Just back-Gaylord Palms & Wyndham Palms

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

First let me say that if cost was no object we would stay at Gaylord Palms again and again and again!!! Absolutely loved it there. We were scheduled for our 1st 2 nites at GP. The day we were checking out and going to the house it was really pouring so we booked another nite and decided to jusst hang around the hotel. There is so much to see we never got bored. After the wheater cleared a little we picked up our key and headed over to check out the house. I guess after being at GP we were a little disappointed. It just seemed a little too quiet and a little too "homey". We went back to the hotel and decided to book another nite! Well when we finally did get to the house and get settled it was ok. The location is good and it was nice to spread out but I think we were spoiled at Gaylord.. This was our 1st time in a rental home and I'm not sure its for us. Don't get me wrong there was nothing negative about Wyndham Palms, but it just did not have that vacation feel. I will be happy to answer any questions.

Laura

 

[debbie655]

about Gaylord Palms, we saw it under construction last summer. I do think from what I hear that it would be out of my price range though. We had considered a home for part of the time we are visiting this year as we are 7 people staying at Royal Pacific in two rooms and the price for a home is approx the same as one room at RP. You mentioned your rental home not having that vacation feel and that is exactly the reason why we decided not to go with that option. Being around a hotel, other people etc. is a big part of our vacation experience. Thanks for the info!

 

[DisOrBust]

Tell more on Gaylord Palms!!! What rate dod you pay? When you added a night did you have to pay rack rate? How does it stack up to a WDW deluxe? How was the pool ans restaurantS???

Thanks!
Sue

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

DisOrBust,

We abosolutely LOVED Gaylord Palms..Service was top notch. We paid AAA rate for the added nite $212.00 but they gave us breakfast as well. There were 3 or 4 restaurants but we ate in only one. All 4 mornings breakfast was great but the Dinner buffet sucked. They never charged us for any of the kids which was nice. As far as the pools, the "family" pool had zero depth entry and a big octupus slide which was perfect for my little ones. There was also a quiet pool. Both were fine, nothing fabulous but fine. As far as comparing to WDW deluxe, we've only stayed at WL, AKL, and Poly(concierge) I would pick Gaylord Palms over any of them. It is rather pricey though. I called to book for early Dec and the best available rate is $345.00 (yikes) I think I'll pass.

 

[DisOrBust]

Thanks for the reply.....I don't know if your a risk taker but Gaylord Palms has been coming up on priceline. It goes for arould 80/night in the "resort" catagory. It's wierd people who bid 60 in the resort catagory get the Hilton. People who bid80 get the Gaylord Palms/?? Or so it seems. If your interested check out www.biddingfortravel.com I am thinking of giving it a try for one night for giggles....

 

[montessori]

Hi Laura,
I could not resist the fantastic weekend rate at Gaylord Palms, we're going Friday! We're going to stay at BW during the 4th of July week, so I was hesitant ,but it was an offer I couldn't refuse.
I'm sorry if I ask questions that have already been answered.
Which type room did you have? I love the look of The Everglades ones, but they all look really nice. Should we request anything special, view, location...? Where did you have breakfast? I hope they open early. We ALWAYS get up so early, sometimes it's a problem at Disney World! It's peaceful wandering around at 6:00 a.m. though! Any tips about the hotel will be appreciated.

I thought your comments about the staying in a home were interesting too. I have been struggling with the idea myself and keep thinking that we won't be as happy in a home. We love resorts. There's no doubt that renting a home is affordable and has its advantages (we did rent homes a couple of times but that was a LONG time ago) but part of the Disney experience is the wonderful resorts. We love The Boardwalk the best, mostly the location I suppose. I think we are going to have a great time at Gaylord Palms too, but we'll still go hang out on The Boardwalk for a while.
Thanks for any info, Laura,

Mary Ann

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

montessori- You will love Gaylord Palms. There is so much to see in the hotel. We stayed in the Emerald Bay room..it was included in our pacakage. I beliver they are all in St Augustine. Did you get the special? As far as breakfast it was in the Villa De Flora and I believe it opens early. We have 3 kids and we are also up at the crack of dawn... There are quite a few convention people and I think breakfast started at 6:00am. Also there is a coffee house that has reaaly good coffee open if you can't wait...
We took advantage of the Canyon Ranch Spa...wonderful. We loved it so much we are going backk in December. Their customer service is wonderful. If you want to know what happened..PM me.
Also save room for Ben & Jerrys..Have fun!!! I'm jealous!