Orlando advice please :)

hi all..

we are pretty new to HGVC, joined last year after our third visit to the Hilton In Portugal.

We are going to visit Orlando this November , and i want to see if any of you can make some recomendations to us. There is myself, my wife & our two young sons ( aged 8 & 3 ).. we will be booking for 11 nights, and are looking to spend 3 or 4 days going to disney, a couple of other days out to universal & sea world etc.. and then the rest of the time by the pool i guess.

we are being pulled towards parc soliel, just because its brand new & so looks the most attractive.. but i've read that its not as accessible as IDrive , and that also IDrive has shops and stuff within walking distance, so we are wandering if its worth taking a slight downturn in 'brand new sparkleness' to have a more convenient hotel ( if indeed IDrive is more convenient )

any advice would be REALLY welcome

thanks, great site too!

Cheers
keith

Just some ideas to make your points go further.....in general. For your requested time this may not be the best choice.

Depending on when in Nov you are planning on coming, you might find that you can do better in terms of how many points your stay requires, if perhaps you consider using RCI as your exchange choice. Although this is a better strategy during HGVC Platinum season.

If you are considering over US Thanksgiving, then booking Hilton directly would likely be better.

But if you want early Nov, booking though RCI will be a bit less points, only because RCI gives FL a red rating for the entire year, and HGVC rating is Gold and Silver during this time period. Sure you will pay an exchange fee, but the points required even to trade into any really nice resort, perhaps even Disney is bit less than booking the Hilton. You may even find some availability to trade back into Hilton are less than booking Hilton directly.

I-drive and Parc Soleil are Gold during November, yet Seaword is Silver. So it would make more sense to use RCI for HGVC during Platinum season for sure, and perhaps Gold season, but NOT for Silver. Then HGVC would be a better choice.

I did not check availability, but if available a 2 BR via HGVC Gold is 5K, and Red RCI is 4.8K only marginally better. It is better to use RCI during Platinum season as 2 BR HGVC is 7K and 2 BR RED RCI is still 4.8K plus exchange fee.

Since Orlando likely has the most timeshares in one location, using this method is a great approach for Orlando.

During Nov Seaworld will be the least amount of points.

Despite the risk of having a shopping mall so accessible to my wife, we're going to I-Drive this Spring. Its simply more convenient for shops and resaurants. Parc Soleil may look flashy, but its out in the middle of not-much-else. You'd need to have a car to go off-campus. Some prefer SeaWorld 'cuz its the most child-friendly, having many scheduled activities for kids. But as between all of them, I'd put I-Drive first.

Welcome to TUG and to HGVC. I own at both SeaWorld and International Drive. Both are excellent for children and adults in my opinion. Have a great time.

cheers

thanks for the advice everyone.. the RCI & sea world options have thrown a couple more spanners in the works ! haha.. i think we would stick between idrive & parc soleil

talent123, yeah i think you hit the nail on the head, but is Idrive a lot more 'worn out' as a resort ? also , are the shops & resturants within walking distance of Idrive.. like 5-10 mins walk from reception.. or would we still need to take some kind of transport to get to them ?

cheers

The shopping mall near I-Drive is a short walk, like just across the parking lot (on one side).

One the better sources of customer reviews of hotels and other places to stay is www.tripadvisor.com which reports that, among 350 or so places in Orlando, Parc Soleil is #8 and I-Drive is #31 in popularity.

For reviews and photos of I-Drive, see: http://tinyurl.com/8qdqk
For reviews and photos of Parc Soleil, see: http://tinyurl.com/yjfs895

I-drive

I stayed at I-Drive before and it is in great location - shops & restaurants are near by and close to get highway.
Parc S. is a little isolated from those, maybe it is not a good choice for kids. The units are new and fancy, but not fully established yet.
For pool, etc... I would go either Seaworld or I-drive.

I-drive would be a good choice for a family, and has the best location for shopping (including a grocery store within walking distance).

However, I personally think Seaworld has better pools, kids club activities, and slightly larger villas. The downside is that it is a bit older, but several of the units have now been refurbished. I also like all of the larger trees and the walking path around the lake at Seaworld (much more scenic than I-drive).

For a family vacation, it is really a toss-up between I-drive and Seaworld, IMO.

Kurt

keith, if you look thru the forums for a few of my posts on i-drive in the threads there is pretty much all the pro's and con's of the HGVC properties..
if you arent hiring a car then dont do soleil, its in a desert....
if you are hiring a car then question whether you need it, its pricey and staying at i-drive what you save on car feess you can burn in the mall , 50m away

We just got back from a week at Sea World. I would recommend Sea World or I Drive over Parc Soliel.

We visited all three, I think with kids Sea World is first & I Drive is second and as noted by others Parc is not close to anything & they are starting the construction on the next building so you might have some noise & dust when at the pool.

There is more for kids to do at Sea World & I Drive, they have an activity center with lots for the kids to do while Mom & Dad lounge at the pool.

If you want to shop at a mall then I Drive is better.


JM

I stayed at both I Drive and Sea World in November. My favorite was the layout of I-Drive. Having the lake was very nice to gaze at from the balcony. At Sea World, you walked through the parking lot to get to the pools/lobby area. I much preferred the scenic I-Drive walking path around a beautiful lake and over the bridge to the pool/lobby area.

There is an Outback Steakhouse across the street, a Publix Market by the Outback, and then - yes there is a Outlet Mall shopping area right next door. Great location!

all done

thanks for all the advice everyone. we had kinda made up our mind to stay at parc soleil.. as it was all new & had good reviews. but after listening to what you all had to say about the other resorts.. we have now decided to split our 11 night stay

i have just booked our first 5 nights @ Idrive, so we can spend a few days with walking distance facilities, disney, more for the kids etc.. then the last 6 nights we will book into Parc soliel, as i think we will be ready for a bit more lounging round the pool & soaking up the luxury by then!!

thanks again everyone.

That sounds like a great plan! Have fun...

keithinnate said:

thanks for all the advice everyone. we had kinda made up our mind to stay at parc soleil.. as it was all new & had good reviews. but after listening to what you all had to say about the other resorts.. we have now decided to split our 11 night stay

i have just booked our first 5 nights @ Idrive, so we can spend a few days with walking distance facilities, disney, more for the kids etc.. then the last 6 nights we will book into Parc soliel, as i think we will be ready for a bit more lounging round the pool & soaking up the luxury by then!!

thanks again everyone.

Click to expand...

I own at SeaWorld and have stayed at IDrive (Tuscany) and Parc Soliel. I think each has its' advantages and I hear differing opinions from others. SeaWorld is dated but has the best kids programs I hear - we have never actually stayed there.

Parc Soliel as newer and is a high rise. One huge advantage there is the water slide for your kids. It is more "modern" - the bathroom has a sitting tub that pours from the ceiling (instead of a hot tub). My wife and I travel mostly without family (but sometimes with) and one of our favorite places on earth is Tuscany. The layout is all around the lake, and most buildings are not as tall, Publix across the street with and Outback, and we just love the Italian theme and the area.

Looking forward to hearing your experience. I think the split was a great choice. My guess is that you and your wife will prefer Tuscany but the kids may prefer Parc Soliel.