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Testing The Theory That Staying At This Resort Would Be Great

Making the decision to visit Orlando comes along with a lot of other things to consider. You have to figure out where you're going to stay, what attractions are you going to visit, where are you going to shop, etc. There's a lot of components to think about for a vacation.

I asked one of my buddies if he knew of a good place to stay in Orlando. He said that his parents owned a timeshare with Westgate Town Center Resort Orlando and that it was a great spot. I have 4 kids and he said they'd love it. There are so many activities and amenities to keep them busy, like a movie theater, waterpark, paddle boat rentals, and more. As soon as I heard about this place I decided to investigate.

Reading the online reviews the resort did sure look nice. And they did have of the things my friend told me about and more. He didn't mention that the resort had 14 pools. Yes 14. Why they need so many pools, I'm not sure. I'm also not sure how we would even go to all 14 pools during our week long stay. The price wasn't bad either. Traveling as a party of 6 I'm used to shelling out $300+ per night for a 2-bedroom, but the price, even at this great resort, was less than that. After showing it to my wife, who agreed it was a great resort, I booked it right away.

We had the room secured and that night my wife and I sat down, took a look at the finances, and decided what attractions we were going to do while we were in Orlando. We'd already done the whole Disney World thing and the kids are all mostly teenagers, our youngest being 12, so we decided that we would make this trip a Universal Studios trip. We had been there once, a few years ago, but they've added so many new rides and sections in the park, like the Harry Potter World, that we figured the kids would enjoy that the most.

We told the kids the following day that we had a plan to go to Orlando for vacation and they were excited. We already bought the Universal tickets and the room, so all that was left was to make the decision if we wanted to shell out $1000+ for airline tickets or if we wanted to make the tedious 14 hour drive to Orlando with 4 kids. My wife and I debated this for a couple of days, and we finally decided to just drive. That extra money could pay for a few dinners out and the kids weren't that bad. We just needed to make sure all phones were charged and car chargers were ready. As long as the kids had their precious phones I figured we'd be in good shape. For the drive my wife and I could swap every few hours. We'd driven further distances, so we knew we could do it.

 Finally the big day to start heading down to Orlando was here. We loaded the SUV with all the bags and a cooler with drinks and snacks. We started off and then realized my son forgot his tablet. Luckily we were only about 10 minutes in, but not a great way to start. After one final check, one last call for the bathroom and a warning that we would not be turning around again we really headed out. The ride was quiet for the most part, we only had to stop 3 times for a break and gas, and we made it in better time that I originally thought. It only took 12 hours.

The resort was even better than the pictures and reviews said. The room was comfortable with plenty of room for my family of 6 and so many activities offered for everyone. The free shuttle to the theme parks were a plus I wasn't expecting. We shuttle to Universal on the 3rd day there and while we had planned to be out and about for most of the trip, we mostly stayed and just hung out at the resort.

So was Westgate Town Center the best or a bust? I'd say this was literally the best family vacation we've ever had.