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i was in kissimmee in october 2006 with my wife at the time, her friend and my 9 year son matthew. we were staying at the orange lake country club. on this particular day by the pool i was trying to get my son to jump on a rubber ring with the intention of staying on it once it had sunk into the water and then sprung back out. after several attempts he did not manage to do it and asked for an example. at the age of 45 and 17stone i knew this was my chance. matthew set the ring up in the pool and i set off running. i took off from the edge off the pool initially gaining height and than dropping bottom first in the middle of the ring. i managed to wrap my hands and legs around it. the ring sunk deep into the water with me hanging on and then it exploded back to the surface. this created a wave of some size and a splash that anybody would have been proud of. the sounds of cheering were soon tampered when the cool water splash landed on several sleeping sunbathing couples on the edge of the pool. after a few apologies matthew and i sloped off down the lazy river in howls of laughter.
My favorite thing about Kissimmee was the experiences we had dining around time. At the end of each night, we picked a place to eat and shared our thoughts about the day, gathered around a table. As simple as that sounds, it was so comforting. As a family, we felt so removed from our creature comforts. By hundreds of miles. The one feeling we shared was how we felt like we were at home each night because we did what we would traditionally would do, sit together and talk. Call it Kissimmee, I believe it’s magical there!
On the second day of our trip, we had our first space shuttle site visit at the Kennedy Center. As a family, we thoroughly enjoyed the flight simulator. We missed a shuttle launch by a few weeks, but we were still blown away and learned so much about our space program. This was a visit we will never forget, in more ways than one.
My favorite Kissimmee story was the experience we had dining around time. At the end of each night, we picked a place to eat and shared our thoughts about the day gathered around a table. As simple as that sounds, it was one of the most cozy experiences I have had on vacation. As a family, we felt so removed from our comforts. By hundreds of miles. The one feeling we shared was how we felt like we were at home each night because we did what we would traditionally would do, sit together and talk. Call it Kissimmee, I believe it’s magical there!
It had been a long summer, dealing with sinkhole repairs, doing some of the work ourselves and watching grandchildren on the weekend. I saw an a promotion on Gaylord Palms of Kissimmee’s facebook page for the shuttle launch. Try as we might, we could not get through to get one of the discounted rooms. As my husband is a retired Marine, I asked on the site if they had any Military discounts. I was very excited when they said they did and provided a link. I was able to book for early September at $85 for a Florida view and the weekend before Thanksgiving Atrium view at only $105! The September trip would be especially nice as the work was almost done, it would be the month of my 50th birthday, and sadly, my daughter had informed me her family, including my precious 3 year old little granddaughter would be moving out of the state the beginning of October. When I mentioned the date to my neighbor, she noted it was Labor Day weekend, probably too crowded at Disney. I thought of cancelling, but due to this being probably my granddaughter’s last chance to go to Disney, I not only kept the reservation but began to look for a “Princess” lunch reservation at one of the parks. Amazingly, though they say you must reserve 6 months in advance, I was finally able to get us booked into Cinderella’s Royal Table the day before we were to leave for our trip! We went to Disney the day we arrived, and I told my granddaughter she had received a very rare invitation to join her for lunch in the Castle. Would you like to attend, Mia? “Oh, yes!” she nodded as she looked at me very astonished at the thought. She had a wonderful time with all the princesses, and a wonderful time in the Magic Kingdom which proved to be very uncrowded!
As the day heated up, we stuck with our plan to retire early to our hotel and enjoy all the amenities we had seen on the Gaylord Palms website. At check in, the clerk was very friendly and acomodating, and asked if we would like to upgrade our room to Atrium view. After hearing the cost we had to decline as our budget would not allow for it. After a few moments, she asked to be excused for a moment and we waited for about 10 minutes when she returned apologetically. She informed us that they were sold out and would we be willing to upgrade to the Presidential Suite with a King and sofa bed at no additional charge! Of course, we happily replied.
