2015 Florida Trip Update

We received some terrible news today. Last year we rented a beautiful pool house at an affordable price. We hoped to rent it again however we were late at making our reservation. We learned today that our villa isn't available!

Picking a villa is a lot of work for us because we put a lot of work into our decision and we are very careful to make sure we are working with a legit owner.

With only eight weeks before we leave? This is not good! We need to find some place that is open for five weeks!

Stay tuned for more updates.

Living Disney Blog

I am reading a new blog (new to me) named Http://livingdisney.co

When I read a blog, I like to go to the beginning and read forward. Whose ever idea it was to design blog pages to be read backwards is missing the point! This blog starts in early 2012 with almost daily entries. Reading it is like reading a book on my favorite subject: living at Disney!

The story starts with two sisters living together in North Carolina. Between them they have three children from donated sperm. They want to get out of North Carolina because they are concerned about the pollution. Unable to decide on a place to go to, they decide to move to the Greatest Place On Earth: Disney World! They are both stay at home Mom's who home school and run a day care (they call it being a Nanny). They also make money blogging and ebaying Disney merchandise.

I have only made it to May 2012 (they are very prolific writers). The blog is stuffed full of pictures. Many of the entries so far are what you would expect from anyone who might be on vacation visiting Disney. But very quickly, they dive into tips and details that can only come from being able to spend a lot of time in the parks.

The entries I like the most are the "Flash Backs". This is when we travel back in time to 2009 to read journal entries. This is when the sisters decided to make their move, their reasons why, the necessary planning, and all the challenges.

My favorite "chapters"/blog entries so far discussed the decision to rent a 4 bedroom townhouse in a resort community in Davenport (an area not far from Kissimmee and Celebration). I find that deciding where to move to is one of the most difficult decisions to make, so I enjoy hearing the experiences of others.

My interest is about learning what life is like living next to Disney. For me, I am less interested in the special tips for buying things at the German bakery. I'll discover those things after I move there. I want to know what life will be like - what is great and what isn't? This blog has a little of everything. And so my second favorite was reading how they went to Tampa for their son's birthday and all the things there were to do in Tampa. I liked that entry because I believe that moving to Disney means more than just Disney. There is an entire state with fun and exciting things to experience! That entry was no let down.

I am going to continue reading my way through this blog. I hope you'll join me. Just please take my advice: go to the 2012 entries and begin reading the blog from the start.

Planning the 2015 Florida Trip

We have visited Florida every summer since 2011. This summer is going to be no exception. Unfortunately, we leave in ten weeks and we have done nothing to prepare for it! We haven't even picked a house to rent yet, much less rented one. We know we'll be in Florida for the month of July, but, beyond that? Nothing is planned. 

We need to get moving on this if it is really going to happen!

This year's theme is going to be: Small Budget. I have set a budget for the trip down and back, and staying in Florida. The budget will not allow us to renew our Disney annual passes (which expires on July 9), which is OK. To force us to really experience the Florida life style, we can't run to the parks every evening. I'm sure if we moved to Florida someday, at the beginning we would go to the parks all the time, but as life became busy and the parks became less appealing, we would find other interests as well. 

So, this trip will be Disney filled up until July 9. Afterwards, we'll have Downtown Disney and the resorts. But we want to explore the beaches and some of the other things around the area too. A person can't just live on Disney alone! OK, maybe they could. But life would be much more rewarding if it was filled with many things.

That's our plan. Now, we just have to put those plans into motion.

Working at Disney

Want to work at Disney some day? I have though that someday I might retire and go work at the Disney World parks. I just read this report from All Ears: http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2012/07/getting_a_job_at_walt_disney_w.html

I found several items very interesting the the article:

1. Full time is 32 hours per week, and includes 

health care benefit. However, there aren't very 

many full time jobs handed out.

2. You may have to get a less desirable job for

 the first six months. Afterward, you can apply

For something better.

3. Be ready to stand on your feet for 8 hours 

per day

4. Be ready to work nights, weekends, and 

Holidays.

The dream of interacting with happy and 

excited guests all day might not be a dream

Held by all the 65,000 Disney employees.

But I can hope that someday the dream 

Might come true for me.