Has anyone moved to Florida from the northeast...

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... and did you keep or sell your DVC?

We are in the preliminary stages of looking into a permanent move to Florida. We have 2 small children. I have heard that Sarasota is a good place to raise a family and my dh has heard that Sanibel Island is nice (good school systems, lots of kids, etc...) My sister has heard that Naples is nice.

Does anyone know anything about these areas? What was it like to move from the northeast... any regrets? Also, being so close to WDW, did you find that owning DVC was superfluous?

Thanks in advance for your responses!

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Well, I can't answer your Q's, but I am also trying to get the wife to move out of the tundra.

I do know that Naples is very nice, and also bookoo dinero.
Yes, I would keep my DVC.

Good luck...

MG

 

[Lesley]

Not to FL....but we did move to SC from PA this year. We're very happy with our decision.

We now have a 6-7 hour drive to WDW and we're happier than ever to have our DVC! We need more points. I think unless I was closer than an hour I wouldn't find DVC to be superfluous. And 3 hours driving is my limit on day trips to anywhere....probably less for somewhere as exhausting as WDW.

Good luck with your decision. Dh and I have tentative plans to make the move to FL when we retire...though I'm still not sure I'd actually want to live there.

 

[floridafam]

We were all set to move to Florida on Jan. 1. then my MIL had a stroke so we are not moving.

We were toying with the idea of selling our DVC if we moved and I even posted a similar question.

To my surprise, a few people said they actually use more points now that they live in Florida because they go for many long weekends.

I'm not sure we would have kept our DVC if we still end up moving.

We may still move in the future to Sarasota or Naples and will probably sell if we do. Yes, Naples is expensive but there are nice comfortable areas around Naples that aren't too expensive.

Sarasota is also nice. Good schools, etc.

I did most of our research on the Panama City Beach area and it helped but you really can't tell if you are going to like the schools, etc. until you get down there. I think there are a few private schools in the Naples area that are real nice.

Maybe we'll see you down there.

 

[Keggy]

We moved to FL from Ohio and we did keep our DVC. In fact, I live about 1 hr and 15 minutes from WDW. We find ourselves going over to Disney for Saturdays and weekends and we use the AP or FL resident rates. But we use our DVC for week long stays. It has worked well for us. A few of our friends are also DVC members that live down here and one uses theirs for weekend stays, etc. I think you will just want more points living so close, you will want to stay there more often!

We live in St Pete and my parents moved to Tallahassee last year. It is way different living here than living in OH much more different than just the weather. We do not have kids yet, so I can't comment on the school systems, etc.

My parents live in Tallahassee and I can see why they chose to live there. It reminds me a lot of being up north. There are still hills and lots of green!

Kelly

 

[AnnaS]

I have no plans to move in the near future. I wish I did. You have to move when the kids are really young (before high school) or when they are all moved out. My oldest son refuses to discuss the situation (18). I can tell you that we have relatives (young -not retired) and my in-laws go down every year (Jan. - May) and love it. They are in Jupiter. The relatives tell us the schools are great there.

Have you been down to different parts of Florida to compare? I would like to try different areas for a while before deciding on a specifc place - unless we had to move because of carrer/job choices.

 

[PamOKW]

Naples and Sarasota both have excellent reputations. Naples has very, very expensive homes but there are also more reasonable options, especially if you go out of Naples proper into nearby Bonita Springs or Bonita Beach.

Friends who have two young children researched before moving down to Florida because they were more or less "retiring" but the small children still needed good schools. They have moved to Sarasota -- I think the area is called Turtle Key. The children go to private school in Bradenton.

If you are interested in the East Coast, I agree that Jupiter is a good place to look. Stuart and Vero are also very nice.

 

[AnnaS]

And I forgot to add, would not sell my DVC. Would wait a few years to test possible new vacation pattern first - If you have too many points, perhaps sell half of them.

 

[southtown]

My wife and I want to move to Florida soon and even though we plan on living in the Orlando area we are pretty set on keeping our DVC. We are thinking that even though we are so close we are not going to go to Disney all the time. Probably once a month so we dont get Disney withdrawals. And we are thinking that if we still go to a DVC resort on our vacation we will have first class accomodations and we will spend more time relaxing by the pool and take advantage of some of the other things Disney has to offer besides going to a park. Plus if we did want to go to Hawaii or Europe we could do a member getaway through Disney and have better accomodations then if we paid for them. Also we could use them if family comes down. So I am sure even if we are close to the magic we will still find use for our DVC.

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

We will be moving in 3-4 years after we retire. We will be 51+52 then and don't have to worry about schools,jobs,etc. So our decision will be a little easier.

We have been scouting around already and would prefer Orlando area or the east coast of Florida. We have relatives that live in the Melbourne area and a sister will be living in West Palm Beach in 2 weeks.

As PamOKW has stated the Vero-Sebastian and Stuart area is very nice. I guess during the next 3 years, after scouting around more, we will make a final decision on what part of Florida to live in.

This area in Orlando called " Bellalago" is very nice and high on our list. Here is their website below.
http://www.mybellalago.com/web/index.shtml

When we do move we have no intentions of selling our DVC. We have family and friends that will be coming down and it will be nice to get together in a GV at OKW or a Beach Cottage at VB.Since we will be retired we will be able to do more "spur of the moment" trips. With the just dues pymt it shouldn't be a problem to keep it.

