# Cypress Pointe Grand Villas



## RandRseeker (Apr 24, 2007)

Less than two weeks until we head to Florida.     (So excited)  We are staying at CPGV and I'm thinking it would be a good idea to call and confirm our reservation.  WE have a two bedroom booked.  If I were to ask for a pool view when I call, would they confirm that as well?  Or do they only assign the condos at check in?  Also are cots available?  We have two adults and four teens - not sure how the pull out couch will work for that.
Any other resort advice??
One other thing - we'd like to do an airboat ride - any suggestions where we should do that?

Thanks


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## AwayWeGo (Apr 25, 2007)

*I Am A Fountain Of Ignorance.*

Shucks, as a know-it-all Grandevillas owner, I'd expect to be able to answer all your questions authoritatively & thereby appear intelligent & smart.  Unfortunately on the particular things you asked about, it turns out I have to show my true colors as a general doofus.  Plus, I don't know where people go to ride airboats -- somewhere down in the Everglades, I suppose.  So it goes. 

It never hurts to call up & make sure your reservation is in order, regardless of whether you exchanged via I-I or RCI, booked your own time through VRI, or made some other form of reservation (e.g., independent rental).  

Every time we've asked ahead about getting a particular Grandevillas building or floor or view, we're told those things cannot be assured in advance but only accommodated, if possible, once we're actually there checking in.  Apparently the reservation system has its hands full just saving the week & the unit-size we want, & everything else is left to fall in place at the time. 

Fortunately, all the Grandevillas 2BR condos are nice, & even the 1s without pool views look out onto the landscaped parking areas & surrounding properties.  We prefer pool-view units & always ask for those & so far have always got'm.  Last month, when our son & daughter-in-law & grandson were there for their spring break week at the Grandevillas, they got a 2BR unit with a pleasant & attractive outside view, which they said was 100% satisfactory.  I don't doubt it 1 bit. 

Your main issue will be bed assignments for your 4 teens.  Mom & dad get the king bed in the master suite, period & case closed.  For the kids, there are 2 twin beds in the 2nd bedroom plus 1 sleep-sofa in the living room -- 3 beds & 4 kids.  If a cot is not available at the resort (& I kind of doubt that 1 will be), either 2 of the kids double up on the sleep-sofa or you drive on down to Wal*Mart (just a short distance south on Rt. 535) & spring for a blow-up air-bed & extra pillow to use while you're in town.  Then the kids can work it out among themselves about who sleeps where & whether they will go for some sort of bed-rotational assignment scheme & if so who will wash the sheets in between (using the in-suite washer-dryer), etc.  (If you spring for that air-bed, maybe the resort can fix you up with an extra set of sheets from the linen supply closet.)

I'm sure you'll have a great time at the Grandevillas.  I wish we were going ourselves. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## RandRseeker (Apr 25, 2007)

*Cypress Point GV*

AwayWeGo - you're too hard on yourself!!  I sure appreciate all the info you provided.  I'm going to call the resort to confirm and make my request for a pool view - can't hurt.  The blow up bed is a great idea.  I don't think the teens are going to be too thrilled to share the sofa, but hey, we're going to be in Florida where its nice and warm, so who cares.  
Thanks again


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## Chanook729 (Apr 25, 2007)

*Sitting in a 3 bedroom as we speak*

I am sitting in a three bedroom at CPGV as we speak!  The two bedroom is just as Alan had described it.  The blow up bed is a great idea!  If you have ant specific questions about the resort, let me know and I will try to answer them.

-John


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## CharlesS (Apr 26, 2007)

AwayWeGo said:


> Shucks, as a know-it-all Grandevillas owner, I'd expect to be able to answer all your questions authoritatively & thereby appear intelligent & smart.  Unfortunately on the particular things you asked about, it turns out I have to show my true colors as a general doofus.  Plus, I don't know where people go to ride airboats -- somewhere down in the Everglades, I suppose.  So it goes.
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​



I thought I would pull an "Alan" and googled "airboat Orlando" and got
"Results 1 - 10 of about 155,000 for airboat Orlando. (0.13 seconds)".  No way am I digging through that.  Perhaps you should look at some of those hits and then start a new thread with airboats somewhere in the title.  There may be airboat experts out there who know which tour is best but they aren't looking at Cypress Pointe threads.

Charles


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## Texas Traveler (Apr 26, 2007)

Rand-no worries, there are all kinds of airboat brochures you can find when you get there.  There are several companies that offer this within a relatively short distance.

My two boys don't like sleeping together in the second bedroom.  One of them will take the bed and one will make out the couch (or not).  I agree, the air mattress sounds like a good idea, but you might want to swing by the resort first to let the kids see the rooms and decide who's gonna sleep where.  The air mattress will have to go in the living room, that second bedroom tends to shrink once the bed pulls out and the bodies get in there  

If you're looking for other activities in the area, I would suggest a drive out to Cocoa Beach to go kayaking.


