Understanding WDW “locals”

[Tony the Tigger]

(I’ll leave DL up to someone else.)

What I’m doing here is basically pulling an @eliza61nyc: I’m taking an offshoot of another thread that deserves its own thread.

This comes up often: folks malign or misrepresent “the locals” and “the locals” attempt to correct misperceptions. It can easily go sideways.

Some locals may feel they are painted this way:

First, I’d like to note for the record: there are different kinds of locals in Florida. Some live in the direct vicinity of the parks; others live 3 or 4 hours away. Those are very different situations.

Second, I’d like to attempt to set guidelines to keep this from getting down to mudslinging too fast. Here’s what I’m looking for:

From WDW locals: tell us some of your WDW habits. Do you buy merch? What kind of food do you buy, if any? Do you stop by after work, use 3 FP’s and go home? (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) Do you stay on site? Have you done all your holiday shopping on site? Do you get souvenirs at Dollar Tree? Whatever you think is pertinent.

From foreigners: (yes, South Carolina, you’re foreigners. j/k.) From non-Florida residents: no accusations, no assumptions, no “I saw one guy one time in 1997...” I ask all non-Florida residents to frame at least their initial post in the form of a question.

“Do you really get to book fast passes for FoP every day “just in case” and let them go to waste?”

“Do you drag coolers from your apartment and then walk home, avoiding all bus and Monorail headaches after the fireworks?”

Oh, and let me (and Chip & Dale) save some of you the trouble:

Let’s keep it light, but honest. Dispel myths, promote understanding.

 

[epcotisbest]

Ok, I saw this one guy one time in 1997 who was hanging out by the pool and he was talking about how he liked to just come over after work for some pool time.
Now that that is out of the way, I have mentioned several times how we are spending less and less time at the parks and spending much more time at the resorts.
I think if we lived closer we would do that even more. Do locals like to book a resort and just spend time poolside, relaxing and enjoying what the hotel has to offer? I can see taking a trip just to hang out and try out some of the different moderates and deluxe resorts, especially if there are nice discounts for Florida residents, which brings up another question. Do local get any nice room only discounts because of their geographical location?

 

[lostpro9het]

I'm jealous of your access to DCL last minute discounts. That is all.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

For a brief point before I head to work for a bit:

Our spending habits...well, there's no one answer. I've been going for 20 years or so, and sometimes we have more to spend, and sometimes we don't. Sometimes it's a special occasion (spend more) and sometimes it's Tuesday (spend average.)

Our habits have evolved over the years for sure, as I suspect it does for most as you start doing better in life.

We live in South Florida, it's a solid 3 hour drive or more, depending on traffic, and we're too old for driving up in the morning and driving home at night lol. While we can pull off an overnight, it seems a waste.

We spend markedly more when we have a discounted AP. When we have used a 3 or 4 day hopper pass, that's it for the year, and that one trip is our Disney spending for the year.

When we have a very low priced AP (current Weekday Select was about $275 but used to be around $200. It just went up to $350 and will probably be at least $375 before we get our next one) that's when we spend a lot more at WDW. Basically our entire travel budget for the year (and more) goes to WDW. Should we go to Key West this week? Nope, we have Disney AP's. Let's go there. So instead of one 3 or 4 day trip, we take several.

And when we are there, we spend. We've done all the attractions (except the newbies) plenty of times. We are looking for a "plussed" experience. We can afford that a little better now. We do almost all TS restaurants and lean heavily on Signature restaurant experiences.

Since we're not paying for tickets every trip, we can book Food & Wine luncheon experiences, tours, special events. So we're not spending less when we have an AP, we're spending more per trip as well as overall.

That said, I have nothing against those using cost cutting measures - I've been there! If you need to bring lunch to the park so you can spring for a decent dinner at the park - cool. I'm guessing Disney has some data on growing lifetime guests who start off with their main expense being park tickets (while staying and eating offsite) who then evolve into regular AP holders who do fine dining, or into DVC owners, etc.

How much money will they make off of a family of AP holders in a lifetime vs. a once-in-a-lifetime trip?

 

[WDWBigEd]

Florida Local - I'm about 22 miles from Disney.

Merch - We do buy some items in the parks, but for the most part I do most my shopping at Disney's Character Warehouse. I find my self buying more items during Festival of the Arts.

FastPass+ - If we are staying on site I normally plan ahead and use the system. When we do our day trips I normally check for them in the parking lot.

