Thought I would post this email that I received regarding this thread.
Enjoy.
> Saw your post on the disboards, I was trying to log on to post my
review
> of CI&S but was unsuccessful. I never had posted before, but I just
got
> back from Orlando (05/03-05/13) and I wanted to give my review, since
the
> boards were so helpful to me in planning my trip.
> I had a standard room for my first 7 nights at the entertainment rate
of
> 39.50 per night. I loved it there. If you plan on spending a lot of
time
> at the parks, then this place is perfect. I would definitely go
back.
> Super easy to drive to WDW, took us less than 8 minutes each day. I
would
> not get the kid's suite, though. It was no suite. I asked to see one
just
> to see what I was missing out on, and it was pretty cramped. It had
the
> same microwave and refrigerator that I had, but in the area where one
> double bed was, they walled it in and put two little raised beds with
> drawers underneath. I had my 5 years lay on one of these beds, and
he
> barely fit (44inches tall). He also said "ouch Mom" and then I felt
the
> mattress, and it was just a little foam pad about 2 inches thick, not
a
> mattress. It had a separate TV, but the video games still had the
same
> charge as the other rooms, not free.
> I would get two standards, adjoining rooms instead. They said they
had
> about 6 on each floor. Then you would have 4 double beds, 2 fridges,
and
> two microwaves and two bathrooms. maybe you could even negotiate a
lower
> rate than the 39.50 per night) or another post mentioned Runaway Bay
just
> across the street with kitchen, bedrooms, etc. That also looked
really
> nice.
> The pool wasn't huge, but it certainly was family oriented, ample for
lots
> of people, and was warm most nights (about 82 degrees). The second
pool
> just opened the third night we were there. When I complained about
the
> times it seemed chillier, the fix-it-guy for the hotel said that
people
> had broken into the gated area where the controls were and tried to
mess
> with them, and he was working on it.
> The breakfast at Country Inn was great too. Biscuits and gravy
(gravy hot
> in a crock pot), frozen waffles and french toast that you put into a
> conveyor belt type toaster, three kinds of cereal (first three days
it was
> only raisin bran, but then they brought out f. loops, corn flakes and
> frosted flakes too), doughnuts, bagels, muffins, toast, flavored
creamers
> for coffee plus 1/2 & 1/2 (not the powdered stuff) and bananas and
apples.
> They had about three workers behind the food area, so it was always
> replenished. My only complaint was that it was extremely busy, so
eat
> early if you can. Opens at 7:00. There were too many people
wandering
> around, probably thinking about space mountain, that got in my way!
> Ice machines are on the 3, 5 and 7 floor, and I faxed a room request
about
> one week before my stay requesting my room to overlook the pool and
> grounds, be near but not next to an ice machine, and I was totally
> accommodated. We brought empty wide-mouth drinking bottles(gatorade
and
> powerade bottles) and filled them with ice in the morning, put them
in a
> little cooler bag that fit about 4 bottles, plus we all carried
bottles
> with us and we were good to go. Didn't take them back with us,
souvenir
> room!)
> We also stayed at the Portofino Bay Hotel for 2 nights at a rate of
$150
> per night to take advantage of the front of the line access at
Universal
> and IOA. It was really nice, but it wasn't THAT much nicer than the
> Country Inn.
> We never heard any noise from the pool area, and the grounds are
pretty.
> Saw lots of time share presentations happening to other people, but
was
> never asked, or approached by anybody about a presentation.
>
> Finally, I let you in on a secret that I discovered that I was dying
to
> share on the disboards, but I can't get logged on.
> My secret is that I stayed cool down there in the 95 degree heat by
these
> little bandanas that I bought from Super Wal-Mart in the sporting
good
> section. They have these little gel beads in them, and you soak them
for
> 5 minutes in cold water and they swell, and you where them around
your
> neck. I soaked them in ice water and carried them to the parks in a
> plastic bag, and then brought them out when we started to feel the
heat.
> I didn't see anybody wearing these things, and had people asking me
about
> them all day. My last day, I gave them away because I didn't feel
like
> taking these moist things home. They were $2.88 each and they only
lasted
> about three days each, but they were worth it. I bought two for each
> family member, and that worked perfect. They are called "Aqua Cool"
The
> Reusable Body Cooler
> Don't be discouraged by the lady that couldn't do her laundry at 10
pm,
> never heard of such a crazy thing, doing laundry while on vacation.
I
> would if I could take it in the hot tub with me!
>
> Iowa Girl