Great Hotels show/ ?? for those who've stayed at

[Kimberle]

the resorts featured.

Does Sam do a good job portraying the resorts as they actually are? Are the shows pretty accurate? Does she "miss" items or "over-gloryify"?

I just love watching her shows. I have a whole list of hotels she's featured that I'd like to stay at.

As she's never done CR (our only WDW hotel so far), I don't have a basis for comparison. The main reason we selected WL was because of her show.

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Of the resorts featured, we've stayed at all of then except AKL. I think she did a pretty accurate job showing each resort. But, everything always looks better in person.

 

[Scoootch]

I agree

I've also stayed at all the WDW hotels that were featured on great hotels accept for AKL and what they showed pretty much is what we got. WL though, the rooms are a bit smaller than at Y & B clubs or the GF. You may want to keep that in mind. WL is a great resort with lots of great ammenities,resturaunts and the boat transportation is wonderful but the rooms were IMHO, about the same size as at the moderates. (They showed regular rooms and a Jr.Suite size I think on the show). The themeing is awesome though!

Have a great time - you'll love it!

 

[Scoootch]

P.S. --


Forgot to add -- for anyone interested, GF will be featured today on Great Hotels at 3:30pm

 

[kmermaid]

I also love this show. Though I've notice that when she goes to her room she almost always has an upgraded verison of a regular room ex: AKL and WL and most of the other hotels she visits. I would rather see what the regular rooms look like.

 

[Demosthenes]

She does tend to gush over some things that are fairly ordinary, but it is usually just to build a decent monologue about every resort (Le Pavillion in New Orleans has the most ordinary pasta, and some of the most bland cooking in a city with the best restaurants in the country, but she made over the place like it gets no better). Her room descriptions, especially of Disney hotels sometimes feauture some rather trivial amenities (at the GF, she was pretty impressed with the decorative bottles for shampoo and conditioner), and rarely focus on any of the negatives of a resort (no mention of transportation problems, high priced restaurants, bad restaurants or slow service). Overall, I'd say she does a good promotional video for every resort she visits.

I sound like I'm being negative about both the resorts and the show; I don't mean to make that impression. I love Disney resorts, and I like the show (we Tivo it daily), but I do wish she would offer an honest assesment, with both pros and cons about each resort she stays at. Afterall, it can still be a Great Hotel, even with a few blemishes.

 

[ducklite]

I've stayed at many of the hotels she's featured, and not just teh WDW ones. Almost all the time she is in a suite or upgraded room. Take the GF for example. Those bottles for shampoo are NOT standard, they are only in the highest end suites.

Face it, we're never going to see the room that looks out onto the dumpster on that show.

Don't get me wrong, it's a great show, but definitely sugar coated and upgraded.

Anne

 

[johnsonet]

I love her show! I DO think GF looks a lot better than it does on the show - and I don't think those suites even look good. My garden view in Boca Chica is much more beautiful - just not as large. Plus, that was before the new pool was added, right?
The AKL show had me salivating. I have it recorded and watch it all the time - I think it's brilliant! Of course, she WAS in a 2-BR suite

 

[Figaro1]

I also really enjoy the Great Hotel show with Sam, she makes it a very wonderful show.

At the Wilderness Lodge, I think I did hear one error in her report of the Hoop-Dee-Doo. If I here her correctly she stated that reservations are made up to 2 WEEKS in advance vs. 2 YEARS in advance. Again, I would have to see the show.

Figaro

 

[Demosthenes]

Originally posted by ducklite
Take the GF for example. Those bottles for shampoo are NOT standard, they are only in the highest end suites.

Really? I know I had those for our stay in the RPC a couple of years ago, but we just had a standard room. Is this a cutback?

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by Demosthenes
Really? I know I had those for our stay in the RPC a couple of years ago, but we just had a standard room. Is this a cutback?

