FL Residents

[cmshelton1979]

I am curious about something. If you are located near DW, how often do you go? If you go often does it lose its magic?

Its our dream to move down to FL (within a couple hours of DW). We've been talking about it more and more it seems....I was just wondering if it is so easy for you to go, does it lose any of the magic? I know we have a membership to the Indianapolis Children's Muesuem here in Indianapolis...and we go alot, but after the first 5 or 10 times its really just for the kids to go play...it is just familiar now...I was just curious if that happens to locals???

[megustamex]

We did it differently when we lived there. We would never go for a week - we would drive up for the day and do one park, or maybe stay over one night. The trips became different because we would take it slow - we knew there was no rush to do anything because we could always come back. I remember using Epcot as a great dinner place, then we would just hang out and relax afterwards. It became more of a peaceful magic!

[BigRedDad]

Its been a long while since I lived close. When we were there and spent more than a couple of days, there was only MK and River Country. You take it much slower, enjoy the finer things that is offered. It is not as much running around.

[MNNHFLTX]

When we lived in Central Florida (actually over on the east coast), we had a Florida Resident Seasonal Pass. This meant we could go over to WDW for about 9 months of the year, with blackout periods during the busiest times (Christmas week, Thanksgiving week, Spring Break and about two months out of the summer). This suited us just fine, as we didn't care to go during peak periods anyway. Most of the time we did day trips at least once or twice a month, but on occasion we stayed for a long weekend at one of the resorts, so that we could get the whole experience. It never got old to us; in fact, as the other posters have mentioned, you can really enjoy the parks at a relaxed pace. If there's something you didn't get to see or go on one time, you just make a mental note to do it the next time you are there. And since you don't feel the compulsion to go on all of the popular attractions every single time, you can focus on some of the lesser-known features of the parks. I remember one day when my son was little we spent a half day on Tom Sawyer's island alone, exploring all the nooks and crannies and watching the rafts come and go on the island.

When you live in Florida and are able to go to WDW at will, you almost feel a sense of ownership in the park (for lack of a better way of describing it).

[malip]

We live 60 miles from front door to front gate and have had annual passes off and on for the past 5 years. We do day trips at least once a month. When things start to get a little redundant, we decide to only do things we haven't done like shows or parades to mix it up. This keeps it from getting 'old' as well as gives us the opportunity to experience all that WDW has to offer. One of our favorite things to do is just wander around the WS at Epcot and take in all the entertainment. Most people only stop at these for a minute or two. It is amazing how talented and enjoyable some of these people are. We would never have done that if we didn't live so close.

[Daisy'sMom]

We have annual passes and go at least once a month. Sometimes we just go to the marketplace and other times we make a game out of going. How long will it take us to do the safari at AK and ride the bus over to DHS for the Great Movie Ride, things like that. It really never gets boring. And I do feel like I own a part of WDW.

[estein80]

DH, DD and I live about 3 hours south of Disney. When we moved down here 4 years ago, I thought we would be going ALL the time, but until our daughter was born in 2008, we hadn't been to parks since we moved down here (prior to that it was about once a year). After DD was born we got AP's and have been back 4 times and the AP's aren't up for renewal yet. We have found that between living in driving distance and having AP's we do not feel as stressed to get everything done. We are able to take it easy and do what we feel like at the time, and when DD gets tired we can leave for bed or a nap and not feel completely cheated.

Last trip was in December and we spent time bouncing between the other resorts to see the decorations. DH and I thought it was a very relaxed trip and really enjoyed ourselves. We also got the Hidden Mickey book to give us something different to do. It was a lot of fun looking for the Mickeys (even after leaving the book in our room for half the trip). We have also found that we were able to stay at resorts that we wouldn't have been able to without being a FL resident or having an AP. The discount has allowed to stay at a variety of places and we look forward to staying at more.

Also, there are always different events going on around the World and this gives you a variety of attractions to check out when you go.

[magicofdisney]

We're a family of 6. My husband has never had a passion for Disney. He humored me for a couple of years with a pass but now he doesn't even bother.

I go as often as possible, about once a month. My kids and I have had seasonal passes for the last 6 years. Actually, the first year it was an annual pass but we quickly realized the benefits of blackout dates and cheaper, seasonal passes.

Just this year we've decided to not renew a couple of our children's passes because it has grown old for them. The magic is still there for me and the other 2 children. This makes me very sad because as much as I love Disney, I want to enjoy it with my family. Unfortunately, our heart's desires are not the same.

So for some it becomes a relaxed, more enjoyable and peaceful Magic and for others it ceases to exist.