Hilton Grand Vacations Club

[amery]

Staying at the HGVC at Sea World in the 1st week of December this year.

My wife and I are RCI members through another program and have exchanged a week to do this. From what we have researched and heard, this is one of the better resort properties outside of the world.

Has anyone stayed there and what has been your experience?

 

[sunlver]

We have stayed there twice My parents use to own a timeshare with them, but in Las vegas. 2 times they switched it for Orlando.

I loved it.. It was really nice. It was plenty big for us. The pools were wonderful. They have 2 big pools , one is heated, one is not, and they have a baby pool as well. The only thing I didnt like that it was farther away from the Disney parks. It is walking distance to Sea world.

 

[Paxtrist]

We have stayed there and we loved it. Plan on staying again in December.
Go and enjoy!

 

[mbb]

I'll just pop your question downstairs for some more info!

Have fun!!

 

[ElizabethB]

It's a lovely resort. It is, however, about a 20 minute drive on I-4 from WDW. Actually, 20 minutes with no traffic. During rush hours, it takes considerably longer. It's very close to SeaWorld (obviously) and Universal.

 

[horseshowmom]

Sorry, double post.

 

[horseshowmom]

(Not to hijack, but to get additional info)

I found a unit at HGVC that I may get from ebay. I did some checking on the web, and it looks like HGVC has complimentary transportation to both Sea World and Universal. My DD's BF will be with us (and we'll only have one vehicle), so it would be nice if we could split up some. Does anybody have any experience with the transportation? And is it really free?

 

[amery]

Very comforting feedback.

We knew going in that it was going to be a drive to the parks which is why I already warned the MOL that afternoon breaks will be more or less out of the question.

At $600 for the RCI exchange week for what you get, you can't beat that with a stick. As much as I would love to stay in the world just once, I can't justify that cost for equivalent albeit convenient accomodations.

We will be visiting those 'other' parks but not Sea World as we just won't have enough time.

 

[utahkennedys]

We stayed there last Sept in a 3BR and really enjoyed it. We are DVC members and it wasn't as good as DVC in our opinions, but we needed the space to bring our mothers. It was a lovely resort, felt nice and removed but was in a good location. The pools were very nice, and the room was in very good shape. We would stay there again for sure.

 

[MaryKLady]

Amery, we will be there the third week of Dec. through RCI. We're pretty excited. I wanted this or the one on International and had a search going. The last RCI rep I spoke to told me both were really hard to get and I should take whatever comes up...
May I ask a question?...We're new to RCI. Did you exchange a week, buy an extra week or use points?

 

[amery]

MaryK -

We exchanged a week ( of the 70 or so that we have) through our Palace Resort membership.

Considering what we would be getting, it was going to be far more bang for the buck than any WDW resort could possibly offer (outside of DVC of course). Not to knock them as there would have been some clear advantages but won't complain as we really want the home away from home atmosphere and will have a car.

This is the first time that we did an exchange and had no issues getting our pick of either property. We are going down during the 1st week of December which won't be as high in demand as say the 3rd week or certainly Xmas week. One thing that I wasn't real happy about was that we need to add a night and cannot request it until 90 days out. Assuming that it is available, the cost is staggering at about $270; that's almost 1/2 of what we paid for the entire week!! Uh no. One of the RCI reps had quoted me less than $100 for the extra night but damn that I can't remember the name. If they won't do it for a decent rate than we will just get 2 rooms at hotel for the night before we go back to depression.......I mean home.

 

[MaryKLady]

I was curious to know because RCI made it sound like I would never get what I wanted by trading a week.

Enjoy your trip and I wish you no crowds !

 

[missy2217]

We stayed there in the fall of 2005 and LOVED it. The room was so nice and well taken care of. The grounds were very well maintained. The resort is directly across from Sea World, so close to walk, no need for transportation. We were actually there during a hurricane and the staff was very attentive, kept us updated every hour of what was going on. We never lost power thank goodness since try and explain to a 1 1/2 year old why there are no light and tv an we can't go outside.

 

[Mommymcgee]

We stayed there this past May. It was great! The rooms were great, the grounds were great, the pools were great. Really we loved it. No complaints whatsoever and we'd go back in a second. The drive to WDW was not bad at all.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Very comforting feedback.

