We made it out to the Villa in September/October 2013 and tried to cram in a few things of interest to tell you about. A few upgrades too, of course!
NEW FOR AUTUMN/FALL 2013:
New Cushions for the Pool Furniture
Since owning VillaSouthernDunes, we have increased the number of chairs and loungers available to our guests. For a while now there has been a chair for everyone if all guests wish to eat outside.
This trip we have replaced all of the cushions, some of which were looking a little tired, so now we have a full set of ten chair cushions and four lounger cushions in a bright stripy pattern. One of the original loungers was a little bent so we replaced that too.
Why don't you book so you can try them out?
Philips Speaker iPod/iPhone/MP3 Dock and Charger with Radio and Alarm
When our long-stay guest, Juliet, asked if we had an iPhone dock we knew it was time to get one. We'd previously debated getting one but we weren't sure of demand or interest.
With a little help from Amazon, we were able to send this one over fairly quickly. As well as being an iPod/iPhone dock and charger, it will also connect your regular MP3 player, has a radio and even an alarm clock!
Apologies for the "stock" photos but we forgot to take pictures of it while we were over there! D'oh!
Two New High Chairs
We've had concerns our non-baby guests might get annoyed at the big high chair in our Mickey closet. It's bulky and tricky to negotiate through the doorways. We thought a folding high chair would be better as, being smaller, it could live in the games room out of the way.
We've had a couple of guests with two babies and we already have two cribs, so we decided to get two. Our bears Ted and Frank suggested they should model these for you. They also wanted to show off our new Villa Southern Dunes teddy bear baby cutlery.
Luggage Racks
Getting down to the floor to unpack can be a pain, so we've now added a luggage rack to each bedroom closet (four in all, in case they wander from room to room!)
Disney Light Switch Plates
We decided to try to finish off the light switch Disneyfication project, adding new ones to the Front Living Area, with the
DisneyWorld Castle and some Princesses, and extra Mickey ones to the Mickey bathroom and closet.
The only room still to do is the Donald Master - with a two switch cover - so we are on the lookout for one. Let us know if you see one anywhere!
Newly Upholstered Chairs
We were never totally happy with our dining chairs. The light fabric seat covers could be easily messed up. We set Di to work (under Ted's supervision) and during our stay we reupholstered all of our dining chairs - ten in the dining room, six in the breakfast area and two in each of the bedrooms with a wipeable fire resistant faux leather fabric. She may not be a master upholsterer yet, but I hope you find the new seat covers more practical when you stay at Villa Southern Dunes
New Pool Heater
The bears had a pool party during our stay in September so we thought we'd turn on the pool heat. When it didn't get any warmer, we called in experts who found our pool heater was dead!
☹
At ten years old it had had a good life so it was time to replace it. The new, more modern piece of kit will heat the pool quicker and more efficiently so, if a heated pool is in your Villa plans, we hope this will prove reliable for many years ahead. Better to die on us, we thought!
New Pictures on the Wall
We carried out a little more Disneyfication in the bedroom corridor, replacing the (Ted says) boring pictures that came with the house for more fun Disney ones - Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo and Mickey and the Princesses. Hope you like them!
Out in the lounges we tried to be a little more grown up, with photographs of Magic Kingdom and Clearwater. These are a little more personal, as owner Di took them. We hope that, like us, you think these are just a little more fun!
We tried a few new experiences this visit, all to inform you of course. Our having fun was one of the chores we have to endure as Florida villa owners! Feeling sorry for us yet?
WALT DISNEY WORLD
<<< Disney's The Magic Behind Our Steam Trains
We arrived for our tour at 7am, to start at 7.30am. We were taken onto the train and rode out behind the scenes to the Roundhouse. Here we were given free rein to wander amongst the tracks, viewing engines and getting a little information along the way.
In turns we climbed into the cab to look and, although our guide was not a train expert, she fielded most questions well enough. The weather was against us, with light rain throughout the tour, but it didn't put a damper on our experience.
