Would you cut a day to upgrade to a Deluxe?

[BensWife]

We are doing a lot of number crunching about our upcoming trip. This will be our 2 boys' first visit to Disney World, and we want it to be really magical. If we stay 7 nights, we can afford a moderate. We were thinking doing the pirate room at Caribbean Beach. However, if we cut 1 day, then we can move up to the Contemporary. It doesn't have that kid like "theme", but having it connected with the monorail is a definite plus considering we have 2 young ones and my older parents will be coming with us. I do believe that the kids would love the pirate room, but when I think of the convenience of that monorail, I keep thinking about doing the Contemporary. Plus, cutting a day does save a little on other expenses, but cuts our vacation too. Does anyone have any insight for me?

 

[Megsie1000]

How old are your boys? Will they need to come back for naps in the middle of the day? What time of year are you going?

For the Contemporary or any monorail resort I would probably drop a night. But that's me. Have you thought about the Polynesian, too?

 

[HouseMother]

We are considering doing this for our next trip. DH and I both found that we were exhausted and ready to go home by night 5. We were at CBR last May but we would like to stay at CR or WL in early 2014. Our boys will be 4 and 2 and we will just need more space. WL bunk bed rooms would be perfect.

 

[pixarmom]

Absolutely, yes!! We have three boys, currently ages 5, 12 and 13 and we've been taking kids to Disney relatively frequently since our oldest was a baby. With kids, we've stayed at CBR, CSR, POFQ, BC, YC, BWI, AKL, WL, Poly, Dolphin and CR. We feel there is a huge difference in convenience of location/transportation, grounds, pool, rooms size and atmosphere, overall atmosphere, etc. At most deluxes, we feel like it's a relaxing escape from the quick pace of the parks. It's like a different trip for us staying deluxe and we'd easily cut a day to upgrade to a deluxe resort.

Many people regard their resort as just a place to sleep, but for our family (including our kids) the resort is an important part of the overall experience. Maybe it's because we travel a lot to other places, and they are really into comparing hotels and resorts. But we all feel like the resort is a big part of the WDW experience.

The contemporary is one of our boys' favorite, and you can't get any more convenient to MK. Even though we're not in the nap stage anymore, we still like to take a break in the afternoon and that's easy to do at most deluxes. The nice thing about CR is that you don't even have to worry about monorail problem - if it's not functioning, just a short walk to and from MK.

At a deluxe resort, you're missing a food court, but we actually prefer resorts without a food court. A small quick service is fine, and we usually have two ADRs at TS per day anyway.

 

[pixarmom]

We are considering doing this for our next trip. DH and I both found that we were exhausted and ready to go home by night 5. We were at CBR last May but we would like to stay at CR or WL in early 2014. Our boys will be 4 and 2 and we will just need more space. WL bunk bed rooms would be perfect.

When our family was small enough to fit into a WL bunk bed room, our boys LOVED those. WL is so reasonably priced for a deluxe, the pool and the grounds are lovely and the boat ride to MK is so relaxing. We have an ADR at Artist Point while staying at Poly in a few weeks, and our boys love Poly, but I think they will be a little nostalgic for WL too!

 

[POLY1985]

I'd rather have an extra day in Disney. Caribbean Beach is a great resort for little boys (I had two) especially if you get a pirate room. The pool area looks like a fort with cannons. I vote CB for your trip

 

[Kim1964]

In most cases I will do whatever I have to do to stay at a deluxe, but in your case I don't know. I agree that the convenience of the monorail is a plus, but looking at your signature I see your kids are 5 and 3. The extra day might allow you to take things at a slower pace, and there is a lot to be said for the effects of pacing on your overall Disney experience. No matter which way you go, but especially if you go for the shorter stay, go in with realistic expectations about how much you can do in a day with little people in tow. Overtired kids do not have magical trips.

 

[mickeynut1]

That's a tough one as we love the deluxe resorts and after going to Disney many times over the years and staying deluxe, my first thought would be to lose a day if it meant staying at a deluxe over a mod. However, our first onsite stay was at CBR when our boys were 7 & 9 and it was a fabulous trip for all of us. There weren't pirate rooms back then, but if there were I would have booked one and our boys would have loved it. Plus the pool was awesome (which has since been redone and looks amazing with the cool pirate theming) and the food court was great. So with that said, unless you will be taking alot of breaks during the day with a need to be within walking distance to MK, I think I would opt for 7 nights in a pirate room at CBR. It's been awhile since our CBR stay (2002), but one of the many wonderful things we remember about that trip was the excellent transportation. The buses were great and although there are 4 or 5 internal bus stops, there is no sharing with any other resort. Since CBR is centrally located, it didn't take more than about 10 minutes to get to any theme park, water park, or DTD. Another option to throw out there is the WL. Could you possibly swing 7 nights there? The WL is a beautiful deluxe resort close to MK, but doesn't carry the hefty price tag of that of the monorail resorts. It's not on the monorail and isn't within walking distance to MK, but it has efficient boat service to/from MK and might be a good compromise between CBR and the CR. Good luck with your decision, although I'm sure you'll have a fabulous trip no matter which resort you choose.

 

[Megsie1000]

I just looked at your ticker and see the ages of your children and that you are going in June. Factoring those things in I would absolutely upgrade to Contemporary. You will love the ease of getting back to the room on the monorail from either Epcot or MK. You'll need a break in the middle of the day with kids that age and with the summer heat.

 

[kpm76]

I would definitely cut a day to stay deluxe. The resort is part of the experience for us and our kids are young as well so breaks/naps are a must everyday. The convenience of deluxe resorts is invaluable and saves you time. So while you might have an extra night at a moderate, you have to ask yourself how much time you will spend going back and forth. You might find that the extra night doesn't give you a lot more time. We love the CR, but we had an absolutely magical stay at WL as well and is a little cheaper. Have fun with whatever you decide!

