Stay Near Mickey

03/05/2024

It is with mixed feelings that we have decided to sell our condo at the Lake Buena Vista Resort. It is time for another adventure. Stay tuned...

13/07/2023

Achieved Superhost Status!

19/06/2023

Good news for guests. The shuttle service to the parks is now complimentary. A promo code will be provided by the front desk at check in.

We are proud no announce that our complimentary shuttles are back! We'll offer direct transport to Walt Disney World® Theme Parks, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld! For any questions, please contact our front desk team and they'll be glad to assist you!

29/04/2023

I filmed this brief walk through of our unit last week. Of course it is not professional quality, but I've been wanting an updated video to show some of the changes we've implemented since we bought it. What do you think?

14/11/2022

Always be yourself. Unless you can be a pirate... then always be a Pirate ☠️

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck9CJM1r5fc/

29/10/2022

Rooms with a view! Two of our three bedrooms have a peek of the Pirate Plunge pool. It's a good way to keep a weather eye out for plundering pirates!. 🏴‍☠️ Our unit is in building 5, 9th floor.

11/10/2022

Repainted the accent wall in bedroom #2 to a softer, more soothing color. Considered lots of choices but ultimately went with Sherwin Williams 2022 color of the year, Evergreen Fog. It has green, blue and gray undertones. What do you think? Original color in comments.
(Also added some extra outlets behind the nightstands)

11/10/2022

Some fun Halloween activities this month in the lobby of the Lake Buena Vista Resort 🎃👻

30/09/2022

Thank you to everyone who reached out to ask how our property did during Hurricane Ian. The guest who has been staying in our condo this week called this morning to say that everything was fine and that there was no noticeable damage. She said the lights flickered around 1am, but they never lost power. She also mentioned that our side of the building seemed to be less exposed to the wind than the opposite side - so we are definitely feeling fortunate. The resort has reported that there is debris to clean up and there is minor flooding on the bottom floor of two buildings, but it sounds as if the staff has been hard at work to get things (including the pool) back online by tomorrow. We are very grateful as we know many people around the state have sustained significant damage - our thoughts go out to everyone affected. To all those who have been working hard to help others during this catastrophe, thank you!

26/04/2022

The chandelier that came with this unit was pretty basic, and significantly off center. I actually bumped my head on it after picking something up off the floor. Last June, I had it replaced with one that looks like pillar candles, and the person who hung it for me swaged it over the center. It was actually not as easy as we anticipated because we learned the ceilings are concrete (but at least the concrete reduces noise from neighbors above). The new fixture offers a nice, soft glow. Here are before, during and after

04/04/2022

A recent guest sent this great photo of a sunset from our balcony.

We currently have availability in mid-may and early June. https://www.houfy.com/58466

02/03/2022

How to book a stay with us:
Houfy: https://houfy.com/h/lbvpirate (no service fee!)
VRBO: https://www.vrbo.com/2311447
Airbnb: https://airbnb.com/h/lbvpirate

Carol's 3 bedroom/2 bath condo located at The Lake Buena Vista Resort (near Walt Disney World)

25/02/2022

So we are new owners (purchased in May 2021) and we haven't had the opportunity to get the entire family to the condo yet. One of our daughters just checked in and I was very nervous to hear her first reaction - of course I wanted her to like it! Here is what she said (picture in comments)

07/02/2022

Here are a few before/after photos to show what we've done so far in the living room since purchasing this condo.

- New sofa (Feb 2022)
- New drapes (Oct 2021)
- New 55" smart TV (Oct 2021)
- New TV cabinet (June 2021)
- New coffee table (June 2021)
- New lamps (June 2021)
- Repainted accent wall (Oct 2021)

What do you think? 🙂

11/01/2022

If ye be workin' up a hearty appetite while battlin' pirates by the pool, ye can order up some grub from Lani's Luau. 'tis but a few steps away from the ship. What arrr ye starvin' fer?

