Anyone stayed at Seralago Hotel & Suites or Flamingo Waterpark Resort in Kissimmee?

momtopuddin

Mouseketeer
Joined
Nov 16, 2008
My son and his girlfriend are planning a quick trip in May. They are two broke college kids so they are trying to stick to a budget. They were looking at these two places. Will be there for 5 nights. Are they good, clean places or should they look somewhere else?
 
I stayed here several times in the mid-2000s after it was de-flagged from the Holiday Inn, and I've ahad acquaintances stay there since. Useless trivia of the week - when I first joined these forums in 2006, Disney was selling the All-Star Resort through Priceline('s bidding option) for $25/night. The alternate Priceline option? This place! Many Disboard users placed Priceline Wheel of Fortune, and many felt like they landed on bankrupt (getting this place).

Anyway, it's a basic, old school Holiday Inn. Don't be deceived by the "scenic" resort the website makes it out as, but it's definitely one of the better budget options. Rooms are older, as you would expect at this price, but generally clean. Amenities are very average -- there's a pool, hot tubs, fitness center and movie theater (a conference room, with standard conference room furniture, showing movies nonstop). Food and alcoholic beverages are pretty good and reasonably priced - the food court's pricing is probably the lowest you'll find at a WDW-area hotel, although I'd still recommend buying your grub and snacks elsewhere and mixing your own drinks. As with any budget property, the downside is transportation to WDW & Universal - departures and returns are very limited. If you look at Yelp or Tripadvisor, you'll probably find a schedule. Don't be alarmed by the pictures there ... people spend as little money as possible on a budget hotel, then are shocked that the comforter and towels are worn out.

I'm completely out of the loop on budget properties these days, but another option I can recommend is the Maingate Lakeside Inn. It typically competes as one of the cheapest options and well worn, the rooms are pretty clean and it's a very resort-like property. For a property that's available for less than $50/night (including taxes & fees), I'm not certain why people expect it to compete with Pop Century. Most college students will spend their time outside of the hotel, using it as a base only. Much better to find a budget property and pay down student debt than to spurge IMO.
 
Serlageo is a real dump.. a lot of people live there. I guess thats the reason is 25 a night.
Ever seen the florida project?

I also have poor college kids they like festiva resort. They have a full kitchen living and bedroom are separate. About 50 a night
 
We stayed at Seralago one night before checking into our Westgate Vacation Villa reservation a about 10 years ago. I would not recommend it. Me, DH, DS17, DS22 and DD3. It may have been remodeled by now. I would check tripadvisor for current info/pictures. I remember getting up at 4am and getting into my rental car and driving down the street to see how far Westgate Vacation Villas was. I couldnt wait for my family to get up so we could check out of Seralago!!! It was just ok for one night. But I wouldn't want to spend my entire vacation there. We had the family suite which has a king bed and a set a bunkbeds. My kids didnt want to turn the lights out. They were scared of what type of critters or bugs might be hiding in the background.
 


Ohh boy, I just went to trip advisor to read the reviews. I’ve driven by the resort and thought it looked decent from the outside
 
Ohh boy, I just went to trip advisor to read the reviews. I’ve driven by the resort and thought it looked decent from the outside

Seralago is OK for a night or two but I wouldn't want to turn the lights out. However, I prefer the Red Lion if I am looking for an economical/budget friendly option. I haven't stayed at the NEW Red Lion yet, but I would recommend Red Lion over Seralago any day.
 
My son and his girlfriend are planning a quick trip in May. They are two broke college kids so they are trying to stick to a budget. They were looking at these two places. Will be there for 5 nights. Are they good, clean places or should they look somewhere else?

Look at the new Universal Endless summer resorts, very affordable, brand new and very nice if your looking for cheap and best bang for your buck.
 


The flamingo water park... yea made that mistake.
There is a bar right at the water park. Was full of locals, mostly drunk. The kids were running around unsupervised for the most part.
My youngest was probably 5 almost 6 was too short to ride the bigger slides, yet local kids were able to.
I checked in family of 5. Was only provided water tickets for 4. When I asked the lady at the counter argues with me over how many I booked. Somehow it was all my fault.
Park closed at 6. Bar open til 11. Park reopened at 12. We had already left for the shades of green by 7! Luck for us they let us leave suitcases there and we hit downtown Disney.
The rooms?!
I couldn’t sleep at all. I saw huge bug crawl up our sink. And other crawl out the bed. Front desk asked me if I had brought them. Bedspread..
was super gross.
Check out their yelp reviews. Owners always blame guests
 
Look at the new Universal Endless summer resorts, very affordable, brand new and very nice if your looking for cheap and best bang for your buck.

