Ron Jon Question

[Ur Friend]

I've heard alot of positive things in the forum re: Ron Jon...after checking their website for resort info, etc, I noticed that the property is primarily a time share resort but they do appear to allow non-members to reserve rooms. For those of us who are non-members and reserve a studio/suite at the resort...can we expect to hear a time share sales pitch and be pressured to attend a meeting?

 

[RellingTwin]

That depends on when you plan on going. If it is in the next few weeks, NO..because Ron Jons is closed for repair. A number of people we are cruising with were scheduled to stay there before the 10/2/04 cruise. They were contacted last week and told their reservations were cancelled.
If it is later then mid Oct. I belive you only get the pitch if you ask for it.

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

You will almost always be offered the opportunity to attend a time-share pitch when you are a guest at a time-share resort, but it is not a condition of your staying there (unless you receive a special promotional rate where the condition is listed in the small print.) No worries... no pressure unless you want the "free" gifts they might offer you in exchange for your time.

 

[cathie]

We stayed at Ron's Jon's in July & it was great but remember that because it is a time share, you need to strip the beds & pile up the towels by the washer & dryer before leaving @ 10AM ( and they mean 10AM!) It was fun for an overnight before the cruise, but I don't think we'd stay there for an extended vacation. Enjoy!! Cathie

 

[tezb]

We stayed there this past June. We did not get a sales pitch at all. They called us to the desk one morning just to give us maps of the place, ask if we had questions and pick up our free gifts ...that was it. No sales pitch and got the gifts anyway. Maybe things have changed since then..don't know.

 

[MarkRG]

The only negatives I have seen posted were enough to turn me off to staying there.

PLEASE, feel free to correct any of these, I too would like better information. I tried to search out the post I read, but for some reason 'Ron Jon' gives no results, even this post!

-There were reports of there being some sales pitching going on.

-The resort waterpark is open to anyone who has bought there, wether they are staying there or not at the time.

-The resort is also an excursion for the NCL Dawn that sails out of NY, on the days it is in Port Canaveral.

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Originally posted by MarkRG

There were reports of there being some sales pitching going on.

It's optional.

The resort waterpark is open to anyone who has bought there, wether they are staying there or not at the time.

True statement.

The resort is also an excursion for the NCL Dawn that sails out of NY, on the days it is in Port Canaveral.

I can't confirm that, but even if true, that shouldn't impact you for a pre-cruise stay. The Dawn is only in port on Tuesdays, I believe.

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

I just checked NCL's shore excursion list for Port Canaveral. They do not list anything that looks like "hang out at the Ron Jon Resort." They do have an excursion to Wet 'N' Wild in Orlando.

 

[MarkRG]

I wish I could find the post, it was so very negative, and it wasn't a lone post either. But I'm not about to go back further than I have(35 pages) to see if I could find it.

The resort waterpark being open to anyone who owns there is the one that bothers me the most. I can put up with pushy salespeople, and yes, I don't think NCL would be in over the weekend, if they do go there or not. Maybe they stopped going there early on? But the fact that anyone who owns there can drop in whenever does remove a certain.. security from the picture, and the potential on a hot day for the place to be overrun. Mayhap I am just being too picky, but some of the descriptions i read were not very pleasant. Possibly they were early teething problems that needed to be ironed out.

And in looking on NCL's site there is this: http://164.109.173.140/shorex/downloads/tours/bf_dawn_tour_2004.pdf

Read the bottom of Page 4- 'Fun & Sun Day at the Beach' excursion does not specify the resort by name, but the desription matches the Holiday Inn Oceanfront. So on that part, I stand corrected.

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

That download is much more detailed than what I looked at. Turns out it was the order form (http://164.109.173.140/shorex/downloads/order_forms/bf_dawn_2004.pdf). But there is another color brochure with photos (http://164.109.173.140/shorex/downloads/ncl_baha_fla_2004.pdf). Yep, it's definitely the Holiday Inn Oceanfront.

As for your other concerns, owners can't just waltz in. They have to check in at the front desk and get a wristband or something. People can't just walk in off the street and use Ron Jon's pool. I don't anticipate it's being much of a problem.

But different things bother different people. I think Ron Jon is the best resort in the Space Coast area, but if you've got the willies, choose someplace else.

 

[Ur Friend]

Thanks to everyone for sharing their info and experiences. One of the many things that I did not realize was that there was a 10am check-out.

Okay, please indulge me, and allow me to take this one step further.....

1. Between the Radisson and Ron Jon: what's your preference and why?

2. Is there another hotel accommodation do you strongly recommend that we should consider? (We are only looking at booking for the night before the cruise- 2 adults, 2 "tweenies")

Once again, thanks to all!