The Exterior of the Walt Disney World Dolphin

I recently decided to plan a last minute trip to Walt Disney World to cheer on some of my friends at the marathon.  Since it’s a popular weekend, and I was booking very last minute, my hotel options were fairly limited.  As an American Express cardholder, I was able to get a great prepaid deal at the Walt Disney World Dolphin – a hotel I hadn’t visited before.

While the Dolphin isn’t an official Walt Disney World hotel, it does have some Disney perks.  Guests are able to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours as well as Disney transportation.  However, Magical Express transportation is not available.

We had booked a two double-bed room, as there were three of us sharing the room.  However, when I checked it at 10pm, my room wasn’t available.  Instead, we got a king bed room with a sofa bed and a pull-out couch, along with a one-time $50 credit and complimentary breakfast for three.  I was a little disappointed, but the room was actually very nice.

The restaurants at the Dolphin (and sister hotel the Swan) are fabulous, if a bit expensive, and the pool area is wonderful.  But you can’t beat the location – walking distance to Epcot’s World Showcase and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Walt Disney World Dolphin
1500 Epcot Resorts Boulevard
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Photo credit: Jodi Grundig

The Exterior of The Gaylord Opryland

If you’ve never been to one of the four Gaylord Hotels located in the US, you are most definitely missing out.  These hotels go well  beyond the standard hotel room and are full entertainment, dining, and lodging destinations all under one glass roof.  This holiday season, they are offering a fabulous Christmas Memories package for guests.  I can only imagine how beautiful these hotels look all decorated for Christmas!

The Christmas Memories package is available from mid-November through early January, 2012 at all four of the Gaylord Hotels.

• Gaylord National in National Harbor, MD (metro D.C.)
• Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, TN (the Music City)
• Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, FL (Orlando area)
• Gaylord Texan on Lake Grapevine, TX (near Dallas)

The Christmas Memories package, which starts at $99 per night (depending on the hotel), includes the following:

• One night room accommodations
• Ticket to ICE! featuring DreamWorks’ Shrek the Halls (at the Gaylord Texan and Gaylord Palms) or featuring DreamWorks’ Merry Madagascar (at the Gaylord Opryland and Gaylord National)
• A souvenir photo

If you are traveling with kids, you may also consider booking the Dreamworks Experience at the Gaylord Hotels, which includes scavenger hunts, a welcome amenity, gingerbread decorating, holiday shows, and much more!

Visit the Gaylord website to learn more.

Photo credit: The Gaylord Opryland

NASA’s Atlantis shuttle takes off one last time on July 8, 2011. It’s like Close Encounters, with people from all over irresistibly drawn to the Kennedy Space Center to see the last active shuttle lift-off on its final flight to space.

To mark the momentous occasion, the Gaylord Palms Hotel in Kissimmee has a unique NASA Lift-Off promotion. They’re giving away 135 room-nights for $30 each. There’s a catch, of course…

Gaylord Palms & Atlantis Shuttle

To get the $30 rate for one night, you have to call Gaylord Palms at 407-586-0123, and you have to call at 11:26 a.m. on July 8, the scheduled time and date of Atlantis’ lift-off. The first ones to do so get the $30 room-nights.

Each of the 135 room nights on sale represents one of the 135 shuttle missions, while the $30 rate honors the 30 years the space shuttle program has been in existence.

Only one room for one night will be allowed per booking. The booking will be valid for stays in-between July 8 and August 31, 2011 (excluding Aug 6-10).  Oh, and the promo will go through even if the shuttle launch is delayed.

So if you want to enjoy a stay in an upscale 4-star Orlando resort hotel near Disney World for $30, then be ready to dial them at 11:26 a.m. on July 8.

The Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center offers 1,406 guest rooms, including 115 suites with wireless internet, in-room safes and plush mattresses. The resort offers four and a half acres of lush gardens and waterways under glass for wandering around, plus a South Beach pool for hanging out.

Amenities on offer include six restaurants and lounges, live entertainment every night, and a water park for the kids with a zero-entry pool, octopus water slide, sand play area, waterfall. You can also watch live gator feedings.

Photos: Atlantis – public domain; Pool – Gaylord Hotels

More info: Gaylord Palms – 6000 W. Osceola Parkway Kissimmee, Florida 34746; 407-586-2000

Related posts:
Daytona Shuttle Launch Package
Best View of the Shuttle Launch: The Inn at Cocoa Beach
Kennedy Space Center: Orlando, Florida day trip ideas
8 Reasons I Could Live At The Gaylord Palms Resort

If you haven’t made plans for the Memorial Day Weekend, now would be a good time to start thinking about it. You have more of both motive and means this year, considering that Osama is no longer with us and neither is the recession.

Graves at Arlington, Memorial Day

Here’s a few places where you can get some pretty sweet Memorial Day Weekend hotel deals.

Orlando – The Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek is offering Memorial Day Weekend rates starting at $159 per night and the Waldorf Astoria has a $199 per night package.

The kicker is that for every two nights booked with either of them, you will receive a free Walt Disney World one-day one-park ticket.

The AAA four diamond Hilton Orlando has a $139 Memorial Day Weekend package for its facebook fans. The “Making Memories on Memorial Day” package includes deluxe accommodations as well as breakfast and dinner for two daily.

Guests who mention they are Facebook fans at check-in will receive extras like a s’mores kit for use at the outside fire pits, free in-room movie with a bucket of popcorn and liter of soda or a drink voucher for use at a hotel bar.

Las Vegas – Start here, and you’ll find some great Sin City hotel deals for between May 27-30, starting from $24.50. If you’re not in the mood to scrape the bottom of the barrel, there are nice (and new) hotels offering rates well below $100 for the dates in question, including Caesars Palace, Stratosphere, Rumor and Circus Circus.

New York – The Mandarin Oriental New York has an “Extra Fun Day Away” package with a complimentary night after a two-night stay this Memorial Day weekend.

Note that New York also has a well attended Fleet Week (May 25 – June 1) to contend with, and discounted hotel rooms will be hard to come by. But you can save a lot of big bucks here on NYC hotel deals for the Memorial Day Weekend.

Also, the Omni Berkshire Place in New York has a Memorial Day package with 30% off on regular rates. Actually, Omni Hotels & Resorts is offering 30% off on all their hotels and resorts. Well, not exactly… it’s 10 percent off on a one night stay, 20 percent off on a two night stay and 30 percent off on a three night stay.

Travel Ticker – Oahu hotels near Waikiki Beach from $65; Vegas hotels on the strip from $55. Cancun hotels are on offer from $119; Seattle from $129 and Los Angeles from $139.

Expedia – Memorial Day special rates, with Vegas starting from $45 and Orlando from $25. Even if you want to splurge on a better hotel in Orlando, that won’t cost you more than $120 or so.

Hotels.com – 30% off Memorial Day sale, with New York hotels from $132, Chicago starting from $65 and San Antonio from $71.

Photo – public domain (source)

Related posts:-
Summer Deals from Luxury Hotels
The Love Festival Rolls Into Vegas Memorial Day
Memorial Day Parades in the United States