09/01/2022

We are currently listed on three different booking sites (VRBO, Airbnb and Houfy). Houfy has no booking fees, by the way. For those that prefer VRBO, I came across a MileagePlus offer for a few extra United miles.
https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/mileageplus/mp-offers.html

02/01/2022

Since the Lake Buena Vista resort is a 'condo hotel', there are certain cosmetic guidelines we must adhere to. Still, I try to do what I can to 'plus' our guests' overall comfort level/experience where possible within the guidelines. Yesterday I went though our Airbnb (https://airbnb.com/h/lbvpirate) description and tried to highlight some of the things we've done to set ourselves apart from standard suites available at our resort. Here is my list so far:

"THE CROW'S NEST" DIFFERENCE:
⦿ Host only owns one unit; the photos you see are of the unit you will stay in
⦿ Room darkening drapes in bedrooms 1 & 2
⦿ 55" TV in living room
⦿ Additional bedside electrical or USB outlets
⦿ Desk in bedroom 2
⦿ Two lamps and two nightstands in bedroom 2
⦿ User-friendly online guidebook/house manual (see screenshot under "Additional photos")

(We also incorporated some subtle touches I haven't listed, like new faucets in the bathrooms, new lamps in living room and bedrooms 2&3, replaced the cool (sterile) blue light bulbs with warm white bulbs, replaced the TV cabinet, chandelier, coffee table and 3 nightstands)

Entire home/apt in Orlando, United States. ⦿ The Crow’s Nest at Lake Buena Vista is ideal for families or friends traveling together ⦿ Disney, Universal, Sea World & ESPN are each < 10 miles...

24/10/2021

Though we are a few miles away from Epcot, we do have an unobstructed view of the World Showcase area from our balcony. The new Harmonious show is about 20 minutes long and fireworks are very sporadic (since they are only a portion of the show). So watching it from the balcony is a bit slow, to be honest, especially at the beginning (though the little girl on the balcony below me was very excited to see them!). I filmed a minute or so to show what it looks like. I am crossing my fingers that Disney's Hollywood Studios brings back a fireworks show (like the Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular or similar)... I am 🤞 the visuals will be larger and louder 😊

14/10/2021

We've made a number of small changes to the condo to make our guests just a little bit more comfortable. In this guest room I felt that there really needed to be two nightstands and two lamps for this king size bed, so we moved over the headboard (not as easy as it sounds) and bought narrower nightstands. The new lamps also have USB outlets for charging phones. I also felt this room needed some drapes to block out both the morning sunlight as well as the evening lighting outside, so I added some full length room darkening panels. Since the only place to do some computer work in the condo was previously at the kitchen table (or on the couch) we also added a desk to this room - just in case anyone needs to WFH or do some remote learning. :) These photos show the before and after

05/09/2021

The Lake Buena Vista Resort Village and Spa is comprised of 5 buildings. The two at the bottom of the first photo are Buildings 1 and 2. The two taller buildings at the top of the photo are Buildings 3 and 5. The shorter building next to 3 and 5 is Building 4, which contains the lobby and the full-service spa. Our condo is on the 9th floor of Building 5. I've outlined the location in red. Because of the orientation of the building, our southern exposure corner gets both morning and afternoon light so it stays light and bright throughout the day. Plus, Building 5 has the shortest walk to the Pirate Plunge Pool!

13/08/2021

Have you heard about the new Space 220 restaurant opening soon at Epcot? Here is a peek inside! https://www.tiktok.com//video/6995917431063596293

Disney Parks () has created a short video on TikTok with music original sound. | 🚨SNEAK PEEK!🚨 Here’s your first look at Space 220 coming soon!

10/08/2021

Can you picture yourself under the umbrella sipping a refreshing beverage from the nearby tiki bar? The resort has all new chairs and loungers!. Who is ready to relax by the pool?

20/07/2021

Here is a video that shows the inside of our unit. A few things have been updated since this was made but it's a good way to see the layout and view

https://youtu.be/KtuIsD41a_s

05/07/2021