Magic Report

 

Last week was my first time at our place in the Orlando area so I wanted to provide a bit of a dispatch on the experience. When we first closed on the unit, we extrapolated that it would do good numbers and that it would be a place we could enjoy ourselves. I'm happy to report that both are true so far. Recording some thoughts to document our own vacation, and if it influences you to consider booking our place for your memorable family getaway all the better!

1. First impressions are everything, and our first impression of the place came after a ghastly three-hour ride from the airport due to massive traffic delays throughout the region (it is normally about 45 minutes). Tired from the ordeal and thrown off our schedule, it was a delight to arrive to a clean and cutely decorated unit. Disney instrumental music was lilting from the TV, pillows and towels were presenting just so, and everything felt homey. We're off to a good start.

2. Three bedrooms and two bathrooms, with a spacious common area of kitchen, living room, and dining table, is perfect for a family of four to six, which means it's perfect for us. (I heard from my local realtor that the larger units, like 6+ bedrooms, are not selling or renting as well, which we both concluded had to do with the decline in multi-generational family parties getting their schedules synched up to vacation together.) There is far more closet space than anyone could possibly need while on vacation, and otherwise the unit is well proportioned in that it doesn't feel to cramped or too spread out. A balcony off the living room and a smaller one off the master helps if you want to have some private moments (or, in our case, let wet swimsuits and towels dry).

3. The property as a whole is also well proportioned. Each pod of buildings has its own pool area, so going for a swim is never too far away. The clubhouse pool proved to be Asher's favorite, as it is open later and tended to attract more kids for Asher to play with. Also popular was the spray park, especially for a summer vacation where midday temps broke through 100 and were never below 90. There's a nature trail that takes you around the two ponds on the premise and ends up at the lake, where you can find a restaurant, beach, and dock. (On our first visit out into the lake, we spotted an alligator!) 

4. Our own bookings and our observations while on site indicate that the resort caters to a very diverse population, which I'm very happy about. Clearly it is seen as an affordable, high-value family destination by households from all walks of life. What's funny is, way before we shopped for and bought this place, I had it in my notes from when Aaron and Jada were little that this would be a good place to stay if we ever did an Orlando vacation. I only learned this after we'd closed, which only confirmed that someone as frugal as me would like to spend a week there with his family.

5. The location is pretty good. Disney is less than 30 minutes away, and downtown and airport are about 45 minutes. Orlando is, of course, very auto-dependent, and this resort is a gated community where if you want to go anywhere you have to drive. Which is different for our family, which is used to ditching the car and walking everywhere (this is true of our other places in DC, Ocean City, and Miami Beach). I joked with my kids that Orlando would be where we would cosplay as suburbanites, but after that first drive where we were stuck on the highway it was not longer funny. Thankfully, that was an extreme outlier, and most of the rest of the trip we didn't hit much traffic.

6. Picking activities can be difficult when I want to go go go and the rest of the family are normal human beings who value rest and relaxation while on vacation. I think we generally got this right on this trip. I got to play two rounds of golf, the kids had lots of free time to enjoy the premises, and even the one bad weather day (thunderstorms all Thursday afternoon) worked in our favor as many of us clearly needed a nap by then. For a five-day vacation, we decided one theme park would be more than enough, and that Universal Studios was the right size for us, and I think that was all correct: Asher made it a lot longer than he usually does on a hot summer day, the ride lines were all reasonable (10-30 minutes), and the park size not being cavernous made everything manageable. 

This will not be our last Orlando vacation! Jada and Aaron were already scheming for when they could come back with their friends and without us, Amy and I will similarly hope for kid-free times here, and I'm hosting my first golf weekend with three close friends later this summer. The place is booking well so we are hitting our revenue numbers, and I'm glad for the option it represents for so much personal enjoyment as well. Not done daydreaming about future trips here, or shopping for additional places to buy!