My Move to Orlando!!

[Guest]

Most of you on here don't know me but for those that do, I've been living in Orlando for about a month now, and I'm loving almost every second of it... Between working, trying to move everything in, and taking advantage of where I live every time I have a day off, I've been pretty much non stop since I got down here. First I'll start off with a little bit about where I'm living. The complex is called The Arbors at Lee Vista, located off of Semoran Blvd.

 

 

I'm literally 6 minutes to the terminals at Orlando Int'l Airport (MCO) and it isn't as bad as it sounds. The planes that do actually fly over my apartment don't make too much of a racket. The apartment is a 2 bedroom and 2 bathroom 1096 square foot place with a screened in porch overlooking the lake in center of the complex.

 

 

 

I don't really need to give you a play by play on what the apartment has and doesn't have, so I'll just show some before and after pictures from before I got here as compared to where I am now.

 

 

 

 

 

You can view the rest of the apartment pics here...

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/568834476udoFpZ

^ That's a direct link to photo's with furniture.

 

Since I've been down here, I've visited Sea World with my buddy DarkRideDan for his first time there... Disney World Parks 2 times, Downtown Disney 3 times, Disney's Boardwalk once, Busch Gardens Tampa once and Cypress Gardens twice. Disney is offering something called "Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party" through the months of November and December. Basically what it is, the Magic Kingdom closes at 7 p.m. and who ever signed up for this event get the entire MK to themselves from 7 to midnight. For $55 bucks, its well worth it. Free Hot Chocolate, Apple Juice, Apple Slices and Christmas cookies.... plus ERT... it's like heaven.

 

When Dan and I went to Seaworld, we had a good time for only being there for about 2 hours. Living 13 minutes from the front gate certainly makes it easy to make an impromptu visit to the park. Manta is looking better and better each day. At first I wasn't too impressed or excited about it, but so far, it looks as if B&M and Busch have made a "good" flying coaster layout. My only complaint now is that it blocks off the entire front left section of the park, forcing you to take an extremely long walk to Kraken. We first hopped on JTA to get Dan his credit, and we walked on to the front row. It wasn't hot out, but its was around 65, so riding a water ride was bearable. We loved it, then went over to Kraken to see a 15-20 minute wait and opted for the back row. Dan found a new favorite floorless coaster, and I rode one that I've been on numerous times. If you know Dan, you know he's not the biggest fan of floorless coasters... so to see him smiling coming off of Kraken, I knew we had struck gold. We meandered over to the kiddie coaster, stopping at the Penguins and Wild Arctic. It was a really fun 2 hours to say the least...

 

I had plans to get to Cypress Gardens before I even moved down here. I'd heard nothing but good things about Starliner and was itching to ride their "TechnoJump" again since it was the best one I'd been on to date. Once I heard they were closing, I knew I had to get there sooner. Bubba Z (of Funnel Cake - I'm not sure what he goes by on here) had flown down for the day on Friday of their closing weekend and once I picked him up at the airport around 9, we jetted over to Winter Haven to get him some credits. First stop was the Starliner, since we heard it'd been closed for about 2 weeks and noticed people waiting in line, we didn't want to miss it. We had to wait about 20 minutes before they opened it and while waiting I noticed a couple of people at the top of the stairs that I know. My buddy Mark had asked us if we were going to Disney's Xmas party, which at the time, I had no idea what it was. Many many thanks to him for telling us about it because I've never gotten that much riding done in so little time at any Disney park...

 

Anyway, we are still at Cypress... Starliner was really kick ass. Not every hill had monster airtime, but the 3 or 4 that did make the ride an 8 out of 10 for me.

 

 

There is one hill in particular that stands out to me. It's after the 2nd "large" drop and before the turnaround. It seriously doesn't even look like it fits there, but it does. It was later named the "Ouch Hill"

 

 

 

The ride was so much fun and it's a shame we wont be going on it again anytime soon.

