Living in Orlando (1 Viewer)

[Randy Tennison]

I'm being interviewed for a job with Disney (my dream job, as many of my friends have said), so I very curious about living in Orlando.

What are some of the good areas (good and reasonable - no Windemere in my future) with good schools? Areas to avoid? Hidden treasures?

Any experiences would be appreciated.

 

[todd s]

Randy, my daughter is going to be 12. And its her dream to work for Disney in their Imagineering dept. She only wants to go to Disney every year.

Just curious. If you can answer. What job are you interviewing for??

Good luck!

 

[Todd Hochard]

I lived in Orlando for 12 years, and I have to honestly answer- I don't know.
EVERYONE, and I mean EVERYONE, of our friends strives to put their kids in private school. It seems to be a common thread among most parents down there. We have friends living in Winter Springs (Seville Point), Oviedo (Live Oak) and Windermere (Keene's Pointe). Our Oviedo friends send their daughter to a new public elementary school- the others go private.

The Dommerich school district in Maitland is well-renowned. Windermere Elementary is well-regarded, but the surrounding areas (Winter Garden, Lake Buena Vista) aren't. Disney's Celebration is a nice 'hood, and a great school, but you probably don't have $500k for a 1900sq ft home. If you do, live there.

Ultimately, in spite of lots of decent friends, the mostly nice climate (a little hot in the summer, and then there were the hurricanes... ), and, of course, Disney (2 kids and season passes), we found it pretty easy- surprisingly so, given our roots- to leave when a new job offer in VA came up.

Having poo-poo'd your entire dream, I would advise-

1. Live close to work if possible. That means Southwest corner of town, for sure. Hunter's Creek is a decent neighborhood, if a little pricey. You might investigate Claremont, for the quasi-not-really country feel.
2. Do your homework. Check out the neighborhoods you like when school lets out, then again later in the evening. Talk to some of the neighbors about how they like it (the ones that are not selling, and maybe one or two that are).
3. Real estate prices have gone stupid, given the income base of the town, so ensure that the salary you negotiate will provide you a life worth living. A casual glance at prices on realtor.com tells me that $100k family income is where the bottom is right now for a decent middle-class existence, IMO.

Good luck.

Todd

 

[Bonnie*F]

I have a friend that works for Disney - concierge for the Grand Floridian. She seems to love it although she sometimes works massive amounts of hours. She shares a house with another Disney employee over in Davenport, Fl so she has a commute to make but the apartment she rented was sold so she had to move. She's been there for --- has to be coming up on 20 years and has worked at most of the tourist places. Apparently there is a lot of employee turnover in most places.
*Making an assumption here* extrapolating from what she has said, some - not all - employers feel that the entry level employees are not as valued as higher level since they are so easily replaced. Doesn't create much employee loyalty. *End of assumption*
Now, that having been said, Disney is apparently a mixture. They are very strick and demanding of their people - overtime if needed, you are to follow their guidelines if there are any for your position - those in costume and out in the public eye - BUT apparently they do pay well and there are some nice employee discounts and perks (she won't tell me the details, just that they're "nice").

Good luck with the interview and with finding a place to stay!