We stayed at HIFS from Sat. 6/22/02 to Sat. 6/29/02.
Our room was 501 which is right around the corner from the main lobby and on the ground floor. We enjoyed being on the ground floor as we didn't have to wait for the elevators. Even being right in front of the parking lot, the room was quiet.
My kids 11 & 14 enjoyed their own rooms as did my DH and I. What we enjoyed most was having a sofa and chair to sit in while watching tv at night. You can rent as many videos as you want for 3 days @ $11.99.
We also went down the street (about 2 miles) to Walgreens and the grocery store across the street to buy water, gatorade, and other stuff to store in the refrigerator. We also used the fridge to cool our aqua cool bandanas. (We didn't find the bandanas that useful).
The complimentary security safe also made us feel more secure, and there were two sets of hair dryers and mirrors (one in the bathroom, the other in the master bedroom).
We loved everything about our room. The room was very clean each day and plenty of towels were given to us. I only have two minor complaints, 1) the dining chairs were a little sticky and 2) the front door had a space opening that let air in and small Florida flying bugs. I am not use to Florida bugs.
We didn't use the hotel transportation and just used our rental car. The WDW theme parks are about 4-5 miles away. The 1-2 miles they claim on the HIFS brochures must be to the WDW front welcome arch/gate.
My 14 year old daughter could have cared less about the kiddie pool, but my 11 year old son loved it. Because of the lighting and thunder, you had to keep getting out of the pool. We didn't have time to visit the video archades or do any of the night entertainment.
The breakfast buffet was good for a free buffet. It had scrambled eggs (w & w/o cheese), a variety of cut fruit, variety of different potato wedges, cereal, oatmeal, bagels, doughnuts, toast, apple juice, orange juice, milk, coffee, chocolate, jello, and yogurt. Everyday the would have either sausages, ham, or bacon.
The dinner buffet was different each day. Again, I don't think it was bad for free. I got the $109 family value plan that included the dinner buffet. However, I don't think it was worth the regular $13.99. My kids didn't like the buffet, so they ate the Pizza Hut personal pizza on some of the days. Every day they have roast beef. Some days it is overcooked, but on other days it was good. The salad items are standard: romaine, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs, raisins, sunflower seeds, almond slices, bacon bits etc. w all the different types of dressing. They usually offer a vegetable, rice or potatoes, soup, and about three different meat entrees. One day they had ribs, chicken and corn on the cob, another day it was pastas and lasagna, another day it was baked fish and chicken. They also have a small kids buffet which included, hotdogs, spaghetti, chicken nuggets, corn fritters, macaroni and cheese. Every day it was a little different. The best day was the Friday seafood buffet. MY DH and I enjoyed the all you can eat crab legs. The buffet also comes with a drink. Desert was usually ice cream with different toppings. One day, it was cherry cobbler. Again, the dinner buffet was great since it saved me about $200-$250 over a week's time, but if I had to pay full full price, I would go somewhere else.
Don't forget to give HIFS the $10 coupon for gas. You can probably get a coupon at the Holiday Inn Web site. I got mind out of the Sunday newspaper coupon section. If you fill out your HIFS survey, the hotel will give you a choo-choo train cookie cutter as a souvenir. They also give you a 5 X 7 family picture for free, but we didn't have time to do that. Also, if you use the laundry room and the machines don't work, make sure you ask for a refund.
Well, that covers it for me. If you have any HIFS questions, please let me know. I tried to point out some items that were not mentioned above. Overall, we were very pleased with HIFS. It was definitely worth the value.
Well, we actually got back a few days ago, I've been too busy to post. Here's a brief synopsis:
