Summer Bay Resort

[gardner101]

My parents have booked "supposedly" ajoining 2 2 bedroom condos at Summer Bay Resort for an extended family vacation. We leave in 7 weeks and I'm starting to get a bit nervous. Most of the reviews I've pulled up on-line are not very flattering, and that's putting it nicely.

I trust these boards more than doing a general website search so I'm hoping some members can help me out here. Has anyone stayed there recently? How was the cleanliness / bugs? Are the ajoining condos really ajoining. We've been told that they share an entry way / foyer?

Thanks in advance for any information you can supply regarding this resort!

Kris

 

[4Seasons]

I believe Summer Bay assigns units upon check in. Most properties try to accommodate requests but they are usually not guaranteed.

You may have read reviews about the Inn at Summer Bay, that place has terrible reviews. The condos are nicer than the villas (and roomier), but everyone I've ever sent there has loved the resort.

 

[crjack]

We stayed in a 2 bdrm/2bath villa at Summer Bay back in 2005 and it was very nice. The condos are even bigger than the villas but we still had plenty of room for our family of 4. We had a kitchen, washer/dryer and 3 tv's. Our unit was very clean and the furnishings, etc. were new.

It was a little far down 192 but we knew that and just adjusted our schedule to accomodate the ride. I believe there is a new road now that should give you more options.

I think most of the negative reviews posted have to do with the timeshare tours and sales pitch. Most people seemed to complain about staying at the Inn at Summer Bay, which is across the street, and doesn't look like all that appealing.

We won our stay through Skyauction and I confirmed in advance we were in a villa. No problems at all with anything.

I think you will be fine staying in the condos.

 

[iluvflorida]

I agree with prior posters. The negative reviews will be for The Inn at Summer Bay which is just a run down motel across the road. We have stayed several times and hope to this year at Summer Bay Resort. It has been nothing but a positive experience. Relax you will enjoy. Can't give any information about ajoining suites but they do asign on check in. I would ask at that time. I find most resorts very helpful.

 

[annakris1973]

We stayed at Summer Bay Resort in September 2007. We really enjoyed it. The condo was very clean and roomy. The condos are ajoined by an entry vestibule. you enter the main door, then there are two doors on either side. As for a door that connects directly from condo to condo...I don't think so. But, you can leave the main door locked and the two inner doors open to travel back and forth during the day. The outer door is a french door, so I would definately shut the inner doors at night. We didn't have a problem with noise, bugs, etc. The pool was very nice (we only used it once) they had a live band of sorts (two guys with guitars) performing and it was quite enjoyable. They let a little boy get up and sing which was very cute. It is an easy commute to the world via 192. There is a shortcut...Take Sherbeth Rd. It comes out right at Animal Kingdom. You can see the Tree of Life and Everest on the way.

Most of the bad reviews were for the INN at Summer Bay, which is accross the street and looks like a total dump. I stayed clear of the timeshare presentation, and had a wonderful time.

 

[leanan]

The company has deplorable politics. Check their BBB records. That says it all pretty much. As far as the condos go. The one we stayed in was ok. There are adjoining condos. The said Foyer they share is not really much more than an enclosed hall way.

I have seen a lot of time shares since I live in the area. This is the worst one of the gang. Their staff is nasty and pushy. Their units are large but poorly kept up. They did not resolve my complaint about the door not shutting right. The pools are miserably small and shallow. They are often over crowded. They are actually warm though. One positive thing to say about them. Hahhahaha. Amenities as a whole could just be better.

I told my boyfriend to get rid of his timeshare there because I was not paying them $700 in fees to use what he owns only to deal with endless sales pitches and no good amenities. As owners we do not get any maid service unless we pay big bucks for it. Where is his fees all going if they can not give me clean sheets and towels easily.

 

[HappyLawyer]

My parents have booked "supposedly" ajoining 2 2 bedroom condos at Summer Bay Resort for an extended family vacation. We leave in 7 weeks and I'm starting to get a bit nervous. Most of the reviews I've pulled up on-line are not very flattering, and that's putting it nicely.

I trust these boards more than doing a general website search so I'm hoping some members can help me out here. Has anyone stayed there recently? How was the cleanliness / bugs? Are the ajoining condos really ajoining. We've been told that they share an entry way / foyer?

Thanks in advance for any information you can supply regarding this resort!

Kris

We have stayed there twice, off skyauction, we love it, it is really nice

 

[iluvflorida]

WOW I pity Leanan's boyfriend. Trust me I have toured and visited most of the timeshares in Kissimee/Orlando and Summer Bay is far from the worst. I don't know what her problem is but Summer Bay resort is a great resort. Not my favorite but well up there. Will be staying in Feb this year. Sales people are no more pushy than others except maybe Westgate. Just don't tour if you don't want to deal with them or tell them you can only tour on your last day and book it (this stops the calls) then just don't go for the tour.

 

[gardner101]

Thank you so much for all the reviews! I feel much better now. I was getting very nervous with all the reviews I had read about how unclean the place was and all the bugs and such. It's one thing if DH and I have to deal with it, but I didn't want to stay some place dirty with 2 little ones.

I'm glad to hear that the enclosed foyer is truely enclosed. We went 3 years ago (stayed at Vistana and enjoyed it), but only had 6 of us so we shared a 2 bedroom unit. This time my parents wanted to try someplace new, plus there are 8 of us so we decided (more like my parents are graciously using their RCi points) to book the 2 units. With us having a 5 & 2 year old we wanted someplace where they could go back and forth between untis easily w/o having to worry about them. Not sure why we didn't simply book a 4 bedroom house, may not have had the option with using RCI points. So hopefully they will have us in "adjoining" units.