Our Ted and his pal, Duffy the Disney Bear, got their photo taken with one of Disney's real engineers before riding the train back into and around the park. Back at Main Street Station we got a little history of Walt Disney and trains.
As trains fans, this was a good experience, and lightweight enough for most folks who want to see and learn more of DisneyWorld. For true train experts however, the expertise was lacking about the more technical aspects of the trains. Overall it was fun.
Photos can be taken most places, except on the way through the backstage area - deemed more 'boring' than 'top secret' hence the ban. Once in the Roundhouse (train garage) cameras were allowed once more. At $54 (on top of the park entrance ticket) it's not cheap and more of a second visit experience. We enjoyed it and had the rest of the day (from 10.30am) free to experience the park.
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New Fantasyland >>>
Top and bottom right is the Beast's Castle, which houses the Be Our Guest Restaurant in three large rooms. Top right is the ballroom. More about this dining experience later.
A new meet and greet area - celebrating the Little Mermaid - has opened with Ariel's Grotto. You can also join Ariel Under The Sea by riding in a clamshell, with songs and characters from the movie.
Another fast food outlet can be found in Gaston's Tavern which is very appropriately decorated. You can meet Gaston in the square outside, or sit in his chair inside.
In addition, there are now two Dumbo rides to speed up the lines and Princess Fairytale Hall enables you to meet several princesses in one location. Soon to come is the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, which will be opening in 2014.
The new attractions are beautifully done, which is good as you might well spend quite a while in line waiting to get your turn. Even if you've done Magic Kingdom, it's worth going back for a look at the new areas - at least, we think so!
SEAWORLD
<<< SeaWorld Behind The Scenes Tour
This was an excellent ninety minute tour and was great value at $29. We started by going behind the curtain and arrived in the rehabilitation centre. We saw the ambulances and stretchers (top left) that are used to transport manatees, dolphins and turtles in SeaWorld's conservation work. We saw keepers working with a manatee that had been in a collision with a boat.
We hopped on a bus and were taken behind Shark's Underwater Grill? where we would be told about sharks and why they get a bad press. Then we were able to touch one! Just one of these little ones though!
Next we went behind Wild Arctic to learn about Polar Bears, before heading to meet some penguins! Our final stop was to actually meet these fabulous little guys and each of us in turn got to touch a penguin, while learning about their habitat and SeaWorld's breeding programme.
This was an excellent experience, learning about SeaWorld's conservation side that you don't see quite so much. The transportation was great, especially for those who find walking more difficult (the tour was wheelchair accessible). Our guide was Mark and he was very enthused and made our tour very enjoyable!
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Turtle Trek >>>
This replaced the manatee observation pool in 2012. There is still a manatee pool which you can see into from below the water level. These animals suffer a lot from boat hits and several are rehabilitated by SeaWorld each year.
The second section is a huge tank of sea turtles and a variety of fish. Many of the turtles come with a backstory - one is paralysed and cannot move it's back legs. Another is missing part of a jaw. One has a hole in it's shell. All have been rescued by SeaWorld and given a safe haven. This tank is amazing, the views of the turtles is unforgettable.
The third stage of this fairly new exhibit is a 3D-360 degree film. We didn't rate this highly at all. Supposedly informing an eco-friendly message, the picture quality wasn't great, 3D is rarely effective (in our opinion) and the message about littering was weak. Next time, we'd stand in line for the two tanks, but would skip the movie.
<<< CHOCOLATE KINGDOM
This is a smaller experience, just off the US-192 next to Old Town Kissimmee. Here they explain the history of chocolate and how it is made today. It's a little quirky, but really informative in a fun way. It starts with a movie, a prince needs chocolate shoes to win a princess, but his dragon sidekick melts them! So he (and we) have to learn how to make chocolate so he can make some more. There's some helpful exhibits as well as the opportunity to fire marshmallows from a catapult into the dragon's mouth!
There's a lovely model of the Princess castle, as well as the Prince and the dragon all made out of chocolate, before they show us the chocolate making process in action, step-by-step. At the end we are presented with three chocolate shoes like the Princess would get (only smaller) - in white, milk and dark chocolate - for us to eat.
