Disney Is Creating Some New Magic in Senior Living

I’m a big fan of all things Disney.

First, I met Walt at Disneyland when I was a kid. I’ve worn a Mickey Mouse watch that I bought there for over 50 years. At my wedding, “When You Wish Upon A Star” was played after we heard, “You may kiss the bride” and our cake featured figurines of Mickey and Minnie on top. I’ve even gone scuba diving in Walt Disney World’s “Living Seas” exhibit, the world’s second largest aquarium.

So when I heard that The Walt Disney Company announced “Storyliving by Disney” as the first of its master-planned communities with 55+ housing, it certainly caught my attention

Cotino Will Bring Disney Themes to Rancho Mirage.
Named Cotino, this first one will be developed in collaboration with DMB Development and will rise from the desert in Rancho Mirage, where Walt once had a vacation home. Other locations will be announced at a later date.

Cotino’s 1,900 housing units won’t be exclusively for seniors, but “will include some neighborhoods for residents aged 55 or more years… Home types will include condominiums, single family homes and what the company refers to as ‘estates’.”

If You Love Disney Theme Parks, You’ll Lurve Storyliving by Disney.
“As we prepare to enter our second century, we are developing new and exciting ways to bring the magic of Disney to people wherever they are, expanding storytelling to storyliving,” says John D’Amaro, chairman of Disney parks, experiences, and products.

“Disney Imagineers are exploring the richness of each local region to inspire the theme of Storyliving by Disney communities,” adds Michael Hundgen, executive producer at Walt Disney Imagineering. Their “distinctively designed indoor and outdoor spaces will offer residents new opportunities to explore, engage, and create the next incredible chapter of their story.”

Through club memberships, residents will be able to access wellness programs, seminars, even a waterfront clubhouse via a purchased day pass with a beach park, recreational water activities, shopping, dining, and entertainment.

In other words, it will be like living in a theme park, not just visiting one. As a lifelong Disney fan, I’m not sure I’d want that much sensory overload for my senior living community in a small town environment, but it would be a very enjoyable way to spend one’s golden years.

There Are Many Choices for Themed Senior Living Communities.
During that first visit to Disneyland when I met Walt over 60 years ago, my Mother chose to spend the day shopping in Beverly Hills. Why? She said, “It wasn’t my cup of tea!”

So, like Pearl, if you’re not a fan of the Mouse House, you have lots of choices. Here are a few to consider:

• Latitude Margaritaville is an active adult community concept created by Jimmy Buffet for Parrotheads, Baby Boomers, and just about anyone 55+. The first development opened in Daytona Beach in 2018 for folks who want a very relaxed lifestyle, great music, and lots of
  activities, from wearing Hawaiian shirts to drinking tequila with a jigger of salt to chill vibes.
  Others are now open in Watersound (near Panama City Beach), FL and Hilton Head, SC.
• The Villages is a sprawling series of premier active adult retirement communities in Lakeland, Florida, and boasts an incredible array of activities, including 50 golf courses, competitive crew teams, marching bands, cheerleader squads, and, naturally, pickleball.
• “The World” Cruise Ship calls itself “the largest privately owned residential ship on the planet”. At 644-feet and 43,000 tons, it’s absolutely huge, launched in 2002, is home to 165 luxury residences, and travels to 150 of the Earth’s most exotic destinations.
• Storylines MV Narrative set sail early in 2020, and is considerably larger (741-feet and 55,000 tons) than “The World”. This residential luxury cruise line has room for 627 Home At Sea Condominiums, including 302 condo staterooms, and 20 restaurants. It will circumnavigate the world once every 3.5 years, averaging three to five days per port.

Variety Is The Spice of Life.
These are just a few of the ways that Baby Boomers and the young-at-heart are choosing to live post-retirement. It’s no longer a one-size-fits-all proposition. The industry would do well to look carefully at these highly creative concepts in living. Our guess is that the future of senior living will be looser and much more imaginative that what is currently being offered.

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SGD is a San Francisco Bay Area advertising, marketing and branding agency specializing in the senior and boomer markets. We’ve successfully positioned, branded and rebranded senior-oriented companies, weaving traditional and online tactics to create compelling stories that drive response. 

About the Author: Gil Zeimer is a Partner at SGD Advertising.