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Where to Stay Off Property at Disney World: Tropical Palms RV Resort

May 14, 2018 by Karyn Locke Leave a Comment

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Are you looking for a place to visit in the Orlando theme parks area that is comfortable, safe, and is amazing for larger families? Or maybe you simply want more space than a typical resort room. Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground is one of those places that offers both plus so much more – including affordability. The best part? You don’t need to either camp or own an RV to enjoy it! Here’s why we loved it – and it might not be what you expect to read!

Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: outdoor pool
Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: outdoor pool

When it comes to visiting the Orlando area, if I’m staying off theme park property, I want the perks and conveniences of home. I want to save money by cooking for my family. And I also want a place that’s safe and comfortable. Does such a place exist? You betcha! A recent visit to Tropical Palms RV Resort gave me and my family the best of all three. Here’s the scoop on why we thoroughly enjoyed our stay in a Tropical Palms Resort cottage.

Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: Deluxe Super Loft living area.
Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: Deluxe Super Loft living area.

Tropical Palms Resort: An Overview

Page Contents

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  • Tropical Palms Resort: An Overview
  • Tropical Palms Resort Cottages
  • What’s Free at Tropical Palms RV Resort?
  • What to Bring When You Visit
  • The Best Part About Staying at Tropical Palms RV Resort?

If I’m staying offsite, I want to be near the theme parks, particularly Walt Disney World. I also want easy access to the main roads that take me to the parks. Before we visited, I checked Google Maps to see how close Tropical Palms Resort is. Then I checked to see how difficult the drive would be.

Drive to Walt Disney World: 3.0 Miles

Drive to Universal Orlando Resort – 12 Miles

So, let’s put that into perspective for a sec. When we stay on-property at Walt Disney World, we generally stay at All-Star Music. My daughter loves it and it feels like home. Plus, it’s the most-affordable choice to on-property WDW resorts. And when we visit, we drive to and from the parks on most days. Using the Ticket and Transportation Center as an example, to drive from all-Star Music to the TTC is 12 miles. To drive from Tropical Palms Resort to the TTC is 9.2 miles. Just sayin’.

Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: mini golf
Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: mini golf

What we loved about Tropical Palms Resort:

So. Much. Free. Free parking, free onsite activities, and a nice outdoor pool near the snack bar. I also loved the fact that the property is gated. The security guard had to check each time we entered the property to make sure we were guests. It only took a second, so no drawback on time. And, it made our stay feel even safer with the extra attention.

Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: shuffleboard
Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: shuffleboard

I also really enjoyed the fact that the laundry room was pristinely clean and huge! With at least a 10 washers and 10 dryers, we never waited for either. Plus, it’s affordable to wash clothes: $2.00 each per load ($4.00 total).

I also loved the fact that I could rent a golf cart if I wanted to. We have our own at home, but it’s never not fun to drive one.

Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: Deluxe Super Loft bedroom
Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: Deluxe Super Loft bedroom

Tropical Palms Resort Cottages

Here’s the lowdown on Tropical Palms RV Resort Cottages. Yes, you can own an RV or camper and enjoy the property. But honestly, I’m a self-proclaimed indoor girl. I’m happy to get out there and enjoy the outdoors for a few hours, but I want my creature comforts handy. during our stay, we had the pleasure of checking out a Two-Bedroom, Deluxe Super Loft Cottage.

Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: Deluxe Super Loft full kitchen
Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: Deluxe Super Loft full kitchen

Tropical Palms Resort provides the best of both worlds. It offers plenty of outdoor activities, freebies, and newly-renovated Vacation Cottages. Each cottage sleeps 4-8 people and has a full kitchen, private bathroom with tub/shower, and a living area. Depending on the style you choose, you may have a loft with two twin beds, too. So cute! There’s also satellite television in the living room. Another creature comfort I dig.

We literally drove three miles to the closest Walmart, stocked up on groceries and snacks, and ate breakfast, and a couple of dinners. So convenient.

Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: Deluxe Super Loft bedroom
Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: Deluxe Super Loft bedroom

What struck me as super cute are the pastel tropical colors each cottage is. From pale yellow to pink, the cottage areas look like something from a movie. Add in a large deck on our Deluxe Super Loft and we had even more space to spread out. Of course, there were three of us so we had tons of room (including two bedrooms), but for larger families our cottage would work well.

The one thing I would have loved to see was more storage space for luggage. There were two decent-sized closets (one in each bedroom), but apart from hanging our clothes and folding the extras, there wasn’t a lot of space to just lay a suitcase out like we normally do. Of course, if you’re planning on staying for a week or more, it would make sense tot totally unpack.

Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: lake area
Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: lake area
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What’s Free at Tropical Palms RV Resort?

All onsite activities, apart from making s’mores, are free. We had the option of playing mini golf, shuffleboard, or bocce ball. There are also daily options of kids’ crafting sessions, BINGO, and poolside games. On weekends, a Dive-In Movie is offered at the pool, too. The movies are very family-friendly, so no worries about that, either.

Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: check-in building
Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: check-in building

What to Bring When You Visit

I’ve visited campgrounds with cabins before, so I asked what to bring for our visit. I was surprised that the list didn’t include blankets, sheets, and towels.

Apart from your fun hats, here’s what to bring when you visit:

  • Sunscreen
  • Moisturizer
  • Beach Towel
  • Bathing Suit
  • Sunglasses and Sun Hat
  • Umbrella/Poncho (For the afternoon showers)
  • Mosquito Repellent
  • Comfortable Shoes
  • Flip Flops (optional)
  • Shorts and lightweight shirts
As for items needed for your cottage, it already has pillows, blankets, towels, kitchen utensils, and coffee. You just need to bring any food and snacks that you’ll need for your trip. In case you forget anything, there’s a small store with plenty of items to choose from.
Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: Deluxe Super Loft
Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground: Deluxe Super Loft

The Best Part About Staying at Tropical Palms RV Resort?

This might come as a huge surprise, but it wasn’t the free activities. It wasn’t the daily Happy hour at the snack bar. It wasn’t the gigantic laundry room or comfy beds (I did sleep like a baby).

What struck me as the best benefit of staying at Tropical Palms Resort was the staff. I’m not kidding. From the moment we checked in until we handed in our keys, the staff was impeccable. We were greeted with a smile at the gate and front desk. Every. Single. Time. It didn’t matter how slow or busy it was.

Case in point: One morning I woke up and headed straight for the outside deck. We made friends with a couple that was staying at an adjacent cottage, so we were talking about how amazing the weather was. They had called and asked for extra coffee packets for their coffee maker and I walked out just as it was being delivered. The lady found out we had run out of coffee as well and insisted that she bring me some. Immediately. She didn’t have to. She could have told me to call and order it.

Headed to Disney world and have a larger family? Here's the scoop on Tropical Palms Resort and why it's great for families of all sizes!

Another fun story about staff. After a garbage bin full of things to throw away, I tied off the bag and was headed to the dumpster. As I was waling, a staff member pulled up in a golf cart and said, “Throw it in the back. I’ll take it for you.” He didn’t need to, he simply was being kind.

Both of those stories will make me visit again in a hot minute.

Disclosure: I was graciously hosted by Tropical Palms RV Resort and Campground to give you fine folks the scoop on why it makes a great off-property stay in Orlando. All opinions are my own!

Looking for more things to do in Florida? Here you go!

The Best Free Stuff at Disney World

Four Free Interactive Park Games at Disney World that Kids Will Love

11 Super Inexpensive or Free Souvenirs at Walt Disney World

Five Super Cool Free Things for Teens at Walt Disney World

Five Free Ways to Enjoy Halloween at Disney World

Filed Under: On the Go, Disney, Travel Tagged With: Benefits of Tropical Palms Resort, perks of staying at Tropical Palms Resort, places to stay near Disney World for large families, Places to stay near Walt Disney World, the best place to stay near Disney World, Tropical Palms RV Resort, Tropical Palms RV Resort review, Where to stay near Disney World, Where to Stay Off Property at Disney World

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