Opinions on Deluxe Resorts? Narrowed down to three!

[Pemeberly]

I also posted this on reddit, so apologies if you've already seen it.

We'd already booked our trip for Sept in POFQ, but a coworker's brother can get us a 40% discount because he works for ESPN.

My SO and I are considering upgrading to a deluxe since it would be about the same price with the discount as our POFQ full price reservation. Here's what we're considering in order of cheapest to most expensive. (All would fall under the original price by at least $20):

• Boardwalk Inn (Standard View)
  
  
• Animal Kingdom Lodge (Savana View)
  
  
• Contemporary (Garden Wing)
  

Of course, we could also just stay where we are at POFQ and take the discount there. (We'd have to rebook, though, since he'll have to book for us.)

Major considerations include:

• Traveling times to parks (especially MK and HS)
  
  
• Difficulty of getting on the buses
  
  
• Likelihood of getting free dining
  
  
• General coolness.
  

So yeah - HELP!

 

[LisaCM614]

I love BWI but our favorite parks are Epcot and DHS. Since we spend most of our time at those two parks and you can walk to both from BWI this one fits us the best. The theming of BWI is lovely and I think it is the perfect spot for an adults only trip.

I have had very good bus service to and from MK from BWI but others have not. I typically travel during very busy times - my kids are in Middle School so Spring Break crowds are a way of life for us! Perhaps bus service is different during slower times of year?
If most of your time will be spent at MK then the Contemporary may be the way to go.

POFQ is a great choice too. What a nice discount! I need to work for ESPN...

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Contemporary is my favorite resort and the Garden Wing is a great value when you're looking at deluxe resort. The 3 resorts you named are my top 3 as well, but no question- I'd go with the Contemporary. Here are my thoughts on why...

- The Garden Wing rooms are the same size/style as the tower rooms, but you're paying Epcot area resort prices for that room - which is a substantial savings
- The walk to the tower IMO is no biggie. Yeah- it's a couple of extra minutes, but it's not any worse than being in one of the more remote parts of AKL
- Easy walk to MK
- boat service to Ft Wilderness and WL
- One stop from the TTC on the resort monorail loop- making Epcot super easy
- If you are considering the 7am at Chef Mickey's - staying at the Contemporary is the best way to do it
- Always have had great bus service at Contemporary
- While it's not the Mara at AKL, Contempo is still a really good quick service spot and better than what you're going to get at BW
- While Cali Grill and Chef Mickey's are places I wouldn't brave w/o ADRs, if you're looking for an easy walk up ADR or last minute one...The Wave usually has plenty of openings
- Being on the monorail loop is so convenient if you plan on any dining at the Poly or GF
- MK Fireworks and EWP viewing

I'm sure there's more...but you get the idea.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Mostly OKW, its just so special in its own way, the hidden gem of WDW, AKL, Savannah view and FW, cabins

AKK

 

[jimandami]

I could be wrong, but I don't think you can combine the ESPN discount and free dining? Anyway, to the original question, I would do BWI. The entire Epcot resort area is just so nice and there so many places to eat or get an adult beverage, plus walking to Epcot (especially during Food and Wine!) and DHS is such a great perk.

 

[clapton]

BWI would be my choice. Great atmosphere, tons of dining options, walk to 2 parks . Just a really fun place to be IMO!

 

[senadler]

I have not stayed at the BWI, but for a couples trip I would pick an Epcot area resort. It gives you the option of dining at Epcot and also enjoying the boardwalk area at night. I stayed at the CR garden wing last October, and would definitely not hesitate to stay there again, but that was a trip with the kids.

 

[Babsy]

Wow! Tough choice!

All three are amazing resorts! Which theme parks will you spend more time visiting? If the MK, then the CR; if Epcot/DHS then BWI.

If you aren't sure, I would be inclined to go with the CR. Rooms are huge and so comfortable! Access to the MK and Epcot is great. Access to other resorts is amazing from the CR. Great games arcade, good Wishes viewing, excellent dining both at the CR and nearby on the monorail, bus service is very good, cool factor is great with monorail running right through the resort. LOVE the CR!!

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

We are staying at POFQ in September.


Keep in mind that it is highly unlikely you will get FD at POFQ. Possibly not at POR, either. Based on past years, if you want to stay at a moderate and get FD, you will probably have to stay at CBR, CSR, or FW.

That being said, I think FD at a moderate resort is going to be cheaper than getting a 40% discount at a deluxe and paying for a dining plan out of pocket. However, if you and your son don't usually spend much money on food, you could even save money by taking the 40% discount at the deluxe.

I would compare the cost of paying rack rate at a moderate (and getting FD) with a 40% discounted deluxe resort + purchasing the dining plan. How do those compare? Are the benefits of a deluxe resort worth the extra cost?

You could go ahead and book the 40% off rate at a deluxe now and cancel it if FD is offered at a moderate resort where you would be happy staying. If you think you might want the 40% discount, it is not a bad idea to go ahead and book it. Some of those deluxe resorts book up early, even during September. The garden wing rooms at CR are some of the first to be filled.

