We could be the Neurotic Disney Household. We are Amanda and Trevor S and our two furry kids, Nessa (the Scottish terrier) and Fergus (the Wheaten terrier). The name of our Florida house is Remy’s Refuge.
Other than seeing the animated films, Trevor and I were never really raised Disney. In fact, our first time to Disney World was at age 30. The attractions, food and just the place itself far exceeded our expectations! We had such a blast that somehow being closer to it all became part of our dream. We saved and saved and finally bought our own little piece of paradise that we like to call Remy’s Refuge – a 10-minute drive to Disney, enough bedrooms to invite family and friends and a private lakeside pool to relax in after a long day at the park! We rent Remy’s Refuge when we’re not using it ourselves – we think of it as our home away from home and we hope that the others who stay there enjoy it too!
- What inspired you to choose the name “Remy’s Refuge”?
The name Remy’s Refuge comes from Trevor’s and my love for the movie Ratatouille. Trevor even looks a little like Linguini, so it was the clear choice for a costume for our first Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom. There were a lot of great memories made that evening (riding an empty Splash Mountain while the park was closing was one!) so we knew that the trip that inspired the house purchase needed to be related somehow!
- You mentioned that you were not raised on Disney. What compelled you to visit the parks at the age of 30?
Doing a Disney Park is a right of passage, so I knew I wanted to do it someday. We visited a friend in Los Angeles in spring break of 2009 and she took us to Disneyland for the day. We had a blast! The next day we stumbled upon an episode of “Modern Marvels” on the History Channel which was all about the creation of Walt Disney World. The main message I got was that Disneyland wasn’t all that Walt wanted it to be, so he decided to build the real deal in Florida. I felt ripped off like I had only gotten the sub-par Disney experience and I spent the next 3 years dreaming up a Disney World trip extraordinaire!
- What are some of your favorite park attractions and foods?
I think our favourites are likely the classics – Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean. But Soarin’, Toy Story Midway Mania and Kali River Rapids are also must-do rides when not in Magic Kingdom. We are also huge fans of the shows and movies: Beauty and the Beast, Finding Nemo, Fantasmic, Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, Mickey’s Philharmagic and, of course, Wishes! When it comes to food, we usually stay away from the fast food and veer towards the home-style cooking that Disney never fails to deliver!
- How long have you owned Remy’s Refuge?
Despite that Remy’s Refuge was a long time in the making (saving money, trips to Orlando to look at houses and lots of internet browsing), we actually have only owned the house since mid-June of this year! It’s been an incredible experience and there’s still lots for us to learn. We hope that over the years, Remy’s Refuge just gets better and better for our guests!
- What do you do to keep Disney at home when you are not able to visit?
When we’re at home in Canada’s capital city, our Disney (including Muppets!) movies are always close at hand to enjoy on a rainy or snowy day. And we do have our Muppet wall of paintings by one of my favourite etsy artists (https://www.etsy.com/shop/slugwork).
- Is Remy’s Refuge themed in a particular style?
Since we’re so new as the owners of Remy’s Refuge, we haven’t yet redecorated, but we will be doing so this fall! I’ve purchased tons of cool art from Acme Archives featuring Muppets, Indiana Jones and Star Wars and I’ve been collecting vintage Disneyland board games to hang in our garage game room. It’s going to be awesome! Once the redecorating is complete, the pictures will definitely be posted on our blog (http://remysrefuge.blogspot.com)
If you haven’t yet looked, Remy’s Refuge is a beautiful home just 10 minutes from Walt Disney World. As she mentioned, the home is not decorated to theme yet, so stay tuned! We will update this post with pictures. Many thanks to Amanda for sharing their story with us & congratulations on your new (rental)home purchase so close to the World!
A Disney blooded, crafty, fun-lovin’ wife/mom/organizer/planner, etc who is obsessed with all things Disney 🙂 Maria grew up with the Magic Kingdom and has loved watching WDW evolve into what it is today. A firm believer in the Power of Pixie Dust, she is the owner of The Disney Driven Life – A Community for Neurotic Disney People & a d.i.y. crafty blog, Carousel of Projects – create~inspire~share.
