aleksandr
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 3, 2012
- Messages
- 315
We recently got back from our WDW trip, staying at Westgate Lakes on Turkey Lake Road. I have to say that unless things change for the better at this resort, it will probably be the last time we stay there.
This was around the 7th time we've stayed at Westgate Lakes and the 8th time we've stayed at a Westgate property. My father-in-law used to be a timeshare owner at the Lakes and we've used his unit/week 4 or 5 times in the past.
Last year and this year though we stayed at the Lakes as renters (no tour/sales pitch required). I think with the overall decline of the timeshare industry, Westgate is hurting in general. The prices are near unbeatable as a renter, though. With a 21 day advance purchase/no refund, we got our standard 2 bedroom full condo (1,285 sq ft) for $119/night.
Arrival: When you arrive, you check in at the front desk, per standard hotel practices. No real problems here. It is off-season, so there is no wait. First disappointment though, is the information that the free wi-fi is only useable by one device at a time. As a high-tech family with 3 laptops, 3 mobile phones, 1 nook, and 1 kindle, this is disappointing at best. If we want simultaneous access, that is an extra fee. Based on how slow it was with only one device, I'd hate to see multiple. It was faster to just tether a phone.
After check-in they rush you off to the "VIP" desk where they try to convince you to become an owner and attend a breakfast buffet. Not really a sales pitch and no real high-pressure, but annoying nonetheless as we are staying as renters w/o the steeply discounted prices that come with attending a tour. They seem shocked when I tell them that I'm not interested in their breakfast (have ADRs in Disney), I'm not interested in their discount Disney tickets (picked them up beforehand from Undercover Tourist), and I'm not interested in their resort amenities (plan to spend all but sleeping hours at attractions). This time around it only took 3-5 minutes to escape, last year was closer to 20. Tip: it may be best to just disconnect the phones in your room unless you are expecting calls as they like to call to 'remind' you about things like their breakfasts, etc.
Off to the room: I decline their offer to "show" me to my room. Sorry, I can read signage and after all the times I've been, I know my way around the property. The room I'm given, by way of irony, was the same unit that my father-in-law owned. Very odd. Since you can't check-in to Westgate until post-4PM, parking is already filling up. We find a spot a short distance away (at least in front of the same building), and have to haul our luggage to the room. (See more about parking, below).
The room: Pretty standard fare. And, by way of the previous coincidence, we've been in this very room many times before. However, this time around, I notice that the unit is really starting to show its age. Appliances are getting old. The TV in the living room was replaced with a flat screen, but the two bedrooms still have old CRTs. The ceiling in the master bedroom has some kind of unimaginable stain on the ceiling right above the bed. The ceiling in the second bedroom has part of the stucco/wallboard hanging down! The venetians in the living room are twisted/busted. The floor tiles are dingy, dirty, with cracking grout. Unmentionable hairs in the bathroom. The whole place was just really, really shabby overall.
Housekeeping: Ironically, being a renter means you get housekeeping services whereas owners get nothing. The services provided, however, are minimal at best. They do a very shoddy job of cleaning the bathrooms (didn't once clean the toilets while we were there). Its basically a towel refresh, make the beds, and touch up here and there. This is even despite the hefty tips we leave for the housekeeping staff.
Parking: Parking at the Lakes is atrocious. Unless you are back to your room by 3PM, forget finding a spot close by. You can usually find a spot in the general vicinity of your unit until 8PM or so. But any time after that you will likely circle around 5 or 6 times or just have to park at another building and hoof it back to your unit. And this is again, during off-season. I can't imagine what it is like during peaks.
The horrible: Roving bands of teenagers, parties, and alcohol. They say it was because we were there during "prom week", but there were literally roving bands of teens ALL over the property. Last year the unit next to ours hosted an underage drinking party until all hours of the morning, complete with the scent of Marijuana wafting through the air. This year we weren't as lucky in that regards, but you'd see the groups of kids walking around, barely a care in the world that they were openly drinking. The morning after, I witnessed a few people retching on their balconies on my way to get my car.
And, to top it all off, the morning we were to check out, I am packing my car and notice that someone vandalized it!. Barely six months old, not a scratch on it, and someone decided to key the entire length of my trunk. Furious, I call Westgate Security. They tell me an officer will be by to take a report and I also have the option to call the Orange County Sheriffs department. I take them up on that offer. A deputy arrived at my unit within 20 minutes to file a report for "criminal mischief". Has local Westgate Security showed up? Not a chance. Waited an hour and decided to go to the front desk...we were checking out and needed to be on our way. Good thing we didn't have a plane to catch! The front desk contacts security who says they are 'very busy' and will have an officer to our unit in 15 minutes. So, back to the unit to wait. The officer (kid) shows up within the 15 minutes to take the report--without any paperwork or camera to take photos. He asks us to drive back to registration and he'll meet us there with the necessary tools. Another 10 minute wait.
It's now been 5 days since I've filed the report with Westgate and I've yet to hear back from their security supervisor. My insurance adjuster is coming out to look at the vehicle tomorrow, but I'm not sure who is liable here...
