opinions on these skyauction resorts pretty please? [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

sln88

05-29-2005, 09:49 PM

the following are available for our vacation time as of right now
Westgate
Bryan Spanish Cove
Club Sevilla
Fl Vacation Villas
Orbit One
(have stayed at the last 2 in the past and they were both fine)
Summer Bay- we stayed at the hotel that had resort privleges(sp!) here and it looked really nice, but seemed so far away from WDW

sln88

05-30-2005, 07:27 AM

bump- need to do something on this soon

MN Dis Fans

05-30-2005, 07:43 AM

We stayed at Orbit One a few years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Mind you, it's more like 8 or 9 years ago now?

We've also stayed at Summer Bay. This is now one of our favorite's. In fact, this is where we will be staying again this October during our next visit. Summer Bay is a little farther out on 192, but have never had any problems with traffic. It might add 5 minutes? on to your journey to WDW?

There is a short cut to AK. Go out of Summer Bay as normal. Hang a left a mile or so down the road (maybe it's 2), at a traffic light. Gas Station also on left hand side of road. (Can't remember road name) You'll go by Silver Lake, it'll be on your left side. Go up to stop sign, and hang a left. You'll wind back around (about a mile) Hang a right at the Stop Light. And AK is just about the road (1/2 mile).

We haven't stayed at any of the others on your list. Good Luck!

Bella the Ball 360

05-30-2005, 10:09 AM

Have not stayed at Westgate but the reviews are much more negative than positive that I have seen on this board.

SammieG

05-30-2005, 02:29 PM

we stayed at Summer Bay last trip(April) and didnt like it at all..

The rooms were nice.. but not screened and we were eaten alive by mosi's - I used to dread going to bed. Plus I really didnt like the pool area - actually I really couldnt wait to leave this resort!

The traffic was absolutely dreadful. It was taking us 40 mins (using the short cut!) to get to Disney leaving at about 11am... :earseek: :confused3 :earseek: the roadworks might have finished now..

Bryans Spanish Cove looks ok from the road.. I have never been in, but in terms of a location its much better than Summer Bay.

Dont know about the others... dont like the look of them from their pictures but pictures can be deceptive!

sln88

05-30-2005, 02:59 PM

well, looks like Summer Bay is out now- it is no longer listed as one of the places available.
I don't mind the extra 5 min to get there(plus, we go in Oct, so traffic is not bad), but, I am usually stuck with the job of going to get the fast food for dinner, and there really did not seem to be much out there. I felt kind of out in the boonies and don't like driving in strange places at night.
now, I am down to
Orbit One
Vacation villas- stayed at both and thought the Orbit was better(liked the big tub)
Westgate- too bad the reviews are bad- looks like a nice place
Sevilla and Bryans(pool looks really small)
I guess I am leaning towards Orbit or Westgate. I'd like to try something new, but worried about the reviews

DianeV

05-30-2005, 05:11 PM

Bryans Spanish Cove is in a good location but it is a smaller resort with a small pool. It gets decent reviews. Personally I wouldnt stay at Westgate if its the Villas because I dont think they are kept up well and its like a little city there or something..I dont know..just dont like the setup.

Orbit One is also small and probably equivalent to Bryans but not as good location in my opinion.

Club Sevilla and Fla Vac. villas I wouldnt do..just so so reviews

SammieG

05-30-2005, 05:57 PM

sln88 - yes you are right about Summer Bay and getting food late at night.. there is nothing close by.. your food is cold by the time you get it back there.

Can I just also say that 192 was a nightmare.. and it was a very very quiet time we were there... the roadworks were horrendous. We vowed we will NEVER stay anywhere near 192 again.

TotoToo

05-30-2005, 07:33 PM

Club Sevilla seems to be a converted motel. I wouldn't recoomend it.

Brian Noble

05-31-2005, 08:24 AM

DianeV: what don't you like about Orbit's location, compared to BSC?

disneysteve

05-31-2005, 12:12 PM

We stayed at Orbit One in November and it was excellent. Perfect location. Spacious rooms very nicely equipped. If you search, you can probably find my review. I've also got photos at:
http://community.webshots.com/user/disneysteve

DianeV

05-31-2005, 02:22 PM

Brian

I dont like that Orbit One is on 192. That road is a mess and honestly we just like the feel of the Lake Buena Vista side better (535) which is where Bryans, Vistana, Embassy, Cypress Pte etc are

Having said that we ARE staying this summer at Fairfield Cypress Palms on 102 but thats because it was all we could get since we planned late for an exchange

disneysteve

05-31-2005, 02:37 PM

Brian

I dont like that Orbit One is on 192. That road is a mess
I've got no problem with 192 but FYI you don't need to travel on 192 to get to Disney from Orbit One. If you come out and turn left, you just cross 192 onto Sherberth Road and come onto Disney property by Animal Kingdom. Very convenient.

