Why Spend $$$ on a Deluxe?

[mom2AidanAndEli]

I know I'm entering delicate territory here, but when I look at the prices of the different resorts, I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would pay $300-$500 or more a night for some resorts!

I'll preface by saying that I'm a budget-conscious mom---or you may even say cheap. I shop sales and discounts, cut coupons, and watch what I spend. That being said, we have been to Disney four times in seven years, so we're not against spending money on vacations!

We've always stayed at a Value resort until the last time when we stayed at POFQ and loved it! We'll go back there in a heartbeat.

So I spend less than $200 at POFQ for a lovely room, great service, fun pool, beautiful grounds, etc. Or I could spend $400 and stay at a Deluxe. Why????

Some of the arguments I've heard are....

Indoor corridors -- does that really matter?

Better transportation -- never had an issue with buses at any of the resorts we've stayed. And we've never had a car.

Nicer rooms -- thought POFQ room was lovely!

Closer proximity to MK -- when we go we visit all the parks, so don't care if we're closer to one. Again, never an issue with transportation.

Beautiful lobby/grounds/views/etc. -- Can get all that just by visiting!

I guess if we were going to spend our whole vacation hanging out at the resort, we might be more worried about it. But we're there to visit the parks! Yes, we'll take breaks, swim in the pool, eat in the food court. But our rooms are basically places to sleep, shower, dress, and go.

Unless money really were no object at all--which I can't imagine is the case for the vast majority of families--I can't justify spending the ridiculous amounts of money on the resorts. For that price, they should be throwing in breakfast (and lunch and dinner!) and providing me a private driver to get me where I want to go! Not to mention laundry services and a turn-down each night!

So let me hear it! How do you justify spending that kind of money on a room? Do you spend all your time there? Is it just to say "been there, done that'? Is the difference really worth twice the cost?

I'm honestly curious about this...

 

[ain0004]

I can't give you a great argument. We bought into dvc and will never go back. We love the 1 or 2 bedroom. We love having a full kitchen, laundry right there. Everyone has their own space. It comes down to preference. Would I stay at POR to of to WDW? Yes because I love wdw. Do what you feel most comfortable with and what you can afford.

 

[rajahfan7]

I'll start off by saying I am a snob, I like what I like and that's IT!

I stayed in mods when I was a kid with my parents. Now I'm the one paying for the trips (my parents, dd, & I) so now it's more about space. 3 adults in a small room can be rough (getting 2 rooms this time around!) and having that bit of extra space helps.

My TA also told me not all resorts have queen size beds (a must for my folks) so that makes our choices a little slimmer. The distance to the parks are nice. I stayed at AKL and it was AMAZING. I didn't care how far away from the other parks I was. After staying at WL in Feb I also REALLY appreciate that 5 min boat ride to MK.

This time I'm trying 2 royal rooms at POR, but that may change to WL. I keep telling myself I don't need to stay deluxe because it cost so dang much!

 

[MsThumper]

We're a middle aged couple with no children. We are more comfortable with the atmosphere and décor of the deluxe resorts. I have looked at the pictures of the moderate hotels (believe me, I love to save money), but they are a total turn off to me. I don't mean to offend anyone, but since you asked, I am answering honestly.

Hey, we started our trips to WDW with camping and over many, many years, have worked our way up to the deluxe resorts. Luckily Disney provides different level of accommodations for every budget.

We also prefer staying in the Epcot area. We usually go to the Food and Wine Festival, so we enjoy being able to walk to Epcot.

Last November we were supposed to have a standard view at YC. We were upgraded to the lagoon view. Once we saw that view, there is no going back to anything less. Then when we were at YC in January, we booked lagoon view and were treated to a free upgrade to CL. We were very excited and really appreciated the upgrade. But we just can't justify the price of CL rooms, so we have found the level we are happy with and book that.

 

[Mousemommy1]

I used to ask the same exact questions, until we finally decided to just do it. To us, deluxes are absolutely worth what we have paid for them. We have used the military 40% discount which makes it a lot less painful. (We stayed WL CL for $249/night in 2012, $338/night for YC CL this year, and are booked for BWI CL next year for $318/night).

