I have stayed at the Gaylord Palms 3 times for conferences. It is a fine conference hotel but I wouldn't elect to stay here for leisure travel. It is an impressive-appearing place inside and out; however the novelty of living inside a glass atrium bubble wears thin after a couple of days and you are captive without a car. There is much to see under the bubble for first-time visitors and I definitely recommend strolling each path through the themed areas of Key West, St. Augustine and the Everglades replete with lush area-appropriate foliage, fog machines, koi ponds, tropical fishponds, the castle, Sam's sailboat etc. It would be a terrific place for kids on a rainy day. Conference food was excellent -- it is hard to feed 1,000 people simultaneously and they do an outstanding job. The few times I purchased food or beverages I felt they were of excellent quality but pricey, e.g., $13 hamburger. I loved having internet access from my room and that was a huge plus. What I disliked about this hotel experience is the construction: flimsy walls between rooms so you hear your neighbors; economy-minded HVAC systems that turn off the air circulation fan; noise that carries from the atrium bubble and hallways into the guestrooms. If only they'd paid as much attention to construction as they did to landscaping; I guess this demonstrates why this hotel is run by Gaylord Entertainment Company and not the Gaylord Hotel Company. "Florida View" rooms are quieter but have no balconies and overlook expansive parking lots and highway. Staff are generally very accomodating. The Canyon Ranch Spa is a wonderful amenity. Onsite shops are average and carry souvenir and personal care basics. It was too cold to use the pool and jacuzzis during my recent stay but the facilities are lovely and add to the "resort" feel. Despite the terrific amenities and public areas I can only give the place 3 stars because of the noisy guestrooms.

This is absolutely the most amazing hotel we have ever stayed at. In fact, we like it even better than staying inside Disney. It is stunning with guest rooms which look out into an atrium with palm trees and banana trees and exotic flowers. It has restaurants and shops - all inside the atrium. It has waterfalls and alligators and turtles and pathways that lead to different themed sections of the atrium. It gives you the feel of being outside, but it's all inside. Everything is immaculate and the rooms are good size.
There are 2 pools, one for adults and one for families. Everything about this hotel is great. It is less than 5 minutes from the Disney parks and has Disney transportation. I would recommend this hotel to anyone.

Thank God for Priceline (at $95 + taxes) per night. This is a great option for Priceline in the Walt Disney World Resort area (in resort category at Priceline). This hotel was decent but nothing out of this world.

It is dead at night and the hotel is mediocre at best! It is a lovely and new lace (5 years old) and the staff is very courteous since they were actually nice to us even though we booked on Priceline.

The rooms are very cool and the resort taxes 9$10/day) included high speed internet (using THEIR own in-room computer), 2 bottles of Dasanti per day, among a few other things.

One piece of advice: Ask for a corner "oersized room" as they are in all categories of roomtypes (from standard to atrium) and are about 50% larger. The other rooms appear small.

Good luck, and really it is a lovely place that will not kill you if you get it on Priceline (and this was the lowest category of the walt disney resort categories you can get!

We have just returned from a stay at the Gaylord Palms. I have to agree with a previous reviewer: I'm glad I was here for a convention and did not have to pay for myself.

The hotel is huge and impressive and, when you check in, you are absolutely awed by the spectacle. But my stay was marred by inconveniences and difficulties.

The restaurants are expensive and the food is rather mediocre for what you pay. No provision is made for simpler food for travellers who stay for a number of days. Breakfast, for example, was a real problem!

The atrium rooms are noisy, but at least the windows can open. In my non-atrium room, previous residents had smoked and the smell that permeated it was nauseating. When I returned home, I had to have my suitcase drycleaned! This was not an isolated situation, as both my travel companions commented on this separately.

The bedding was stained. The carpets could do with a clean. The water in the shower was merely luke warm and I could not have a really hot bath once.

The hotel is located in the middle of nowhere. Prepare to pay hefty sums for the privilege of dining or shopping elsewhere.

The staff are helpful but, as soon as a problem arises, they can't do very much to sort it out. Checking in and out, cashing travellers cheques and requesting room changes were fraught with pitfalls.

Overall, not a great experience. But very pretty, I suppose.