Did you ever dream you were locked in a mall after closing?
Written: Jan 29 '05 (Updated Mar 09 '05)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Large selection, great fashion selections
Cons: Too busy, parking lot, location
The Bottom Line: If you need a new swimsuit for the beach, they'll have one here.
|
|
|
| xyzwyatt's Full Review: The Florida Mall |
The Florida Mall is THE largest mall in Florida with 7 anchor stores and around 250 specialty stores. The anchor stores are really the biggest attraction such as Macy's, Saks 5th Avenue, Lord & Taylor, and Nordstroms. There are also common department stores like Sears and JCPenney that you might find with any mall.
Some of my favorite shops in the mall are Tommy Island, Abercrombie & Fitch, Pottery Barn, Playmobile, Tupperware, Victoria Secret, Banana Republic, and Coach. If you are in need of shoes you are in luck! There are 20 individual shoe stores to choose from. Just want to shop for women's clothes? Thirty-nine specialty clothes shops just for women not counting the department stores. The full list of stores can be found on the Simon webpage, broken down nicely by category:
http://www.simon.com/mall/directory.aspx?ID=139
The food court is in the middle area of the mall. No matter what time it is, the food court is always packed. Some of the selections are A&W, Dairy Queen, Orange Julius, Subway, Nature's Table, and so on. There are 16 fast food places to choose from in the food court. There are other food options within the mall, some that come to mind are Godiva and Barnies coffee. Several sit down restaurants are also inside the mall. They are Ruby Tuesdays, Buca di Beppo, California Pizza, Le Jardin, and Salsa Taquera & Tequilla bar.
Hotel in the Mall?
The Adam's Mark Hotel is physically attached to the Florida Mall. The Adam's Mark is an upscale hotel with long-standing reputable remarks. The hotel stands quite high with 12 floors which have 510 rooms just to give you some perspective of how big this mall really is.
Location
The mall is centrally located so that it is near everything. It is about half way between the International Airport and Universal Studios. The problem I have with it is that it is not really around anything! It is difficult to get to from I-4 because the exit is on Orange Blossom Trail (OBT). The stretch between I-4 and the mall is start and stop traffic lights every block and you have to dodge people walking in the street and you have to look at the purple buildings that do not have windows (wink) if you know what I mean. NOT a place to run out of gas. The mall is also accessible from the toll road depending on which direction you were coming from.
Parking
A traditional flat parking lot is used for parking; there is not a parking garage. This brings some challenges in the evening and when it is storming. The first obstacle is getting to your car in the evening safely and the second is getting there without being drenched! I noticed that tour buses and city busses also stop here as well as many taxis.
My Experience
Sure, I get around. I go mall hopping in search for the best deals at certain stores when they have sales. Very few malls have all of the stores that I shop at. However this one does have it all! If the store is not in the mall, such as Target, it is just outside the mall. This is a one stop shopping experience but that comes with a price. It is not a handy mall! It takes at least a half day to go to the Florida Mall. I have to drive there which takes quite awhile. Even if you were nearby the traffic is very congested in that area. Once I get to the parking lot I have to begin my cherry picking for a good suitable parking place that I think will be a safe entry point because it is not in the safest area of town. None of the malls are anymore. Once I get inside I have to find the store I am looking for which takes a long time because there are over 200 to choose from! There are always distractions such as the foot court. Then I have to drive home which will end up getting me into rush hour traffic.
My experiences to the Florida Mall have always been positive. I head to the Gymboree in the Florida Mall whenever Gymboree is offering Gymbucks because that location is about 3 times as big as my local Gymboree. Sometimes I go there when I am looking for something odd like curtains that I can not find in the local stores. We tried to do our Christmas shopping there this year in November but we could not find a single parking spot anywhere; it was absolutely packed!
One thing that I notice every time that I am there is that I am about the only one speaking English! Many of the people in the mall are tourists from other countries. If you fit into this category you are going to love this mall. There are translators available so whatever language you need, they have I am sure.
Although shopping there is enjoyable, it is somewhat frustrating because there are always so many people there. It is also difficult to find stores; I always feel mislead by the way their signs are displayed. Since the mall is so big there is a lot of walking so walking aimlessly is a big deal.
Overall
There are many factory outlet stores off of I-4 but you will not find any discount stores around the Florida Mall. This mall is all high-end merchandise and has options for everyone. This mall is packed and happening; shopping, eating, even sleeping can be done here. I would not consider this a tourist mall because plenty of residents use it, but more than a fair share of tourist will be there as well. People are not just nosing around either; a lot of packages go out the door. I would say check it out if you have some extra time!
General Information
8001 South Orange Blossom Trail
Orlando, FL 32809
407-851-6255
Monday - Saturday 10AM - 9:30PM
Sunday 11AM - 6PM
Currency exchange and foreign language assistance available.
Located at the corner of Sand Lake Road (SR 482) and 441 South OBT.
Other Things around Orlando:
Amusements
Universal Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios, Orlando Sea World, Cypress Gardens Adventure Park
Indoor Entertainment
Orlando Science Museum, The Florida Aquarium
Malls/Shopping Areas
The Mall at Millenia, Universal CityWalk
State Parks
Lake Louisa State Park
Best Food
Universal Margaritaville at CityWalk, Hard Rock Cafe at Citywalk, NBA City at Citywalk, Seasons 52, New York Pizza Deli, Jungle Jim's, Bajama Breeze
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
xyzwyatt
|
 - Top 50 |
|
Location: Nashville, TN
Reviews written: 530
Trusted by: 168 members
About Me:
Be a coffee-drinking individual - espresso yourself!
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.