A Disney enthusiast is living her childhood dream after she moved her family 700 miles to live next to Disney World in Orlando, Florida, US. Holly Cole, 29, from Nashville, Tennessee, has always wanted to live close to the parks and saved up for a year before relocating in December 2022.
Holly and her husband Cody, 29, and their two-year-old daughter Willow visit Disney World three to four times a week and never get bored. It costs them £33 ($39) a month for season passes but it's worth every penny - as they say it "saved their marriage". The mum-of-one explained: "It was the best decision I have ever made."
Holly credits the move with mending the relationship with her husband - which was "on the rocks" before.
"We had been struggling really badly with our mental health before and had a lot of stresses with our housing situation back in Tennessee that was a strain on our relationship," she said.
"At Disney you can forget everything else. Disney saved our marriage. It's pure joy and happiness."
Holly, who is a veteran, says being able to visit Disney so often helps with her mental health, as she suffers from PTSD after a stint in the Navy.
"I've been a fan of Disney since I was five and it's always been my dream to live down here," she explained.
"When Harry Potter World opened up at Universal, I was even more keen to move."
They family now live just 40 minutes from the parks and love visiting every other day - Epcot is their favourite.
"Cody is not as big a fan of Disney as me, but he still loves coming and watching Willow interact with the characters," Holly explained.
They are also self-confessed "Harry Potter nerds" and hope to reinstate their Universal Studios season pass when Willow is old enough for the rides.
"We're both big Harry Potter fans. It's our personalities. You can't live in this house and not be a Potter fan," Holly said.
The family has Disney films and TV shows on every night in their household and especially love Tangled and Frozen.
Holly is also growing a collection of Loungefly Disney bags - which cost £50 each - and currently has 10 of the themed backpacks.
"I'm building up my collection at the moment. I have some Stars Wars and Disney park ones so far," she said.
"My favourite princess is Rapunzel but Goofy is my favourite character. My daughter loves Mickey - she demands to meet him every time we go in the park."
Cody added: "We've been happier since we moved. It's crazy the impact theme parks can have. My first time at Disney was last May.
"Walking down the main street in Magic Kingdom and hearing the main tune was enough to bring a tear to my eye.
"I'm surprised I like Disney as much a I do. I enjoy it every time we go. It's awesome to see how Willow interacts with all the characters.
"There's something different about Disney."
Are you a Disney enthusiast? Get in touch. Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
