Advice about Disney Needed

[Woody13]

Originally posted by Jenngusto
The decision to move to FL or not is an interesting one . . . I am considering it myself but am wondeirng - is the weather really as good as everyone says? I keep thinking about hurricanes, humidity, and such. . .

Hurricanes are a problem for coastal residents. Once you get a few miles inland they cease to be a big threat.

The weather is hot and humid, however, I did live in a house in Homestead, FL for three years and we seldom used the A/C. I was much younger then.:lol:

 

[cloudboy]

And tornadoes...

 

[Woody13]

Originally posted by cloudboy
And tornadoes...

Only if you live in a trailer park or a mobile home.:lol:

 

[mkt]

Originally posted by cloudboy
And tornadoes...

and lightning

 

[Woody13]

Originally posted by mkt
and lightning

Just make sure you keep your tin foil hat on when you're outdoors too!:lol:

 

[Frees Fan]

Dude...If you have an opportunity for a good job...TAKE IT! Don't worry about being close to WDW. If you move to the Orlando area, after a while you won't even think about it. I've been here 4 months now and live near Universal and drive by it everyday. After a while, you really don't notice it. It's true that I go to WDW at least once a week but, that's just me and I usually go in the evenings not during the day. Again...if you have a chance at a new life and career...DO IT!

 

[KevinPage]

I am looking to get the oppinions of fellow Disney World fans.I love Disney World, by far my favorite place in the world to visit.
So here in lies my problem. I have the opportunity to move to Florida to pursue a new career.
Being within an hour or Disney every day would be amazing. But would it lose some of it's magic.

The easiest answer is "it depends on YOU". I myself moved here 2 years ago because I wanted to visit the parks anytime I wanted to. We were engaged at the MK, married at the Grand Floridian, plus we wanted more reasonable house prices.

Also, I'm the type of person who tends to "burn out" on things after awhile, so there was the potential for this to occur. But the end result is that I enjoy it EVEN MORE than before.

When we first moved down, we went all the time, so there was a slight burn out period. We were also adjusting to living in a new place, being away from family, etc., so it was an emotional roller coaster for us.

The way you visit the park will be different. We don't wait for anything with a long line, since we know we can come back anytime. We usually only go for about 4-5 hours at a time as well. It's exciting to know we can go to all the special events, such as Star Wars weekend, Flower Garden Festival, Holidays Around the World, Food and Wine Festival, Halloween party. I actually appreciate it even more.

The only negative is that you lose the feeling of being on a vacation and not thinking about anything else for a week and the joy of staying at one of the resorts. But the trade off was worth it for us.

Like everything in life, it is what you make of it

 

[KevinPage]

The decision to move to FL or not is an interesting one . . . I am considering it myself but am wondeirng - is the weather really as good as everyone says? I keep thinking about hurricanes, humidity, and such. . .

The Florida skyline is like a postcard, it really is beautiful, unlike the gray dreary skyline of NY.

Also, when it rains down here, it POURS, but it isn't all day, just 20 minutes or an hour. And the thunder and lightning never ceases to goes nuts, it's like a show. I still stand out on my porch sometimes it is such fun.

The stupid things in life are sometimes the most enjoyable

 

[MichRX7]

Kevin,

I am also guessing you have AP's. Do you ever take advantage of the hotel offers they send out? Are any of the offers over the weekend where it wouldn't require you to miss work?

My wife asked me the same question about burn-out and the funny thing is I gave her the same answer. Would you rather we went to the parks and just relaxed or had that rushed feeling you had to see everything before your vacation was over.

A couple of other questions, how often do you still go to the parks after being there for two years? Did you buy the deluxe AP that includes the water parks? If so, do you attend them often?

I did have to promise my stepson (15) that if we moved there I'd get him some surfing lessons and he could have one of my RX-7's when he got his drivers license (hmm...). I'll have to give him the slowest one. :lookaroun

 

[KevinPage]

Kevin,

I am also guessing you have AP's. Do you ever take advantage of the hotel offers they send out? Are any of the offers over the weekend where it wouldn't require you to miss work?

