Just Back From CP--Comparing CP & CPGV (Long)

[Figment22]

We’ve just returned from a very pleasant four night stay at Cypress Pointe. As we also stayed at Cypress Pointe Grand Villas during Thanksgiving week last year, I thought I would give a comparison between CP and CPGV as that question seems to come up most often on this forum. We stayed in a two bedroom unit at both CP and CPGV.

First, let me say that we would stay at either CP or CPGV again in a flash. I cannot believe the value that either of these resorts provides. CP may be the older of the two but as all CP units have now been renovated, it would certainly seem to be the better value at a current Hotel Kingdom rate of $74.00 a night.

The only “negatives” I found regarding Cypress Pointe (and I use the term loosely because we were delighted with our stay) are:
1. No elevators. Most of you are already aware that CP doesn’t have elevators while CPGV does. CP is a three story resort. When I made my reservation through Hotel Kingdom I put in a request for a ground floor suite. On the morning we were leaving for Orlando, I called CP to see if our request would be able to be honored. I spoke with Victor at the front desk who informed me that Hotel Kingdom never provided CP with my request. He informed me that we were scheduled to be placed in a third floor unit. As I had called early in the day, he would try to see if they could re-arrange our reservation. I’d like to give some praise for Victor because when we arrived at 6:15 p.m., I was informed that I had a ground floor room. Thank you, Victor!

2. Layout of second bedroom. I know we have had several discussions here of the trundle bed situation in the second CP bedroom. It really was not a problem although I did prefer the layout and square footage at CPGV. My older son (15) pulled out the trundle bed and re-arranged the bedroom layout. He placed the head of the trundle bed up against the corner table facing the TV and turned the regular bed parallel to the trundle up against the far wall. The chair in the room was moved between the beds. There was still a small amount of space at the foot of the trundle so you could access the closet. With this layout, both of my sons felt that they had their own bed and space. A note on the TV in this room, it is a TV/DVD player but the TV is not connected to the cable so you can only use it to play DVD’s. This is still an upgrade from the second bedroom at CPGV where there is nothing in the second bedroom but a clock radio.

3. No pantry. OK, this is not really a biggie but there is a nice sized pantry in the CPGV units which I did like for a week long stay. At CP, we had a bunch of our groceries stacked up on top of the refrigerator! The pantry was a nice plus.

4. That Master Bedroom toilet! I think everyone who has been reading the CP threads is by now aware of the “no privacy” toilet in the CP master bedroom. The layout at the Grand Villas is by far superior to the CP layout. (What were they smoking when they designed this??) I usually like to keep a night light on in the toilet area of a hotel bathroom so no one (OK, mainly me!) will stumble around in the dark in a strange bathroom. Well you can’t leave on a nightlight in this toilet because it’s literally part of the bedroom. It’s very odd, but ultimately you learn to live with it.

5. Electronics. I preferred the main living room TV at CPGV. There you have a BIG screen TV. (I think its 50 inches.) We fell so in love with it that we actually went out and bought a 60 inch television for our family room when we came home from our Thanksgiving vacation. On the other hand, while substantially smaller, the main TV at CP is a flat screen with a VERY sharp picture and a better sound system. At CP you also get a DVD/VCR combination which is a nice plus. At CPGV, it’s VCR only.

I would just like to add that the renovated décor at Cypress Pointe is lovely with dark blue/green carpeting and lovely colors throughout the unit. The cabinets have not been replaced but have been recoated and all appliances are new. Everything was in good working order. We had absolutely no problems to report.

I’m not sure how much longer CP/CPGV will be offering these unbelievable rates to Hotel Kingdom so all I can say is take advantage of them while you can. These really are very nice accommodations at a more than nice price.

I hope this is helpful to DISers trying to decide which to book. I’ll be happy to answer any questions anyone may have.

 

[Local_Girl]

Thanks for posting, Figment22! We also just returned from a stay at CP and I was curious about the differences between the renovated units (which we loved!) and the CPGV units. May I add comments about CP to your comments?

1) No elevators: We had put in a ground floor request through HK also, but then decided about 3 days before leaving to send an email request directly to the resort. Glad we did...we got the ground floor room as requested. It was kinda noisy due to more people coming and going on that level and tromping up and down the stairs (and you could hear them in the 2nd bdrm and the studio lockoff unit), but we didn't hear as much after the 2nd day...maybe the noisy folks left, LOL!