Now, the interior corridors is totally a preference thing, but yes, we prefer indoor corridors. It gives it more of the hotel vs. motel feel. I also like that when it's hot out, you get to stay inside a little longer rather than going right out into the blazing heat. Again, just preference.

Better transportation? Well, that depends....at AKL you are still getting only buses, and I feel that a big part of the deluxes is the different transportation options and AKL doesn't offer that. WL, which we loved has the boat to MK, but we actually preferred the bus there. Boat so slow....sometimes we would boat to CR and hop on the monorail though. I actually stayed at POFQ this week and found the buses to be unbelievably outstanding..best Disney bus experience ever.

Nicer rooms? Yes, we think the deluxe rooms are nicer. They are certainly bigger. We like having a balcony. The pillows are better. Again, I found POFQ to be lovely as well, but I have loved my rooms at YC and WL more.

We were total commandos at the parks until our 1st deluxe stay. The WL absolutely made us slow down and enjoy the resort. We actually wanted to be there during the day. Just us, but at values and mods, we couldn't wait to get out and to the parks and no desire to come back until nighttime. Since starting to stay deluxes, our vacations have become so much more relaxed and we don't come home feeling like we need a vacation from a vacation.

Again, a lot of the stuff is personal preference, but for us, at a good discount, the deluxes are worth it. Even worse, DH won't let me book without CL.

IMHO, the Epcot resorts are the best as far as location. Being able to walk to two parks is fantastic! Don't have to worry about breakdowns and closures there!

 

[mevelandry]

I, too, am always looking for sales, coupons, etc. I get that.

But I am also a big fan of Deluxe.

I have a rule: I never make reservation for a Deluxe unless I m 100% sure that I m going to spend at least 1 or 2 days on site/swimming in the pool/chillin' around, chillin' on my balcony/in the room.

The only thing a "non-guest" can not do is sleep in a room and swim in the pool.


So, when I know I'll spend most of my vacation outside the resort, I go Value or Moderate. (Will be value in 20 days, been moderate on my honeymoon because although we were out in th parks a lot, it was still our honeymoon and I wanted a little little bit of luxury and romance) ... And i just visit the deluxe resorts for a dinner and a little walk.

I strongly believe a split stay (you keep it in the end, when you got enough theme park time and you just wanna relax) does the job if you really wanna try it once.

 

[jaceraden]

Try Deluxe once and you'll get it.

 

[HeyLynners]

We all have things in life that being us back to center. 51 weeks out of the year, I juggle 5 kids and work 50 to 60 hours a week at a stressful job where I make a lot of decisions. Disney is my one week a year to make zero decisions. For me, decompressing each time we come back to that lobby or having a super relaxing breakfast in club level is something I look forward to. I need the low key, the unpacked busses, etc. We coupon, don't eat out, vehicles are paid for, house is almost paid for and treat ourselves once a year to a relaxing vacation before Mom goes.

 

[Wanna be Ariel]

Well I will start out by saying that I am exactly like you. I hate spending more money than I thing I need. I do al the same money saving things as you and more(paid surveys, money making iPhone apps, and research companies constantly) We were never "Value" resort people. We hated the beds. We love the Mods, but we are now in LOVE with the Deluxe. We just got back from our first stay at the Poly. It was heaven. I am going to answer your questions in bold as to why I can now spend that much.

I know I'm entering delicate territory here, but when I look at the prices of the different resorts, I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would pay $300-$500 or more a night for some resorts!

I'll preface by saying that I'm a budget-conscious mom---or you may even say cheap. I shop sales and discounts, cut coupons, and watch what I spend. That being said, we have been to Disney four times in seven years, so we're not against spending money on vacations!

We've always stayed at a Value resort until the last time when we stayed at POFQ and loved it! We'll go back there in a heartbeat.

So I spend less than $200 at POFQ for a lovely room, great service, fun pool, beautiful grounds, etc. Or I could spend $400 and stay at a Deluxe. Why????

Some of the arguments I've heard are....

Indoor corridors -- does that really matter? No I don't think it really does, but it sure was nice when it was raining out and not get extra wet. We actually really saved and were able to stay CL so indoor corridors worked well for that. Otherwise not thing it maters.