Finally -for $5 - you can make your own designer bar of chocolate, with a large selection of fillings, but this is completely optional. Then there's the obligatory gift shop with some nice shaped items (like a chocolate alligator for $3) to the usual truffles and flavoured chocolates. The experience was $16 and takes just under an hour but is a nice break from the parks and you could always just check out the store!
CELEBRATION CARRIAGE RIDE >>>
We picked this up at the lake front, opposite the Market Street Cafe. The horse and carriage were waiting so we walked up (you can't book) and asked for a ride. The lovely lady driver let us pose the teds in the front before five of us (and the bears) piled inside. Four would have been better as it was a bit of squish, but there were five of us, and it was $45 for four or five.
It takes about 25 minutes and walks a few blocks of Celebrations, but, while you see some nice houses and green areas there was no commentary at all, which was disappointing. Celebration doesn't have a lot of history but we think there must be fifteen minutes worth to tell us about. Wouldn't really recommend it based on our experience but it was okay. Afterwards, we were told the Segway Tour is much better!
We would totally recommend this Disney experience. It is held on Wednesday or Saturday for a maximum of 12 guests, but we had a private meal of five humans and three bears, together with our Animal Specialist.
The food is a fusion of Indian and African, the Chef comes to explain how it all works and the Animal Specialist tells us how the Animal Kingom Lodge works animal-wise. There are four courses and at the end we could hardly move.
Probably more difficult with 12 guests, or several smaller groups, but as a private party (they will go ahead even with one!) it was a fabulous lunch, the food (vegetarians and allergies catered for!) was amazing and the interaction with Jennifer was informative and interesting.
There's even an opportunity to meet a tortoise out on the Savannah after the meal. Totally worth it for a special occasion. It's certainly worth trying the restaurant if you don't fancy this experience if you like tasty (generally not too hot) spicy food.
We arranged to meet some friends at Downtown Disney and decided to get dinner from here. They do sandwiches, soups and salads as well as cakes. While you can have your food to go (takeaway) or you can sit at tables. For drinks they have beer alongside the soft drinks. It's not a classy restaurant, but the food is very good.
We weren't sure what to expect but, while noisy, the sandwiches (hot or cold) were fabulous! Of course it helped we got a free birthday sandwich AND a free brownie (both for joining their mailing list - sign up before you go!) but the ones we paid for were great also!
We'd not tried this local restaurant before, as we're not really that keen on BBQ, but we thought you might be so checked it out. It's across the road, just a couple of blocks south of Southern Dunes on the US27. The place had people at a few tables when we arrived - a typical booth/table restaurant.
We'd looked at the menu in advance and they had a salad bar, and a few sides that would suit the vegetarian amongst us. While we were viewing the menu, we ordered a pitcher of Budweiser for less than $6! Good start!
Once the food arrived we were pleasantly surprised. To be fair, none of us ordered the BBQ, just regular burgers, while the veggie had sides of crinkle cut fries, corn-on-the-cob and homemade mac and cheese (which was a bit sticky).
A friendly restaurant, where the tables filled up as we ate. There seemed to be some locals and some vacationers eating there and there was no waiting, which works for us! It was very good value.
We tried and failed - at 180 days in advance and closer - to get a dinner reservation here. I'm sure it would have been lovely, but we had to make do with a lunchtime visit. By 11.30am there was already a line to get in, with time to peruse the menu until you reach the check-in line.
If paying cash, you are diverted to a cashier, pay by card and you order yourself via a touchscreen. The guests in front of us were still deciding (after a half hour wait) so this took a while (pay by card and save this pain!)
Order taken, lunch paid for, you find your own table in one of three banquet halls, taking with you a red rose pager to identify you and your order. Your food is served from a trolley, though you have to get your own cutlery condiments and drinks.
The food wasn't bad (could be hotter) and is nicely served. Take your time and at least get a drink and/or a cupcake or more. It's lovely to look around the rooms, especially the ballroom on your way out.
