I saw that too and I totally plan on doing it someday!
My dh is going to be out of the country this summer (possibly) and I had planned on taking my girls to DW to have something fun to do while daddy is gone. The other day I decided that if we do it I am going to get the cheapest rate I can at a value (ap discount hopefully) and stay as long as my 10 day CR budget will cover! With just the 3 of us food can be cheap and we will just hang out in the parks for a couple of hours at a time and spend the rest of the time at the pool, just like we would be doing at home!
he helps out by doing dishes, vacuming etc. We have AP's to the parks and water parks and use them almost daily. If nothing else we grab a boat or monorail ride. Last year we averaged 2-3 meals a week at Disney restaurants. The longest length of stay on one reservation is 30 days. So, the long term residents have many reservations back to back. I do not know when or if Disney ever requires someone to leave. The campground holds one of the highest occupancy rates of all the resorts. (always full---not the most rooms/campsites ) Because getting a reservation here can be difficult if not next to impossible without LONG term planning , Disney seldom offers discounts. Yes, some luck into AAA, AP, or Fla. discounts, but it is rare. No free dining for the campground when its available elsewhere either. We stay in preferred sites and there are times when we pay almost as much per night as someone staying at a Value Resort(because these often have great discounts and codes). When its all said and done...those that stay long term at Disney in the campground, do so because they enjoy that style of living...not because its cheaper.
The last two winters my husband and I have stayed at FW for 6 wks. Part of Jan. and all of Feb. We had plans to arrive Jan 1, 08 but life ( adult kids ) interfered this year. Still hoping to arrive Feb. 1 for 4 wks. What I like most about the campground is, its so laid back and everyone is friendly and helpful. We have a fifth wheel. Most RV's have separate living and sleeping areas which we find to be a better arrangement than a hotel room. I can be in the bedroom reading, watching tv, sleeping, or playing on the computer while my husband is in the living room or kitchen doing his thing. I have a large 3200 sq ft house at home and when we are at WDW ....I DONT MISS IT!!!! Daily chores are simple and quick. The extra bonus is, since my husband isnt off doing man things
I don't even want to know how many points this would take
) gradually working our way up to a month at FW in the winter. I swear we don't homeschool because I want to be at WDW that long - but now that we do this it sure does help! We leave our large home, stuff three kids, the two of us, and two dogs into the truck and pull our fifth wheel from Michigan to FL. I don't miss the space at all - in fact when we finally come home I feel kind of lost 
Great! Thanks for sharing!We are a relatively young family ("relatively" being a relative word
For years we did hotel vacations - and we still do when we hit bigger cities (hard to find a campground in Chicago). But the laid back nature of camping and the (usually) friendly campers all around us....well, I now understand the appeal and I was not raised as a camping family.
So we work toward our month until it's retirement time.....then it'll be much longer and I'll be the grandma my grandkids all want to visit!
Thanks for sharing! Sounds so... cool! Can I ask how old your kids are? they are very lucky! Do you do the whole WDW world thing....parks etc.
) We may do parks in the daylight if we have friends visiting us and their time is limited. My parents also stay in their motorhome to help with the 6 yo. She wants to go to the park, buy a toy, and then wants to come home. She is killing me
We are there so much that I have made friends with many cast members and we do hang out together. I actually babysat one of their kids one summer to save her daycare fees. That same cast member now comes to SC to visit us a couple of times a year.
Thanks, my kids are 6, 9, 10, 11 and 12. We do have pap's and usually do the late night at the parks. If you stay in a camper all summer, Disney Quest quickly becomes a great place to hang out when it rains. Blizzard Beach seems to be their favorite right now (they actually wanted to go there this trip
