TA traveler rating vs. reviews

This has been discussed before, but I just got the TA email highlighting travel places and this caught my attention. This place has 3 reviews as far as I can tell, it was totally panned by everyone and yet it shows a rating of 2.0. Nobody rated it above 1.0, lowest possible, on cleanliness and yet it%26#39;s rated 2.0 for cleanliness.

tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46526-d9240鈥?/a>

Makes me wonder if TA does something like give a place a minimum of all 2%26#39;s if they happen to be part of a chain...

TA traveler rating vs. reviews

Not sure - like you say this has been discussed before. My guess is that the number of %26#39;did you find this review useful%26#39; votes has some effect. Nevertheless, it does (from the reviews) seem like a place worth avoiding at all costs!

TA traveler rating vs. reviews

The possibility that occured to me is that since it only has 3 reviews, maybe TA has a floor for how low the ratings can be for properties with limited reviews, and once it gets enough reviews, they wouldn%26#39;t have that floor. If that were true in this case, the floor would obviously be a 2 out of 5 rating. Of course, if someone can show another hotel with 3 reviews and a lower than two rating, then that theory wouldn%26#39;t work.

Then there%26#39;s the possibility that user reviews aren%26#39;t the only criteria used for hotel ratings. I do know that in the case of restaurants they use other criteria. Though it has always seemed that it is largely, if not completely, from user reviews. I read something from TA about the ratings and reviews and it mentioned no other criteria for hotels; it did mention age of reviews, but that would hardly be an issue in this case.

Or it could just be a glitch.

Not only are you helpful and nice, Eddie, but sensible too. :) Sounds possible.

Thanks, Iowan. Of course, TA never has glitches, so we can rule out that possibility.

Iowan, I found another hotel, called Executive Apts/Suites, which is on South Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando. It has 12 reviews, and EVERY review ranks it 1 out of 5, yet it still is ranked 2 out of 5 overall. Based on that, I think TA may just make it so that no hotel it has gets less than 2 out of 5 overall, no matter how bad the reviews are. Or they have a glitch that makes it that way.

Out of curiosity I checked hotels in NYC and DC for low scoring hotels, figured there may be one or two there! I did find a couple rated 1.5 but they seemed to have more reviews. You were probably right about the floor until it hits a minimum number of reviews. It%26#39;d be interesting to know if any have sunk as low as a 1.0!

I totally agree. One of the worst things are those people who dress up as natives of Peru and play the pan pipes for hours on end outside Marks and Spencer every third Saturday. The lot that play near us have got a huge amp and they have introduced a bass player now. Where did they get the electricity from for this amplifier when they were 500 miles up the Andes or in the Amazon jungle.

Maybe it is because TA temper the critical report with a slightly better score to avoid outraging the hotel chain. They are in a difficult position on issues like this and they will try to keep everyone happy.

accommodations

any suggestions on a condo rental for Feb. 2008, couple in their 50s? Something that is clean, close to the beach.

Would like to rent a car, which company would be best? thanks.

accommodations

Try www.vrbo.com for your condo and I find Thrifty is the lowest price car.

helmsley sandcastle

i was wondering if anyone has heard good (hopefully) or bad things about the helmsley sandcastle. my wife two kids and self will be staying there for two nights in april while we wait for our condo rental. any reviews will be appreciated.

helmsley sandcastle

We stayed there last March with our 2 kids as well. The rooms are old and need updating. However, the beach and pools are great, and the restaurant is good. Generally, a pleasant place to stay. Check out South Lido Park down the street - it is very nice, too. If you have any further questions, let me know!

helmsley sandcastle

Hi Allan55,

I work at the Sandcastle and have for going on 20 years. Most employees here have been here forever. Yes, the rooms are older because the property was built in the 1960s. But we have a great program here of ongoing renovations as needed and if for any reason you aren%26#39;t satisfied the staff will bend over backwards to ensure that you enjoy your stay. We have 2 pools, 2 restaurants, great recreation, gift shop, exercise room, pool bar, lounge and have complimentary transportation to and from St. Armands Circle.

