Orlando guidance please

amother

Tue, Jul 28 2020, 11:03 pm

I found very cheap tickets online so was thinking of taking my teens chol hamoed

1- where can I find a minyan?

2- where can I rent a cheap suite or villa for 2 nights near a shul?

3- is Epcot appropriate for teenage boys?

4- where can I take them in Orlando? Somewhere they would enjoy

amother

Royalblue

Tue, Jul 28 2020, 11:29 pm

I'll be the first to point out.. Maybe obvious, maybe doesn't apply to you, I don't know, but how can you plan to go there the way covid is now? And who knows what will be then, or if you have to quarantine when going back home whichever state you're from...
That being said, if it works for you, I sincerely hope you enjoy. I went there once for winter vacation, there were a few shuls and tons of hotels everywhere. I'll let others more familiar guide you, and there are lots of Orlando threads here with a lot of info- helped me plan my trip at that time.

amother

Gold

Tue, Jul 28 2020, 11:44 pm

Enjoy!

All Disney parks are appropriate for teenage boys, if you're worried about how people dress then go on a rainy or cooler day.
You can also take them to Disney Springs, they have a cool arcade, an attached hot balloon ride, and some other attractions.
We stayed in a nice quiet hotel and enjoyed the empty pools in the morning or late at night.

You can go to downtown Orlando and take a little swan boat on the river, and maybe ride some bikes around the neighborhood. There's some cool art pieces that you can get nice family pictures in front of.

Swimming with dolphins makes for super cool memories. You can also visit the safari and get up close with some animals, or go horseback riding.

Some of my family members have done nutty zip lines over alligators but I haven't checked it out in person.
Plan your trip well and have a blast!

Just FYI, I know you didn't ask about food but my recommendation is pack a sandwich maker so you can do quick breakfast and get going, and have some cold cuts and snackers for people who are too tired to go out for dinner.
Enjoy Smile

amother

Tue, Jul 28 2020, 11:51 pm

amother [ Gold ] wrote:

Thank you so much! This is very helpful.

I know about the virus. I am not reserving anything. I am just planning. Planning is free( and fun).

amother

Gold

Wed, Jul 29 2020, 1:09 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Thank you so much! This is very helpful.

I know about the virus. I am not reserving anything. I am just planning. Planning is free( and fun).

While technically it's "free" to plan, it uses valuable resources such as time, effort and energy. It's pretty annoying to know that after you take the time to answer someone with some details, it was just to help support their fantasy, versus giving them some info they needed.
It's like a friend of mine that would constantly ask me if I know how to cook lamb, bake boneless chicken without it getting dry, etc but not make any of the recipes I took the time giving her. Or an aunt that would constantly call me for help vacation planning but would end up going to her grandparents in Miami because that's cheaper. Over time, I got burnt out and stopped helping them with their 'hunts'. So when someone posts here as amother asking about a place I've been to, an experience I went thru, a doctor I used, I'm happy to help them out. But once I find out that they're asking about the place just because they're bored, the experience because they're nosy and not because it's relevant, and the doctor because their neighbor used them and they never heard of them so had to double check on ima, I no longer want to help imas with the info they actually do need.
Okay, rant over.

amother

Sun, Aug 02 2020, 12:40 am

amother [ Gold ] wrote:

Hey! Sorry if you felt used. I was answering to the poster above who informed me that there is a pandemic in the country.

Your post was helpful. I did order plane tickets because they were very cheap and will be okay with the loss if we don’t end up going. I am doing research and I do want to go. I want to be prepared as much as I can so we can have a great time. This trip is a reward for the kids since they deserve it for something they worked very hard for.

amother

Mauve

Sun, Aug 02 2020, 12:29 pm

Dont worry pandemic. It will be over on ellection day. Its a great opportunity to go being that its a lomg chol hamoed. I would do it again but now Om trying to save for education to my sick son. There is a fully stocked supermarket there. Be in touch with chabad about permission to use the suka. And that's all! after you know you can use a suka reserve. Yes a sandwich maker helps a lot and your own slow cooker. I only took some choliv yisroel and frozen meats. Then I found more cholov yisroel there and some chasidishe meat. There are other hechsherim as well. We made even a barley soup with local ingredients on the crock pot. You make sure to take a room that has a big refrigerator. And counters so you line them up well. Under the hot appliances you need to add a lining of a heat safe material besides for kashrus. If you are staiyng shabbes or yomtov you need to rent very close to chabad. We niscalculated and were about an hour walk each way to chabad. Mistake.

amother

Mon, Aug 03 2020, 12:07 am

amother [ Mauve ] wrote:

Thanks!!!! I appreciate it. I’ll look into Chabad.

amother

Gold

Mon, Aug 03 2020, 12:34 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Thank you for your response.
I'm really sorry I went off on you, it was unwarranted. I'll be glad to help you in any which way, and I hope you enjoy your trip!