momtotwinglesx4
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2001
- Messages
- 594
We spent the last 9 nites of our WDW trip in a 2 bdr cottage (#50, right next to kiddie pool) at the Tropical Palms so I thought I'd offer my opinions for anyone who is interested
There were 6 of us: my elderly mother who had the bdr w/ a dbl bed to herself; my 14 y/o and 5 y/o dd's who shared the loft; and my 5 y/o and 2 y/o ds's who slept w/ me in the queen bdr. We didn't bother using the sleeper sofa, but the last 2 nites my 5 y/o dd came down from the loft during the nite and slept on the sofa (not pulled out into a bed) because it was too warm for her in the loft. I had the a/c really cranked the whole time we were there because it was so hot in FL last week, and I noticed the temp inside the cottage really varied by location. The loft, being up near the ceiling was always too warm, the queen bedroom below the loft was always pretty cold (it's 3 steps lower than the rest of the cottage) and the main level was just right
I really enjoyed our stay there and it worked out well for our family size; I think it would have been a little cramped with 8 people though; the sofabed would have taken up most of the living room if we'd had to pull it out all the time. A few negatives I thought I'd mention: if you have kids, BE CAREFUL about the dining room table! It has a heavy glass top that just sits balanced on a wicker center stand. It's stable enough if you use it as intended, but if you have kids (like mine) who think it's a good idea to climb up on the edge of the table, look out! The very heavy top will tip right off! Luckily I was sitting right there to avert disaster, but I can only imagine what that table top could do to a child if it fell on one. Bathroom is very tiny but serviceable. Allow plenty of time for everyone to do their grooming or whatever because you can't get more than one person at the small sink/mirror at a time. There is storage for makeup, toiletries, etc. in the small cabinet behind the bathroom mirror. No storage for clean towels in the bathroom though; we had to keep ours in the closet of the dbl bedroom so anyone wanting to shower would have to go into that bedroom to get towel/washcloth. The doorknob on the bathroom door was very difficult to open, esp for kids and my mom with arthritis in her hands. Also there was a small sliding door btw the bathroom and dbl bdr and the latch was partially broken and very difficult to latch. The faucet on the kitchen sink leaked. The a/c register covers were very rusted and needed to be replaced. There were areas which were quite dirty, especially around the closet sliding door tracks, grout lines etc. I don't mean to be TOO negative, don't get me wrong--we WOULD go back as it's a great value for a large family--it's just not a 3 or 4* joint by any means. The kiddie pool was great for our 2 and 5 y/o kids. The big pool was nice as well. We did eat breakfast at the poolside cafe one morning. Cheap enough for sure, but none of us liked the food. Basically cafeteria quality scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and so on. Quicker and better breakfast right in the cottage with a bowl of cereal or a bagel! Kitchen was very handy for early morning quick breakfast to get out to the parks fast. We only made two dinners in the cottage because I had made way too many PS's (so many restaurants, so little time!) but ;you could save alot on the food budget by using it more than we did. Fridge, stove, and DW all full sized. Laundry facilities large and clean; plenty of washers and dryers--I never had to wait. Any questions? I'd be glad to answer!
Sue
There were 6 of us: my elderly mother who had the bdr w/ a dbl bed to herself; my 14 y/o and 5 y/o dd's who shared the loft; and my 5 y/o and 2 y/o ds's who slept w/ me in the queen bdr. We didn't bother using the sleeper sofa, but the last 2 nites my 5 y/o dd came down from the loft during the nite and slept on the sofa (not pulled out into a bed) because it was too warm for her in the loft. I had the a/c really cranked the whole time we were there because it was so hot in FL last week, and I noticed the temp inside the cottage really varied by location. The loft, being up near the ceiling was always too warm, the queen bedroom below the loft was always pretty cold (it's 3 steps lower than the rest of the cottage) and the main level was just right I really enjoyed our stay there and it worked out well for our family size; I think it would have been a little cramped with 8 people though; the sofabed would have taken up most of the living room if we'd had to pull it out all the time. A few negatives I thought I'd mention: if you have kids, BE CAREFUL about the dining room table! It has a heavy glass top that just sits balanced on a wicker center stand. It's stable enough if you use it as intended, but if you have kids (like mine) who think it's a good idea to climb up on the edge of the table, look out! The very heavy top will tip right off! Luckily I was sitting right there to avert disaster, but I can only imagine what that table top could do to a child if it fell on one. Bathroom is very tiny but serviceable. Allow plenty of time for everyone to do their grooming or whatever because you can't get more than one person at the small sink/mirror at a time. There is storage for makeup, toiletries, etc. in the small cabinet behind the bathroom mirror. No storage for clean towels in the bathroom though; we had to keep ours in the closet of the dbl bedroom so anyone wanting to shower would have to go into that bedroom to get towel/washcloth. The doorknob on the bathroom door was very difficult to open, esp for kids and my mom with arthritis in her hands. Also there was a small sliding door btw the bathroom and dbl bdr and the latch was partially broken and very difficult to latch. The faucet on the kitchen sink leaked. The a/c register covers were very rusted and needed to be replaced. There were areas which were quite dirty, especially around the closet sliding door tracks, grout lines etc. I don't mean to be TOO negative, don't get me wrong--we WOULD go back as it's a great value for a large family--it's just not a 3 or 4* joint by any means. The kiddie pool was great for our 2 and 5 y/o kids. The big pool was nice as well. We did eat breakfast at the poolside cafe one morning. Cheap enough for sure, but none of us liked the food. Basically cafeteria quality scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and so on. Quicker and better breakfast right in the cottage with a bowl of cereal or a bagel! Kitchen was very handy for early morning quick breakfast to get out to the parks fast. We only made two dinners in the cottage because I had made way too many PS's (so many restaurants, so little time!) but ;you could save alot on the food budget by using it more than we did. Fridge, stove, and DW all full sized. Laundry facilities large and clean; plenty of washers and dryers--I never had to wait. Any questions? I'd be glad to answer!Sue
Cindy's breakfast was ok, but I felt like we were being rushed through to get the next party in; San Angel Inn for lunch was overpriced IMO; I didn't think their food was any better than ChiChi's or Carlos O'Kelley's. Kona Cafe for breakfast was ok, but IMO not spectacular enough to warrant the prices.
