Featured Image Courtesy: Orlando News Sentinel
Shopping and dining are two of the things we like to do when we’re not poolside enjoying sunshine and relaxing. My daughter and I share these experiences together regularly when on vacation. Most of our time is spent shopping at outlet and clearance malls. When it comes to dining, we like to find places that are not offered in the Southeast Tennessee/ Northwest Georgia area. We have experienced some rather long wait times in both cases. However, Orlando is becoming something of a different beast altogether… one that your average tourist may not be prepared for before arrival.
Outlet Mall Lines
We usually hit three different outlet malls while in Orlando. The one we visited last night was the Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets. We got a late start on shopping and didn’t arrive until close to 6:30 p.m. This only allowed us about 90 minutes of shopping time. It was not particularly crowded and there didn’t seem to be any lines formed in front of stores like when the pandemic was in full force last year. Only one store had a line and allowed only a few customers in at a time. It was Under Armour. I waited in line for close to 30 minutes. Usually, I only visit two or three particular stores in most outlet malls and Under Armour is one. I must have been showing my impatience as a gentleman behind me started a conversation with me about my white Under Armour shoes and how I keep them so clean. He then shared that he worked at another store in the outlet mall and that every store is understaffed. Under Armour could only handle the large number of patrons by allowing a small number to shop at a time.
Dining Wait Times
After our shopping ended, we went to Ford’s Garage to get dinner. I drove up and let my daughter go ask how long the wait was. The hostess said the wait was an hour. While my daughter was in line, a lady behind her stated this was the fourth place they been to get dinner and the wait times were anywhere from an hour up to two hours. My daughter was very polite in asking why the long wait time and it was because of the number of customers and being understaffed.
Return for Wings Not Successful
In a previous article, I shared that we were going back to Buffalo Wild Wings for an early dinner. It was close to 5:00 p.m. and very few people there. It took about five minutes for us to be seated and the hostess asked us to please be patient because they only had one server. We were okay with it… however, there was a family getting very disruptive and loud so we decided to leave. Fortunately there was a TGI Friday’s next door. We were able to get service quickly and our server was so friendly and sociable.
My Suggestion
I would strongly suggest plan on eating dinner earlier than most folks. Eating dinner between six and eight at night is going to be the busiest times and you should expect longer wait times. I strongly suggest eating between four and six at night. Do your extra fun activities while everyone is eating dinner. You’ll find wait times at putt-putt golf, movie theaters and other fun activities to be more accessible during the dinner hours. I hope this helps!
Let me know if any other suggestions you may have.
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Be blessed and safe travels!!!
