SkyAuction experts/bidders, please help!!

[cinamin27]

I'm trying to understand how SkyAuction works & read the FAQ's but still do not clearly understand.

When bidding on resorts with 7 nights stays in Orlando such as Summer Bay 2 bedroom villa & it says " Tax and Service Charges of $195.00 per 2 bedroom suites per 7 night stay are additional." does this mean if I get a winning bid of say $50 then all I would have to pay for my TOTAL stay is $195 + $50 = $245 & I would owe absolutely nothing else & I can stay as many nights I wanted up to 7 nights total within the check in/check out dates on the auction I won?

or is it that I will have to pay $195 x however many nights I decide to stay up to the 7 day max allowed?? meaning I decide to stay 3 nights I would have to pay 195 x 3 = $585 + bid win of $50 so my total would be $635 for 3 nights stay?

will there be extra taxes when I get to the resort?

can I check in any day I want within the check in/check out dates for the week I won it for?

Are time share tours required to be able to stay for winning these bids??

ok & here's a dumb question: when it says bid price is per room & you bid on a 2 bedroom villa, does this mean what ever your bid is will be x 2 because there is 2 bedrooms?

Please excuse my ignorance as I'm new to skyauction's way of doing things.

 

[CarolA]

The taxes and service charge are a per bid thing. So if you get the room for $50 then you are correct your total would be $245.

I am not sure I understand what you are saying on check-in and out dates. I would think that if you don't show up on your check in date your reservation would be cancelled. Now there would not be a penalty for leaving early.

You are bidding on the unit shown. SO in your case the per room is the two bedroom unit. They won't double the bid.

On my skyauction stays I was never even contacted by the resort for a timeshare tour and it was not required. There were additional charges for phone usage etc. but no taxes or room charges.

 

[Jimdamedic]

I've never stayed with skyauction before but I've read a bunch about it. First, everyone raves about their customer service line, that might be an option for you.
If the auction says there is a service charge of $195, that means for the entire stay. If the charge is per night, it will say in the auction the service charge is per night. I'm sure there's taxes involved but that's it that's all you have to pay. I've heard stories of the office calling your room during your stay to ask if you would like a timeshare presentation but there is nothing required.

Everything I've read about skyauction leads me to believe it is a great option for reasonably priced accomodations. I can't remember reading a single bad review of their services. I think our next trip we'll use their services ourselves. Let me know what you think of them.

 

[bearzabout]

I recently won my third auction using Skyauction.com and can provide some answers for you.

My condos were won on the Ready-Set-Go auction. My winning bids were around $50 plus the $15 handling fee and one $195 charge, no matter the size of the condo I reserved. No additional fees were added to my credit card and the resort did not charge me another dime. Some resorts may have fees, but my favorite, Silver Lake Resort, does not.

One time I checked in at 10:00am on check in day with no problem. One time, I had trouble getting away from work and could not make it until the third day of the rental week. I called the condo a week ahead and told them I had to arrive mid-week. They said no problem, as long as we vacated by the original checkout date. This policy may change depending on the resort.

Twice I found the condo for the dates I wanted first, reserved it, then made sure I won the auction by setting it to automatically rebid any other bidding, setting a cap at $60. Once, I won the auction first then checked every day for a week until the week at the specific condo I wanted was available and reserved it.

I was treated as though I was an owner of another property that traded for a week so I was never approached about attending a time share presentation.

I am hooked on condo living near Disney. For around $260/week, I get a one or two bedroom unit with jacuzzi tub, full kitchen and washer and dryer. Silver Lake is a 5 minute drive from Animal Kingdom, my favorite park.

Be careful which condo you reserve. Some are much nicer than others and some, like Summer Bay, are a long drive away (20 minutes or so). The better condos go fast so you have to be persistant and check availability often.

Check floor plans as well. Some resorts have very small one bedroom units with few amenities.

I hope Skyauction works for you!

 

[cinamin27]

Thank you so much for all of your valuable input. I will feel more secure now making a bid. I will be looking in the future for the Summer Bay resort for a stay sometime this summer so hopefully they will post something. I stayed there several years ago when they were still constructing it. It was not that far away and the only parks we really do during the hot summer months are the Disney water parks so I wouldnt mind the drive, especially for only $195 a week + my winning bid amount.

bearzabout
can you please tell my why Silver Lake is your favorite? I've never heard of this resort & would like more info if you have some time to provide

 

[chris1gill]

I wanted to ask Bearzabout how you were able to check availability prior to winning an auction? We might be able to take advantage of Skyauction for one of our trips....

Thanks!

 

[bearzabout]

Within Skyauction.com, find a Ready-Set-Go auction and click on it to get more information about the auction. On the information page, it has a highlighted line that says something like: click here to see where your next vacation will be. That brings you to a screen where go find Florida - Orlando on the list, then input the range of dates you are looking for along with unit size. Skyauction will search for condos that meet your criteria and will list the condos that have availability for your dates.

I have found that it is wise to start looking about 60 days prior to arrival. Availability changes every day. I keep looking until I find the exact condo I want.

 

[jessiesue]

I've used Sky Auction 5 times since 2/02 and never had a problem. Good luck.

 

[SplashMountainRules]

We used SkyAuction.com for our honeymoon last June. We stayed at the Silver Lake and LOVED IT! One hint many people don't know about skyauction. If you go to there site there is a spot where you can email your friends about skyauction. For every Email you send and your friend responds you get a $5 gift certificate. You can earn up to $50! Just thought I would let you know.

 

[cinamin27]

Thanks for the $5 tip SplashMountainRules!!