Just back - Cypress Pointe

[messick4]

Hi, Everyone, just got back last week and thought I'd share our experience at CP! We got the $90 rate on HotelKingdom for 3br,3ba unit!

When I told my mother months ago about this deal, she was sure we would be staying in a rat-infested trailer park! But much to her surprise, it was a nice condo complex.

We liked the location a lot, as it was close to downtown disney and I-4. The grounds were clean. Our unit was spotless. My parents stayed in the single br/ba unit and especially liked having their own refrig/coffee bar area in the mornings, as they wanted to respect my family's privacy. Enough has already been discussed about the bathroom privacy issue. It took a little getting used to.

The volcano pool closest to us was pretty crowded, but we managed to find two chairs. It wasn't heated, but the kids got adjusted to the temp quickly. The other pool in Grand Villas was heated, but they liked going back to the Volcano pool.

However, I would caution that there are several indications that you're not staying at a first-class resort. The place isn't gated with a guard checking who is coming onto the property. The grounds were clean but not lush. No lifeguards at the pools. I wondered to myself if all the teen boys in the pool were truly children of guests - there was no one checking room keys at pool.

All in all, we liked it very much, and for $90 a night it was a true bargain.

Questions?
Tom

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

Thanks for the review. We'll be staying there in August. DH strongly requested separate rooms for the kids.

 

[DianeV]

Just want to point out that I personally dont know of any timeshare resorts in Orlando that have lifeguards and not being a large, lush resort does not make it inferiour. There is security there in that their back entrance is not open to just anyone...it sounds like you jumped to some conclusions about the place.

 

[messick4]

... There is security there in that their back entrance is not open to just anyone...it sounds like you jumped to some conclusions about the place.

Sorry, but we've stayed in much better timeshares, and the fact that a back entrance is closed doesn't change my conclusions. It was a nice place to stay - just not a first-class resort.

 

[DianeV]

Hmm..so if it doesnt have a security guard its not a "first class resort"? Interesting. Swan and Dolphin dont have one that I recall and I think many consider them a "first class resort"..I have also stayed at Embassy timeshare and they didnt have a security guard but many consider them a "first class resort"

Sorry but I do think you are being overly harsh about the place and basing it on a security guard or not and a lifeguard....

And I want to add that we have stayed at pretty much all the timeshares in the Disney area and I would consider CP near the top of the list..

 

[CindyCan]

I have a couple of questions! We stayed at CP thru hotelmartusa in Jan'04, and had HUGE problems with the booking. There was an error (studio instead of 2br) once the reservation got to the resort itself, and then after 10 phone calls finally got that fixed...only to find out they then messed up with check-in date!!

So, to my questions: how was hotelkingdom? Any problems? Did you confirm directly with the resort before you arrived?

And, how early before your trip did you book with hotelkingdom? They're showing $93 for a 2br in Jan right now, which (when I look at your rate for a 3br!) seems kind of high.

PS: We loved CP, and DH doesn't even want to stay at the AS because he liked it so much...I need my onsite fix, though, so we're splitting our stay!

Thanks for any info!

 

[messick4]

We typically split our vacations as well. Last time we did both AKL and BW, and loved them both. This time we split between HRH and CP.

We didn't have any problems with Hotelkingdom. We called CP a few days after making the reservations on HK.com, and we were all set!

We would highly recommend both hotelkingdom and CP.

 

[AJKMOM]

We did not have any problems with Hotel Kingdom, either, and we checked in on New Years Eve.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

messick4,

I totally agree with you about Cypress not being first class. It is NICE but not first class. I would not stay there for the simple reason that they do NOT have securtiy. The grounds are not as lush as other resorts like Marriott Grade Vista or Vistana Village. When we drove through there and compared it to the places we have stayed in the past just looking at the grounds told me that I WOULD stay there if necessary but it would not be my first choice. I think that for what you paid you definately still got a bargain. I do not think you are being harsh at ALL only truthful. Personally, I prefer that someone not sugar coat so that I can make an informed choice. I am sorry but CP is not at the top of the list, maybe in the middle but it does not compare with the Hilton, Marriott, or Sheraton timeshares. It is more in the class of a Liki Tiki.

 

[DianeV]

If you were able to see the ratings on TUG you would see that CP is rated higher then Liki Tiki and pretty close to the others you mentioned. There are many timeshares in the Orlando area that dont have security but that doesnt make them "bad"...and being super huge and "lush" doesnt make a resort "first class".

Obviously there are differing opinions but I have seen people complain about some of the so called "first class" resorts like Hilton and Marriott in that area and the resort that many call "the" best resort in the area, Orange Lake, gets some pretty bad things said about it too and it has security and is huge.

I am just saying that basing a resorts quality on security at the gate or it being small is just not very fair. There are other small resorts that are excellent places to stay

Editing to add some sample ratings on TUG:

CP: 8.59
CP Grand: 8.65
Embassy: 8.36
Cypress Palms: 7.96
Hilton: 9.08
Marriott Cypress Harbor: 9.21
Marriott Grand Vista: 9.12
Marriott Royal Palms: 8.81
Marriott Sabal Palms: 8.75
Liki Tiki: 7.72
Orange Lake: 8.97
Vistana: 8.69
Silver Lake: 8.29
Summer Bay: 7.54
Polynesian Isles: 8.36

See what I mean about the ratings? These are from TUG members who have rated them and are of course subjective, but you can see that some of the resorts that are smaller and dont have security are rated darn close to the ones that are bigger and do, and in some cases the larger ones with security are rated lower then some of the smaller without..

