djsamuel

We saw that this year when we went up to visit family in NJ over Christmas. Even had the camper, and Griswold hanging from the roof.

I agree. The 500 loop is a really nice loop in a great location.

If you're looking for a more quiet loop that is classified as a non-meadows premium loop, the 1100 loop is a nice choice. It is across the street and up a little bit from the Meadows area, yet not too far away. My wife and I always walk around the loops, even if we are just stopping in for the day, and it is not too far unless you have difficulty walking. The buses are always convenient. Many enjoy the golf carts, but certainly not necessary.

This week marks 2 years until retirement, max.

I know several situations where families consisting of around 30 year old parents and their kids either move their work from home location or take new jobs to escape high cost areas to enjoy the relatively low cost and income tax free status of Florida. After they move, the grandparents retire and follow them down; buying their own home nearby. About half of the homes in our development are parent/grandparent pairs, or even triplets.

I LOVE Nine Dragons; ate there yesterday. ALWAYS a great meal and service. One of my favorites.

I am being convinced that Disney is using high dining prices as a tool to show a value in the meal plans. Some of the prices are getting out of hand. Others remain somewhat reasonable in price; like Ale and Compass, Grand Floridian Cafe, Sebastian's, etc.

Many people, including me, commute daily from west of Orlando to east Orlando. Some jobs are located along Sand Lake road, around the Lockheed Martin facility there. I have several friends commuting from Clermont to that area. The downtown Orlando area has a growing digital media industry. Companies such as EA are planning on moving to the center of Orlando from Maitland in a few years. I know several people who commute from the Clermont/Winter Garden area up to Maitland for EA and will do the same when EA moves. East Orlando (near UCF) has a really large simulation industry, anchored by the military and large companies like Lockheed Martin on Lake Underhill road, Boeing, and others. I commute from Clermont to near UCF. It isn't a bad drive and the East Orlando area is just too dense for me. Also, a lot of people enjoy the Clermont/Winter Garden area a lot. It is a great place to live.

I love the Biergarten. We were at Epcot yesterday and I looked at the price and saw it was now $46 for lunch. that seems really high to me. Am I mis-remembering the previous price? I thought it was around $35.

Dinner at BOG is really good (at least it was last Mother's Day); much better than breakfast or lunch. Noise is a real concern, wlthough we always ask to be seated in the Gallery and that is much quieter.

A lot of the people buying have one family member working at Disney. My wife worked at Disney for years while I have what she calls the "serious job" earning more money and the serious benefits. Her job, even retired, provides some great "fun" benefits that save us a fortune. I know several families who recently moved to the area from the midwest and the east coast (and one from the West Coast) and they do not work at Disney. The Orlando economy is really starting to boom in the high tech sector although it gets overshadowed by the tourism industry.

The big concern is Hong Kong as they are getting hammered by the protests last quarter. From Disney's most recently quarterly report: " Operating income at our international parks and resorts was comparable to the prior-year quarter, as growth at Disneyland Paris and Shanghai Disney Resort was largely offset by a decrease at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. "

The construction up Avalon is mind boggling. I have no idea where the people are coming from, but they need to get a handle on it. As far as all of those Starbucks; I must be too old! I just don't get it. 😀

Avalon Road is being widened to 4 lanes the entire length. It looks like a traffic light will be in place at Western Way and Avalon, and there is a lot of construction currently blocking Flamingo Way at Avalon. A big problem area will be the intersection of Western Way and Buena Vista Drive. That really backs up now each day around shift change times and especially normal rush hours. Also, the intersection of Avalon and 192 can be a nightmare. Finally Hartzog Road will be an issue, especially now that a large Del Webb 55+ community is just starting construction right on Hartzog, about halfway to the Western Way.

Test Track had a lot of issues at the beginning, both in software and mechanical. There were much larger issues there. Fantasy of Flight had some and of course the Skyliner as well. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train closed several times the first few weeks after opening, not including the fire. You are also assuming that the lack of announced previews and soft openings equates to a lack of testing. Give it a month and see where they are. They were certainly under pressure to get the crowds up at Galaxy’s Edge, and that is one of the factors used in risk management.