Any Disney-area snowbirds here?

[disneysteve]

I guess this is the best forum to ask this. Do any of you do extended stays in the Disney area, like going down for a month or two or three during the winter while still maintaining your home up north?

My wife and I are starting to toss around the idea. I am still working full time so it would be us driving down together to get her car there and then me flying home a few days later to go back to work. I could use PTO to get down there a couple of times a month for 4-5 days while she would stay there full time. She's not entirely sure she wants to do that but we're thinking about it.

I'd appreciate any input from anyone here who has done something like that.

 

[Kimpossible1]

There are many people in our neighborhood that come for extended stays over the winter. I live in a vacation rental home community about 10 minutes from Disney, but more permanent people are starting to live there year round.

 

[szymcl]

I did a 7 month apartment lease last year, loved every minute. I worked 2 weeks home and 2 weeks remotely in the Florida apartment. I posted info here
https://www.disboards.com/threads/s...-marathon-and-lynx-bus-travel-to-mco.3710413/I left my car most of the time, ha, with a little camera trained on it so I could verify that it was still there! I did a variety of Southwest flights on cash and points, and snagged a few rides with relatives on their way down to keep them company. I would uber/lift to from airport, took the bus a few times as well. I stayed from October through May, but stopped posting when I broke my hand in an extension ladder accident!
I will do it again, and plan on buying but have an extensive project going on for the next year so I probably won't be ready for 18 months. I did the apartment to get a feel for what towns, areas I like, and to see if it would feel like home. I LOVED it and can't wait to go back!!!!

 

[NH-to-FL]

After many years of Disney vacations DW and I became Disney snowbirds 4 years ago. We are a more traditional snowbirds, spending about 5 months in Florida and 7 months in NH. We are blessed to have wonderful neighbors in both locations that help watch over our homes while we are away. We did the drive south once and didn't really enjoy it so we keep a car at both locations and fly back and forth. I make one "check in" trip mid season to the opposite home. This summer DW joined me for a week south in early August. We were reminded just how hot it is in Florida in August. So hot we didn't even visit Disney.

Like @Kimpossible1 our winter home is in a vacation villa neighborhood that is also slowly converting to full time and snowbird owners. The houses near us are all short term rentals which are full during the holidays and occasionally occupied the rest of the time. We have not experienced any issues with renters near us.

We have come to treat our winters in Florida as an extended vacation. We have a lot of gardens in NH that keep us very busy during the spring, summer, and early fall. Our Florida home landscaping is maintained by the HOA thus our "vacation" from yard work. We do some container gardening on the lanai to satisfy our green thumbs.

One thing we do when we are in Florida, besides visit Disney, is to volunteer at Give Kids the World Village. A marvelous organization and one I recommend if you might be looking for something to do while in the area.

We find it amazing how quickly time can go by. A few visits to Disney, a few volunteer shifts, a day or two taking care of "life", some relaxing, and suddenly another week has gone by.

Good luck with your investigation. I can tell you that after 30+ years of winter in NH we really enjoy being snowbirds.

 

[disneysteve]

One thing we do when we are in Florida, besides visit Disney, is to volunteer at Give Kids the World Village.

This is one thing we will definitely do more of if/when we increase our presence in Florida. We are already GKTW volunteers and usually schedule one shift each trip though we didn't do one on our most recent visit. And on days when DW would be there by herself, I think that's something she would want to do more to help pass the time.

My initial thought was to do an extended rental at a resort-type community like the ones we already rent at on our vacations. We typically stay at Windsor Palms so there or something like it. I am wondering if there might be more economical options because those tend to go for at least $85/night plus taxes and fees so $3,000 or so for a month. Is that about what we should expect to be spending or might there be other options. We don't really care about the resort amenities of the place though a fitness center would be nice. Any suggestions of where to look?

 

[NH-to-FL]

This is one thing we will definitely do more of if/when we increase our presence in Florida. We are already GKTW volunteers and usually schedule one shift each trip though we didn't do one on our most recent visit. And on days when DW would be there by herself, I think that's something she would want to do more to help pass the time.

Wonderful! We really enjoy our time at GKTW. I did a shift when I was there in August.

My initial thought was to do an extended rental at a resort-type community like the ones we already rent at on our vacations. We typically stay at Windsor Palms so there or something like it. I am wondering if there might be more economical options because those tend to go for at least $85/night plus taxes and fees so $3,000 or so for a month. Is that about what we should expect to be spending or might there be other options. We don't really care about the resort amenities of the place though a fitness center would be nice. Any suggestions of where to look?

I am afraid I don't have much to contribute here. My only thought would be to explore VRBO for a smaller vacation villa and negotiate for a lower extended stay rate. Especially if you would not be staying over a major holiday like Christmas or Easter when bookings and rates are high. When we were renting our house we were contacted a couple of times about this. We had to decline as it would have interfered with our own winter vacations.

 

[BuffaloJim]

My goal is to have enough DVC points after I retire to spend one month every year at WDW during the winter. While this is my plan, my wife has very definitely NOT signed on to it yet.

 

[dish rag]

I guess this is the best forum to ask this. Do any of you do extended stays in the Disney area, like going down for a month or two or three during the winter while still maintaining your home up north?

My wife and I are starting to toss around the idea. I am still working full time so it would be us driving down together to get her car there and then me flying home a few days later to go back to work. I could use PTO to get down there a couple of times a month for 4-5 days while she would stay there full time. She's not entirely sure she wants to do that but we're thinking about it.

I'd appreciate any input from anyone here who has done something like that.

Wife and I go back and forth between Canada and Orlando every few weeks or so. Been doing that for years. No scheduled time just what we want. We have been in Canada for 2 months now. That’s the longest in one place for years. Planning to get back to Orlando soon. We get around. Have 2 trips to Texas and one to Maine in the next 6 weeks. Then back to Orlando. That’s home for me.

 

[NH-to-FL]

My goal is to have enough DVC points after I retire to spend one month every year at WDW during the winter. While this is my plan, my wife has very definitely NOT signed on to it yet.

Sounds like a good plan to me! DW and I got a bounce back deal on a week in a 1BR at BWV in early December a number of years ago. We had a great time and really enjoyed the larger space and the kitchen. A month at a DVC villa is about as close to "living at Disney" you can come.