DianeV

05-31-2005, 03:55 PM

Maybe I should clarify. I just dont like all the touristy feel of 192 and it usually is a mess and lots of traffic to get anywhere...I just like the other side better but would stay on 192 if needed

swilshire

06-01-2005, 08:10 AM

We have stayed at Summer Bay and are scheduled to go back again this year in October. We liked it fine. It's not our favorite area resort, but it is very nice. Our only complaint was the queen size bed instead of a king and the master br being a little small. I think we were in one of the older buildings and they changed this in the newer ones.

We seldom eat fast food, so I can't comment on that, but the resort is right next to a Publix. We would be more likely to buy prepared sandwiches there than hit a fast food restaurant. I do recall a Chick-fil-a up 192, which probably would be too far to keep food hot. There is a Super Walmart just up 27 from the resort (which was closed when we went there Christmas Eve --- long story) but I would suspect it has a McDonalds in it. You could do a search on Walmart's website and find out.

Sheila

swilshire

06-01-2005, 08:12 AM

Can I just also say that 192 was a nightmare.. and it was a very very quiet time we were there... the roadworks were horrendous. We vowed we will NEVER stay anywhere near 192 again.

We were there when they were in the midst of this roadwork and I agree it was awful, but it's much better now. We were there for Christmas/New Year's and the only time it was pretty bad was right at park closing. Other than that, it was fine.

Sheila

ColoradoBelle1

06-01-2005, 10:35 AM

Not positive, but I THINK that lots of the negatives re Westgate were from people who bought that timeshare.
I took a tour and the units were lovely (the new one that was building a hirise town center with underground parking???). And almost brand new.

I didn't stay there, and I wasn't interested in buying....because there are so many,you can often go to one of the rental web sites and get a large unit there for very little. Just be sure it is the newer one.

Brian Noble

06-01-2005, 10:50 AM

There is a Wendy's up 27 in the general vicinity of the Super Wal-Mart, too.

jeanyusjean

08-02-2005, 07:42 AM

I guess I am leaning towards Orbit or Westgate. I'd like to try something new, but worried about the reviews[/QUOTE]
My two choices too! Can't decide!!!

alisonbestford

08-02-2005, 08:17 AM

We stayed in Bryans Spanish Cove a couple of years ago :sunny:

Location was fine and our apartment looked out into woodland where we saw raccoons etc.

The pool was disappointing though and I don't seem to remember there being a shallow end for DD who, at the time, was a non swimmer :sad2:

We had an infestation of sugar ants in the living room :scared1: but this was dealt with immediately we reported it :jumping1:

We enjoyed it but, I guess you could say, looking back, we were pretty close to nature given our surroundings....... :rolleyes1

magic kingdom park

08-02-2005, 08:57 AM

I've got no problem with 192 but FYI you don't need to travel on 192 to get to Disney from Orbit One. If you come out and turn left, you just cross 192 onto Sherberth Road and come onto Disney property by Animal Kingdom. Very convenient.

We are staying at Orbit One in Oct. first time, I have also heard some mixed reviews, that it is small, but I have stayed at Orange Lake and Vistana, and it was nice, but it was crowded, the small might be good.

Now, can you tell me about the short cut to disney and is this just to AK or are there signs that tell you how to get to the other parks, and how do you get back to the resort, I always get turned around coming out of disney. :flower:

spiceycat

08-02-2005, 09:00 AM

bryan's Spanish Cove is across the street from Sheraton's Vistana - so it is pretty close to WDW property.

Westgate -is a nice resort. but having to deal with their sales people when you are on vacation is in my book not worth it. the resort itself is lovely. but also remember one thing I have always found at Westgate. their sales pitch is called 'maintence meeting' - if your villa was in great shape why go to a maintence meeting - something will be wrong so you will intend.

I have majority things and small things. Majority things - hot water doesn't work, the ceiling was dripping and it took Westgate days to fix it, patio dirty (of course this didn't bother me at CWR), they charge members a very pretty cent in maintence fees. I personally think that maintence fees should be spend on maintence.

Westgate will lie. they have no problem doing that at all. Disney and Marriott generally don't lie. They are told not too. Westgate is encourage to lie and lie some more. Very different ways of doing business.

StephMK

08-02-2005, 09:07 AM

We stayed at Westgate - the Villas last year despite reading many negative reviews because of SIL's timeshare exchange. I don't know if we were just lucky but we had an excellent stay. Took awhile to check in but that was pretty much the only complaint we could think of for the stay. Maybe it was different since we were an exchange but we reluctantly agreed to meet him briefly. We waited 5 min in the lobby, he was apparently busy, we didn't wait, left & other than one message on our phone, never heard from him again. We had our 3 kids with us so we felt pretty confident they'd be enough of a nuisance and we refused to meet him at our room.

