Trying to pick between 4 resorts. Opinions?

[SondraC]

Hello

We just decided to go to WDW December 29-January 5. We are looking for an offsite suite type room with 2 (or 3) bedrooms. I have found availability at 4 places so far that have such rooms.

Palisades Resort

Star Island Resort

Holiday Inn Club Orange Lake

Legacy Vacation Resorts

Any thoughts on these? There will be four adults.

Thanks!!

 

[nancy155]

Hello

We just decided to go to WDW December 29-January 5. We are looking for an offsite suite type room with 2 (or 3) bedrooms. I have found availability at 4 places so far that have such rooms.

Palisades Resort

Star Island Resort

Holiday Inn Club Orange Lake

Legacy Vacation Resorts

Any thoughts on these? There will be four adults.

Thanks!!

I am not going to be much help... I have stayed at only one of these resorts in our many stays offsite.. That is Orange Lake and although the room was nice and spacious, I would never stay there again. Staff was rude, the resort is way too spread out and just was not what we have wanted in our Disney stays. Have you checked out reviews on Trip Advisor?

 

[SondraC]

I am not going to be much help... I have stayed at only one of these resorts in our many stays offsite.. That is Orange Lake and although the room was nice and spacious, I would never stay there again. Staff was rude, the resort is way too spread out and just was not what we have wanted in our Disney stays. Have you checked out reviews on Trip Advisor?

Thanks for the input. I have been looking on Trip Advisor too.

 

[cheerky]

We had a very negative experience at Star Island in August. There were renovations going on while we were there. There was brown/ rust mud running down the building, yellow tape, broken elevators, scaffolding and painters/workers on our balcony all day, every day. We could not use the balcony at all, the entire week not to mention a little bit of a safety concern. Furniture was wrapped in plastic, painting going on and large equipment everywhere. The resort was not even close to full so I have no idea why they would put guests in the ONLY building being worked on.

The lock to our door broke and so did the washer/dryer.

I complained to the front desk more than once. They offered me $25 in "star bucks". The last night there, they finally offered to move us to another bldg. Since we were checking out early the next morning we opted to stay in our unit (complete with work-men on the balcony)... very unsettling for a parent of a 12 year old girl.

I will never stay at Star Island again and I do not recommend it to anyone... not even for a free week's stay.

 

[SondraC]

We had a very negative experience at Star Island in August. There were renovations going on while we were there. There was brown/ rust mud running down the building, yellow tape, broken elevators, scaffolding and painters/workers on our balcony all day, every day. We could not use the balcony at all, the entire week not to mention a little bit of a safety concern. Furniture was wrapped in plastic, painting going on and large equipment everywhere. The resort was not even close to full so I have no idea why they would put guests in the ONLY building being worked on.

The lock to our door broke and so did the washer/dryer.

I complained to the front desk more than once. They offered me $25 in "star bucks". The last night there, they finally offered to move us to another bldg. Since we were checking out early the next morning we opted to stay in our unit (complete with work-men on the balcony)... very unsettling for a parent of a 12 year old girl.

I will never stay at Star Island again and I do not recommend it to anyone... not even for a free week's stay.

Thanks so much for the input! We still have not picked something. We need to make sure whatever we pick we can cancel in case of bad weather. We are driving and I don't know what to expect that time of year.

 

[swilshire]

Any cancellable options are going to be far more expensive unless all you want is a hotel. In resort areas, some of those may have 2 or 3 day cancellation policies. We always just take our chances, though I guess you could look into trip insurance.

One year we had to leave home a day early because of weather moving in. We drove as far south as Macon (below the expected snow line) and got up the next morning to a leisurely breakfast before continuing our trip.

You might lose a day on one end or the other of your trip, but the cost savings on renting from a non-cancellable source is probably more than worth the risk.

Sheila

 

[spiceycat]

most of those are timeshares and they don't get great ratings?

is Silver Lake (it is really close to WDW) on your list?
Bryan's Spanish Cove - now this was old but in pretty good shape.
Sheraton Vistana Resort

here a list from rci -you can see the resorts even if you are not a member
http://www.rci.com/RCI/rdg/searchResults.do

 

[akaler2010]

We have stayed at Orange Lake several times. My parents and sister's family stayed there over Spring Break. It is pretty big, so be prepared to take a shuttle or drive. We like it because it has lots of pools and on site golf. We are going there again over New Years. We have always had good experiences there.

 

[Mysteria]

Thanks so much for the input! We still have not picked something. We need to make sure whatever we pick we can cancel in case of bad weather. We are driving and I don't know what to expect that time of year.

These types of rentals can rarely be cancelled last minute. Look into trip insurance for peace of mind.

 

[BonnieA]

I've stayed at Orange Lake (great), Palisades (wonderful) and Legacy (Blah). My very favorite it Grand Beach 3 bedroom but I've only gotten it twice. My next favorite is Wyndham Cypress Palms, have stayed here 5 times and I'm here now. Love it.