Visited Celebration ?

[Tow-Mater]

Has anyone visited the town of Celebration while on their WDW trip?

 

[ChristmasElf]

What would you like to know? There a few quaint little boutique like shops on Market Street and Front Street. A coffeeshop, a 2 screen movie house (AMC)
You can sit on wooden rocking chairs and watch the lake or just people watch.
In the fall, there is a Fall Harvest like celebration. There are crafts, face painting and music and food booths for people to enjoy.

Closer to the Holidays, "snow" falls from the street lights and you could enjoy all the lights and decorations. There is a shop that sells Christmas ornaments, figurines and knick knacky things. A little pricey, but she has some nice things.
There a couple of clothing stores and a few restaurants, and an ice cream place that for some reason keeps changing hands.
There is also a hotel if you would be interested in staying in the town. A shuttle will provide transportation to the parks.

 

[AKL_Megs]

We've visited before. Not too impressed overall, but it's a nice walk!

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

i was always kind of afraid to visit there.....

 

[joshsmom]

only the hospital . . . DS got a nasty bug the last time we were at Disney and we got to take a nice ambulance ride. no fun--but the hospital was wonderful.

 

[diznygirl]

i was always kind of afraid to visit there.....

We're kind of afraid to have you visit......

 

[Buckalew11]

We drove through about 2 years ago. I dream about living there (but probably wouldn't leave here even if I was given the chance so I am a big chicken! LOL) and my dad (RIP) drove through after a WDW trip on May and surprised me. DH would never visit Celebration and Dad knew how much I wanted to just see it. I liked it a lot and thought it was beautiful. It was one of my fondest memories with Dad and though I thanked him when we went, it was one of the biggies in my life that I thanked him for when he was dying and we were doing a lot of long talks.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Toying with the idea of moving, I looked around in several areas near Orlando, including Celebration.

The homes are extremely close together. NO LAND! No space! And way too small for what they're charging. Plus, they have some kind of No Speeding rule where they tell on each other or something - not the kind of place we'd want to be hanging out.

And it was all to girly for DH, anyway, lol...not that he wanted to move in the first place.

Honestly, it is kind of cute to drive through, but I wouldn't want to live there. We looked about a year ago and there weren't a whole lot of lots left if you wanted to build.

 

[daisyduck123]

I've got some relatives that own some condos there.
We've visited them a few times....very pretty there.
One of my cousins works for WDW & her condo is totally done in a Disney theme.

 

[Mickey527]

I have driven through a few times and love it. It is the type of place I always dreamed of living, small town look, neighbors all know each other. Front porches.
But it does have it's Stepford thing too. I remember going there on Memorial day one year and seeing all the women in dresses, the little girls in dresses with hats, the men and boys in suits. And the boy scout troop was raising the flag. SCARY!!!
I would never be able to afford a house there though, if and when I sell my house I have to find something in Fl for less than $250,000 now that I am on disability. That doesn't leave me much but I did find some nice places in gated communities in Winterhaven.
A gated community is about as close to Celebration as I will ever be able to afford.

 

[diznygirl]

I have driven through a few times and love it. It is the type of place I always dreamed of living, small town look, neighbors all know each other. Front porches.
But it does have it's Stepford thing too. I remember going there on Memorial day one year and seeing all the women in dresses, the little girls in dresses with hats, the men and boys in suits. And the boy scout troop was raising the flag. SCARY!!!
I would never be able to afford a house there though, if and when I sell my house I have to find something in Fl for less than $250,000 now that I am on disability. That doesn't leave me much but I did find some nice places in gated communities in Winterhaven.
A gated community is about as close to Celebration as I will ever be able to afford.

Every year there is a flag ceremony on Memorial Day. The old flag is taken down and a new flag is put up. This year was especially meaningful as we mourned the loss of a resident in Iraq.

As you can see, this year was more casual than you described.

 

[SplshMtn99]

Yes, DH & I have visited. I think it was on our 2004 trip. So many, I can't remember. lol We even went geocaching in Celebration.

 

[Tow-Mater]

Thanks everyone for the input, I just found alot of pictures on the following site. 34747forum.com

 

[xviclx]

is there any websites with info on this, like exact location, a look at the houses, prices etc

 

[PrincessKitty1]

DH and I visited a few years ago. We didn't like it at all. Neither of us like housing developments that require so much uniformity in building, and we don't like big houses with tiny yards. As somebody else mentioned, it was Stepford-ish. We have a huge development in our city that's very similar--a lot of people love it but it's just not our cup of tea.

 

[wdwcoltsfan]

is there any websites with info on this, like exact location, a look at the houses, prices etc

We have been looking extensively for the past year for a vacation home in the Disney area. I like Ziprealty.com. They have photos of the homes with a lot of information. You can use the address to see what other homes in the area have sold for. I don't know what you're looking for, but many homes run in the 1600-1800 sq. ft. range and they are priced at $400,000.00 and up. When you get closer to 2000 sq.ft. you are definately looking at $500,000.00 and this doesn't include much yard or pool. Of course, there are several community pools, so that may not be an issue. This website will also show you how long the homes have been on the market. The ones in Celebration definately sit on the market longest and the owners seem less likely to lower their price. We realize that if we are going to buy a home there, we will be paying for the atmosphere. I don't think think the homes alone demand those prices. You might want to look at other areas around Disney so that you can compare houses. You can't compare the overall living experience of Celebration, but this can help you determine what your priorities are.

We are now in the process of deciding whether to buy a vacation home or DVC. I know, apples and oranges.

Have fun looking at the homes. You can also google Celebration and there are some wonderful sites that can give you a feel for the community.

Rachel

 

[xviclx]

Thanks for the info, Iv tried googleing but I couldnt seem to get much info.

 

[Cool-Beans]

We realize that if we are going to buy a home there, we will be paying for the atmosphere. I don't think think the homes alone demand those prices.

They don't. We looked at a house that was smaller than ours and it was selling for a million. Not only was it different than home, it was different than the rest of that area.

And while the town is "cute" to drive through, the atmosphere really sucks. They have no land, no view. The houses are right on top of each other. It is cramped! Who wants to look out the back window and see other houses or other people?! Ug. Same with the front. Ick-ee.

And, like I said before, you have to drive reeeeaaly slow. Or else.

I am sure that some people like it - there are people living there - but you can get a house crammed in with a bunch of other houses for a LOT less money and buy yourself a damn picket fence if that floats your boat.

 

[wdwcoltsfan]

I definately agree that the area is "tight." We haven't been there yet, so I'm going off photos. It's good to know that the homes are as close as they appear in the photos.

I have only talked with people who live there now and they love it. I haven't had the opportunity to speak with anyone who used to live there and may have a different opinion. It's always good to hear both sides.

Rachel

 

[PatriciaH]

This website will also show you how long the homes have been on the market. The ones in Celebration definately sit on the market longest and the owners seem less likely to lower their price.

Average time for a home on the real estste market is 120 days. Average time last month in Celebration was 93 days. Celebration is expensive but so are most of the nice area in Florida (Windemere, Coral Gables, Palm Beach, etc..) Prices have been dropping here lately but they are still very high for the pay rate in Florida. There are homes here with 1/4 acre, 1/2 acre but you pay for that land.

Celebration was built to be a New Urban community:

http://www.newurbanism.org/newurbanism/principles.html

"7. Increased Density

-More buildings, residences, shops, and services closer together for ease of walking, to enable a more efficient use of services and resources, and to create a more convenient, enjoyable place to live.
-New Urbanism design principles are applied at the full range of densities from small towns, to large cities"