Tropical palms

[reeddi]

I got a great quote of $49 for their small studio cottage (april 20-27). Is this a good place? My other alternative is Super 8 Suites on Vine. Further away, but at a rate of $44 per night for a 2 bdr suite I am considering the drive.
Please help me on this, I haven't been to disney in 8 years.

 

[daannzzz]

I didn't stay here but I did go onto their property to check it out as it seemed intrigueing. It is very fun looking as each unit is a seperate small building with a deck. It is a colorful place with nice landscaping. The reviews have almost all been good. I did read that there are no phones in the units.

 

[hockey mom]

Friends of ours stayed at Tropical Palms last year and loved it. They said it was very clean, quiet, and close to the parks. Their kids really enjoyed sleeping in the loft area.

 

[momtotwinglesx4]

Hi Reeddi,

If you don't mind my asking, where or how did you get the price quote of $49 per nite for TP? The lowest I found was $59 for the studio for our trip May 1-8. Always looking for a better deal!

Thanks!

Sue

 

[reeddi]

I looked it up on the internet and it was posting at $59. But they have 2 levels of studios and 2 bdr. The smal studio was $49 the bigger studio was $59 and the 2 bdr was $79. (That was what the woman on the phone quoted me.) My biggest question is... Should I stay further away to get more room? Or should I stay closer and pay a little more for less room? Either way we have to drive into the park. The Tropical Palms does not have a free shuttle.

 

[momtotwinglesx4]

Hi, thanks for the info--I didn't realize that there was a smaller studio available. The woman I talked to didn't offer that info to me! I, too, had been debating between TP and the Super 8 Suites. I haven't heard enough about Super 8 to feel comfortable about booking there though. A 2 bdr suite would be nice, but I don't like the longer drive and it didn't seem like there was as much to do there if you wanted to just relax at the hotel for a day. I've read TONS of great reviews of TP however, and it seems to be alot closer to WDW. We're driving down so we'll have our own car to get to the parks. Frankly, even if there was a shuttle, I'd drive anyway. Much more convenient to come and go as I please without having to rely on sporadic shuttle schedules and worry about missing the bus, etc. We stayed onsite last Sept. and drove our rental car to the parks anyway rather than have to deal with waiting for busses. If anyone has any more info about Super 8 Suites, I'd love to hear it, good or bad!

Sue

 

[C.Ann]

We stayed at the Tropical Palms this past September for 12 days and absolutely LOVED it - wouldn't even consider staying in a hotel now - even a suite..

We had the 2 bedroom cottage and it was awesome.. Can't say enough good things about the place and took us less than 10 minutes to drive to the parks.. The grounds are very nice - there's a little store on-site as well as a laundramat.. Adult pool and kiddie pool - the kiddie pool is really neat! Childrens playground and a poolside cafe that serves both breakfast and lunch at dirt cheap prices with fairly large portions of food..

Tropical Palms is located just off the main highway - 192 - but you would swear you were miles out in the country - VERY quiet and the staff are great.. No telephones but there are pay phones both outside of and inside of the office/store area.. All cottages are No Smoking but if you do smoke you can do it out on the deck of your cottage..

We saw all kinds of wildlife there and for the first time in my life I saw LIVE armadillos - they came around every night and morning looking for bugs to eat.. Very entertaining..

You're also within walking distance of "Old Town" - a real fun place with lots of little stores, restaurants, and some amusement rides - yet you hear NONE of this noise back at the cottages - even when you're sitting outside on the deck..

The cottages are VERY clean - a/c works great - and the one we had came with all full-size appliances as well as a microwave and coffeemaker..

We're hoping to go back in December and if we do we will DEFINITELY stay at the Tropical Palms.. It was nice to come back to a "home" after a long day at the parks and nice for my granddaughter to have room to play on the day that Tropical Storm Gabrielle forced us to stay inside..

Now on the other hand, my DD's in-laws stayed at the Super 8 and after they saw what we had they wished they had gotten a cottage as well.. There's really no comparison - one is a "hotel" and the other feels like you have your own little "home"..

Let me know if I can answer any other questions.. I'd be more than happy to!

