G D.
Yelp
Whelp, we decided to take a midweek post-holiday vacation, and celebrate our anniversary. The Elf on ICE! and room seemed like a good idea on paper.
Pro-tip. DO NOT BOOK A HOTEL THE NIGHT BEFORE THE COTTON BOWL. That's on me. usually things are quiet between Christmas and New Years. The Gaylord Texan Resort was not the case.
Check in took longer than anticipated. Again, Bowl attendees. Even with the Marriott Bon Voy App, still had to check in, in person. The line for the check in desk was like waiting for the "Jungle Cruise" at Disneyland. Perhaps having extra people at the desk during the posted check in time (4pm) could help.
This place is FRIGGIN' HUGE. Thankfully they give you a map to your room.
The room was... it's your standard mid-level two queen bed hotel room. Nothing that gives it a WOW!!! Two beds, nightstand, chair, small desk. A TV that took up half the wall. The mini fridge in the closet was unexpected.
Really the only thing I did like about the room was the shower. Big enough for two, if that's how you roll. I did like the massage function after sitting in traffic for 3 hours.
Massive kudos to the staff and the decorating folks. Holy crap that's a lot of lights. I'd really like to know where I can buy the lighting curtain, it would make decorating at home simpler.
Now, a word about restaurants. Me figuring there's at least 3-4 restaurants on site, food shouldn't be an issue. Until they close one restaurant for their kitchen to support a private party. I presume the Miami Hurricane fans and/or team. That rules out the Italian food. Ok, there's others to choose from. Looked at their steakhouse menu.... $65 for an 8 oz Ribeye? Ummmm.... Not just no, but HELLS NO.
Ok, ok... there's a Mexican place. Let's try there. The Riverwalk Cantina. In all my years of living in Texas I haven't seen a Mexican buffet. That is until last night. The food was sad and warmed over. Enchiladas where the tortilla was crunchy from sitting under a heat lamp. The flavors were ... lacking for spice. Minnesotans would think, "That's not spicy, Tex-Mex is supposed to be spicy." That was a fast $100 for two people. It was meh.
Parking. Just pay the $50 for the valet, let them deal with it. Otherwise it's $25 for you to find your own spot, and walk back to the hotel. Bring bread crumbs if you choose that.
Now, Elf on ICE! It was cute. Everything leading to it and from it are 'extra.' They do have a bar INSIDE the show, but you can't take your drink with you. Which leaves me puzzled. You want me to drop $15 for a water down cocktail, and I have to stand in a room set at 9°F. NOPE. Others have said that it takes 30 minutes to walk through, and it does. And everything else (Sledding, carousel, 'snowball fight') are extra. Oh and the Elf store, where everything was 50% off. Was still overpriced.
Will I come back? Not by choice.
If I want to walk through an Ice Sculpture Garden, I'll go to the St. Paul Winter Carnival in Minnesota. At least there, I can sit down to enjoy my drink.
Lastly, It would have been helpful for Marriott to shoot an email stating ANYTHING about the Cotton Bowl and guests. I would have adjusted my stay accordingly.
It's the bland beige of beige.