City ❀ Country ❀ Beach
Wow! That’s the only way I can describe this resort by Hilton Grand Vacations. If you want a clean, beautiful, centrally located hotel in Orlando, you must check out Cypress Pointe Resort. With the Covid pandemic, I wasn’t sure what to expect from a hotel’s …
Step back into a time that we all have heard about. It was a tragedy in history that permeates the walls and artifacts of this building. Titanic | The Artifact Exhibition is a wonderful place to learn and experience a glimpse of what happened on …
Do you have a passion for movies, TV, or media & production? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to step inside the world of cinematic effects? Located close to our home in Tampa Bay, Florida is the video production studio Diamond View which has recently launched Vū. Vū is one of the world’s few & largest XR (extended reality) wraparound LED screen.
Our family was recently privileged to meet with CEO Tim Moore, a three time Emmy award-winning director. This technology is fascinating to anyone who loves media, but for an intern or college student studying in this field it is a dream to see up close. Our two sons, both in college studying in this field, were able to see first hand a glimpse of what it takes behind the scenes. In fact, the popular Star Wars series “The Mandalorian,” has been using this type of LED screen technology. To be able to connect to the show as fans with how it’s made truly gives you a wonderful perspective to the innovative technology and how far production/staging has come in filming.
Diamond View is quickly expanding in Tampa Bay with new clients and is not stopping with their creative skills and technology. This company takes you from beginning of concept to final cut. If you’re a business and are looking for a studio, THIS is your place. If you’re a student in high school or college wanting a career in production, editing, virtual reality, camera work, directing, etc, let me tell you that the future looks bright in this business. Florida is quickly becoming the new “Hollywood.”
When I asked Tim Moore for the best piece of advice that he had for someone wanting to get into this type of field it was this: build your portfolio. It doesn’t matter what it is or how good/bad you may think your video is, save all your work and build your portfolio this way. And if I may give you one piece of advice, it is this: network. You never know where your career will take you or how high it will take you when you’re surrounded by the right people. There used to be an NBC public service announcement (PSA) “The More You Know.” Take this to heart because it truly is about the more you know and the people you know.
I want to thank Erin Cullaro (Chief of Staff), Zoe Seroky (Director of Communications), and of course Tim Moore (CEO) for making it possible for our family to tour the Vū studio.
I’ll leave you with one of Diamond View’s favorite commercials depicting storytelling & emotion. And, I have to say, it’s one of my favorite’s too! https://youtu.be/2zwMWLE9fBU
Take a look at our visit to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios in Orlando.
PIN ME!
This historic hotel is the epitome of elegance and romance from the moment you pass the security guard entrance. For the first time ever, I was able to surprise my husband with a hotel stay to celebrate our 24th wedding anniversary. If the photos alone …
Since we’ve been spending so much more time at home and travel has been extremely limited to what is essential, creating a space(s) at home to remind of us travel is so needed for our mentality. It not only reminds us of our travels, but …
I can honestly say this season of ho-hum travel has put a huge damper on our travel plans as a family. I know we’re not the only ones. Our youngest son graduated High School and his graduation gift was (and hopefully will be) a trip to New York City. However, I am staying positive through it all.
I understand the importance of all the precautions with this horrible virus. I understand the right of everyone being treated equally. These are all very important and that is why I’m staying positive. Positive that things will change and get better for us as a society.
With that being said, here is what we’ve been up to. We’ve been at home doing the bare minimum to go out unless it’s essential. Basically just grocery shopping, grocery pickup service, taking mom to the doctor, dental appointments, graduation drive-by’s, and such.
Personally, I’ve been crafting quite a bit more. I’ve been creating “Mouse” ears. I love making these and I will be selling them soon once I have a big enough inventory. I hope to one day be able to wear my own creation to Disney World!
I’ve also been exploring our town by vehicle or, if I don’t see crowds, by foot. Our local parks are perfect to get some exercise with a friend. We have plenty of parks to choose from and many walking paths. However, in Florida if you’re going to walk it’s best to do it early in the morning because the heat can be brutal.
My point is this, live your life but also be cautious during these times. Take care of yourself so you can take care of others. Something good can always come out of a turbulent time. Find things that cheer you up. Call a friend, create something, go out for a drive, listen to music, watch a show or movie, learn something new, or start something you’ve put off for years. You’ll be surprised of what you’re capable of.
