# Smuggs for July



## disneydor (May 23, 2009)

Is smugglers notch really as fun as they make it seem to be?  We have 3 children that are 4,8 and 10.  We got a flyer with a preview package and are thinking about trying it this year.

Thanks!!


----------



## charford (May 23, 2009)

I've vacationed many, many places with kids - Disney, cruises, Hawaii, New England. Smugglers has the most going on of any place I've been to, ever. We've been going for over 10 years and haven't run out of things to do. Your kids are the perfect ages for Smugglers.


----------



## IreneLF (May 23, 2009)

Mine got hooked at ages 3 &5. They loved camp, both the activities and making new friends. They have had the same ones each summer now  since 2000; we go for 2 weeks every year. 
This year they are 16 & 18 and refuse to give it up  - even for Hawaii when we gave them an either/or choice, and that is saying something.

If it's what you want to do too, I'd say give it a try. I saw the rates and the special pricing looked pretty good  to me. 
Camp runs 7 days a week from 10-4 and would be included in the price. This leaves the adults free to do whatever during the day and still have plenty of family time in evening.


----------



## disneydor (May 25, 2009)

Thanks!  It was $1700 for the week for a 2bdrm.  I thought that was excellent since it included all the camps.  The only thing I have to go to the timeshare presentation and will probably want to buy.


----------



## IreneLF (May 25, 2009)

Be strong    and remember one word if you are really interested ::: resale. 
They have them.  If you go to see some and are really interested you can always tell  them that you want to think it over; they are not hard sell.


----------



## disneydor (May 26, 2009)

I will.  I learned my lesson.  So thankful for these boards and all the great advice everyone shares.


----------



## sjuhawk_jd (May 26, 2009)

disneydor said:


> Thanks!  It was $1700 for the week for a 2bdrm.  I thought that was excellent since it included all the camps.  The only thing I have to go to the timeshare presentation and will probably want to buy.



This is great price and your kids will love Smuggs. The only negative reviews of Smuggs are from people who pay full price directly with Smuggs and then keep on paying to do other activities that are not included (Pottery classes,etc.) and get tired of paying, paying, paying. We go to this place every summer and love it!


----------



## carolv225 (Jul 1, 2009)

We just returned from our promotional week and WE LOVED IT!!!!  We were not impressed with the new units that they were promoting (too isolated) and ended up purchasing a resale.  We got a great price on a great unit in the village and we will be back there week 27 and plan on watching the firewooks from our balcony...


----------



## Holly (Jul 1, 2009)

Where's the best place to purchase a resale?


----------



## elaine (Jul 1, 2009)

*we stayed 2 weeks ago--great!*

We were in Evergreen--older, outdated building, but great locationin the Village.  We had 4 kids 8-12 yrs old--all LOVED it.  8 year old son said he wanted to move into the condo and live there. Even with a few days of rain, the kids had a super vacation. If it was 5 hours away instead of 12 (DC), we would buy and go every year. HAve fun!  Elaine


----------



## stugy (Jul 1, 2009)

Hi Elaine
Glad you folks had a great time.  Thanks goodness we did not go.  Live outside Pgh and we got flooded pretty bad that Wed night.  Would have come home to a disaster. We lost carpet, furniture and odds and ends.   As it was, we had to change our Pres Resort reservations for the following Sunday.  Hope to do Smuggs someday soon.  Got Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge for next April so the grandkids are excited about that.  
Pat


----------



## ctreelmom (Jul 3, 2009)

carolv225 said:


> We just returned from our promotional week and WE LOVED IT!!!!  We were not impressed with the new units that they were promoting (too isolated) and ended up purchasing a resale.  We got a great price on a great unit in the village and we will be back there week 27 and plan on watching the firewooks from our balcony...



Welcome to the Smuggs family!!  What unit did you buy?


----------



## 3kids4me (Jul 4, 2009)

I so can't wait to be up there next month.  Congrats on your purchase!  We also bought a resale nine years ago and we actually rent an additional week every year so we can stay for two weeks.  You will have many wonderful years there.


----------



## whwaldo (Jul 6, 2009)

*just back from Smuggs*

Had a very rainy and muddy week at Smuggs.  Unit we were in was old and mediocre (that's what we get for taking the promo), though the new units they were pitching were quite nice (with a great members only rec/pool facility) but far away from the village center.  

Despite the rain, our kids really loved the camp programs, and the July 4th festivities were fun even if soggy.  With no indoor pool, no indoor tennis, nor much of anything indoors, we parents were not as happy as the kids for much of the week.  had the weather been better, we would have had a much better time. 

