Since those early days Celebration has grown in size with several new property phases being added, each with their own individuality and style. Names such as North Village, West Village and Evalyn Lake enrich the community with homes ranging from small condominiums to great mansions. Whether Disney’s original values still hold good is, I guess, a question for today’s residents to answer.

At first glance the Disney influence is very apparent, a hotel very much in the Floridian style, an Art Deco cinema that could easily have been transported from Hollywood Studios and a lake with walking trails reminiscent of Disney’s Boardwalk area. It is hard to come to terms with the fact that this is a working community with its own infrastructure including all emergency services and local amenities including schools, libraries and leisure facilities.

At the far end of Water Street, along a beautiful tree lined avenue is the entrance to Celebration’s very own championship golf course and back in downtown, just a ten-minute stroll away are the chic boutiques and elegant restaurants that can be found dotted around the lake.

Try Sherlock’s, which is a quintessential English teashop that also specialises in fine wines, or sit outside in the evening sunshine and enjoy Spanish tapas at the Colombia restaurant.  A tad cheaper is the Market Street Café, which does ‘the best breakfast’ in Celebration according to many reviewers. The Front Porch is an ice cream parlour with pavement seating, and is an ideal place to rest on a hot summer’s day with your favourite ice cream concoction in hand.

The visitor can be forgiven for thinking they have stumbled upon a perpetual movie set as Celebration is so far removed from the ‘real world’ yet only minutes from hustle and bustle of the US192 corridor. There are no chain stores or recognisable fast food outlets here and Disney has been clever enough to link Celebration Boulevard to World Drive so that residents can reach the theme parks and return home without having to venture on to any other major roads or thoroughfares.

So can the visitors…but don’t tell everyone!!

In the Kissimmee area for example, the main drag along the US192 is full of restaurants, and of course some are better than others.

Now I am old and wise enough to know that recommending restaurants is asking for trouble, so this is just an overview of some we have tried, and what is generally on offer.

The breakfast buffet deals, of course, are legendary. Places like the Ponderosa Steakhouse offer an “all you can eat” breakfast for $3.99 (drinks are extra). There’s a very wide choice of food from the healthy to the very unhealthy, and you can certainly skip lunch after one of these extravaganzas. The buffet experience also enables you to sample American favourites such as grits, and biscuits and gravy.

More upmarket – and not too far from the 192 – is the Market St Café in Celebration. It is a typical smart American diner and the food is good, without being too expensive. You can create your own breakfast and the Eggs Benedict is a speciality.

For dinner, you can find Chinese buffets, Mexican, Italian, Thai, Indian and Japanese. Sea food restaurants abound and often supply buffet menus. Try The Crab House, Red Lobster, or Angel’s Lobster and Seafood Feast.

If you are looking for the American experience, there are many diners which give very good value such as Bahama Breeze, Chilli’s, and Logan’s Road House (free peanuts on the table, just throw the shells on the floor!). And remember that the burger you order in the US will be a proper burger with 100% meat, unlike the version you would avoid back home in the UK.

A trip to Downtown Disney, or the Universal Boardwalk gives you the opportunity to try out some very nice restaurants, such as the Rainforest Café, Wolfgang Puck, Fulton’s Crabhouse, and Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville.

For a more sophisticated dining experience, many hotels have more exclusive surroundings. The Omni, near Champions Gate, has several restaurants none of which would break the bank.

Another area for smart restaurants, where it’s probably best not to wear shorts, is just off International Drive on West Sand Lake Rd.  There you can try the Timpano Chophouse and Martini Bar, Seasons 52, and Antonio’s. Antonio’s also has a sister business called Cafe D’Antonio in Celebration where you’ll enjoy “…the taste and style of a more expensive place”

Don’t forget your discount coupons. Many of the more popular restaurants and diners accept discount coupons to be found in coupon books from tourist information centres.

Coffee and “sodas” (coke, sprite etc) are generally topped up at your table for free, and you won’t even have to ask.

Tipping is always the problem. It is very rare to get poor service and a tip of between 15% and 20% is expected. Remember that waiters are poorly paid in the US, and rely on tips. It certainly ensures that service is good. Do check your check (bill) carefully though; some restaurants will add the tip on automatically, so don’t tip twice!

