Is anyone else underwhelmed with the Deluxes?

[LeafsFanNL]

Hi,

We now have stayed at four different Disney Resorts. POFQ in 07, POR in 09, WL last April and BC last December.

My wonderful wife and I have talked about this on and off since we came back from the BC. We have come up with the following observations on the deluxes.
To us we see only two big advantages of the deluxes over the moderates. The main one is location. Obviously the main benefit of the BC over the mods is the proximity to EPCOT. We walked one day back and forth three times. To a much lesser degree WL has a similar benefit. We used the launch mainly to return to our rooms from MK. On the way we almost always used the bus. We have never found using the Disney busses to be onerous, so we found the service at the POR and POFQ to be fine.
The other benefit to us was the onsite dining. We typically eat TS almost every evening. It is nice to be able to go downstairs and dine on occasion, especially when there is more than one choice. We love the Yachtsman, and Captains Grille. Whispering Canyon Cafe, Artists Point and Cape May Cafe are almost as nice. Boatwrights is probably the only Disney Dining location I wouldn't try again.

Thats it for me.

Theming

We found that the theming for the deluxes was not appreciably more exciting for us compared to POFQ and POR. The WL wows a lot of people, I like it too, but I think it is too familiar to me. It was noted many times last April that we were surrounded by pine trees at the resort, when we are surrounded by pine trees at home and at our camp site. The BC theming was ok, but I really did not that omnipresent scent in the common areas. We really liked the POFQ and POR theming as much as or more than deluxes.

Room size.

Here is where I am sure I am edging into heresy. We did not find the rooms at the deluxes to be appreciably better than the mods, this is especially true at the WL. I know the area of the rooms are larger, courtesy of the Unofficial Guide, but they don't seem much bigger. I think it is due to the layout. When you enter the mods, you enter your living area, with the bathroom in the rear. Upon entering these deluxes you have to pass down a corridor, before you enter the living area. There seems to be wasted space in this arrangement. You just don't seem to have more living area. BC seemed a little bigger than WL, POR and POFQ which to us were identical in livable space, but not by a significant amount.

Pools

My family are big fans of having a pool, especially for the warmer periods of the year. Our Newfoundland Climate is moderated by the Atlantic Ocean and we get many summer days lower than 75 or 80. We need pool time after lunch when we go to the world Easter time. Our boys love the pool, and they will spend lots of time in them. They don't really do the slides all that much, and we as a family don't like crowded pools. So we find that we spend a lot of time in the quiet pools. So the big themed pools at BC, WL and POR we tend to try once before settling in the quiet pool for most of the week. This was true at POR and the WL. I am sure that if we had been at BC Easter time rather than in December, and if the boys had been with us, they would have preferred the quiet pool. So for us the pools at POR, WL and BC are not significantly different.


Now we don't mind spending money for something that we see value in. We have to spend a minimum of $2000 to get to Orlando from St. John's, and I'll pay OOP for Yachtsman if I have to because its worth it. We question the value of these resorts over the mods.

Both of the trips we managed to get discounts. IIRC about $210 a night is what we spent a night for both deluxes. At that amount I can just barely justify BC, (although I prefer YC), but I can't justify WL at that price. Much more than that forget it, I am at POFQ or POR (AB side).

 

[PSUGuy]

First, our exposure to deluxe resorts is limited to 3 weeks each at the BoardWalk, Swan and Dolphin for a total of 9 stays. The attraction to us is the loaction. The rooms, restaurants, bars and pools are clearly a step up from the Mods., but that's a bonus to us, not the point.

I've often thought that the gap between a Value and a Mod is greater than that between a Mod and a Deluxe and I still think that. As for themeing, BW does conform to my impression of the 1920s AC boardwalk, the YC & BC likewise for their themes and the S/D are not intended to have a Disney theme, they are unique.

Cost-wise, we only go the the S/D when a teacher's rate is offered, even in March we've reserved rooms as low as $129 before taxes and this March our BoardWalk room will cost us $154 per night, total, on rented DVC points, about what a Mod would be.

Considering all the above, the hotels in the Epcot cluster represent a luxurious bargain.

