Crowne Plaza-Orlando Universal

Things began wonderfully and went uphill from there...

We pulled up and were promptly greeted by the very friendly valet staff. They grabbed our luggage and whisked the car off to wherever it would rest for the next few days (I think it's like $8 per day). There was a time or two I needed something out of it that I'd forgotten, like my cane, and Brian or one of the others would happily go fetch it. Seriously, they never rolled their eyes or gave any indication that I was being a pain in the butt at all.. even when I asked for my car only to change my mind after it was brought up to me. I adore this staff.

The room itself was very nice. We had two full beds just filled with pillows and the most cushy duvet ever. The beds were extremely comfortable (although just a notch under the Eden Roc in Miami). There was no fridge or microwave in here, but we had a nice sized desk with high speed Internet (although not wireless, for that you have to go down to the lobby and sit).

The bathroom was big and set up for handicapped persons. There was no tub in this room (1526), but the shower was large and had hand rails all along the wall and a shower bench that could be folded up out of the way if you didn't feel like playing with it... We were left with a shampoo/conditioner combo, mending kit, shower cap, and soaps. As to that shampoo.. it did not dry my hair out real bad like most places, but it smelled decidedly like a man's cologne. How odd is that? One problem we did have is that there is no lip to the shower so even with the curtain drawn, the entire bathroom flooded each time we showered. That's a bit irritating.

The best part of the room is the wall though. You see, the entire outside wall is window. This window overlooks the pool area. It's floor-to-ceiling. What a great view!

As to location, they are a $6 cab ride away from Universal Studios, and they do offer a free shuttle.

Highly recommended.

PROS: Clean, beautiful, great staff
CONS: Over-priced gift shop