[2017] Royal vs. Sabal Palms

[ljmiii]

You need to understand the alternate routes that avoid I4. There are many of them and they are simple once you get used to where you are. When I stay at Grande Vista I never use I4 to get to Disney

IMHO Google Maps and it's brethren have reduced and perhaps even eliminated the advantage of back roads around Disney - at least going to/from destinations southeast of I-4. For the past two years we've usually been advised that "despite the usual traffic" (aka slow moving bumper to bumper) "we are on the fastest route" on I-4.

 

[Inhislove]

The Palms are basically one property as far as usage and activities go. It's the same activity schedule: 1/2 at Royal and 1/2 at Sabal. We loved our stays at both, but they are very different. Sabal is only 80 units, 2 stories, no elevators, larger lanai and unique layout. Royal is 4-5 stories, has elevators, backs up to Sheraton vistana, and has a more typical condo feel. Sabal has a double and a twin in the 2nd bedroom where Royal has a queen and a pull-out chair (twin). Our unit at Sabal had some I4 noise on the lanai, while some buildings Royal hear 535.

From Royal, we sometimes used the shuttle to go to Sabal and walk to the World Center pool. There were multiple times either Sabal or Royal would have deserted pools or we were only sharing with a few families, which is also a fun experience. We loved the grilling area at Royal/Imperial right next to the pool and a bunch of table.

If your main purpose is Disney, Royal and Imperial are closer to the main entrance by sometimes 5-6 minutes depending on what traffic is going to the back of the World Center. (We had a few rope drops held up a bit by trucks making deliveries and such...no big deal, but not an issue at Royal/Imperial). We aren't typically super early risers, and we had 4 little ones to get ready. All of the Palms are closer (timewise) with a car than DVC resorts with a bus- barring Bay Lake Tower to Magic Kingdom, Beach club to Epcot, or Boardwalk to Hollywood Studios.

 

[Superchief]

I recently completed a trip that included 5 nights at Sabal Palms and 7 nights at Royal Palms. I am a long term owner at Royal but haven't been there for over 10 years. This was my first visit to Sabal Palms and I now know why this is a favorite of Boca Boy's. Overall, both were great resorts that provide access to the excellent facilities at Marriott World Center.
The area around these resorts are a lot busier than when I purchased my timeshare, and traffic was very heavy with long lights. There really aren't many good restaurants other than chains in the immediate area, and the restaurants we visited during our stay were touristy and overpriced. The World Center resorts actually had pretty good salmon at the sports bar at a reasonable price. Hilton Head has much better dining options than the Orlando area near where we stayed. However, the food options poolside at the World Center were pretty good and more reasonably priced than the JW in Phoenix. Turkey Club Wrap and the Hummus were very good.

Although I didn't use the new water park, it looked very nice and would likely be worth the $20 per person charge for a day. The World center pool is really nice and has large screen TV's to watch while at the pool. The World Cup soccer games added to the excitement, especially during the Health Care conference when there was a large Brasil group watching Brasil win.

I like to walk and work out during my stays, so the fitness center is important and I don't mind longer walks.


Sabal Palms

• Room layouts were better. Bedrooms were more separated and the 2nd bedroom had a twin and a double bed, and the bathroom opened to the 2nd BR.
• Balconies were nice, and similar to RP. Screened in and overlooking golf course. Parental guidance needed for locations near sand traps or ponds due to language.
• Master BR shower was much nicer than RP, larger and with multiple jets
• Kitchen was adequate, but not much cabinet space
• Pool was smaller than RP, but very adequate because hardly anyone was there
• Fitness room was small, but ok since the World Center workout area was a 5 minute walk. Has a basic situp board, cardio, and dumbbells.
• No elevators. I was on a second floor so it took a little longer to load/unload car. I did like the individual entrances because there was no traffic outside the room.
• Sabal Palms seems to be a little more soundproof than RP. I had a similar villa location on the golf course with a major road on the other side of the course, but I heard more traffic noise when I was at RP.

