About a year ago I signed my wife (at the time fiancé) and I up for a Florida vacation at a Comic Con. A week or two later I was contacted by RTA telling me we had been selected for a 6 night, 5 day stay at Silver Lake Resort in Kissimmee, FL. After explaining all about the trip and resort, I asked the big question... "Is this free?", that's when I found out it is just an "extremely discounted" vacation package for $498. I was a little disappointed, but after looking up what a trip like that would normally cost, we decided it sounded like a fun way to have a cheap "mini-moon" after our wedding in October.
After the phone call I took to Google to search "Resort Tours & Accommodations." That is when I was met with a barrage of horrible reviews exclaiming that the package as well as the company was a complete scam. This was when I first understood they would try to sell me a timeshare... I was mortified.
My first thought was I need to try to get my money refunded immediately. Many negative reviews said they attempted the same but got ahold of a woman named Barbara who refused to give them a refund and insulted and belittled them on the phone. Through my anxiety I read every review on RTA I could possibly find on the internet. Unfortunately, the negative seemed to far outweigh the positive. But I noticed a couple trends... All the negative reviews were from people who never actually took the trip. They all either said they attempted to get a refund and were met with resistance and insulted by RTA, or they hadn't even purchased the package and came just to say they believed the company was a scam for having the audacity to try to charge them $498 for a vacation they believed was free. Another thing I noticed is that RTA responded to every negative review with their side of the story. And all positive reviews said they took the trip and it was great.
I decided I would just try to call for a refund. Fully expecting to be berated by a woman named Barbara I had to really psych myself up. But when I called, I spoke with a man named Gerald. He was as calm and nice and immediately offered me a refund without question. But also gave me some incentive to keep the package. I discussed with my wife and we decided for the price, the trip was worth the risk.
Come closer to the time we planned to take the trip, I called RTA, booked our dates at Silver Lake without issue. Every time I called them I never had a problem getting someone on the phone and they were always kind and helpful. As long as you READ the rules and meet a few simple requirements, you will have no issues booking your trip.
The RTA package says you're required to sit through a 90 minute sales presentation (timeshare pitch). I had read timeshare pitch horror stories online so I was worried it would be a nightmare experience. We arrived at Silver Lake on a Sunday and our pitch was for 8:15am Monday morning. Come time for the pitch, we listened, decided against purchasing and were out after 110 minutes. We got $200 in entertainment credit for attending, and were able purchase Disney World tickets.
As for Silver Lake Resort, it's beautiful with a lot of great amenities and entertainment. We loved our condo, the huge pool, game room and tiki bar. Plus, it's literally 5 minutes from Disney and about an hour from the beach. The staff is also very friendly.
I know this review is incredibly long, but there is a lot of unfair negativity on the internet about RTA and their intent. They want to help the resort sell timeshares but also give you a cheap vacation. You are not required to buy one. I cannot guarantee everyone will feel the way I do, but this is simply what my wife and I's experience was, and it was great. Thank you for the great memories RTA. read more