The living room had a large TV (limited cable stations), CD, DVD and video player.

The second bedroom was really a studio type room with a mini-kitchen (under-counter refrigerator, microwave, etc.) There was a small table with two chairs for dining. The room had two queen beds and a bath with shower only (no tub). This room had a TV and VCR in an armoire with drawers below for storage.

Both sides of the unit had individual balconies with sun chairs and small tables.

Free laundry-room facilities were located on most floors of the building. Parking was convenient and plentiful.

The pool area of the resort was beautiful and well cared for. Towels were provided. There was a video arcade, exercise room, restrooms, and a bar in this area. A kiddie pool was fenced off from the main pool area.

This resort/hotel seemed to cater to businesspeople attending conferences. Very few families were there during our stay. During the day, the pool area was nearly deserted, but it became much busier in the late afternoon. The lobby area was elegant. Located here were a restaurant and small gift shop. The restaurant offered room service about 18 hours a day.

We recommend this resort and certainly agree that it deserves a Gold Crown rating.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Not Available
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Good
• Service: Very Good

Maintenance problems in our unit included an entrance door that did not close properly, a broken sofa bed (I kid you not), television and phone problems, a kitchen cabinet that was separating, the drink machines and half the washers and dryers for our building were out of order, the carpet was very dirty, cereal and dust were visible beneath the entertainment cabinet. The grills were temperamental. In the area of service, there were no luggage carts available. More often than not, the pool towel bin was empty. Unit towel exchanges and tidy service costs extra.

There are no organized activities of any kind at this resort. There are no local newspapers available on site.

The king sized bed had only two queen pillows and those were cased in standard pillow cases that did not fully cover the pillows. We were also given four each towels, hand towels, and wash cloths. Towel exchanges cost $10 and mid-week tidy service costs $30. You can wash them yourself, but the washers and dryers that work are in high demand.

The tiny kitchen was stocked with exactly four plates, bowls, etc., but there was no serving platter, there were no serving bowls, no paring or carving knife, no potholder, no dishtowel, no cooking fork for grilling. There was no icemaker in the room. Counter and storage space were minimal.

The concierge service offers discounted tickets for people who sign up for a timeshare sales presentation, but they do not sell tickets at any price to people who do not agree to a presentation. The front desk can order Universal tickets for delivery by the next morning.

The staff and management were indifferent at best and sometimes rude. They did nothing to correct any of the problems we encountered and they refused to move us to another room. It took from Saturday to Tuesday evening to confirm the sofa bed was broken, and then they did nothing about it.

I would not recommend staying at Kingstown Reef

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Poor
• Amenities: Fair
• Unit Satisfaction: Poor
• Family Friendliness: Fair
• Service: Poor

When we arrived, we noticed the resort was very clean and well landscaped. We were pleasantly surprised when we opened our door to a beautiful, spacious two-bedroom! Since there were only the two of us, it was more space than we needed, but it was nice to spread out and have the extra space. With the very reasonable RCI "bonus night" rate we received, we were tickled just knowing we had a spacious two-bedroom villa at a Gold Crown resort for less than most people pay for a standard hotel room.

As you enter the foyer, you have two doorways. One door takes you into a bedroom which is similar to a nicer hotel room (two double beds, a private balcony, a mini-kitchen sink area with cabinets, mini-fridge and microwave, and a bathroom). We would have been very happy just to stay in that room, alone. The real treat is walking through the second doorway, which opens up into a living room with another private balcony, dining area and kitchen, hallway, bathroom and master bedroom. The tropical decor and white shutters are a nice touch.

At the Crowne Plaza Resort, there’s a hotel building on the property, which is set off on its own. Then on the other side of the property, there are two buildings consisting of timeshare units set back a perfect distance from the two pools and the clubhouse. Although the pools were visible from our private balcony, the buildings were not right on top of the pool area. I felt that the pool and buildings were spread out the perfect distance.

During our two-night stay (on a Tuesday and Wednesday night in September), the pools were not crowded, and the pool bar was closed. The pool area was lovely, though. There was reggae music playing from the surrounding outdoor speakers, which were hidden in the tropical plants. The music was the right volume for background music and created a laid-back atmosphere. I thoroughly enjoyed sitting in the whirlpool/hot tub and resting beside the pool.

The Kingstown Reef at the Crowne Plaza Resort has a lot of characteristics of a hotel, with the amenities that make it a Gold Crown timeshare. It's smaller than a lot of the other timeshares in Orlando, and you need a car to fully enjoy the area. But with the Kingstown Reef’s great central location and a car, you will truly have the opportunity to... "fully enjoy the area."

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Good
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent