Inside Disney World: Meet the Family Who Call It Home

A few hours spent enjoying Walt Disney World can feel magical enough, but for one family, the enchantment does not end when the park gates close — they actually have a home there.

Cristie Anne of The Traveling Red owns a home in Golden Oak, a residential community inside Walt Disney World Resort. 

The community is very real, not something lifted from a Disney film. Created with input from Disney Imagineers, the neighbourhood features individually styled homes, each with its own personality and storybook appeal.

Cristie Anne, 39, who is originally from Miami, Florida, told the Daily Mail: ‘Our home was inspired by Belle’s cottage in Beauty and the Beast, with details designed by Imagineers incorporated throughout.’

For the past six years, Cristie Anne and her family have divided their time between their main home in Miami and their Disney-inspired cottage.

She said: ‘When you look at the exterior alongside the cottage in the live-action movie, the influence is immediately clear.

‘A lot of Golden Oak homes feature understated Disney references or wonderfully themed rooms, but only a small number are built around a complete Disney narrative in the way ours is.’

Their property is part of one of Golden Oak’s smaller collections of homes, where curving roads and carefully considered details create the feeling of ‘walking into a storybook village.’ Cristie Anne said the atmosphere was among the first things that captured the family’s attention when they visited the Disney World neighbourhood.

So how did the family end up with such an unusual second home?

Cristie Anne explained: ‘It really was not something we had set out to find. We were searching for a vacation property where our family could create memories, and beach houses were mostly what we had been considering. Disney was not even on our radar.’

‘My parents were visiting friends who had recently purchased a vacation home in Golden Oak and happened to tour our house, which had just gone on the market that day. They instantly fell in love with it and FaceTimed both my brother and me to show us the house.

‘Our daughter was only three years old at the time, so the idea of a Beauty and the Beast-inspired home at Disney sounded like perfection. It felt like the perfect place to watch her grow up while creating family traditions together.’

Currently, other homes for sale at Walt Disney World are on the market for around $8million (£5.9million), while reports of Golden Oak homes suggest that prices can range between $2million (£1.5million) and $20million (£14.8million). The price of this specific property is unspecified.

Naturally, a major perk is how close the property is to the Disney parks. 

‘Depending on which park we’re visiting, we’re usually just minutes away by car or our private Disney transportation van, which takes us and drops us right at the front of the park,’ Cristie Anne explained. 

‘It makes it so easy to decide on a whim to grab dinner at a resort, ride a favorite attraction, or watch the fireworks without turning it into an all-day event.’

The family tends to visit more during the winter months when the weather is especially pleasant. 

‘One of the things we love most is that there’s no pressure to do everything in a single visit. We can simply enjoy whatever we’re in the mood for that day,’ she added.

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‘Back then, purchasing a home in Golden Oak included complimentary park admission for the first few years. After that, we had to purchase annual passes just like other guests.’

Unsurprisingly, Cristie Anne has ‘lost count’ of the number of times she’s visited the parks.

‘I’ve been visiting since I was a child, and now it’s become such a big part of our family’s life that it’s easily in the hundreds. Every visit feels a little different, which is one of the reasons Disney never gets old for us.’

‘The convenience is incredible, but I think my favorite part is that it allows us to experience Disney in a completely different way.

‘When you’re on vacation, there’s often pressure to do everything because your trip has an end date. Living nearby takes that pressure away. We can pop into a park for one ride, have dinner at a resort hotel, or simply stay home and watch the fireworks from our house. 

‘It gives us the freedom to slow down, appreciate the little moments, and enjoy Disney at our own pace instead of feeling like we have to fit everything into a single trip.

‘It’s truly a completely different way to experience Disney, and in many ways, even more magical.’

Surely it’s rammed with tourists, though?

‘Never,’ Cristie Anne admits. ‘People are often surprised by how private Golden Oak actually is. Security is exceptional, and only residents and their registered guests are allowed inside the community. It isn’t somewhere tourists can simply drive through to see the homes.

‘That privacy is something homeowners really value. Homes cannot be used as short-term rentals, which helps preserve the neighborhood as a true residential community.

‘As someone who shares our life at Golden Oak online, I’m also very mindful of respecting my neighbors’ privacy. I only ever film or photograph our own home.’

What about daily amenities?

Cristie Anne said: ‘There aren’t supermarkets or schools on Disney property itself, so for everyday errands like grocery shopping, we simply drive a few minutes off property. 

‘At the same time, we have Disney’s incredible restaurants, resorts, golf courses, spas, recreation, and entertainment right at our doorstep. 

‘It really is the best of both worlds… the magic of Disney whenever we want it, with all the conveniences of everyday life just minutes away.’

It’s no surprise, then, to learn that Cristie Anne certainly doesn’t plan on selling the home anytime soon.