GF vs. Gaylord Palms

[Walts Buddy]

Thanks in advance for any information you could provide. We (family) are planning a trip this January. We are undecided wheter to stay at the GF (lagoon view) of the Gaylord Palms. What are the upside/downside of each property?...

 

[aahmom1]

I don't know what Gaylord Palms is, but I think you would love the GF.

 

[freediverdude]

From what I understand, the Gaylord Palms is owned by the same people who own the Opryland Resort, so it would have more of that kind of feel to it, although I don't think it's country music themed, per se. Gaylord Palms is close to Disney, but not considered "within Disney's gates" or "onsite". The Grand Floridian is situated right next to Disney's Magic Kingdom theme park, and the monorail actually stops at this hotel and takes resort guests to the Magic Kingdom park and the Epcot park (change monorails for Epcot). Both resorts are very luxurious and probably considered world class. If you're mainly there to visit Disney, the Grand Floridian would be much more convenient with Disney's various means of transport. If you're in Orlando to see Disney and also see all the other attractions such as Universal and Sea World, etc., then Gaylord Palms might be more centrally located, and offer transportation to all the major attractions. I hope this helps you out a little.

 

[montessori]

We stayed at the Gaylord Palms in June.
It's a gorgeous hotel.
It's not far from DW, near the Wide World of Sports, the Caribbean Beach Resort, The Boardwalk and MGM.
As beautiful as the hotel is, I did not like staying off Disney property. I just kept feeling like we weren't really there yet, like we had to get going to actually be at Disney World. When we stay at a Disney Resort, I am very happy just to be at the resort. That's just me, of course.
My husband really liked staying at Gaylord Palms. As far as off-site hotels go, the drive to DW is a breeze. We had an atrium room, quite spectacular but a little noisy at night.
Here are two pictures of the Gaylord Palms.

The GF is one Disney resort we haven't stayed at but I would choose any Disney resort over an off-property hotel.
Good luck and have a magical vacation!

 

[erikthewise]

The Grand Floridian is not nearly as gaudy and ostentatious as the Gaylord Palms, nor does it appear to have been built in the middle of a desert. But you might like it (GF) anyway.