Any recent visits?
We just got back from Ron Jon and here's our view. If you are used to any resort that is four star or better, you'll hate the place. The arcade smelled like a bowling alley, the tennis courts are pooirly maintained, and you have to kick off skate boarders, its seems to draw middle America with rude manners, etc. The rooms have a faint smell of smoking residue, and we heard this from many. Already seem dated. Don't expect the main resort to be "right on the beach". It is about a 1/4 mile walk to the beach, and often better to take their shuttle. It was truly like a average Wisconsin Dells older water park hotel, with the benefit of beach. Truly, the beach is the best place. While it says the place is four years old, we heard rumor it was a converted hotel, cuz it looks like a patched 15 year old property. The area is not great cuz you are in the port area with huge warehouses, etc. Not pretty setting for sure. Is it the worst...no, but don't expect the best either. I truly think there needs to be another RCI category that is better than Gold Crown, cuz I would not have rated this place Gold Crown. We were more than happy to leave a day early and head back to our Hilton Grand Vacation club in Orlando. (Highlight of our trip was the shuttle launch...not Ron Jon....way over sold on the concept and don't be fooled by the labeling...Stay in Orlando and take day trips to Cocoa Beach...this area really is stuck in the old Florida, and is cheezy and sleezy....lots of trailer parks.)
JEan W.
Last edited by jeanw69 on Aug 15, 2007 03:22 PM
jeanw69 wrote:We just got back from Ron Jon and here's our view. If you are used to any resort that is four star or better, you'll hate the place. The arcade smelled like a bowling alley, the tennis courts are pooirly maintained, and you have to kick off skate boarders, its seems to draw middle America with rude manners, etc. The rooms have a faint smell of smoking residue, and we heard this from many. Already seem dated. Don't expect the main resort to be "right on the beach". It is about a 1/4 mile walk to the beach, and often better to take their shuttle. It was truly like a average Wisconsin Dells older water park hotel, with the benefit of beach. Truly, the beach is the best place. While it says the place is four years old, we heard rumor it was a converted hotel, cuz it looks like a patched 15 year old property. The area is not great cuz you are in the port area with huge warehouses, etc. Not pretty setting for sure. Is it the worst...no, but don't expect the best either. I truly think there needs to be another RCI category that is better than Gold Crown, cuz I would not have rated this place Gold Crown. We were more than happy to leave a day early and head back to our Hilton Grand Vacation club in Orlando. (Highlight of our trip was the shuttle launch...not Ron Jon....way over sold on the concept and don't be fooled by the labeling...Stay in Orlando and take day trips to Cocoa Beach...this area really is stuck in the old Florida, and is cheezy and sleezy....lots of trailer parks.)
Obviously everyone is going to view things differently but I have to say that the harsh criticism of the resort and the area is wayyyy off base. I am guessing that this guest had different expectations of this property and didn't do their research before staying there. You will not find a better beachfront family resort in Florida...even compared to Disney Vero Beach (we've stayed there). This area is old Florida, yes, and for those who are not wanting Miami or Daytona you will find that things are pretty peaceful in the area compared to the those other areas. Ron Jon is also definitely not a converted hotel/motel and doesn't even resemble one! We saw it being built! We've also stayed in a Hilton timeshare before and would say that both are very comparable in quality. Ron Jon just surpasses many resorts in the amenities they offer.
Jennifer N.
I reccomend this hotel if you have kids/teens. I think the last person hasn't been to too many Gold Crowns....as GC go, this is probably an 8 out of 10. The HGVC Seaworld is on the same par....the HGVC International is in the 9 range.
If you have kids/teens and want a beach, this is about as good as you will get. It's not an adult resort.
RCI does have another level....http://www.theregistrycollection.com
Chris S.
I have to agree with Jennifer and Chris. It is definitely a family oriented resort. We come from Canada and we look forward to our vaction time together at Cape Caribe. We have vacataioned there this past February 2008 and previously Christmas/New Years 2006/2007. We have two time shares at Cape Caribe. One is for our own use and the other is an investment which we are renting out. It is family oriented but there are also many other attractions nearby for all ages. You are near Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, cross over west to Merritt Island, or cross over to Cocoa on the mainland. Orlando is 45 mins away and we have taken a couple day trips there and to Daytona and an overnighter to Miami when we wanted to take in some different scenery. We have made friends in Cocoa and it feels like we are going home when we go to Cocoa area now. We have also been able to invite our friends to stay with us during our time at Cape Caribe. Our teenage son has enjoyed our vacations at Cape Caribe. We like it because it is away from the business of the big cities and we found no inconvenience in taking the shuttle to the beach. It is just a couple minutes ride and it leaves every 15 minutes. It is also a nice 5 minute walk to the beach in the morning if you want to enjoy the beach or take in a sunrise or sunset. We have a pool side unit and we see the ocean from our balcony. We have taken in some beautiful sunrises and sunsets. We have also seen the Disney ship and other casino ships travelling in and out of the nearby port. This past February, we saw the Shuttle ascending as we stood looking out from our balcony. We can spend a relaxing time at the Resort or we can be as busy as we like. I have no hesitation recommending it to families. We have been treated well. The service has been great. Staff have been so helpful and accommodating.
The person who was so critical, seems to be in a different class. Rather than putting down the resort she should just admit that it didn't meet her expectations.
Bev H.
We just went and loved it enought to buy a 2 bedroom oceanside. The salesman made it sound easy to put it up for rent, then use the special resort deals or RCI privilidges for owners. I liked the idea of the w/in 14 day stay for as little of $50 a night - can you realy get those deals? Also, the RCI pin number that lets you stay at timeshare resorts all over the world for around $250 a week (if you book within 45 days) or for an extra $150 book further out. He made it sound like that RCI feature was unique for Cape Caribe because were are not an RCI owned property. Also, he said we could book through RCI to stay at the beach (Cape Caribe) for a week at very discounted rates. He also said that because we would be paying guests (not just RCI week exchangers), that when we use the owner PIN number and get the great deals that they would be more likely to give the room to use - rather than someone who was just exchanging because they were not getting any more money from them. We have 3 days left to decide if we will change our minds. We are looking on-line to see what resales would cost. Any comments would be appreciated.
B D.
We were there during Memorial Day for almost 2 weeks. The resort is still well maintained. If you have a problem, call the front desk and they will take care of it. The pool area is a lot of fun, slides, lazy river, live music, games, etc. The rules people are referring to are simply ones limiting the number of day guests (so as not to crowd the guests at the pool) and not bringing a cooler into the pool area (we leave ours in the car). It is definitely a family resort. Our kids, age 9 and 2, had a great time. The beach is not close to the main building, but the walk is not difficult. When we had a lot of "stuff" to bring down, we just parked our car near the oceanside building.
Sharron C.