Bill From PA

 

[shalom]

Here is where I am sure I am edging into heresy. We did not find the rooms at the deluxes to be appreciably better than the mods, this is especially true at the WL. I know the area of the rooms are larger, courtesy of the Unofficial Guide, but they don't seem much bigger.

I've got a chart I downloaded from somewhere that breaks the room sizes down by area, and while the unit as a whole (bedroom, bathroom, entrance area) is larger at WL, the bedroom area is actually larger at POR or POFQ. And that's by a fair bit -- bedroom space in the mods is 240 square feet, while the bedrooms at the Wilderness Lodge are 208. (Beach Club and Yacht Club it's 233 - and all measurements are approximate.) The chart I have doesn't list all the resorts, but of the ones it mentions, only the older rooms at Poly and the rooms at the Grand Floridian have bedroom areas larger than the mods.

So if bedroom space is important to you, and considering your other comments, then it's not surprising you prefer the mods.

Personally, to location I would add porch or balcony as a benefit to going Deluxe. I really like Riverside myself, and the rooms look keen, but whenever I seriously think about staying there, I have to recognize that I would really miss having a balcony. I hardly use them when they're there, but when they're not there, I keep noticing that lack and being annoyed by it. But I'm with you that the theming and pools and rooms in general are pretty much the same, deluxe to mod. If the differences aren't worth it to you, then you're not going to be impressed by getting kind of the same thing for a much higher price.

 

[Colleen27]

We felt the same way about WL - aside from the location, which wasn't a big perk in January because it was often too cool to really enjoy the boat ride, there was nothing in our experience there that would recommend it above the moderate resorts we've tried. The rooms aren't appreciably bigger and the layout isn't as convenient for us as this stage (we have a toddler and the moderate room design is perfect for hiding the pack & play behind the privacy curtain). The feature pool just wasn't very exciting and lacks the zero-entry section that CBR has, and it just didn't feel very deluxe to us.

Beach Club, on the other hand, absolutely felt deluxe to us. The pool is simply amazing and being able to walk or boat to two parks was fabulous. I still wouldn't spend the money to stay there on a winter trip, though, because the boat/walk that is so nice when it is warm becomes a hassle when it is cold and getting swimming weather is a crapshoot.

When it comes to atmosphere, I do much prefer the moderates for one simple reason - we spend very little time in a resort's lobby, but like to spend time outdoors on the grounds. So the beauty of the Beach Club or Wilderness Lodge lobbies is something we take notice of at check in but don't really spend any time enjoying. The moderates, on the other hand, have such lovely landscaping because of their size, and that is a very "resort feel" feature that the smaller, more compact deluxes lack (aside from the Poly, which has that same wonderful feel with all the small longhouses and lush landscaping). Unfortunately, our moderate days are numbered with the baby turning 3 in July, so the next adventure will be trying to either find a deluxe we love or seeing if we'd be happy in a value suite.

 

[lin7]

I don't like the outside hallways in the mods, you have to keep your curtains closed, so no natural light really comes in. I stayed at CSR once and hated the ouside hallway, we felt so closed in with our curtains always closed.

 

[lighthouse206]

I think there's a huge difference between the mods and deluxes...

Aren't the mods really just BIG glorified motels with $200 rates during peak season? I honestly think "lipstick on a pig" when I see them. I know, kind of extreme, but it's what we think. You could find similar buildings (not themed) at most large Best Westerns, Super 8, or even a Motel 6 (large standardized 2-3 story buildings with rooms facing outside, exterior corridors, etc.) The big difference is the heavy dose of theme Disney applies to the courtyards and buildings. In addition to better locations, deluxes offer incredible architecture, highly unique customized buildings with interior corridors (a/c as you walk to your room), and central a/c (no tacky box to turn on and off) in your room. The buildings themselves both inside and out are dazzling.

