While I have been to the Walt Disney World area many times, the family vacation this year to WDW was a first for my husband, daughter and son. I wanted everything to be perfect!

My husband sprung the Disney World trip on me and I had little time to plan and prepare. I had read about some super rates at the Wyndham Palace by bidding thru a travel bidding site. These persons were also able to waive the $8/night resort fee. I decided to try it since our budget was low and this is a four-star resort according to the site I used to bid.

I had originally made reservations at a motel for $50 something per night. I was able to get the Wyndham Palace for $36 per night (plus resort fees and taxes).

We arrived February 28, 2001 at approximately 4:30 PM Eastern time. We drove our own car. Valet parking was available for a charge but we declined this. Our luggage was taken out of the trunk for us, placed on a luggage cart and taken to the lobby. While I had read the valets were pushy, not one we encountered were this way at all. I am so thankful the luggage was waiting for us in the lobby as the trek from the parking lot to the actual resort was a long one.

I had signed up for the Wyndham By Request membership. While I had read (and foolishly expected) these members receive upgraded rooms (when available), fruit and beverage baskets and other amenities, the only thing I got for it was two bottles of water and a small package of pretzels. I must say that is better than nothing, though. I also expected to have Express Check-In like the site stated. This did not happen at all. There was no designated area for Express Check-In. The reservations desk was not fully manned and the wait was longer than I had anticipated. I had requested a smoking room and a crib. The reservation showed non-smoking room. That error was corrected hastily. The pack and play crib would not arrive until late that night and after I had made a phone call asking when it would be delivered.

We stayed on the 25th floor. There were at least two sections. One set of elevators led to the floors up to level 12 and the other set of elevators led up to floor 27 (there is a restaurant on that floor) and the Presidential level. We got a standard room (with balcony) with a view of the lake.

As you walked into the room, the bathroom and closet were the first things you encountered. The closet had mirrors on the sliding doors. The hangars were removable and wooden. The bathroom was standard with a tub, massaging shower head and toilet. The sink was across from the closet. There was a door to separate the toilet and bath from the closet and the sink.

There were two large beds with a nightstand in between them. On the far side of the room was a desk, two chairs, second phone and plug in for computers. The television was encased in an entertainment center of sorts. This entertainment center housed a mini bar/refrigerator as well as shelves and three drawers. Along this same wall was also a padded bench a few feet long.

You can access your room charges on the television with a wireless keyboard. I also signed up for the internet access ($9.95 for 24 hours) but these features were not operational most of the time unfortunately.

The air conditioning unit was quiet. It did not blow out fast enough at first for me. However, it worked well and even had to be turned down or off at night.

Every time I picked up the phone to make a call, whether local or long distance, it cost me $.95 plus tax. Even calls I put on my calling card were accessed that fee.

The busses were plush and comfortable. The bus drivers were friendly and helpful with the exception of one or two. They ran every 20-30 minutes at the longest. Sometimes, there would be a row of busses waiting to pick up and drop off passengers. They take you directly to and from the Walt Disney World parks. The longest enroute time we encountered was when we were first on the pickups for the Downtown Disney area resorts/hotels and the others were after us. It took about 45 minutes to get from the Wyndham Palace to the park. If you have strollers, they go under the bus so you do not have to load them onto the bus. A tip I do have is to take the elevator to the first floor to get to the area for the shuttles. We did not know this our first day and lugged two strollers, two kids and a ton of stuff down the stairs from the third floor to the first floor.

I found the friendliest employees to be the bell hops and valets. The front desk employees were a mixture of attitudes and personalities. Some were snippy and snooty and some were really nice. Some were helpful and some were not helpful at all. Most guest services and front desk employees did not volunteer information. Another tip I have is to ask about anything and everything as information was not freely provided.

When we had problems, someone from Guest Relations or the front desk eventually called to be sure everything was as it should be. Case in point: We requested a crib a few days before arrival and at checkin. After returning from dinner late that first night, we still did not have a crib. I called the front desk and a maintenance person brought one up. Several minutes later someone called to be sure we had received it.

Parking was problematic at times. After cruising thru the lot and realizing I would have to park a good distance, I would drive my husband and the kids up to the lobby to let them out (or husband and one child). Then off I would go to search aimlessly for a parking space. On the bright side, I usually found one nearest the lobby by that time. You can climb stairs from the parking lot to get to the resort or you can take the sloping drive.

We did not use the pool, eat at any of the restaurants or use the fitness center. As for specialized children activities, I do not think they had any. However, it is a short walk or drive to Downtown Disney where kids have Legoland and such to amuse themselves with.

There was a nightly turndown service (with chocolates). You also received the USA Today newspaper on weekdays. The bath amenities were small Bath and Body Works items (complexion soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, body soap) that smelled wonderful.

I certainly would not return to the Wyndham Palace at "rack" rates. I would consider it if I could get the rate I did by bidding on it. My husband loved the room and everything about the Wyndham Palace. On the flipside, he has never stayed in anything better than a Comfort Inn or the like. I have stayed in 4-star and 5-star lodging and the Wyndham Palace was just "okay" to me.

Recommended: No