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## AwayWeGo (Apr 26, 2007)

*No Trundle Bed At The Grandevillas.*




Texas Traveler said:


> The air mattress will have to go in the living room, that second bedroom tends to shrink once the bed pulls out and the bodies get in there.


In the Grandevillas, the twin beds in that 2nd bedroom don't pull out -- they just sit there side by side... 




Still, there's hardly any extra space in the Grandevillas small bedroom, so taking the airbed out to the living room still makes good sense. 

It's over at Cypress Pointe Resort At Lake Buena Vista (Phase One) where the 2nd bedroom is equipped with 1 single bed plus a trundle bed that stays under the single bed till rolled out & popped up for use.  When we were there in October 2006 on our "surprise" vacation, The Chief Of Staff & I made do with the small bedroom because we installed our guests (a couple we've known since before any of us had kids) in the luxurious master suite, king bed & all.  We reconfigured the single bed plus trundle in the little bedroom, turning them around sideways & placing them right smack together side by side in the form of a fake king bed, which The Chief Of Staff made up using her own linens that she brought from home.  

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Texas Traveler (Apr 26, 2007)

Thanks Alan for the correction.  You'd think I could keep them straight as we've been there twice.


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## CharlesS (Apr 27, 2007)

AwayWeGo said:


> We reconfigured the single bed plus trundle in the little bedroom, turning them around sideways & placing them right smack together side by side in the form of a fake king bed, which The Chief Of Staff made up using her own linens that she brought from home.


Sounds like a great idea.  I assume you used king size sheets.  Has anyone else tried this here or at other resorts?  Good or bad luck?

Charles


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## CharlesS (Apr 27, 2007)

*Best Airboat?*



Texas Traveler said:


> Rand-no worries, there are all kinds of airboat brochures you can find when you get there.  There are several companies that offer this within a relatively short distance.


RandR probably can't tell from the brochures which company gives the best tour.  Is there any real experience we can give them?

Charles


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## RandRseeker (Apr 27, 2007)

*Best Airboat*

Hi All,
Thanks for the great advice.  I think I'll repost the airboat query seperately - maybe get some more great advice


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## AwayWeGo (Apr 27, 2007)

*z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z*




CharlesS said:


> I assume you used king size sheets.


For sure -- plus fitted king mattress cover with stretchy corners.  Not the same as a real king bed, but OK. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## RandRseeker (May 1, 2007)

*Wireless Internet?*

OK CPGV experts....do you happen to know if there is wireless internet available in the rooms?  I'd like to bring my laptop, but it would be pointless without internet availability.
Thanks again
Four days till we leave :whoopie:


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## Spence (May 1, 2007)

RandRseeker said:


> OK CPGV experts....do you happen to know if there is wireless internet available in the rooms?  I'd like to bring my laptop, but it would be pointless without internet availability.
> Thanks again  Four days till we leave


You could always break down and call the resort 407.238.2300 or check this Sunterra forum.  (p.s. the answer is yes, for a fee in your room, and probably in the lobby for free.)


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## timeos2 (May 2, 2007)

*Wired only at CPGV*



RandRseeker said:


> OK CPGV experts....do you happen to know if there is wireless internet available in the rooms?  I'd like to bring my laptop, but it would be pointless without internet availability.
> Thanks again
> Four days till we leave :whoopie:



At Grande Villas (Phase 2) the Internet service is wired in the units.  At Cypress Pointe Resort and on the grounds around the Clubhouse and all of Phase 1 there is WiFi service. There is a charge for either service - $4.95/day or $19.95/week.  Signing up for the wired or wireless doesn't get you access to the other.


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## mdmbdumont (Feb 9, 2008)

*2/8/08 I was told $4.95 a day*

There was no mention of a weekly rate.  I was told by the main switchboard that it is $4.95 a day.


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## timeos2 (Feb 9, 2008)

mdmbdumont said:


> There was no mention of a weekly rate.  I was told by the main switchboard that it is $4.95 a day.



At CPR the rate is available when you sign up on line.  For CPGV I believe they add the charge to your bill. Ask them for the weekly rate.


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## AwayWeGo (Feb 9, 2008)

*Pretty Sure You Can Also Get It By The Week.*




mdmbdumont said:


> There was no mention of a weekly rate.  I was told by the main switchboard that it is $4.95 a day.


We never take computers with us on vacation -- that's part of what makes it a vacation -- but our son & daughter-in-law (co-owners with us at Cypress Pointe Grande Villas) always take theirs along. 

Last time they were at The Grandevillas, the little Internet gizmo that plugs into the wall was not working right in their unit, but they picked up enough wi-fi spilling over from Cypress Pointe Phase One to be able to compute regardless. 

