Mom2MNEm
TUG Member
Well, we just returned from a week at Wyndham Smoky Mountain. It was an interesting week.
Check in went almost smoothly and everyone was courteous. I was told I was in room 2432--and the check in clerk wrote it on my papers. She explained to me how to get to the building etc... We went for our parking pass and when asked the room I stated "2432". They wrote it down and told me we would be getting a call about our welcome package. It wasn't until we were driving to the building that I realized in my "tired from traveling all day" delirium that she wrote 2432, but told me that I had to go to building 27. That would make my room 2732. Needless to say (or totally ecstatic, I should say) we received absolutely no harassing phone calls.
We did receive a phone call on Day 2 apologizing for the lack of WiFi in the rooms. The company that provides them with service wasn't doing a great job and they were working on correcting that. Service was available in the activities centers. We had another phone call later in the week apologizing again for the lack of service--which hadn't been fixed by the time we left.
The first day we went to the pool we went to the activity center by the check-in ( Greenbriar activity Center) The kids hated the outdoor pool. It was very small. Just 3 families and the pool was crowded. We chose the indoor pool instead and the kids thought it was much nicer--tho I was surprised that the max occupancy stated " no more than 30". With all those buildings and more on the way , I couldn't see that being good. The floor was also very, very slippery and I saw more than one child and adult slip despite the black mats around the pool. The other pool at Elkmont had a better floor.
On our second trip to the pool we decided to try the Elkmont Activity Center, which was on our side of the complex. Turns out that during the afternoon, someone decided to try a backflip into the pool ( 5ft deep at max) and cracked their head open. So, outdoor pool closed for the rest of the day.(by no means Wyndhams fault) The indoor pool had a nice crowd and the kids were having fun, but seating was very limited. I saw 2 families walk in ,look for a spot to park their stuff, then walk out when they found nowhere to go ( ground was too wet to lay anything on the floor). There were beach balls available and the kids had a game going. A few kids outside the pool were throwing the balls in and the kids in the pool were hitting them out. The kids were having a blast, but I get the idea that someone must have complained. Now, I am the first one to discipline my kids when things get out of hand-and my DH is less tolerant than I am and I didn't see anything wrong. But , at one point, 2 women from the activities center came into the pool area and stopped at each adult and I saw the adult and the activities lady pointing at the pool. By the time she got to us we had one child almost asleep in DH lap and another standing there shivering. The 3rd was in the pool we just got a smile and a "how are you all enjoying yourselves?"
We did finally get to the outdoor pool at Elkmont. It was much nicer. Usually my kids find someone to play with when on vacation while Dh and I chat with their families. That did not happen this time. Everyone seemed to pretty much keep to themselves. Not the most friendly crowd at this resort.
I took 2 of the kids to do a craft one day. It didn't require pre-registration and it wasn't well planned out. They decided to set it up in a small room --it would hold about 6-8 kids. We started with 4 kids and 2 adults in the room. Before you knew it more people arrived. 2 kids had to stand to do their project. Others actually had to sit outside and wait until others finished before they could come in. The gentleman in charge admitted he planned it poorly and should have used the larger room that they usually use. He didn't expect such a big turnout.
On Friday, we had another phone message. This time apologizing for the shuttle service not being available. I was grateful for the shuttle because that Wed my DH took my oldest son rafting and I had no car. Apparently there was to be a shuttle schedule as of that Sat--the shuttle would be at the activity centers every 15 min. Dh asked about this ( forgot to ask if it was permanent or seasonal) and was told you could no longer call for a shuttle to take you from your room to to other parts of the resort ( as I did Wed). If you had no car and wanted to swim or do a craft ? Her answer was "well, you are just going to have to walk". We checked the distance from our room to Elkmont Center---approx 1/4 mile, uphill coming home. If your building was 28, 29 ... by the construction ....it was closer to 1/2 mile --mostly uphill. Not a fun walk in 90 deg heat with small children. Not convenient either.
