mla973
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2004
- Messages
- 1,119
Review: 4/23-4/24 Gaylord Palms
Price: $89 bid via Priceline (plus Priceline fees and then taxes, parking and resort fee upon arrival). This is considered a resort category through Priceline.
We just added on one night to our trip, and through Priceline were not able to get the previous hotel, so we bid anyway and won this.
Location: B+
A bit closer to the parks, but not a bad location in terms of being closer to Disney property. I thought there would be more traffic noise since its so close to the highway, but we couldnt even hear traffic from the pool. We didnt venture much beyond here, but I dont know about other places nearby. We did have to park quite a ways from our room. There was also a $12.75 daily parking charge added to our bill.
Room: A
This was probably one of the nicest rooms that Ive stayed in, Orlando or otherwise.
It had a gorgeous, high bed and dark furniture. The room had a ceiling fan, which was great at night. We had a seventh floor atrium view, so we looked out over the huge atrium area. The double sink area was separate from the toilet/shower, which was great, and the shower was much nice than most places Ive stayed. Since the place is so huge, we did have to consult the map each time to make our way back to the room.
Staff: B
When we checked in at 9:00 am (anxious to get to a warm pool), I did not expect our room to be ready, and it wasnt. The front desk person said their rooms were sold out the previous evening. She told us to check back at 11:00. We checked back a little after 11:00 after going for breakfast and touring the expansive hotel property. We were then told to check back at 1:00 or 2:00. I asked if they could take a cell phone number and call us when the room was ready (since we would be at the pool), and they said no. We finally checked back about 1:30, and the room was ready.
Restaurants: B+
We ate a Villa de Flora for their buffet breakfast at $20 each. It was fantastic food, but slightly overpriced. The service there was great. On checkout morning, we went to the coffee shop for something quick and paid $12 for cereal, juice and a muffin top. Yikes! We checked a few menus at the restaurants, and they were a bit too expensive for what I wanted to spend.
Pool/amenities: A
After dealing with the freezing pool water at the Omni, I was anxious to see the pools here. The family pool was like bath water, and the pool area wasnt too crowded, despite the hotel being full.
We also used the adult pool area, where the water was a bit cooler, but still nice. My only pool complaint was about the men smoking cigars in the pool area, crowding my clean air. There was also a mini golf course, included in the resort fee.
Overall impression: A
The entire atrium was full of beautiful flowers and foliage, as well as ponds with gators/turtles and a koi pond. I dont think we even saw everything, being there only one night. Despite this being a convention hotel and full of people in business attire, I still felt comfortable in my casual resort wear. We also loved the shops. If I could get a great deal on Priceline as I did this time, I would definitely stay here again.
Price: $89 bid via Priceline (plus Priceline fees and then taxes, parking and resort fee upon arrival). This is considered a resort category through Priceline.
We just added on one night to our trip, and through Priceline were not able to get the previous hotel, so we bid anyway and won this.
Location: B+
A bit closer to the parks, but not a bad location in terms of being closer to Disney property. I thought there would be more traffic noise since its so close to the highway, but we couldnt even hear traffic from the pool. We didnt venture much beyond here, but I dont know about other places nearby. We did have to park quite a ways from our room. There was also a $12.75 daily parking charge added to our bill.
Room: A
This was probably one of the nicest rooms that Ive stayed in, Orlando or otherwise.
It had a gorgeous, high bed and dark furniture. The room had a ceiling fan, which was great at night. We had a seventh floor atrium view, so we looked out over the huge atrium area. The double sink area was separate from the toilet/shower, which was great, and the shower was much nice than most places Ive stayed. Since the place is so huge, we did have to consult the map each time to make our way back to the room. Staff: B
When we checked in at 9:00 am (anxious to get to a warm pool), I did not expect our room to be ready, and it wasnt. The front desk person said their rooms were sold out the previous evening. She told us to check back at 11:00. We checked back a little after 11:00 after going for breakfast and touring the expansive hotel property. We were then told to check back at 1:00 or 2:00. I asked if they could take a cell phone number and call us when the room was ready (since we would be at the pool), and they said no. We finally checked back about 1:30, and the room was ready.
Restaurants: B+
We ate a Villa de Flora for their buffet breakfast at $20 each. It was fantastic food, but slightly overpriced. The service there was great. On checkout morning, we went to the coffee shop for something quick and paid $12 for cereal, juice and a muffin top. Yikes! We checked a few menus at the restaurants, and they were a bit too expensive for what I wanted to spend.
Pool/amenities: A
After dealing with the freezing pool water at the Omni, I was anxious to see the pools here. The family pool was like bath water, and the pool area wasnt too crowded, despite the hotel being full.
We also used the adult pool area, where the water was a bit cooler, but still nice. My only pool complaint was about the men smoking cigars in the pool area, crowding my clean air. There was also a mini golf course, included in the resort fee. Overall impression: A
The entire atrium was full of beautiful flowers and foliage, as well as ponds with gators/turtles and a koi pond. I dont think we even saw everything, being there only one night. Despite this being a convention hotel and full of people in business attire, I still felt comfortable in my casual resort wear. We also loved the shops. If I could get a great deal on Priceline as I did this time, I would definitely stay here again.
