Westgate Tower in Kissimmee-reviews on staying at timeshare

[6laurac]

Has anyone done the Time Share thing to save money by staying Westgate Tower? Was it a nice hotel in so far as the room/amenities?

We are trying to save money to fly to Disney next year. We have a very active two year old who will be almost three when we go. So we're saving money on tickets for one year at least.....

Thanks for your opinions.

 

[tropicalsmile]

We've stayed at Westgate several times (pretty much every year since 2005). We've stayed at the Leisure and the Palace and both were very nice resorts. I've never stayed at the Tower, but I'm assuming they are similar to the ones we've stayed at. We really love that it's a condo, not just a room. The full kitchen really came in handy and saved us money by not eating out. The room has a refrigerator, dishwasher, cups, dishes, and silverwear.We've done the time share thing everytime we've stayed there and we can get the week for really cheap. Every room has the standard blow dryer, iron, shampoo/soap, etc. but if you run out or need more you may have to request them because the maid doesn't come everyday. When we stay the maid usually only comes once during the middle of our stay. The rooms also have a washer and dryer so you don't have to pay for that or take your clothes to the laundromat. The only bad thing is the tour you have to do, which takes a couple of hours. If you want the whole Disney experience, you won't get it there. I guess this is a given- if you aren't driving you'll have to depend on the public transportation to get to the Disney resort before you can use Disney's transportation system. Overall, I would definitely recommend it there. It's a nice place to stay and they seem to be very close to all the attractions in the area.

 

[6laurac]

We've stayed at Westgate several times (pretty much every year since 2005). We've stayed at the Leisure and the Palace and both were very nice resorts. I've never stayed at the Tower, but I'm assuming they are similar to the ones we've stayed at. We really love that it's a condo, not just a room. The full kitchen really came in handy and saved us money by not eating out. The room has a refrigerator, dishwasher, cups, dishes, and silverwear.We've done the time share thing everytime we've stayed there and we can get the week for really cheap. Every room has the standard blow dryer, iron, shampoo/soap, etc. but if you run out or need more you may have to request them because the maid doesn't come everyday. When we stay the maid usually only comes once during the middle of our stay. The rooms also have a washer and dryer so you don't have to pay for that or take your clothes to the laundromat. The only bad thing is the tour you have to do, which takes a couple of hours. If you want the whole Disney experience, you won't get it there. I guess this is a given- if you aren't driving you'll have to depend on the public transportation to get to the Disney resort before you can use Disney's transportation system. Overall, I would definitely recommend it there. It's a nice place to stay and they seem to be very close to all the attractions in the area.

Thank you for taking the time to make me feel better about doing the "dirty timeshare thing". We are probably staying at Westgate Tower for something like $78 a night and it's a two bedroom two bathroom suite. I would like to stay on site but I'm not sure my 2 year old would nap well in one big room. Plus, having a washer and dryer and the second bath makes up for the supposed 90 minute tour. I figure if it's to far over the 90 minute mark,Samantha will be fussy along with us and they will let us go! Thanks again

 

[micknminnie]

We are thinking of staying off property for our next trip in an effort to save costs. We are now going to be a family of six so there aren't many cheap options for us at a Disney resort. Anyway, how do you book the trip with the time share price? I checked out Westgate's website but didn't see anything about it. Thanks.

 

[6laurac]

We are thinking of staying off property for our next trip in an effort to save costs. We are now going to be a family of six so there aren't many cheap options for us at a Disney resort. Anyway, how do you book the trip with the time share price? I checked out Westgate's website but didn't see anything about it. Thanks.

Hold off on staying there unless you are really really sure about your dates as they will give you a terrible time if you have to cancel. Stay at Buean Vista Suite instead....MouseSavers.com rates them very high and they have suites with two bedrooms like WestGate offers. http://www.mousesavers.com/buena-vista-suites/

 

[Disneyluvr102]

we do the time share all thetime when we go to disney. i personally prefer the Westgate vacation villa's myself, the place is really nice, 1 mile drive from disney, complimentary shuttle to/from disney if you dont want to drive, no tour, multiple kids activity's(complimentary) mini golf courses, paddle and swan boats, catch/release fishing. we got our stay for 165$ for the whole week.

 

[goodanu]

We stayed here last year on a non Disney trip. Sea World, Discovery Cove and Universal. Please,please do your homework before staying here. Here are my pointers and you can take it for what it's worth.
1. Long check in, they will take you from station to station, trying to ultimately force you into their sales tour. Refuse, refuse and refuse again. These people are high pressure sales at its best. Get your room key and never look back.
2. Our unit was a one bedroom suite. Small kitchen and living area. Was it clean? Sort of. Hairs on the blankets grossed us out. Bought our own at target. We only saw one roach. Yup one is enough for me. Spooked us for the whole week. The unit was very dated. We got by.
3. The pools were nowhere close to Disney standard. Crowded with wreck less kids everywhere. Not clean and we even saw broken glass in the entry way. Never swam once here. The amenities here were a joke and waste of time.
4. The only good thing I can say about this place was its location. We were literally five minutes from many of the chain type restaurants like olive garden, Carrabbas, and such. Target and groceries were convenient too.
We were also very close to WDW. A couple back roads and you enter near the Animal Kingdom lodge. We spent most of our down time at the resorts and had a blast.
I'm not telling you not to stay here but just to please research this place and the Westgate brand. They will harass and pressure till no end. Don't answer your phone and don't agree to the tour. Do your research and read the reviews on websites like tripadvisor.
BTW on this trip we ended up doing the DVC tour and ended up buying a small SSR contract. Best thing we ever did. We did our first trip at BLT this summer. Never offsite again.

 

[ejsanta13]

We only stay off-site at time share's, as we own a TS in Maine and use it to exchange through Interval Int'l. Have stayed @ the Westgate Vacation Villa's (July 2010) and was pleased with the resort. Agree with other posters that it is def not as well run as Dis hotels, and def no "theme", but you get separate bedrooms, typically a full kitchen and a washer/dryer - all which are key on our vacations. Don't think we could do a "hotel" room with our 2 young kids without all of us going crazy. That being said, our fav TS in the Disney area is the Sheraton Vistana. They just did a remodel a few years ago. Property is nice and the rooms are clean and spacious. Stayed there in Jan, and staying again in Dec. Will stay there in the future if have the chance too. there are other TS's that I would possibly try if I was going in the warmer months due to themed pool area's, but overall the Vistana is our fav.

 

[6laurac]

Thanks to everyone for your reviews. It looks as though (unless I win the lottery) I will be staying at my-paid- for-non-refundable week long room(s) at West Gate in May. As long as it's neat and clean and decent I won't complain.
I'm hoping the tour is short and the trip feels long.

 

[Disney05]

Stayed at an All Star vacation condo In Reunion this past Aug. I would highly recommend it.