I just stayed at the Amerisuites LBV property and just posted this review on Tripadvisor. It will be posted in a day or 2:
I booked this property through Priceline for $37 per night from 6/5-10. It turned out to be a fantastic bargain. I have stayed in Amerisuites properties before, and when we arrived, I asked to be upgraded to a TCB suite and they happily obliged. The suite overlooked the pool area, was clean and everything in the room worked properly. There were a couple of quirks such as the bathroom fan squeaking a little, and a wall edgeguard that was loose. Other than that, I found little fault with the room. The suite includes a microwave, mini fridge, utensils and plates. It also includes a table for eating, a work desk and a sleeper sofa. Our suite had 2 full size beds instead of a king. I did not notice any unusual smells in the room. We had 1 incident where one morning, the guests in the room next to us set their alarm to go off at 5am. The problem was that they had already left the room and we could clearly hear the alarm through the wall. We called the front desk to send someone up to turn off the alarm. It took 2 calls and 25 minutes before the alarm was finally turned off.
Because this was the week immediately following Gay Days at Disney, occupancy rates tend to be a bit lower at most Disney area hotels. This was the case at this Amerisuites as I guessed the occupancy was around 40%, even though it was the 1st full week of June. They were expecting a much larger crowd beginning the 2nd week of June. Therefore, because of the lower occupancy, we really didn't encounter too many elevator problems or eating area crowding problems. The free continental breakfast was pretty average, but the kids did like the waffles. On the mornings when the eating area was crowded, I simply took a tray from our room and went down to the breakfast area. Then I got all the food and drink that my family needed and took it back to the room where we ate without having to deal with a crowded eating area. However, I can see where there would be problems in the eating area if there was full to near full capacity at this property.
There are 3 pools onsite as part of the Calypso Cay complex with Amerisuites, Country Inn and Suites and timeshare properties all sharing space. There is a central pool that includes a small waterslide with a zero entry end. There are also 2 smaller pools close to each hotel. Once again, because of the lower volume of guests this particular week, the number of guests in the pool area was manageable. I can see where there could be major crowding at the central pool during peak summer season. There are no lifeguards on duty. If you have smaller children that are using the waterslide, keep an eye on them. Older kids tend to dominate the slide and will slide down right on top of younger kids. I watched this happen a couple of times as larger kids exited the slide right on top of younger ones. The 2 smaller pools close to each hotel are more sedate and tend to attract adults who want a little quieter pool experience. One nice feature in the central pool area are the gas grills. They are free to use, and you can grill hotdogs and hamburgers right by the pool. There is also a poolside bar that sells drinks and sandwiches. Also in the pool area is a mini golf course.
I brought my laptop to use, and was told that I could get a wireless signal near the pool area. I tried, but only got a very weak signal. I ended up getting a better signal by the window of our suite on the 5th floor. The signal seemed to fade in and out, so dont expect to do a whole lot of wireless web surfing while staying here. I was able to stay on long enough to check my e-mail, however.
Overall, we were very pleased with this Amerisuites property. This property is very convenient to Disney. I have stayed onsite at several Disney properties and my whole family enjoyed this hotel as much as the Disney hotels. The very large room, extra bed, microwave, fridge, free breakfast and free internet for only $37 per night beats paying $100 and higher for a tiny Disney room. The main drawback is the small size of the central pool which could easily get overcrowded during the summer months. Disney pools are much larger and can handle the crowds. Also, you dont pay for parking at Disneys theme parks when you stay onsite. However, for what I paid for this room, I didnt mind paying the exhorbitant $9 per car parking fee at the Disney parks. I figured I still came out way ahead and was able to save plenty of extra spending money to use in the theme and water parks.
