Marriott’s Royal Palms Orlando: A Review

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For part of our latest vacation to Orlando, we were fortunate enough to stay at Marriott’s Royal Palms. For a family of 6, it’s difficult to find resorts with rooms big enough for us, let alone one we can pay for with points, but we found the perfect one with Royal Palms.

My wife and I each got SPG Starpoints from opening The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express and we were able to transfer those over to Marriott Rewards Points. Our stay at Royal Palms was paid for entirely with Marriott Rewards Points.

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The Royal Palms is located in Orlando, just a few miles from Disney Springs.

We stayed in a two-bedroom villa, which had a king bed for my wife and me, a queen bed, and one of the nicest sofa beds I’ve ever seen—seriously nice! We also had a full kitchen, which was exactly what we needed. We don’t cook too many meals on our Orlando trips but always pack lunches for the parks. The full kitchen also comes in handy for breakfast.

Our villa was spacious, with separate living and dining areas. Our suite also had a washer and dryer. We love having a washer and dryer on vacation. It means we can pack fewer outfits, knowing we can wash clothes on our vacation as time allows. The villa also had a nice screened-in balcony, which overlooked a small lake.

Amenities

The Royal Palms offers several amenities common to resorts in Orlando as well as a few perks that make them more attractive than similar properties. Royal Palms has a decent sized pool and was never busy while we were there. The kids loved playing basketball on the pool basketball hoop. They have 2 whirlpools, one that has a chair lift for handicapped guests.

Next to the pool area is a beautiful grilling area with 2 brand-new gas grills and a sitting area with a fire pit. What our boys enjoyed the most was the shuffleboard courts. I grew up on shuffleboard so they were no match for my superior skills, even if I was a little rusty.

Across the parking lot from the pool were tennis courts and some basketball courts, which was a nice feature you don’t normally see. We did not look at the fitness center, but based on everything else we experienced, I am sure it was more than adequate.

Orlando World Center Marriott 

Perhaps the best perk of staying at Royal Palms is free access to the pool at Orlando World Center Marriott. As a guest at Marriott’s Royal Palms, you have full access to the World Center during your stay. World Center has one of the largest outdoor pools in Florida including three water slides and a splash zone for the kids. I walked there one morning (to take advantage of the Starbucks in their lobby) and it was only a 5-minute walk. If walking isn’t your thing, Royal Palms has a free on-demand shuttle service to take you to and from the World Center. whenever you would like. We took advantage of this perk and the kids loved it!

Royal Palms offers access to Imperial Palms and Sable Palms, which are also right down the street, but we didn’t have time to check out those properties. All of the properties offered activities for kids, families, and adults throughout the day, like scavenger hunts, dive-in movies at night, beer tastings, ice cream socials, and various other offerings. We were at Universal Studios during activities times we wanted to check out so we weren’t able to take advantage of this perk. 

Sensory Garden

Royal Palms offers something unique to resorts: a sensory garden. Orlando is basically Las Vegas for families. Lights flashing, sounds abound everywhere, and everything is bigger and better in Orlando. What a great idea to offer a space to get away from all the noise and feel a sense of normalcy. I hope a sensory garden becomes a regular amenity at more resorts around the country in the future. 

Because Royal Palms is part of the Marriott Vacation Club, we checked in and were immediately sent over to a concierge for a “free gift” for staying at the resort. Of course, the free gift was tied to attending a sales pitch for the vacation club. I knew it was coming, so I politely declined; they asked if I was sure; I said I was, and that was the end of the sales pitch. I don’t believe it was brought up again by the Royal Palms staff during our stay. The easy way to avoid getting bothered by sales pitches at resorts is to just unplug the phone in your room.

Overall, our stay at Marriott’s Royal Palms was a positive experience for our family. The limitless amenities and activities offered, combined with enough space for 6 to sleep comfortably and not drive each other crazy, make Royal Palms an excellent destination for larger families. 

The pool at Marriott Royal Palms in Orlando