 

 

The rest of the trip at Cypress that day consisted of snaggin credits. We got them all and went off to Disney. Bubba needed a couple of credits, Everest being one of them, so we went to Animal Kingdom first and rode Everest and Dinosaur in less than an hour.

 

 

MGM - Hollywood Studios was our next stop and we waited about 45 minutes for Toy Story Midway Mania, which in my opinion, is EASILY the best interactive dark ride ever. ToT was also a main reason for going to MGM and that didn't disappoint as usual, especially since it was a walk-on.

 

 

We stopped at Epcot last before going to the "party" and rode Test Track and tried to ride Mission Space, but gave up on MS. Test Track was awesome as usual. Off to the MK. First stop when we got there was The new Laugh Floor from Monsters INC which is really fun and cute. Space Mountain was ridden about 8 or 9 times through the night and we basically just hopped around the park riding rides we usually don't get the opportunity to ride. 11:30 rolled around and we were pretty tired and Bubba had a 7 am flight home and I had work at 8 am so we drove back to the apartment and crashed. T'was a fun filled day and I can't wait for another Disney Party on the 7th when my friends from CT come down!

 

Sunday had then rolled around and I went to Cypress again with Gator and eventually met up with Gary. This was their official closing day, and I really think they reached their highest attendance figure ever. I don't really need to explain much so I'll let the pictures do talking...

 

 

 

^Forgot to mention we ran into these 2 as well...

 

 

 

^Snap 'em!!!

 

 

 

 

I also forgot to mention that their "TechnoJump" was gone. They replaced it with a picnic pavilion. >

 

We ended the day with the 2 final laps given to the GP, possibly ever, on StarLiner. My buddy Gary took a video of the last 2 laps and it can be seen here...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGZ812vtp08

 

It was a fun/sad day... the park will be missed.

 

To see the rest of the Cypress Closign Weekend pics, click this...

http://family.webshots.com/album/568853486rtMNFB

 

 

So my last "section" of this report is my solo visit to BGA. It took me about an hour or so to get out there, parked in the preferred lot and made my way in the park. It was a really fun day with about 12 rides on Gwazi (both sides) total for the day, not all in a row, 9 on Kumba, in a row, and 1 Sheikra ride. I tried to get on Montu, waited 4-6 trains for the back and then someone spewed all over the train so I just went back over to Gwazi for a bit. The park was pretty as always and the rides were all running great. I even like Sheikra a little now that I've ridden the back row in the "big boy" seat. Here's some pictures from the day...

 

^I'll get you next time...

 

^Still there...

 

Best GCI ever.

 

 

 

 

 

^That's what I look like when I'm at a park by myself

 

 

 

 

 

^My favorite B&M!

 

 

 

Ghost Train.

 

 

 

And that concludes my "park escapades" and "moving in" process. The other night I went to House of Blues with a friend, Matt, for "Hospitality/Club night" and that was insane to say the least... many more of those to come

 

I hope you enjoyed reading/viewing my life as of recent.

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/frissbeking

^That's the rest of my stuff incase you wanted to check it out.

 

Thanks!

 

Rob.

[Jds03]

Thanks for those photos! They were really great quality! It's so nice to live near lots of parks. If i went in the middle of Donrey and SFGadv I'd probably more to Florida too!

[BeemerBoy]

Glad you're enjoying the move so far. Encountered any gators in the water out back yet?

 

You got some pretty cool pics there. The report would be even better had you posted an Epcot pic or two.

 

 

 

Thanks for those photos! They were really great quality! It's so nice to live near lots of parks. If i went in the middle of Donrey and SFGadv I'd probably more to Florida too!

But a move to Florida would mean you'd be surrounded by the evil Disney parks. Best to stay where you're at. Dorney and GADV are 2 of the "1000 better parks" than what Disney has to offer.

[gatorchomp83]

Hey, that room looks like it could be mine...

