Emerald Island Resort

[NCMouseFans]

Hello, first post here and don't really have any specific questions yet. We have been to DW several times and have always stayed on property. Our last visit, in '07 was in our RV at Fort Wilderness and we loved it. Our oldest will be a senior in high school next year and we have friends whose family has never been to DW. So, on July 2nd, we'll be arriving at a house we rented on vrbo.com in Emerald Island Resort. There are 4 adults and 7 teenagers so a large house with pool, etc. was the best option for us on this trip.

I did a search on EI resort and most of the posts seem to be in this forum, so I thought I would follow suit and post here as well.

Just curious, for now, of anyone's thoughts or experiences of staying in that area and commuting back and forth to the DIS parks and possibly those "other" parks in another part of town? We are all buying parkhopper passes and don't plan on doing any waterparking while we are there. We have a beautiful property rented with 7 bedrooms with a private pool and gameroom. We can't wait!

 

[isla bonita]

Just curious, for now, of anyone's thoughts or experiences of staying in that area and commuting back and forth to the DIS parks and possibly those "other" parks in another part of town? We are all buying parkhopper passes and don't plan on doing any waterparking while we are there. We have a beautiful property rented with 7 bedrooms with a private pool and gameroom. We can't wait!

We are in EIR 2X's a year.
A very nice resort for sure. We enjoy the Tiki bar for a cold drink and evenings of DJ and swim. Also we are in the parks Disney that is within minutes. Close by are restaurants, mini golf, packy, doc in a box and the I4. We have used all of the above. Some more then others.

 

[NCMouseFans]

How late is the tiki bar open? Are the drinks reasonably priced? And what is "packy"?

 

[sympatico]

We've stayed at Emerald Island a couple of times and this area is our favorite place to stay. It's close to loads of restaurants and grocery shopping. No problems getting to and from the Disney parks or Universal and Seaworld.

 

[stazmatic]

We are at EI now and I have to say - this has not been my favorite trip.
Some magic is missing. Not sure if it is the property or the weather or both.
We got to the house to find many things not working worst being rips in the screening of the lanai and animal droppings all over the pool deck. The property management company came out right away and took care of some things, but the 1st impression was really bad. The screening didn't get fixed for 4 nights and we had racoons swimming in our pool for 4 nights before it got fixed.
The website for the house didn't exactly misrepresent but did give misleading information. For example, there are tv/dvd's in each room, but they are 10 inch tvs. Really? 10 inches?
The game room would be cool except the pool cues have no tips, the XBOX is broken, the weight thing is broken, there is no dartboard, and the TV is huge - but there is no cable hooked up to it only the broken XBOX.
The jacuzzi tub in the master bedroom doesn't have jets it is just extra large.
Stuff like that. We have rented houses before directly from owners so I really didn't expect this to happen.
The weather has been the worst I have ever seen in 15 trips so that may be why I am crabby. Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[carter79]

We've stayed at Emerald Island a couple of times and this area is our favorite place to stay. It's close to loads of restaurants and grocery shopping. No problems getting to and from the Disney parks or Universal and Seaworld.

As sympatico says, its alot of peoples favourites...the reason is because the EI resort is stunning and it is so close to the 192 where you will find all the local shops etc: we stayed here a few times now and never had any problems, the homes are stunning, the staff are friendly, its everything you want especially for your first time...

Hope all go's well, let everyone know when you return....its allways nice to know.

 

[carter79]

We are at EI now and I have to say - this has not been my favorite trip.
Some magic is missing. Not sure if it is the property or the weather or both.
We got to the house to find many things not working worst being rips in the screening of the lanai and animal droppings all over the pool deck. The property management company came out right away and took care of some things, but the 1st impression was really bad. The screening didn't get fixed for 4 nights and we had racoons swimming in our pool for 4 nights before it got fixed.
The website for the house didn't exactly misrepresent but did give misleading information. For example, there are tv/dvd's in each room, but they are 10 inch tvs. Really? 10 inches?
The game room would be cool except the pool cues have no tips, the XBOX is broken, the weight thing is broken, there is no dartboard, and the TV is huge - but there is no cable hooked up to it only the broken XBOX.
The jacuzzi tub in the master bedroom doesn't have jets it is just extra large.
Stuff like that. We have rented houses before directly from owners so I really didn't expect this to happen.
The weather has been the worst I have ever seen in 15 trips so that may be why I am crabby. Thanks for letting me vent.

Hi Stazmatic,
sorry to ear this, i see very few post complaining about the EI reosrt, but of course you will get them, because if i was it that home now i would be demanding that the management move me.....not for the TV'S or anything, just the way you described everything else...it sounds shocking, and im sure the weather wont be helping either.

Why dont you try and ask management if they would move you?, i wouldnt be happy about the state of the home.

Good luck, hope everything works out well.

 

[isla bonita]

How late is the tiki bar open? Are the drinks reasonably priced? And what is "packy"?

TIKI BAR MENU

WELCOME TO: EMERALD ISLAND’S TIKI BAR
OPEN DAILY FROM 11AM TO 10PM

HAPPY HOUR DAILY 4:00 TO 7:00 PM!

