October 1996

Oaks at Resort World
2794 N. Poinciana Boulevard
Kissimmee (Orlando), FL 34746
407-396-8300

Welcome to www.weloveourlife.com. This is our page dedicated to our experiences while staying at The Oaks at Resort World in Kissimmee, Florida, near Orlando. The Oaks at Resort World has been awarded a "best of ..." www.weloveourlife.com award.

Our Pictures

Our 2002 Kissimmee Vacation

We used Interval International to trade into the Oaks at Resort World. Our unit was a beautiful 2-bedroom, 2-bath condo with full kitchen. The master bath had an oversize whirlpool bath and the 2nd bath had a single whirlpool. The unit was very clean. Only drawback was there was no real "view," and no outside deck or patio.

Resort Amenities

Nice pool area - half indoors/half outdoors. Spa/hot tub in the indoor section. Great bar/grill by the pool with televisions to view sporting events. Resort emphasizes activities. We attended a wild animal show on the tennis courts (reservations are recommended). It was enjoyed by adults and children alike. Attendees could pet baby animals and have their picture taken next to a lion! It was a worthwhile way to spend a couple hours on a nice evening, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Resort Food

Our encounters with the resort's food were restricted to the grill by the pool, but it was fine. The grill offered room service, and we took advantage of that one evening; the food was timely and excellent.

Resort Bar/Lounge

We made heavy use of the bar/grill by the pool area. Food could be eaten inside or outside. The bartenders were extremely friendly and made generous drinks. Although the bar was located in the recreation area, it was open into the evening hours.

Resort People/Service

This resort set the service standard by which we judge many of our vacations. The people were extremely friendly and couldn't do enough. One day, we wanted to make a frozen pizza for lunch but could not get the oven open. Apparently someone had used the self-cleaning feature and the oven was stuck in the position. The head of housekeeping promptly responded and assured us she would see that the oven was functional in no time. She had to call out two repairmen who practically tore apart the stove. They were courteous and cleaned everything up; we were able to make our pizza within an hour.

Area/Attractions

This being Orlando, the attractions are numerous. The trick was to balance all the activities with some genuine R&R. We went to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot (we loved it, and October is when they have wines around theworld; this is Disney for adults), and Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay (only an hour away and easy to find; the lines were extremely short and we rode Montu 4 times; free beer of the Anheuser-Busch variety). Next time we will cut out the Magic Kingdom and spend more time at Epcot and the studios.

Dining

Artist Point, Wilderness Lodge, Walt Disney World, (407) WDW-DINE (939-3463)
The restaurant is an attraction in itself. They serve Pacific Northwest Cuisine (seafood, game meats, steaks & vegatables). There are panoramic views of the lake and the lodge courtyard. Keith was adventurous and had some buffalo. Afterwards, we walked around the charming Adirondack-style resort, and strolled out onto the walk that overlooked the water (just in time to catch some of the nightly fireworks).

San Angel Inn, Mexico, Epcot, Walt Disney World, 407-WDW-DINE
It is imperative to make a reservation at any of the fine dining establishments in Epcot. We had a reservation for a late dinner in Mexico, and it was fabulous. An optical illusion leads diners to believe they are eating on a main street of a small Mexican village, surrounded by adobe buildings on one side, and a river and volcano on the other (the volcano erupts occasionally). Above is a blue-domed sky with twinkling stars. The food and music is Mexican (but more upscale, not the Chi-Chi variety). Keith tried out his Spanish on the waiter, who was most gracious.

Firehouse, Pleasure Island, Walt Disney World
We had dinner here before our Pleasure Island excursion; a TGI Fridays type of restaurant, quite loud. There are many "chain" restaurants in the Kissimmee area and we did eat at TGI Friday's and Chili's. We had great food and service everywhere we went.

Nightlife

Pleasure Island
We opted to spend one evening at Pleasure Island, Disney's answer to nightlife. We reserved a cab service and highly recommend this. Even though we were only 5 miles from Walt Disney World, the cab service was prompt, clean, and friendly, and allowed us to have fun, relax, and indulge, without having to worry about driving. It was well worth the $30. Pleasure Island was great. We sampled as many nightclubs as we could. Do not miss the bathrooms at the 70s/disco lounge - the walls are filled with graffiti that shows up under a black light. We spent some time playing air hockey at the rock club. We tried to get into the comedy club, but the lines were too long. There were outdoor musical shows. Lori went into a recording studio and recorded Joan Osborne's "One of Us." Lori is a karaoke queen and would have spent all night there if she could have gotten away with it

Weather

Late October is apparently a beautiful time of year in central Florida. We had no rain for an entire week, the humidity was low, and the daily temperature ranged from 65-85F. For couples without children, this is a good time of year to visit the Orlando area as the lines at the main attractions were practically nonexistent.

Tips/Suggestions

There is a lot to do in the Orlando area. Pace yourself, and don't forget you're on vacation, not on a mission to accomplish everything possible.