”Why For 2 Days I Refused To Leave Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Waterpark” is a sponsored post. We were given a discount and other package upgrades in exchange for an honest review that is 100% mine. Please see SimpleStepsForLivingLife.com’s disclosure page for more information. Side note: This was an amazing place to stay and our family enjoyed it!
My goodness, it’s hard to believe this epic family vacation was in January 2020. Right before the pandemic shut down just about everything, our family took a trip to Florida and back. We saw Vicksburg, Pensacola for one night, St. Augustine, Kennedy’s Space Center NASA, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and two days at Holiday Inn Resort Waterpark in Orlando. It was a whirlwind of a trip with so much fun!
Refusing to get into a vehicle for 48 hours was one of the best things my family did on our Magee Family Epic Roadtrip. For 2 days, I revolted against having to go anywhere except staying at Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Waterpark. It was the best thing ever for our family vacation!
This place is a true resort –
…giant heated pool with waterpark, poolside bar, poolside restaurant, cabanas, minigolf, basketball courts, toddler waterpark, hot tubs(yes, plural), oasis pool separate in a different building complex from the waterpark, 3 counter service restaurants, room service, Lakeside Cafe, Hideaway Lounge(for the grown ups), shuttle to Disney, Universal, and Sea World, Club Candy store with family game night like Bingo, snack and supplies store, ice cream shop, 4D movie theater, arcade, a lazer maze, theater for fun & games plus karaoke, dry cleaning, fitness center, and more!!!!
IT WAS AWESOME!
Remember how my family drove from NW Louisiana to Florida. It took well over 14 hours of drive time plus an overnight stay on the way. Before even getting to the Holiday Inn Resort Orlando we had visited the Vicksburg National Park, Pensacola Beach on the Gulf of Mexico, The Pirate Store in St. Augustine and spent the night, the beach at Anastasia Island on the Atlantic Ocean, NASA Kennedy Space Station, and the first full day at the Holiday Inn Resort we visited Disney World Hollywood Studios. We can seriously pack in a bunch in just a short 5 days! After all of this, w e were happily exhausted and needed to just chill. Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Waterpark was the perfect place to rest and relax on our big epic road trip!
Luckily, our last two full days of vacation brought sunshine with it in the middle of January. Between the weather warming up and the heated pool, we found our happy place for the whole family…
Photo courtesy of Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Waterpark
During the day, we lived at the amazing pool! One day we were there about 3 hours and the next day we were there around 6 hours. The weather was just perfect and there were plenty of seats and loungers to choose from. When we go back, I’m hoping it’s in the summer and we will definitely be renting a cabana in that Florida sunshine. They have mini fridges and TVs and outdoor couches in some. So posh!
The pool was just the right temperature especially for the weather not quite being 80 degrees and perfect for jumping in after going down some of the crazy slides in the waterpark area with my little daughter. She had such a big time trying out all the slides. I tried out 3 and had a blast!(See the red one? It was crazy fast & sooo much fun!)
It was sooo wonderful just to hang out at the pool and not worry about a thing for two days straight. Our kids had a blast swimming, watching the poolside entertainment and games, and playing in the waterpark.
I was happy because we were able to grab snacks, refill our refillable resort cups, and get lunch at the poolside restaurant and snack/sundry center – Burger Theory. There is a high top seating area next to the restaurant that we ate at. It is poolside so we could still easily keep an eye on our kids…
There are more choices than just the burgers, but I was wanting to try them out. The hamburger was delicious but the fries were SO GOOD. I rank these fries as the top two kinds I’ve ever eaten. The other’s are fries from The Blind Tiger in Shreveport, Louisiana. Just the right amount of crunch, delicious seasoning, and squishy on the inside. Perfect! For the kids, they were so busy swimming, I just got them one plate of chicken tenders with fries and snacks we brought to the pool and that was plenty for them.
My husband was happy because he could enjoy a cocktail and some beers while watching the kids. It made for a very enjoyable 2 days with no need to get in the car! Plus, while we were there, they had a deal on 4 beers at a discount than buying them one by one. (NOTE: If you set it up when you check in or during your stay, you can charge your food, drinks, ice cream,etc to your room so you don’t have to worry about toting around money/credit cards.)
What in the world did we do after going to the pool? We chilled in our oh-so-spacious suite! Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Waterpark is a huge win for anyone traveling – especially with more than 2 people. It is for more than just families! The amenities are great and there are “grown-up” areas as well as areas for all ages.
Our family though has 5 people so finding a hotel room to fit our needs can be a challenge. Especially one that is only literally 5 minutes to Disney Hollywood Studios, Blizzard Beach Water Park, Disney Springs, and about 10 minutes from Magic Kingdom. And if you don’t feel like driving, they have a shuttle! Ok, ok, back to the amazing suites… Each of the rooms had its own TV. SCORE! My two youngest like certain shows, my preteen likes certain shows, and my husband and I like to watch nerdy documentaries or the news. It was great to each have our own space and TVs!