Yes, the AP is part of our yearly budget, wouldn't live without it. We purchased the Deluxe AP, which included the water parks, DisneyQuest & Pleasure Island for the 1st 2 years. When we just renewed we only did the 4 main parks, since we have a 6 month old baby, and don't go to the water parks that often or Pleasure Island. DQ we've been to enough that it's not needed. We saved about $100 on each AP by downgrading. You can get an even cheaper "Seasonal Pass" but that has blackout dates, normally during holiday weeks and the summer. Alot of locals don't like to go during those times since it gets crowded, but I can't limit myself when it comes to Disney :lol:

We took advantage of the hotel deal 1 time and they run specials all the time, but I never real pay attention cause I don't need to spend the $$$ on that right now. I rather go to all the restuarant's I normally wouldn't visit to spend the $$$. My wife worked for Disney for a short period and we took advantage of the merchandise discount during the holidays (40% - how can you ever pay retail again?) & we took 2 Disney cruises for a drastically reduced rate.

Plus, as a Florida resident, if you become a Disney Dining Experience Member, you get free valet parking at any resort and 20% of the entire bill, up to 6 people, alcohol included. And they hold special events for DDE members as well.

The free valet parking is worth it's weight in gold. I never park at the TTC for the Magic Kingdom. Park at a resort and get on the monorail. Normally valet is $6-7. Cost of DDE is $70 per year, good for the whole family, renewal is $60.

If you need that extra push, bring the family to the parks, see the fireworks at the end of the night and then ask them, "wouldn't this be nice after a long hard week at work?" or "get an A on that test and we'll go to DisneyQuest" *(unlimited play on video games)

P.S. - You will find that there alot of of other things to do at the parks and on property that you may have skipped over or never realized before. We sometimes just take a ride on the monorail or boat rides from different locations or Carriage rides at Fort Wilderness or explore all the different resorts. when you are on vacation it's sometimes hard to see the forest for the trees (or something like that :lol: )

 

[destinydisney]

good things about Florida--

1- cheap housing
2- good weather
3- no state income tax
4- no vehicle inspection
5- beautiful wildlife
6- Orlando
7- Miami/Ft. Lauderdale

what's bad

1- tourists
2- I4
3- I95
4- tourists that drive
5- Tampa
6- Jacksonville
7- politics


and why are the tourists bad? Well... for one, Florida actually has more than one industry... Florida is relying less and less on tourism as the other industries here develop (what other ones you ask? Banking, Commerce, Defense, and Technology are some...)

and to the person who said if it wasn't for tourism WDW wouldn't be here.... there were almost no tourists in Orlando until WDW came here. Orlando was a stopover point on the way to the beach... nothing more.

I would like to add to your list on the plus side.

There is a ton of work
The schools are NOT as bad as some people make them out to be it really DEPENDS on the location and how you raise your children.
For the Orlando area where else can you see fireworks 365 days a yr.
I have lived many places from Phx Az to Milford Ct and from New Brunswick Canada to Southern Florida.
I PERSONALLY find people say you make alot less in Florida. I have found that in my own personal experiance we make ALOT more money in Florida than in any other state we have lived. I dont know of many places you can walk into work at 7am and by 1 in the afternoon have made $280.00
I would much rather be surrounded by Beautiful beaches and not have to SAVE for a million yrs to go to Disney. You dont have to go everyday.
I honestly think before people judge they should live here.
Like I said I have lied in 6 different states in 22 different cities across the US and I think Florida is just perfect.
Figure out what your expectations are from your life and I think you'll find a place here that suites you well.
Moving here doesnt mean you have to stay, go with your heart not with my opinion or anyone elses because I can tell you some people think CT has these wonderful fantastic schools, when it boils down to it they are no different, if anything schools in Florida tend to put less stress on kids.
I have heard very bad things about schools in Phx Az, and I have to say in my opinion they were some of the BEST schools I have had the pleasure of having my kids enrolled in.
Again everyone can find something to complain about, Florida like every other state in the US has its good and bad its what you take from it.
Just think worse case you have a ton of options for things to do from beautiful beaches,to theme parks, to day trips to the bahamas.
By living here and having it all at your finger tips it allows you to explore the rest of the states.
BTW passes to all the parks is a big plus.
I know I got way off track but i am very passionate about Florida in general.
Basically when it boils down life is pretty much the same, work is the same it just feels alot easier here is all. Depending on where in this world your coming from you can move here and feel like your retired at 25..... but these are ofcourse just my opinions..... Hope it helps

