Deluxe and Value - Why Do You Pay the Extra Money for Deluxe?

[rochek1999]

I've always wanted to stay at the Polynesian . I vowed that I would one day. But, as I sit here looking at the prices, I can't convince myself that spending the extra money for a place to just lay our heads and possibly use the pool, is worth it.

Why do YOU stay at a Deluxe? Is it for more amenities? Is it the ambiance? Is it you have the finances to do it every time you go?

I'm really conflicted at this point. Your opinions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[elaw]

Because we've been to the parks so many times over the years the park experience is much less important to us now. We really enjoy spending a lot of time at the resorts, enjoying the amenities and atmosphere. We also enjoy the moderates quite a bit for the same reasons and will do split stays in order to try different resorts during our vacations.

 

[ms tom morrow]

We don't have kids, so the hectic atmosphere of values/moderates on top of the hectic atmosphere of the parks can be a little much for us. We enjoy the wide selection of table service restaurants at the resort, not to mention the lounges. Plus, we always stay on the monorail which takes away a lot of transportation headaches for us, and helps us get the most out of our park hoppers.

Don't get me wrong, the deluxe prices are steep. My bank account is still hating me for our next Grand Floridian stay, but for us, a Disney vacation is pretty tiring. Fun! But also tiring. The way to make it a "vacation" for us is to de-stress during non-park time at beautiful resorts. It sometimes means we can't visit the World as often as we'd like, but for us, we prefer to stay deluxe and go less often than stay value and go more often.

 

[jcjen519]

Wherever we travel the resort we're staying at is important to us. We're not "go go go" people normally but even when we are I like coming back to a really nice and relaxing room.

At disney we feel convenience, the bigger rooms, the nice restaurants close by, the amenities and in particular the club level amenities are a big part of our trip. At the end of the day i don't want to take a bus back to one of the moderates or values. I don't mean to offend anyone and certainly don't think my way is the only way. its just what my husband and I have found creates an environment that allows us to enjoy our trips to the fullest.

 

[maryandtyson]

We stay Deluxe because: rooms are much larger and tight quarters really bug us, the beds are waaaaayyy more comfy, they are quiet, the public spaces are nicer, pools have towels available and slides, they are usually much closer to the parks and have alternate transportation. We love Deluxe and would never go back.

Whether it's worth it is a personal choice. For us, there is no doubt. That being said, a value trip is better than no trip. So, if that were the choice, then I'd go Value.

 

[jperrot1]

Because we've been to the parks so many times over the years the park experience is much less important to us now. We really enjoy spending a lot of time at the resorts, enjoying the amenities and atmosphere. We also enjoy the moderates quite a bit for the same reasons and will do split stays in order to try different resorts during our vacations.

These reasons sound very similar to ours. I can tell you club level at the Poly is nothing short of a magical experience (don't know about now with it being construction city over there). But, this cost so much more. Now, it depends on who we go to WDW with and the budget we set on if we stay moderate or deluxe, or deluxe CL. But when we stay deluxe, I would ditto the above poster.

We feel there is a big difference between value and moderate, as well as moderate and deluxe. But that includes a big differences in prices too. But there are deals to be had including a very "magical" deal going on for late August - early September 1015 for select deluxe resorts/rooms (deal may have ended already but some were reporting almost 50% off these select deluxe rooms). Again this deal could have expired, but just keep watching.

 

[maryj11]

We only stay deluxe if we can get a really good discount. You can get some really good discounts for a deluxe and only pay a little more then you would pay for a moderate. We just got the magical deal for Aug 2015 that jperrot1 is talking about and got a really great rate. The rates were Beach Club 202.00 a night, Poly 232.00 a night, Grand Floridian 291.38 a night. I think this deal is still going on.

 

[jacknsally19]

The biggest reason for me is that I have a small child that needs naps / early bed time and I like having a balcony or patio and a larger room. I can also afford it but my family doesn't spend a lot of money in other areas (brand name clothes, technology, nice cars) I think everyone prioritizes spending in different ways for me comfort and convenience during a vacation is a priority

I have considered doing a value or moderate because the theming would appeal to my child but I can't bring myself to do it! I am also a creature of habit though I know I like the Contemporay so I have a hard time booking something new. (Although I am trying GF for the first time because club level was cheaper there than a regular room at CR)

My advice is that you really want to try Poly - go during one of the value periods and then stalk the discounts!

 

[snorkelyn]

Our family's number one reason for choosing deluxe is LOCATION! We like walking to MK from the Contemporary, or hopping on a monorail from Poly. And we like the Epcot area resorts so we can walk to Epcot and boat to HS. We are not big fans of the buses. We are a family of 5, so our options are limited to deluxe or moderate. We stay at POR when we need to go on a lower budget.

Also, we enjoy spending time at the resorts. We like POR just as much as the deluxe resorts. But...we love avoiding buses too.