As far as the deluxe choices go, I would decide what park is most important to me, and where I would be spending most of my time. If you really like MK, then book CR. If you really like Epcot or HS, then pick BI. I would not pick AK, unless AK is your favorite park and you will be there more than once. As much as I adore that resort, it does not offer the convenience of the other two. The number one benefit of deluxe resorts for us is the convenience. AK is awesome, but not as conveniently located as your other two choices. I also prefer to stay standard at AK because you get the benefits (other than convenience) of a deluxe resort, but you pay significantly less (which makes up for the lack of convenience). You still get to view the animals from lots of places around the resort.

 

[UnderTheRialto]

BWI or CR depending on your park days.

 

[Babsy]

I seriously doubt that you can combine a 40% discount with Free dining. I expect that you will have to choose.

In my experience, the Room Only discount is much better when staying deluxe than Free Dining for 2 people at a moderate. We find that we pay far less than what we would spend on a dining package when we pay OOP. We do not skimp in any way and I don't look at price until after the fact. We eat in Signature dining, character meals, wherever we want. We eat whatever we want on the menu. Bottom line, we don't eat as much as FD provides. We usually eat 2 small meals and one more significant meal each day. It's just how we eat anyway. I don't go over $60 each on an expensive day and we usually eat for much less.

If you want to check out menus, allears.net has most menus and pricing on their website. Add up what you would pay for your meals and compare to the cost of the dining plan or to the discount at the deluxe resort. Then you can choose which deal is best for you. The regular dining package is $60. per person. For 2 people that is a saving of only $120 per day and that is assuming that you would eat $60 worth of food each per day. 40% off a deluxe resort is a much larger saving than $120 a day. Of course, that is staying at a deluxe, which may convert into a bottom line cost for the vacation to be more than staying at a moderate with FD.

In the end, you just have to do the math for your trip and base your decision on what is best for you.

Good luck choosing!

 

[Sue M]

All are good choices, but if you want to minimize on bus transportation, an Epcot resort will fit the bill, with 2 parks you can walk to or boat. It's a personal choice which resort appeals to you, but I'd pick YC if it's offered on family & friends. You can't combine discount with free dining. So if you think you want free dining, keep your res, in case it comes out. Really, for us, free dining at a moderate is a marginal save, but at a deluxe the discount is always better. It's usually just 2 of us, me & daughter.
Like Babsy, I find we do better without DDP. It's not the deal it once was. And there's a lot on DDP we don't use, like all those snack credits, and desserts after lunch and dinner. Or drinks. We aren't pop drinkers, and prefer water anyway. But the cost for all that is built into the DDP.

 

[Pemeberly]

Thanks for the responses, everyone! Yeah, I knew you couldn't combine Free Dining with a discount but I forgot to edit it out of my post.

As an update we went with...none of the deluxes! We talked it over and decided to rebook POFQ with the discount and use the savings to get a regular dining plan instead. We were going to go with no plan for dining but decided that since we have "extra money" from the room savings, we could get the meal plan and not worry about how much we pay for a meal. That goes both ways, too, because if we were paying a normal room rate AND a dining plan, we would worry too much about making in a good deal but because it's coming from a sunk cost (i.e. we were already planning to spend that much), we can get the most or least expensive thing without the guilt.

Thanks for all the input. It was a REALLY tough call on between POFQ and BWI. You guys talked it up.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Thanks for the responses, everyone! Yeah, I knew you couldn't combine Free Dining with a discount but I forgot to edit it out of my post.

As an update we went with...none of the deluxes! We talked it over and decided to rebook POFQ with the discount and use the savings to get a regular dining plan instead. We were going to go with no plan for dining but decided that since we have "extra money" from the room savings, we could get the meal plan and not worry about how much we pay for a meal. That goes both ways, too, because if we were paying a normal room rate AND a dining plan, we would worry too much about making in a good deal but because it's coming from a sunk cost (i.e. we were already planning to spend that much), we can get the most or least expensive thing without the guilt.

Thanks for all the input. It was a REALLY tough call on between POFQ and BWI. You guys talked it up.

Great choice! Moderates are awesome.

 

[Statefan17]

I love the BWI. It has become my favorite. We have stayed at the CR, Yacht Club, Beach Club, and Poly. We will be back at the BWI for our next stay, which will not come soon enough!!!

 

[Dano13]

I am a huge fan of the boardwalk. It is by far the best resort in wdw in my opinion. I have stayed at the contemporary garden wing as well which we really liked, but BWI sits at the top of the pyramid for us.

 

[MyOtherSS]

Never stayed at BWI but have stayed at the other two. AKL is one of the coolest places we've stayed, theme is just awesome and if your staying savannah view waking up to animals outside your window is something to experience. The only downfall is that you're limited to bus transportation which we really didn't like. CR is nice but the theme is kinda boring and lacks the Disney feel. I'd probably try BWI just because the location is within walking distance or a boat ride to 2 great parks.