Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center

This is a mega convention resort first and a family destination second, and it's genuinely good at both if you know that going in. The three themed glass atriums (a St. Augustine fort, the Everglades, Key West) are a legitimate walk-through spectacle, and the Cypress Springs water park with its seven slides gives kids a reason to skip a park day. Best for conference attendees who want everything under one roof, and for families who'd rather bank on the on-site pool and shuttle than fight rope-drop crowds every morning. Just don't expect intimacy: this is a small city with 1,700-plus rooms, and it feels like one.

Rates and crowds swing hard with the convention calendar and Disney's seasons; late spring and early fall (outside peak breaks) are your cheaper, quieter windows. If you want the atriums at their most over-the-top, come mid-November through early January for the ICE! and Christmas takeover, but book early and expect premium pricing.

Request an atrium-view room over an exterior one, ideally facing the Key West or Emerald Bay section: the interior balconies overlooking the gardens and waterways are the whole point of staying here, and they cost the same as a parking-lot view if you ask.

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