Let's hear your Disney-themed dream retirement scenario

[DisDaydreamer]

We have some retired friends who (snowbirds) work for Disney in the winter months part time... whatever Disney asks them to do.... and the LOVE IT.

We want to move south and work for Disney too. Not real picky about the job.... just want to be a part of happy times for families. Want to be that person that everyone says... damn... what a nice guy! Disney must pay these people great...

My little return to the mouse, and to those who love the mouse.

Actually, right now, I need to find a new job near home!

 

[EDuke98080]

We are in negotiations on a house outside of Disney now! We are still years off of retirement but are trying to take advantage of the real estate market. We hope to use it as a vacation home for the next 5 years or so and then get out of this miserable cold for 3 months at a time. We too want to work part time for Dinsey, DH wants a mindless job and I want something relating to my financial planning background.

Chance of happening... health allowing and God willing....

 

[Inkmahm]

My wife and I are going to do our first retirement trip starting Sunday. She has been a high school English teacher for 35 years and just retired. She has always wanted to take a winter vacation and get away from the Mn winters. We are going to spend two weeks at OKW. After driving to work the last two days with -32 and -31 on my car thermometer, it will be nice even if it is only 55 degrees out. Still will be a 75 degree increase from the weather we are leaving. When we return we only have 6 weeks left and that makes living her Okay.

This is the closest to what we plan to do in retirement. Hopefully that will be in the next 10 years. I love living in the Midwest but could do with getting away for a few weeks during the winter. We'll have enough points to do that easily, the problem is the critters back home. I don't want to give up having pets and DVC isn't pet friendly so spending weeks on end there just isn't possible for us.

 

[monetnj]

My DBIL once stayed in a 1BR in OKW and struck up a conversation with the neighbor. Apparently, they were a retired couple from a cold weather state that live in DVC accommodations during the winter months. DVC snowbirds! Apparently, they crunched the numbers and found that, compared to buying or renting a condo, buying enough DVC points to stay several months made sense to them. Don't know if this is true, but I like to think it is!

My personal dream is to move to Florida once my son is off to college and become a Disney photopass photographer part time. I am currently a professional photographer, so I hope it works out. My parents retired to Miami, but then moved to the Orlando area when they noticed all the grandkids were going to Disney. My mom is now a part-time cast member. Disney gave her a job very quickly and practically begged my dad to take one two, and he was just there to accompany her to central casting.

 

[SamSam]

My DBIL once stayed in a 1BR in OKW and struck up a conversation with the neighbor. Apparently, they were a retired couple from a cold weather state that live in DVC accommodations during the winter months. DVC snowbirds! Apparently, they crunched the numbers and found that, compared to buying or renting a condo, buying enough DVC points to stay several months made sense to them. Don't know if this is true, but I like to think it is!

That's similar to what DH and I plan on doing. We're working on buying enough points to spend Wine and Food Fest there and then go again in Jan-Feb. to avoid the worst of winter here at home. We decided that buying a home, paying taxes, insurances, someone to do maintenance, etc. would cost more than buyiing points and paying annual dues. We also plan on working for Disney PT while there.

 

[Goofy-Runner]

I've been telling the kids for years my plan is to be a monorail driver when I retire. I don't think they believe me, but I'm quite serious. I can't see myself not doing something and I will be quite ready to stop having a high stress career at that point.

 

[DISHUD]

I would love to do something that interacts with guest , being the Mayor of Main Street would be great, the possibility of that happening is 0%, so my next and more feasable job would be a monorail capt or one of the boat launch capt that take people from Wilderness lodge to MK.

 

[Mouse511]

Retirement is a long way off for us, but DH and I would love to have a condo near Disney and a log home in Maine. Oh yeah, I would love to drive the monorail and DH would drive the boats from the resorts to the parks

 

[Simba's Mom]

, Seeing all of the blue roofs after the last bout of hurricanes hit Florida did a job on my psyche. Bobbi

Wise move! Having survived post-hurricane did a job on my psyche. But I figure Florida's no worse than here. Our dream would be for us to live in a villa at OKW while working 2-3 days a week at OKW General Store or in AK (Hey, we're dreaming here-let's alternate); DH would be a golf pro over at LBV golf course. At the end of the day, we'd either have an adult beverage at Gurgling Suitcase or go over to Epcot to eat dinner at Tangerine Cafe and watch Illuminations. And depending on lines, maybe we'd do"Soarin'". Only 5-7 more years.

 

[lah3hh]

This is a great discussion topic! DH and I decided a few years ago rather than buy a second home and become Snowbirds we would purchase DVC points. We have been adding on to our DVC bank for a while now and hope to keep building up our points.

That way our retirement can be whatever we want it to be. We can go down to WDW and spend much of the winter there - OR - head to DL VGC and spend time out west - OR - take several cruises and now maybe to go Hawaii. That's the beauty of a DVC retirement plan, it can be wherever you want it to be. Doesn't tie you down to one location year after year.

We are up to 1140 points now and will be adding on soon to VGC to keep the pot growing....(sigh) retirement, sounds good about now! We have several years before it becomes a reality but as long as our health is good...this should be 100% possible.

