Has anyone been to Westgate Lakes Resort?

[71010]

My sister and I will be going down to Disney and staying at Westgate Lakes Resort. I have never stayed off-site before, but she had a week of time-share to use before July 10, so we decided to go down. Is it nice? Is it easy to get to the Disney Parks? We will get a rental car, so what about driving to the parks every day? This is all new to me to do it this way, so any comments, suggestions or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[spiceycat]

I own at Westgate and I hate them.

these people are sharks.

that say - you will be hassled until you agree to a sales pitch. So make it your last day AFTER you plan on leaving. Just be sure to out by the time of the sales pitch. oh they call the sales pitch a maintence meeting.....they don't care about maintence.

then the sales people can't ruin the rest of your vacation. Believe me they will definitely try. they can be cruel....

that say Westgate Lakes is closer to SW than WDW. but it is easy to get to WDW just get on I4 - come up an exit or two...

the grounds are pretty nice. the villa something will be wrong. If it wasn't wrong how do they get you to a maintence meeting. It can be a small think easily overlooked or a majority problem.

I hope it will be a small thing.

oh expect the water in the second bathroom to be cold. the master bathroom is generally fine - but the second bathroom always seem to be cold to me.

 

[71010]

Hi Pat-

Thanks for answering. Ive talked to you over at Magictrips (WDWLVR). Are they really that bad? My sister already owns, so I hope they will leave us alone, but who knows!! I looks like a really big resort. What about driving to the parks? Is it best to park at Trans and Ticket Center every day and use that as our "hub"? What do you think?

 

[spiceycat]

for parking you need to go the parks you will be in that day.

there is $9 per day charge to park - but it is good all day!!!

Westgate seems to bother their present owners the most.....

if you have your appointment you can answer the phone. if you don't make an appointment expected to be bother every day by phone calling trying to make you get one.

my phone calls were at 7:00am......these people can be pests.....

as far as big - it is - but we got lucky - we were close to the entrance and exit - so until that last day when I looked we just didn't see how really big the resort is...

that said we were next to one of their swimming pools. they play rock and roll music - LOUD and I mean LOUD. Now I definitely enjoy music - but when it is played too loud you destroy the music part (my opinion). Even when hardly anyone was in the area - the music was still playing really loud....

 

[TotoToo]

Hi Pat-

Thanks for answering. Ive talked to you over at Magictrips (WDWLVR). Are they really that bad? My sister already owns, so I hope they will leave us alone, but who knows!! I looks like a really big resort. What about driving to the parks? Is it best to park at Trans and Ticket Center every day and use that as our "hub"? What do you think?

Owning doesn't help. As Spicey said schedule a meeting so they will cut back, but not stop, hounding you about one. Always make it for after 10AM on the day your stay ends. Unplug the unit phone (unless you like calls before 7AM and after 10PM) - use your cell phone if you need to call anyone. Oh - plug it in one day and just laugh at the desperate messages from sales. They can be a real hoot.

Westgate Lakes is far from one of the best Orlando resorts but it is OK especially as a nice, large unit to stay between park visits. Just avoid those sales people and the trip can be fine.

 

[RadioFanatic]

I'm surprised to hear all of the complaints. We went in December of 2003 through a great rate we got from JetBlue. We got there REALLY late at night b/c of snow storm, but they met all of our requests. We asked for a lake view on an upper floor which we got. We loved the place. We had an awesome view of the lake. We loved the room. We loved the huge screened in balcony. We loved the pools and using the boats on the lake. We also asked for an extra night which they gave to us at the same rate we paid through Jet Blue. And we were NEVER bothered with sales pitches and we didn't go to one either. I would stay there again.

 

[71010]

Thanks for all of the info so far. Just a couple more questions. Are there restaurants and bars at the resort? Is there more than one pool? If we are in a studio (which I think we are) do we still have a balcony or porch? If we drive to a WDW resort to have dinner, do they give us a hard time parking at the resort? Im sure I have a ton more questions as I have never stayed off site before and its kind of freaking me out!!! haha

 

[spiceycat]

yes this resort has restuarant and bars. there are several pools.

I don't know about studios - we had a 2-bedroom.

parking at a WDW resort - depends. if the resort is full you won't be allowed to park. if it is not full and you have a confirmation reservations - call 1-407-wdw-dine - then they will give you a parking pass for any where from 2 to 6 hours....this is at the MK resorts.

at the Epcot resorts it should be the same.