Better transportation -- never had an issue with buses at any of the resorts we've stayed. And we've never had a car.Actually for us the transportation(buses) were the worst we ever had. Monorail was outstanding. We have a 2 year old and spent most of the trip at MK so for us, spending extra to be that close was well worth it. BUT I would be very very unhappy to spend that money and have to tell with the horrible bus service they have. So for you, park hopping not worth it at all.

Nicer rooms -- thought POFQ room was lovely!Outstanding rooms. I loved the bigger rooms, bigger bathroom. It was great after a long day at a park to have extra space. Worth it for us!

Closer proximity to MK -- when we go we visit all the parks, so don't care if we're closer to one. Again, never an issue with transportation.Again if you don't spend all or most of your time at MK or Epcot then might not be worth it for you.

Beautiful lobby/grounds/views/etc. -- Can get all that just by visiting!Yes you can get all of this with a visit, but there really is something to be said with early morning walks for coffee or late night strolls. We found a great peace about staying at the Poly that really was wonderful

I guess if we were going to spend our whole vacation hanging out at the resort, we might be more worried about it. But we're there to visit the parks! Yes, we'll take breaks, swim in the pool, eat in the food court. But our rooms are basically places to sleep, shower, dress, and go.

Unless money really were no object at all--which I can't imagine is the case for the vast majority of families--I can't justify spending the ridiculous amounts of money on the resorts. For that price, they should be throwing in breakfast (and lunch and dinner!) and providing me a private driver to get me where I want to go! Not to mention laundry services and a turn-down each night!

So let me hear it! How do you justify spending that kind of money on a room? Do you spend all your time there? Is it just to say "been there, done that'? Is the difference really worth twice the cost?

I'm honestly curious about this...

We saved for 3 years for this once in a life vacation(first trip for my DS2) and it was WELL WELL worth the money we spend. It was so relaxing and fun. Now with that being said we are going again next year and staying Mod, but we will be back at the Poly or another Deluxe the following year. We need to save more for those stay. I think that maybe you should book 1 night and try it out. See what you are or are not missing. No matter what anyone tells you about staying at a Deluxe, I think it is something that you need to find out for yourself. It is not for everyone especially at that cost(look for the discount times) we saved a lot for having a PIN code. Good luck! And I hope this helped out a little. If you have any question just ask. I love to help others out. So many people helped me out on here. P.S. I love POFQ this is my fav Mod for sure!

 

[goofy4prez]

I know I'm entering delicate territory here, but when I look at the prices of the different resorts, I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would pay $300-$500 or more a night for some resorts!

And I guess I could say I just don't understand why anyone would not want to. It's all up to personal taste and budget. I am very conservative with my finances and do not indulge in a larger home or luxury cars (though I could afford them if I wanted). I save my money for things like retirement and my daughters soon upcoming college education. But when it comes to a vacation I am one who loves to indulge, feel pampered, and enjoy the finer things. That's what is important to me and is the reason why I will pay $300-$500 more a night. To each their own.

 

[LovemesomeDW]

Extra space is very important to us. Plus, the resort time is a big part of our vacation. We aren't morning to night park hopping diehards. We spend a lot of time at our resort enjoying the pool, walking the grounds, etc. and feel deluxe provides the best atmosphere we are looking for while on vacation.

 

[mickeynut1]

I know I'm entering delicate territory here, but when I look at the prices of the different resorts, I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would pay $300-$500 or more a night for some resorts!

I'll preface by saying that I'm a budget-conscious mom---or you may even say cheap. I shop sales and discounts, cut coupons, and watch what I spend. That being said, we have been to Disney four times in seven years, so we're not against spending money on vacations!

We've always stayed at a Value resort until the last time when we stayed at POFQ and loved it! We'll go back there in a heartbeat.

So I spend less than $200 at POFQ for a lovely room, great service, fun pool, beautiful grounds, etc. Or I could spend $400 and stay at a Deluxe. Why????

Some of the arguments I've heard are....

Indoor corridors -- does that really matter?

Better transportation -- never had an issue with buses at any of the resorts we've stayed. And we've never had a car.