This event is held every day, about two hours before the park closes, so ours was at 4pm. We met at 3.45pm by the Shamu Stadium and, after a false start about where to check-in, we were shown to our table. Our table was next to the large rear tank at the Stadium, with about a hundred or so guests all at tables behind a 6-foot glass screen.
Dinner is a buffet, which wasn't bad with all-you-can-eat food, but it wasn't really as hot as it could be (not helped by buffet lines!) The chef came out to explain about vegetarian food (special veggie plate that was very hot) and which was not suitable for shellfish allergies (just the shrimp) so there was plenty for all. Included with dinner is beer, wine or soft drinks as you prefer, served to your table. Once we were eating, the show started.
The "show" comprised of some information about Killer Whales in general, with Tilikum swimming up and down showing his pectoral fins, showing his teeth and even jumping out of the pool to the side to demonstrate an examination. However, the keeper doing the talking kept walking around the pool and would refer to her right or left, even when you couldn't see her so you'd miss the whale activity. Also from one extreme of the pool it was hard to see stuff the other end (they did work both ends). There was just time after the show to head into the Shamu Stadium next door and catch the final Shamu Show of the day, which was excellent.
The cost is about $29-34, depending on the season. I think it was a little lacking, but if you are particularly interested in Killer Whales (or buffets!) then maybe you should check it out.
This restaurant serves mostly American fare, predominantly but not solely pizza. We were seated straight away and orders taken. The waitresses were very friendly. A slight error occurred when one of the pizzas were not ordered in the kitchen, but this was quickly rectified and given on-the-house! Nice service.
Dessert was also free thanks to a birthday coupon obtained by signing up for their Pizza Dough Rewards Program so the birthday person did pretty well out of an almost free dinner. We've eaten at a number of these across the country and, with the way they handled their mistake, we wouldn't hesitate to go back there again. Besides, their pizza is very good!
We popped in here to get a drink while waiting for the carriage rides to start and found it to be a regular American diner style, with booths and a bar. We ordered some BBQ Brisket Potato Chips to share as we waited and it was very hot and very good. We had planned to eat there after the carriage ride, but dinner at Sanaa was so filling we decided against it this time. We will be going back though - they even have vegetarian choices! Not just the usual take it or leave it option.
Thinking of what to ask for for your birthday? Christmas is coming too! Why not try a Villa Southern Dunes Gift Voucher!
We continue to offer Villa Southern Dunes Gift Vouchers. Perhaps you can get your friends and family to pay for your vacation? Ask them for Villa Southern Dunes vouchers! We can send a PDF file for any occasion, by email to the person who contacts us or we can email it directly to the recipient. We offer any amount in US Dollars or GB Pounds, which must be paid for using PayPal (including credit cards) or by bank transfer. Credit card/PayPal payments will incur a 2% administration charge and vouchers will not be sent until payment has cleared but we will endeavour to issue the voucher within 24 hours of receiving cleared payment. While we can accept cheque payments for Christmas vouchers, the cheque must clear prior to us issuing the gift voucher and cheques will not be taken after 1st December for vouchers which must be delivered by Christmas. If you need a voucher for a particular occasion, or to include a photo of your choice, just ask us at villasoutherndunes@gmail.com
The voucher can be used towards an existing booking (the name on the voucher must be a Named Guest), or towards a deposit, if not yet booked. The name on the voucher may be changed, but this instruction must come from the person whose name is on the voucher. If this is impossible, please contact us at villasoutherndunes@gmail.com
For more information, email villasoutherndunes@gmail.com or call 07952 408964 from the UK (011 44 7952 408964 from the US).
If you'd like to submit a short review of an attraction or restaurant you visited while staying at Villa Southern Dunes, please email it to info@villasoutherndunes.com. Please supply your name, email address, dates of stay and age (if under 18). We'll try and include it if we can.
Thinking of what to ask for for your birthday? Christmas is coming too! Why not try a Villa Southern Dunes Gift Voucher! 