Pretty sure Phase One offers wi-fi by the week & by the day.  Ditto for hard-wired Internet service at The Grandevillas. 

However that may be, the wave of the future plainly is wi-fi throughout at no extra charge -- not that the service is free, just as cable TV is not free.  The thing is, Internet service in the early days may have been regarded as a specialized option just for freaks & geeks.  Increasingly, however, it is becoming the same kind of standard-equipment necessity as cable television has become, particularly at mid-scale & upscale vacation resorts.  Timeshare owners & renters & exchange guests don't expect to pay extra for cable (or satellite) TV.  The time is coming soon (if it's not here already) when owners & renters & exchange guests likewise won't expect to pay extra for wi-fi. 

They'll still pay for it, all right.  It'll just be 1 more line-item in the budget from which timeshare owners' mandatory annual fees are derived.  So it goes. 

Meanwhile, the timeshare HOA-BODs can only hope that vigorous competition among the Internet service providers -- phone companies, cable companies, independent operators -- will bring about increasingly better service along with lower & lower subscription costs. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## pedro47 (Feb 9, 2008)

What the status of the new recreation / picnic area and will it be completed by April 7, 2008?


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## timeos2 (Feb 9, 2008)

pedro47 said:


> What the status of the new recreation / picnic area and will it be completed by April 7, 2008?



The area has been cleared and the permit issued!  Construction on everything except the Gazebo (needs an additional permitting process) and the gas grills (ditto) is scheduled to start on Monday February 11.  As soon as we have any updated pictures they will be posted on the web site. 

April 7? Maybe with some luck...


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## Blues (Feb 9, 2008)

AwayWeGo said:


> The time is coming soon (if it's not here already) when owners & renters & exchange guests likewise won't expect to pay extra for wi-fi.
> 
> They'll still pay for it, all right.  It'll just be 1 more line-item in the budget from which timeshare owners' mandatory annual fees are derived.  So it goes.



I wouldn't mind paying for it, as long as it were something like the true cost, not a hyper-inflated amount just to bring in a profit.

Most residential DSL lines run about $30 a month, which is $1 a day.  That sounds about right.


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## pedro47 (Feb 10, 2008)

To Timeos2, thanks for the update.   Good Luck to you and your fellow board members up for re-election.


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## timeos2 (Feb 10, 2008)

*It's costly to provide telephone, televison and Internet services.*



Blues said:


> I wouldn't mind paying for it, as long as it were something like the true cost, not a hyper-inflated amount just to bring in a profit.
> 
> Most residential DSL lines run about $30 a month, which is $1 a day.  That sounds about right.



Having just been through a detailed analysis proposing "free" WiFi service at a 168 unit resort I can tell you that it would add roughly $1.20 to the annual fee for each and every owner at the resort. Well under the $1/day you cite. 

But the costs don't end with simply supplying the service. Unlike your home where the cable company or phone company (dsl) come in and set you up with a modem and/or wireless (or you buy an inexpensive wireless router for service) to "light" a 5 acre area with multistory buildings, metal studs and other signal disrupting items and make it secure takes far more than a few $50 routers. The same holds true for telephone and television services as the resort pays for the infrastructure needed to support these services. At home your local utility does that as part of your bill.  

In fact here is the UPGRADE (not to do an original installation as that was done back in 2002 at the resort) cost the resort has committed to for improved WiFi service in 2008: 

- New fiber optic cabling between all buildings in a star pattern for alternate data routes. $ 53,000

- New electronics to light the fiber optic cabling at each terminus around the resort - $24,600

- New high power, non-directional WiFi transmitters at pre-selected sites for 100% coverage of the resort area - $23,900. 

So there is another $11.61 per owner in capital costs to get the improved service up and running.  It still is less than $1/day - otherwise we wouldn't do it - but you can see the numbers added up quickly.  

So it appears we will likely continue to charge what we feel is a reasonable $4.95/day OR $19.95/week for anyone - owners or not - that choose to utilize the service. It will help fund the NEXT round of upgrades as what is state of the art today is ancient hardware three years down the road.    

If any owner is interested the future of charges for Internet, as well as any other issues at Cypress Pointe Resort, that will be one of the topics for the Annual Meeting to be held on Saturday, March 15, 2008 at 9AM. All owners are urged to attend. And remember to return your proxy ballot.


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## AwayWeGo (Feb 11, 2008)

*Looking Ahead.  Making The Resort Better.   Doesn't "Just Happen."*




timeos2 said:


> But the costs don't end with simply supplying the service. Unlike your home where the cable company or phone company (dsl) come in and set you up with a modem and/or wireless (or you buy an inexpensive wireless router for service) to "light" a 5 acre area with multistory buildings, metal studs and other signal disrupting items and make it secure takes far more than a few $50 routers. The same holds true for telephone and television services as the resort pays for the infrastructure needed to support these services. At home your local utility does that as part of your bill.