2) Layout of 2nd bedroom: We also moved the trundle out, putting it against the far wall in front of the closet (which we didn't use at all). However, my daughter didn't like the trundle because it was "squeaky"; she preferred the pull-out sofa bed in the living room. I was hoping to avoid having to pull it out every night, but if it meant her sleeping well...

3) No pantry: I agree this was a bit annoying, but we had most of our pantry items packed in a large shallow Rubbermaid-type box and kept it in the dining area. It was nice to have it all contained and ready to go when we were ready to pack up and leave.

4) The Master bedroom toilet: Yep, I knew about this beforehand, but it really was kooky. If I woke up and needed to go but DH was still sleeping, I went into the 2nd bathroom...DH on the other hand just went in our bathroom and it usually woke me. Anyway, though it was a pain, I would not let this keep me from staying at CP, especially at a great rate.

5) Electronics: We thought they were fine at CP and really liked the fact that there was a DVD player. Wouldn't be interested in a VCR...

We also liked the decor...thought it was very livable. The only other thing that bugged me a bit was the laundry set up...the washer/dryer was stackable and the capacity was small, which was okay, but you couldn't open the washer lid fully to put clothes in and take them out...you had to open it and hold it with one hand while you dealt with the clothes. Also, the dryer buzzer is LOUD...other DIS threads warned about this, but wow! The whole building probably knew when we did the laundry!

All in all, we really enjoyed our stay and would also stay at CP again. Thanks again for your comments, Figment22! Glad you guys had a nice stay.

 

[iluvflorida]

All I can say to both posters is that I agree 100%. We stayed at both CP and CPGV on our Florida trip in Feb and Mar this year. Also both were 2BR units.
If you have requests make them direct with resort, Hotel Kingdom does not seem to pass requests on. Also can give high makes for service to Victor on front desk. He is great.

 

[disney4me]

I have a question... Did you feel the kitchen was well equiped.. i dont plan any gourmet meals by any stretch but would love to hear what i might nee to bring. how many glasses plates etc were there. cooking utensils... pots and pans... cookie sheets.. silverware...??? Also were there plenty of towels etc?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Local_Girl]

disney4me,

I thought the kitchen was pretty well equipped. There were 5 of us and we had enough plates, glasses and silverware (including steak knives). There was a toaster, blender, and even an electric mixer in a drawer. There were measuring cups and spoons, a cookie sheet and a muffin tin. I believe there was one large frying pan (not non stick--maybe a 10"?) a larger pot (looked to be about 6 quart), and 2 or 3 other smaller saucepans.

They provided a couple of dishwasher packets as well as a mini bottle of Palmolive dish soap. There was a new sponge with a green scrubbie (that's what we call them! ) on one side. There was also a box or 2 of Tide, each enough for one load. We brought our own dishwasher tabs and laundry detergent though, as I figured we'd need more than they provided.

I thought we had enough towels...we also had them changed in the middle of our stay since we were there for 12 days. With the W/D, you could wash a load of towels if need be.

 

[disneyfan551]

Thanks for the great reviews! I'm just looking at lodging options for our October stay, and am thinking I need to check into CP/GV now! We have a total of 4 families going on the DCL, but the week prior all the girls/kids will be doing the parks. So, we are thinking of staying off-property, since POP will be about $100/night then. Can you give me a little more information on your stay?.... How many people does it sleep? What was your price per night (if you don't mind sharing ) And, you booked it through hotelkingdom?

Thanks for all the information!

 

[mrsmom]

I booked through Hotel Kingdom and i got 2/br 2bath for 550.00 for a week sleeps 6 at cypess pointe. I have only heard good reviews.
Kim

 

[Local_Girl]

We had a 3 bdrm at CP, which is the 2 bdrm plus the studio lockoff and sleeps 8 total if you use the sofa bed in the living room. I *think* the 3 bdrm units at CPGV sleep 10, though I could be wrong...the 3 bdrm units have 3 bathrooms, which would be wonderful for a larger party! I think we paid right around $100 per night for 12 nights. We had my MIL along, so it seemed like a great bargain to have a nice villa-type unit vs. 2 smallish hotel rooms for the same price (if you can even find a decent place for $50 per night!!). Good luck to you...hope you have a wonderful trip!

forgot to add that we also booked through Hotelkingdom!

 

[hellorobbo]

Can you tell us whether CPGV is beginning to look a little tired and in need of some renovations itself?