Does this place qualify as "budget friendly"? What resorts are you comparing Universal Endless Summer resorts too that qualifies it as a budget friendly option. According to tripadvisor, the average rate is in the ballpark of $140/nite. If they can pay that rate, they are better off to stay on-site at a Disney value resort. The room rate would be in the same ballpark since they can do it as package and include park tickets. I am assuming this NEW Universal resort is a competitor to Disney Value resorts maybe? Anyway, in my opinion, there are many other off-site options that are far less expensive, decent and safe at under $100/nite.
 
I stayed at Seralago for an overnighter during HHN last fall - I'm a passholder and only live about an hour away. It's basically as has been described - old. I went solo and didn't have any issues. The room was clean and I didn't notice any bugs. Basically I was just there to grab a few hours of sleep before heading home to St. Petersburg. Didn't even bother using the shower the next day, just grabbed coffee and hit the road. It served me well for that purpose but if I had a family with me or was planning on doing a lengthier stay, I'd look for other options - and there are plenty.
 
What makes me cringe about this forum... is people's failure to recognize the world for the way it is. For example, if you read the Budget Board, there are posters who HAVE to respond to every single posting on chain restaurants (e.g. Olive Garden, Outback, Red Lobster) as having "horrible, inedible food and lousy service." Unfortunately, they don't recognize that for millions of families in America, a night out at McDonald's is a very big deal; a chain restaurant is a luxury they'd be able to afford only once annually -- if that. So it's perfectly fine to have an opinion, but be fortunate that you're able to dine out at high-end restaurants regularly, and be sensitive toward those who can't. I use this as an analogy toward the original post.

There are hundreds of properties around the WDW resort, catering to all price ranges. Absolutely nobody stays at Seralago or similar hotels because they WANT to -- people stay here because it's within their budget. And the OP's son should be applauded for seeking to stay at a property within his price range, especially in the Instagram era in which many Gen Zers are having trouble saving money, despite having record incomes for its age group.

Priorities are much different in your early 20s than even in your mid-20s. The OP's son is looking for a clean room, and the Seralago is an excellent option in that regard. The average person in their early 20s will spend far less time in their room than somebody who is older. Cheap, clean room, nice pool, free transportation to Disney... again, what more could you want for about $50/night?
 
Does this place qualify as "budget friendly"? What resorts are you comparing Universal Endless Summer resorts too that qualifies it as a budget friendly option. According to tripadvisor, the average rate is in the ballpark of $140/nite. If they can pay that rate, they are better off to stay on-site at a Disney value resort. The room rate would be in the same ballpark since they can do it as package and include park tickets. I am assuming this NEW Universal resort is a competitor to Disney Value resorts maybe? Anyway, in my opinion, there are many other off-site options that are far less expensive, decent and safe at under $100/nite.

Understandable, I hadn’t looked at General Public rates, I’m a Passholder and used to looking at those rates and they had standard 2 Queen rooms for 2 adults priced at $70 a night.
 
Understandable, I hadn’t looked at General Public rates, I’m a Passholder and used to looking at those rates and they had standard 2 Queen rooms for 2 adults priced at $70 a night.
Now $70/nite for that place would be an EXCELLENT option. Its new and looks like a very nice place. Thanks for the info. It will come in handy. Annual Passholders are getting a GREAT deal. Also, this reminded me that I am a Wyndham Rewards member and I forget to check rates on their rewards members sites.
 
Now $70/nite for that place would be an EXCELLENT option. Its new and looks like a very nice place. Thanks for the info. It will come in handy. Annual Passholders are getting a GREAT deal. Also, this reminded me that I am a Wyndham Rewards member and I forget to check rates on their rewards members sites.

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Look at this thread in the Universal stuff, there is a link that seems to still be working with 35% off, maybe put in your dates and see what the prices are.

The Endless Summer resorts are part of it also.
 
The OP asked her question back in February, before the poop hot the fan. Tourism will be in the toilet for awhile. If you’re willing to travel this summer — and the virus will still be a threat, so many/most people won’t — there will be plenty of bargains. During the last recession, Seralago had rooms for $19/night, with free breakfast if you booked in advance and via their website. I’ll bet we’ll see similar deals. For somebody that wants to go to WDW but is looking to conserve cash, it’s a great option.
 

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