 

[lbdpw1285]

wife is retired, i will be in 3 years.
spending january in DVC the last 2 years. maybe 6 weeks next year.
eventually want to get enough points to do 2 1/2 or 3 months in DVC.
we dont intend to live in fla over the summer/hurricane season.
for the money invested, wife and i feel DVC is better than a condo purchase down here without all responsibilities of ownership while gone for 9 months.
OKW 1 bdrm is just as good as any gated golf community with prices that run over 250 or 300K . maybe better when you include some kind of cleaning service every 4 or 5 days.
maybe even work here seasonally.

 

[SamSam]

wife is retired, i will be in 3 years.
spending january in DVC the last 2 years. maybe 6 weeks next year.
eventually want to get enough points to do 2 1/2 or 3 months in DVC.
we dont intend to live in fla over the summer/hurricane season.
for the money invested, wife and i feel DVC is better than a condo purchase down here without all responsibilities of ownership while gone for 9 months.
OKW 1 bdrm is just as good as any gated golf community with prices that run over 250 or 300K . maybe better when you include some kind of cleaning service every 4 or 5 days.
maybe even work here seasonally.

Sounds perfect!

 

[DisneyDreamingAubrey]

DH and I will both be getting our Captain's Licenses, so we can captain the boats from the resorts to the parks. A long way off, but we can dream.....

I love this dream!!!

 

[DisneyDreamingAubrey]

My parents are planning on the same DVC retiremtent. They don't plan to work down there, or get a car, but they plan on flying down from Vermont January into February each year and staying at SSR. I'm so happy for them, as they have shared their DVC memberships with us for a few years now. They love Disney and can't wait to retire!! We can't wait to visit...

 

[itsreally4mommy]

My DBIL once stayed in a 1BR in OKW and struck up a conversation with the neighbor. Apparently, they were a retired couple from a cold weather state that live in DVC accommodations during the winter months. DVC snowbirds! Apparently, they crunched the numbers and found that, compared to buying or renting a condo, buying enough DVC points to stay several months made sense to them. Don't know if this is true, but I like to think it is!


Oh wouldn't that be a DREAM!!! I'm "retired" teacher making a career switch to radiology tech, I finish this May Depending on what our kids do, I would love to become a traveling tech when DH retires and do something like that.

 

[DonnaL]

I'm an early retiree .......and DH is planning to retire at 55 in about 3 yrs. from his full time job and continue teaching for a few years as adjunct faculty at our local Penn State campus...however, our current plans are to spend Jan. Feb, and March at or near WDW when we're about 60, maybe working part-time at WDW.....we haven't totally decided if we'd like to do that, yet. We have a very large home, but, also own an apartment building (3 apartments) right across the street from our home. We will most likely sell our current home and move into one of the apartments for the other nine months of the year. Ideally, we'd like to have enough points to spend our entire three months in a DVC 1 bdrm. However, we have an acquaintance who spends about a month onsite at DVC and then, rents the same condo every year for the remainder (he and his wife stay for five months, however) and they're very happy doing that. They rent a storage unit for personal belongings they don't want to take back and forth every year. I don't think I would be happy moving to FL full time and we do want the option of using our points elsewhere some years if we choose to.

 

[photobob]

I did once think it would be neat to move and work for WDW at retirement, but don't really want that now. I like living here and keeping WDW special. When you become a local, local things aren't that special. When (and if) I retire I'll probably keep my sideline photography business going. May be out of necessity since looking at my 401k(looks more like a 201B now!) I shoot weddings and portraits on the side, my real job is being chief photographer for a small daily newspaper. If the newspaper makes it until I retire, I'll stay there, if not the sideline business becomes my real job!

My plans are more immediate. I hope when we become empty nesters to make three studio trips a year instead of one 2bdr stay. My DW and I did make our first "just us" trip last February for a short 3 nighter and it was very relaxing, we look forward to many more.

If my economic situation improves I'd love to add on at some point.

 

[dgaston]

DH has finally said he will retire in June 2010 after the next HS school year. He could have retired after 35 years, 2 years ago, but the students kept begging him to stay so they could enroll in his classes.

I'm already planning on two weeks at WDW in January 2011 -- one in an AKV Value 1br, and then a second in a standard BVW 1 br, or if I can't get that a 1 br at OKW. (Can you tell we're not points heavy?)

This April we're doing a road trip to check out NC, SC, maybe Georgia, where we'd like to get some land and also buy a Park Model for the winter months. In summer we hope to become seasonal at the church camp in New Hampshire.

And me? I can't retire for at least another 5 years. But I'll try to build up a little college teaching money and maybe get a few more DVC points.

 

[Pig Pen]

Last summer we bought our "summer home" ... a small camp on a lake here in Vermont. DH can retire early on Dec 1, 2010. At that time we plan to buy a small mobile home in Orlando and live there in the winters and work at either WDW or maybe a school (summers off)!

If at WDW, we think we would want to work in a resort rather than a park. I am thinking front desk while he says he would love to be a bellhop (he's very spry). But we are willing to do whatever it takes!

 

[M-I-C-K-E-Y]

A condo in Celebration would be wonderful, in addition to maintaining our existing home in Illinois (summers here, for the most part).

However, the plan at this point is for DW and I to spend every January (four solid weeks) at WDW, using our points. By that time the kids could "pop down" and circulate through, staying with us.

We'd also have enough points to have a trip or two, in addition to all of January - hopefully enough to treat those eventual grandkids to a stay each year...