Halloween in Orlando 2010

Universal Studios' 2010 Halloween Horror Nights

Orlando

September 24, 25 & 30

October 1-3, 7-10, 14-17, 20-24 and 27-31, 2010

Busch Gardens' Howl-O-Scream 2010

Tampa

October 30 - November 2 and

November 7-9, 14-16, 21-23 & 28-31, 2010

SeaWorld's Halloween Spooktacular 2010

Orlando

October 2-3, 9-10, 16-17, 23-24 and 29-31

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2010

Disney World - Magic Kingdom

September 14, 18, 21, 23, 25, 28 & 30

October 1, 3, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29 & 31

and November 1, 2010

“Luxurious, spacious, & comfortable, with a price that can't be beat!”

Vista Cay Resort by Millenium
My husband & I planned this trip as a treat for his siblings (18yrs, 15yrs & 12yrs) months in advance. I searched for deals on hotels, preferably with tickets to Universal Studios as part of a package. After hours of reviewing places, Vista Cay stood out as the best option.
We booked a 3-story executive townhouse (3 bed, 3.5 bath) for a 5-night stay and opted to include 4-day park-to-park tickets for Universal Studios. We drove all the way from Houston, straight to the Vista Cay Millenium office, where you pick up the codes and information (like checking in). The attendant was so pleasant and helpful, explaining everything thoroughly. When we entered the townhouse, you would have thought that the kids believed THIS was the vacation!

The townhouse was beautiful, well-furnished, well-equipped and well, just perfect. It was even more luxurious than the online photos, but it was still as comfortable as home. The bottom floor had 1 bedroom with bath & the garage. The garage is equipped with a modern washer & dryer.

The second floor has the kitchen (3 times bigger than mine at home), pantry, half bath, dining area, and living area. The sofas were all comfortable leather, the furniture was of high quality, and there was a large flat panel TV with cable. There was also a PS2, which we didn't use, because we didn't realize it would be there. When we stay here again, we will bring some games. However, there was a DVD player that we did utilize.

The third floor has the master suite (with a huge closet!), and the bedroom & bath with 2 twin beds. The master bath was just beautiful & all the bathrooms even had a towel shaped into a swan sitting on the counter. I appreciated the fact that the bedroom with 2 beds was next to the master so we could keep an eye on the younger girls with us.
I really can't say enough about this place. The kids even asked if we could come back next year, and that was before we had even gone to the amusement park! Planning is definitely key, though, as I called and spoke with the resort prior to packing. Here are some things that might be helpful:
The kitchen is almost fully stocked - - it has enough pots & pans to get you through, as well as more than enough plates, bowls, glasses, etc. I brought minimal supplies to the kitchen area: several coffee filters, ground coffee, pasta server (for spaghetti one night), a few dishwasher tablets, a few extra trashbags, a roll of paper towels (that we didn't even end up using), and a pizza cutter (for frozen pizza another night). I ended up buying a cheap disposable aluminum pan at Publix around the corner so I could make bisquits one morning. I basically packed all dry goods & purchased the rest at Publix.
As far as the rest of the house goes, I only brought a few extra rolls of toliet paper (also didn't have to use). The resort supplies you with enough laundry detergent to do 1 load, so if you think you will need more, just bring a little. The availability of the washer & dryer was fantastic, because we came home wet after the amusement park one day & we were able to launder the clothes easily.

It's been over a week since we returned from vacation, and the kids are still saying they miss the house! I couldn't have imagined all 5 of us squished into a hotel room somewhere. This gave each us of enough privacy, but also enough room for us all to be together to play board games, watch movies & have a family dinner.
I can't say enough good things about Vista Cay resorts. The pricing was so good & the accommodations over the top, that it felt like we should have paid double. We will definitely be back soon!

• Date of stay August 2010

• Visit was for Leisure

“Home Away From Home”

Vista Cay Resort by Millenium
I must say I am an advocate for reading TripAdvisor's reviews. All of the reviews for Vista Cay were great except 1 and the 1 review made me a little leary but I am proud to say that we didn't experience anything of the sort in any of the 3 bedrooms. (I was checking every night ) I decided to go ahead and make the reservation anyways, knowing what I had read. To my hesitation, the condo was EXCELLENT!!! There were only a couple of small things that we weren't to excited about but it didn't spoil our stay there. 1 - the pillows were very, very soft & no elevation for your head, but we had a GREAT stay @ Vista Cay. We traveled w/ young kids & teenagers, so it is hard to please both age groups, but they enjoyed the Amenities Center and had enough room to play their Wii !!! All of the rooms were nicely sized and there was a TV in each room. My mother & I were able to cook in the kitchen together w/ out bumping each, the washer & dryer worked wonderfully. Without a doubt and 2nd thought we would stay @ Vista Cay again & are already planning for next year.