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

DianeV,

I understand your opinion but I am just wondering why you are so passionate about this? I think the op was just being honest and certain things are more important to some people and not to others. Certainly CP is a value but as with any value type accomodation one tends to find some of the "frills" are unavailable. I think that is all she was saying.

There have been many news type tv shows (i.e. 20/20 an Dateline) reporting on the "unseen" crime that is rampant in Orlando. I KNOW that a gated condo is probably just an illusion of security but for many of us it gives a sense of securtiy albeit possibly false but none the less it seems imho that a top class accomodation should at least give the illusion of protecting its guests.

 

[DianeV]

I guess I am "passionate" because I have stayed at both sides of CP and over the years they have had problems and especially the CP side has gone to great lengths (and money) to bring things around and are actually very close to gaining Gold Crown status with RCI. I recently actually bought a resale there for that very reason.

I just dont think that calling a resort "not first class" because its small and doesnt have security is not very fair is all. I have just posted some ratings from TUG to give an idea on what some of the other resorts that have security and are larger are actually rated in comparison to some of the smaller ones that dont and you may be surprised by what you see. There is much more to a resort and their quality then security and space.

 

[messick4]

DianeV,

You're passionate because you're an OWNER and have a VESTED interest in the place. Instead of quibbling with me about my subjective assessment that it's not "first class" (come on, do you really think it is?), why don't you instead take this feedback to management?

A gated entrance and some better landscaping around the pool might help the property attain that gold star status, or whatever it's called. btw, I never complained that it was small.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

Diane V,

Do you work for CP? If not you surely make a good case for them and they should be thrilled to have an owner like you.

 

[DianeV]

Nice try but we bought our week and just received the deed a few weeks ago. Have never stayed there with it yet and havent even paid any maintenance fees either. And I dont have alot invested either.

My statements are just trying to show you that places like Vistana which Im sure you would rave about with your qualifications on a site like TUG are not rated much higher then then for example, CP, which you seem to think is inferior. There is MUCH more to a resort then security and vegetation near the pool. ( which I do remember when we stayed there last summer there was some) Also notice the rating of places like Silver Lake and Summer Bay which also I believe have security and very nice pools..

Just trying to point these things out to you and these are based on a decent quantity of ratings from both owners and non owners who have stayed at alot of timeshares all around the country and in the Orlando area.

 

[DianeV]

Diane V,

Do you work for CP? If not you surely make a good case for them and they should be thrilled to have an owner like you.

Nope as you now know but I would be the same for any resort I stayed at and thought was being rated unfairly based on some weird qualifications. The Swan and Dolphin hotels from what I remember do not have security to their lot or hotel yet they are rated quite high. I also dont remember security at some other timeshares we have stayed at in the Orlando area (and one really nice one in Gatlinburg) but they are awesome places with great ratings..

Heck if you said the same thing about any other resort I have stayed at that didnt have security for example I would have responded the same. And what do you have to say about the many I listed that do have security that are rated lower then you would think?

Anywho...its time for bed. Just wanted to give some of you something to think about is all..not trying to start anything or sound like a CP employee either...to each their own I guess and that is the way of the world

 

[messick4]

Thanks, my opinion of CP hasn't changed. I've stayed in about a dozen other RCI timeshares, including ones in CA, IN, FL, SC, and VA and I wouldn't rate CP in the top half. Then again, I use such "weird qualifications" as safety and security and landscaping as part of the criteria. Of course, I'm not an owner of CP either.

 

[DianeV]

messick: My response would have been the same about CP a month ago or 6 months ago...recently buying a resale week (only got the deed a few weeks ago) there has nothing to do with what I have said. I have stressed that I would have said the same about any resort I have stayed at if I felt the same way.

We have stayed at almost all the RCI timeshares in the Orlando area (at least the decent ones) and I still rate CP "in the upper half"...we have also stayed in Gatlinburg and a couple other places outside of ORlando and I still would consider CP "in the upper half"

We have also stayed at some that have security and some that dont. I would rate some without much higher then some that did and obviously according to TUG I am not the only one who feels that way. Just look at the rating for Summer Bay which has security and even Vistana who does too (Vistanas is darn near close to CP)

I am not going to go on and I dont hope to change your mind but I do hope that others reading this will not judge the place (or any other without security) based only on your opinion

 

[baggypants]

We stayed at CP for 9 nights this past June. It might not be what some people call "first class" but it was plenty good enough for us. My family was thrilled with the 3 BR/3 bath, and if anyone can find something BETTER for under $100 a night in Orlando, please let me know and I will stay there next time! I've paid a lot more for a lot less, as far as space and amenities.

 

[Lisa P.]

We stayed at CP in May and thought it was very, very nice. The 3BR condos are great. BTW, the resort does appear to have security 24 hours. They just don't have a gated entry. With the way some gated entries are handled, this doesn't necessarily mean much unless the staff person is responsible. We visited the BoardWalk and the security CM just waved us through, though we knew that he was supposed to write down our car's license tag #.

There are so many beautiful resorts in Orlando that I think people can be unduly harsh in evaluating them. Anyplace else, CP would definitely be raved about. JMHO.