Just Back from Silver Lake and Disney Resort Hopping

[HeatherC]

Hi - We just got back Sunday from a week at Silver Lake that we won for $300 through Sky Auction. The resort was very nice, clean and well taken care of. Plus, it was practically in Animal Kingdom so the location can't be beat. The only thing we did not like at all was the fact that there was no carpeting in the unit. It was all tile and mirrors which, in our opinion, was very cold feeling. The space was great, the pool was very nice and we would probably stay here again.

We also stayed two nights at the Radisson Resort Parkway. We really liked this place. The room was clean and basic. We had a pool view which was very nice and the pool area was beautiful. It really does "rival the ones at the Disney resorts" as Mary at Mousesavers states on her site. Plus, we loved the fact that one of the pools was heated. This would make us definitely consider it in the cooler weather. The food court items were expensive though.

We also spent a day visiting Disney resorts and I can honestly say that I can't imagine paying the price to stay in most of them. Yes, they are beautiful....especially Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian and the Grand Floridian. But...the rooms are just hotel rooms...nothing special to me. The grounds and pools are great, but so are the ones we have stayed at offsite in villas (Grande Vista, OLCC, Grande Vista,) that are 5 times the size and about 5 times less the price. We are also a family of 5 with small children, so cramming us all into one room is not fun. We just love the space of the villas. I can understand why people love them and won't stay anywhere else, but for us it doesn't make sense to pay 300 - 400 a night for a room and then have to buy every meal out.

This is just what works for our family, so please don't take this the wrong way. We love Disney and plan to go back yet again. But, if we stay offsite, it allows us to spread out and we can afford to go more often and for a longer stretch at a time.

Hope this helps someone out.

HeatherC

 

[July]

It sounds like you had a wonderful experience with the places you picked.
More money to spend elsewhere since it cost so much to bring a family of five to disney.

July

 

[Straitlover]

My sis and I are checking in SL on Saturday! Which building did you stay in? Is there any particular area we should ask for? How much toilet paper was in the welcome package? Do I need to bring dish towels? Anything else I need to know???

Hmm, maybe I should buy some bedroom shoes; I forogt about no carpeting ...

 

[hockey mom]

Hi Heather- we also just returned from a weeks stay at SL and OLCC. My family was at OLCC which was nicer than SL but not as convient, and my sister's family was at SL. She loved the tiled floor though and all the mirrors. SL is in a great location to AK and a bit smaller resort making it easier to get to the games room and pool. I do agree it is hard to justify Disney room prices when Sky auction is out there, but I think this trip we are going for it and renting points for a 2 bedroom at WL.

 

[HeatherC]

Lisa - You will have a great time! We were in building 1800 room 1853. This was a one bedroom since this trip was just for dh and myself. It was nice because it overlooked the pool and you just had to take the elevator down to the pool.

I wouldn't not stay here again because of the tile floor, it just felt strange to me even though I knew about it beforehand. And hockeymom you are right, the location is amazing.

It really is a nice resort that I'm sure anyone would enjoy.

Have a great trip!
HeatherC

 

[Straitlover]

I am back fron Silver Lake. Heather, you were lucky to be in bldg 1800 sinc eit's new, ahd an elevator and is right at the pool. We were in bldg 600, on of the older ones. No elevator, and we were on the 3rd floor. Oh, my aching legs!!! Actually, it was not that bad except the day we came back from Blizzard Beach. We walked tons of stairs there and then had to come back to more - oy!

SL was nice, but it ain't no Orange Lake!!! Thye did not have any activities we were interested in; most were for kids or teens. It was nice and quiet, and I only saw one bug in the unit, and that was right when we got there. It was some weird looking think, not exactly a roach. Anyway, the place was really clean and I didn't see any more, so I felt OK about it.

All the mirrors were kinda weird. All I could think about was "burn baby burn, disco inferno!!!" LOL! Glad I took some flip flops. That floor was hard, and there were no rugs in the kitchen, so dish washing was no treat.

The only real problems we had were:

1) the jacuzzi tub did not work. Had them come and fix it while we were out and then never tried it again! The note said they had to replace the GFI thingee.

2) the big burner on the stove wouldn't stay on. I think there was a loose connection or something. They fixed it whil we were out the next day no problem.

They were in the middle of painting the older buildings from the old pink to the new yellow color, so our building had wet paint signs on the walls/railings. Smelled like paint the first day, but not later.

