Retiring and dealing with your Disney addiction

[JIMINYCR]

Wait…you don’t already?

Unfortunately no. We’ve had years when we’ve done multiple trips and others only one in a year. There have been years when we did not go and had to skip a year or more in between trips because of the business of work. Owning your own business puts a lot more restraints on your freedom than working for someone else and having just a 40 hour week. My goal would be to go any time I felt the desire. We’ve been to many events but not all. Many holidays but not all.
Retirement frees one up as long as the money holds out!!!

 

[HauntedPirate]

Who am I kidding…

 

[pkkurz]

We have been AP for several years and made at least 2 trips a year to WDW. I retired in 2015 and in the following 18 months spent 32 nights on property. Decided that our money could be better utilized and bought a condo 2 miles from the entrance to AK. It is in a short term rental community and our plan was to rent it out when we were not there. The STR income helped to cover expenses . Plan worked well until COVID and everything shut down. We decided that our condo was just sitting there and we couldn’t rent so why not quarantine there. At least it was in a warm climate. We liked that so well that we have become “snowbirds“ and spend the winter months in Florida. We average 4-5 days a week in the parks and NO it never gets old. We have found the best of both worlds and avoid the cold in the winter and hot in the summer.

 

[Mr Mindcrime]

wow, never had most of that.

I just got back from Iceland (jaw droppingly beautiful)
let's see, yes I did get to the airport 3 hours early (left out of Phl)
on line checked my bags so just dropped them off at the designated counter. 20 minutes tops, did have to print out luggage tags.
I have TSA precheck so got in the precheck line, informed the tsa agent that I have two fake knees with metal parts so I'm gonna beep. I beeped and got wanded. total time maybe 30 minutes. I also have global entry so nope, no more waiting in line at customs upon entering the country.

I don't fly discount airlines so nope no zones, usually in group 5 though. simply stay seated until zone 5 gets called. I checked my bag and my backpack fits under my seat.

Didn't ask the pilot if he was getting divorced ( got my own personal problems, not concern about a perfect strangers) but he did a superb job landing in Reykjavik especially since Iceland experiences crazy snow and wind storms in the winter.

I have long legs so I usually spring the few extra bucks for an exit door row or an end seat. so I guess I'm the jerk that opens the overhead door first. lol most of my seat mates have been truly pleasant, some may snore but lol every time I got up
to stretch or go to the bathroom, I noticed 99% of folks had earplugs stuck in their ears, doubt anyone would here snoring anyway.

in the last 12 months I've been to Iceland, paris, Greece and wdw. checked bags every time, got my bag every time.
Doing the Camino de Santiago trail in a few months I'll be checking a bag again

I've always enjoyed reading your level-headed, commonsense posts. You seem like a great person.

Now that I've read your travelogue.......will you adopt me and take me with you from now on

 

[eliza61nyc]

I've always enjoyed reading your level-headed, commonsense posts. You seem like a great person.

Now that I've read your travelogue.......will you adopt me and take me with you from now on

lol, I had to show this to my kids, I couldn't convince anyone to go with me. Actually this is pretty new for me, after a few health set backs I'm trying to get out of my comfort zone. Iceland to see the northern lights was definitely one of those trips. Thanks for the high five

 

[SteveAZee]

lol, I had to show this to my kids, I couldn't convince anyone to go with me. Actually this is pretty new for me, after a few health set backs I'm trying to get out of my comfort zone. Iceland to see the northern lights was definitely one of those trips. Thanks for the high five
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That first image... I thought "oh, Oregon coast" (I'm an Oregonian).

 

[KeithVH]

That is one of the reasons I don't really feel like going anymore. I have forty years of wonderful memories. Memories of my young family and two little girls along with my wife. Memories of going just with my wife. Memories of going with my children with their children (my grandkids). Even memories of almost a decade of going solo. All fond memories that I don't want messed up by going when I know I'm going to be upset that my WDW really, for the most part, no longer exists for me. I rather do some new things and make new memories instead of just trying to relive ones that can never be repeated. That's just the way I feel about it, others mileage may vary.

OMG. Yes. I think this is me exactly. Been going since '77. Since the 90's, I've experienced the World through the eyes of my wife and daughters as they grew up. For me, that was worth every penny, including one trip we all consider the perfect vacation. I know the money I've spent could have been used for other things but that wouldn't get me the memories.

It's like our bucket list is gathering dust and feels neglected when we book another flight to Orlando. Gonna have to figure out some happy medium somehow.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I hope I can go once every few years

 

[MAGICFLOP]

I said (this June will be 6 years ago) that I would never go again and have no plans to go back. Now, with Disney's immoral corporate stance (orig reason) and now with such huge increases and the nonsense of having Reservations to get in the parks/rides and other added on annoyances, I severely doubt it, but who knows what I think in 10 years. I was an AP member from 2000-2016 and had a 2nd home 20 min away and flew down many weekends and went to Disney (in the parks 25-30 days a year).