If you would like to email me you can do so at mmcclure@helmsleyhotels.com, I would be happy to answer any questions you have. I realize I am a bit biased but if I didn%26#39;t work here this is the type of place I would want to spend my vacations!

thank-you for the information. i am glad to here that the hotel is nice .we will only be staying two nights, then off to siesta key, the last few years we have been unhappy with the choices we made. hopefully we have found a nice place for the couple of nights that we need every year. thanks again.

The Helmsley Sandcastle may be old and in need of rennovation, but the value and location cannot be beat. Walking distance to St. Armands Circle (where you will spend each evening either for drinks or dessert) and beaches is great. I%26#39;ve stayed there 5 years ago, and will go again as soon as I can get back to paradise: Sarasota.

Good comment by Mary Mac, and it rings true. We had friends stay at Helmsley last month and, while they repeated the ';dated facility'; comments of others, they also strongly echoed how terrific the staff is. For your two nights in April, it should be just fine.

i can only speak for myself but we absolutely love the helmsley we have been twice for our holiday from England it was exactly what we expected we didnt want the hilton or similar hotel but a small friendly hotel, great pools, location fab and the staff we couldln%26#39;t fault we have recommended to lots of friends who have enjoyed it as much as we have, we will be returning this september to relax following a busy year planning our daughter%26#39;s wedding 2 days previous so we will do what we have done before just RELAX!!!, the restaurant is very good and they will cook anything for you if you have specific needs, we cant fault it.

First Time Cruiser

My wife and I are both in our early 50%26#39;s and planning our 1st cruise.We would like to go with a similar age group for a 3-5 night cruise.Destination isn%26#39;t really important,but we would like to leave from the east coast of Florida.Any suggestions?

First Time Cruiser

Go to the website www.cruisecritic.com It is full of reviews of the various lines and ships and includes info about the typical age group that is usually on each ship- for instance most Holland America ships attract an older crowd and have activities/cuisine geared toward them , while the carnival ships generally have a younger crowd and try to have a more';fun ship'; party image. Reading traveler reviews of the various ships will probably help you zero in on a few that would best suit you. You can also frequently find sales advertised by sites specializing in discount cruises and if you follow the link and sign up with them they will send you countless offers via e-mail .

That%26#39;s how I would start. I guess your choices for embarkation ports wouldbe Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Port Canaveral and a few that leave from Jacksonville.

First Time Cruiser

There are cruises that leave from Miami, Port Canaveral %26amp; Fort Lauderdale, I believe.

I am taking a 7 night Western Caribbean Cruise on the Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas out of Port Canaveral.

Cruise Critic web site does have nice reviews of the different cruise lines, and each cruise line has elaborate web sites with tons of info. Look and see if you like the style of any things that you find on-line.

Also, this is one area that I would say a travel agent is your best bet for cruise info- there is a ton of info out there!

Take a look at the Majesty of the Seas sailing from Miami. They are 3 or 4 night cruises. The ship has just been refurbished.

or

Look at the Enchantment of the Seas 4 or 5 night cruises sailing from Ft. Lauderdale. She was recently cut in half, lengthened,and refitted.

We have cruised on both. They are both great. You will be treated like royalty and I think it is a pretty good value.

They are both Royal Carribbean Cruise line ships. You can look at their web site and book directly there.

There is a nice mix of age groups on Royal Caribbean. You will fit right in. it is a nice ,fun, upscale, non stuffy getaway.

The cruisecritic.com message boards are an excellent resource for first time cruisers.

Whats cruise ports are nearer to Disney area? Fort lauderdale, Miami or Port Canaveral? Whats the distances for all 3 - many thanks

You can also get a cruise heading out of Tampa ...

and there is actually a cruise forum here on TA :

tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g1-i10703-Cruises.鈥?/a>

have fun planning!

