Marriott Sabal Palms

[DeeCeeSW]

Hi all,
Has anyone stayed at the Marriott Sabal Palms since their renovation started? I have been looking for recent reviews but cannot find a thing. The last TripAdvisor review was in April '08 (just before the renovation apparently started).

Any information you can provide is greatly appreciated!

 

[littlestar]

I called the Sabal Palms and they are done with the first half of the renovation. But there's some more new furniture to come according to the gal I talked to on the phone.

We just booked Marriott Imperial Palms for the first half of our March 2009 trip and we are following up with Marriott Cypress Harbour for the 2nd half of that trip. I've always wanted to try out one of the Palm Marriotts because of the location.

It's pretty hard to find recent reviews of the Palm Marriotts, especially Sabal.

 

[DeeCeeSW]

Thanks for your response. Yes, you are right, it is hard to find a good review of Sabal. Most say that the rooms are "tired and in need of a renovation," and so if that's the worst of it, problem solved (I hope) with the refurb.

I suppose I could specifically ask for a renovated villa, but I would be upset if I didn't get one. According to some sites, this renovation started in April and is supposed to be done by the end of December. I wonder what the "first part" being done really means. You would think that 7 months would be enough time to renovate 80 rooms, but what do I know?

We are considering staying at Sabal for a week and then moving onsite for 2 nights (already have a ressie that I would shorten). In the end, this would save us about $700, which isn't chump change. Of course, we lose onsite priveleges like EMH and free parking. I have time to decide. If the rates go down even lower (prices for Sabal and VV went down $200 since Sept.) it will be a no-brainer, it'll offsite for us!

 

[littlestar]

Royal Palms and Imperial Palms are completely finished on their remodels. Can you get Royal Palms for the same price as Sabal?

I think the lady on the phone told me that Sabal's kitchens were completely redone (new cabinets) but I'm thinking she said the bedroom furniture was part of the 2nd phase. I would call Sabal and ask specifically what's done on the remodel (I wish I would have wrote it down). I know Sabal is closer to the World Center than the other two are. It would be nice having access to an indoor pool if the weather turns cold.

I ended up booking Imperial Palms because it was a 3 bedroom and I knew the renovation was complete.

I agree, if those are Interval Gold rates you are looking at for 2nd week of December, $374 for a 2 bedroom for a whole week at Sabal or Vistana Villages is fantastic. Very tempting. If you do end up staying at Sabal, please let me know what your opinion of the resort is if you get a chance (feel free to PM me).

We had a 3 bedroom on an Interval Getaway at Vistana Villages back in September - it was nice. We were in the Keys section. We had a quiet pool very close to our building.

 

[DeeCeeSW]

My SIL is the II owner and I do not believe she is a Gold member, so it would actually be $399 for the week plus the $39 guest fee (still not bad). In the end, we would save $665 for the whole 9-night vacation (7 offsite, 2 on). This includes car rental and parking at WDW.

Unfortunately, Royal Palms is not available for my week! However, Vistana Villages is the same price and we have also stayed there before in a 2-bedroom, also in Keys (which was beautiful, nicer than my house!).

I highly doubt the II prices will go lower, but I think will wait another week or two. Do you think this is wise? I have a room-only ressie on site, so I have time to change it without penalty.

 

[littlestar]

This close to check-in, I figure that's probably as low as II (Interval) will drop them. If you are tempted by Sabal, I'd call Marriott's Sabal Palms and ask about the remodel. Phone: 1-407-238-6200.

Here is a recent link to a tug board thread about the Palm Marriotts:

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84504

 

[DeeCeeSW]

Thanks, I called a little while ago. Was told that the kitchens and bathrooms have been remodeled but that all the furniture is the same "classic" furniture, LOL. Renovations will not be completed until sometime in 2009.

I am going to keep checking for the Royal or Imperial for my dates over the next couple of weeks, otherwise, we will probably choose VV.

 

[crl]

For what it's worth, we stayed at Sabal Palms near the Marriot World Center a few years ago (2005 during Hurricane Wilma I think) and really enjoyed it. We would certainly book there again if they had a 3 bedroom unit. It was closer to parts of Disney than when we stayed at Old Key West. And access to a Super WalMart was fantastic. We have many great memories of staying there and would recommend it.

 

[DeeCeeSW]

Thanks for your response. We have decided to try Royal Palms instead of Sabal Palms as the renovations there have not been completed. I'm bummed that we will have to take the shuttle to try the main pool, but who even knows if it will be swimming weather during my stay anyway.