The room was simply amazing, with its own short hallway, doorbell and a lovely foyer. The octagonal-shaped main room was beyond the kitchenette and half bath,and offered beautiful views of Orlando from its many windows which looked out over the lovely balustrade along the balconies. We found the draperies to be motorized all around the room, in addition to ambient lighting under the crowd molding. To the right was a beautiful dining area with peacock designs on the chairs, a sitting area ahead and a desk with computer to the left. The suite also sported two large TVs as well as a sound system piped throughout. Continuing into the Master Suite passing several large closets, we found a beautifully decorated King Bed with plump pillows and a duvet. The main bath featured gold faucets, more granite counters (kitchen also!), a very large jacuzzi tub and a large steam shower!! We spent some time enjoying the room before going down and spending time in the pool where Mia played with one of the beach balls provided by the hotel. She did of course also play in the jacuzzi when we went back to our room, before we all went to bed very tired from our first day in Kissimmee. In the morning when we awoke, there was another amazing sight,as three hot air balloons were floating against a beautiful morning sky! Mia loved the balloons, and our stay at Gaylord Palms was complete.
We spent the remainder of the day at Epcot before returning home, where Mia shared tales of her wonderful Kissimmee vacation with her Mom! She will always remember this trip, and if she forgets, we took many pictures to remind her of her time there. We will really miss her and are happy we were able to give her such a wonderful memory to take with her!
My Kissimmee story is I was born in the north and weaned in the south! I have lived in the Kissimmee area for over 43 years and have watched and participated in the growth of a small 1 traffic light town, a lovely mix of cattle ranches and citrus groves…Kissimmee today is still a charming,unmatched area that is filled with unending possibilities and offers a much more laid back family vacation experience! It’s perfect for people who want a glimpse of what Central Florida looked like before the theme parks came to town while still finding plenty of things for everyone to do! The list of fun is quite long and the variety will keep your family entertained for days
In 1995, I made my first visit to Florida with two of my best friends. To save money, we decided to stay in Kissimmee at a suites motel. We had planned to visit Disney, but we found lots of fun things to do in Kissimmee, too, like Old Town and mini-golf. We had so much fun that less than a year later, I ended up moving down here. One of the other friends moved here a few months after me. Lived here ever since.
My Kissimmee Story is that I loved going to Kissimmee/Orlando when I was little because it meant going to Disney World. Sometimes, we stayed at Disney hotels and sometimes we stayed in Kissimmee hotels. I’ll always have good memories about visiting Kissimmee!
Hello my name is Yahaira Torres and i\’m from Puerto Rico.We took a vacation of one week to Kissimmee Fl and it was the best vacation ever. It was a first for my husband fliying on an airplane so it was a great experience for him. Our flight arrived at Ft. Laudardale Airport on Tuesday Aug,9th at 9am and we rented a car. We drove up to Kissimme Fl for 4 hours stopping by in three Mc Donnalds because my 2 and halg son wanted chicken and fries all the way. We got up to Palm Bay area at 2pm to visit my brother in law, who we haven\’t seen in two years. Later we drove up to the Kissimmee area to do our check in at the Travelodge Maingate Suites. A nice hotel for what we needed for the week. Same day at night we decided to visit Oldtown. We went to Oldtown 3 times that week. During the week we went to the beach two times.We visited Epcot and Magic Kingdom on Disney and visited Universal and Island of Adventure too!!!! Flea Markets at Kissimmee are the best place to get little souveniers for everyone. We drove the whole 192/Irlo Bronson hwy back and forward. It was a great experience for the family because my husband and I were separated and we decided to do this trip with the babies before our final decision. But it turned out that it brought our family back together and if everything turns out ok we are planning either to move in to the Kissimmee area or to have a second vacation on the same area. So I could say that our best time in Kissimmee Fl was everything because it brought back together a family that was gonna break up….I have been on many places but Kissimmee brought back the happiness that was missing in our lives…I will always remember our first trip, ALWAYS!!!!!!!
In my head I’ve been to Kissimmee and had a glorious vacation where the weather was perfect and the skies were always sunny. We had a great time doing amazing things and seeing the sights.
My most treasured memory of visiting Kissimmee, FL is a 2001 tour of Splendid China. I’m saddened that the exhibit was closed but also aware that it opened my eyes to a world I’d hardly dreamed of visiting. The depth and breadth of intricate craftmanship of the figurines, structures, and landscape amazed me. Watching the performers and enjoying the meal drove home to my heart the culture of China. I’ve visited China many times since and owe the inspiration to Splendid China. I truly wish the park exhibit would reopen that I might share the adventure with family and friends. http://www.lostparks.com/china.html