We have high hopes to travel again soon, but until then,
take care.
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Grande Villas Resort is the perfect place to stay in Orlando while visiting the theme parks. Owned by Hilton Grand Vacations, it is ranked as a 3-star hotel with an almost 5-star review by guests. It is conveniently located about 10 minutes from all the entrances of the theme parks.
We have stayed here several times and absolutely love the convenience of the location, cleanliness of the rooms, friendliness of the staff, amenities, and best of all, we LOVE the size of the rooms!
We decided to book a 3-bedroom lock-off unit because, with two young men in our house now, they like to have their own bedroom. Gone are the days of them sharing a bed when they were little boys. However, even the 1-bedrooms are spacious. So you can’t go wrong with the rooms here. Just choose what works best for you.
The welcome lobby is just that-welcoming. It’s always so nice to come to a place where you’re greeted by friendly staff and everything looks pristine. This is honestly one of my favorite places to stay in Orlando!
Now, let’s check out our 3-bedroom lock-off unit!
One of the first rooms you notice is the kitchen. The kitchen is well stocked with the appliances you need plus all the essentials like dishcloths, dish liquid and such. If there is anything that you may need that you don’t see, just call the lobby and they’ll do their best to take care of you. I do this all the time wherever we stay and request specifically extra blankets. But that’s just our family.
Adjacent to the kitchen is the 6 six-seat dining room table. We are only a family of 4, so this is plenty of room for us. Honestly, a lot of times we don’t even use the dining table because we’re gone most of the day at the theme parks. However, if you plan on visiting Orlando other than theme parks, a full kitchen and dining table will come in handy and will also save you a lot of eating out money! If you’re going to have groceries in your room, make your stay even simpler by just ordering them using Shipt. It’s as easy as ordering on your phone or laptop and delivered to your lobby. More time for you to enjoy your vacation!
The next room is the living room. It is a comfortable spot to just chill at the end of the day from walking the theme parks or a busy day out on the town.
Open up the sliding door from the living room and you’ll notice a quaint balcony with a table and 4 chairs. This is a nice outdoor area where you can see your surroundings and get some fresh air. We were near the pool, but the 3rd lock-off room has a much better view of the pool, which I will show you below!
Just behind the living room couch wall are the 2nd bedroom and its own bathroom! This room has 2 twin beds, armoire, and a TV. Our youngest son had this room & bathroom all to himself.
To the left of the living room are the main bedroom and the huge bathroom! Seriously, the size of this main bedroom and bathroom could be an entire hotel room on its own. That’s how big it is!
Now, if you think that’s big, you’ve seen nothing yet. The 3rd bedroom lock-off could be an apartment of its own. Really! Check this out. Before you get to the 2nd bedroom, on the right side you’ll see a door. It can be locked off, hence “lock-off,” or it can remain wide open. Our oldest son had the luxury of staying here. I told him to pretend it’s his apartment!
From the inside of the 3rd bedroom lock-off kitchen, yes it has its own kitchen, you can see into the dining room/living room area of the main room. There is also a common area washer/dryer that makes it very convenient to pack because you don’t have to bring as many clothes.
Again just like the main kitchen, everything you need is included in this additional kitchen.
From the kitchen, you can see the small living room couch and a SEPARATE front door entrance! If our son wanted to go out, he wouldn’t need to use the main room entrance. How convenient is that!?!
To the left of the living room is the bed, armoire, and another TV which then leads into the bathroom. If you open the curtains in the bedroom, it will lead to a small 2-seater balcony with a great view of the swimming pool.
If that hasn’t convinced you to stay here, let me tell you about some of the other things this resort has to offer.
It has outdoor spaces for everyone to congregate, firepits, BBQ grills, mini-golf, fitness center, basketball court, 2 swimming pools, a kiddie pool, spa, movie rentals, karaoke, mini-market, deli, pizza, gift shop, 24hr security, on-site activities (ex. ping pong), playground, shuffleboard, tennis, volleyball and more. These are all shared amenities with their sister property, Cypress Pointe, which also has water volcanoes that anyone can enjoy!
As you can see, there is something for everyone and with it being in a perfect location within so many other things to do in Orlando, you will be sure to enjoy your stay at Grande Villas Resort!
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