runaway bay @ calypso

cenicienta

Christmas Magic
Joined
May 17, 2001
Messages
44
Does anybody know what the rental villas are like at Calypso Cay? There are lots of threads about the Country Inn there but nothing about the Runaway Bay. I don't even know if Runaway Bay is the time share or another part of the development??
 
The runaway bay buildings are 2 things - general rentable apartments AND a phase of the Calypso Cay villa resort. They apparently converted some of them to timshare villas for owners. We got a vacation package for 1 of these 2 bedroom units for $250 with 2 Disney tix and the 90 minute 'tour'.

We will be there in April and will give a report after that.

That whole resort is owned by Amerisuites, and there are the calypso cay villas, runaway bay villas/apartments, Amerisuites and Country Inn hotels.

There are 4 pools there, if you count the runaway bay ones, which I think only those staying in R.Bay can use. We were there in 2004 as a timeshare exchange and thought the villas were great - we were in the non runaway
bay villas. The main pool has a nice slide and zero entry with water spraying crabs.

Nice place all in all - I just hope the 'timeshare tour/sales presentation' is soft sell - as I have heard it is - JUST SAY NO!!!!

Here are some photos of the inside of the villas, with other stuff we did:
http://homepage.mac.com/ken_kleiner/Disney2004/PhotoAlbum40.html

Have a Disney Day!
 
Hello,
I had posted a few times about this resort. I did a search for my old post (not op) and I found it. Keep in mind that I stayed there back in 2002, but I still feel strongly about it.

Hello,
We stayed at the Calypso Cay resort in September of 2002.
I've stayed at a few timeshare resorts because I feel that's the only way to vacation - washer/dryer, bedrooms, kitchen, resort grounds, etc. We stayed in a Two Bedroom unit, which was really a large Master Suite unit connected to a smaller one bedroom unit. Me and DH stayed in the Master Suite and the girls stayed in the smaller unit.
But.....Let me tell you about Our Experience with Calypso Cay and why I'll never stay there.
#1 I know it's Florida, but the first night we walked into our suite, there was a huge 5 inch roach or whatever type of insect Sitting On The Couch. After a minute of standing there thinking what the heck will kill this thing without dirtying the couch, it escaped, never to be seen again.

#2 Lots of Roaches in my girls' bathroom. They weren't in our bathroom, but in my girls' bathroom, which by the way, was a separate "room" than ours. Of course I kept their suitcases zippered, only opening them to take out clothes or put in clean clothes fresh from the dryer, where I don't think the roaches can live in.

#3 I was born and raised in The Bronx and my husband is a retired NYCity Police Officer who worked midnights in Jamaica, Queens. I am not easily intimidated, but when I'm on a Disney vacation, I don't feel I should put my guard up while "relaxing at the pool".

It seemed that the local citizens would frequent the pool area with their friends and family. One such "family" which consisted of a bunch of grown men, lots of kids and some ladies, were having fun in the pool. Me and my family had just entered the pool area and were looking around for an open table or lounge chair. It was around 10:00 pm. There was a commotion in the pool. Some of the kids from the local family were causing trouble and splashing at guests, children. One of the moms of the children being harrassed spoke up, lots of fingerpointing and yelling. She got her stuff and left. So naturally, we saw an empty table and took it.

Well, ten minutes later security came to escort the local family out of the pool area. There was a lot of talking/yelling going on between the local family and the security guards. Then they start staring and pointing at me. It seems that the local family remembered a lady who was yelling at them who was seated at the table that I was now at, but they never saw her leave. So I pulled out my Bronx attitute and stared right back. My husband and the kids were in the pool but they didn't realize what was going on. Thank God security escorted them out on the other side from where I was.

While all this was going on, there was also a bunch of cop cars racing around the resort right across from the pool area (NOTE: Runaway Bay Area) with their sirens blaring and a helicopter circling the resort with it's spotlight on. I felt like I was right in the middle of a COPS taping.


