After attending a wedding in Melbourne, FL decided to bring the family to Orlando for our last few days. We spoiled ourselves at the Gaylord Palms! I made reservations through the Marriott website and was immediately able to see all the taxes and fees added to the room. I hesitated to change hotels but decided we would stay and splurge. Man, was it worth it!

The location of the hotel is in an area away from the Disney traffic- thank goodness! It's location off of International Dr made it easier and quicker to get to. We checked in and the front desk staff couldn't have been friendlier. We stayed in a deluxe suite on the 4th floor facing the atrium. The room was very spacious and nicely appointed. The view was amazing and the hotel itself, awesome!

I selected this hotel because of it's on-site waterpark and amenities. It did not disappoint. The water was warmed to 84 degrees. We were at Disney during the day and missed the Cypress Springs water park since it closed at 5:30pm. We were still able to enjoy the zero-entry pool with basketball goals. The kids had a great time swimming and playing basketball. The resort provided large pool towels. We walked around the resort and saw the baby alligators and different types of fish. There was also a large turf area near Wreckers and my son was able to play in a quick kids' football game. This was definitely one of the kids' favorite hotels!

I utilized the valet parking ($24/day) instead of self-parking ($18/day) for the convenience. They were very expedient and stated during each call they have the vehicle downstairs in under 10 minutes. We never had to wait. We had to have them bring the vehicle up to get something out of it and it was no problem. The staff was very friendly, with or without tipping.

The costs do add up, but none were a surprise. You'll have the room cost plus taxes; resort fee plus taxes and parking plus taxes. My room cost was basically an additional $50-$60 a night with the fees and taxes. I had planned for it and it made it bearable. If they had caught me by surprise, I would have had a very different attitude towards it. The resort fee included wi-fi and that was convenient. I've seen internet rates up to $25 in JW Marriotts or other resort style hotels. Including it in a fee and not having to log on and pay was better because we had at least 4 devices in our room logged on. The rates for food are equivalent to a resort hotel but if preferred, there are many, many restaurants neaby. The Orlando Premium Outlets on Vineland was about 15 minutes away and restaurants within 5 minutes.

Marriott Elite members will be very satisfied. They take care of their members. I'm definitely glad this is a Marriott property and we will definitely be back when visiting the area.

The Gaylord hotel and staff were awesome,But the Spa experience was dreadful . I purchased the hour and a half for $180 ..... What a huge disappointment for a massage. It was a Mediocre back rub at best . Formerly the Canyon Ranch occupied that spa and I periodically had massages there. If you are planning a massage Don't Get It Here! huge waste of $$$$$ for less than a back rub experience!!!!! Denise H. Orlando Fl. The reason for this post is they never responded to my comments and concern. I live in Orlando and work in house in a huge timeshare resort and have since stop referring my owners there.

I was here for just three days - wish it was more!!! The soothing and relaxing atmosphere of this hotel made my jetlag bearable.

The staff are extremely friendly, and being one to get lost easily they were always helpful with giving me directions to where I needed to go!

The hotel is outstanding. Our kids ran around and saw the "ship", koi pond, alligators, etc. We really enjoyed the zero-entrance kids pool.

Our room was pretty average. I've stayed in motel rooms that were just as nice. We had an "awesome view" the parking lot and dumpster, but hey someone has to have that view, right?

Add $20 to your nightly rate for the resort fee. Add $18-$24 per day for parking. The resort fee covers your access to all parts of the hotel, wi-fi, and two bottles of water that are placed in the mini-fridge. There is no in-room microwave and I think that is intentional so that you can't reheat anything and must order room service or go to one of their restaurants. My husband requested a ride to meet us at Universal and they were prompt in providing a town car, but it was $40.

All in all it was lovely, we had a nice time, but I'm the type that would rather shell out the money for the room and that be the end of the fees.