The rooms at mods are a 1/2 step up for sure over a common motel, but there's no view to speak of from any of them (unless you like watching people run around right outside your room window(and/or keep your drapes pulled), roll their luggage around on the concrete walkways, etc. There's no veranda at mods (unless you consider the public hallway corridor outside your room a veranda) and certainly no private veranda! And, of course, the general room layout is a modified motel setup with the restroom to the rear (just like Motel 6). None of this is true at the deluxes! Beautiful verandas with extraordinary views are available, and in my experience the carpeted halls are reasonably quiet. Perks like much nicer toiletries, fluffier towels, turndown service, club level, room service, etc., are items that you associate with fine 4 star hotels and are available in abundance. The rooms are 4 star quality. Some of the recently renovated deluxe rooms are flat out gorgeous.

Finally - the general layout of the mods is such that you can be forced to walk miles to get anywhere because they are so huge. I realize POFQ might be an exception to this rule, but still there's some real walking from one corner of that resort to the lobby. Places like CSR and CBR are famous for the massive walking (in the heat) required to get almost anywhere (and/or rental car or wait for a shuttle). Not so at deluxe.. everything is indoors and/or very nearby.

Last thing I'll mention is crowds. Yes, there are quiet pools - but the almost deluxe-level themed pools at the mods serve 5000+ people (CBR, CSR, PO each with 2000+ rooms most with 2+ guests) and can be very very crowded. It's almost humorous watching how many people can cram themselves into a hot tub at CSR. The deluxes have similar pool sizes and can also be crowded but with typically less than half the rooms, the odds are better you'll find a chair or a seat in the hot tub. In our experience it's never that hard to find a chair at the deluxes (maybe we've just been lucky but they've always been there..)

Bottom line is I'm just presenting another point of view - it's all a question of where you see value. But we see massive value with the deluxes as we value what I've mentioned (and this is all in addition to location and transportation options). We feel like the mods are glorified best westerns and see no value in paying 150 - 200+/night for them which some people do during peak seasons.

 

[LukenDC]

I like the deluxes, but I recognize that they are not true luxury accommodations and should not be compared to Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, Oberoi, etc. My partner, while willing to indulge my passion for Disney, is completely underwhelmed by the deluxe resorts and has disparaged them by making comparisons to luxury hotels that we have visited.

The quality of the rooms at the deluxes vary and I would say they range from Hilton Garden Inn to standard Hilton in comparison with non-Disney hotels. The much vaunted Disney service has really lagged in recent years and is not up to par with luxury hotel chains. The high prices stem from placement on Disney property and easy access to the world class theme parks.

 

[Redheaded Sunshine]

I'm not underwhelmed at all. Every deluxe hotel that I've stayed at has been wonderful and extraordinary in every way, from room size, to theming...all of it. I love it.

 

[jandmmom]

We just returned last night from a trip, staying in a Mod (POFQ) for the first time. We are planning to go to WDW again in June and then sometime in Fall/Winter. We found ourselves doing a lot of comparing & contrasting to try to decide the pros and cons of the places we have been (POFQ, BWI, GF, WL, AKL). We are staying at Poly and BC in June. We have also stayed offsite at Marriott Harbour Lakes.

We decided that the Deluxes and Marriott were a better match for us & won't be going back to POFQ (or probably any other mod).

The biggest issues for us were:
1) location
2) lobby/restaurants/hotel ammenities

I totally agree that the rooms at POFQ were the same size, although the beds were smaller. We have 2 young children, so the buses were kind of tough for us. We really wished that we had rented a car this time & won't go again without having a car.

One day it rained soooooooooo hard & that's when I realized that it would have been nice to have the indoor lobby area with the restaurants to go to. At POFQ we had to walk a pretty good distance to get to the lobby area & we did not enjoy the food in the only restaurant.

The theming was pretty (as is everything at Disney) & everything was spotless. We did not prefer the outdoor corridor style of the rooms. The Marriott has those as well, but there is also a huge balcony (plus kitchen, 2 huge bedrooms & bathrooms).

In all, we decided that we prefer the deluxes, but maybe even the offsite vacation club even more!

 

[chocolateMinnie]

we're hoping we don't feel the same when we return this year. We have been to WDW five times, four stays at CSR only and loved it. One stay split between CSR and GF and much preferred CSR (hence why we have returned the last three times to CSR not wishing to be disappointed.)

Sadly CSR this time have done away with their buffet breakfast and we found we wasted travelling time each morning to find a decent breakfast elsewhere. We are heading to AKL this year for the first time and hope we will not be disappointed again.

