Vacation Village at Parkway Timeshare

Definitely Pretty Good, depending on what you were expecting.

This is a massive, spawning 7 – 12 story timeshare complex, with extremely generously sized and well appointed apartments and well-kept but modest amenities, convenient to the Disney parks, and a vast array of nearby pedestrian-unfriendly dining and shopping venues. We were there during cooler weather in late February, with fairly low occupancy. This meant that the beautifully maintained outdoor areas were largely empty, and parking was plentiful. There is a large parking garage at one corner of the property, that I assume fills up when approaching full capacity, that would be particularly inconvenient for many of the buildings. And while the literature is proud to mention the large number of pools and such, the ration of pool area to guest is actually pretty meager. The large buildings tend to face each other, so, unless you’re looking to keep an eye on the kids, you’ll want to make sure your room faces outward. Kitchens are more than adequate ( we had a full kitchen with washer-dryer in a closet, the partial kitchen “B” units don’t have a stove) The minimum bus service to the Disney parks actually worked ok for us the one day that we used it, but I cannot image that it is nearly adequate when facility is more heavily occupied. The one trip to and from Universal per day, a considerable trip, is unusable, unless you are an early riser and a patient about returning. So except for the first day (to Disney Studios late morning, return from Epcot in the evening) we just drove. The extra $25/$26 to park each day was well worth the convenience. Note that Disney on-property hotels also charge for daily parking. Vacation Village, as with its neighbors, do not charge for parking. We encounter only one issue while we there, with the safe; it was remedied within an hour. The only general thing I could do without is the now-commonplace 4000k cool/bright-white light bulbs that make people look grey, food look less appetizing, and everything look less cosy; a provision that is being pushed by the light bulb industry, especially by dumping vast numbers of unsold cool-white compact fluorescents. 4000k bulbs belong in operating rooms, dentists offices, car repair shops and the like. Even parking lots benefit from warmer lighting than that.

This being an active time share facility, there is another, but expected, twist: upon checking in, you’ll pick up your parking pass (for your dash) at another desk, where you will be offered a free breakfast and somewhere in the vicinity of $80 to $100 dollars for attending a presentation. These are among the highest pressure, most convoluted multi-stage immersive theatrical performances that we have encountered in the industry. We are old pros with these, and it still wasted 5 hours; but I guess that earned us breakfast and each $10 an hour more than we usually get paid on vacation.

We would not hesitate to stay at this facility again, knowing what it is and isn’t, though we would much prefer a lower density campus with more adjacent parking and better transportation options. Truth is, you could do a lot worse than this place for a lot more money.

Staying here was an AWFUL experience and I’m a Vacation Village owner! The room looks nothing like the pictures. It was filthy and reeked. Cigarette smell flooded our room any time anyone remotely close to our room smoked on their balcony. Our AC went out on night 3, they sent someone to look at it at 1am just to be told there was nothing he could do and the resort was full so they couldnt move us to another room.
When we first arrived we checked in and were sent to get our parking pass/get the time share bait. Since we were already owners, we were told we get a free breakfast and if we chose to walk through their new model then we would get $80. We were told that since we already owned there, we would just fill out a feedback form and be done. WRONG. We got trapped for 4 hours (waste half a day at Disney for 4 which is worth way more than $80). The people were so disrespectful when we told them we were never going to upgrade because of the disgusting room we were placed in. Anyway, I dont need to elaborate on the unprofessional and low class behavior of the Vacation Village sales people since their F rating on BBB, terrible reviews everywhere and the spot on stereotypes speak for themselves but it really compounded an already miserable stay. Do yourself a favor, try ANY other resort before this one. I am so embarrassed to own with Vacation Village. I wish there was a way to post pictures of this pitiful place.

We stayed at vacation village at the parkway and really enjoyed our time there. The staff was extremely friendly. The rooms very clean. the location is within walking distance to grocery shopping and several restaurants. 7 pools to choose from. Free shuttle to the pools if walking is an issue. Free shuttle to resorts. Highly recommended

As grandparents of 6, we are always aware of where to go with our Grands. We love the large pools, beautiful grounds, fun activities, and close proximity to Disney World and Old Town Kissimmee. Vacation Village at Parkway is our favorite place to stay for so many reasons, including pristine clean pools, grounds, and suites as well as wonderfully helpful and efficient staff.

Spacious, quiet and clean units. Lots of activities for all ages on site. Ten to 15 minutes to all Disney theme parks with lots of shopping nearby. Staff was friendly and accommodating. The village is constructing new units.