Long story short, the family has all agreed that unless Westgate takes some serious effort to make this right, we will never stay in another Westgate property and will do our best to make sure that everyone knows the shortcomings of this property.
This was around the 7th time we've stayed at Westgate Lakes and the 8th time we've stayed at a Westgate property. My father-in-law used to be a timeshare owner at the Lakes and we've used his unit/week 4 or 5 times in the past.
Last year and this year though we stayed at the Lakes as renters (no tour/sales pitch required). I think with the overall decline of the timeshare industry, Westgate is hurting in general. The prices are near unbeatable as a renter, though. With a 21 day advance purchase/no refund, we got our standard 2 bedroom full condo (1,285 sq ft) for $119/night.
Arrival: When you arrive, you check in at the front desk, per standard hotel practices. No real problems here. It is off-season, so there is no wait. First disappointment though, is the information that the free wi-fi is only useable by one device at a time. As a high-tech family with 3 laptops, 3 mobile phones, 1 nook, and 1 kindle, this is disappointing at best. If we want simultaneous access, that is an extra fee. Based on how slow it was with only one device, I'd hate to see multiple. It was faster to just tether a phone.
After check-in they rush you off to the "VIP" desk where they try to convince you to become an owner and attend a breakfast buffet. Not really a sales pitch and no real high-pressure, but annoying nonetheless as we are staying as renters w/o the steeply discounted prices that come with attending a tour. They seem shocked when I tell them that I'm not interested in their breakfast (have ADRs in Disney), I'm not interested in their discount Disney tickets (picked them up beforehand from Undercover Tourist), and I'm not interested in their resort amenities (plan to spend all but sleeping hours at attractions). This time around it only took 3-5 minutes to escape, last year was closer to 20. Tip: it may be best to just disconnect the phones in your room unless you are expecting calls as they like to call to 'remind' you about things like their breakfasts, etc.
Off to the room: I decline their offer to "show" me to my room. Sorry, I can read signage and after all the times I've been, I know my way around the property. The room I'm given, by way of irony, was the same unit that my father-in-law owned. Very odd. Since you can't check-in to Westgate until post-4PM, parking is already filling up. We find a spot a short distance away (at least in front of the same building), and have to haul our luggage to the room. (See more about parking, below).
The room: Pretty standard fare. And, by way of the previous coincidence, we've been in this very room many times before. However, this time around, I notice that the unit is really starting to show its age. Appliances are getting old. The TV in the living room was replaced with a flat screen, but the two bedrooms still have old CRTs. The ceiling in the master bedroom has some kind of unimaginable stain on the ceiling right above the bed. The ceiling in the second bedroom has part of the stucco/wallboard hanging down! The venetians in the living room are twisted/busted. The floor tiles are dingy, dirty, with cracking grout. Unmentionable hairs in the bathroom. The whole place was just really, really shabby overall.
Housekeeping: Ironically, being a renter means you get housekeeping services whereas owners get nothing. The services provided, however, are minimal at best. They do a very shoddy job of cleaning the bathrooms (didn't once clean the toilets while we were there). Its basically a towel refresh, make the beds, and touch up here and there. This is even despite the hefty tips we leave for the housekeeping staff.
Parking: Parking at the Lakes is atrocious. Unless you are back to your room by 3PM, forget finding a spot close by. You can usually find a spot in the general vicinity of your unit until 8PM or so. But any time after that you will likely circle around 5 or 6 times or just have to park at another building and hoof it back to your unit. And this is again, during off-season. I can't imagine what it is like during peaks.
The horrible: Roving bands of teenagers, parties, and alcohol. They say it was because we were there during "prom week", but there were literally roving bands of teens ALL over the property. Last year the unit next to ours hosted an underage drinking party until all hours of the morning, complete with the scent of Marijuana wafting through the air. This year we weren't as lucky in that regards, but you'd see the groups of kids walking around, barely a care in the world that they were openly drinking. The morning after, I witnessed a few people retching on their balconies on my way to get my car.
And, to top it all off, the morning we were to check out, I am packing my car and notice that someone vandalized it!. Barely six months old, not a scratch on it, and someone decided to key the entire length of my trunk. Furious, I call Westgate Security. They tell me an officer will be by to take a report and I also have the option to call the Orange County Sheriffs department. I take them up on that offer. A deputy arrived at my unit within 20 minutes to file a report for "criminal mischief". Has local Westgate Security showed up? Not a chance. Waited an hour and decided to go to the front desk...we were checking out and needed to be on our way. Good thing we didn't have a plane to catch! The front desk contacts security who says they are 'very busy' and will have an officer to our unit in 15 minutes. So, back to the unit to wait. The officer (kid) shows up within the 15 minutes to take the report--without any paperwork or camera to take photos. He asks us to drive back to registration and he'll meet us there with the necessary tools. Another 10 minute wait.
It's now been 5 days since I've filed the report with Westgate and I've yet to hear back from their security supervisor. My insurance adjuster is coming out to look at the vehicle tomorrow, but I'm not sure who is liable here...
Long story short, the family has all agreed that unless Westgate takes some serious effort to make this right, we will never stay in another Westgate property and will do our best to make sure that everyone knows the shortcomings of this property.
