Westgate Vacation Villas

[TotoToo]

Jenseil: This thread is talking mostly about Westgate Villas. Westgate Lake is up off I-4 owned by same people. I have never stayed at it but read it is nice except for the sales pitch. Westgate has a bad reputation for high pressure. Again you do not have to go on them if you stay unless as stated before.

Strictly personal taste. While Westgate Lakes is newer than Westgate Villas we prefer the Villas. WL is a tenement in waiting with tall, dark buildings far too close together with too little parking. It does not seem like a resort at all. Plus the units are dark, but big - the furnishings are so-so. Overall it is not a top Orlando resort by any means but can be a good deal if you pay a little and use it mostly as a base for going other places. The location is very good for all the parks but you must drive to everything - nothing is walkable in that area.

But the worst at any Westgate is the never ending sales pressure. Avoid that - already gave you some hints - and the place isn't half bad and about half good. There are many, many better resorts in Orlando but most don't have the cheap stay offers Westgates have as there are SO many units available there.

 

[live4christp1]

We love staying at Westgate, we've never gone to the sales pitch though. You shouldn't have to if you are staying under your parents ownership. They will tell you they want to schedule and owners meeting and just make sure your happy, etc (sales pitch) -they have always put us down but we never go. They will leave a reminder message on your machine but they can't make you go unless it's part of a special you are being offered that the stipulation is you have to attend to get the special. We love the location, the rooms are nice, staff is nice, lots of pools activities, etc.

 

[jenseib]

We love staying at Westgate, we've never gone to the sales pitch though. You shouldn't have to if you are staying under your parents ownership. They will tell you they want to schedule and owners meeting and just make sure your happy, etc (sales pitch) -they have always put us down but we never go. They will leave a reminder message on your machine but they can't make you go unless it's part of a special you are being offered that the stipulation is you have to attend to get the special. We love the location, the rooms are nice, staff is nice, lots of pools activities, etc.

Which Westgate do you go to?

 

[live4christp1]

Which Westgate do you go to?

We have stayed at the Westgate Vacation Villas in a unit that slept 10 and also a 1 bedroom unit that slept 4. Last year they put us in the towers in a one bedroom that slept 4. I liked the one bedroom unit in the towers better than the one bedroom unit in the villas as we had our own washer and dryer. We have been really pleased here though overall. We generally get a week for $500 or less so that is a significant savings over your general hotel room with two beds and a bath. We have gone to the owners breakfast at the pool which was nice. My mom and dad went to the poolside BBQ the year we took them, hotdogs and hamburgers. We've also gone to the Magic show with the snow tigers, for the price, it's kind of dinky but DS is an animal fanatic and that was the extra thing he wanted to do, he did get to hold an aligator, pet a Florida panther and have his picture taken with a white tiger.

 

[VanMickey]

Not sure if you have taken your trip Tink2000, but if you have not, do not stay at the Wesgate Vacation Villas if you are used to WDW resorts. We just came back (feb08) from staying at the Westgate and was really saddenned by the quality, dirt, etc of the Westgate. We normally stay on property and are used to Disney service and CMs. We can let a lot slide, but the service really turned us off to this property. The only good thing is the location. It is min from the main gate and seconds from AK. Hopefully this will get to you in time, but if not I hope you had a better experience. Good luck.

 

[bearzabout]

I just got back from a week at Westgate Vacation Villas. All of the information I gained from others on this board made a difference and I had a great stay.

tips:

1. Told the timeshare shark with the welcome package that I read all of the bad reviews about the timeshare presentation and would not do it. He gave up after only 30 seconds. I asked him to circle my room location on the map.

2. I walked right past the desk full of sharks that were supposed to direct me to the room and drove to the room by myself.

3. First room was unacceptable. The sliding door was damaged and did not lock. AC did not work. Called front desk and demanded another room. Told them no when they offered to send a repair person. They eventually transferred me to a supervisor that assigned me to a new room and someone brought me the new set of keys.

New room was fantastic - big, very clean and everything worked. The employee checked the doors to make sure they locked before he left.

I unplugged the phone so I was not bothered by calls from the timeshare sharks.

