If you could choose? Live by WDW or travel to it?

mbroschak

mbroschak

Active Member
Original Poster
I don't know if many people on this site can relate, but I have had both the opportunity to live within a 30 min. drive of WDW and live thousands of miles away. Before I lived close to WDW I always felt that everyone living in central Florida were so lucky to be able to go whenever their heart's desired, but now that I have lived within a short drive, I think I can honestly say that making it a vacation preserves the magic even more for me.
Let me explain: my wife and I are disney obsessed (two week honeymoon at AKL and Disney Wonder) and travel to DL and WDW every year. I love the weeks leading up to the trip when I start riding the attractions in my head, and can think of that feeling I get up my spine when I first hear the music walking up to the gates at EPCOT. The anticipation alone is a huge rush for me. When I get off that plane and I'm in vacation mode, reality dissapears and stays that way until I sadly get back on the plane at the end of the trip.
When I lived close to WDW, we would get up Saturday morning after working all week, deal with the traffic in Orlando and realize that the interstate is right beyond a few trees once we made it into the resort. Not to say that I don't love it either way, but their is just something to be said about removing yourself from reality all together. Isn't the old saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder". I don't know if anyone would agree with this and I never thought that I would feel this way until I had the chance to live close by. :)
 
D

DMage

New Member
I am moving to Orlando in a month, so I'll let you know how it turns out!

However, in my opinion, I think I will like living closer. I have been to Disney every year or twice a year for the last 5 years. I always feel rushed on the vacation, and my favorite thing is to just stroll through the parks. I have a feeling I will like being close where I can just go to the park and relax.
 
W

wjaye918

New Member
steviej said:
I would love to live near wdw, well actually, if it was up to me, I would live IN wdw!
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I have always said I would LOVE to live in or near Orlando. I have often wondered, though, it the people who live by actually don't go that often. I think, "I would go every weekend if I lived there." But I wonder how realistic that actually is.
 
ILLmaticS0ldier

ILLmaticS0ldier

Member
I rather live far away(I live within a 4 hour drive from miami).I have alot of family in Orlando thanks to Disney(all either have jobs involving tourism working at disney or real estate if you don't kno the orlando area is booming with real estate thanks to the parks)and there like w/e about the aprks .for example one of my uncles works at disney and goes like once a month and they don't seem to be as excited as i am when i go to disney with them.It realy takes the magic away so i rather live far away.I rather have my 6 month wait every year to go lol.
 
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disneyislove

New Member
I personally love airports and airplanes, I think getting up at the crack of dawn to go to the airport and get ready for the long awaited vacation adds magic to the vacation. So I like living farther away, but not too far, only a few hours on a plane- I don't think I could make it much longer!
 
peter11435

peter11435

Well-Known Member
I live minutes away from WDW and go almost everyday. To me it is still very magical and I love living so close. Sure I miss the great feeling I used to get when I would check in to a Disney resort. But I gladly give that up so that I never have to check out again.
 
Magic Maker

Magic Maker

New Member
I would not trade it for the world. There's always Disneyland if I need Disney but want to have a vacation, and Vero Beach too, it is a nice piece of Disney in my opinion.
 
Lee

Lee

Adventurer
We moved to Florida primarily to be close to WDW. Now that frees up our vacations to travel elsewhere....like Disneyland.:lol:
 
George

George

Liker of Things
Premium Member
I've done both. I grew up next to WDW and now live in Indiana. No contest - I'd choose living near WDW. It always fun and magical.
 
mayoki

mayoki

Member
I live about 8 hours away, and part of the buildup and excitement is seeing all the billboards on I75, then turning into the resort, tuning to Disney radio, then checking into the resort.

That said...I actually would like to be closer, but just far enough away that I could justify staying at a resort.
 
Heatherbell

Heatherbell

Active Member
disneyislove said:
I personally love airports and airplanes, I think getting up at the crack of dawn to go to the airport and get ready for the long awaited vacation adds magic to the vacation. So I like living farther away, but not too far, only a few hours on a plane- I don't think I could make it much longer!
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I totally agree. I always say that if I lived closer I would go all the time but I wonder how realistic that is. For example I live about 15 minutes away from Six Flags New England, now in no way am I comparing the two places just simply saying that I cannot remember the last time I went to Six Flags. I think it loses it's novelty when it is right around the bend. For me part of the magic is the planning and the antcipation and checking into a resort etc etc...I almost wonder (for me) if some of the magic would be lost if I could go any time I wanted.
 
K

KaliSplash

Well-Known Member
We're 8 hours away and that's just about right. It's too far for a weekend trip, let alone a day trip.
For me, that helps preserve the magic of the experience. We usually go once a year and occasionally twice. While I'd love to be able to afford, financially and time-wise, to go more often, I fear that if I lived in town, I'd never go at all.
Many of my wife's relatives live in central Florida and most of them almost never go.
Being far enough away that it has to be a trip to go there preserves the magic. I would like to have more magic, but not all magic.
For the same reason, I've never taken a backstage tour. I don't want to know how they do it
 
napnet

napnet

Active Member
I dont think living close deminishes any of the magic... i still feel it and probably would even if i went every week.
 

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