You will always need to show your driver license and expect the security guard to write down your licence plate.

oh Westgate - there have been a bunch of posts here and other sites. Westgate read these things. When it really gets bad - like lately. THey can change - but as soon as they believe everything forgets - they immediately go back to their harrassment. It is not selling. then they would take no for an answer. It is harrassment....

 

[RadioFanatic]

we had the studio, which was very spacious, and it had a HUGE screened in porch - with a table and chairs and we would kid that we still had plenty of room to dance too!

we ate at the restaurant - it was okay. if I remember correctly, it was a BBQ, western type place. the prices were reasonable. I'll be interested to hear your perspective when you get back b/c my dh and I really enjoyed it there.

 

[PlutoLuvr]

New owner here, just got back from a week's stay at Westgate Lakes & Resort.

Pros -- very centrally located. Almost too easy to get to CityWalk, and very easy to get to all of WDW. We have a two-bedroom and it was really big. Publix right around the corner, so you can easily make good breakfasts in your room. We didn't spend too much time other than in our room, so I can't say about the restaurants/pools/bars.

Cons -- sales people...UGH! We had to make the "maintenence" appointment right when we checked in. We had no idea this was yet another sales pitch -- hard, pressuring sales pitch. Just what you want on vacation, eh? We were told if we didn't go, we'd be assessed fees for any damage to the unit, even if it was there before we arrived. Then they have to nerve to expect you to give our your friends/families/clients names and numbers so they can hard sell to them...they've got to be kidding!!! I even got calls when I arrived back home pressuring me to give them phone numbers of folks they can harrass. Hey, if I enjoy something -- anything -- I'll refer folks, but they make it really hard to enjoy owning there if you've got to deal with that BS and be threatened with more fees if you don't play their game.

Nice rooms, clean property, but definitely avoid all the sales/maintenence BS. I truly hope they don't ever put a guest of mine through that...how embarrassing.

 

[71010]

Uggh!!! This is gonna be fun!!! Well, I guess well just play theeir game and unplug the phone or something!! haha

 

[Callie1978]

We stayed at Westgate March 2005. I have to say it was the best timeshare we have stayed at. I don't own Westgate ,but we own another one and we traded for Westgate. I never recieved any sales calls and we stayed 7 days. We recieved a recorded message every morning telling us about all the days events at the resort. We loved the screened in balcony , large 52 inch tv(not that we ever had time to watch it) , but my favorite was the huge whirlpool tub in the master bedroom. You definately need a rental car it took us about 15 minutes to get to Disney. I would have stayed here again this year , but my timeshare has a rule you can only stay at a gold crown resort every four years. So we are leaving Sunday for Disney and we are trying out the Hilton Grand Vacation Club at Seaworld for the first time.

 

[spiceycat]

after you come back from the HGVC lets see how you still feel about Westgate.

71011 - I am hopping you won't have trouble. because as I say Westgate reads these things and will tone down their sales pitch if alot of people are complainting....

HGVC is one of the best timeshares in Orlando. my opinion. It is really great.

it is not your timeshare that has the 1 in 4 rule. It is the timeshares in Orlando. but generally only the top ones. so far (thank goodness) the CWR does not have this rule.....

but OL, HGVC, Sheraton's - definitely have that rule.

 

[71010]

Thanks for all your info everybody!! I have one more question -- Is there a shuttle that runs to and from Disney??

 

[PlutoLuvr]

Not as far as I know to Disney from WLR&S. I *believe* other Westgates in Orlando *might* have shuttles free of charge. I'm not positive about this, but I think I recall something about the International Drive Westgate having a shuttle daily to USO. I thought there's also a Westgate over close to DTD.

They do have a limo/shuttle service that you can pay for which we used to go to CityWalk at night, but, to be honest, cabs were just as easy for City and a little less expensive for a small group. For a large group, tho, the shuttle service might interest some.

It's one of the easiest drives I've ever made going from Wesgate to WDW and from WDW back to Westgate. Not like some other off site places I've stayed where the traffic can be brutal and routes confusing. It's also easy to get over to Universal, as well. The road Westgate is on will take you right into USO in less than five minutes. It took us an average of 10-15 minutes getting to various parts of WDW driving our own car.

Feel free to ask anything else