To be fair this trip isn't substantially more than the CSR as to upgrade CSR from qsdp to ddp here in the UK would have made it a similar cost to AKL with free ddp. We'll see how we go.

 

[Alabama Minnie]

IMO there is NO comparison between the 2 monorail deluxe stays we have done and the moderates AND AKL (never stayed at WL).

Our rooms at CR and POLY were huge. We felt MORE crowded in our AKL room than at the moderates we have stayed in + had to deal with the buses there too.

We are staying at BWI our next trip (have stayed at Dolphin on Boardwalk) and I am sure the convenience of the location will MORE than justify the extra $$ not to have to deal with the transportation worries of the mods. and values (we have stayed at 3 of the 4 values).

 

[eliza61]

Hi,

We found that the theming for the deluxes was not appreciably more exciting for us compared to POFQ and POR. The WL wows a lot of people, I like it too, but I think it is too familiar to me. It was noted many times last April that we were surrounded by pine trees at the resort, when we are surrounded by pine trees at home and at our camp site. The BC theming was ok, but I really did not that omnipresent scent in the common areas. We really liked the POFQ and POR theming as much as or more than deluxes.

Room size.

Here is where I am sure I am edging into heresy. We did not find the rooms at the deluxes to be appreciably better than the mods, this is especially true at the WL. I know the area of the rooms are larger, courtesy of the Unofficial Guide, but they don't seem much bigger. I think it is due to the layout. When you enter the mods, you enter your living area, with the bathroom in the rear. Upon entering these deluxes you have to pass down a corridor, before you enter the living area. There seems to be wasted space in this arrangement. You just don't seem to have more living area. BC seemed a little bigger than WL, POR and POFQ which to us were identical in livable space, but not by a significant amount.

Pools

My family are big fans of having a pool, especially for the warmer periods of the year. Our Newfoundland Climate is moderated by the Atlantic Ocean and we get many summer days lower than 75 or 80. We need pool time after lunch when we go to the world Easter time. Our boys love the pool, and they will spend lots of time in them. They don't really do the slides all that much, and we as a family don't like crowded pools. So we find that we spend a lot of time in the quiet pools. So the big themed pools at BC, WL and POR we tend to try once before settling in the quiet pool for most of the week. This was true at POR and the WL. I am sure that if we had been at BC Easter time rather than in December, and if the boys had been with us, they would have preferred the quiet pool. So for us the pools at POR, WL and BC are not significantly different.


Now we don't mind spending money for something that we see value in. We have to spend a minimum of $2000 to get to Orlando from St. John's, and I'll pay OOP for Yachtsman if I have to because its worth it. We question the value of these resorts over the mods.

Both of the trips we managed to get discounts. IIRC about $210 a night is what we spent a night for both deluxes. At that amount I can just barely justify BC, (although I prefer YC), but I can't justify WL at that price. Much more than that forget it, I am at POFQ or POR (AB side).

i'm sort of which you. Quiet pools at all resorts are designed to be pretty basic pools (hence the "quiet" designation) It is not the pool which any brochure or travel agent would use to entice people to stay at a deluxe so I think that is not a fair comparison.

basically, you're supposed to be underwhelemed by the quiet pool. Since you don't like slides or crowds you've stripped the advantages of the pools down to just water. That's like taking a luxury car stripping it of the very thing that makes it a luxury car and then trying to compare it to a corrolla.
So it's not that there isn't a measurable difference it's more of the differences that make deluxe pools better are not important to you. That's a totally different statement.

Now I've never stayed at a mod. only values and deluxes and I thought the deluxes were measurable bigger than the values, but it could have been my preception.

As for the themeing, once again I don't think you've given it a fair comparison. Sure if you live in the Pacific Northwest or the Rockies or surrounded by pine trees, the WL would seem a tad routine. I'm sure our visitors from French Polynesia or Tahiti wouldn't be bowled over by the theme of the Polynesian. Familiarity leads to boring or non-inspiring. That's why I don't do the boardwalk. I live 30 miles outside of Atlantic City and the Jersey shore. it's routine to me but slap me in the middle of the AKL or the WL and my jaw drops.