With no more expense of rental cars,airfare,etc we will probably even do more cruises once we are living in Florida. Florida resident discounts will be a nice addition in puchasing park passes also.

 

[Muushka]

What was it like to move from the northeast... any regrets?

We moved from RI to FL in 1986. I lived in FL for 10 years. I found the people in FL to be very friendly. The area I moved to (Jupiter/WPB) had a lot of people like me-transplants, so I was never made to feel unwelcome. (Not to be confused with moving from FL to NC- I am still a yankee according to the NC folks ).
No- I did not regret living in FL. We did not own DVC until we moved to NC so I can't help you there. Good luck in your decision.

 

[mwstar]

We live in the Tampa area (about 1 hour 15 min.) from Disney and just bought into DVC last February. We too go quite often.
We have AP's and use that rate for quick weekend get aways
and use our DVC for longer stays. We just adopted an almost
2 year old from China, so we will be spending alot more time
with Mickey over the next few years.

Good luck on your decision.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Has anyone moved to Florida from the northeast...

Yes.....in my dreams every night....................one day

 

[Deemarch]

Nick, we're with you!! Trying to get to Florida now, but will definitely go when we retire...Unfortunately that will be 11 years from now. We spent a week in the Melbourne area this past summer, we really liked Malabar!

I think we would be at WDW more often using our DVC!! We spoke to lots of retired folks who go every few months for a few days. We are real Disney freaks so I'm sure that we would be going for more points, not less, if (NO, WHEN) we move there.

 

[PamOKW]

LOL! Muushka part of the reason I'd move tomorrow to the Jupiter area is because it does seem to have a big mix of folks -- a lot of them are even friends and relatives from here in CT. On a trip to visit friends in Edenton, NC a few years ago I thought the area was very nice and the people were pleasant enough but I also felt like I had a big sign on me that said "be nice to the Yankee".

 

[Richyams]

From Orange county New York to Weston(Western most part of Broward county seven years ago.

I love it. Although we are in for a deep freeze tonight, may see 40 or even 39 degrees!!! There are bad parts, English is not the predominant language, people are generally not very bright and contractors never, ever show up.

There are lots more good points, no state income tax, beautiful women everywhere, no more snow blower, gorgeous women in the supermarket, everything is cheaper than NY, pretty girls wearing very little everywhere, its far less congested than the tri-state area, bare bellies, the beach, bikinis on the beach wrapped around model looking girls, famous people, I met Curtis Sleewa a few weeks ago.

We still have our DVC, for the first five years our vacations and WDW visits stayed EXACTLY the same....one twelve night GV stay each year. In recent years, we have gone more often on shorter trips, we have used points for AKL concierge, Poly concierge(AKL wins hands down). I think we are going to take a week land sea trip next year...I like casinos, I like them alot, I don't think we are going to do the DCL just because of the lack of a casino.

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Originally posted by Richyams
There are lots more good points, no state income tax, beautiful women everywhere, no more snow blower, gorgeous women in the supermarket, everything is cheaper than NY, pretty girls wearing very little everywhere, its far less congested than the tri-state area, bare bellies, the beach, bikinis on the beach wrapped around model looking girls......

Thanks for the usefull info above.

 

[WOW]

Someday----it has been our dream for years, but still "stuck" in NJ. We have property in Palm Coast for 30 years, but not sure if that is where we will build. We keep hoping it will be soon.

 

[Muushka]

Originally posted by PamOKW
LOL! Muushka part of the reason I'd move tomorrow to the Jupiter area is because it does seem to have a big mix of folks -- a lot of them are even friends and relatives from here in CT. On a trip to visit friends in Edenton, NC a few years ago I thought the area was very nice and the people were pleasant enough but I also felt like I had a big sign on me that said "be nice to the Yankee".

Thanks PamOKW. Not many people would understand that feeling! Say, are these CT transpants by any chance Pratt and Whitney people? Anyone live in The Bluffs in Jupiter?

 

[joeys]

Yes, we moved to Florida last November from Manassas, VA. We are now located in Longwood just north of Disney in Seminole County. We are about 30-40 minutes from WDW.

The weather is wonderful and we are outdoors more than ever. I have two kids 7 and 9 and they are attending public school in Seminole County. I did quite a bit of research before choosing a place to live and the main priority was the school system. The schools here are very good and the people really nice. We have big live oaks and it is very natural looking here. Lots of trails and greenways to bike, skate, ride, etc to the store or Planet Smoothie or one of the nearby parks. Really pretty with lots of open space. We love this area and are happy that we made the move.

Of course we visit WDW OFTEN with annual passes. Sometimes just for the afternoon, dinner and fireworks. Also, we spent LOTS of time at the water parks this summer and had a blast. We actually purchased DVC (ssr) after moving here and will use Vero Beach and Hilton Head as well as 2-3 day stays at the WDW resorts for New Years or Flower and Garden or Food and Wine. We went to see the 4th of July fireworks and it would have been nice to not have to drive home. Also, quick getaways for an anniversary or whatever the occasion may be. And then there is the cruise....we get resident rates so haven't used our points for that yet but it is nice to have the option. We had an awesome time on our first cruise in October during the kids fall break. You will have more folks visiting you if you move here...nobody ever visited when we were up north! We will also do Alaska and Hawaii in the next few years and hope to use DVC for that. So, yes to answer your question, we will use our DVC a lot and are really happy to have the options that we do.

Let me know if I can answer any other questions.