 

[Belle1962]

I've stayed at CP 3 times and next week will be my 4th. Since we drive, I am throwing in one of the portable clothes racks that I use to hang clothes on at our yard sale. These are about $10 at Target. I plan on placing it near the toilet with an extra blanket or sheet over it for privacy. I'll let you know how it works when I return.

 

[babynursedawn]

Figment22.....any pictures or helpful hints fo first time visitors to CP?

 

[Sandyincanada]

maybe this will help if you haven't seen them yet:

Cypress review

Cypress Pointe Pictures

 

[harleyquinn]

I'm planning a trip next year with a large group(5-7). I was planning on renting a vacation home for a week, but from looking at this thread (and the old ones Sandy pointed out) I was thinking that Cypress Point might be a much better (cheaper among other things) option. So now I have a million questions! Are there any other threads devoted to CP? Is it really only 10 minutes away? What kind of food options are available around it? We'll be driving down so transportation really isn't an issue.

I can't seem to find any other resorts with this much space for the price. Are there any others I should be aware of?

Thanks so much!!

 

[Local_Girl]

Hi Sarah,

We just got back from Cypress Pointe in early April. We really enjoyed it and I couldn't find a better deal for the space, location, and quality of accomodations than what we paid through Hotelkingdom.com for our dates. If you go in the off-season, you may get lucky with a better price through Skyauction for CP or a similar resort.

There are several other threads devoted to CP...just do a search and you should find them. It is really close, but it's a good thing you have a car...wouldn't want to have to rely on shuttle transport.

As for food options, first of all, there is a Winn-Dixie grocery store right around the corner--very convenient. Restaurants in the area (some within walking distance) include Steak n' Shake, Joe's Crab Shack, Olive Garden, pizza places, Jungle Jim's, Chevy's (Tex-Mex)...lots more I can't think of off hand.

Anyway, if you have more questions, just ask...there are several folks here who have been to CP. Good luck!

 

[leanne11]

maybe you didn't notice this it took a couple of days before WE did. but because you can get to the screened in porch from the living room. we had family members able to see us using all the bathroom facilities, realize they went out early on the porch our curtain was openand they could easily see our reflection in the huge mirror that showed us showering and ALL else.. remember to close those curtains

 

[babynursedawn]

maybe you didn't notice this it took a couple of days before WE did. but because you can get to the screened in porch from the living room. we had family members able to see us using all the bathroom facilities, realize they went out early on the porch our curtain was openand they could easily see our reflection in the huge mirror that showed us showering and ALL else.. remember to close those curtains

omigosh I will definately have to remember about this!! thanks for the warning.
Also, thanks to sandyincanada for the photos....they are great.

Anyone else got photos or tips to share??

 

[leanne11]

above our jacuzzi tub was a small window with just a fancy little drape at the top but at night a huge floodlight shined right in, made it look like noon all night,we used 2 or 3 towells and smooshed them around the little window and all was well,tip 2) don't buy anything from the little store very expensive, right out the entrance is a rite aid or eckard and it carries EVERYTHING flip flops,fingernail clippers, shirts, towels,soda, much better prices, tip3)no lifeguard so be prepared to yell at other people's unruly kids,(they were climbing up and in the sliding board when my guy was coming down, no parent in site) also i remember a seafood place across the street that had a playground, looked fun, but busy....

 

[lisa and john]

Just a note that Eckards is now closed, but there is either a CVS or Walgreens drugstore on the mainstretch (I think Rte 535) closeby. Of course, there is also Winn Dixie close as well. I loved Cypress Pointe!

 

[harleyquinn]

Thanks Local Girl!

Your post was very helpful and friendly!

If anyone else has any better (or similar) deals for a big group, please let me know!

 

[Debbie Jean]

My DD, who is 18, and I love CP and can't wait to return this June
I like to be on-site, also, so we will split our stay with Pop Century. Funny, though, the room at Pop is the same price as our 3 bedroom/3bath suite at CP

Although it may sound silly to many since there are only 2 of us, we love having 2 master suites... DD gets the one with the roman tub, I get the one with the whirlpool. At $90 a night, why not?

One thing I absolutely love is having the washer/dryer. It means we pack lighter, knowing we can easily do a laundry. The decor is lovely and the units are well furnished and comfortable. It's truly only takes 10 mintues to be at DTD though I agree with the posters above who suggest a car is necessary. Lot of places to eat on the main drag... our personal favortie is Joe's Crabshack!

As a single mom with a daughter to put through college, money is always an issue. I like to think I can squeeze a quarter till it cries You really won't get more value for your money than CP