Nicer rooms -- thought POFQ room was lovely!

Closer proximity to MK -- when we go we visit all the parks, so don't care if we're closer to one. Again, never an issue with transportation.

Beautiful lobby/grounds/views/etc. -- Can get all that just by visiting!

I guess if we were going to spend our whole vacation hanging out at the resort, we might be more worried about it. But we're there to visit the parks! Yes, we'll take breaks, swim in the pool, eat in the food court. But our rooms are basically places to sleep, shower, dress, and go.

Unless money really were no object at all--which I can't imagine is the case for the vast majority of families--I can't justify spending the ridiculous amounts of money on the resorts. For that price, they should be throwing in breakfast (and lunch and dinner!) and providing me a private driver to get me where I want to go! Not to mention laundry services and a turn-down each night!

So let me hear it! How do you justify spending that kind of money on a room? Do you spend all your time there? Is it just to say "been there, done that'? Is the difference really worth twice the cost?

I'm honestly curious about this...

I think it's all a matter of preference and how you vacation. Our first onsite stay was at a mod and while we loved the resort and had a magical trip, once we tried a deluxe the following year, we haven't stayed anything else since. I will be the first one to admit that I am a resort snob and I am very picky about where I stay (anywhere I go, not just at Disney). You are right that you can visit any resort to experience the restaurants, grounds, etc., but it's not the same as staying there (at least not for me). We don't spend every waking minute at the resort, but we spend more time at the resort than we do the parks (and our resort time increases and our park time decreases with each stay). Our first year or two we spent all day every day at the parks, but the more we go, the more time we spend enjoying the resort. We justify it because that's how we vacation and we choose the resort(s) that appeal to us with the amenities we enjoy. That is what's so great about Disney.....there's something for everyone's budget and taste.

 

[mevelandry]

Try Deluxe once and you'll get it.

I've been Deluxe twice (Polynesian and AKL) and I will go in a value in 20 days, and I will go to a Disney moderate (been moderate once in POFQ) for a split stay --first part of trip being a deluxe in Universal this time-- in april 2014.

Now that I know how it feels, IMO, it's only worth it when you actually spend the whole day there. Therefore, I'll go back to Deluxe in the end of split stays only.

 

[cvjw]

We are DVC, but have stayed at all level of Disney resorts before purchasing. We hated the value level. Small rooms, small beds, so many loud people outside the door, and the long lines for buses were a no go for us.

We loved the moderate level, especially at POFQ. We were fine staying in a moderate until we stayed deluxe. We hate riding on Disney buses, so being able to walk or boat to at least one park is a big perk of the Disney deluxe resorts.

There is just a different feel to a deluxe resort. Better pools, closer to parks, beautiful grounds and location, nicer rooms, large balconies. We firmly believe that you get what you pay for.

 

[pigletto]

We love the Deluxes but very rarely find them worth the cost. If I can rent points at a DVC resort that's usually the best option for us. However, I have to take into consideration how often I want to go. There was a point we were going twice a year. There was no way to do that and stay deluxe every time so it was an easy decision to go more often and stay at the mods. And we LOVE the mods. I don't feel like I am giving anything up to stay at the mods.. we truly enjoy them.
You'll never find me paying rack rate for a deluxe. Everyone has their own bottom line and budget, and rack rate hits mine. It wouldn't matter what I had in the vacation budget.. rack rate is so ridiculous it makes me chuckle. $500 or more a night for the Poly? Not for this family. We've stayed in some beautiful and truly 5 star hotels that didn't charge that much so I can't justify the inflated rates at Disney.

That being said, with a discount, or going the DVC route, the deluxes become a much better deal. If I can get what I consider to be a decent price we love staying in them.
Luckily, there are great options for most budgets.

 

[patty57]

For us, it's about the location primarily. We want to stay in the Epcot area because we walk in and out of Epcot all the time. We made a price concession two trips ago and stayed at the Swan. Loved it and stayed at the Dolphin last May. Our next trip, I will absolutely consider Swan/Dolphin again, or maybe rent DVC points.
Another consideration for many is that the extra money for a deluxe isn't a hardship, so why not do it?

