Hi,
We got back last Sunday. Here is an edited review I wrote for the RCI Community Journal. You might want to check out the website for other reviews of this place, it helped me.
RCI Journals
Hope you have a wonderful trip.
Ricky
This was a good trip taken May 25 - June 1, 2003. The weather was perfect with no rain, a couple of overcast days, and low humidity due to a cold front passing through. Summertime crowds have yet to materilize and the lines at the parks were managable, with the exception of Memorial Day. Later in the summer, this place gets really crowded.
HGV at Seaworld is located directly off of I-4 at Seaworld. The location is also convient to Disney and Universal Studios. This time of year, Disney is having the International Flower and Garden Show at Epcot, and it is amazing. The flowers and topiaries are incredible. Everyone who has the opportunity should go during this special time. We made this trip a leisurely one and did not try to rush to do everything. Strolling around Epcot and looking at the different floral displays is a great way to spend the day.
HGV at Seaworld is also an easy drive to Univeral Studios. This is a good alternative to Disney and judging from the crowds, I am not the only one to think so. The rides at Islands of Adventure are very intense, and I could not do some of them due to an old back injury, but everything else is good. Take the time to go through Citywalk, Universal's answer to Disney's Pleasure Island, to see the Hard Rock Cafe, Hard Rock Live, Jimmy Buffet's Margaritiville, and many other restaurants and shops.
Shopping at the outlets is another good way to spend an afternoon. There are too many outlets to list, but our favorite is The Premium Outlets on Vineland Ave. It has a Disney and a Universal outlet where you can find some really good prices compared to what you would pay at the parks. They don't have the newest or biggest selections, but they do have some bargains.
One thing I would avoid is taking the tour of the new Hilton resort being built just a few miles from the old one. They try to get you to go there by offering you a small gift and some ticket discounts. We wanted to see a model of the place as the pictures looked very impressive. We drove over one morning and had a small contential breakfast then had to sit through a sales pitch and watch a movie. Then, come to find out, there is no model to tour yet. The preview center has no model, but offers you a virtual tour on computer. The animated graphics are nice, but show me the real thing please. When I asked to see a real model they told me that one of the units at the HGV at Seaworld was redecorated as a new model and we could drive over there to see it. Well, I just came from over there, why did they not just show it to me there? Instead they want you to take the sales tour I guess. This was a little frustrating, and we never did ask to see the model where we were staying, as they could have showed it to us in the first place. Since we are planning to buy another week in this area, this little stunt cost them a sale. We will probably buy at Vistana, or one of the Marriots.
My expectations for a unit with the Hilton name must have been set too high. I must admit to being a little disappointed here. The one-bedroom unit was roomy and nicely decorated but had some problems. There was veneer peeling from the cabinets in both the kitchen and the bathroom. The unit showed its age in the sagging chairs and sofa in the living area. The bathrooms had little bugs crawling all over the sink, but we called and they sent an exterminator right over. The unit we stayed in was on the sixth floor, and the parking was a long way away. We could not find a luggage cart and had to make several trips to unload.
There are good points too. The unit had a large screen TV in the living room and a good sized TV in the bedroom also. It had a stereo/boombox and VCR in the living area, and nice screened in balcony. The bed was firm. The overall appearance, except for the little bugs in the bath, was clean. The kitchen had what you needed to prepare meals, and the washer/dryer came in handy too.
Decorated in bright cheery colors, the unit had a feel of summer, tastefully done but not too gaudy. We liked the size of this one-bedroom except for the big Jacuzzi tub in the bedroom that just takes up way too much space. Give me a regular tub in the bathroom and more room and closet space in the bedroom.
Activities were not very good. Wednesday mornings water aerobics just did not happen. Monday and Fridays were good though. They charge for just about everything. A family could drop a few bucks if they had several children.
The fireworks at Seaworld were fun to watch from the pool area every evening.