Wonderful World of Disney

We went to Magic Kingdom for 2 days, however our favorite park was Universal Studios. We purchased the 2 day pass which allowed us to spend a day in Universal and a day in Islands of Adventure.

Our favorite nighttime hangout was Jelly Rolls, which is a club that featured dueling pianos.

Quick Tips:

Stay as close to the parks as possible, traffic can be bad. Don't go June-Aug, way too many people on summer vacation since school is out. We like to go in Sept, but then we always have to worry about hurricanes.

I made the mistake of wearing a new pair of sandals to the park one day; Disney is not the place to break in new shoes! You will do more walking than you think, wear comfortable shoes.

Take advantage of the Fast Pass system. It really does cut down the time spent waiting in line for rides.

Best Way To Get Around:

If your hotel has transportation, take advantage of it, otherwise rent a car.

Best Things Nearby:
Celebration is close to everything! Only 3 Miles from Walt Disney World.

Best Things About the Resort:
This resort is huge!! There are so many things to do at Celebration: Horseback Riding, Swimming, Basketball, Tennis.

Resort Experience:
This timeshare was well maintained and very nicely decorated. We took another couple with us and stayed in a 2BR lockout. Our villa had a whirlpool hot tub in the master suite, which was enjoyable after all the walking we did. The kitchen had a dishwasher, full size refrigerator, range top oven, microwave, garbage disposal, washer/dryer and all kitchen wares. The resort provides linens and towels for the pool, less to pack!

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

Best Things Nearby:
Orange Lake is five minutes from Walt Disney World. Sea World, Universal and all other major attractions are only minutes away. However there are numerous activities onsite for your enjoyment.

Best Things About the Resort:
The many different pool complexes and golf. The resort publishes a weekly listing of all planned activities and nightly entertainment. There are at least 10 activities a day. In fact there are so many activites that you could spend the whole week at Orange Lake and not even leave the property. The local birds are very friendly. The pictures below demostrate just how close you can get to them.

Resort Experience:
We stayed in the 2 bedroom golf villa. The golf villas are approx 20 years old, but well maintained. If you are staying at Orange Lake I would recommend requesting a room in the new north villas by the splash lagoon pool. The splash lagoon pool has a waterslide.

The complex is very large. There is a bus that circles the property so you can get around. We saw 4 different pool complexes. We enjoyed the pool complex at the clubhouse. It had an olympic sized lap pool, a lazy pool, a spa and a bar. We spent a day enjoying the 80-acre lake. We tried jetskiing for a small fee. You cannot swim in the lake. We also enjoyed playing indoor and outdoor shuffleboard.

Orange Lake is known for its golf. They offer an 18-hole Arnold Palmer-designed championship course, a 27-hole resort course, a lighted nine-hole par 3 walking course, and a 36-hole Putt-Putt course.

On Sunday nights Orange Lake has a welcoming party which includes free beer and wine. We were impressed!

We've been to Orlando several times and this resort was by far the best. It offers something for everyone.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

There are five islands - Seuss Landing™, The Lost Continent®, Jurassic Park®, Toon Lagoon® and Marvel Super Hero Island®!

Our favorite island was Marvel Super Hero Island. The 3-D Spiderman ride was on this island. It's a thrill ride which swings you high above the city, you'll see, hear and actually FEEL the action of the web-slinger's most amazing adventure ever.

Gatorland is open daily from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, rain or shine. Parking is free and it's a nice day away from crowded Disney parks.

There's a ten-acre Florida breeding marsh, with 100 female and 25 male gators. For an even more exhilarating spectacle, get a bird's-eye view from the three-story observation tower.

Pearl's Smokehouse is the main eatery, featuring smoked gator ribs and gator nuggets as well as All-American favorites like hot dogs, hamburgers and sub sandwiches.

Jellyrolls is a bar featuring dueling piano players. The two men are hilarious ivory-tickling maestros.

Hours: 7:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.

Must be 21 to enter.

Jellyrolls is located on the Disney Boardwalk, which is set up like 1940s Atlantic coastal village with entertainment, shopping and dining.

Free parking at all times. Free admission to Disney's BoardWalk, shops and restaurants at all times.

Note: The night we were at Jellyrolls, there was no cover charge, however there were signs up stating, "An admission charge is required for Jellyrolls."

Journey to Atlantis is the ultimate water adventure ride! You'll never know what's around the next corner or the next drop – even when it's 60 feet, nearly straight down. This ride combines the best parts of water rides and roller coasters.

Kraken is the rollercoaster, named after a legendary sea monster. Kraken, the monster of all roller coasters, is the tallest, fastest, longest and only floorless roller coaster in Orlando. It will take you to the heights of a 15-story building and turn you upside down seven times, all at speeds reaching 65 mph!

Your feet dangle as they sit on open-air, pedestal-like seats with nothing around them except shoulder restraints. There’s no one to hold on to, nothing in front of you and nothing below you– and only sky above.