 

[Shaden]

Buahahaha love when people ask this question, usually brings out a heated debate. Although, to be fair there haven't been too many super snobby posts so far ... its been a pretty reasonable thread.


Generally we could never justify the cost of a Deluxe resort, we have visited, ate at, crept the pictures, etc .... and while some of them are beautiful, we find the mods beautiful as well. Some Mods more so then Dlx. We too couldn't care less about having to ride a bus 10-15 mins to get to the park, when we consider the trade off in money, it just isn't worth it to be able to walk to the park, or take the monorail (if its working) and the boats are terribly slow, so actually worse then the bus in that sense. I think of it as making like $100 per bus ride. I would ride the bus all day if I was getting paid $100 every time.

Anyway, we ARE staying at Deluxe this time, but we are renting points, so saving about 65% off. It will be interesting. We don't have anything against people who like deluxe, we just don't think its worth the money it costs. So this is a nice alternative, we get to stay there, see if we like it, but aren't paying the price which we think isn't worth it.

I do appreciate the general tone of people here, noting that the things people like about deluxes are preferences, and maybe some people are willing to pay for them.

 

[DisneyFan2013]

I know I'm entering delicate territory here, but when I look at the prices of the different resorts, I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would pay $300-$500 or more a night for some resorts! I'll preface by saying that I'm a budget-conscious mom---or you may even say cheap. I shop sales and discounts, cut coupons, and watch what I spend. That being said, we have been to Disney four times in seven years, so we're not against spending money on vacations! We've always stayed at a Value resort until the last time when we stayed at POFQ and loved it! We'll go back there in a heartbeat. So I spend less than $200 at POFQ for a lovely room, great service, fun pool, beautiful grounds, etc. Or I could spend $400 and stay at a Deluxe. Why???? Some of the arguments I've heard are.... Indoor corridors -- does that really matter? Better transportation -- never had an issue with buses at any of the resorts we've stayed. And we've never had a car. Nicer rooms -- thought POFQ room was lovely! Closer proximity to MK -- when we go we visit all the parks, so don't care if we're closer to one. Again, never an issue with transportation. Beautiful lobby/grounds/views/etc. -- Can get all that just by visiting! I guess if we were going to spend our whole vacation hanging out at the resort, we might be more worried about it. But we're there to visit the parks! Yes, we'll take breaks, swim in the pool, eat in the food court. But our rooms are basically places to sleep, shower, dress, and go. Unless money really were no object at all--which I can't imagine is the case for the vast majority of families--I can't justify spending the ridiculous amounts of money on the resorts. For that price, they should be throwing in breakfast (and lunch and dinner!) and providing me a private driver to get me where I want to go! Not to mention laundry services and a turn-down each night! So let me hear it! How do you justify spending that kind of money on a room? Do you spend all your time there? Is it just to say "been there, done that'? Is the difference really worth twice the cost? I'm honestly curious about this...

I can understand your point. I've stayed at mods before, but wanted to try a deluxe for my next trip mainly because of the theming but also the proximity to the parks and perks like onsite restaurants. I don't have kids though so my budget is more flexible.

 

[mevelandry]

For us, it's about the location primarily. We want to stay in the Epcot area because we walk in and out of Epcot all the time. We made a price concession two trips ago and stayed at the Swan. Loved it and stayed at the Dolphin last May. Our next trip, I will absolutely consider Swan/Dolphin again, or maybe rent DVC points.
Another consideration for many is that the extra money for a deluxe isn't a hardship, so why not do it?

The only downsides of Swan/Dolphin is the non-DDP restaurants and the absence of Magical Express. But you get a Deluxe for a little bit more than the cost of a moderate.

Seems like a great "in between".

 

[kapoof]

We have always stayed deluxe because I am willing to pay the price for a vacation that I want. Now does that mean the mods and values are bad? No it just isn't for us. We stopped one time at pop for a drop off on the way to akl and I didn't care for the concrete mall feel. I enjoy a pretty lobby to walk into, I enjoy better pools with slides, I enjoy the theming, I enjoy the food options, I enjoy the closeness to the parks. Some use their resorts for sleeping we use ours for a lot so deluxe just works for us.