 Date of stay August 2010
• Visit was for Leisure

“Fabulous Location”

Vista Cay Resort by Millenium
On arrival at the Vista Cay we were told our condo was ready when we had in fact booked a 3 bed executive townhouse with Travel Republic. There was not a townhouse ready so we agreed we would stay another night in our current hotel and when we checked in the next day our townhouse was ready. I am not sure what "executive" means though. The accommodation was exactly what we were looking for in terms of size and location. The beds were very comfortable and there was lots of space in the unit. he kitchen was only just functional - our unit (815, I think) only had 3 wine glasses and a mix of tumblers etc. This didn't really bother me as I wasn't going to cook anything more than snacks. Also, there was a two seater and a three seater sofa in the lounge - Loved having free wi-fi in the unit. The pool area was fab; the location is fantastic and I would recommend a stay here. Maybe the condos (which are generally nearer the pool) would be newer. Would also have loved some ammenities by the pool - it is a pain to try and keep drinks cool whilst sunbathing - it's a hard life! Shopping at the Mall of Millenia is a must too.

• Date of stay July 2010

• Visit was for Leisure

“Delightful Accommodation”

When we arrived after a lengthy journey we found the reception helpful pleasant & informative. The Condo was beautiful, nicely decorated clean & tidy. When there was a small problem with the TV it was resolved within hours. Would have no hesitation recommending it to others The Location was superb with all attractions nearby.


• Date of stay July 2010

• Visit was for Leisure

“Wow, better then expected!”

Vista Cay Resort by Millenium


We stayed at Vista Cay, It was lovely. Just relax and enjoy. We stayed for 5 nights and never had a problem. We were right next to the pool and clubhouse, but no noise was heard. Our view was of the parking lot, but who cared? The rooms were large and well cared for, the facilities were perfect and the pool was all this fridged gal could ask for-warm! I would stay again in a heart beat, as would the people traveling with me, 72 year old grandma, my 48 yr old spouse and our kids, 22 and 13 along with our son's girlfriend who is 20. This is a great place to stay if your going to Sea World or Universal. Enjoy this lovely place.

• Date of stay August 2010

• Visit was for Leisure

“Best Place to Stay!”

Vista Cay Resort by Millenium


This resort made our experience at Florida spectacular! However there are some flaws of course. First we arrived at the check-in office (which was away from the rooms and next to the Publix supermarket) we had some trouble finding it but we asked a man and he kindly helped us. Since we arrived at 12 o' clock and the check-in time was ONLY after 4 pm we had to drive around waste some time until it was the check-in time, so basicly we were homeless for a couple of hours. But they said that we could hang-out at the club, which had some arcade games, two pool tables, and computers with internet.
After we got our pin number for our room (there are no keys you enter numbers) we got in unpacked and went to the nearby Publix market for some groceries.

We are a family of five people, so we could fit in a 2 bedroom, however we would need a roll-in kinda bed. Honestly I don't think they had any, so we were lucky we got a 3 bedroom. I was surprised we bought a 3 bedroom because my dad said we would take the 2 bedroom. Anyways the 3 bedroom was absolutely beautiful! It was better than the pictures on their website. The room was very large, with a king sized bed in the master bedroom and bedroom 1, with two single beds in bedroom 2. The couch was very comfy and big enough for all of us. The tv was a large plasma screen, but the quality of the pictures wasn't so good. There was rainbow pixels covering parts of the screen most of the time which wasn't pleasing, but it was still in a condition that you could watch comfortably. There was a coffee table in front of the couch and a rug underneath, and next to the tv there was a large comfy chair.

For the master bathroom it was very large, almost as big as the kitchen, and it had towels and toilet paper, same thing for bathroom 2, but the second bathroom was really small with only one light over the mirror for the whole bathroom. It was very dark and unpleasant. The kitchen has everything you need and I mean EVERYTHING. A whole set of knives, plastic plates, glass plates, mugs, plastic cups, several cutting boards of different sizes, spoons/forks/table knives and alot of kitchen utensils like can openers and stuff like that (I dont really remember a lot of the utensils cuz we didn't really use them). And ofcourse there were the washing machines in a small room with a vacuum and an iron with an ironing board. In summary the service was very nice, we loved the room, the location was perfect it was near the publix and many restaurants. If we visit florida again we might consider staying at Vista Cay again.

