Orlando Universally Yours

Most of the amenities were next door at the Parkway International. I don't recommend the free breakfast -- it is REALLY high pressure and they don't listen. The good side is that the local staff is great and attentive. There don't have the hour-to-hour resort activities and they won't stock your fridge before you get there, but there are two pools and a kiddie pool with pumped in music. Don't misunderstand: this is a very nice place to stay, but they just miss the boat on the "extras" that some of the other Gold Crown resorts supply. They do charge to use the room safe. The Jacuzzi tub is nice after a day at the park.

But let’s face it: you won't be in the room very much with all they have to do in Orlando.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Fair
• Amenities: Fair
• Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
• Family Friendliness: Very Good
• Service: Very Good

You will first be struck by the beauty and tranquility of this ENORMOUS place. They have reproduced the Everglades (complete with gators), Key West (including a full-sized sailboat), and a Spanish area complete with a Fountain of Youth. We were totally blown away with the beauty and the size. I wouldn't recommend if for children under 14, as they will probably be bored and not totally appreciate the beauty.

The buffet is not your average buffet. It really is the BEST of everything: hot food, seafood, salads, desserts, and all perfectly cooked. We went on Italian night and it was great. The dessert bar was the best (worth the price of admission right there). My husband liked the coconut shrimp and the pork tenderloin.

After you finish, walk through the “Everglades”. It is a great way to walk off the excess calories. Beauty, ambience, and quality made this place one of the best nights ever!

I have to say that it was a lot of fun. You MUST make reservations early as it does fill up quick. The food is wonderful, delivered to your table, and they bring as much as you care to eat. It isn't "kid" food -- we had London broil, turkey and dressing, pork tenderloin (all lean cuts), veggies that even an adult would choose to eat, bread that you want to take back with you, and a really good dessert.

While your server is a real person, she is assisted by Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Chip and Dale, and a raccoon (the one from Pocahontas). These characters are great with both adults and kids.

If you are sick of "fast food" and want an air-conditioned place to rest your feet, this is the place!

It is outside Islands of Adventure, but you still have to pay for parking if you don't get dropped off. It’s not terribly expensive, but not cheap either. Very entertaining. The paint job there is very unique. I enjoyed it.

I always eat at Hard Rock when I'm by one. Get an all access pass if you plan on going to Hard Rocks in other cities. Get the shirt and have fun.

There is a LOT of standing and waiting. Use the pass machines to get to the front of the ride line. There are a lot of shops with fun stuff, but on a lot of the rides, you can't take anything on with you and will have to store your belongings and purchases in a locker.

Little kids won't be able to ride most of the "fun" rides, but the Seuss part has a bunch of kiddie stuff.

Watch out for the Air-zookas: the park employees shoot puffs of air at you and when you get hit, you won't understand where it came from. It kept my hubby entertained for about 30 minutes and we bought one. . .

Adult meals are served in several of the areas, as well as fast food. There’s AAA discount on admission, but no military discount (how un-American).

On all the rides you want to read and look at the details. There are fun things all over the place.

Find the three special effect photo ops -- ask if you don't find them. It looks like you were at a shuttle launch, New York, and Hollywood.

There are several good places to eat and just interesting things to see and do, but more for older kids (teen and up). Most of the little kids just looked bored, tired, and hot. All the rides are for anyone. They aren't a "coaster" park -- it is a studio where you get to see how they do a lot of the special effects.

Don’t miss Shrek!

Ask about sale items in the shops, as there are a lot of things that are on sale that aren't really marked.

Did I mention, don't miss Shrek??