 

[reeddi]

Thanks for the incredible info. I had pretty much decided on Tropical Palms but that put me over the edge. It sounds wonderful and not as far away as the other. Not having phones doesn't bother me. That's why you're on vacation right, to get away from your "REAL" life. Now, I can't decide if it's worth the extra $30 a night for a 2-bdr. Whatcha think C.Ann?

 

[C.Ann]

I think you'll be happy with your choice of the Tropical Palms - I certainly know that we were..

Now - to answer your question.. How many are in your party and what are their ages?

In our party it was my DD, her husband, their 3 yr. old daughter, and myself.. We chose the two bedroom simply because I wanted to have a room of my own - where I could get away from everyone for a bit if I wanted to..

If you go with the studio it will be one big long open area - like a house with no walls to separate the rooms - except for the bathroom of course, and the upper sleep loft - which is still "open" because it looks down into the main area.. If privacy isn't an issue, the studio will be fine.. I wouldn't recommend the loft for really small children though as I would be afraid they might fall over the railing and the ladder pretty much goes straight up - if you know what I mean..

In the 2 bedroom cottage there was one bedroom with a queen size bed, one with a double size bed, the sleeping loft which was also a double, and a full size double sofa bed in the living/kitchen area.. Also, the "bed" in the sleeping loft is actually a double mattress on the floor which SOUNDS awful but isn't at all.. It's brand new carpeting up there and the "bed" was squeaky clean..

May sound silly, but I get the "warm fuzzies" just thinking about the place.. Also, we were there at the time of the terrorist attacks and for some reason we felt so much safer in that cottage - kind of like we were "home" and not stranded in some strange hotel..

If you do decide to go there I would really appreciate it if you would let me know how you liked it when you get back.. When is your trip scheduled for?

Any other questions? If so, just fire away!!

 

[reeddi]

We are a party of 4. Me, DH, and 2 DD's (6 & 1). The one year old will be in a play and go crib anyway. The only one in the sleeping loft is my 6 year old. I know $79 is good for a 2 bdr cottage but I'm thinking to save $ for other things. We are staying from Sat April 20 to Sat April 27 (Got to have Sunday to get back to the real world before work). Both my DD's sleep hard and I think we will all go to bed about the same time anyway. Maybe I'll ask for an upgrade when we get there.

 

[C.Ann]

I'm not 100% sure, but if the studio also has the pull out sofa bed (which I think it does) you wouldn't even have to have your 6 year old sleep up in the loft if you didn't want to so it would probably work out fine.. And I'm with you - if you can save the extra money then that's all the more you'll have to spend on other fun things!

A couple of more things come to mind that I forgot to mention.. The door has an electronic lock on it so it locks automatically whenever you go outside so be sure to ask for TWO swipe cards - one for yourself and one for your husband - and whenever you go out on the deck make sure you have one of them with you.. On the deck there is a picnic table and 4 patio chairs - a great place to relax in the evening or have your morning coffee..

And here's a real money saver.. If you can do this - and you have the time - make sure you go to the Disney Outlet stores BEFORE you purchase any kind of souveniers in the parks - even post cards! My DD bought a safari hat in Animal Kingdom for $16.99 and the next day we saw them in one of the outlet stores for $2.99 !!!!! I thought she was going to break down and cry right there on the spot - and she's 29 years old!! We saved a ton of money there and got some really nice things..

Also, the very best character meal we had was in the Garden Grill in Epcot.. The characters spent loads of time with my granddaughter - kept coming back to the table over and over again - and the food was great.. Try for the lunch though (we didn't have PS) - just walk up and ask if they have openings.. If I remember correctly the only difference between the lunch and the dinner menu (aside from about five bucks per person) was a salad..

I'm getting jealous now.. Can I come?????

 

[reeddi]

That is if you can swing it.
I have learned from others experience on this board to go to the outlets. We have 7 days so if we can't find it at the outlets we'll go back and get it. Who are the characters at the Garden Grill and is that the one in the LAND?
We already have a fireworks cruise booked (paid for with the difference in the hotel room) and I hope to get PS for cindy's breakfast one morning.

In your opinion what are some not to be missed things and some good restaurants? It looks like we kind of have the same tastes.