 

[Hoosier Mom]

We've done both ways....

the first trip was 8 days at CBR with our 18 month old son. By day 7, we were worn out and wishing we had planned our trip a bit shorter. Also I had wished that we had a ground floor room at CBR. Other than being on the 2nd floor, we enjoyed CBR. I remember having the stroller and tote bag and longingly looking at the CR wishing we were staying at a monorail resort.

the second trip was 6 nights at Wilderness Lodge. Loved it! I loved that the buses practically drop you at the door and in you go to your room. The pool was a little on the chilly side. The Villas pool around the other side of WL was less crowded. However, our son was 4 years old for this trip, and I felt it was too short.

the third trip was back to a moderate...this time CSR. This time it was 8 days again. Loved it!! Our son was 6. CSR was slightly smaller than CBR. Loved the Pepper Market for breakfast every morning. We used our counter services for breakfast there. Their pool water seemed warmer than the WL. (both trips were January trips).

What we did find out was park hopping is not for us. It just takes to much time and energy to get back out to the entrance of a park, get on the bus and transfer to another park, and walk in. So our last trip was no park hoppers and it worked great for us.

Not sure if I helped you or not. When our son was 18 months, the shorter trip would have been nice. But the age 4 and 6 trips, we loved the extra disney time.

There are 3 reports below that are just photos if you want to see photos of our trips to CBR, WL, and CSR.

Have fun planning!!

 

[Belle72]

Hi! I agree with the majority of the posts. I'd choose Contemporary. You should be able to see a lot with 6 nights- especially being so close to the MK! Last year my son was 5 and chose the Contemporary because he loved the monorail. My DD9 loved it too. The slide and splash area are fun. My kids also played in the sand, and did the marshmallow roast. I think it does have kid-appeal. Chef Mickey is right there- as are the other monorail hotel dining options. Everything is way more convenient than a moderate.

 

[mariamouse]

I agree with the previous posters who have suggested cutting a night to stay at the CR! No contest, IMO, due to the aforementioned reasons.

 

[goofy4prez]

I would suggest looking at a compromise as another post mentioned. Instead of cutting a day to stay at the Contemporary, how about looking at a deluxe resort like the Wilderness Lodge instead. The price difference will be a decent amount less than the Contemporary and you will still be at a resort that has a lot of kid appeal.

The pool at the WL, while not the most elaborate of the deluxe pools is still a nicer pool than the Contemporary. And while the WL is not on the monorail system it is still very convenient to the MK via a boat ride just outside its doors or a quick ride on the bus from the resort. I personally think the monorail benefits are very overrated, but that is JMHO. The Animal Kingdom Lodge may also be another option that has a ton of kid appeal. However it is much further away from the MK, however the bus system to this resort is very good.

In short, I would not cut a day from WDW; instead I would look at a nice compromise by staying at the WL, possible the AKL, enjoy deluxe amenities, and still have that extra day.

 

[Mousemommy1]

For us, the length of stay is priority one. We pick how long we want our trip to be and then work it into the budget we have. Sometimes we luck out with a discount and can do deluxe for the length of time we want, or other times we stay mod or value.

I wouldn't cut the trip short just to stay at a deluxe.

 

[Sue M]

I would vote longer stay. We love the deluxe resorts, but also love some of the moderates, and are very happy in POR too. We like a longer more relaxing trip and I wouldn't cut my time to stay deluxe.
CBR is a pretty resort. And pretty centrally located. And they have a great pirate pool!

 

[Lisann]

Deluxe, especially with very young children. I think the moderate will be too much of a hassle, and you certainly don't want that.

 

[sydneysmom]

Yes, in a heartbeat I would do that. In fact, our first trip we were going to do just that in order to stay on the monorail. In the end, we decided to just splurge and stay the extra day and stay at the GF. (it was our first family trip and our DD was 4 1/2 so nap time was essential. I'll tell you, staying on the monorail is WONDERFUL. but it's not just that....if the monorail is busy, you can take a relaxing boat ride. There was something just so magical about staying on the monorail.

don't get me wrong, I LOVED POR and stayed many times.... however, you get a little spoiled on the monorail and it's super convenient to both Epcot and MK. We put our trip this time off until this June so we could save a bit longer to be able to go back to the GF. It was just worth it. For me, I'd choose the Contemporary. You could also price out staying at the Contemporary in the garden wing rooms.... you might find that you can still do the extra day!

 

[CraftyMommy]

Would you cut a day to upgrade to a Deluxe?
Absolutely!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We are doing a lot of number crunching about our upcoming trip. This will be our 2 boys' first visit to Disney World, and we want it to be really magical. If we stay 7 nights, we can afford a moderate. We were thinking doing the pirate room at Caribbean Beach. However, if we cut 1 day, then we can move up to the Contemporary. It doesn't have that kid like "theme", but having it connected with the monorail is a definite plus considering we have 2 young ones and my older parents will be coming with us. I do believe that the kids would love the pirate room, but when I think of the convenience of that monorail, I keep thinking about doing the Contemporary. Plus, cutting a day does save a little on other expenses, but cuts our vacation too. Does anyone have any insight for me?

I would drop a day and upgrade to the Contemporary. We have never stayed more than 6 nights and have always been able to get everything done that we wanted to do. Being able to walk into MK is worth it. We loved being able to walk into Epcot from the Bc, so I imagine it would be just as great for going from the CR to MK. And then you have the Seven Seas lagoon. There are boats all over the place! You can ride the boat to WL and Fort Wilderness. You can rent a sea racer. And you can see the fireworks from CR, too. There are lots of things to do there. I don't think you'd regret dropping a day to stay at CR.