As for the drive, we do know that it's further from the parks, but my parents wanted to try it, so we'll see. As for the time share presentations, we simply unplugged the phone when we stayed at Vistana. I assume we'll do the same here. We know going in to it to expect calls so I'm not worried about that.

Thanks for helping to put my mind at ease!

Kris

 

[agentpleakley]

We are Summerbay owners -- and we loved the resort and have never had trouble -- that said we've stayed on-site at Disney our past 2 trips... maybe we should be looking into DVC.

Good LucK and hope you enjoy your trip. Oh, the last time we stayed at Summerbay -- they had a shuttle to Disney -- the only bad thing that it picked up at a couple other hotels as well.

 

[4Seasons]

The company has deplorable politics. Check their BBB records. That says it all pretty much. As far as the condos go. The one we stayed in was ok. There are adjoining condos. The said Foyer they share is not really much more than an enclosed hall way.

I have seen a lot of time shares since I live in the area. This is the worst one of the gang. Their staff is nasty and pushy. Their units are large but poorly kept up. They did not resolve my complaint about the door not shutting right. The pools are miserably small and shallow. They are often over crowded. They are actually warm though. One positive thing to say about them. Hahhahaha. Amenities as a whole could just be better.

I told my boyfriend to get rid of his timeshare there because I was not paying them $700 in fees to use what he owns only to deal with endless sales pitches and no good amenities. As owners we do not get any maid service unless we pay big bucks for it. Where is his fees all going if they can not give me clean sheets and towels easily.

Hmmmm, I find that interesting because I've never had a client come back with ANY complaints about this property, and I've booked this resort many times.
Trust me, if any of the above had ever transpired I most certainly would have heard an earful.
Are there better properties? Absolutely, but I feel this resort is very decent and has alot to offer.

 

[swilshire]

We have also stayed in several Orlando area resorts and Summer Bay is one I wouldn't hesitate to return to. I found the check-in process to be super friendly. We arrived a couple of hours before check-in and requested a particular area. The desk person couldn't have been nicer and we got in right away.

We had a couple of maintenance issues, but that comes up often in most every resort we've stayed in.

Sheila

 

[swilshire]

Triple post. Misbehaving Internet tonight.

Sheila

 

[swilshire]

Double post. Sorry.

 

[MinnieForMe]

Hi:
We were there May 2007 and I was terrified after reading the reviews. None-the-less, the resort was wonderful. We were in the smaller villas but it was updated and immaculate. The staff was wonderful. We arrived 6 hours ahead of check in and our unit was ready. The pools are perfect if you have small children. One of them has a shallow end with a umbrella that sprays water. My kids adored it.

The super pool is beautiful as it overlooks the lake. If you didn't know better you would think you were in the Caribbean. That pool is crowded but that's just part of vacation (the smaller pools were never crowded). They have a game room with legos and toys if your smaller children get homesick. My only complaint was the lack of a restaurant on property. There is a Publix supermarket nearby but turn right onto 192 and then right towards Clermont and there is a brand new Super Walmart. The prices are much better!

The property is lovely to walk around as well. The landscaping is very well done! Have fun!

Michelle

 

[MinnieForMe]

Hi:
We were there May 2007 and I was terrified after reading the reviews. None-the-less, the resort was wonderful. We were in the smaller villas but it was updated and immaculate. The staff was wonderful. We arrived 6 hours ahead of check in and our unit was ready. The pools are perfect if you have small children. One of them has a shallow end with a umbrella that sprays water. My kids adored it.

The super pool is beautiful as it overlooks the lake. If you didn't know better you would think you were in the Caribbean. That pool is crowded but that's just part of vacation (the smaller pools were never crowded). They have a game room with legos and toys if your smaller children get homesick. My only complaint was the lack of a restaurant on property. There is a Publix supermarket nearby but turn right onto 192 and then right towards Clermont and there is a brand new Super Walmart. The prices are much better!

The property is lovely to walk around as well. The landscaping is very well done! Have fun!

Michelle

 

[kydisneyfans]

We really had no problems at Summer Bay in October either. I thought the gift shop was a total ripoff though, but all else seemed fine. After paying around $325 on Skyauction for a week long stay, there we no complaints. We even sat through the timeshare presentation for about an hour. Free breakfast and a hundred dollars cash were worth our time. It was not pushy at all.

 

[gardner101]

As we'll be there the first week of March, I don't think we'll have to worry about the pools being overly crowded. We've allowed 3 down days this time in the hope that one of them is nice enough to enjoy the pools. When we went 3 years ago at the beginning of March, the weather was cool enough that we pretty much avoided the water.

Very encouraging to hear about the early check-ins. Our flight arrives at 9:44am. We plan to hang out at DDT, but at least there's hope that maybe we'll be able to get in early and let the kids rest a little bit before we head out for our ADR.

Are there any specific units that people would recommend or advise to stay away from? Any idea if there is construction on-site?

Thanks!
Kris

 

[Dsnymouse]

Is there a free shuttle to Disney parks? My RCI says this is part of the amenities? Thanks

 

[agentpleakley]

Is there a free shuttle to Disney parks? My RCI says this is part of the amenities? Thanks

Yes - there is a free shuttle. We used the shuttle one day. Unless it has changed since we stayed -- the shuttle stops at 3 or 4 other hotels - so it took quite a while to get to Disney. Our little one was in a stroller at the time - so it was just easier for us to drive to the parks.