 

[Talle&Charlotte]

I see your point, and have stayed at all the deluxes, mods, and DVC resorts on Disney property. I think the mods have outstanding theming, and their grounds are beautiful, but I absolutely hate the fact that you can't open your curtains and enjoy the scenery. The outside walkway isn't a big deal, as SSR also has outside walkways, but, and it's a big but, the windows don't face the walkway like they do in the mods, so no enjoying scenery from your room, unless you don't mind everyone else looking at you. Having a balcony or patio is a big plus for me on my Disney vacation. I love sitting out there in the morning enjoying a cup of tea before our busy day begins. At the mods, I can't wait to get out of the room, and I don't feel that way at the deluxes or DVC resorts. Whether the rooms at the mods are only slightly smaller than at Wilderness or AKL doesn't matter to me, the fact that I can't bring the outside in does matter. Not to mention the fact that you can't get from any mod to a park without taking a bus, or driving yourself. I also hate how far the mod rooms are from the dining and gift shop, with the exception of POFQ. If I feel like grabbing a snack and a book from the gift shop at 10pm, I don't want to have to go outside and walk for ten minutes. Granted, you have to do that when staying at SSR & OKW, but I try to avoid staying at those resorts also. I only stay in a mod when the price is "extremely" right, and I have no other choice. They can have the best theming & grounds in the world, and it's still not enough to sway me from my balcony, dining, shopping, and proximity to the parks.

 

[Pakey]

We have stayed at all but one deluxe, including staying RPC at GF.

Yes I am underwhelmed. We travel a great deal and there is no comparison to a deluxe resort elsewhere and a deluxe at WDW. At WDW you are paying for location; that's the only thing deluxe. Even the club levels at WDW are sorely lacking compared to what 5 star resorts all over the world (the real world, not Disney world) offer.

 

[ElizabethB]

Yeah, we feel pretty much the same. We were particularly distressed with our room size at WL. Dh and I felt we were constantly bumping into each other, the beds, etc., and we are not large people.

We were happier with the space at POR (at POR we had a king bed, too, and that helped make the room seem larger).

We think the CR rooms are large and comfortable, and even if not larger than GF rooms, they feel larger -- perhaps because a lot of space at GF is devoted to the sink area.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

We have stayed at all but one deluxe, including staying RPC at GF.

Yes I am underwhelmed. We travel a great deal and there is no comparison to a deluxe resort elsewhere and a deluxe at WDW. At WDW you are paying for location; that's the only thing deluxe. Even the club levels at WDW are sorely lacking compared to what 5 star resorts all over the world (the real world, not Disney world) offer.

Same here, and I agree 100%. It is deluxe only by WDW standards.

Still, when I travel I am not looking for fault. I try to enjoy everything for what it has to offer. So, while WDW deluxe accommodations are not deluxe by comparison, they more than meet our needs.

 

[lighthouse206]

I don't think it's fair to compare Disney's Deluxe resorts to a five star Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons. They aren't that... and they aren't trying to be that. Personally, I don't even think they are priced at that level.

That's why Disney is allowing Four Seasons to come on property - that WILL be the only five star resort at WDW!

However, Disney Deluxe resorts DO compare favorably to any other FOUR star resort - such as Westin, some Sheraton's, higher end Hiltons, and higher end Marriotts.

Keep in mind the "star" designation is actually a pretty specific thing in the hospitality industry. Disney is trying to be 4 Star with its Deluxe resorts and does reach that level. Only the GF Royal Palm Club is trying to be anything more than that (and arguably succeeds depending on your point of view..) but still NOT five star.

There were articles written about a decade ago about Disney actually trying to make the GF a true five star resort. They gave up.

 

[pmaurer74]

I don't like the exterior entry at the moderate level and I need to have a balcony. I plan to spend a lot of time on it. I also like the alternative transportation options that most of the deluxes have.

 

[peabody58]

Thank you OP for a fair and personally honest assessment of your experience. Find what works best for your situation and then enjoy the overall Disney experience.

