I found the best place to stay!! Kind of long...sorry...

[tammipooh]

We just got home from WDW on Monday, and we stayed at the best place imaginable. At least my family thought so! It is called Tropical Palms Fun Resort, and it is right behind Old Town on 192, just east of WDW. Took us about 5 minutes to drive to the parks. It is a combination campground and cottages, set way back off the street, and surrounded by trees and beauty! We rented a 2 bedroom cottage. It sleeps up to 8, although 8 would be a little cramped. It has a full kitchen, including dishwasher & refrigerator. A sleeping loft for children(which my two girls thought was way too cool!) A nice big deck on the front, chairs and a picnic table. Now mind you, that it is not HUGE by any means, but we had 4 adults and 2 children (ages 8 & 4), and did just fine. In fact we LOVED it!! THe grounds have a 24 hr. heated swimming pool, a kiddie pool, and a poolside cafe. We received coupons for a free cafe breakfast even. They keep the gounds really, really clean. The maids do not enter your cottage, unless you specifically request it, which I like. I don't like people in my room when I am away. And we saw so much wildlife around the grounds! They have a pond that has alligators(6 we counted, but they don't let them get big....they have someone come take them out when they get too big.) Huge owls in the trees, a possom, a raccoon, and even an armadillo visited us a couple of nights. I have never seen one of those before! I'm from Indiana, we don't have those here!! I just can't say enough good things about it. We will definately go back. I'll never stay anywhere else again. A really good thing was it was so peaceful at night. No noise from the interstates, or other major roads. If anyone has a questions I'll be happy to reply! You all have to go! :D

[Jane E.]

Thanks for your review. I've seen this place advertised but didn't know anything about it. Glad you had such a great time!

[pbhunt]

That sounds like a wonderful place to stay! I love places that have local wildlife for viewing and photos. We're staying at the BW Suites & Resort on Lake Cecile near Old Town for that very reason. It would be great to see a live armadillo, I've only seen ones that had "passed on" near the highway when we were in Louisiana. If we don't care for the BW, we might check it out. Thanks for the info! :) :)

[myalron1]

would you mind sharing the price on that?? sounds wonderful...something we would really enjoy :D

Julie

[Disney Debbie]

bump :)

Disney Wonder - 1st Time December 16, 2001

[lisapooh]

Sounds great but how about accessibility. Doors wide enough for a power wheelchair to enter. Ramps or flat to the ground. Sills flat. It would be perfect if it is accessible.
One reason I stay onsite is that the are accessible and I don't have to worry about it.

Pooh Bear

[mskani]

How much per night? Do they have a website? How did you hear about this place?

Thanks.

ºoº

[horseshowmom]

I've never stayed there, but I can provide some contact info for those of you asking.

800-64-PALMS
407-396-4595
FAX 407-396-8938
E-Mail stay@tropicalpalms.com
Internet tropicalpalms.com

[Sharmaine]

This one has been on our list since day 1, and I still have a reservation for it - along with reservations for 3 other places. I have some questions:

1)air conditionning - what outside temp was it while you were there - and how effective was the cabin air conditionning?

2)bugs - how was the mosquito situation compared to other more "urban" areas while you were there?

3)what are the cabin interiors "like" - cleanliness, decor, etc?

[Lthouseprincess]

WHAT ARE THE RATES?

[Sharmaine]

try www.tropicalpalms.com (http://www.tropicalpalms.com)

[tammipooh]

Sorry didn't answer earlier, but went out of town for Easter Weekend....

We paid $99.00 a night for the biggest cottage they have. I think the rates vary depending on time of year you go. We were there from March29-April 5th.

As far as wheel chair accessible, ours was not. They may have some that are, so call to find out. I wouldn't be surprised, but don't want to answer difinitively.

We were not bothered by mosquitos at all, might have been to early though. Temps were from about 78'all the way up to 86 one day I think....The air conditioner worked great.We turned it off at night and opened the windows since it stayed pretty cool in the evenings.

The inside cleanliness of the cottages were very good. Maybe not your 5 star, top of the line, fancy schmancy hotel, but definately good. We had NO complaints. The housekeeping does not come in to do anything unless you request it. But you are not responsible to do anything while there, or upon checking out. You don't have to do dishes (we did though) or anything. The one thing you do have to do is take your dirty towels to the front, and pick up as many new ones as you wish. BUT our neighbors never did this, they had housekeeping bring theirs, so I guess you can request that also.

I found this place while searching the web for hotels. I actually had another reservation elsewhere, but then found this place and promptly canceled the other one! Best thing I ever did! The staff is very helpful, and extremely friendly. We actually had a door to one of the bedrooms that locked my husband in the room, and they came and replaced the whole knob immediately. (we got my hubby out before they came though, but he thought he was a gonner!)

