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  • 17/10/2023
A couple who moved to Florida to go to Disney World every day say they "prioritise" it and cut back on luxuries to afford it.

Jessica Pruitt, 41, decided to move 560 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina, US, after her husband, Wes, 54, took her to Disney World for the first time aged 35 – and she "fell in love".

She became immersed in the “magic of it” after her first visit and the pair went twice a year from then on - before deciding to make the move when their children moved out.

The couple moved to Davenport, Florida, in July 2022 - just seven miles away from the parks.

Now they go to the parks every day – often first thing in the morning before work or in the evening.

Jessica and Wes, a mortgage broker, spent $1,400 each on a top tier annual season pass – which they pay for monthly to spilt up the cost.

The pair make Disney a "priority" and cut back on weekly food shops, luxuries such as expensive clothes and Jessica getting her nails done so they can afford their hobby.

Jessica, a content creator, said: "This is our priority.

"This is what brings us joy.

"It's easy to do.

"As my priorities change, we don't have so much in the house.

“I love the magic of Disney."

Jessica had watched Disney films growing up but wasn’t aware of Disney World until Wes took her in 2017.

She said: “Wes bought me to Disney for the first time at 35.

“As I child I didn’t know Disney world existed.

“When he bought me, I fell in love."

The family started going twice a year and became obsessed with the parks.

When a family member had a health issue after they had just retired, it pushed Jessica and Wes to look at what they wanted to do in the present.

Jessica said: “We thought 'why wait until retirement to spend our money?'

“Then we might be too old.”

The couple wanted to move away from their housing estate in Charlotte, North Carolina, so decided to take the plunge when the house prices dropped, and their kids all left home.

She said: “We lived in a small town. We wanted a change of pace.

“We thought 'let’s do it.'

“This is what is going to keep us active.”

The pair moved in July 2022 and now live within a 15-minute drive to Disney World.

Jessica said: “We go most days.”

The couples pass gets the access to the park all year round – with no block out days – and means they can get in early when Disney World opens earlier in the summer.

They paid a $200 deposit each and now pay $200-a-month for the two of them to cover their $1,400 season pass.

Jessica cut back on shopping for clothes and luxuries to be able to prioritise her love of Disney.

They also get 10 per cent off food and 20 per cent off merchandise on the parks.

Jessica and Wes often walk 25 to 30 miles a week just by wandering around the parks.

Category

😹
Fun
Transcript
00:00 What it's like being able to go to Disney World every day and how we're able to afford
00:04 it.
00:05 We get this question all the time so we decided to make a video about it.
00:08 First of all, let's talk about the money.
00:10 An annual pass, even at the top tier, which is what we have, is way cheaper than day tickets.
00:15 It can cost anywhere from $129 up to $169 a day to go to Disney.
00:20 We have annual passes that are $1400 per person with no block out dates.
00:26 Because we're Florida State residents, we get to pay that monthly.
00:29 Plus we get 20% off of all merch, 10% off of most food, and parking is free for us.
00:34 Living in the state of Florida, you do have access to very inexpensive season passes.
00:39 The Pixie Pass is only $400 a year and you can pay monthly for that.
00:43 It does come with a lot of block out dates though.
00:45 Disney is our hobby and now it's my business so we make sacrifices in other areas to afford
00:51 this.
00:52 We don't do weekly $100 Target runs.
00:54 I don't get my nails done every two weeks.
00:56 I don't shop at Marshalls or Hobby Lobby and most of my clothes come from Amazon or Shein.
01:00 Now I'm not knocking anyone else who does those things.
01:03 I'm just telling you how we reallocate our money so we can afford this.
01:07 Wes has a full time job in the mortgage industry.
01:10 I used to own a t-shirt business but I sold it quickly after we moved here when I decided
01:14 to do content creation.
01:16 Seeing families coming on vacation and really struggling after spending thousands of dollars
01:20 really bothered me and that's the whole reason I started my page.
01:23 Okay, now on to the fun stuff.
01:26 What it's like.
01:27 First of all, sleeping in my own bed after a long day at the park is straight magic.
01:31 I love the resorts but nothing is as comfortable as my own home with my favorite pillow and
01:36 my favorite blanket.
01:37 I'm really thankful that we get to enjoy the slower side of Disney.
01:40 Some nights we'll just head to Magic Kingdom, park, hop on the monorail and head to our
01:43 favorite restaurant for dinner.
01:45 Taking a boat to any resort just to chill, catch a show, have dessert is pretty magical.
01:50 Other mornings we wake up at 6am, rope drop, go get a coffee, a cronut, ride the people
01:55 mover and then head home all before work begins.
01:58 We've become regulars at many spots around property and it's a pretty amazing feeling
02:02 to be a local at Disney.
02:03 We've made friends from all around the world and they share their culture and customs with
02:07 us and we've learned so much.
02:09 We've made some amazing friends with big dreams who just love celebrating the magic with us.
02:14 It was a pretty big deal to leave our hometown where we had raised our kids, put down roots,
02:18 had amazing friends and lived for so many years and it was honestly really scary to
02:23 make this big change.
02:24 We took the leap, we followed our heart, we pushed through the fear and I'm here to tell
02:28 you dreams do come true but you have to reach out and find your happily ever after.
02:33 Be sure to follow us for a more stress free way to do Disney.

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