Food - Every time we visit we normally end up at a QSR.

Resort Stays - Once a year we do a week long stay. Sometimes we will add in a one or two night stay just to get away.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Ok, I saw this one guy one time in 1997 who was hanging out by the pool and he was talking about how he liked to just come over after work for some pool time.
Now that that is out of the way, I have mentioned several times how we are spending less and less time at the parks and spending much more time at the resorts.
I think if we lived closer we would do that even more. Do locals like to book a resort and just spend time poolside, relaxing and enjoying what the hotel has to offer? I can see taking a trip just to hang out and try out some of the different moderates and deluxe resorts, especially if there are nice discounts for Florida residents, which brings up another question. Do local get any nice room only discounts because of their geographical location?

Ha!

So, interestingly, we've been drifting towards a resort-only trip. I remember the first time we stayed at Saratoga Springs a few years ago, my TR barely had any attractions in it. We went to parks, but spent more time at restaurants, lounges, DS, etc. I made a mental "note to self" at that time that we would probably enjoy a resort-only trip down the line.

Maybe that naturally comes with age(?)

Re: room discounts: as you know, we do get discounts, but an AP discount is slightly better than a FL resident discount. Also: you can get the equivalent of an AP discount very often on sites like Orbitz. So if I did not live in FL or have an AP, I'd look there for discounts. I would never pay rack rate for a room at WDW or anywhere else - not even with a dining plan.

Next year is our "off year" for AP's. We are hoping to do our first DCL (obviously a "no attraction" scenario) and expect to love it. That may set the stage for future resort-only trips, or resort-only trips with an after-hours event just to get a taste.

OTOH, most people in FL (not us) have pools or (like us) aren't too far from a beach. So going to WDW and hanging by the pool seems like a bit of a waste when you do have park tickets and/or are sober. JMHO.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I'm jealous of your access to DCL last minute discounts. That is all.

Teach me how to access them? LOL.

Other than Disney sending us emails once in awhile (don't know how I got on that list) which aren't too last minute and aren't guaranteed to happen at all, I've heard there's kind of a "standby" situation where you can get good last minute deals, but I have no idea how to navigate it and/or if it even applies to DCL.

 

[epcotisbest]

Ha!

So, interestingly, we've been drifting towards a resort-only trip. I remember the first time we stayed at Saratoga Springs a few years ago, my TR barely had any attractions in it. We went to parks, but spent more time at restaurants, lounges, DS, etc. I made a mental "note to self" at that time that we would probably enjoy a resort-only trip down the line.

Maybe that naturally comes with age(?)

Re: room discounts: as you know, we do get discounts, but an AP discount is slightly better than a FL resident discount. Also: you can get the equivalent of an AP discount very often on sites like Orbitz. So if I did not live in FL or have an AP, I'd look there for discounts. I would never pay rack rate for a room at WDW or anywhere else - not even with a dining plan.

Next year is our "off year" for AP's. We are hoping to do our first DCL (obviously a "no attraction" scenario) and expect to love it. That may set the stage for future resort-only trips, or resort-only trips with an after-hours event just to get a taste.

OTOH, most people in FL (not us) have pools or (like us) aren't too far from a beach. So going to WDW and hanging by the pool seems like a bit of a waste when you do have park tickets and/or are sober. JMHO.

We spent a week at SSR back in May. We really like SSR. It has lovely rooms, five great pools, the landscaping is beautiful and the location to Disney Springs is hard to beat. That trip a few weeks ago was probably our fifth or sixth no parks trip. OK, we went to Typhoon Lagoon one day.
Yes, I think less park time and more pool time is sorta related to age. I mean, I am older than dirt now and I remember when we used to have to come home from a Disney trip and head back to work to get some rest. Now, we come back rested, relaxed and destressed because we used our trip to decompress and get some rest.
So, why would we go to Disney and not go to the parks? Seems like a waste of money, spending that much and not taking advantage of the perks of staying onsite.
That is true except we like the resorts and yes we could, and do, go to other places for a relaxing getaway, but you can do the same thing at WDW. There is no rule that says you have to go full blast at the parks.
In looking back at all our WDW trips over the past three plus decades, the best ones have been the ones where we just relaxed, resort hopped, spent lots of time poolside with a book, and did not have any park tickets, ADRs or fastpasses.
Weird, I know.

