Pointe Orlando

[OrlandoGuy]

As anyone been there? Any good? Me and my gf are planning a trip and are in the college age group, just wondering about experiences there.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hi I am from the UK and have visited Pointe Orlando several times.

When it first opened we stayed opposite at the Rosen Center hotel and it was very good there, some excellent shops/restaurants and a great place to visit - especially in the evenings.

However, a lot of the better stores - Polo/FAO Schwarz have closed down now and PO has sort of lost a lot of it's appeal - I believe there are still some good restaurants there and a nice cinema but it has dropped in popularity a bit over the past few years.

 

[Jason71]

Currently it's open but under heavy construction. Johnny Sharp is right, a lot of the stores have closed down, as did "Pac Man Cafe." Sometime next year, four new, relatively upscale restaurants are set to open, and, judging by what they have done so far, it may turn out alright.

For the moment, you still have:

Adobe Gillas--restaurant/bar with a vaguely Mexican theme. Live music most nights, starting around 10. Crowds vary, but what people there are tend to be college age thru 20s/early 30s.

LuLus--restaurant/bar with a vaguely Southern theme. Sometimes live music, sometimes karaoke, often dead.

Matrix/Metropolis--dance clubs. Not my thing, never been, but I tend to see people going in on the weekends.

It's technically not at Pointe Orlando, but Howl at the Moon is about a block or two north. A fun dueling piano bar, worth checking out. Be sure to have dinner at the original Bahama Breeze, right next door.

 

[kilee]

We found this place to be a disappointment on our last trip. Which was October of '04. There as a lot of closed down places. It has so much potential- and should be great if they revitalize it again.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

We found this place to be a disappointment on our last trip. Which was October of '04. There as a lot of closed down places. It has so much potential- and should be great if they revitalize it again.

I agree, it is a real shame it has dwindled away so much. Especially from a shopping point of view, the FAO Schwarz store in particular was just great and we have some great memories of taking our young son there.
The large Teddy Bear by the roadside was also a real attraction too.

 

[JMD]

Its too bad PO has gone downhill. It used to like going there.

 

[caa1000]

As anyone been there? Any good? Me and my gf are planning a trip and are in the college age group, just wondering about experiences there.

I have not been to Pointe Orlando and was surprised to see it being demolished! Assuming that the Pointe Orlando IMAX theater still open, besides some small restaurants and few shops. The side where the FAO Szwarts stood, is gone!

aw: Feel Free To Ask! aw:

 

[Jason71]

I have not been to Pointe Orlando and was surprised to see it being demolished! Assuming that the Pointe Orlando IMAX theater still open, besides some small restaurants and few shops. The side where the FAO Szwarts stood, is gone!
QUOTE]

Movie theater is still there, as are most of the restaurants (except Pac Man Cafe, previously known as Club XS). It's the shops that have really disappeared.

In the long run, I think this will be a good thing. They are trying to open PO up, to give it more appeal to passers-by on I-Drive. Before, but for the giant teddy bear and blocks, it looked like a nondescript warehouse. A year from now, it should be a very different, and hopefully better, place.

 

[Want2liveatWDW]

Is Dan Marino's still there? That's my husband's one must visit restaurant when we go.
If it's not I'm going to have to ask one of you kind disers tell him. I won't have the heart to do it.

 

[Jason71]

Is Dan Marino's still there?

It was there the last time I was (maybe a week or two ago).

 

[momof3disneyholics]

There is a multimillion dollar renovation project going on over there. In a year or so, it is really going to be a nice place to go again.