It's not that we are loaded....we just set a high priority on vacations. My husband doesn't take much time away from work, so when he does...we do it up! We cut back in other areas in order to afford deluxe vacations. We don't eat out much, and I drive a paid-off van. All of our vacations are splurgy...not just Disney. It's just how we roll!

We were upgraded to club level at the Contemporary last month. I never used to understand why people would pay so much more per night just to sit in a lounge and sip on complimentary drinks and eat complimentary snacks. I thought "surely I can buy my own drinks and snacks for a fraction of the cost". Now...I totally get it! The lounges at the MK resorts offer perfect, uncrowded views of the fireworks from the lounge, with an easy stroll back to your room afterwards. We were SOLD, and will probably spurge for that next trip!

Maybe you should try it! Even if you just do it for the last couple nights of your trip. Then you can decide if it's worth it to you.

 

[kmb584]

We stay deluxe because I like the extra square footage, theming and ambiance, location, and amenities.

 

[deakam]

The Deluxe resorts I have stayed at are the Wilderness Lodge and the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I have also stayed at the Pop Century and the French Quarter. The Wilderness was a mother daughter trip as a gift for college graduation. The Animal Kingdom was because we had free dining and 3 adults so the cost was divided by 3. The rooms are bigger. The closet makes a big difference---no tripping over suitcases. The deluxe and moderate resorts have a lounge and a pool bar. I also have found that the noise level is different. I just got back from the AKL and not once during the night did I hear a toilet flush. Not once was I awakened by the sound of the neighbor's shower. Another positive is the bus stop at the parks. It probably isn't an issue for some but it is for me, after walking all day at the parks I actually dread the walk from the park to the bus stop. The Values are farther away.

I would stay deluxe every trip if I could afford it. Most trips at the French Quarter. But if the budget is tight I would have no problem staying at Pop again. The deluxe resorts are incredibly overpriced as far as I am concerned but then again so are the mods and values when compared to resorts outside of Disney. After all it really is nothing more than a hotel room. No matter where you stay you are paying for Disney perks. My sister who would never pay for a Disney hotel was quite impressed with the Animal Kingdom Lodge. How many resorts can you name that have Savannahs outside the windows?

 

[MillauFr]

We stayed at a Deluxe because the prices were low. With the labor day agency exclusive the Wilderness Lodge was $169 and the Poly was $189 per night. I was going to stay at Port Orleans French Quarter but it was about the same price.

 

[nkereina]

We've stayed at deluxe (including Poly) and moderate. IMO, it depends on the kind of trip you're taking. If you're there for a week and are going to take it easy and spend some time at the resort, a deluxe can be worth it. Having the nice pool, access to good TS restaurants, minimal travel time to parks, and the balcony/patio at most deluxe resorts are all nice amenities. But if you leave in the morning and make the parks the primary focus of your day, its a tougher sell IMO. Since we've done a few trips in recent years, we'll probably do deluxe and focus more on the resort next trip.

 

[maryj11]

We stayed at a Deluxe because the prices were low. With the labor day agency exclusive the Wilderness Lodge was $169 and the Poly was $189 per night. I was going to stay at Port Orleans French Quarter but it was about the same price.

I have been told the Poly was 232.00 a night and I have been told it was 189.00 ? I never had gotten a quote on it . So sorry if I'm wrong with the 232.00 rate

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I'm only going deluxe because of the magical deal I got through a TA. The BC is 202 a night. Can't beat that. Other than that I'm a moderate person.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I have been told the Poly was 232.00 a night and I have been told it was 189.00 ? I never had gotten a quote on it . So sorry if I'm wrong with the 232.00 rate

It was 189 a night for 2014. 2015 it'll be 232 a night.

 

[jsbowl16]

Location, Location, Location.

We have stayed at POFQ the last four times we were there and we really love it but it got very tiring on our vacation last year taking the bus back to POFQ in the afternoon for naps for our two year old and then going back out to the parks two hours later. Some days this took almost four hours out of our days. I told my wife that when we went this year we would pick a Deluxe hotel that has shorter travel time to the parks so we picked The Boardwalk for this coming July and we are really looking forward to it taking us less than fifteen minutes to get to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios. We are thinking that this will save give us an extra hour and a half or two hours of park time some days.

Also, we rented points from a DVC member so the cost of The Boardwalk was only about $75 more for seven days versus staying at POFQ through Disney.

 

[ptlohmysoul]

We are a family of 5. We also can't imagine squeezing 2 adults into a full size bed. We are used to a cal king bed, so even a queen bed is roughing it. We like to feel "at home" as much as possible when on vacation, so having a full size fridge is also nice. We splurged for a stay at AKV and loved it. Then we stayed at BLT. Next stay is at BWV.

 

[vettegirl]

Location! We love the beach club as the proximity to WS is priceless. Also love the larger rooms, club level, and nicer pools

 

[maryj11]

I'm only going deluxe because of the magical deal I got through a TA. The BC is 202 a night. Can't beat that. Other than that I'm a moderate person.

Me too but I booked the GF ! They had some really great deals.