If I didn't answer something, please ask again, or feel free to ask me more questions. I love this place, and I think everyone else will too!!

Tammi :D ;)

[tammipooh]

Forgot about the cabin decor question...

The outside of the cottages our pastel colors...blue, green, pink, yellow, and purple I think. Deck chairs match the cabins. As for the inside, the pullout sofa is a queen, and kind of a floral background in the material if I remember right. There is a TV across the room from the couch, glass table with 4 chairs, kitchen with full refrigerator, dishwasher(they supply the soap), microwave, toaster, and coffe maker. All the utensils are supplied also. The bedrooms both had a floral comforters on the beds with lots of windows. Beds were very comfortable. Both BR's have closets with hangers, and 4 drawers underneath. Please understand that these cottages are not huge by anymeans, but are very comfortable. We had to unpack our bags so we wouldn't have suitcases sitting everywhere, and then we had PLENTY of room.

The loft upstairs is for the kids, and mine loved it! It has a futon mattress to sleep on, not a full futon, just the mattress. It can get warm up there, so if it is hot, keep the air running. There was even a cubby hole in the wall to put suitcases in!

We arrived a day early, and stayed in a cottage that was newer that night because someone was in ours....that one was #210 I think, and it even had a stereo system with a tape player going through the whole cottage! It was really nice, you play music in any room you wanted or all of them at once. Our 6 night cottage didn't have that feature, but was still nice.

Ok, didn't want to forget about that question....
Tammi

[chris1gill]

Thanks for the description & info!! What kind of beds did they have in the bedrooms? Also, did the kitchen have a full size stove?

Thanks!

[tammipooh]

One bedroom had a queen size bed, and the other had a double. The sofa is a queen pullout also. Yes, the kitchen had a full sized stove! It was great! :D

[chris1gill]

That sounds really GREAT!!! Maybe we will try it out for 3 nights in December!! Gotta do a little rearranging of our schedule!!! I hope we see an armadillo too!!

[Musky]

Tammipooh, I'm so happy to finally see a review of this place online. I have had my short list narrowed down to either Tropical Palms or Days Suites for months and have been hoping to hear from somebody who actually stayed there. Given the poor reports I've seen on Days Suites, I think I will probably go with Tropical Palms. One question, though. Somewhere I remember seeing the cottages at TP described as "park-model trailers." Now, this gave me the mental image of having to tear a table apart at night and turn it into a bed and having to take a shower sitting on the toilet! I gather from your report it was nothing like that. Was there anything that was like a travel trailer? I don't want to stay in a camp. Thanks for the info. :rolleyes:

[tammipooh]

I saw that same report too I think about the trailer/cottage, and was really worried before we got there, but rest assured it was nothing like that! The bathroom wasn't huge, but it had a regular size sink, toilet, and tub with shower. Even had a medicine cabinet to put your things in! All of the furniture is normal sized, and no table has to come down to be able to sleep! To me the cottages looked like they were probably a small version of a manufactured home. Do you know what I mean? Definately not a camper of anykind. I hope this helps! As far as camping goes, one side of the property is for camping, but these cottages just make you feel like you have your own little piece of serenity. It was so nice coming home from the parks and sitting out on the deck and relaxing! I got up every morning at 6:00am just to watch the day break, and drink my cup of coffee. Nobody honking horns or running around. (only the wildlife!) Absolutely wonderful!

Anymore questions, don't hesitate to ask. I love talking about this place!
Tammi :)

[chris1gill]

I have another question!! How close together are the units? At Fort Wilderness, the homes/cabins are almost piled on top of eachother... that's why we haven't stayed there.... So how much privacy do you actually have from your neighbors? Did you meet any people that were staying there? Were they all generally happy? It sounds like a great little place!!

[tammipooh]

I've never been at Fort Wilderness to be able to compare, but they are pretty close together. It didn't bother me at all though. I didn't have that on top of eachother feeling. We talked to quite a few people while around the pool and out walking. Most of the people had been coming there for years! In the first cottage we stayed in for one night, they had four cottages around a central courtyard, and I liked it, but not a whole lot of privacy. Our main cabin did not have the central courtyard, it faced the back of another cabin, and had another one just to our right. It definately didn't spoil the surroundings though, it still felt like we were all alone! My only suggestion is, unless you really like a lot of people coming by a lot, don't request a cabin by the pool. It's nice to be by the pool I guess, but it stays pretty busy all day, and is even open all night although they do strictly enforce the quiet hours. Ask for one away from the pool, a lot more privacy! I really think you will like it! :cool:

[chris1gill]

Thanks, we are gonna give it a shot!!

