Buyers remorse

Kill me. Please.

Long story short, I got suckered into a timeshare offer. This is so NOT like me to fall for this, but I received the call one day last week while I was at work ironically at the same time I was on trip advisor researching vacation spots.

I was offered 4 nights at one of their Orlando resorts for a fairly decent price. Stoooooopid me gave my credit card info and made the non refundable purchase.

So now I have 3 nights in Orlando I need to use by next Fall.

Know this about me.

I hate excessive heat
I despise crowds
I'm not the biggest fan of Disney.

BUT, I have these three nights that I need to use.

I narrowed down dates, crushed airfare numbers and the only option that would work for our family is to go the very last week of August when the crowds are somewhat lowER than the norm. But still a sauna over there.

My plan is to fly down - stay at their resort for the three nights, sit through there timeshare presentation, and then head off to Universal to stay for an additional 3 nights.

My question is this...

What am I getting myself into by going down to Orlando the last week of August? Are the crowd calendars accurately reflecting low crowds?

Has anyone stayed at Lowes Royal Pacific Resort at Universal?

Buyers remorse

I have been down there in August and are going again this August. Yes, of course, it is hot. But honestly - I didn't think it was unbearable. And I was at Disney with two very young kids. You just have to plan your days with pool time and breaks. I haven't done Universal (just Disney) but yes the crowds are much lower at that time.

Re: Buyers remorse

I lived in FL for 4 yrs, I detest the heat and in IMO.......... it's unbearable in August. But yes, crowds will be lower as schools down south have gone back.

Re: Buyers remorse

I was there the last 2 weeks in August of this year. It was HOT. You walk out of the hotel room and are instantly dripping. But, crowds are a little lower because many states will be back in school by then.

ETA: We stayed on Disney property but DH & I took a day trip to Universal and Islands of Adventure. We left our 2 y/o DD with my in-laws at the resort pool because there wouldn't be much for her to do there and we wouldn't get to enjoy the rides. We got there at park opening and stayed until around 6 pm. We were able to do everything we wanted at both parks (most more than one time), including both Harry Potter worlds (DH is a big HP fan--me, not so much). The longest we waited on line for any ride was around 20 minutes, but we did split up and do single rider lanes a few times, otherwise the wait would have been 45+ minutes. We didn't care because you don't talk during the ride anyway. I downloaded the Universal app and it gives you wait times for all of the rides in real time which was helpful.

I have more fun at Universal/IoA than Disney parks because there are more/better thrill rides, but obviously Disney is better for super young kids.

Message edited 12/28/2016 11:14:32 PM.

Buyers remorse

we went to Disney the last week of august, 2 years in a row. its HOT... but the lower crowds make up for that for us. theres so much stuff to do inside- most of the lines are inside, or shaded. and theres a lot of longer things you can do to get a little break- like some of the shows (Philharmagic, tough to be a bug, lion king, Nemo...) a lot of times, we'll book a sit-down lunch to give us a nice break from the heat mid-day. and instead of one of the Disney parks, you could do one of their water parks... we usually take a day for one of those, and its a nice "cool down" day LOL

Re: Buyers remorse

We went in August twice, once with kids and once without. It is HOT and my poor husband sweats a lot. I agree that the smaller crowds makes it more enticing. We also went during February/Presidents Week break and it was much more crowded at that time. If we go again we would probably do August again because of the cheaper flights and it less crowded.

Buyers remorse

We go last week in August/first week in September. We get to the parks early, leave for lunch/nap/swim, and return for dinner. Crowds are lower than other times of the year, and totally doable.

Re: Buyers remorse

Re: Buyers remorse

Crowds will be manageable.
It will be hot but there are ways to cope with that.
Go to the parks EARLY. Schedule some air conditioned activities in the afternoon if you cannot/will not go back to your resort for pool time. Plan for the shows, or a meal. Do some shopping in the AC. Hit the rides and parks again in the evening.

All of the quick service dining locations will give you unlimited cups of ice water or ice when you ask for it. There are splash areas for the kids (and you) to cool off in at the parks.

The water parks in Orlando are great as well.

Lowes Royal Pacific at Universal is fabulous and gives you access to the Unlimited Express pass.

Re: Buyers remorse

I once bought a $99 condo timeshare deal at the mall for Massanutten. It is a ski/waterpark area in VA. I had buyers remorse and tried to get my money back. It really bugged me and then DH just threw out the paperwork because it wasn't worth the hassle.

I personally would not want to go to Orlando in August. I would rather go in the fall or winter and just lose the 3 nights you bought. JMO.

Message edited 1/2/2017 8:03:08 PM.