SandraVB79
<font color=deeppink> I am a Jungle Cruise skipper
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2005
I stayed from May 4-11 2006 at the seralago hotel (1 adult)
I booked the hotel through hotels.com and paid 46 EUR per night (keep in mind that a EUR is more expensive than a USD!)
OK, where do I start?
I chose this hotel because basically, it was the only hotel that had the shuttle schedule on its website, and thus I knew beforehand how (bad) it would be. Also, from the pictures on the hotels.com and the hotel's own website, it didn't look too bad. I had been very lucky with choosing a non-chain hotl at DL, so why wouldn't I be lucky now? Well... I guess luck can't always be on your side.
I arrived at 9.30 pm, because of a delayed flight (transportation from MCO by Mears shared van, very good!!!!). I was the only person "in line" at check-in, and check-in went fast and efficient. It was also a Dutch girl working at the reception desk, and we had a nice chat in Dutch.
When I asked if it was possible to get a ground floor room (because of very bad back injury, and the fact I could hardly move and there are NO elevators), it wasn't possible. Or no, it was possible, but only if I upgraded to a pool-view room, and that would cost 10 USD per night more. I didn't want that, since I knew the pool was open until midnight, and didn't want the noise. Lucky enough for me, she called someone to help me with my luggage (i.e. carry it up the stairs for me)
My room (1050) was quite a walk from the reception. About the room... On first sight, I wanted to cry. Really. It was rather old, not very clean, and it didn't smell well. The airconditioning made a horrible noise!!! The sheets and towels were "clean" but not of a very good quality (i.e. very thin) and smelled bad (due to bad washing product, I guess)
The beds (2 queens) seemed smaller than a queen to me... The drawers smelled so awfully bad, that I didn't dare to put my clothes in there. Also, the door that led into the room next door (to have connecting rooms) wasn't locked!!!!
I locked it immediately!!!!
In the bathroom... how shall I put it? It needs a remodelling, very badly!! (mold on the ceiling, etc)
The daily housekeeping was well done, but the rooms need a remodelling or at least a big, thorough clean-up. A new, quieter (and cleaner) airco would also be nice. Apparantly, this hotel has once been a Holiday Inn. It was clear to me why it wasn't a Holiday Inn anymore, and obviously, nothing has ever been changed since then.
The food court and store are supposed to be open until 11 pm, but were often closed before that. The food from the food court was... well, you won't starve, but I suggest to go elsewhere. the convenience store was about as expensive as Disney!!! (prices for water were the same, go figure!!!)
The bus appeared every morning more or less on time, and in the evening, it appeared on time at the parks. The bus picked me up at 7.20 am at the hotel, and dropped me off at about 9 am at the T&TC. Yes indeed, you had a tour through all the hotels!! And on many occasions, people had to stand in the bus, because there were too many people. (oh, and btw, it were not only people from teh cheaper hotels on that bus, it also picked up the guests of one Radisson!)
In the evening, the latest pick-up was at 10.10 pm at the T&TC again, and if you didn't hurry into the bus, you could stand again. usually, I got dropped off at about 11pm, or sometimes later. the driver said that the people who tipped most, would be dropped off first. And really, he kept a record of that... I mean, if three hotels were just next to each other, he wouldn't drop those guests off right after each other. No he would go to one hotel, than all the way to the other side of Orlando/ Kissimmee, than back all the way and so on and so on. It was crazyy!! "we people in Florida work for a living" Really? We just work for fun, duh!
After a while, I was so tired I didn't even notice anymore that it wasn't the cleanest spot on the planet, but I survived. Will I ever return? NO!
I booked the hotel through hotels.com and paid 46 EUR per night (keep in mind that a EUR is more expensive than a USD!)
OK, where do I start?
I chose this hotel because basically, it was the only hotel that had the shuttle schedule on its website, and thus I knew beforehand how (bad) it would be. Also, from the pictures on the hotels.com and the hotel's own website, it didn't look too bad. I had been very lucky with choosing a non-chain hotl at DL, so why wouldn't I be lucky now? Well... I guess luck can't always be on your side.
I arrived at 9.30 pm, because of a delayed flight (transportation from MCO by Mears shared van, very good!!!!). I was the only person "in line" at check-in, and check-in went fast and efficient. It was also a Dutch girl working at the reception desk, and we had a nice chat in Dutch.
When I asked if it was possible to get a ground floor room (because of very bad back injury, and the fact I could hardly move and there are NO elevators), it wasn't possible. Or no, it was possible, but only if I upgraded to a pool-view room, and that would cost 10 USD per night more. I didn't want that, since I knew the pool was open until midnight, and didn't want the noise. Lucky enough for me, she called someone to help me with my luggage (i.e. carry it up the stairs for me)
My room (1050) was quite a walk from the reception. About the room... On first sight, I wanted to cry. Really. It was rather old, not very clean, and it didn't smell well. The airconditioning made a horrible noise!!! The sheets and towels were "clean" but not of a very good quality (i.e. very thin) and smelled bad (due to bad washing product, I guess)
The beds (2 queens) seemed smaller than a queen to me... The drawers smelled so awfully bad, that I didn't dare to put my clothes in there. Also, the door that led into the room next door (to have connecting rooms) wasn't locked!!!!
I locked it immediately!!!!In the bathroom... how shall I put it? It needs a remodelling, very badly!! (mold on the ceiling, etc)
The daily housekeeping was well done, but the rooms need a remodelling or at least a big, thorough clean-up. A new, quieter (and cleaner) airco would also be nice. Apparantly, this hotel has once been a Holiday Inn. It was clear to me why it wasn't a Holiday Inn anymore, and obviously, nothing has ever been changed since then.
The food court and store are supposed to be open until 11 pm, but were often closed before that. The food from the food court was... well, you won't starve, but I suggest to go elsewhere. the convenience store was about as expensive as Disney!!! (prices for water were the same, go figure!!!)
The bus appeared every morning more or less on time, and in the evening, it appeared on time at the parks. The bus picked me up at 7.20 am at the hotel, and dropped me off at about 9 am at the T&TC. Yes indeed, you had a tour through all the hotels!! And on many occasions, people had to stand in the bus, because there were too many people. (oh, and btw, it were not only people from teh cheaper hotels on that bus, it also picked up the guests of one Radisson!)
In the evening, the latest pick-up was at 10.10 pm at the T&TC again, and if you didn't hurry into the bus, you could stand again. usually, I got dropped off at about 11pm, or sometimes later. the driver said that the people who tipped most, would be dropped off first. And really, he kept a record of that... I mean, if three hotels were just next to each other, he wouldn't drop those guests off right after each other. No he would go to one hotel, than all the way to the other side of Orlando/ Kissimmee, than back all the way and so on and so on. It was crazyy!! "we people in Florida work for a living" Really? We just work for fun, duh!
After a while, I was so tired I didn't even notice anymore that it wasn't the cleanest spot on the planet, but I survived. Will I ever return? NO!
. It looked nice in priceline.com and for the price it was one of my choices. but I would not pay for a dingy, the least you want when you come back tired is all that trouble. Thank you for the info, very helpful! 
