Oak Plantation Resort - COMPLETE DISASTER!

[StephSalyer]

We just stayed at the Oak Plantation Resort 12/19 - 12/22 and it was a complete disaster! The property is in desperate need of an overhaul. We were first shown villa #1407 and all that was missing was a tape outline of a dead body. The carpet was filthy and the countertops had burns down to the wood, the refrigerator was dirty and the unit needed a new stove. We immediately went back to the front desk and requested a new room (the staff at the front desk was wonderful, it isn't fair that they have to represent this disgusting place!). We were then assigned room #209 and while it was better than the other unit, it was only marginally so. This unit had dust "webs" hanging from the vents, the artificial plants had dust caked on them, the tile floors in the bathrooms were filthy, there were no washcloths or hand towels in the unit and some of the cookware was missing, cob webs and dead bugs were all over the unit. GROSS!!! We were promised a VIP cleaning the 2nd day of our stay and it didn't happen because they were out of towels. What do towels have to do with vacuming, dusting, sweeping and mopping?? There are also DOZENS of wild cats running around the property. It feels as if you are staying in the slums. There are so many other nice properties out there for around the same money. Please do not waste your time or money, go stay somewhere else! I will say that management did try to make things up to us but when you are on vacation, you should not have to waste 5 plus hours trying to get your room up to par.

 

[TChrist05]

That is one of the main reasons my DW and I joined the Disney Vacation Club...we do Disney a lot and just hate to take a chance of staying off property....most of the resorts off property are decent but Disney is always great at best...shame you got stuck with such a lemon.

Tom

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Ugh. Thanks for the info! Not a nice experience for you!

I'll be sure to warn relatives and visiting friends away from that place!

 

[dougsmom98]

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[tinaluis]

Thanks for posting your review. Sorry it was such a bad place. We briefly considered staying there over Spring Break for a last minute trip because everything else was booked, but we decided not to go. I'm glad we didn't.

 

[TotoToo]

That is one of the main reasons my DW and I joined the Disney Vacation Club...we do Disney a lot and just hate to take a chance of staying off property....most of the resorts off property are decent but Disney is always great at best...shame you got stuck with such a lemon.

Tom

DVC has a premium price but in our experience does not meet the premium mark. They are smaller units than most equivalently marketed on the outside (1BR vs 1BR, 2 vs 2, etc), the cleaning and overall maintenance is far from premium (a true disappointment but it is a recurring fact if you read any nonpartisan reviews) and except for the theme, usually concentrated in the public areas, aren't anything more than standard hotel/small studios with a premium name.


While there are certainly some off site resorts to avoid for various reasons (the original post certainly sounding like one) overall you'll find bigger, cleaner and better equipped units outside of Disney property with just a small amount of effort to see ratings and at a significant savings.

 

[jctwizzer]

DVC has a premium price but in our experience does not meet the premium mark. They are smaller units than most equivalently marketed on the outside (1BR vs 1BR, 2 vs 2, etc), the cleaning and overall maintenance is far from premium (a true disappointment but it is a recurring fact if you read any nonpartisan reviews) and except for the theme, usually concentrated in the public areas, aren't anything more than standard hotel/small studios with a premium

And with an uniformed opinion like that you probably need to get your head someplace else besides where it sun doesn't shine. Nothing in that comment remotely resembles our ten plus years of experience....JMHO

 

[Brian Noble]

And with an uniformed opinion like that you probably need to get your head someplace else besides where it sun doesn't shine. Nothing in that comment remotely resembles our ten plus years of experience....JMHO

My experience is that one resorts to ad hominem attacks only when one has nothing more constructive to say.

DVC units are quite nice, but they are reviewed similarly to the resorts in the area offered by Marriott and Hilton, and are arguably comparable to Sheraton's and Wyndham's better Orlando resorts. This is easy to verify with just a few minutes spent on sites like redweek, tripadvisor, TUG, and the like.

There are many resorts to avoid in Orlando, true, but it's not as simple as Disney good, others bad.

 

[diznee princess]

I agree with Brian Noble that wasn't very nice to say to TotoToo.
I have stayed at many offsite hotels and resorts/timeshares some good some run down and poor service. I have had the privielge of staying onsite at DVC through some members here and true nothing can compare to the advantage of being on property, I love it. But imho I find Disney dvc to be small and kinda cramped and with uncomfortable sofabeds (they are just a hard foam pad and altho bigger units, the beds in OKW are in need of replacement as well as the place needs refurbishing) compared to offsite Hiltons,Sheraton vistana VILLAGES, and the newer Marriotts. There is also so much to do in Orlando outside of Disney and you get that opportunity more when staying offsite. I really like the new quieter side of international drive LBV and its quiet gardenlike settings and lakes. Most of those resorts are new and beautifully decorated and there are so many activities onsite to take part in.
So for me, when travelling with a small family of four, if I can get a DVC onsite, then that would be my first choice for the perks of being close to all there is Disney and if I want to get the meal plan, especially if I am only going to Disney that week. But being a timeshare owner and a Disney pass holder (free parking), being offsite has its advantages as well. I can get great weekly deals for a larger unit with more comfortable beds and access to all LBV has to offer. Just like onsite disney properties, You just gotta know where to stay. They all have their pros and cons. There is no Disney good , others bad here.

 

[StephSalyer]

Since I am the OP, I would like to respond to all of the above posts. In the past year I have stayed at 5 different resorts; Saratoga Springs, Silver Lake, Star Island, Cypress Pointe and Oak Plantation. I have had problems at 2 of the 5 - Saratoga Springs and Oak Plantation Resort.

I have already let you know whar happened to us at Oak Plantation. During my stay at Saratoga Springs, I was a guest of a DVC owner who graciuosly rented us a 1 bedroom villa while they were on vacation so we could come over and spend some time with them. I decided to cook dinner for everyone one evening as a "Thank You" and came across the following; dirty flatware in the drawers, dirty dishes in the cabinet, and a dirty frying pan in the oven that still had grease and dried ground beef in it . YUCK! I called housekeeping and they responded with a clean frying pan and some extra detergent for the dishwasher. Totally unacceptable! I then contacted the supervisor who immediately came to our unit and agreed that the way the situation was handled was wrong. My point? Things can go wrong no matter where you stay! Human error occurs everywhere. EVEN AT DISNEY!

IMHO I think that the units at Disney are much smaller than the units at other resorts. Yes, there are the "perks" for the complete submersive Disney experience, but, there are other perks to not staying on-site. While I love my on-site experiences, I have also very much enjoyed my off-site experiences as well (except for the most recent at Oak Plantation). I think it really depends on the individual person (family) and to think you are somehow better than others because you stay on-site is a bit arrogant to me. DVC ownership is very expensive for a 50 year "lease" and just because you own DVC does not mean your resort will recieve adequate maintenance (OKW is a case in point). How many DVC resorts have been built while OKW sits needing renovating and not really getting it? You can also get twice the amount of time at an off-site resort for half of the money. The money you save by purchasing off-site timeshares can easily pay for an Annual pass for your entire family every year! Not everyone can afford Disney prices (me included). I don't think that becaus I cannot afford DVC makes me less of a person or love Disney less, it just means I can't afford it and will not buy things that are not within my means.

Just my 2 cents.