We loved POR back in the day, but now with more disposable income and DVC, we prefer and enjoy the Deluxe experience. We approach each trip with tempered expectations, and leave being pleasantly impressed. DW tells me she'll stay anywhere as long as we're going together, but I have learned how to keep her happy (i.e., Deluxes).

Enjoy the journey where ever your lay your head at night.

 

[SnackyStacky]

Hi,

We now have stayed at four different Disney Resorts. POFQ in 07, POR in 09, WL last April and BC last December.

My wonderful wife and I have talked about this on and off since we came back from the BC. We have come up with the following observations on the deluxes.
To us we see only two big advantages of the deluxes over the moderates. The main one is location. Obviously the main benefit of the BC over the mods is the proximity to EPCOT. We walked one day back and forth three times. To a much lesser degree WL has a similar benefit. We used the launch mainly to return to our rooms from MK. On the way we almost always used the bus. We have never found using the Disney busses to be onerous, so we found the service at the POR and POFQ to be fine.
The other benefit to us was the onsite dining. We typically eat TS almost every evening. It is nice to be able to go downstairs and dine on occasion, especially when there is more than one choice. We love the Yachtsman, and Captains Grille. Whispering Canyon Cafe, Artists Point and Cape May Cafe are almost as nice. Boatwrights is probably the only Disney Dining location I wouldn't try again.

Thats it for me.

Theming

We found that the theming for the deluxes was not appreciably more exciting for us compared to POFQ and POR. The WL wows a lot of people, I like it too, but I think it is too familiar to me. It was noted many times last April that we were surrounded by pine trees at the resort, when we are surrounded by pine trees at home and at our camp site. The BC theming was ok, but I really did not that omnipresent scent in the common areas. We really liked the POFQ and POR theming as much as or more than deluxes.

Room size.

Here is where I am sure I am edging into heresy. We did not find the rooms at the deluxes to be appreciably better than the mods, this is especially true at the WL. I know the area of the rooms are larger, courtesy of the Unofficial Guide, but they don't seem much bigger. I think it is due to the layout. When you enter the mods, you enter your living area, with the bathroom in the rear. Upon entering these deluxes you have to pass down a corridor, before you enter the living area. There seems to be wasted space in this arrangement. You just don't seem to have more living area. BC seemed a little bigger than WL, POR and POFQ which to us were identical in livable space, but not by a significant amount.

Pools

My family are big fans of having a pool, especially for the warmer periods of the year. Our Newfoundland Climate is moderated by the Atlantic Ocean and we get many summer days lower than 75 or 80. We need pool time after lunch when we go to the world Easter time. Our boys love the pool, and they will spend lots of time in them. They don't really do the slides all that much, and we as a family don't like crowded pools. So we find that we spend a lot of time in the quiet pools. So the big themed pools at BC, WL and POR we tend to try once before settling in the quiet pool for most of the week. This was true at POR and the WL. I am sure that if we had been at BC Easter time rather than in December, and if the boys had been with us, they would have preferred the quiet pool. So for us the pools at POR, WL and BC are not significantly different.


Now we don't mind spending money for something that we see value in. We have to spend a minimum of $2000 to get to Orlando from St. John's, and I'll pay OOP for Yachtsman if I have to because its worth it. We question the value of these resorts over the mods.

Both of the trips we managed to get discounts. IIRC about $210 a night is what we spent a night for both deluxes. At that amount I can just barely justify BC, (although I prefer YC), but I can't justify WL at that price. Much more than that forget it, I am at POFQ or POR (AB side).

I don't think you can assess the entire deluxe category based on only two resorts. Disney resorts do tend to be the same properties, with different overlays in the value and moderate categories. But I definitely believe the deluxe resorts are more independent of each other. If it's room size you want, you have to stay at the Polynesian or Contemporary. Those rooms ARE noticeably bigger.

I also completely agree with everyone who has mentioned the issue of being exposed to the elements to get food/drinks. When you're paying top dollar at the Polynesian, that to me isn't acceptable. I was VERY underwhelmed by the Polynesian for that reason. The room also just felt very blah to me.

But I REALLY enjoyed and loved the Animal Kingdom Lodge, Beach Club and Contemporary.

Different strokes. If the moderates work for you, then definitely stick with them.