All in all, the room was quiet, in good working order, nice & big & the drive to Disney was a piece of cake. I know that's not the case for all but we had a good stay. Good luck w/your choice!

sln88

08-02-2005, 10:22 AM

We stayed at Orbit 2 years ago and it was fine. Clean and everything seemed new inside the rooms. No maintenance issues. Washer and dryer and whirlpool tub in room, screened in porch.
Not alot of activities, but our vacation is more about being at the parks, not the resort, so it was fine for us. Last year we stayed at the new Hilton, and although it was beautiful, I can't really say that our vacation was any better than the one at Orbit. I am only not staying there because I wanted to try something new.
Disneysteve has stayed here and really liked it(look for his review and pics)
Westgate was on my list this year, but when I read the reports on tripadvisor, I decided against it. If my husband got hassled by timeshare salespeople, he would be furious.
check out tripadvisor, and spiceycat knows of a timeshare review place-maybe RCI?. The site escapes me at the moment.

spiceycat

08-02-2005, 10:24 AM

Steve I hope your experience was great as you tell it.

I am staying at Westgate (owner) this Nov....I sure hope it is fine!!!

I have looked into exchanging it - but I am going to trade my 2-bedroom for a studio and that is alot of what I am being showed. Now yesterday I found some good ones and I was delighted - but II must have realized their mistake because today it is just the average 1 or 2-bedroom or great efficiencies.

disneysteve

08-02-2005, 12:03 PM

Now, can you tell me about the short cut to disney and is this just to AK or are there signs that tell you how to get to the other parks, and how do you get back to the resort, I always get turned around coming out of disney. :flower:
Exit Orbit One and turn left. Cross 192 and proceed straight on Sherberth Road. Just follow the road and it leads you right onto Disney property near Animal Kingdom. If you are heading anywhere else, just follow signs to your destination. You go back the same way.

Honestly, I have no problem dealing with 192 at the time of year we visit so I only used the shortcut once when we were heading for AK. But if you dislike 192 or there is any kind of backup, Sherberth Road is great.

I just booked Orbit One for November so we will be staying there for the second time this year. Our priorities on vacation at Disney are a big suite or condo, a separate room for DD and a nice kitchen. Orbit One has all of that. It may not be as new as others or have as many activities or amenities on site, but we don't care about that stuff.

sweet maxine

08-02-2005, 12:44 PM

Disneysteve, did you book Orbit One conventionally or through some other channel, such as Sky Auction? I'm thinking about booking there for October. I wonder if the condo-type resorts fill up quickly due to the F & W Festival, and if the skyauction offerings during that time will be slim to none.

disneysteve

08-02-2005, 12:47 PM

Mudd77

08-02-2005, 12:52 PM

sweet maxine

08-02-2005, 12:53 PM

Thanks! I'll go over there to look and see what's available for my time period. I've stayed at VV @ Pkwy, and Silver Lake, and both of those places were very nice. I have driven down the road that Orbit One is located off of (I think), and it is a very short distance to the back entrance of AK.

spiceycat

08-02-2005, 01:04 PM

the only resorts that I know that fill up quickly because of the food and wine festavial are the BW, BC and YC including the BCV and BWV.

you can walk back to these resorts.

anytime you have to drive in Florida make sure that the driver is not drinking.

you can believe that both the state troopers, highway patrol and the local police in Kissimmee will be looking for drunk drivers during this festavial.

sweet maxine

08-02-2005, 01:38 PM

I'm not a drinker, but thanks for that info.

Does anyone know if there is a pool slide and playground at Orbit One?

disneysteve

08-02-2005, 02:56 PM

Does anyone know if there is a pool slide and playground at Orbit One?
Here is their website that lists all the features.
http://www.islandone.com/ior/oo.html

sweet maxine

08-02-2005, 06:54 PM

Thanks!

Brian Noble

08-02-2005, 09:03 PM

I have a cancellable reservation direct with OO in February for about $700, all-in. If I got it (or another very close-by property) via skyauction, that'd be fine, but I figure I'm getting a decent value even at this price, particularly given the location. I haven't stayed there yet, but have been hard-pressed to find many people who weren't happy there.

disneysteve

08-02-2005, 09:11 PM

I have a cancellable reservation direct with OO in February for about $700
Is that $700 for a week? If so, I would definitely suggest trying to book through Skyauction. We're only paying $260 for a week.

katebeth

08-02-2005, 10:04 PM

We did westgate this past March. We kinda knew what to expect because of what we read on these boards. We did it to get the free tickets and very low hotel price (We stayed at Westgate Palace. Nice, but too far away from Disney) We went in from the very beginning and were nice to our presenter, but let her know that we were not interested at all, no matter what, in a timeshare. My husband is in sales and was good and not backing down. We have been to other timeshare presentations and did not think that they were any more pushy then any of the others (They are all too pushy in my opinion) We did our 90 min. presentation and were on our way.

Brian Noble

08-03-2005, 08:46 AM

Is that $700 for a week? If so, I would definitely suggest trying to book through Skyauction. We're only paying $260 for a week.
I absolutely will, and hope to do much better. What I was saying was: even if I *can't* do better, I won't feel bad paying $100 a night for Orbit One based on the reviews I've seen. We stayed in Glenbrook last year, in a larger house for less money, but decided that paying a bit extra would be worth the much better location, and 2BR is all we strictly need. Of course, if I can be closer and pay *less*, I certainly will!

I'm going the week *after* President's week this year. Last year, our week was during P-Week, and skyauction never had anything I would have been willing to take for our dates.