Royal Palms

• Royal Palms is a bigger resort and has elevators. Villa location is more important because some are located closer to busy roads.
• 2nd BR at RP is smaller and has a double bed.
• Kitchen seems to be larger with more cabinet space.
• Master BR shower is smaller, but adequate.
• RP has a larger pool that had more people than SB when I was there. This was a nice option for days that we didn't want to venture to the World Center pool.
• The fitness center was small, but well equipped. They had a nice decline board for situps and decline dumbbell flies, and several other machines. I actually did part of my workout there prior to going to the World Center fitness center which didn't have any decline board and could get crowded.
• The market place had limited inventory because remodeling was going on in the area, but it was better stocked than SP.
• Concierge was located at RP, so SP guests had to go to RP to meet with a concierge.
• It was much easier to drive in/out of resort from RP because it was located closer to the resort entrance.
• RP has a shuttle to World Center, but I never used it.

The primary advantage of staying at a 'Palms' resort is its proximity to Disney and access to the World Center resort. We stayed 12 nights and primarily used the resort facilities. A family can have a fun vacation without ever leaving the resort property. There were two large conferences during our stay. The first week had a healthcare conference, but had fewer attendees using the pool and other resort facilities. There was a dental conference the second week and the pool and fitness center were much more crowded, but still manageable. I surmise that the dental conference attendees were more likely to bring families with them. (I didn't see Marty, but perhaps he was there). The weather was perfect and we really enjoyed our stay. I plan to use these facilities more in the future and will likely choose Sabal over Royal due to access to the hotel.

Additional comment: Uber has problems with pickups in this area. My brother was trying to take an Uber from Sabal Palms to Amtrak station and the driver kept going to the Vistana nearby. He finally went to the hotel and got a different driver and barely made his train.

 

[normab]

I recently completed a trip that included 5 nights at Sabal Palms and 7 nights at Royal Palms. I am a long term owner at Royal but haven't been there for over 10 years. This was my first visit to Sabal Palms and I now know why this is a favorite of Boca Boy's. Overall, both were great resorts that provide access to the excellent facilities at Marriott World Center.
The area around these resorts are a lot busier than when I purchased my timeshare, and traffic was very heavy with long lights. There really aren't many good restaurants other than chains in the immediate area, and the restaurants we visited during our stay were touristy and overpriced. The World Center resorts actually had pretty good salmon at the sports bar at a reasonable price. Hilton Head has much better dining options than the Orlando area near where we stayed. However, the food options poolside at the World Center were pretty good and more reasonably priced than the JW in Phoenix. Turkey Club Wrap and the Hummus were very good.

Although I didn't use the new water park, it looked very nice and would likely be worth the $20 per person charge for a day. The World center pool is really nice and has large screen TV's to watch while at the pool. The World Cup soccer games added to the excitement, especially during the Health Care conference when there was a large Brasil group watching Brasil win.

I like to walk and work out during my stays, so the fitness center is important and I don't mind longer walks.


Sabal Palms

• Room layouts were better. Bedrooms were more separated and the 2nd bedroom had a twin and a double bed, and the bathroom opened to the 2nd BR.
• Balconies were nice, and similar to RP. Screened in and overlooking golf course. Parental guidance needed for locations near sand traps or ponds due to language.
• Master BR shower was much nicer than RP, larger and with multiple jets
• Kitchen was adequate, but not much cabinet space
• Pool was smaller than RP, but very adequate because hardly anyone was there
• Fitness room was small, but ok since the World Center workout area was a 5 minute walk. Has a basic situp board, cardio, and dumbbells.
• No elevators. I was on a second floor so it took a little longer to load/unload car. I did like the individual entrances because there was no traffic outside the room.
• Sabal Palms seems to be a little more soundproof than RP. I had a similar villa location on the golf course with a major road on the other side of the course, but I heard more traffic noise when I was at RP.