So that was our Wyndham experience. Not sure what I think about it.
Lisa V
Check in went almost smoothly and everyone was courteous. I was told I was in room 2432--and the check in clerk wrote it on my papers. She explained to me how to get to the building etc... We went for our parking pass and when asked the room I stated "2432". They wrote it down and told me we would be getting a call about our welcome package. It wasn't until we were driving to the building that I realized in my "tired from traveling all day" delirium that she wrote 2432, but told me that I had to go to building 27. That would make my room 2732. Needless to say (or totally ecstatic, I should say) we received absolutely no harassing phone calls.
We did receive a phone call on Day 2 apologizing for the lack of WiFi in the rooms. The company that provides them with service wasn't doing a great job and they were working on correcting that. Service was available in the activities centers. We had another phone call later in the week apologizing again for the lack of service--which hadn't been fixed by the time we left.
The first day we went to the pool we went to the activity center by the check-in ( Greenbriar activity Center) The kids hated the outdoor pool. It was very small. Just 3 families and the pool was crowded. We chose the indoor pool instead and the kids thought it was much nicer--tho I was surprised that the max occupancy stated " no more than 30". With all those buildings and more on the way , I couldn't see that being good. The floor was also very, very slippery and I saw more than one child and adult slip despite the black mats around the pool. The other pool at Elkmont had a better floor.
On our second trip to the pool we decided to try the Elkmont Activity Center, which was on our side of the complex. Turns out that during the afternoon, someone decided to try a backflip into the pool ( 5ft deep at max) and cracked their head open. So, outdoor pool closed for the rest of the day.(by no means Wyndhams fault) The indoor pool had a nice crowd and the kids were having fun, but seating was very limited. I saw 2 families walk in ,look for a spot to park their stuff, then walk out when they found nowhere to go ( ground was too wet to lay anything on the floor). There were beach balls available and the kids had a game going. A few kids outside the pool were throwing the balls in and the kids in the pool were hitting them out. The kids were having a blast, but I get the idea that someone must have complained. Now, I am the first one to discipline my kids when things get out of hand-and my DH is less tolerant than I am and I didn't see anything wrong. But , at one point, 2 women from the activities center came into the pool area and stopped at each adult and I saw the adult and the activities lady pointing at the pool. By the time she got to us we had one child almost asleep in DH lap and another standing there shivering. The 3rd was in the pool we just got a smile and a "how are you all enjoying yourselves?"
We did finally get to the outdoor pool at Elkmont. It was much nicer. Usually my kids find someone to play with when on vacation while Dh and I chat with their families. That did not happen this time. Everyone seemed to pretty much keep to themselves. Not the most friendly crowd at this resort.
I took 2 of the kids to do a craft one day. It didn't require pre-registration and it wasn't well planned out. They decided to set it up in a small room --it would hold about 6-8 kids. We started with 4 kids and 2 adults in the room. Before you knew it more people arrived. 2 kids had to stand to do their project. Others actually had to sit outside and wait until others finished before they could come in. The gentleman in charge admitted he planned it poorly and should have used the larger room that they usually use. He didn't expect such a big turnout.
On Friday, we had another phone message. This time apologizing for the shuttle service not being available. I was grateful for the shuttle because that Wed my DH took my oldest son rafting and I had no car. Apparently there was to be a shuttle schedule as of that Sat--the shuttle would be at the activity centers every 15 min. Dh asked about this ( forgot to ask if it was permanent or seasonal) and was told you could no longer call for a shuttle to take you from your room to to other parts of the resort ( as I did Wed). If you had no car and wanted to swim or do a craft ? Her answer was "well, you are just going to have to walk". We checked the distance from our room to Elkmont Center---approx 1/4 mile, uphill coming home. If your building was 28, 29 ... by the construction ....it was closer to 1/2 mile --mostly uphill. Not a fun walk in 90 deg heat with small children. Not convenient either.
So that was our Wyndham experience. Not sure what I think about it.
Lisa V