 

[Chi84]

I said (this June will be 6 years ago) that I would never go again and have no plans to go back. Now, with Disney's immoral corporate stance (orig reason) and now with such huge increases and the nonsense of having Reservations to get in the parks/rides and other added on annoyances, I severely doubt it, but who knows what I think in 10 years. I was an AP member from 2000-2016 and had a 2nd home 20 min away and flew down many weekends and went to Disney (in the parks 25-30 days a year).

What did Disney do 6 years ago that was immoral? That would have been 2017?

 

[MAGICFLOP]

What did Disney do 6 years ago that was immoral? That would have been 2017?

To me it was a culmination of a lot of things, I noticed changes in ABC programming as early as 1999 and later after they acquired ESPN, but mostly in the programming I would see on the Disney channel (my youngest was 14 at the time) on their teen shows. I did not like the progression of programming degradation I was seeing over the couple of decades, I have to admit, its really dropped since, if I had kids now that were preteen, I would not allow them to watch Disney movies or shows without supervision. I never minded spending money in Disney (we spent a lot), because we considered it wholesome entertainment, then one day we determined it was not.

 

[Chi84]

To me it was a culmination of a lot of things, I noticed changes in ABC programming as early as 1999 and later after they acquired ESPN, but mostly in the programming I would see on the Disney channel (my youngest was 14 at the time) on their teen shows. I did not like the progression of programming degradation I was seeing over the couple of decades, I have to admit, its really dropped since, if I had kids now that were preteen, I would not allow them to watch Disney movies or shows without supervision. I never minded spending money in Disney (we spent a lot), because we considered it wholesome entertainment, then one day we determined it was not.

I've never found anything unwholesome about the Disney movies or shows, but that kind of thing is very subjective. If you're bothered by it then it makes sense you wouldn't go back. Not everything is right for everybody.

 

[Lilofan]

you know I never understood the airline bashing. lol I mean considering around 300 million people flew in the US last year safely statistically they're not doing so bad (lol public service announcement from my American Airline employee inlaw)

I went up to the United Club at an airport I was at. The UA staff advised me for $60 for the day I can stay as long as I want and relax in the club before my flight is called. Drinks, hors derves , breakfast lunch and dinner is served and comfortable seating in the secure area away from the madness of the gate areas. On my next flight I may just show up in the morning, do remote work in the Club while taking advantage of all the food and drink offerings up until my flight is called hours later.

 

[Wicked Sisters]

My sister and I retired from the UK health service in 2019 and as a present to ourselves booked Florida for 4 weeks in 2020 but we all know what happened then. We have rebooked 4 Times now and are finally getting there in September. Now we can only go for 3 weeks and it’s about the same price. We haven’t been since 2008 so we are really excited about it and even reading the negatives would never put us off. We have been going to WDW since 1980 and seen many changes especially for the better but I would say that Genie + is not something we approve of and I don’t think we will be using it. We still expect to have a great time and look forward to returning yet again a couple of years later. If it wasn’t for our health service pension I doubt that we would be able to return after this coming trip.

 

[winstongator]

We've actually discussed that area of the state also. Maybe Gainesville? Still close enough to Jax for the airport and such but not a crazy big city. Cost of living does look enticing. But still trying to figure out the state's political climate.

Research Gainesville well. It’s very centered around the student population. I’m not sure how that would work for retirees. I live in south Jacksonville and while it’s not perfect, it has a lot that Gainesville doesn’t. Alachua county generally is much more liberal than the surrounding counties and is more liberal than Duval (Jax).

 

[iamgroot61]

I'm only semi-retired at this point and definitely not "flush." This year I'll start drawing SS and that, combined with a small retirement income stream I have should make it possible for me to afford the local resident AP (or whatever they are calling them here, Magic Keys at the CA parks). I moved to FL late last year and finally completed purchase of a modest home near the coast so WDW is only an hour away. I plan to take advantage of that proximity. =]

 

[KeithVH]

Research Gainesville well. It’s very centered around the student population. I’m not sure how that would work for retirees. I live in south Jacksonville and while it’s not perfect, it has a lot that Gainesville doesn’t. Alachua county generally is much more liberal than the surrounding counties and is more liberal than Duval (Jax).

Thanks for the perspective.

Yeah, we're taking a close look at everything. We actually have a second house paid for in Virginia Beach(my 93 yr old mom's). I'm just not sure I want to go back there. DW wants the unreachable Carmel-by-the-Sea. Me. I'd be happy in any mountain area. So we work hard to compromise here. Twenty years ago we always thought Texas or Florida as our landing place. Nowadays? Meh. Who would have thought politics would have changed so much in that time to make you really question living in any location?

I don't mind getting old but this part of it really sucks.