Orbit One Timeshare - Space Age Cool, Unbeatable Orlando Location

During the early 1980's, tourism collided with the space age in Orlando, Florida. Walt Disney World introduced EPCOT Center in 1982, featuring the Spaceship Earth ride inside its iconic sphere. Just two short years later, Florida developer Island One, debuted its ORBIT One timeshare resort. With modern glass and steel architecture, and buildings with names like Saturn, Mercury, and Venus, Orbit One Vacation Villas captivated the imaginations of Orlando's tourists.

Both EPCOT and ORBIT were originally conceived of as acronyms: EPCOT being the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, and archived records refer to O.R.B.I.T. as being the resort's proper name, though no one there could tell me what the acronym stood for - perhaps someone who reads this could shed some light.

Over nearly 30 years, things change. Now that we're in the future, our "communities of tomorrow" bear little resemblance to EPCOT Center; itself rechristened as simply Epcot. When sales commenced at Orbit One, the nearest neighbors were grazing cows, but today development has transformed the former cattle town of Kissimmee, Florida into a tourist epicenter.

As the Walt Disney World theme parks have grown in numbers, so have the various access roads that serve its many visitors. The street Orbit One is located on, Entry Point Boulevard, has perhaps fulfilled its original promise by becoming an "entry point" to the Disney complex. As anyone who has spent hours of their vacation stuck in Orlando traffic will tell you; the closer the better. Timeshare owners and guests at Orbit One Vacation Villas need only to drive across the street to get into the theme parks.

Had the resort been allowed to stagnate, the space age theme might seem dated and kitsch, but Island One has done a superb job of maintenance and upkeep - the overall effect being somewhat retro and charming. Each two-bedroom villa at the resort features a full kitchen, private patio, washer/dryer, and jetted tub. On-site "galactic" amenities include a second pool with water slides, fitness center, tennis courts, and game room.

If you're considering buying timeshare in Orlando, or are just a regular visitor to Central Florida, don't overlook the Orbit One Vacation Villas. Between a sluggish economy and a resale market in turmoil, prices are lower now than they're likely ever going to be again. For those willing to look beyond the horizon, there is an undeniable value in owning a well-maintained timeshare this close to Disney.