HGVC Seaworld review

[KittenLittle]

We were absolutely thrilled with our stay! We had a superior view from our top floor Hamilton one-bedroom apartment. We could see the entire pool complex-beautiful-and the serene lake-and we could see the higher structures of Seaworld! The screened-in balcony was sublime. We had a great breeze each time we sat out there and ate. The food from the Coral Reef bar and grill was great. The pools were super-never too crowded even on the hottest days. The staff-oh,my,they were all awesome!! They were sooo nice.They just could not do enough for you.
Our room was a great size for 3 people! The living/dining area was so comfortable,and the kitchen was supplied so well. I did not need any of the cleaning supplies that I brought from home-all is replenished daily! The housekeeping staff did a wonderful job everyday.I loved that the bedroom opened up right into the generous bathtub/double sink area-it made the bedroom area feel so expansive.The king bed was wonderful-I slept so well.The living room also had its own door to yet another sink area in the bathroom-yes-we had 3 bathroom sinks for 3 people!
The stand alone shower was great-super water pressure and plenty of hot water.The kitchen pantry included a full-size stackable washer/dryer which I used daily with the provided detergent. The room was-for us-perfect!
I loved the free parking right in front of our building.I loved that we were right next to the pool complex,restaurant,main building,and lake. Our location was perfect.
We got breakfast sandwiches each morning from the little deli/store-they were large,hot,and freshly made to order.We ordered food from the bar on 2 nights-delicious wraps,wings,and a superior burger-soo yummy. We ate on the balcony as much as possible. The pools and restaurant stay open until 11:00 P.M.-very convenient!
We certainly took advantage of the FREE Seaworld shuttle,and the FREE Quick-Queue access option-worth their weight in gold!
All-in-all-for the money I paid-$116 a night,plus a $5 a night great view upgrade charge-we were blown away by the value.
I have found my new Orlando home!

 

[travelfanatic]

Thanks for the review! It sounds like you had a wonderful time! I have been keeping this hotel on my radar for next year, so I was pleased to see your review. I think this is my choice for next year since we will be focusing on Sea World and Aquatica when we are there. I really wanted a place with a screened porch & washer/dryer!

 

[KittenLittle]

TF-you won't regret it at all! I think HGVC is the ideal place to stay for a SeaWorld vacation. I,also,insisted on having an in-unit washer/dryer. I used it a lot.You will love it!!

 

[cinjam]

We were super-please as well during our stay there in April!! I would not hesitate to stay there again. And I loved, loved, loved having the washer & dryer.

Glad you had a good time!

 

[loveswdw]

All-in-all-for the money I paid-$116 a night,plus a $5 a night great view upgrade charge-we were blown away by the value.
I have found my new Orlando home!

Did you book directly with Hilton or somewhere else to get this rate?

 

[KittenLittle]

I booked directly on the Hilton website. I got that rate about 2 months before our trip. I subsequently saw the rate bounce way up for our dates,then come back down again. My AAA rate was as good as the advanced purchase rate. I really don't think it gets lower than $116/night for those beautiful 1 BR suites. I was mighty pleased!!

 

[mjohnson96]

We were there for 3 nights a couple weeks ago Fri - Mon and just loved it. We had a large 1BR King Suite, since I never stayed before I did not request anything so we were in the last building SMITH But the room was outstanding, even my dad was impressed and he is very picky!

We paid $129 a night booking through the website and used the quick que on Saturday for SeaWorld.

Our room might have had a little different configuration. We had a full kitchen and then it had the stackable washer and dryer off to the left when you came in. There was a dining table and pull out sleeper sofa and then a very nice enclosed in balcony with a round table and chairs The view was not great, again did not request anyting, but it was very peaceful. Off the living room was the bedroom with a very comfortable King Bed, TV in the room and then a tub that could easily fit 4 people it was that large and a vanity area. The balcony had a sliding door to access from the bedroom as well as the living room. Then it had a large bathroom with a walkin shower and 2 sinks

I loved that we could call down and ask for a ride to the front. They were all very friendly there and the pool area was great. I took the kids sevaral times to the pool and we ate dinner one night at the outdoor bar/resturant.

Overall if you book far enough in advance you can get a great rate that makes this place well worth the money. It is close enough that we walked over to Seaworld the one day there so that was also nice.

 

[bas71873]

yay! i finally found a review. considering staying here for our DC/SW/Aquatica vacation next summer!

 

[ccgirl]

OP - Thank you sooo much for posting this. We are looking into accommodations for our May 2012 vacation. We are concentrating on SW/Discovery Cove/Aquatica and this was one we were considering. I think it is probably our top pick now.

 

[KittenLittle]

Hey-you're welcome! I love these boards for all the great advice-makes trip planning easy and fun! I still cannot overemphasize what a great experience we had at HGVC and how wonderful the staff was.Ummmm...so glorious to sit out in the screened porch drinking coffee and enjoying the killer view of the lake and pool complex. Wish I was there right now!!!

 

[bas71873]

Hey KittenLittle, question. Did you use the shuttles to/from the parks? I ask because we may use the shuttle to Aquatica to avoid the $12 parking fee (we'll walk to SW and drive to DC since parking is included w/DC). Do you recall what the shuttle schedule was like? Does it run pretty regularly? Do you call the hotel when you need it?

BTW, I booked a 1BR this morning at HGVC with a decent AAA rate, but I really want a 2BR, but I won't pay $259/night so I'll keep watching and hope rates go down or a special comes out. I still have 10 months

 

[KittenLittle]

Hey KittenLittle, question. Did you use the shuttles to/from the parks? I ask because we may use the shuttle to Aquatica to avoid the $12 parking fee (we'll walk to SW and drive to DC since parking is included w/DC). Do you recall what the shuttle schedule was like? Does it run pretty regularly? Do you call the hotel when you need it?

BTW, I booked a 1BR this morning at HGVC with a decent AAA rate, but I really want a 2BR, but I won't pay $259/night so I'll keep watching and hope rates go down or a special comes out. I still have 10 months

We did indeed use the free shuttle to go to Seaworld,and it runs pretty regularly.You can get a schedule from the hotel.You just walk down to the little pick-up area in front of the resort and wait.We slept in on our Seaworld days,so we did not need the shuttle until afternoon. We closed the park down on our 2 Seaworld days,and we did not have to wait long for the bus back to HGVC.We did not go to Aquatica,so I really did not pay attention to that schedule.We,also,just drove to DC because parking was included.

Hey-when we booked our 1BR at the HGVC,we were given the option of immediately upgrading to a 2BR for about $50 more a night-I think!