Taylor1293: We checked in around 8:00 p.m. on the 26th. We took advantage of the 21-day advance reservation rate which, at the time, was $94.50 per night. We didn't pay anymore for poolside, and it wasn't until about a week after I made the reservation that my husband asked if I gave them his Priority Number. I had not, but called back and they added it to our reservations. I can't say enough about this place. When I was trying to decide if I should cancel our Port Orleans reservations (I was unhappy about the cancellation of EE and learning that the parks were closing a lot earlier than during the "summer," I called the HIFS toll-free number to ask a question about queen double kids' suites and kids' suites.....both were options on the Holiday Inn reservations web page and I didn't know the difference. Well, no one at the main Holiday Inn reservations number could help, and no one from the HIFS reservations number could help, so they transferred me to the web page designer at HIFS. In addition to answering my question, she told me that kids 12 and under could eat free any time at Pizza Hut and A&W, which helped me decided to stay there since our kids our such picky eaters, I thought we'd just do Pizza Hut for dinner each night. Well, someone on this board told me that kids eat free at Pizza Hut and A&W only during lunch time. When I called HIFS back to check on this, the reservations clerk confirmed this. I asked to speak to the web page designer, and she again told me that kids eat free in all the restaurants at all times, so long as at least one parent was purchasing a meal. I told her about the conflicting info., and when she checked it out she learned that she had given me incorrect information, but promised to "make it right for us." When we arrived in our room Monday night, there was a huge gift basket with all kinds of snacks for the kids, 3 coupons for medium pizzas at Pizza Hut and 3 coupons good for 10 tokens each at the game room, along with a letter of apology for misinforming us.
I didn't find the furnishings in our room at all outdated. In fact, I thought the parents' room was very tastefully decorated. The kids had the manatee room, and it was furnished very nicely too! I'd love to know in what room the guests that complained of outdated furnishings stayed. Our rooms were not at all dark: there was lighting over the kitchen area, a floor lamp by the swivel rocker, a lamp on the table beside the sofa, the bathroom was extrememly well lit, and both bedrooms had lighted ceiling fans and lamps on the bedside tables. I've never stayed at Vistana Resorts, so I can't say how they compare, but is the cost more than $94.50 per night??
Don't worry...you made a good choice, I think you'll be very happy there. Besides, how much time do you plan to spend in the room? We were out of there by 8:00 and didn't return until evening after the parks closed.
One more question: Did you make your reservation requests through the main Holiday Inn line or did you call HIFS to make requests? This might make a difference. I reserved the room on-line and then called the HIFS toll-free number to request, ground floor, poolside, theme choice, and close to the lobby.
Have a great trip!
Thanks in advance for your help!
. However, all the kid suites were booked, so it wasn't a big deal. We ended up being on the first floor right in front of where we could parked our car, so it was very convienant.
