Wyndham at great smokies lodge

[jupers]

Hi all....we booked this for our road trip to wdw via TN...I know many of you own Wyndham. Anyone been here? Like it? Any info is appreciated.

 

[K&TLoveDisney]

Stayed there in May of 2011.

Loved the Resort (actually hoping to go back there). There is an indoor and outdoor waterpark. We only used the indoor waterpark. The week we were there was cool and rainy.

The resort is about 20 to 30 minutes to one of the entrances to the Great Smokey Mountains.

We stayed in a 1 BD unit in the newest bldg and at the time that bldg was less than a year old. The unit was top notch.

 

[bonzarella]

We are owners there, but have only stayed once. Units are nice. The outdoor pool was closed during a July stay. We were less than thrilled. Easy access to activities, eats & mts.

 

[JimMIA]

We own at Wyndham Great Smokys and stayed there last July for a week in three 2 BRs. We were in the older section (non-waterpark).

We love the resort and the location. Lots of dining choices nearby, super Walmart basically across the street. 20-30 minutes to Great Smokys National Park or Gatlingburg, depending on traffic. The resort is very well maintained, and we intend to return often.

You will be asked to attend a timeshare sales presentation, and that invitation may take one or more of the following forms:

• A straightforward invitation to "take a tour."
• A request to complete a "survey" on your experience at the resort.
• A request to stop by your room with "welcome gifts."

Those are all the same thing -- a high-pressure sales presentation. The one where they stop by your room is especially problematic -- they simply will not leave.

Wyndham's sales force is nothing like what you may have seen with DVC. They are as bad as the resorts are good.

They lie through their teeth, they use as much pressure as they can, and there is nothing they will not tell you to get you to buy. Don't believe a word they say. Once you refuse the first time, you will be asked multiple times in as many formats as they can dream up.

Wyndham's sales force is among the worst in a sleezy industry, so save yourself a lot of aggravation and decline all offers for anything that involves you talking to any Wyndham employees.

If you want to purchase Wyndham -- great timeshare system if it meets your needs -- you can do so for pennies on eBay and elsewhere in the resale market. To give you a personal example, we purchased the rough equivalent of 600-700 DVC points in Wyndham on eBay for less than $2,000 total, with all closing and transfer fees included.

 

[ParrotBill]

Wow! What an eye opener that was.

I did not stay there, but I just got back from a week in Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg and can answer any questions have about the area or National Park.

There are great kids/family things to do. My daughter liked Wonderworks, and her favorite was MagiQuest. We did the Nascar Park go-karts - good deal at $20 all day.

We really liked Bennet's BBQ - great ribs.

If you spend time in the National Park, visit the ranger station at Sugarland just past Gatlinburg for a brochure on short/day hikes. There are two excellent scenic car drives also plus the drive up into the top of the gap. You cannot drive over to Cherokee right now - road washed out in a landslide.

Use Veterans Drive to bypass the crowded Pigeon Forge area, and use the Gatlinburg Parkway bypass to the National park to bypass Gatlinburg where traffic is unbearable.

You can drive around Pigeon Forge even if it's slow. But there is a trolley too. For Gatlinburg, park at the visitor center before the village and by an all day trolley pass in the visitor center - traffic is terrible downtown unless you get there early. If you get there early find parking on River road, or in a lot or garage off River road to avoid the main street.

 

[JimMIA]

The drive ParrotBill mentions is the Newfound Gap Road. A portion of that road on the NC side is currently closed, but it's open all the way on the TN side.

It takes you to Newfound Gap, where you can hike along a section of the famous Appalachian Trail. Just a short distance further is the road to Clingman's Dome -- the famous "On Top of Old Smoky" spot. There you will find about a 1/2 mile hike up to the observation tower where you can see for miles in all directions on a clear day.

The other "must do" on the TN side is Cades Cove. Go EARLY in the AM to avoid traffic. You'll see lots of deer and other critters in a tranquil farming valley which is maintained in roughly 1900's authenticity. Great ranger-led hayride there early on some mornings.

For info on Great Smokys National Park, go to www.nps.gov/grsm