• Date of stay July 2010

• Visit was for Leisure

• Traveled with Family with Young Children

“Fantastic!!”

Vista Cay Resort by Millenium


This was our 3rd trip to Orlando (the last one in 2001) and we decided to go self catering so we would have to option to cook a meal when we didn't feel like going out to a restaurant. Also, we knew we were going to shop like crazy, so we only brought the minimum clothes with us - which meant a washing machine was a must.
We (Mum, Dad, Me (24yrs old) and my brother (18)) stayed at the Vista Cay for 10 nights.

The resort is about 15 minutes away from Orlando Intl Airport and it's quite extensive. We got an 'executive' suite - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathroom, kitchen, utility room etc. We used the Millenium management company (a number of companies own different buildings in this resort.)
Overall we were very happy with our choice of accommodation
1. Check in was very easy, we went to the office - did the normal check in stuff and were then given a code to our door -. Because it was a code and not a keycard, all you had to was pack up and leave the apartment to check out.
2. There is a big supermarket right next to the main office - you can get everything you need here and the prices aren't bad. Depending on where you end up on the resort, how hot it is outside and what you want to buy - you may need a car to get there though.
3. The apartment itself was amazing - there was a TV in the living room and all the bedrooms with a great selection of channels - the kitchen was clean, with all appliances in almost new condition. The master bedroom was big, with a walk in closet and a massive en suite bathroom. The other 2 bedrooms were a very good size, as was the bathroom. All the beds were very comfortable. Every bedroom had a lot of storage space for all your stuff.
4. Service from the Millenium group was great - our toaster broke down, we called them up and got a replacement toaster a few hours later.
5. The apartment had Complimentary  Wi-Fi, but if you don't want to take your laptop the resort also has a computer room at The Club House. This has a number of computers (six, I think) which you can use for free (for 1/2 hour periods).
6. The pool is large and the massive jacuzzi/spa is great. It would be rare for you not to find at least one free bed.
7. There is also a game room (although you do pay to play the games) and a small theatre where they will show movies. (We watched the World Cup Final here)
8. They also have a gym you can use free of charge - but we never used this so cannot really tell you what it was like.
1. There is no pool bar - so you need to bring your own drinks and snacks
2. Although it looks like it's a walking distance away from International Drive, you will need a car. It took us about 10 mins in the car to get to the section of I-Drive with all the restaurants and shops etc. They are in the process of building a couple of roads to link to I-Drive, so travel time will be cut down when those are finished.
There's not much else I can fault with the place and really the above aren't major problems anyway.
A FEW GENERAL TIPS FOR ORLANDO
1. Unless your travel company will be providing you with a car/coach or something, hiring a car is a must wherever you end up in Orlando
2. Change your money in Britain - I know the rates are sometimes better in the country you're travelling to, but that is not the case here. We looked at the rates on the Internet while we were there and the lowest you could get in Britain was $1.45 to the £. In Orlando, the best we got was $1.43 and that was only one place - everyone else was quoting us around $1.35 to the £.
3. If your SatNav has US maps on it, bring it with you. If it doesn't, I suggest you print out some directions/maps from your hotel to the main places you want to go. The signs there aren't fantastic, and you could have driven miles in the wrong direction before you realise it.
4. Make time to go to the outlet malls. Even if your would rather eat glass than shop, this is a must. You get some great brand stuff at really good prices.
5. Pack an umbrella, you never know when you'll be hit with a thunderstorm.

• Date of stay July 2010
• Visit was for Leisure

“Unbelievable! Don't miss this amazing place!”

Vista Cay Resort by Millenium

Check in was so easy and they were very friendly. We went next door to the Publix and loaded up on groceries. When we got to the property we were speechless. Over 2200 square feet - granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, DVD players in all the rooms. The bathroom was huge and perfect! It was immaculate and provided every utensil we needed. The club house was really neat. They have a business center if you need a computer - the rooms offer wireless internet too. They have a theater room they we reserved for free and my sons and I watched a movie all by ourselves. You can take pizza, drinks - whatever you want in there and have your own private party. The pool is a lot bigger than it looks in the pictures. It rained one day and there were still plenty of things to do. My husband and older son went to Islands of Adventure so my 2 younger sons and I went to the biggest McDonalds I have ever seen. I think they had more fun there than anywhere! :) The concierge at Vista Cay is great and I highly recommend using her services. She has great suggestions and not pushy at all. We didn't want to leave - it was a wonderful, beautiful place to stay.

• Date of stay July 2010

• Visit was for Leisure