Lara

disney world to port canavral=68 miles

to port everglades(Ft. Lauderdale)=215 miles

to port of Miami= 234 miles

many thanks Donato !

weather in April

Planning a trip for the middle of April. What is the weather like and can I go swimming at the beach. Thinking of staying at Lido Beach resort

weather in April

If the breeze isn%26#39;t too strong, and it is sunny, it will be nice tanning weather. Once you get past the first plunge into the water you%26#39;ll be okay.

weather in April

Mid-April will definitely be warm enough for a swim, although the water willl still be chilly - probably water temp of low to mid 70s. By mid-April, the air temp will be in the 80s and if you sit in the sun for a few minutes, you%26#39;ll definitely feel like going for a swim.

Enjoy your visit!

The Lido Beach Resort is a great place to stay!

~SRQgirl

makeup

get away with cheating

PNS Airport - what to expect?

Questions on what to expect when I land....

ITS MY 1st time flying to here in May,

for my trek to Panama City Beach...

Not checking bags on flights no more so I walkin right out,

Can I expect to be shuttled to car rental offsite(National)?

What kind of drive is it to get to route 98 ???

Any advise of shortcuts out of town

or websites to check the area out?

Thanks - will be landing around 6pm Seafood or steaks will do, chain restaurants (non fast food) along the way out of town toward the shore?

THanks in advance !!!!

PNS Airport - what to expect?

It is over 2 hours driving very fast to PCB.

The on ramp to the highway is confusing. Take a left out the airport, not a right.

About 10 minutes from the airpoart went to Maggie Magees. Food was good. Drinks were better.

PNS Airport - what to expect?

Thanks Cara - didja get my reply about the NH pizza? ...

Yeah - landing on a Saturday - the one that begins the Memorial holiday weekend at about 6pm

Last year,

Getting to Panama City Beach was really ... fun... prices are %26#39;sky high%26#39; to fly into PC airport so we landed and drove from Atlanta airport !!!... this ride was indeed long, seemed longer the closer we got.. I filled up the car when we got to Lynn Haven , it cost 33 bucks. I think we paid 2.85 a gallon

.... at times it was only a 2 lane highway in Alabama with construction in some spots to widen route 431between Dothan and Eufaula back to Phenix City .. it was nice as a one time trek , but doubtful doing that again

THIS YEAR, prices to fly to PC airport are even higher

- SO we%26#39;re trying this Itenerary that connects from Atlanta, then driving 2+ hrs drive to PCB from PENS - should seem like CAKE compared to the 5 hours from ATL

.. but I betcha it will seem like it will take ALL night b/c I know we%26#39;re stopping at least 2 times.

..I gotta hit Cash%26#39;s discount liquors in Destin ... and of course dinner right after we land somewhere -

THANKS for the suggestion on the eatery - maybe to keep things moving we%26#39;ll do a buy-n-ride meal~ ...gotta get to that RESORT !!

Thanks

Disney Vacation Club....Good Deal or not?

We have been contacted by Disney today regarding DVC and they are sending info out in the mail to us to review. My question is do you guys think it is a good deal, or not. We don%26#39;t know much about it except that it costs around $16,000.00 to purchase, only because they told me that in the phone conversation. Do people that are members use it more often than if they didn%26#39;t have it? We try to go every other year, occasionally 2 years in a row. I went to the DVC site,but I wanted to hear from ';real'; vacationers not a presentation.

Thanks!!!

Disneymom

Disney Vacation Club....Good Deal or not?

Hi Disney Mom:

The thing about the DVC: Great if you are always going to use it every year, but you don%26#39;t really own the property and the cost of the yearly fee is much higher than other timeshares.

I found that I would like it better to just stay at a Deluxe of my choice when I wanted to go....

That is just my opinion, but the DVC might be right for you!

Have a great time no matter what you decide!

Lisa

Disney Vacation Club....Good Deal or not?