You will never get me back at Calypso Cay Resort, nor will you ever hear me recommend it to anyone I know. I know this was a couple years ago, and maybe it has changed for the better with tighter security, but I just didn't like the mingling of Calypso Cay resort guests with Country Inn hotel guests and residents from the community. Country Inn is a really nice hotel, but it's a little more transient than a resort, so security has no idea who should and shouldn't be on resort property.
When I go on a vacation, I expect to feel safe, especially in a resort. I did not feel safe at all at Calypso Cay. Speaking with other guests right after this all happened, they did not either.

I hope this helped you.
 
Corryn, I echo your sentiments exactly. We were there 3 or four years ago. At first I felt a little cuckoo because I don't recall seeing anyone else commenting negatively on this arrangement, but I see I'm not alone.

We were in the Runaway Bay section too. Not being the brightest bulb in my family's marquee :crazy: , I thought it was a little strange seeing a moving truck unloading furniture that was not quite like that which was in our unit. Because I had a timeshare tour, I asked the guide if this was a residential community and not totally devoted to vacationers. My impressions were confirmed.

It's not that you won't be burglarized or harassed or be completely safe at any vacation resort, it just seemed that you were more vulnerable because you're on vacation and you don't typically worry about who might be watching your comings and goings.

I have to say that the units across the road in the timeshare units were lovely, but the Runaway Bay apartments were not at all attractive even.

I'm with you. Being as uncomfortable as I was, I wouldn't recommend it unless you're completely aware that you'll be mingling with permanent residents and not just us tourists and, in a sense, we're "invading their space." :hippie:
 

Hi Popsicle,
You're right about the whole invading space idea. It's not that it is bad, but would I want to be living smack in the middle of vacationers? No one would.

I stayed in one of the Calypso Cay buildings, right by the pool. It was a very nice condo, apart from the roaches.
My gripe was the fact that *anyone, everyone and their mother* was in that pool area and security had no idea who was staying at Calypso Cay, who was staying in the Country Inn and suites (which was a nice hotel) and who was a resident of Runaway Bay....and for this matter, who just lived in the general Kissimmee area!
When I travel I try as hard as possible to make sure the area I will be visiting is a safe one. When we paid to stay there, we were paying for the *priviledge* to stay in a timeshare community. Normally that means that the people who are accessing the recreation offered on property are other vacationers like you. You're not dealing with a criminal element (that you know of). People are spending just as much as you are and they're hopefully like-minded, where they want to relax and have fun.

But when you're sitting there and people are causing problems and security has to be called in, and then the people start pointing their fingers at you and staring you down like they're going to hurt or kill you, and top that off with a big ol' Police Helicopter circling the whole resort over and over and over with their searchlight flashing down on you and cop cars flying around the resort, how are you supposed to feel?
I know I certainly didn't pay for that experience. I've been through that crap with normal living, and heck, gosh darn it, I'm on vacation, this place better be safe and I better be treated well!

So my opinion stands. I don't care what good reviews this place got. That was my experience and the experience of everyone sitting in that area at that time. I'm sure it was something that happened not every day, but often enough because there was no representative coming out to calm the masses.
In fact, when I spoke to the security guard after they kicked the people out, they said that the people who live in the surrounding area often sneak into their pool area and they're really not allowed to point fingers because they know between the timeshare resort, the hotel and the apartment/condominium complex they would never be able to figure out who is who, and then to throw regular Kissimmee residents into the mix? Fuggedaboudit!

Sorry to beat a dead horse, but I have never read another thread on these boards similar to this one and I want to get my point across: Stay at a different resort if safety is your concern.
 
We stayed at Calypso Cay ibn January and loved it. We were in newly renovated rooms....3 bedrooms w/ kitchen, beautifully decorated with flatscreen TV's a computer with internet access. We were pleasantly surprised!
 
You're right, Deebs, the Calypso Cay apartments ARE beautiful! (Saw them during a timeshare tour.) I think the OP wanted to know about Runaway Bay. If this link works, these photos show the Runaway Bay units which are across the road from the Calypso Cay high-rise apartments; part of the same overall development, but really different in character.

http://www.florida-discount-travel.com/runawaybay/default.htm
 
I'm not saying that Calypso Cay was not beautiful - It was! It was beautifully decorated and everything was new (minus the big screen tv's). I will agree to that point. I'm just letting everyone know to keep their guard up while vacationing in that resort :thumbsup2
 















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