 

Oh wait....It was supposed to be.

 

I'll be down there in two weeks dude, baggage or not lol. See you soon.

[Guest]

Glad you're enjoying the move so far. Encountered any gators in the water out back yet?

 

You got some pretty cool pics there. The report would be even better had you posted an Epcot pic or two.

 

 

 

Thanks for those photos! They were really great quality! It's so nice to live near lots of parks. If i went in the middle of Donrey and SFGadv I'd probably more to Florida too!

But a move to Florida would mean you'd be surrounded by the evil Disney parks. Best to stay where you're at. Dorney and GADV are 2 of the "1000 better parks" than what Disney has to offer.

 

I'm hoping those Disney references are made with the utmost sarcasm

 

Epcot would have been nice to have pics of, but I didn't have my camera with me in the Disney parks, the 2 pics I posted were from previous trips.

[BeemerBoy]

^ Yes, in fact, it was dripping with sarcasm due to this.

[Guest]

Wow... good thing I missed that one... I could've had a lot to add in regards to one person Disney-bash... but I'll bite my lip instead.

 

 

Steve... you have to let me know when you're coming... don't surprise me, don't like surprises

[gatorchomp83]

It'll be the 13th of December, probably come down that Friday (12th) night. I have your number, I'll let you know boo.

 

Oh, and Disney sucks. Except Everest. And thanks for riding it for me.

[Jds03]

^ Yes, in fact, it was dripping with sarcasm due to this.

 

YES! My sycophathic Disney hating side has earned me a reputation on TPR! Alright!

[HEADCHEEZ]

^ Ummmm...Okay...

 

Anyway, I'm Glad your enjoying your life in Orlando! I haven't been there since 2002 so I need to get back.

[sam06pr]

Well...Welcome to Orlando. I can't believe you rode Gwazi 9 times in a row...ouch! Never thought someone could handle so much lol

[Guest]

I LOVE Gwazi... I'm a fan of woodies that are intense and beat you up a little. I do understand the difference between rough and intense, and Gwazi is more on the intense side, for me anyway.

[Jds03]

I LOVE Gwazi... I'm a fan of woodies that are intense and beat you up a little. I do understand the difference between rough and intense, and Gwazi is more on the intense side, for me anyway.

 

Yeah, Gawzi's a really great ride. When i rode it it was incredible because it was last year during Christmas break, right in the center of the off season. It was like giving a glass of ice cold water to a guy dieing in the desert.

[the ghost]

^ Yes, in fact, it was dripping with sarcasm due to this.

 

YES! My sycophathic Disney hating side has earned me a reputation on TPR! Alright!

 

LOL You are incurring the wrath of the title fairy. You must beg for forgiveness or give her a rodent made of intamin track or something like that.

 

Great photos BTW, I cant wait to ride my first GCI in So Cal next year.

[TheHulk]

Nice TR! First time I rode Gwazi, my friend said I kept bumping into her. Not my fault. Lol.

[Guest]

Thanks for all of the positive feedback guys! Hopefully I can meet some of you that live around here sooner or later.

[dragonskeep]

Hey dude, welcome to The City Beautiful. There are a lot of exciting things coming our way in the next few years. Manta, Rockit, Potter, and rumors of a redo on Space Mountian as well as a possibility of a Hyper coming to BGA. If you are into sports, the new home of the Magic is gonna be the sweetest in the NBA.

Year round parks provide a lot of off season opportunities where the park feels like you own it. Enjoy it here, it's a great place to live.

[OrlandoRocks]

Did you finally get tired of NJ? I just moved down here a couple months ago from NJ also. It is awesome living here besides the slumping tourism market right now.

[STR8FXXXINEDGE]

Nice TR! I love all of the Florida parks. Well, the 4 that I have been to anyway.

 

Your apartment looks super nice. If you don't mind, would you share how much you pay for rent (or other fees) to live there?