Andy Brownlie

We turned up at a busy time with 4 of us but to our amazement we only had to wait about 15 minutes. That impressed us straight away.

We were served within minutes of sitting down and were forewarned that the portions were going to be large. But our friends decided to do the usual English thing and order separate meals. We heeded the advice and we are glad we did.

When the meals arrived we were astonished on how large the portions were. Our friends had the pasta with chicken and there were four chicken breasts sitting on the plate. Amazing. The food was great and the deserts were just as glorious. We recommend the Cheesecake Factory to anyone.

One final word for those woman amongst you it is right by the Millenia shopping Mall as well. As an extra bonus there are threee or four other restaurants there that we are yet to try.

Don’t miss out on the Cheesecake Factory!!

This is not your typical Florida golf course! Highlands Reserve offers remarkable scenery along with a course designed for great golf. This championship Mike Dasher design gives you pine tree-lined fairways reminiscent of the Carolinas, open spacious fairways likened to the great Scottish courses, and a bit of old Florida with citrus trees along the countryside. Large, fast, undulating greens make this course challenging and fun for all levels of golfers. Conveniently located just minutes from Disney and all major attractions, Highlands Reserve Golf Club is a Central Florida favourite! 

Mystic Dunes Golf Club at The Palms - For Tee Times Call - (407) 787-5678

PGA Tour player and NBC golf analyst Gary Koch designed this scenic challenging course located at the Wyndham Palms Resort, just minutes from Walt Disney World. The “low country” front nine is reminiscent of classic Carolina courses, meandering through wetlands and marsh; the Scottish links-style back nine features extensive mounding, large pot bunkers and expansive waste areas. The club also boasts an expansive driving range, exquisite clubhouse, and the GPS Par View system on all carts.

 Legends Golf & Country Club - For Tee Times Call (352) 243-1118

The Legends golf course is one of the finest accomplishments of famous course designer Lloyd Clifton. This beautifully manicured Clifton-Ezell-Clifton 18 hole course stretches 6911 yards from the gold tees and is a test of any golfer’s skills at a par 72 with a Slope Rating of 130 and a Course Rating of 72.9. 

Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge - For Tee Times Call (407) 656-2626

You do not have to be a great player to enjoy Orange County National; you just have to Love Golf! A Lot of golf! Orange County National has 45 fabulous holes, on 922 beautiful acres of unspoiled rolling terrain. Pure Golf, the way it was meant to be played, in peace and tranquillity with nothing to distract your game except the rugged natural beauty of your surroundings. You will feel a million miles from anywhere; yet will be just a few miles from Disney, the convention centre and all the entertainment Orlando has to offer.

More & more good news keeps coming for us Villa Owners and Holiday makers alike.

With Universal Studios confirming the first Phase of Harry Potter’s Theme Park opening in Spring 2010, both Disney and Busch Gardens have followed with announcements of their latest offerings in the pipeline. Neither dare be left behind but they have welcomed Universal’s lead as they know it will continue to bring in the visitors until their own Parks are up dated.

Disney’s Night’s of Joy will be moving back from Hollywood Studios to The Magic Kingdom in 2010 where they originally started.

The Princess Area to be created is now being cleared at Magic Kingdom. It is their biggest change which will allow guests to Interact with some of Disney’s most famous Princesses including Cinderella, Aurora and Belle.

The existing Dumbo Flying Elephant ride will be doubled in size (not before time, with those long queues) and be included in a Circus Big Top Interactive queing area to entertain all of us during our wait. There will also be a new Pixie Hollow Greeting Area to meet all of the Disney Fairies. The 1st. Phase including The Mermaid ride and the Princess Area will open in 2012 and Pixie Hollow by 2013.

Busch Gardens are also getting in on the act and will be bringing The Sesame Street Safari to life on the Land of Dragons site. The Sesame Street-themed play area will feature Elmo, Big Bird and many other popular Sesame Street characters.

The only downside, sadly is the closure, again, of Cypress Gardens which unfortunately falls way behind the other Parks pulling Power.

Hope the new owners of Seaworld also respond to all of the proposed changes, it can only good for us all.

Regards,

Mary & Larry