When I stayed concierge at the GF (Lodge concierge) we just had the regular upgraded toiletries. A coworker stayed RPC last year and I *thought* she had the regular upgraded toiletries as well, because she brought home a bag of items for me to donate to the woman and childrens homeless shelter I collect soaps and shampoos for. I'll have to ask her now...

At any rate, these are not the amenities you'll get in a standard room, and I think often we are led to believe that many of the amenities she receives (fresh flowers or champagne in the room for example) are standard, when they are not.

Anne

 

[AspiringCindy]

Regarding WL, I would say her report is very accurate. Just note that the deluxe room is not the room you get(Unless you book it)!

 

[phyllis1966]

I enjoy this show, too, but I agree with other posters who feel that she should show us what a standard room looks like, as well as the upgraded rooms. I'm an "average" person, as are many others who watch the show, I'm sure, and I would like to see the standard version of the rooms because that is most likely where my family and I would be staying. It's fun to see the upgraded and Presidential suites, too, though!

 

[Demosthenes]

Originally posted by ducklite
At any rate, these are not the amenities you'll get in a standard room, and I think often we are led to believe that many of the amenities she receives (fresh flowers or champagne in the room for example) are standard, when they are not.

That is definately true. If you watch the GF show, you may get the impression that chocolate dipped strawberries welcome everyone to their room!

 

[Ned Land]

My take on Samantha Brown and her review's of Disney properties...

I think she does a very good job giving a quick overview of the hotels. I would not want her to give the cons of any hotel based on one visit. I don't think it would be accurate with just one visit.

Her review of the Wilderness Lodge was probably the weakest. She talked like she was speaking to five year olds. She was in a junior suite (probably because the camera crew would not fit in a regular room). There are very few of these rooms. Her advice in this episode was to book a room based on the room and not the view. How do you do that?

Still, they are fun to watch and give good information for someone trying to decide where to stay.

Has anyone ever seen an episode where she does not wear those ugly black flip-flops?

 

[Janet2k]

Figaro1, I have all the WDW Travel Channel Great Hotel shows on my hard-drive (just loaded them over the past weekend; yep, I’m a geek AND a Disney lover). Since you asked, I just listened to the Hoop-Dee-Doo portion of the WL show and Sam stated: “The evening Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue is the longest, continually running dinner show in America. And believe it or not, you have to book your tickets sometimes weeks in advance.”

Back to the original topic, I enjoy Sam’s Great Hotels shows. For the most part, she’s right on target regarding the WDW resorts. However, most of us here on the Dis probably know more about the resorts than most WDW CMs, so if Sam really wanted to make sure that her shows were 100% accurate, she would contact us when she is performing her research (we’d make sure the resorts were portrayed accurately).

By the way, I am glad that Sam only portrays the resorts in a positive light. Thankfully, I get all the help I need regarding resort Pro’s and Con’s from my fellow Dis’ers.

 

[snyderla]

I just LOVE Sam on those shows. IMHO, since the show is called "Great Hotels", she is going to focus on the Great things about each hotel. Makes sense to me!! Also, she does tell us which type of room she is staying in and she does say when things are extra..."you can have" such and such done. She didn't say the strawberries and chocolates were included in each room.
Lori

 

[tnkrbell]

I think she potrayed the Yacht and beach fairly well. (except those rooms were before renovation and I think the rooms are much prettier now)

 

[diznee25]

Face it, we're never going to see the room that looks out onto the dumpster on that show.

I was asking my fiancee' the other night, "On Great Hotels, why don't they show standard rooms?" You want to hear his answer:
Him protraying Samantha: "Here's the bed and little table with 4 chairs, if you look to the left you'll see the vanity area and small bathroom."

The show is called GREAT Hotels for a reason. They show the luxury rooms of all the resorts featured on that show. Sure the rooms are a couple thousand dollars per night, like the Presidential suite, but that's why they show it! You'd never know what it looks like otherwise.

Diznee25

 

[ryansmom]

I was disappointed that "Great Hotels" did not show or even mention the pool at AKL. We plan on staying there next year and I would have loved to see it!