We knew going in that it was going to be a drive to the parks which is why I already warned the MOL that afternoon breaks will be more or less out of the question.

At $600 for the RCI exchange week for what you get, you can't beat that with a stick. As much as I would love to stay in the world just once, I can't justify that cost for equivalent albeit convenient accomodations.

We will be visiting those 'other' parks but not Sea World as we just won't have enough time.

Why did they charge you $600 to exchange? Isn't it around $150 to exchange?
We're RCI members and bought an Extra Vacation to stay at HGVC Sea World last fall. It was a 2br for $404 incl. taxes! Since then I think all of their extra vacation prices have increased a lot.
We loved it though we didn't get to Sea World that trip either... I would definitely stay there again and would love to try out the International Dr. resort as well.

 

[Princess89]

I own at the Sea World location. I love it there. Its very nice. The pictures you find on the internet is exactly what it looks like. I like the central location, in the middle of everything and still pretty quiet, not too far from either Universal or WDW.

As for transportation, to WDW, I believe its the other location on I-Drive. And its not complimentary the last time I checked.

 

[ggeorgiagirl]

I traded my week about 2 years ago to the Hilton. We got a 2 bedroom...thinking that our 3year old son (at the time) would sleep in the other room. When we got there...WOW!!! The 2nd bedroom was actually a hotel room...with a full bath, fridge, microwave, sink, etc! We immediately called our best friends (plus their daughter) and told them to get down there! It was a great place to stay!!! I would SOOO love to go back.

This past May, we swapped out our week at the Sunshine Resort II! YUCK! DOUBLE YUCK!!!! I would bathe the kids and by the time I would get out of the shower to dry them...their feet would be as black as tar! SERIOUSLY...the grime on the floors were HARD to get off their feet! Even baby wipes wouldn't touch it!

***Since you are staying soooo close to Sea World and Discovery Cove, I would suggest going! If you do Discovery Cove...your admission to SW is free. We did Discovery Cove (but didn't pay the extra $100 for a dolphin swim). It was TERRIFIC!!!! What a nice relaxing day!!!!!*** PLUS there is a Publix RIGHT down the street!

HAVE FUN! You will really like the Hilton.

Do you have any suggestions through RCI? I have 2 weeks space banked and my husband won't do Orlando for a week (we do quickie weekend trips since we are 3 hours away)! Where is your FAVORITE place to trade?

THANKS!

BEth

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Where is your FAVORITE place to trade?
BEth

I don't know if it will be our favorite but in about 4 weeks we'll be going to our 1st trade in Williamsburg; Sunterra Greensprings Plantation. It's a gold crown resort with indoor & outdoor pools (great in case it rains) and plenty of onsite activities like mini-golf. Even if we get sick of Busch Gardens and Water Country there's plenty to do right there or Virginia Beach is about 1 hr. drive so we might take a day trip there too.
I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Grumpy23]

We have stayed at the HGVC @ Sea World twice, once in April of 06 and again in April of 07, and have another upcoming reservation in September of 07. On the April trips, we were there for 12 days each time. In September of 06 we stayed at the International Drive one, it was nice, but we chose to go back to the Sea World location, just seems there is more to do there and more to choose from, as far as pools go, etc.

I have absolutely no complaints about this location. The rooms were very clean and spacious and well stocked with whatever you need. The staff was friendly and accommodating. There are a number of pools/hot tubs to choose from. Lots of activities also, indoor movie theater, etc. The only drawback might be if you get stuck in a building that is not as close to the main pool area. On our first stay, we were put in a building at the far end of the property, so the walk was a little long for my husband, who had knee replacement, and it was just a pain to have to drive to the main area every time we wanted to go there, so we asked to be moved to a building by the pool, and they happily accommodated us.

If you haven't already done so, go to the link below on tripadvisor website and check out the photos (hotel and candid traveler photos and virtual tour). What you see is an accurate depiction of that property.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...t_Sea_World_Int_l_Center-Orlando_Florida.html

I would love to stay at a Disney Resort some day, but room (space) and cost wise, this resort makes much more sense for our family.

I hope you have a good stay there!

Another link to check out is the hgvc website for that location. If you click on the link on that page that says Grand Scapes activities, it brings up their schedule for the month, to give you an idea of the types of activities they offer.

http://www.hiltongrandvacations.com/sea-world-florida-vacations.php