Part 4 Orlando/Kissimmee
The last 2 weeks of our trip were spent in our timeshare in Kissimmee. Vacation Villas at Fantasy World are 2 story townhouses. The situation is unique in that there are 300 units there. One hundred of the units are owned by year-around residents. The remaining units are timeshares. This combination gives the place a residential feel. The unit itself is a 2 bedroom 2 bath unit with a very well equipped kitchen and very comfortably furnished. When we get here, we essentially spend 2 weeks living in Florida. There is a very nice Publix nearby and a brand new Super Wal-Mart that would provide another option for food shopping. Because the weather wasn't very nice (rainy, cold) we spent more time just hanging around in our unit than we usually do. It was only warm enough one day to use a pool. (There are 3 pools—2 heated, one not heated).
The first Tuesday morning of our stay is always used attending "Coffee with the GM" for owners only. The resort's general manager spends that time bringing everyone attending up-to-date and answers questions and concerns while everyone has a nice continental breakfast.
We made a return trip to"WonderWorks" in Orlando this year and had a lot of fun. We had not returned in previous years because so many things were not working the last time we were there. They seem to have addressed that.
Driving down International Drive you see a building that looks like it is completely upside down and resting on the ground at an angle. Inside there are numerous fun hands-on activities most relating to science. You enter by going through a swirling optical illusion. The brave can experience a virtual roller coast or riding in jet. They can also experience what it feels like in a hurricane or at 0 gravity. You can "pilot" a plane or you can play virtual basketball and other sports. You can "conduct" music or cause changes of color by waving your arms. There is an area for "blowing" giant bubbles where you can do some pretty original stuff. As you leave there are numerous pictures with optical illusions that can be fun to find and sometimes very difficult to see.
We both really enjoy playing miniature golf and made our return trip to the Disney miniature golf courses. As you would expect, they are very clever in their design and can be a challenge. The Fairways, so they tell us, is the most difficult miniature golf course in the world. It is most definitely too hard for little children (sometimes we think it is too hard for us). The other 3 are more family oriented.
We usually take in a couple of movies at Downtown Disney, but only saw "The Queen" this year as nothing else looked appealing.
We do not go to the Disney Parks every year, but this year made a return trip to the Magic Kingdom. We saw some changes since we'd last been there. We started our day by seeing Mickey's Magic Philharmonic which is a 3 D movie made up of clips from numerous Disney cartoons. It is the funniest thing we've seen in a long time. I don't think we stopped laughing from the time we sat down until we left the theater. It was a great way to start the day.
Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) pops up at numerous places in Pirates of the Caribbean. We knew he'd been added, but expected to see him only once.
The old favorites like the Jamboree Bears are still going strong and there was a 40-45 minute wait for "Small World." When we were leaving one of the rides passengers were told to make sure they had all small children, or they would take them to "Small World" and glue their feet to the floor, and they'd have to listen to "that song" the rest of their lives.
We made our annual trip to the Buena Vista Outlet Mall. They were having a huge sidewalk sale. We'd been told that tourism was the highest it's been in years. If the crowd there is any indication that certainly was true. Normally when we go the place is empty. This time we had a hard time even finding a place to park.
We eat out 3 or 4 times each week, and eat in the unit the other nights. There is an Olive Garden within walking distance, but it is so crowded and the wait so long we've given up on trying to go there.
After our trip to "WonderWorks" we went to the Bahama Breeze on International Drive. There is another one just off of 535, but it is a real problem to get in and out of there. We expected a wait, but were seated immediately. Even though this is a chain, (same company as Olive Garden, Red Lobster and Smokey Bones ), we like their food. Prices are moderate; service can vary. This time it was excellent.
Close to the unit there are 2 Chinese restaurants. Since we cannot get good Chinese food at home we like to go at least once. The first one we went to, China Pearl, was awful and we will not return. The other simply called China is in a little strip mall close to our unit. The food there is absolutely wonderful. It is a must return every year.
We ate at Raglan Road in Downtown Disney after going to the movie. We were actually headed someplace else but walked by and decided to give it a try. We should have kept walking. The appetizer was excellent so we expected the rest of the meal to be as good. It was not. Expensive and disappointing.
Also in Downtown Disney, we ate at Capn' Jacks. We'd expected to wait but were seated immediately and were told that 2 people don't usually have to wait because most groups are at least 4 people. The food here is pretty basic, but good and relatively inexpensive. Service was good. Noise was problem because we were seated right next to the station where orders were shouted to the chefs.
We saved our favorite for last, as we always do. The Columbia Restaurant in Celebration serves wonderful Cuban/Spanish food. The menu is so appealing we always have a hard time deciding what to order. This is fine dining at moderate prices.