Royal Palms

• Royal Palms is a bigger resort and has elevators. Villa location is more important because some are located closer to busy roads.
• 2nd BR at RP is smaller and has a double bed.
• Kitchen seems to be larger with more cabinet space.
• Master BR shower is smaller, but adequate.
• RP has a larger pool that had more people than SB when I was there. This was a nice option for days that we didn't want to venture to the World Center pool.
• The fitness center was small, but well equipped. They had a nice decline board for situps and decline dumbbell flies, and several other machines. I actually did part of my workout there prior to going to the World Center fitness center which didn't have any decline board and could get crowded.
• The market place had limited inventory because remodeling was going on in the area, but it was better stocked than SP.
• Concierge was located at RP, so SP guests had to go to RP to meet with a concierge.
• It was much easier to drive in/out of resort from RP because it was located closer to the resort entrance.
• RP has a shuttle to World Center, but I never used it.

The primary advantage of staying at a 'Palms' resort is its proximity to Disney and access to the World Center resort. We stayed 12 nights and primarily used the resort facilities. A family can have a fun vacation without ever leaving the resort property. There were two large conferences during our stay. The first week had a healthcare conference, but had fewer attendees using the pool and other resort facilities. There was a dental conference the second week and the pool and fitness center were much more crowded, but still manageable. I surmise that the dental conference attendees were more likely to bring families with them. (I didn't see Marty, but perhaps he was there). The weather was perfect and we really enjoyed our stay. I plan to use these facilities more in the future and will likely choose Sabal over Royal due to access to the hotel.

Additional comment: Uber has problems with pickups in this area. My brother was trying to take an Uber from Sabal Palms to Amtrak station and the driver kept going to the Vistana nearby. He finally went to the hotel and got a different driver and barely made his train.

Fantastic resurrection of a very old thread….but you gave a very accurate description for newbies to the Palms. Well done. We have been to Sabal and Royal many times and like both resorts.

We are periodic visitors to Orlando who are not typically “Disney” visitors, at least until we have grandkiddies…We love Sabal for the ability to walk to the Marriott. We love how large the units are… We haven’t been there in the past year, but look forward to the new Marriott pool upgrades, even if they charge a fee. For us Royal is too far walk to the Marriott, but they have nicely sized units and a great pool too.

All 3 Palms resorts are great for going to Disney. But is you are just looking for R&R, Sabal can’t be beat. Their pools are typically quiet, and it’s a 5 minute walk to the Marriott. You can decide where you want to hang out.

 

[CPNY]

Fantastic resurrection of a very old thread….but you gave a very accurate description for newbies to the Palms. Well done. We have been to Sabal and Royal many times and like both resorts.

We are periodic visitors to Orlando who are not typically “Disney” visitors, at least until we have grandkiddies…We love Sabal for the ability to walk to the Marriott. We love how large the units are… We haven’t been there in the past year, but look forward to the new Marriott pool upgrades, even if they charge a fee. For us Royal is too far walk to the Marriott, but they have nicely sized units and a great pool too.

All 3 Palms resorts are great for going to Disney. But is you are just looking for R&R, Sabal can’t be beat. Their pools are typically quiet, and it’s a 5 minute walk to the Marriott. You can decide where you want to hang out.

this and the post you replied to was excellent. I am trying to decide between the Palms resorts and it looks like Sabal will be my choice. The 5 minute walk to the WCM is clutch as is the quiet nature of the resort.

 

[dioxide45]

this and the post you replied to was excellent. I am trying to decide between the Palms resorts and it looks like Sabal will be my choice. The 5 minute walk to the WCM is clutch as is the quiet nature of the resort.

Unless the 3BR is important, Sabal Palms would be my pick of the three.

 

[CPNY]

Unless the 3BR is important, Sabal Palms would be my pick of the three.

