Flo Rida Part One

I spent a long weekend in Florida last week for my birthday and fall break and it was wonderful! I went with some good friends from law school who shall henceforth be known as J, L, M, and X. We went to Universal Studios and Disney World and had a fantastic time. I'll spend the next few posts talking about our trip, the best and worst places that we visited, what we used to get there, etc. Feel free to comment or ask questions along the way!

The backstory: Last year my friend DMB (not Dave Matthews Band) bought a vacation package from Wyndham Hotels and sent the people along to call me and try to sell me one as well. It was a great deal but sadly I needed the money so I sent them along to my friend J. J didn't need the money, or, more likely, did and decided to spend it anyways, and bought a package for Florida. Fast forward one year. J and the gang decide to go on vacation and since J has this package that pays for a hotel for three nights and two free park tickets when you listen to a timeshare presentation, we all decided to go.

We made the flight reservations on Spirit Air, a low cost airline which I had never taken and which others had mixed reviews with. They were cheap, so we decided to risk it. It turns out that the airline was wonderful. They were polite, the flights were on time, and the plane was sponsored by the Bahamas which was great because there were images of the beach and ocean all through the plane which was actually very calming. The only thing I did not appreciate is that Spirit charges for checking bags and for drinks, ever water!! Luckily the flight was only three hours so I stayed thirsty.



When we got to the airport we went down to the Budget desk to pick up the rental car we had reserved with Hotwire. The process was smooth and we picked up a Toyota Highlander to fit the five of us and all of our luggage. Once on our way we went to the Wyndham welcome center to schedule our timeshare presentation and get the information about our hotel. Here is where we met our first little snag. It turns out that in order to listen to the timeshare presentation (and thus get the deal) you have to have a job. Well, of course, as law students we do not have jobs. Apparently the woman who sold J the package was so over-eager for her commission that she was willing to let a few things slide. Luckily, the gentleman at Wyndham was kind and let us keep our hotel room since we came all the way from Michigan. We just had to pay the taxes (they came to about $20) and the extra night in the room (about $99). We didn't get the Disney tickets but we also didn't have to listen to the presentation so all in all, I consider it a win.

We soon arrived our hotel across the street from Universal Studios, the Fairfield Inn and Suites. While not a luxury hotel by any means, this mid-range inn was very clean and very nice. The continental breakfasts were delicious, the beds were comfy (although I wouldn't know, I slept on the cot, also comfy and safely away from M's flailing arms in the midnight hours), and the staff was incredibly kind. The gym and pool were very well appointed, although the pool was freezing cold, and I spent a good amount of time in the hot tub and relaxing on the more than adequate lawn chairs! This hotel is great for people who want to be close to the park but spend more money on the rides than the accommodations. Does anyone know of better places to stay in Orlando?

Enough background info, in the next post I'll start talking about the parks!

Travel well!
kat