Orlando with the Girls

This is my home resort, and I love it. Everyone who visits there with me is so impressed. It's reminiscent of the Grand Floridian with its white exterior and red roof. It is located on a private lake, Lake Bryan, just a couple of miles from the Magic Kingdom and Disney Village. The premium outlets are close by as are several good restaurants.

The units all have three bedrooms, three large baths, and a huge living/kitchen/dining area. We love the screened-in porches in every unit. Ask for a lake view. The units are very well equipped, with TVs and a DVD player and stereo in each room. It's clean and beautiful. The staff is very helpful and friendly. The only minor drawback is that there is no on-site restaurant, which they promised when we bought about 9 years ago. No problem-there are great restaurants all around. The two pools are very nice. Activities go on around the pool all summer. Great place!

This beautiful restaurant is at the top of the Contemporary Hotel overlooking the Magic Kingdom. It's the perfect place to catch the Magic Kingdom fireworks show at 8 pm (in the off season.) We made reservations for 8 pm. Be there on time with your entire group to get seated. The place was crowded, as everyone was waiting to watch the fireworks. We watched from the walkway outside the restaurant. Beautiful! And our meal was excellent!

The only drawback was the snooty person who checked us in and rudely asked if we had reservations (we did) because "if we didn't, we were out of luck." He wasn't your usual friendly Disney employee, but the lady working the check-in desk was sweet and friendly. Our waitress was great-I wish I could remember her name! I think it was Vicky. Go for the view and the food!

Call 15 minutes before you arrive and they will put your name on a preferred list. If it's cool, you can wait outside around a huge circular fireplace and have a drink. The food is excellent for a chain. Try the Jerk Chicken Pasta. It was excellent, as was the Tilapia on a bed of greens and a tortilla at the bottom. We all loved it!

It's also very pretty inside. We were all adults, but we saw families with children. It's a place that can accommodate everyone, and yet also be a very nice dining experience.

We had to try the Pmpkin Ravioli, his signature dish. It was to die for! The meatloaf and mashed potatoes were also fabulous. Great food! They also serve sushi, which I will try next time! It has a great atmosphere with inside and outside dining.

We luckily visited during the time of this interesting festival. I recommend eating your meal at the various booths set up with food from different countries. We went to the Australian Wine Testing area, where we tasted five excellent Australian wines for $6. It was a great deal. The vendors were knowledgeable, friendly, and from Australia-love the accent. The food booths had small reasonably priced portions ($2 to $4), which allowed an opportunity to taste multiple items. Great fun!