Thank you to everyone who posted their past experiences. I knew exactly what I had to do to avoid bad situations.

The resort was at least 1/4 empty in early February, yet when I checked in, there was an owner arguing over the phone at the front desk because he reserved a one bedroom unit and was given a studio. Only 3 out of the 12 rooms in my building were occupied. I don't understand why they go out of their way to treat owners so badly. I would never, ever buy at Westgate. They do seem to treat non-owners better than owners.

 

[TotoToo]

Not sure if you have taken your trip Tink2000, but if you have not, do not stay at the Wesgate Vacation Villas if you are used to WDW resorts. We just came back (feb08) from staying at the Westgate and was really saddenned by the quality, dirt, etc of the Westgate. We normally stay on property and are used to Disney service and CMs. We can let a lot slide, but the service really turned us off to this property. The only good thing is the location. It is min from the main gate and seconds from AK. Hopefully this will get to you in time, but if not I hope you had a better experience. Good luck.

Actually as much as I dislike Westgates' sales tactics the actual units, at least the ones we've had, were superior in every way to Disney units. They were larger, better equipped and better maintained including cleaning. Disney cleaning standards seem to have slipped badly over the past 5 or 6 years and certainly aren't reliably high anymore. As for service we just want our unit to be ready, clean and fully equipped. After that we use it for a week and leave. We don't need or even want daily maid service or other interruptions while we stay.

Once past the sales pressure, easily avoided with a firm approach, the rest of the Westgate experience is top quality all the way.

 

[WDWorBUST]

Any recent returns from Westgate Vacations Villas? I purchased a week during SkyAuctions holiday sale and it is available the week I'm looking for....but still a little nervous because of all the mixed reviews. Not to mention...since I will be booking via getawayweeks.com will I receive compromised service because of it?

 

[Hasil72]

Tink,
Sorry for the late reply. One thing to keep in mind with Westgate is what timeshare group your parents belong to. We stayed there as a gift from my husband's family through RCI. We were placed in the oldest section of the resort since they no longer enroll through the RCI network, they go through a newer group. Don't get me wrong, the unit was fine but a little dated. However, if you compared it to the "new" units that they will try every trick in the book to sign you up for, it was horrible. Like night and day. The newer units had a loft, jacuzzi tubs, beautiful furniture, etc. We fell for one of the tricks when they told us that we needed to fill out a "survey" on our stay before they would allow us to check out. We got up and left anyway when the sales rep told me that I would be a widow before I was 40 because my husband wouldn't take any vacation time.

Hope you have a great vacation no matter what you choose!

 

[spiceycat]

I also own at Westgate - as much as I hate it.

there will always been something wrong with your room - it could be a little problem or big problem.

if there wasn't something wrong why would you go to the 'maintence meeting'?

the sales shark are the worst - just avoid them. tell the front desk when you check in - you don't want to go there way (golf cart) - and demand the room now.

secondly as been say - unplug your phone. they will start calling at 6am if you don't.

Westgate only is good when it sales pitches are explained - like now.

if they know there normal stuff won't work - they actually try to be nice.

since Westgate is not nice - it doesn't generally last - until the bad press is gone.

oh before you ask - twice I got a person willing to buy my Westgate - due to the delays which Westgate did intentionally - they went with somebody else.

really do hate them.

oh ready to sell again - so if anyone wants a 2-bedroom Nov - 45th week - generally the New Jersey week - then send me an email. (for the moderators this is a joke )

 

[bearzabout]

My week stay Feb 3-10 was booked with a Skyauction Getaway Weeks certificate. When I checked in, the person behind the desk addressed me as though I was an RCI timeshare owner at another resort who traded for the Westgate unit.

Westgate VV appears to treat non-owners better than owners. I got a beautiful 2 bedroom unit (on the second try - the original unit I was assigned to was unacceptable). The owner standing next to me at the check-in desk was very upset about reserving a one bedroom unit and getting a studio. The person behind the desk and rep on the phone refused to give him the unit size he reserved. I think they look at non-owners as a potential sale and are out to impress them more than the people who have already purchased.

I'd stay again in a heartbeat. I now know how to avoid the timeshare people and will politely demand a new room if the first one is awful.