Sales pitch was beyond low pressure - the rep gave us the spiel and the pricing but never actually asked us to buy anything.


----------



## ctreelmom (Jul 7, 2009)

whwaldo said:


> Had a very rainy and muddy week at Smuggs.  Unit we were in was old and mediocre (that's what we get for taking the promo), though the new units they were pitching were quite nice (with a great members only rec/pool facility) but far away from the village center.
> 
> had the weather been better, we would have had a much better time.
> 
> Sales pitch was beyond low pressure - the rep gave us the spiel and the pricing but never actually asked us to buy anything.



FYI, if you go to Smuggs on a promotional deal, you will probably be housed in a full-ownership condo, NOT a timeshare unit.  The decor and maintenance on these units is left up to the individual owners. Too late to help you, but if anyone else reading here is going up on that program this year, don't be afraid to request a 4-star unit--Smuggs rates the full-owned units placed in the rental program, and there are big differences.  My kids LOVED the condo we stayed in the first year and still comment on how "cool" it was every time we drive by it on our way up to our TS unit.  It was kind of charming, and was a town house, so had 3 levels.

Yes, weather can make a huge difference.  We had two weeks of rain last year, and as much as I love Smuggs I was about to lose my mind, lol.  

Smuggs salespeople are notoriously low-pressure, I guess because they can be.  They basically say, "this is what we offer, this is what it costs, call me if you're interested, now go enjoy your vacation."  I'm curious, did you ask about resales?


----------



## Stricky (Jul 7, 2009)

We had a great trip the end of June. It was our first time up as owners. The unit (Willows) was much nicer then the ones we have stayed in before. We ate out too much which costs way too much. Next year we are BBQ'n every night if I have any say in it.


----------



## whwaldo (Jul 7, 2009)

I think we were in a full-ownership unit, though some of th units on my floor had a sign which said "Club Nordland" which I presume meant were timeshare units.  Despite the decor and wear and tear, my kids liked unit and we liked the master bedroom loft area upstairs.

I did ask about resales (esp. since I bought my newly refurbed Vistana Lakes unit for under $1000).  The response was that if you buy elsewhere you had to buy the activities package at $2500 per person (thought I read on TUG that it was $1000 per person).  Sales rep said that they had resales as well, and would look for one for us, but she never got back to me with anything.



ctreelmom said:


> FYI, if you go to Smuggs on a promotional deal, you will probably be housed in a full-ownership condo, NOT a timeshare unit.  The decor and maintenance on these units is left up to the individual owners. Too late to help you, but if anyone else reading here is going up on that program this year, don't be afraid to request a 4-star unit--Smuggs rates the full-owned units placed in the rental program, and there are big differences.  My kids LOVED the condo we stayed in the first year and still comment on how "cool" it was every time we drive by it on our way up to our TS unit.  It was kind of charming, and was a town house, so had 3 levels.
> 
> Yes, weather can make a huge difference.  We had two weeks of rain last year, and as much as I love Smuggs I was about to lose my mind, lol.
> 
> Smuggs salespeople are notoriously low-pressure, I guess because they can be.  They basically say, "this is what we offer, this is what it costs, call me if you're interested, now go enjoy your vacation."  I'm curious, did you ask about resales?


----------



## carolv225 (Jul 9, 2009)

We stayed in a full ownership unit for our promotion - the decor was not our style, but it was very spacious and everything was clean and up to date.  (I asked for an upgrade when I placed the reservation and was told that those units were not available at the promotional rate).  We ended up buying an Oaks unit - I like being close to everything.  

The memberships for resales are $1,000 pp if you purchase through Smuggs - you can purchase whatever quanityt that you need and add at any time for a pro-rated amount.  (The memberships are $2,500 if you purchase the unit elsewhere).


----------



## charford (Jul 10, 2009)

> Sales rep said that they had resales as well, and would look for one for us, but she never got back to me with anything.



 For Pete's sake, they have scads of resales on their resale list. There's low pressure and then there's asleep at the switch. If you'd like the name and contact info of a Smuggs agent who will actually follow through, shoot me a PM.


----------



## Stricky (Aug 5, 2009)

Disneydor did you end up going?


----------



## shifty1981 (May 22, 2010)

Can someone explain to me this resale market with smuggs? Are you saying that if you buy somewhere other than smuggs you have to $1000 per person (one time fee?) to have access to everything besides local unit amenities? That's then $3000 (me, DW, DC) plus cost of rental. Do they have resales cheaper than this? We're thinking of buying here some time in the future, but renting first. want to know the truth before we rent.


----------

