are there NO SAFE areas off site any more?

bjlc57

bjlc57

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I have been going to WDW since it opened.. I have never stayed on Base, ever... But in the past 10 years.. the area at the Florida Mall got very bad.. and then worst. So we looked for a different hotel.. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Maingate east.. Now the Seralargo.. and now I am reading reviews that say that this area is no longer safe..

Is it so that no area is safe anymore? I really want to know.. and I am noticing a very large lack of posters for off site hotels.. is it time not to come to WDW and look for some place else to go?
 
MnDisneyFan

MnDisneyFan

Member
bjlc57 said:
I have been going to WDW since it opened.. I have never stayed on Base, ever... But in the past 10 years.. the area at the Florida Mall got very bad.. and then worst. So we looked for a different hotel.. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Maingate east.. Now the Seralargo.. and now I am reading reviews that say that this area is no longer safe..

Is it so that no area is safe anymore? I really want to know.. and I am noticing a very large lack of posters for off site hotels.. is it time not to come to WDW and look for some place else to go?
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I have stayed at several motels off property the last 2 years and have not had any issues. July 2005 we stayed at Motel 6 East (behind Mickey D's), no trouble. April May 2006 at the Suites@ Old Town again no trouble. I think some people may just like to scare others away from a great hotel so it will not be crowded.
 
D

davinakb

Member
Stayed off property countless times, been lucky so far regarding safety. That said, I'd suggest staying in Lake Buena Vista (the 535 area) rather than Kissimmee (192). It'll be a bit more expensive though. FWIW.
 
barnum42

barnum42

New Member
One suspects you have just read scare stories. Apply common sense pretty much any of the tourist areas and you should be safe. I've always stayed off-site with no problems.
 
CAPTAIN HOOK

CAPTAIN HOOK

Well-Known Member
I was given a commercially produced map prior to our first visit which shows the areas to stay away from - now unless they've changed most areas south of Orlando are ok.
As Barnum says - apply common sense and stick to the tourist areas
 
bjlc57

bjlc57

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
my former hotel was less then 3 miles from main gate...

the Seralargo is like 3 miles from the main gate, and I am reading reports of unsafe activities in the postings for this hotel.. what does that say to you..
 
Wilt Dasney

Wilt Dasney

Well-Known Member
bjlc57 said:
the Seralargo is like 3 miles from the main gate, and I am reading reports of unsafe activities in the postings for this hotel.. what does that say to you..
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I wouldn't read too much into those postings. The last hotel I stayed at in Orlando had postings that made the place sound like a nightmare, and it was just fine. For that matter, the apartments I live in right now had descriptions of all sorts of terrible things in online posts, and I have yet to experience any of it. I don't know if people tend to exaggerate, or if the only ones who bother to post are the ones who didn't enjoy the experience, but from my own experience, I won't put much stock in those posts at all.
 
barnum42

barnum42

New Member
bjlc57 said:
the Seralargo is like 3 miles from the main gate, and I am reading reports of unsafe activities in the postings for this hotel.. what does that say to you..
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I've seen reports of a couple pretty unpleasant crimes on International Drive and 192. I recall one was a local gang affair and the other a disagreement between drug dealers. Neither were attacks on tourists.
 
Dubman

Dubman

Well-Known Member
We found an awesome hotel on Palm Parkway called Palomino Suites.. Check it out on TripAdvisor.com.. If you book directly thru their website www.palominosuites.com you can get great deals.. The closer it is to your vacation, the better the prices.. It is in a nice quiet area. I highly recommend this hotel if staying onsite is not an option.
 
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cloudboy

Well-Known Member
If anything, the area immediately around the Florida Mall is getting better. Not that it was great to start with, but...

Take reviews with a grain of salt. Yeah, Kissimee isn't sweet old rural green acres, and a lot of people seem rather scared of anything that is not all Disney beautiful. It's no worse than any place else you go, you are only hearing people compare it to something so innocent as Walt Disney World. Keep your eyes open and use some common sense, and you aren't going to get into any trouble.

If you don't like the density of I drive and 192, try looking at some of the places in Lake Buena Vista, and Palm Parkway. They tend to be a little bit cleaner and modern, and less built up.
 
finan03

finan03

New Member
IMHO, anytime you're looking to stay "around" an area of a tourist location, you're not going to find the "safest" places. Why? Because creeps like to prey on tourists who get lost and don't know what the heck is going on. For example, NYC around the theatre district is pretty bad at times. So it makes sense that the vacation capital of the world around the World would be somewhat bad.

even having said that, I honestly think people are making it more dramatic than it really is. 1. to keep the hotels less crowded, 2. that's the way some people unforunately function.

But if you stay until the parks closing, you're getting back no later than midnight, which is not that dangerous of an hour. If you head directly back to the hotel and just mind your business and get into the room as quick as possible, there should be no reason for worry. Just be mindful of your surroundings.
 
S

ShellyW

New Member
I've stayed at the Seralago, and while I didn't feel it was unsafe, I thought the hotel overall was probably one of the most disgusting ones I've ever stayed in. Granted, we were in the Kidsuites at the back of the building,but it was not nice. We just went straight to Disney and back, and didn't venture out much otherwise.
 
drdoom1001

drdoom1001

Member
Back in the day when Disney didn't have all the hotels it currently has, 192 used to be where most people stayed.As the years passed and more people started staying onsite or in other tourist areas like I-Drive and the Lake Buena Vista area, 192 has become more run-down, and nobody can tell me that's not true.I wouldn't even think about staying anywhere east of 535 on 192.West of 535 there's still some good places like the Comfort Suites by Old Town, but east of 535 all that's left are old, run-down hotels in an area that's honestly getting worse daily.I stay at a lot of International Drive area hotels even when I'm going to Disney, it might be close to Universal but it's only like 10 minutes to Disney on I-4 and I feel safe enough on I-Drive or LBV.
 
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clarksfan95

Member
A couple years ago Orlando was ranked #1 in the most dangerous cities in America. I don't believe that that rank has changed. Meaning...it has more violent crimes in comparison to population. I always thought L.A. or NYC would top that list, but they have a super high population that counteracts the # of violent crimes percentages.

I've always stayed on site....never considered staying off property. I know that there are other places out there....but I've never been to any of them. My sister and family stay off property and they haven't ever had any problems. They usually are within 5 miles or less of downtown Disney....
 
pintraderpayee

pintraderpayee

Active Member
DH and I, along with several high school students, stay off-site every Easter at Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista on Palm Parkway. We have had no problems in the past 6 years. It has a "guard house" where traffic in and out is monitored. Clean, simple rooms, with microwave and mini fridge.....perfect for my drama club students and me.......P.S. Surprisingly quiet considering that they frequently accomodate groups.....


52 days until we are Orlando bound with 21 teens on a school bus for 930 miles of smiles:hammer: :sohappy:
 
Chevross

Chevross

Active Member
I've always stayed on site and have never had any problems. Course sometimes I've been the problem but most times (after getting married) I haven't had any problems. Just don't leave children unattended. Which you should know that anyway.
 

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