A Florida family of four has shared how they’ve managed to spend roughly half the year living at Walt Disney World, with the annual pass-holders describing life inside their own ‘Disney bubble’.
For plenty of kids around the world, the idea of living at Disney World sounds like the ultimate fantasy — especially given its reputation as the ‘most magical place on Earth’.
For the Ewing family, though, it’s become a regular part of their routine for at least six months each year.
Parents Lauren and Adam, who have two daughters aged 10 and 12, say the resort has long been a meaningful place for them as a family.
Speaking to PEOPLE, Adam, a real estate developer, admitted: “This has just always been our go-to place.
“I mean our honeymoon was spent at Disney World.”
Lauren, a stay-at-home mom, estimates they spend around ’60 to 70 percent’ of the year based at the resort, helped by the friendships and community they’ve built there over time.
The shift toward an RV-based lifestyle began during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when the family went through a series of ‘life-changing events’. They ultimately decided to leave their 10,000-square-foot home on 140 acres outside Athens, Georgia, and buy an RV.
While the original plan was to explore the US together, the trip gradually turned into returning to Disney World for a significant stretch each year.
Adam said: “I grew up in the generation of you have to go to school and get a college degree and work 40 years to enjoy 20 before you die.
“And it’s like, no man, my kids are little once. I want to enjoy them while they’re little.”
Of course, spending months at Disney comes with costs, and many would assume the bill for living near the parks for half the year would be enormous.
The Ewings typically stay at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, which Adam says is close enough that they can hear ‘the fireworks going off at Magic Kingdom’ at night.
RV site prices vary by season, but the family said that during the most recent spring break it worked out at about $300 per night.
They said that spring break also marked their priciest stretch there so far, with accommodation totalling a steep $8,000.
The family also follows the campsite’s ’26 days in, 24 hours out’ rule, meaning they can’t stay longer than 26 days in a row.
“We usually go to Tropical Palms in Kissimmee and stay for the night,” the family wrote on Instagram. “The move day back in is always such a happy day.”
Even with the parks nearby, the Ewings say their day-to-day routine usually looks more ordinary than nonstop Disney adventures.
They said: “Most of the time, it is that normal life, working out, doing school work, regular work, and then we’ll go to the parks… mostly at night.
“We don’t do the whole day at the park unless somebody’s in town.”
Food is another area where they try to avoid letting theme-park habits take over, and they aim to cook and eat most meals back at their campsite.
Adam added: “We can get caught up eating out in the Disney bubble if we’re not careful and before you know it, we haven’t eaten at home in a week or two.”