Best communities near Disneyworld (Tampa, Orlando: condo, homes, college)

[cfIfan]

Originally Posted by LeafsFan85

we're staying in Celebration Hotel right now since last Friday and until this weekend, I choose this hotel because of all the raving about the town, so i got to check it out. Looking at the demographic of the town we through we should feel right at home, but we're not feeling it, maybe we need to walk around other area of the town beside the restaurant/pool/theater/park area.

You could drive to the other villages and walk around, but in my opinion as someone who lived there and left, the main village i.e where you are staying is the best part of Celebration. If you are looking at buying you will also find the prices are alot higher than other communities just as nice, plus dont forget the taxes are very high aswell, particular when you think you drive 2 min and find your self slap bang in the middle of the neon lights of 192.

My family have a home there and they are arriving today from the UK and although they like Celebration they also feel if you walk around the other areas outside the main village, it isnt maintained like it used to be when Disney were around. dont let anyone fool you, when it comes to Celebration, Disney have nothing to do with it now, with the exception of the TCC (the celebration company) and they only deal with developing land for commercial use now pretty much.

[luvthatmouse]

Originally Posted by cfIfan

My family have a home there and they are arriving today from the UK and although they like Celebration they also feel if you walk around the other areas outside the main village, it isnt maintained like it used to be when Disney were around. dont let anyone fool you, when it comes to Celebration, Disney have nothing to do with it now, with the exception of the TCC (the celebration company) and they only deal with developing land for commercial use now pretty much.

Disney made some good decisions and some very bad decisions for the town. Matt Kelly (TCC) represents Disney and they still make all of the important decisions in Celebration. I like this quote from a very well respected resident "The dream pulled out when Peter Rummell, Don Killoren, and Charles Adams left Disney, not when Disney "left" Celebration, which they have never done."

[cfIfan]

Im sorry, but you only have to speak to residents or watch channel 5 to know that is incorrect. TCC under Matt Kelly are there but there responsibilities are now pretty much limited to the development of commercial properties and also the interconnector etc. If you saw at the end of last year the meeting Matt Kelly held in the town (i actually attended because i still have a property in Celebration which i rent out) they only deal with these types of things along with traffic studies to try to improve the flow of traffic. Disney no longer have anything to do with the day to day running of the town, or the direction the town moves. This is decided by CROA, none of whose members have any relation or responsibility to Disney.

I love Celebration, indeed i source alot of properties for clients there, but in my opinion it is to expensive for what it is. If Disney WERE still in control it would be different, but they are not, so apart from it being developed by Disney, it is now no different to any other PUD.

Examples of Disney pulling out can be seen all over the place. The lack of maintenance in areas (Disney would never have allowed this), Disney not providing fireworks for 4th July and other events etc etc.

People are interested in the town they live in and what goes on there. To say Disney are still involved in this way is misleading and wrong simply because they are not. The Mouse has left the building.

[luvthatmouse]

Originally Posted by cfIfan

TCC under Matt Kelly are there but there responsibilities are now pretty much limited to the development of commercial properties and also the interconnector etc. If you saw at the end of last year the meeting Matt Kelly held in the town (i actually attended because i still have a property in Celebration which i rent out) they only deal with these types of things along with traffic studies to try to improve the flow of traffic. Disney no longer have anything to do with the day to day running of the town, or the direction the town moves. This is decided by CROA, none of whose members have any relation or responsibility to Disney.

cfIfan I am not sure how you can say the development of Celebration has nothing to do with the direction the town moves in. It has everything to do with what the town will look like in 5, 10, 15 years. It was Disney that allowed the downtown parking lot to be built on and caused major parking issues. It was Disney that moved Goodings out of downtown. It was Disney that botched the schools, etc, etc.

Oh, the fireworks have been awesome the past few events (Founders Day, New Years, 4th of July.) Better than when Disney owned downtown!

[cfIfan]

Originally Posted by luvthatmouse

cfIfan I am not sure how you can say the development of Celebration has nothing to do with the direction the town moves in. It has everything to do with what the town will look like in 5, 10, 15 years. It was Disney that allowed the downtown parking lot to be built on and caused major parking issues. It was Disney that moved Goodings out of downtown. It was Disney that botched the schools, etc, etc.