 

[epcotisbest]

Here is the view from our room patio back in late May. Not too shabby.

 

[RustySpork]

WDW Local

Access Level:

WDW: Gold - $2,977 - FL Resident x4 (not renewal price)
UO: Premier - $2,732 - FL Resident x4 (not renewal price)
SW/BG + Water parks: Gold - $1,111 - FL Resident x4 (not renewal price)

Total: $6,820 for the first year. I bought before the prices increased, so it's not quite this expensive but it sends the proper message.

I'm not sure what the renewal prices are yet, I let them lapse for a while so I missed the renewal prices last year.

Merchandise:

I own at least a dozen Disney and Universal t-shirts, polos, and Hawaiian shirts from the parks and resorts that were purchased on property. Looking around my desk, I have about $200 in merchandise just on my desk. Things ranging from a Disney mug that's holding pens to a couple of build-a-droids.

I've spent thousands of dollars on merch in the last few years alone. My most recent clothing purchase is a Hawaiian shirt from Poly that I spent $50 or $60 dollars on that I bought a few weeks ago.

I do also buy things at the shops on 192, at the Character Warehouse, or even at Walgreens on occasion.

Food:

I don't buy food on property like I used too, but I still do now and then. Previous years I'd buy lunch or dinner at a park or resort every other weekend. I was a TiW member for years and got a return on my proverbial investment pretty soon after buying it.

Food options have become mediocre and overpriced though, so now I dine off the property before arriving or after leaving the parks.

I do almost always buy a snack, dessert, or drink while I'm on property. If you're wondering, yes I'm probably in line at Voodoo Donut.

Stopping by after work:

I used to stop by one of the parks after work often. It didn't matter which or who's. Sometimes it was for a quick ride, other times it was because we didn't want to cook.

Staying onsite:

Something that I've done annually for years, going back more than a decade. Until last year. Often for events like 24 hours of Disney, etc.

Holiday Shopping:

This is still a thing, I bought a couple of birthday gifts at Universal Friday evening. I don't count those as merch since I'm not keeping them.

Dollar Tree:

Does dollar tree even have souvenirs?

Using and abusing FP+:

I do reserve fast passes just in case I go to the park, and I sometimes do go just to use them. I don't bother to let them go if I change plans, because it's not important to me.

Coolers:

No, never.

Strollers:

No, not for the last few decades.

Scooters:

Not yet, but eventually coming soon to a park near you.

 

[OneofThree]

We are local in the sense that we are 2.5-3 hours away. Although we chose not to renew our AP's this year, we have typically visited 6 or 7 times per year for 2-5 days per trip, always staying on site. Because I've been going for over 35 years now, I've seen it all a bazillion times and so don't get caught up very much in the whole Fast Pass thing. We typically spend about $1000/day on food, lodging, and merch if it's just the wife and I, and a lot more when it's the whole fam. Now, I was "local-local" for almost 15 years (like 10 minutes from gate). I can tell you that all of the myths regarding "local-locals" are grounded in a lot of truth. I will say however, that much of what these take heat for are actually effects of the negative impact Disney employee visitors have on the property.

 

[Bob Harlem]

I'm a local (actually Florida native) and have been here for years, I live about midway between all the major parks in Orlando. I haven't had a Disney pass in about 6 yrars, however I still go via TM friends main gate or comp from time to time. (Most recently a few weeks ago) I do have passes to sea world and universal mainly because they are easier to get in/out of usually, and aren't as plan heavy as the Disney parks. Although I did get to go to Disneyland this past weekend.

I was planning to get passes after SWG opened, but with the recent increases, probably not. I think being here this long has made me much more critical of all the parks in Orlando.

I still follow everything closely, but don't feel the need to constantly go.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

We spent a week at SSR back in May. We really like SSR. It has lovely rooms, five great pools, the landscaping is beautiful and the location to Disney Springs is hard to beat. That trip a few weeks ago was probably our fifth or sixth no parks trip. OK, we went to Typhoon Lagoon one day.
Yes, I think less park time and more pool time is sorta related to age. I mean, I am older than dirt now and I remember when we used to have to come home from a Disney trip and head back to work to get some rest. Now, we come back rested, relaxed and destressed because we used our trip to decompress and get some rest.
So, why would we go to Disney and not go to the parks? Seems like a waste of money, spending that much and not taking advantage of the perks of staying onsite.
That is true except we like the resorts and yes we could, and do, go to other places for a relaxing getaway, but you can do the same thing at WDW. There is no rule that says you have to go full blast at the parks.
In looking back at all our WDW trips over the past three plus decades, the best ones have been the ones where we just relaxed, resort hopped, spent lots of time poolside with a book, and did not have any park tickets, ADRs or fastpasses.
Weird, I know.