Our unit smelled fine. We were in 636. The people in 625 apparently smoke like chimneys, so I hope they were able to deodorize that unit when they left!!! If not, I feel sorry for the people in it this week! They were leaving on the same day as us, and we were all packing up our vehicles at the same time. Their door was open, and I about died every time I walked by, which was many times since there was no elevator! They seemed like very nice people, though .

The smallness of the resort was nice in that you can walk to everything in just a couple of minutes. The pool's right there, as is the theater, fitness center, etc. The Cabana had some good french fries! That's the only place to buy food, though (other than the little overpriced general store), but they do room service until either 10 or 11 PM (for a $10 minimum and 15% svc charge). They ahve a special each day, too. My sis got a hot dog basket one day for the special for $2.99 and said it was good. It was a big HD and a good amount of FF. One day that had buy a lg pizza get a sm free.

Anyway, overall I liked the place. I wuld definitely like to try soemthing else out if given the chance in the future, but I would not be disappointed to go back if I won another RSG auction. It was a very nice place for the price ($261!).

 

[cd&kids]

Heather, we've stayed twice at Silver Lakes and absolutely loved it both times! With three kids, we all loved the pool....loved the cabana-snack bar....loved the 20-bucks-to-rent-as-many-movies-as-you-want-for-a-week deal...and most of all, loved the fact that you drive to Disney property in about a minute and a half!
I do agree with you about all the tile and glass.....doesn't make for a real warm, cozy feeling....but honestly, for us, that's a nit-pick....we loved it here.
We were there last September and they were building the new area....and the new entrance! I assume it was open when you were there? (The entrance that puts you right on the road to Animal Kingdom.)
Glad you had fun!

 

[Straitlover]

The new entrance is not open yet. Will be nice when it is IF they out up a light or clear out some vegetation. If memory serves, there's a curve right near it that might make it hard to see w/ trees, etc.

 

[chach]

Hello,
We just got a timeshare swap (RCI) into Silver Lake for
August 14th, 2004. We stayed there years ago but I have a few questions:
1) There was no movie theater when we went. What type of movies does it show and when do they play them?
2) What type of food is served at the snack bar and what
are their typical prices? What about drink prices?
3) Are the movie rentals current releases?
4) What is the gameroom like?
5) Is there a convenient way to check your email onsite?

thanks...

 

[Straitlover]

chach, I can answer some of your questions.

1) The movie theater I believe is in the building right next to the pool (I didn;t go in). It's either the building w/ the fitness center or the building w/ the golf simulator. I know the popcorn (50 cents) is in the building w/ the fitness center. They were showing 2 movies a day when we were there, either 5 Pm and 7 Pm or 7 and 9. Each day was a theme. One night was Disney movies, one night was Scream 1 and Scream 2, one night was a couple of action movies, etc.

2) The snack bar is the Cabana at the pool. They served breakfast, lunch and dinner (open I think until 10 or 11 PM. Lunch/dinner offerings were standard fare: pizza, hot dogs, burgers, some kind of wrap sandwich, wings, potato skins, salad, etc. They have a different special each day and do offer room service for a minimum order and a 15% charge (however, it's so close, i'd just call ahead and go pick it up). They also serve beer, wine and mixed drinks (didn't notice the prices because I don't drink). They did have some kind of special each day on these, too. One night was free appetizers w/ beverages for a couple of hrs at night. Oh, and they have soft serve ice cream, smoothies, and sell bags of ice. I don't remember exact prices, but I do remember they were quite reasonable; definitely cheaper than Disney!

3) The movie rentals were a mix of current and older. The weekly rental would be a good deal if you plan on watching a few. Individually, I think it's like 6.99 per movie!!! I think the weekly rental is around $20??? The machine is right inside the building w/ the fitness center.

4) The gameroom is alson in the fitness center bldg. It's nothing to write home about. I remember the air hockey table, a couple of pinball machines, maybe 4-5 other video games, and I think a ppol table and maybe a foosball table??? None are free. My sis and I played air hockey. It was either 50 cents or $1.

5) The computer room is also in the fitness center bldg . You sign in on a clipboard and use your condo key to get in, although half the time I went the door was propped open. There were 5-6 computers in there (no printers). Time limit is officially 30 minutes, but if no one's waiting, you could stay longer as there was no one ever at the window monitoring anything.

Hope you have a great time!!!

 

[angelbabycld24]

I noticed that many of you rented through Skyauction. I have a question. I have seen some auctions for various resorts stating that check in is from... for an example 7/31- 9/3. I noticed that many resorts are being sold out for my week which is 8/27. So what happens if I win the auction, but my week isn't available? What happens? Is this possible?