats THE BIG DREAM anyway. Retirement years in WDW. DW says we can each work for Disney.... I said heck no... retirement is to have fun, not work. When I retire all I want to do is play all day. She says I'll get bored cause I work so much now, workaholic. I say let me try being a playaholic.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I agree, Orlando is not a great city outside of WDW and I'd probably be looking at living a couple hours outside of Orlando. Miami is also not great, unless you are a $20M+ net worth kind of person.

I don't know the market that well, but I'd really study it before moving there. I don't need to be 5 minutes from the park, but it'd be nice being in the same state as my favorite parks.

Oh, I can't stand Miami LOL. Been there a handful of times, rarely worth it. We live in the Fort Lauderdale area. Neighborhoods can be spotty, but not too hard to find a nice one when you look around a bit. Everybody down here thinks the prices are high (compared to other parts of Florida, Georgia, etc.) but real estate is basically a half-price sale vs. up north.

If you don't mind about 70 to 90 minutes away, Melbourne or Melbourne Beach are very nice, and areas around there like Indialantic are absolute bargains to live.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I can't wait until my bf and I retire so we can become snowbirds like so many other Canadians, wintering in beautiful Florida and maybe working part-time at WDW!

An employee was recently telling us about people from outside the USA who work at the Epcot WS come on travel visas, are provided discounted housing, and make enough to go home for the rest of the year and not work!

 

[sfeinst]

Maybe I should work at the American pavilion. Do they get the same benefit?

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Maybe I should work at the American pavilion. Do they get the same benefit?

Good question!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I did this. It was great for a year. Then it was okay for a year. Then I hated it for a year. I moved back up north and my first trip back down to WDW was ten times better than any I had experienced when I lived 15 minutes away. I had always thought "WDW can't get old!" but it definitely did.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Maybe I should work at the American pavilion. Do they get the same benefit?

This employee specifically stated they were paid enough that they paid the required partial amount for Disney housing, but didn't stay in the Disney housing - instead electing to rent a nicer apartment in the area.

 

[SAV]

My running motto is as soon as the kids are both graduated from High School, I'm in Florida. I don't mind the heat and humidity. We just got back a couple of weeks ago and my wife is re-thinking things because it was just so rainy on our stay. We were in the midst of that 20+ days straight of bad rain with that low pressure system sitting in the Gulf near Tampa. Everything was musty and wet the whole time we were at the Beach. My counter argument is that it does rain during hurricane season, but it is cold and miserable here for 5 or 6 months of the year. The win to Florida in that battle. I'd deal with some rain for a couple of months to have nice weather the rest of the time.

I would like to situate myself away from the tourist part and closer to the Gulf side than Orlando. I just love the beach and water so much. I would love to live right on the beach, but I don't have millions to spend on a place.