[Sharmaine]

chris1gill...for what its worth - we are also considering TP for our May vacation. My husband struck up a conversation about Disney with some guy in a coffee shop. This gentleman said he had been going to Disney for 25 years, and in recent years had started staying regularily at TP. Thats where we found out about it - he gave us some printed info with pictures. He said he'd done the Disney cabins (and many other DRs), and liked TP much better. Don't know which Disney cabins he was referring to though. We are in Canada, so it probably WASN'T the owner we were talking to, although...you never know.

[Sharmaine]

Tamipooh - was TP within walking distance of Old Town?

[Musky]

Thanks for answering my question about the "trailers." Now I have a bunch more. You mentioned a coupon for a free breakfast. Is there a restaurant on the premises? Did you use the coupon, and if so, was the breakfast any good? Was this for every day of your stay or just a one-time thing? What about other amenities besides the pool? I looked on the website so I know there's a volleyball court and I think it said a basketball court, but I don't think they have a very informative website at all. If it's a campground, surely there is a playground and a camp store? What about a game room? Also, I'm having trouble picturing this loft. Is it just like a shelf or what? How do the kids get into it? I wish they had some pictures of the insides of the units on their website. Anyplace that doesn't have pictures makes me wary. Maybe there is a different website for the campground - does it have a different name? And finally, how far off of 192 is this place (approximately)? Thanks again. <IMG WIDTH="15" HEIGHT="15" SRC="/infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif" alt="razz">

[tammipooh]

Sharmaine- Old Town is right down a walking path! Takes about 4-5 minutes to walk to and they have a nice path the whole way. But you don't have any of the traffic to it or hear any of the crowd noise! Perfect!

Musky-we received the coupon when we checked in, and it was for one free breakfast. My father actually used it one day we all went to the park, and he stayed back(his grandkids could have killed him!)He said it was good, but not a large quaintity. As for where he ate it, they have a poolside cafe that is open from breakfast till after dinner I believe. They really have good food, we had lunch there by the pool one day. AS for other facilities, they do have a volleyball, and basketball court. I think you have to ask for the basketball, but I saw volleyballs by the court. They have a nice playground by the pool, and laundry facilities are also by the pool, which was nice. I did laundry while the kids swam, and I could watch them all the time. My husband was there also, but the location was good anyways.

Now, I'll try to explain the loft....picture walking through sliding doors and directly to your right is a door to the bedroom. You go down 2 little steps to reach the room, so basically it is a little lower than the rest of the cabin. Now above that bedroom is the loft. It has a ladder to reach it, and I would say it is probably about 7x8 feet, with a little cubby hole closet. My kids had plenty of room for their coloring stuff, stuffed dolls, and a tv/vcr combo we always take with us. Oh, and their suitcases. The bed is actually a futon mattress without the frame. BUt it was comfortable. There is a railing across the top where you overlook the living room so no one can fall out and down. My kids loved it!!

I know the website leaves a lot to be desired. I was so afraid going into this place, cause you just never know. But we are so glad we did, we found a fantastic place!

If you want to give me your e-mail address, I can scan the brochure we have, and send it to you. It has the floor plans, and some pictures of the outside of the cabins, but they don't have pictures of the inside. I don't think they do anyways...if I knew how to scan in and post the pictures here I would, but I'm not real computer literate so if anyone knows how I will give it a try! Let me know!

Oh, the campstore is where the office area is. They have a lot there, but we did our shopping across 192 at Publix grocery store(normal grocery prices). They didn't have a gameroom. At least I didn't see one....I hope I got everything...if not ask again! :D

[stevenpensacola]

I always thought that the Department of Transportation went around in their trucks at night placing squashed armadillo carcasses in the roads. I've been a lifelong native of northwest Florida, and although I've seen many a pancaked :eek: armadillo, it's rare to see one "on the hoof".

Glad you had a great time. We stayed at the Comfort Suites Maingate East last time, which is pretty close to Old town. We rode through TP, and it looks like a real neat place to stay. Thanks for the good report.

[tammipooh]

I could hardly believe it myself! The first time I saw it and finally realized what it was, I just about spilled my coffe all over myself trying to get to my camera! The second night it was out again, and my husband got within 3 feet of it before it got spooked, but we have really good pictures! We had a great time! :)

[Robinrs]

I read last year on Brian Bennett's site that these cabins didn't have phones. Did yours have one?

-------------------------

MOM
Mother of Michael
Proverbs 3:5-6

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[tammipooh]

No, ours did not have a phone, but that didn't bother us at all. They do have pay phones at different points in the resort. I guess this could be a drawback for some people, but it was heaven for me. We didn't need a phone, and I definatley didn't want one ringing!! Don't let it stop you from trying the place though, you won't regret it! Promise! ;)

[tammipooh]

Bump!