The main living room had a pullout couch, table and chairs to eat from , kitchenette, and a TV.
The bunk room had a twin bed on top with a full bed underneath… and a TV.
And the master bedroom had a closet, in room safe, desk(which was handy because both of us at some point needed to do a little work),… and a TV!
I bet you are thinking this was a REALLY expensive room per night. NOPE! This was one of the most reasonably priced hotels I found for our entire trip. Some places with this type of suite cost at the very least 40-50% more with less resort amenities like the heated giant pool/waterpark, theater, laser maze, a bunch of restaurants etc. I can’t believe we got to stay here at such a great price! I really do hope to go back and stay at Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Waterpark again.
Ok, enough of me gushing over the ridiculously giant and well-planned suite… Let me tell you about all the other things we did the two days we were there. I was so thankful that we were gifted the Stay, Eat, Park and Play Package which includes daily breakfast for 2 adults and 2 children, self-parking, two $10 arcade cards, 4 wristbands to the 4D theater and 2 Freestyle mugs. And we also had access to the Bank Heist Laser Maze which was so fun that my husband and I even tried it. Don’t be fooled – it’s harder than it looks!
Here’s a pic I took of one of the resort maps that are located throughout. The Marketplace is between the two main sets of buildings where the restaurants, theater, candy shop, ice cream shop, convenience store, and laser maze are…
I highly recommend getting the Freestyle mugs for your family. These are refillable for free during your stay at the resort soda machines in the Marketplace and also Burger Theory. Just about any drink you can think of is available.
I also highly recommend the wrist bands for laser maze and the 4D movies! We saw two movies the first night and my oldest son and I saw another movie the second night. The glasses will be as you enter the theater and don’t forget to drop these off when you leave. Be ready for snow, wind, and more!
All three of the kids spent well over an hour or two each night at the laser maze. Plus, my husband and I tried it out. NOTE: Look up the Mission Impossible theme song on your phone and play that while attempting the maze. We did this and I cracked up the whole time! On the second night, there was Karaoke in the performance theater sooo of course my husband and I jumped in to sing! Our kids were a little embarrassed of us and just stayed at the laser maze. Weird right? I mean we are super hip and all! LOL
Here’s our son running through the maze! While you are in line, you can watch the people in the maze via a flat screen and figure out the best routes to take. And there is a leader board with scores from each of the different levels and whether or not you are trying this solo or with a friend.
We had a late lunch one day at The Marketplace. The food from the counter service restaurants was good but the best part was glorious to have the options so all 5 of us could be happy to pick out what we wanted because of the choices in places to eat. There was a Mexican restaurant, pizza place, and Subway. And if that wasn’t enough, we had dessert at the ice cream shop! (The Rocky Road was YUMMY!)
Speaking of sweet treats, Club Candy is not to be missed! It’s got just about any candy you can think of and they also have fun family games to play there. You can play board games with your group or can jump in with the Family Bingo time where they give out prizes. My husband won a round and my oldest son won a round… we are a competitive bunch! Our son was sooo excited about winning and still talking about it.
The last night we ate at the Lakeside Cafe which was delicious and the service was wonderful! Plus kids 12 and under stay free! (View the terms and conditions here.) I had the steak salad and my husband had salmon. Both were delicious. Our kids picked from the kids menu and were happy too. Great place for a bite to eat!
Remember how I said there was a place for adults only? The Hideaway Lounge was out little mini date night on our last night of our trip and the last night of our 48 hours without being in a vehicle! After Karaoke and laser maze and seeing the last 4D movie, we took our kids up to the room and setup our oldest with babysitting duties. We headed back to the bar/restaurant to watch some sports on the big screen and just to hang out. It was great having one-on-one time with my husband for about an hour. Also got some yummy wings and other bar fare like the fancy mac N cheese. The bartender on duty was cool and very amicable. She didn’t need to look at a menu and spouted off the tons of available drinks and beers readily available! And, big plus for me, she didn’t make me feel awkward or like a weirdo that I don’t drink. (I sometimes get that from bartenders when my husband and I go out and it gets annoying.) It was a nice way to spend the last night on our vacation before having to be in the car for another bazillion hours the next day.
If you are looking for a great place to stay while you are in Orlando that is close to all the parks, has great amenities, and the best suites ever, then Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Waterpark is it! I highly recommend it because we’ve been there. We loved our stay so much I refused to get in the car and leave for 2 days!!!
Shahzad says
It sounds like you and your family had an amazing time at the Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Waterpark! The pool and waterpark areas sound like a dream come true, and it’s great that there were so many amenities available for your family to enjoy. It’s always nice to find a place that allows you to relax and not worry about a thing, and it sounds like this resort did just that!
Moury@ All Baby Products says
Wow, thanks for sharing your experience of enjoying a wonderful place. I love traveling. I wish I could enjoy my weekend like you…!!!!