MENU

LUNCHABLES $2.50

NACHO’S WITH CHEESE $3.00

HOT DOG $2.00
With cheese $2.50

HOT DOG COMBO (SOFT DRINK AND CHIPS) $3.00
WITH DRAFT BEER AND CHIPS $4.00 (add cheese $.50)

PIZZA (PERSONAL PEPPERONI OR CHEESE) $4.00

SNACKS (CANDY, CHIPS, PUDDING, ETC.) $1.00
PRINGLES LG. $3.00

POPCORN $2.00

DRINKS

Draft beer $3.00 (HH $2.00)
Can Beer $3.00 (HH $2.00)
Bottle Beer $4.00 (HH $3.00)
Import Beers $5.00 (HH $4.00)
Wine $4.00 (HH $3.00)
Wine Coolers $4.00 (HH 3.00)
Virgin Daiquiris or Pina Colada $4.00
Daiquiris, Mudslides, or Pina Colada’s $6.00
Water and fountain drinks $1.25
Gatorade $2.50
Monster Java $4.00 (ice coffee)
Juice $1.50

 

[isla bonita]

We are at EI now and I have to say - this has not been my favorite trip.
Some magic is missing. Not sure if it is the property or the weather or both.
We got to the house to find many things not working worst being rips in the screening of the lanai and animal droppings all over the pool deck. The property management company came out right away and took care of some things, but the 1st impression was really bad. The screening didn't get fixed for 4 nights and we had racoons swimming in our pool for 4 nights before it got fixed.
The website for the house didn't exactly misrepresent but did give misleading information. For example, there are tv/dvd's in each room, but they are 10 inch tvs. Really? 10 inches?
The game room would be cool except the pool cues have no tips, the XBOX is broken, the weight thing is broken, there is no dartboard, and the TV is huge - but there is no cable hooked up to it only the broken XBOX.
The jacuzzi tub in the master bedroom doesn't have jets it is just extra large.
Stuff like that. We have rented houses before directly from owners so I really didn't expect this to happen.
The weather has been the worst I have ever seen in 15 trips so that may be why I am crabby. Thanks for letting me vent.

So sorry to hear about the home not being up to par. All homes are individually owned. I would also like carter79 and get moved or ask for some compensation.

The weather is a crap shoot nothing can be done, but if the home was what it is stated to be you caould be totally enjoying the time you are there.

 

[NCMouseFans]

Thanks for the feedback. Unless I missed the answer, I still don't know what a "packy" is. I can only guess that's some geographical slang for "package store"? We call those exactly what they are - liquor stores. Haha

Sorry to hear about someone's bad experience with the house. That's a chance you take I guess, when you rent from an individual. But I certainly wouldn't let it go without complaint. I know things like that happen but I usually read that mgmt. companies are quick and thorough about addressing such issues. Of course, the weather is nothing anyone has any control over. I know it was bad down there yesterday because I was on the phone with my boss and another coworker that live in the area, and it sounded pretty harsh at the time. We've rented through vrbo several times for several occasions at several locations - ski resort, myrtle beach, Ft. Lauderdale, and all were great experiences with very nice homes at prices that, per couple, per night, beat the heck out any hotel room.

 

[isla bonita]

How late is the tiki bar open? Are the drinks reasonably priced? And what is "packy"?

You are correct a liquor store.

 

[ZellyB]

We stayed at EI resort just a couple of weeks ago. We were very pleased with the home. It was lacking a bit on good equipment to cook with (very few pots or pans and utensils), but we managed just fine.

The home was very nice. The pool and spa lovely and the space was great. We were two families (10 people total) in a 6 bedroom house and the space was such a luxury.

The drive to Disney was a snap. WE found a back road direction here on the DIS using Sherberth road and it made getting to Disney property a breeze. Traffic on 192 was pretty bad, so it was nice to have a back way to get in and out.

It was also easy and quick to get on the highway and make the drive to Universal.

Best of all was the price. It was a fraction of what we would have paid for a single hotel room on property.

 

[stazmatic]

We did rent through an individual owner. We didn't have the option to move to a different house. It turned out we wanted to stay an extra night due to the weather so the owner gave us an extra night for free.

It might be something to think about for others. If you can rent through a management company you have options if the house you rented isn't what you need for whatever reason. We were pretty stuck but it worked out ok in the end.

Part of the problem is that our last trip was at Bay Lake Tower. This was a "step down" so to speak.

 

[isla bonita]

We did rent through an individual owner. We didn't have the option to move to a different house. It turned out we wanted to stay an extra night due to the weather so the owner gave us an extra night for free.
It might be something to think about for others. If you can rent through a management company you have options if the house you rented isn't what you need for whatever reason. We were pretty stuck but it worked out ok in the end.
Part of the problem is that our last trip was at Bay Lake Tower. This was a "step down" so to speak.

I am glad you got something for your stress.

All homes are equiped differently. They are all individually owned and there can be a very big difference how they are stocked.

When ever you plan on renting ask questions of what is provided. You can never ask to many questins. It is your money you are spending and you should get your monies worth!

 

[KayR]

All homes are equiped differently. They are all individually owned and there can be a very big difference how they are stocked.

When ever you plan on renting ask questions of what is provided. You can never ask to many questins. It is your money you are spending and you should get your monies worth!

This is absolutely true - never be afraid to ask questions about the things you care about.

Sometimes you will not know to ask about something that may be important so here's some info that may help up-front:
http://www.vacation-rentals-orlando.net/home-sweet-home/

Kay

 

[Kaz65]

We are due to arrive at EI around 6pm on a Thursday in May. Is there a publix or similar close by? Anyone have any directions?

 

[sympatico]

We are due to arrive at EI around 6pm on a Thursday in May. Is there a publix or similar close by? Anyone have any directions?

There's a Publix about 5 or 6 minutes from EI and a Super Target across from the Publix. When you leave EI turn right on Funie Steed Rd. then take a left at the intersection and follow Formosa Gardens Blvd up to 192. Turn left on 192 and Publix (Orange Lake) will be on your right after a couple of miles and Target will be on your left.
Map: Emerald Island is #15 Publix #20 and Target #134

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...8.272032,-81.608849&spn=0.068335,0.11055&z=13

 

[Kaz65]

Thanks so much - less than 6 weeks to go and counting