Lisa,

Thanks for answering so fast. I get caught up in the excitement when talking to the Disney folks and forget the most important part about it, WE WON%26#39;T EVEN OWN IT. We love Windsor Hills so it might be best if we just buy a unit there instead. About how much are the yearly fees anyway at DVC?

Its funny how I%26#39;ve seen Disney use the slogan ';Own a piece of the Magic'; in marketing for DVC when in fact you can%26#39;t own a piece of the magic; its only the right to use.

Then again, a lot of ';deeded'; ownership timeshare places give the developer the right to void a private timeshare sale if they like the price and buy it upon the agreed upon price, kicking the original buyer to the curb. Hardly what I would call ';ownership';.

Just to clarify, the last part of my post was referring to attempted timeshare resales.

DisneyMom, the yearly maint. fees there are right around $1200. That is by far the most of any Orlando area timeshare fees. Near double of what I pay. To timeshare or not? That is only a question you can answer for yourself. Timeshares can be a great way to vacation if you get them for the right price. Which means buying them on the resale market. But even the DVC resale market commands a stiff price, which is good in one way as they somewhat hold there value, where as most timeshares don';t. Our family loves the one we own, and have found it saves us alot of money by taking alot of meals in while we our on vacation, and also all the great entertainment that is free at the resort. We are really considoring buying a second week, as we usually go down about 4 days before we check into our timeshare and stay in a hotel. Quite frankly staying in hotels has lost all its luster for me as I have now grown accustomed to 1300 sq. ft. of space while on vacation without a bunch of misbehaving kids running through the hotels tearing the place apart while there parents sit at the bar. Again it is all a personnal choice on whether it is worth it or not.

bssd,

Sorry those were probably my children running thru the halls, hence the need for a timeshare. Since staying at Windsor Hills last year, we have also become used to the idea of more room. We couldn%26#39;t go back to a hotel even if we wanted to (we don%26#39;t) and cooking some of our own meals and not tripping over the afore mentioned children is a bonus. Where is yours located?

Disneymom

Orange Lake Resort and CC. Kissimmee.

A plus for the DVC is that it works on a point system,, ie you can go for the day or week or weeks. They also have the concierge collection which are hotels around the world that you can also book a day at a time, not a whole week. Also at any time of the year not a single week. We just visited NYC for 5 day, and Sonoma two years ago. If it weren%26#39;t for the dues we haven%26#39;t found a down side. Dues started for us in 93 at around $350 and this year were just under $1000 on a $13,000 investment. We%26#39;ve gone every year since 93 and in our case received length of stay tickets for 4 for free till 2000. Our original investment has more than paid for itself. We%26#39;ve had a lot of good memories, my daughters had wonderful times there, but now that they are 17 and 21 we%26#39;re using our points in other places. As stated in other posts be sure you factor in the dues+inflation.

Interestingly, I just received my newsletter from them and depending on whether you%26#39;re in northern or southern IN it may interest you. I%26#39;ll repeat part of what was said.

Late this summer, Disney Vacation Club is scheduled to open Disney%26#39;s Doorway to Dreams, a first-of-its-kind preview center in suburban Chicago%26#39;s popular Woodfield Mall.

The 6,300-square-foot space will feature an interactive family vacation discovery zone, a children%26#39;s play area and a full-scale, two-bedroom model Vacation Home representing accommodations at Disney%26#39;s Animal Kingdom Villas, the eighth and ';wildest'; Disney Vacation Club Resort.

Just some info.

bssd-

I have heard Orange Lake was very nice.-

Rono-

We live in Southern Indiana right across from Louisville KY. Thanks for the info. I had read that in the Orlando Sentinal. Sounds nice.

We will listen to the presentation and decide what is best for us at the time. It is a bonus that there are other places besides just Disney to visit though. Our kids our 12 and almost 5 so Disney pretty much rules right now. Other than the dues, it doesn%26#39;t sound too bad. I don%26#39;t know what we will do now. Thanks for all the good info you guys.

DM