Thanks! I definitely do not need a 3 bedroom this trip, which means there is one available at imperial haha. I have Sabal booked for 4th of July week and I was thinking of switching since more resorts became available with my Eplus. SVV was not available and now it is. I could always go back to my home resort but I think I should try the world center marriott. However, if a lakeshore 2 bedroom comes up, I am going there!

 

[Pamplemousse]

Thanks! I definitely do not need a 3 bedroom this trip, which means there is one available at imperial haha. I have Sabal booked for 4th of July week and I was thinking of switching since more resorts became available with my Eplus. SVV was not available and now it is. I could always go back to my home resort but I think I should try the world center marriott. However, if a lakeshore 2 bedroom comes up, I am going there!

We were just at Sabal a few weeks ago.
The tennis/ basketball court is closed. It is in disrepair. 1 side of the fence is loose at the bottom and several younger people crawled under to play and shoot hoops anyway. There is a volleyball net set up next to it.
The Falls pool and original slide are available for TS occupants use.
The new waterpark is $20pp/pd and you must reserve online- reservations filled fast.
They give you a sheet at check in with codes to scan to make reservations at the restaurants on site.

 

[jme]

this and the post you replied to was excellent. I am trying to decide between the Palms resorts and it looks like Sabal will be my choice. The 5 minute walk to the WCM is clutch as is the quiet nature of the resort.

FWIW, there are two well-traveled and long-time TUG members who like Sabal Palms a LOT! They are dioxide45 and Boca Boy.
Dioxide45 knows Orlando resorts better than he knows the back of his hand, AND better than he knows his home neighborhood, for that matter.
And BocaBoy adamantly states that Sabal is his most favorite Marriott resort in Orlando. Those are heavy words.

Dioxide45 and BocaBoy carry a lot of weight with me when they recommend ANYTHING, and I consider both to be "Timeshare gurus extraordinaire" (not to mention good friends).
Of the Top 5 TUG members who have opinions that are ALWAYS worth listening to, those guys are two of them.

It's like the old EF Hutton TV commercial----"when dioxide and Boca talk, people listen"........(I think that's how it went......)

 

[dioxide45]

We were just at Sabal a few weeks ago.
The tennis/ basketball court is closed. It is in disrepair. 1 side of the fence is loose at the bottom and several younger people crawled under to play and shoot hoops anyway. There is a volleyball net set up next to it.
The Falls pool and original slide are available for TS occupants use.
The new waterpark is $20pp/pd and you must reserve online- reservations filled fast.
They give you a sheet at check in with codes to scan to make reservations at the restaurants on site.

Aren't the tennis and basketball courts somehow also associated with the World Center? I seem to recall that the tennis courts were a staging area for all the parts and equipment needed to build out the waterpark.

 

[Pamplemousse]

Aren't the tennis and basketball courts somehow also associated with the World Center? I seem to recall that the tennis courts were a staging area for all the parts and equipment needed to build out the waterpark.

The courts I am referring to were right outside our unit in building 41- really not that close to the water park.
There was nothing being stored on them, they were just in disrepair and the gate was locked with a chain.
Hopefully they are on the to do list.

By the way I will add that if anyone is a light sleeper disturbed by highway noise building 41 is the furthest from I4 and we did not hear traffic in this unit like we did during a previous stay.

 

[dioxide45]

The courts I am referring to were right outside our unit in building 41- really not that close to the water park.
There was nothing being stored on them, they were just in disrepair and the gate was locked with a chain.
Hopefully they are on the to do list.

By the way I will add that if anyone is a light sleeper disturbed by highway noise building 41 is the furthest from I4 and we did not hear traffic in this unit like we did during a previous stay.

Yeah, those are the same courts that when we were there a couple years ago were being use for big plastic tubes and such for the waterpark as it was being built. I don't know if those courts belong to the hotel or Sabal Palms HOA, but I suspect they are hotel and Sabal Palms guests, at some time, probably had access to them.

