I have always wanted to stay at a Ritz-Carlton and when we were booking our Orlando family vacay, I knew that it would be the perfect opportunity. Relaxation and luxury necessarily didn’t come to mind when I had thought about Orlando. But I was wrong! The Ritz-Carlton Orlando is a retreat from all the chaos (and fun) of the amusement parks that the area is famous for. The resort is surrounded by a green landscape, palm trees, lakes, and wandering paths. Often when walking around the resort, we were the only people around – often it felt like we had our own private retreat.
The grounds, amenities, and level of service were all truly top-notch. Everyone we encountered went above and beyond to make our experience delightful. Once you arrive, it doesn’t take long to notice that all of your, “Thanks!” are responded to with, “My pleasure.” And, if you ask for directions, staff will walk with you instead of just giving verbal directions. They even carefully rearranged our son’s stuffed animals on our bed after turndown service one morning! He was so excited.
The Ritz-Carlton Orlando is opulent but not over the top. It is large but not too massive where it’s overwhelming. Our room was nice and clean, but where the resort really shines is its grounds, pool, and restaurants.
After just a day at this beautiful resort, I now know what all Ritz-Carlton hype is about!
The Ritz-Carlton Orlando Pools
The pool complex is the perfect size. There’s a main pool that’s large enough so you don’t feel crowded and can really splash around with interfering with others. We typically rent a cabana but skipped it this time because we were able to easily find shaded loungers. Staff will also help you find a spot by the pool and will even help set it up for you. Guests have access to plush pool floats, and they even have sunscreen dispensers throughout the pool area. If you’d like a little more privacy, then there are cabanas that fully enclose, and include TVs, round sofas, and all the shade you need!
We spent several meals poolside, taking advantage of the great service and enjoying delicious food and cool beverages. Carter particularly loved having cheese pizza at a swimming pool!
Another bonus of staying at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando is access to the JW Marriott pool, which is next door. They have a large lazy river which is a fun activity to enjoy. This pool is much busier but worth a visit to check out a few different features. Grab one of the neon tubes and enjoy a float looking up at palm trees. A section of the pool area was under construction when we were there because they were building a waterslide – so apparently there’s more fun to come!
Dining at The Ritz
There are so many options onsite, that your family will never get bored. We love Highball & Harvest because of the great drink selections – and their dedicated vegan menu. We dined here with friends and had the best time. We enjoyed live music, and the kids played shuffleboard and pool!
There is also an upscale restaurant onsite, and several great restaurants at the JW Marriott next door. For casual meals, we had coffee and pastries from The Drop, which is in the lobby, and drinks and snacks at the lobby bar. The lobby bar is beautiful and a great spot to enjoy good company and drinks, with a round of Shirley Temples for the kids. For most breakfasts, we ordered room service, which was delicious. In the afternoons, poolside lunch was a must!
Location, Location, Location!
The resort is about 15 to 20 minutes from the airport and the parks! That means you won’t have to drive far to enjoy all Orlando offers. Additionally, there are plenty of shops and restaurants close to the resort. If you don’t want to drive, or park, at one of the Disney or Universal parks, then the Ritz provides a complimentary shuttle for guests. You just need to make a reservation at the front desk. We rode the shuttle, which was a large motorcoach, to Universal Studios. The shuttles have set times in the morning and evening.
Ritz Kids and Family-Friendly Activities
If you stay here, make sure to take advantage of Ritz Kids! Families can visit together from 10 – 11:30 am. Then from 12 – 3 pm kids can stay here alone to enjoy games, activities, movies, and even lunch. Ritz Kids is complimentary for up to two kids per room. We came all together in the morning to check it out and Carter loved it so much he wanted to come back. So, we ordered his lunch and made his reservation. Ritz Kids has games, gigantic bean bag chairs, crafts, and a fun outdoor area complete with chickens. There are also two bunnies, turtles, and baby alligators which you can view! We thought we would pick up Carter a little early to come to join us at the pool, but he requested that we let him stay for the whole duration. This meant that we could enjoy a little more adult time by the pool!
The resort also has plenty of kid-friendly activities scattered throughout the property. The breezeway outside the Ritz Kids has air hockey, foosball, and ping pong, and inside the restaurant Highball & Harvest, there are pool tables and shuffleboard. There is also a splash pad and shaded playground, which even has shaded loungers for the adults. If we would have let him, I think Carter would have spent all day just in this spot!
Since we visited during the 4th of July weekend, there were some extra activities and events around the resort. The most visible activities were the inflatable games and water slides. We made some new friends at the resort with kids a little older than Carter, and they invited him to join them on the inflatable water slides. I was positive that once he got to the top of the “Gladiator” slide I would have to climb the ladder to help get him down. But to my surprise, he went for it and had the best time! So much so, that he went several more times!
Our Ritz experience was amazing! From incredible service to delicious food and amazing pools, we truly enjoyed our time at the resort. They are masters at creating an upscale getaway that is family-friendly! We can’t wait to return to this property and other Ritz-Carlton’s worldwide!
We love staying at luxury hotels. If you’re interested in learning more about another five-star property, then you can read about the Four Seasons Seattle, by clicking here.