 

[PeeplMoovr]

good things about Florida--

1- cheap housing
2- good weather
3- no state income tax
4- no vehicle inspection
5- beautiful wildlife
6- Orlando
7- Miami/Ft. Lauderdale

what's bad

1- tourists
2- I4
3- I95
4- tourists that drive
5- Tampa
6- Jacksonville
7- politics

I generally agree, but I'd change a few minor things:

No vehicle inspection is bad, not good. No vehicle inspection + more and more people moving here = maybe no more "beautiful wildlife" and we start looking like LA before too long.
St. Pete is good (or at least getting much better).
Politics are bad everywhere.
Tourists = bad, except that they're probably a considerable reason there's no state income tax here.

Otherwise...what he said.
:lol:

 

[Moonshadow1]

To the original thread.

Just rember you won't be on Vacation 365 days a year. Real life will take over eventually.

As to the few drifts in this thread.

First. I have lived here for 30 years and never seen a tornado.

Second. Tourist are usually hated because they come down here with the attitude we are all here to just wait on them and we could not surive without them. As Mkt has pointed out there are many other industries here.

Third. In God's waiting room, dealing with the older drivers added to the tourists(who have no clue where they are going), added to the locals who are in a hurry and stressed out at the other two groups on the road, driving can be a real adventure. Toss in the thunderstorms, and crazy drivers always seem to go faster in bad conditions.

And finally we come to the SNOWBIRDS. The most dreaded of all. People that consider themselves better than tourist but are worse. Why do you ask. They own or rent property down here so they think it entitles them to something special. Also believe we are here to wait on them and can't surive without them. They clog the roads, suck up water and resourses for 6 to eight months of the year. Tell us how backwards we are, and "this is what we do up home" never wins any friends. We can't go into a restarurant during "season" without at least a 20 min wait for a table. And then thankfully it gets to hot for them and they return to where ever "up home" is.

One more thing for all of you folks planning to move. For every three people who move to Florida, Two move back. Welcome to life in a tourist town!!! :wave:

 

[Yellow Shoes]

Reminds me of a bumper sticker I read about--something to the effect of:

When I retire, I'm going to move to your hometown and drive too slowly.

 

[winterparkbaby]

And the lack of anything but tourists? Having visited friends down there (well, the one left now who managed to stay down there), I have to say there is not a lot to central Florida. There's no character, no community or centers or anything like that. Just strip malls, chains, and developments. Is there such a thing as mom-and-pop store or individual restaurant?

Seriously. Every trip I try and make a point of hunting out something unique and non-gimicky in the area.

What would you list as the little reasons for living in Florida? Not big things like cost or being close to Disney, but little things like a favorite old store or park or anything like that? Something you can only find in that very one spot

I was born and raised in central florida, it is filled with many beautiful areas. I lived a bit away from the tourist areas, in a area talked about here, Winter Park. I felt it was filled with character: brick streets, moss covered oaks, chains of lakes,etc.

As for things to do: I love to wander Rollins College, water ski on the Winter Park chain of lakes. Watch manatees in the Blue Springs or Wekiwa State Park. Have Thomas Sweet Ice Cream on Park Avenue in Winter Park.

Maybe I just have misunderstood what you were saying.

I have lived in London, Tampa, Houston, LA, and all over the Orlando area. I loved living there and if I could I would move back. I am luckily only about two hours away now and go as often as I can.