Oh, the fireworks have been awesome the past few events (Founders Day, New Years, 4th of July.) Better than when Disney owned downtown!

If you look at the commercial aspects it is all office buildings now, look at across the road from Siena and what a dreadful mess they made destroying all the wooded area to make way for the offices and now the area is noisy because I4 has been exposed. Something they said wouldnt happen. You were saying not so long ago how great Disney were doing and now your saying Disney did a bad job because they moved Goodings out. The rent in the Water Tower is lower than that downtown per sq ft from what i have heard, yet goodings went banktrupt by being in Water Tower and they dragged 5 other stores into banktrupcy because of that one store. People are quick to complain there isnt a store in the town, but if rent is expensive, prices of goods will be expensive, then residents complain and go across the street to Publix where it is cheaper. It cant be had both ways.

TCC do not drive any of the social activities or parades which Celebration enjoy, and to suggest that Disney is still incharge is a false statement. If what you are saying is true, you are taking away all the hard work that CROA do and all the relevent task forces carry out in suggesting its all done by Disney. It simply isnt.

[luvthatmouse]

Originally Posted by cfIfan

If you look at the commercial aspects it is all office buildings now, look at across the road from Siena and what a dreadful mess they made destroying all the wooded area to make way for the offices and now the area is noisy because I4 has been exposed. Something they said wouldnt happen. You were saying not so long ago how great Disney were doing and now your saying Disney did a bad job because they moved Goodings out.

I never said how great Disney was doing. I said Disney made many mistakes with Celebration. Do I think it is nicer than many places in central Florida? For sure. That is why we choose to live here. I hate what they did across from Siena. That is what I am saying! The development that TCC is still letting happen affects Celebration. It will for years to come.

[cfIfan]

I think what the differences we are saying, or the point i was trying to make, and perhaps we just misunderstood each other online, is that Disney have very little to do with Celebration in terms of the residents, only in the commercial offices side of things. If people come here, because they heard it was the town that Disney built and think that its going to be like Disney and fantastic, then they would be wrong because in terms of what affects the residents on a day to day basis, Disney has nothing to do with the town anymore.

[luvthatmouse]

Originally Posted by LeafsFan85

we're staying in Celebration Hotel right now since last Friday and until this weekend, I choose this hotel because of all the raving about the town, so i got to check it out. Looking at the demographic of the town we through we should feel right at home, but we're not feeling it, maybe we need to walk around other area of the town beside the restaurant/pool/theater/park area.

Where are you from originally? Towns in Florida are never going to compare with some of the older towns in the Northeast (Newburyport, MA, Rockport, MA, the Hamptons in NY, Forest Hills, NY, Upstate NY, NH) and places like La Jolla, CA, Coronado,CA, Anaheim, CA.) Nothing like the small towns in the Midwest either. Celebration, Dr. Phillips, Windemere and Winter Park are about the best you are going to get in central Florida though. Dunedin is cute on the West coast.

[Wilshire81182]

Character is hard to find in a newer state like Florida, especially the Orlando area. I would say Celebration and Baldwin Park try hard to imitate it, but the only true places to find it are Winter Park, College Park, Thornton Park, and the Delaney Park/Lake Davis area. Since these are older areas that have treelined streets paved with bricks and many of the homes are older and larger. Few other areas of town are as old, even though there are many areas around town where the homes are as large and have nice parks and lakes. I know there are also some historic districts in Sanford, Longwood, Kissimmee, Eola Heights in Orlando, Eatonville, and there are older downtown areas in Winter Garden and Apopka, but the downtown areas are not as nice in those two or Sanford for the most part. You should also check out the Mt Dora area NW of Apopka out Orange Blossom Trail, it is known for it's unique, quaint charm/character.

[JohnN]

Nickjojo,

I've not read all the replies here, but check out High Vista, a 55+ part of Ridgewood Lakes, it's gorgeous, very affordable, great people and just an exit down from Disney at highway 27. We looked out there and were very impressed. If you want a good agent, (I'm not one) I can suggest one. Good luck.