HGVC International Drive

[steph73]

Has anyone stayed at the HGVC on International Drive? We're headed there in October and I'd love to hear opinions and see pictures if you have them!

I've stayed at the HGVC at Sea World before, my parents own a timeshare and let us use it - it was wonderful. Going off of the pictures I've seen on the HGVC website, the International Drive one looks fantastic. I did a search for HGVC posts but it seems that they're mostly talking about the Sea World location.

Thanks!

 

[theking0075]

Heard a sales pitch there and staying there in May, but I haven't stayed there yet. It is VERY NICE in my opinion. Never stayed at the Sea World location, so I can't say for sure, but I hear the rooms themselves are very similar, only Int. Drive is newer so you have more updated TVs and appliances in the Kitchen. Plus the pool area is AWESOME. I'm sure I'll know more after I get back in May, so if you are still interested, shoot me an e-mail in the first part of June!

 

[Paxtrist]

We have spent one week at HGVC Sea World and International Drive. Loved them both! You won't be disappointed.

 

[banjo]

what kind of prices are they asking for , for a timeshare there.
thanks
margaret.

 

[theking0075]

It's about $18,500 for 5000 points per year and $27,000 for 7500 points. If you are fimiliar with the points system, 5000 gets you 11-12 days per year for a one bedroom timeshare during non-peak season. During peak season, it would get you about 7 or 8 days. The maintenance fee is about $680 per year. If you are interested, I would recommend you buy one in Las Vegas. You can buy in Vegas, Hawai'i, or Orlando, but taxes are cheapest in Las Vegas meaning you pay a lower Maintenance fee. You can still visit Orlando as much as you like, even though you own in Las Vegas. Also, say "No" at least twice cause they will eventually bring out the Manager who will offer you 10,000 bonus points or 2 free plane tickets to anywhere in the US as an extra incentive to buy.

 

[banjo]

thank you so much for your quick reply, i also went onto the hgvc club web site and and got some more info , thanks again
margaret.

 

[steph73]

Thanks for the info!

Have a great time in May, theking! I would love to hear your trip report and see any pictures when you return!

 

[mjh8955]

We have a timeshare at HGVC International Drive and stayed there for the first time this past October 29 - November 4th. We had brother-in-law, his wife and their son with us and our two kids. Had a 3 bedroom unit, the in-laws were in an adjoining studio lockout which made the 3rd bedroom. But they had their own little kitchen which was nice. The place is alot fresher and newer than the one at Seaworld. Lots going on at the pool, the kids enjoyed the movies poolside at night, the karoke contest, etc. And they had ice cream sundaes (for a fee) that the kids enjoyed one afternoon poolside as well. My sister-in-law had a poolside massage. The deli is pretty good, sandwiches are very big and can easily feed two people. Be aware that the 3 bedroom units do not face the pool. I was hoping to get a poolside unit but that wasn't possible. Parking wasn't a problem, noise wasn't a problem either. We REALLY enjoyed being able to spread out and 3 tv's and 3 bathrooms were great! The kitchen was wonderful, but bring extra coffee because we went through what was provided pretty quickly.

The activities were all posted on a link I found on their website.

For anyone considering sitting through a spiel and buying, be aware that the 10,000 points they offer are not all that easy to use. We were pretty much led to believe that we could use them for our first stay but we couldn't. We ended up converting them to Hilton Honors points and using them for a week at the Hilton in New Orleans which was fine. The plane tickets might have been easier to use. We really had no intention of buying but were there 2 years ago and had just sat out a hurricane in a very small Doubletree room, so after touring the spacious accomodations we were a little more open minded. Plus they whisked our kids (10 and 13) off to a private little video arcade room and they played for free for hours, and whenever they were hungry they were allowed all the snacks they wanted. They were happy as clams so we took our time and spent several hours with the sales person.

 

[theking0075]

For anyone considering sitting through a spiel and buying, be aware that the 10,000 points they offer are not all that easy to use. We were pretty much led to believe that we could use them for our first stay but we couldn't. We ended up converting them to Hilton Honors points and using them for a week at the Hilton in New Orleans which was fine. The plane tickets might have been easier to use. We really had no intention of buying but were there 2 years ago and had just sat out a hurricane in a very small Doubletree room, so after touring the spacious accomodations we were a little more open minded. Plus they whisked our kids (10 and 13) off to a private little video arcade room and they played for free for hours, and whenever they were hungry they were allowed all the snacks they wanted. They were happy as clams so we took our time and spent several hours with the sales person.

Thanks for the heads up! We haven't bought yet, but we are strongly considering it, so this is nice to know.

 

[shy little mouse]

Actually, we got 12,000 bonus points. We were offered 4 plane tickets to Hawaii (we told them we were planning on a trip) or 12,000 bonus points. Perhaps we were a harder sale. I had done a lot of research into what I wanted and knew that the 12,000 bonus points (converted to HHonors points at a ratio of 1:23) would be enough with our current HHonors points to redeem for 2 rooms for 6 nights at the Hilton Waikoloa. The last five nights of our Hawaii trip (coming up in October) will be at the HHV in a timeshare unit. I know a lot of people think it is a rip off to buy, but for us it was perfect. We LOVE big vacations, and had already budgeted $15,000 for rooms alone for our Hawaii trip for 4 adults and two children (we are taking my parents). So, to shell out another $13,000 for many years of vacations made perfect sense. Hilton has a lot of flexibility. Even though we are still planning the Hawaii trip, I am already looking at a trip to Mexico on points next year. I think we will also upgrade to elite at some point in the future. It is definitely not for everyone, though; you need to be someone who spends a lot on vacations and gets use out of it. Also, the taxes and fees are a bit steeper than they made them out to be in the sales presentation. Our 2006 bill for taxes and owners fees is almost $900. Still, it was money well spent for our family.