That's what I like about Cypress Pointe -- both Phase One (where I feel like I'm in the loop via good HOA-BOD communications) & Phase Two (also an extremely nice resort, though with less of an in-the-loop feeling) -- that they aren't just sitting there getting older & standing pat & doing maintenance so they can remain all-original, but that they're constantly moving forward, upgrading, improving, renewing, modernizing, becoming better, keeping up with owners' & renters' & exchange-guests' escalating expectations, never losing sight of that all-important _wow_ factor. 

Just imagine a clubhouse featuring a weasel-free upstairs owners' lounge with blazing-fast wi-fi, plush furnishings, & sumptuous decor. 

Just taste that Starbux mocha-java concoction fresh-brewed right on site at Cafe Pointe. 

Imagine the luxury of being asked by the front-desk check-in person, "In your villa, would you prefer sleeping on Tempurpedic or Sleep-Number bedding?"   

After a brisk day of enjoying the sights & frolicking in the theme parks, picture settling down in front of an all-digital wide-screen display where you can select from 57 crystal-clear cable (or satellite) channels delivering brilliant, vivid high-definition video & surround-sound home-theater audio.  

Far fetched?  Not necessarily, but it won't "just happen" -- it will happen only because the HOA-BOD in charge knows a timeshare resort has to keep improving or inevitably it starts declining.  They know that to keep up with the mega-resort companies & the newly built timeshares, an older & smaller timeshare has to make sure its owners are not just minimally satisfied but highly pleased at the value they get for their maintenance-fee money.  

All that in a weasel-free environment.  Hard to beat, I'd say. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Stu (Feb 13, 2008)

*CPR Rec Area construction update*



pedro47 said:


> What the status of the new recreation / picnic area and will it be completed by April 7, 2008?



Prez John Chase has just issued the following update and construction link (mostly pictures of dirt so far, but that's every construction job's first step):

"After a long wait for the permits - two we are still waiting for - the 
construction has started on the recreation area.

http://www.cypresspointe.net/Graphics/021208/Rec21108.htm

The gazebo was temporarily pulled from the plans to allow for more 
detailed construction drawings as it is considered to be a structure.  
The hope is to obtain the permit required during the construction and 
complete it near the end of the 14 week period.  At worst, the recreation 
area will be completed without it and it will be installed later. 

Also temporarily on hold are the gas grills as they too require special 
permitting.  The engineers feel the best approach is to complete the 
basic construction with the proper piping/facilities for the grills then 
apply for the permits required.  If the current plan included those two 
deleted items the permitting may not have been granted until this 
summer.  Neither installation will have much impact on the new area even 
if done after the major project is already complete."

That's all for now; more to follow.

Best regards,
Stu Schwartz, Director & Treasurer
CPR@LBV Codo. Assoc.

P.S. CPR owners - get those proxy vote cards in ASAP!


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## pedro47 (Feb 13, 2008)

Thanks for the updates.  We will there in April 2008.


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## AwayWeGo (Feb 13, 2008)

*Cypress Pointe Is Outstanding -- Both Phases.*

Steady improvement at 2 resorts side by side in just about the best timeshare location in Orlando -- _Phase One_ (Cypress Pointe Resort At Lake Buena Vista) & _Phase Two_ (Cypress Pointe Grande Villas) -- is making great timeshares even better. 

Makes me semi-wistful over renting out my 2008 weeks at both of'm.  

Maybe next year (for Phase 2).  Maybe 2010 for Phase 1 (EEY). 

Or maybe I'll get lucky & snag a Phase II or Phase I reservation via _Last Call_ or _Instant Exchange_ -- it happened before, so maybe it could happen again.  Wouldn't that be something ? 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Stu (Feb 13, 2008)

So, if you're elected a director, you can see to it that all CPGV owners can feel & be "in the loop".  Maybe your campaign promise #1?

Stu Schwartz


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## AwayWeGo (Feb 14, 2008)

*Maybe Next Time.*




Stu said:


> So, if you're elected a director, you can see to it that all CPGV owners can feel & be "in the loop".  Maybe your campaign promise #1?
> 
> Stu Schwartz


That will have to wait.  I got whupped in the voting this time.  So it goes. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## AwayWeGo (Feb 15, 2008)

*It's Official.  So It Goes.*

Today's snail-mail delivery included a nice letter from the resort general manager informing me officially of the HOA-BOD election results & extending to me the HOA-BOD's appreciation for my interest in seeking election even though I lost. 

I still have not decided whether to order timeshare & TUG T-shirts & baseball caps & coffee mugs, etc., to console me in my loss.  But I am leaning in that direction. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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