I had the opportunity to spend time at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, Florida and the hotel mostly did not disappoint. This resort is really perfect for family vacations and kids of all ages (including adults). The activities at the resort in conjunction with its proximity to Disney World made for a great stay.
Marriot Status: 7/10
Services: 9/10
Amenities: 9/10
Location: 9/10
Check-in Process
This hotel is quite massive and when you arrive there is a dedicated Elite check-in desk separate from the regular check-in area. While I would have thought this would be quick and easy, there was always a line and understaffed for the number of Elite members.
During my check-in they didn’t explain my benefits or asked if I needed anything. They just appeared to be in a rush. That said, when I asked for early check-in (I arrived at 10AM), they were able to get me a room by noon on a Sunday.
Room
I had a room facing the waterpark. I didn’t notice the noise as it opens by 8AM and closes by 9PM. If I was in my room all day then maybe I would have noticed the noise. The room was very typical. I opted for the dual queen setup. There was a decent amount of space and it was laid out well for a longer stay if needed. I will say that the mini-fridge in the room worked very well. While it didn’t have a freezer, the fridge was stone cold! This was important to me as I was travelling with a young child. The room was equipped with more USB ports then you knew what to do with but I only see this as a bonus. As I only had two chargers but many cables, I was able to charge my phone, iPad, battery pack, headphones (x2) and other gadgets all at the same time.
Amenities
Alligators
The hotel has baby and medium size alligators to see along with turtles, snakes and fish. The larger alligators are in the center of the atrium/foyer and they are easy to see layout out on the rocks and sand inside the hotel.
If you wander down towards the Old Hickory Steakhouse and go to the bottom floor, there you will see baby alligators and some snakes.
Check out the event calendar when you get to the hotel. They have alligator feeding and experiences a few times a week. I saw the baby alligators and I was able to touch and hold it. It was a great experience for kids.
Waterpark
This was probably the highlight of the hotel for me and my family. The amount of activities that they had at this place was fantastic. When you stay there, access to the waterpark is free. At this waterpark they had:
- 3 Teenager/Adult waterslides
- 4 Toddler/Kid waterlides
- A lazy river
- Water Playground for Kids (with waterslides attached)
- Splash pool for infants
- 2 Pools
- Many hot tubs
- Surfing Experience Area
The adult waterslides were fantastic, especially the larger one where you standup and the floor is ripped from under your feet as you fall. It is quite fun and exhilarating.
They have a lot of kid activities. On the weekend they even had a DJ playing kid friendly pop music. The main pool is only ~4.5ft deep so its great for kids. The pool is designed like a beach where it starts off really shallow until it reaches its full depth. It really allows kids and even infants to play in the pool.
The water playground was quite interesting. There were tons of things to do at this playground with water coming out of everywhere. There were water guns, buckets dumping, etc. which made it a water playground like no other. The best part was that there are 4 waterslides for the kids attached to the back of the playground. As the kids have fun in the playground and make their way up, they can take one of the many waterslides on the way down. The waterslides are all managed by staff to maintain safety.
Just behind the larger water slides, is the lazy river and it was another hit. I will say that this water moved surprising fast and was a nice change from the super lazy rivers I’ve been in the past. The lazy river has a waterfall that you must pass through and some flower arrangements that spray water. There are many places to enter and exit the lazy river.
There is a larger and more traditional pool behind the pool bar. It was nice and quiet there. There are many hot tubs around the place where one can soak and finally there was a surfing experience area (at additional cost) that one can try.
There is food service at this waterpark. You can either go up to the bar or someone will come by your area. I ate a couple of times there and the food was decent. I do recommend the chicken strips.
In summary, this place is perfect for the kids.
Other Amenities
Other amenities to mention is the arcade room that is open 24×7, the Spa, many restaurants, and shops all within the resort. They have a beautiful atrium to walk through and I recommend taking a stroll through it at the beginning of your stay. They also have some seasonal decorations that can be fun for the kids to see.
Disney
We stayed at this hotel because of our trips to Disney World. While this wasn’t a Disney Hotel, it was part of the Disney Neighborhood program. Generally speaking it was okay.
They have a shuttle bus that takes you to the various Disney parks. However, from my experience the shuttle leaves late. For example, if the park was opening at 8AM, the shuttle didn’t leave the hotel until 10 after. I ended up taking an Uber on the way there and catching the shuttle on the way back. I did this for all the parks I went to because of the late departure times in the morning.
I will say their concierge was great. I had already booked my tickets but when asking her about the shuttle and what time I wanted to get there by she gave me a couple of options. One was to simply take an Uber to the TTC or the other was to take an Uber to the Contemporary Hotel and walk to Magic Kingdom. I chose the latter.
Location
The location of this hotel is close to the TTC and the parks. It was about a 10-15 minute Uber ride. Generally speaking it was in a good location for access to the Disney Parks.