Sounds like Heaven, Epcotisbest We live way up north, and our visits are packed. We don't rush to attractions like we used to, but we have our favorites. We spend more time exploring and enjoying the parks and resorts, but it still is a long tiring trip for us with a kinda rushed agenda. So your relaxed visits sound great
PS: I never knew there was a "thing" between locals and nonlocals?

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Seriously?

 

[RustySpork]

Seriously?

Don' like, don' click.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Don' like, don' click.

Hey he did say start with a question. And if you don't like then din't quote.

 

[epcotisbest]

Sounds like Heaven, Epcotisbest We live way up north, and our visits are packed. We don't rush to attractions like we used to, but we have our favorites. We spend more time exploring and enjoying the parks and resorts, but it still is a long tiring trip for us with a kinda rushed agenda. So your relaxed visits sound great
PS: I never knew there was a "thing" between locals and nonlocals?

Here is a trip report from one of our relaxing trips a few years ago if you'd like to read it.

Trip Report - No rain, no lines, no crowds, no ADR's, no fastpasses, lots of fun and pool time.

OK, so I am starting my very first trip report. We went Sept. 7-15 and stayed offsite the first night then 7 nights in a one bedroom at Bay Lake Tower. This was an anniversary trip...she has tolerated me for 31 years of marriage now...something that still amazes me. The first day we arrived...

forums.wdwmagic.com

 

[epcotisbest]

Sounds like Heaven, Epcotisbest We live way up north, and our visits are packed. We don't rush to attractions like we used to, but we have our favorites. We spend more time exploring and enjoying the parks and resorts, but it still is a long tiring trip for us with a kinda rushed agenda. So your relaxed visits sound great
PS: I never knew there was a "thing" between locals and nonlocals?

Here is another relaxed trip report with less park time.

Trip Report - Cycling through Celebration, a cream cheese covered remote and the Closed Wallet Rebellion of 2016.

So last week we spent seven nights in a one-bedroom at Saratoga Springs Resort in the Congress Park section. We like Congress Park and have stayed in that section before. The walk over to Disney Springs is fun and since the new section just opened with several new shops and restaurants, we...

forums.wdwmagic.com

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

My MO with the AP is enjoying the different "Disney Seasons" throughout the year. Do I merch? Yes. But it's generally geared to the Disney seasons. I'll buy some Halloween stuff leading up to Halloween, some F&G merch during that festival etc. I don't buy on every trip.

I never hoard FP's... for a just in case type scenario. I've actually made it a point to cancel my FP when plans have changed and I didn't visit the original park I had planned to visit.

An average trip for me is anywhere between 3 and 5 nights.

The above point being made, I've been known (which my wife both loves and hates at the same time) to extend a 3 night trip into a 6 night trip or a 5 to a 7, on the last day. Because "reasons". (Sometimes I start on-property and end off)

I'm usually a half day park guest (well let's say 6 to 8 hours max). If I get there at noon, I'm usually out by 6 or 7. I'll average about 7 to 9 rides on an average day (3 FP - usually 2 additional FP's - and about 3 rides I stand in line for). I won't wait in anything over a 30 minute line (+ maybe 10 min depending on the ride and weather).

I will eat on property, but I've been eating less and less in the parks (due to value and quality).

I resort hop A LOT. Probably one of the things I enjoy most.

I only use Disney Transportation for the MK (or in some instances for DS). I'll drive everywhere else.

I'll stay at a Disney property and visit Uni. I'll stay at a Uni property and visit Disney. There really is no rhyme or reason why. Just a spur of the moment decision.

Going off property is a must on every trip.

I really don't plan that far in advance. Even FP's - I start looking a few weeks out. If there's a ride I really want to go on, and it's not available, I frequently re-check and about 40% of the time I'll end up scoring a window. Same with ADR's.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

So, interestingly, we've been drifting towards a resort-only trip.

Doing that for 6 nights next month. Never gone to Disney with the express purpose of not visiting a park. I'm actually looking forward to it.
I'll probably find myself going to WS for a few hours. But we are thinking - no rides.