I plan on moving to Orlando within the next few years and I've been curious about prices. I actually found an apartment complex not too far off of I-Drive that rents for a pretty decent price.

[SharkTums]

^ & ^^No offense, but I googled the apartment place and it sounds really terrible. Bad area, stuff getting stolen off of balconies and storage areas, cops there a lot, management that doesn't care, basically the place was built super nice, but has gone downhill fast.

 

Now, I don't always place all my weight in reviews, but if you look at the prices of this apartment complex with similar looking ones in Orlando you'll see it's almost 'too' cheap! There has to be something wrong, and it appears that there is!

 

Elissa "Always looking for a place in Orlando" Alvey

[ginzo]

^It's always good to be more wary of the positive reviews because it's just too damn easy for management shills to write fake positive reviews.

[doom1001]

Crime in Orlando is getting pretty bad in a lot of areas.If you're going to live there you need to stick with areas in west Orlando like Windermere or Dr.Phillips or head north to Seminole County.Even areas that appear nice like Metrowest is so close to bad neighborhoods like Pine Hills that you should definitely avoid as well.I've been researching a possible move there and the crime is definitely a concern.

[Guest]

^ & ^^No offense, but I googled the apartment place and it sounds really terrible. Bad area, stuff getting stolen off of balconies and storage areas, cops there a lot, management that doesn't care, basically the place was built super nice, but has gone downhill fast.

 

Now, I don't always place all my weight in reviews, but if you look at the prices of this apartment complex with similar looking ones in Orlando you'll see it's almost 'too' cheap! There has to be something wrong, and it appears that there is!

 

Elissa "Always looking for a place in Orlando" Alvey

 

I saw those same reviews before moving here. I went to a total of 28 different apartment complex's before getting to this one. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM had a ridiculous number of bad reviews. Most of the reviews that get posted online are from people that are asking too much, or had ONE bad experience and decided to go online and ruin the complex's reputation. After living here for about 2 months now, I have yet to see any crime, I've gotten random voice mails from the management asking how I'm liking it, if I had any concerns about anything... in all they've been nothing but super nice. The neighbors are all nice. The grounds are well kept, if something is broken in the apartment... they come within a day or two to fix it. This "area" that I'm living in is extremely nice compared to about 80% of the apartments in Orlando. It's really close to Orlando Int'l, which is something I like for some reason, but can see how that could be a negative point. Trust me on this one, I'm really concerned about my safety and want to make sure I'm not living in the wrong area. I would HIGHLY recommend The Arbors at Lee Vista to anyone wanting to move to the area. What kind of prices did you find? I can assure you that this place isn't the most expensive, but far from the least expensive.

 

I'm not trying to start an argument here, so please don't take it that way. I'm just angry that the net is so easily filled with random garbage that can lead to the bad reputation of something so nice.

 

 

Apartment Ratings for Arbors at Lee Vista

 

Some ratings can be seen there. Most of the more recent ones are positive. I skimmed through the negative ones and just laughed at it. The one mentioning "condoms by the hot tub" had me chuckling. I've been in that Hot Tub numerous times and haven't seen anything out of the ordinary, maybe a few leaves and flies... Oh No!

[robbalvey]

^ Trust me, I know what you mean. We have seen some really bad reviews for hotels that we've ended up booking on our trips that have turned out to be GREAT!

 

I think a lot of people only post bad reviews. It's a rare occasion when someone has a good experience and then posts about it. Most people get pissed and want the world to know.

 

--Robb

[Guest]

^ Trust me, I know what you mean. We have seen some really bad reviews for hotels that we've ended up booking on our trips that have turned out to be GREAT!

 

I think a lot of people only post bad reviews. It's a rare occasion when someone has a good experience and then posts about it. Most people get pissed and want the world to know.

 

--Robb

 

Thank you. I'm glad someone thinks like me. I'm thinking I'm going to take the time and put in a good review for this place on every apartment rating site that seems "heavily trafficked"