World Showcaser
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2011
I have always stayed on site but I'm wondering, if you were not staying at a WDW Resort, which hotel would you stay out? Are there any other places in the general area that feel just as magical?
I have always stayed on site but I'm wondering, if you were not staying at a WDW Resort, which hotel would you stay out? Are there any other places in the general area that feel just as magical?
World Showcaser said:I guess I'm looking for places that have some theming or a unique or beautiful atmosphere ...not just a standard hotel. Do you think the hotels you mentioned are like that?
I guess I'm looking for places that have some theming or a unique or beautiful atmosphere ...not just a standard hotel. Do you think the hotels you mentioned are like that?
If I were looking for magical, unique, and totally Disney-themed, I'd stay onsite for sure. We'd only consider offsite to save money if there are no onsite discounts.
We've stayed at the Swan and Dolphin. This trip (April), we're staying at Wyndham Bonnet Creek resort. There are 2 lazy river pools and a few other pools plus playgrounds. It's right behind Disney's Caribbean resort.
Marriott's Cypress Harbour that I posted above reminds me of Disney's OKW resort.
I'm not looking for Disney-themed offsite. In fact, I'm staying on-site at POR because I liked being immersed in Disney. I was just curious as to what was out there as I have never explored offsite before and thought for a non-Disney trip, there might be some cool non-Disney sites to stay at. I'm not really concerned about price either.
So, the examples listed below are the kind of thing I was curious about. Thank you very much for all your recommendations. I like the thought of the lazy river pools very much!
Has anyone ever stayed at the Universal hotels? Are there any others that were neat?
You're welcome.
The Universal hotels leave Disney's in the dust. We haven't stayed at the Hard Rock but we have friends who have and they love it. They said the restaurant and pool are fantastic.
We've stayed at the Portofino and Royal Pacific.
The Portofino is gorgeous and is their most deluxe. Compared to the Disney deluxe, it is plus ultra-very understated and elegant. The rooms are beautifully decorated, the theme is outstanding. You could just stay there and make a vacation of it. It's my favorite.
The Royal Pacific is where we usually stay because my daughter fell in love with it on our first visit. The landscaping is lush and the restaurants are wonderful. It has a fun pool. The rooms are Polynesian themed without being dark and gloomy.
The staffs are outstanding at all 3. Just an example. We were booked at the Royal Pacific for 3 nights. On the first night, my daughter got sick and I made the decision to leave the next morning. The manager came out and said we would not be charged for that night and even though it was past cancellation, we were not charged for the other 2 nights either. I wasn't expecting it nor do I think she caught any bug specifically at Universal, after all we had just spent 6 nights at WDW and went to a few places in Orlando so she could have been exposed anywhere.
They are . The rooms at the RP are smallish but very, very nice. The other 2 have larger rooms. If you decide to go, buy a preferred annual pass. It has a hotel discount and practically pays for itself with the hotel discount.
If you're looking for a themed resort, I've heard Gaylord Palms is just that. You can look it up on their web site for pics.
Moving to the Orlando Hotels board.
I have heard of Gaylord Palms...in fact I think I drove by. But I don't know anything about it. I'll take a look at the pics just for fun.
This is a great tip! I wouldn't have known about it.
I have heard of Gaylord Palms...in fact I think I drove by. But I don't know anything about it. I'll take a look at the pics just for fun.
Thank you very much. I realized after starting the thread that I likely posted it on the wrong board.
Gaylord Palms is stunning. We were there over Christmas for the ICE! attraction (a feature of the resort during every holiday season) and were super impressed. They have an enormous indoor atrium (something like 4 acres under glass) that is so beautiful. There's even alligators from Gatorland inside, koi fish to feed, etc. I was going to try to post some photos, but Photobucket seems to be having issues. You can check out my trip report (see the link in my signature), more toward the end of the report, for some pics of the atrium and whatnot. I am sure I included at least a few of them in the TR.
Gaylord Palms also has a "Shrek Feast" every Saturday and Sunday at their onsite restaurant, Villa de Flora. Food was fantastic, and character interaction was great. Fiona was the only face character, but she was very chatty even thought we didn't have little ones with us. I must say I was delighted to meet Puss In Boots.....what can I say, I am just a big kid . Food wise, it was the most expansive breakfast buffet I think I've ever seen. The character meal is open to guests of the resort and non-guests alike.