 

[Pamplemousse]

Yeah, those are the same courts that when we were there a couple years ago were being use for big plastic tubes and such for the waterpark as it was being built. I don't know if those courts belong to the hotel or Sabal Palms HOA, but I suspect they are hotel and Sabal Palms guests, at some time, probably had access to them.

They are on the Sabal palms resort map.

 

[dioxide45]

They are on the Sabal palms resort map.

I know. I notice though that they are the only courts at the complex (Royal & Imperial have their own). The hotel doesn't have a separate set of courts. I know for a fact that they were being used to stage parts and supplies for the waterpark.

Edit to add, I show those tennis courts full of the stuff in this video at 3:17.

 

[Pamplemousse]

I know. I notice though that they are the only courts at the complex (Royal & Imperial have their own). The hotel doesn't have a separate set of courts. I know for a fact that they were being used to stage parts and supplies for the waterpark.

Hope they fixed them! We played on them many years ago. Nice little after dinner activity.

 

[CPNY]

I know. I notice though that they are the only courts at the complex (Royal & Imperial have their own). The hotel doesn't have a separate set of courts. I know for a fact that they were being used to stage parts and supplies for the waterpark.

Edit to add, I show those tennis courts full of the stuff in this video at 3:17.

If I want a quiet location which building would you recommend? I am thinking of requesting buildings 41/42 or 44. Those look like all of the views are of the golf course. Buildings 45 and 46 may have units facing each other and I really do not want that.

 

[Superchief]

FWIW, there are two well-traveled and long-time TUG members who like Sabal Palms a LOT! They are dioxide45 and Boca Boy.
Dioxide45 knows Orlando resorts better than he knows the back of his hand, AND better than he knows his home neighborhood, for that matter.
And BocaBoy adamantly states that Sabal is his most favorite Marriott resort in Orlando. Those are heavy words.

Dioxide45 and BocaBoy carry a lot of weight with me when they recommend ANYTHING, and I consider both to be "Timeshare gurus extraordinaire" (not to mention good friends).
Of the Top 5 TUG members who have opinions that are ALWAYS worth listening to, those guys are two of them.

It's like the old EF Hutton TV commercial----"when dioxide and Boca talk, people listen"........(I think that's how it went......)

I agree with the two experts. My only meaningful advantages for RP over SP are the larger pool (especially when World Center pool is crowded due to convention), better workout facility, and the fact that it was our original timeshare and our family enjoyed many great vacations there. Now that I have stayed at SP, I will likely stay there as first choice in future. I just hope that the World Center doesn't start limiting timeshare access, similar to what the JW is doing to Canyon Villas owners.

 

[CPNY]

I agree with the two experts. My only meaningful advantages for RP over SP are the larger pool (especially when World Center pool is crowded due to convention), better workout facility, and the fact that it was our original timeshare and our family enjoyed many great vacations there. Now that I have stayed at SP, I will likely stay there as first choice in future. I just hope that the World Center doesn't start limiting timeshare access, similar to what the JW is doing to Canyon Villas owners.

I hear they are limiting access to Lakeshore guests as well.

 

[dioxide45]

I hear they are limiting access to Lakeshore guests as well.

Yes, I think the JW Pool (and new waterpark) is off limits to Lakeshore guests unless you pay the $50 per villa (up to 4 people) extortion.... I think the Ritz pool is still available, but it is just a pool. For us, the Lakeshore pool does just fine.

 

[CPNY]

Yes, I think the JW Pool (and new waterpark) is off limits to Lakeshore guests unless you pay the $50 per villa (up to 4 people) extortion.... I think the Ritz pool is still available, but it is just a pool. For us, the Lakeshore pool does just fine.

I stayed at Lakeshore once and I went to the Ritz pool twice in the week. I preferred the pool at Lakeshore to the Ritz.