Another question regarding hotels and such that will probably turn into a debate

[Mimas]

Originally posted by aalan
maybe. but so is a mercedes, designer clothes, and high end stereo gear.

Exactly! These things are overpriced, but designer clothes will always sell and so will the stereos and cars because people will buy them. I wish the prices were lower but as long as people keep paying te higher prices I'm SOL.

 

[ohanafamily]

Pardon me for a second while I uncross my eyes; it has taken me 2 days to read through this thread.

If I might, before I start I will pass on a story from my youth; My father and I were at a resort in germany and we wound up one night in a huge suite. The "Rack rate" was $3,000.00 a night (20 years ago) I asked the manager (I was young) if this was a typo, he answered that the Arab Sheiks paid that rate but no one else would.

I will not go into the discounts available, if you call Disney Travel you can get a package that does not include Park Passes. If you get an agent that is unwilling to help, ask for a supervisor and they will get you a discount.

Having said that, comparing the Rack Rate of the Deluxe Resorts at WDW cannot be directly compared to a nice hotel in Manhattan. You are paying for Disney's Name and marketting. You are paying for the safety of being inside Disney World where you don't have to worry about crossing the street to get to DD or a bus stop.

The Deluxe Hotels should be compared to destination resorts (like brand name spas etc...) Again, you are paying a little for the fact that it is a "Destination" type of hotel. I think that they do keep up quite a high occupancy rate

Off Property is it a better deal? Roomwise yes, Themewise maybe, they have lots of very nice resorts just off property with lots of amenities. They have a few minor inconveniences that effect the immersion into the Disney Experience. Will it be cheaper...probably yes.

Are the Disney resorts Expensive? The Deluxe ones are. The Value resorts aren't. Even The Value resorts are clean, well kept up, and you have Disney Service. Even at the All-Star, you have maid service every day. You may not have the largest room or the most theming, but it is a lot better than any hotel I have stayed at (in the last 10 years) for less than $80.00 a night.

Is Disney overpriced? I don't think so, the occupancy has dropped in the last couple of years. I think that it is primarily due to the general economy and 911. OTR, I actually Think that they could get by with even higher rack rates.

Maybe I will have more later, but I think this is enough for now...



(PS, Snacky, Please call DTA and negotiate.....)

 

[KNWVIKING]

***"OTR, I actually Think that they could get by with even higher rack rates. "***

There's an old reale estate adage that says if the house doesn't sell, raise the price.

 

[Katiebug]

As a travel agent, YES THEY ARE OVERPRICED. Way overpriced! However, there are dedicated Disney fans that will pay the overinflated rates for some "magic" that supposedly happened to them over ten years ago!

Personally, I will not stay on site again. Last time we spent way too much and you do not get the service or courtesy that you did before Michael Eisner took over.

If I were you, I would take my honeymoon money and stay somewhere off-site that is absolutely phenominal. Like, The Marriott Orlando World Center (which is so close it might as well be on-site). The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is the most beautiful resort I've ever seen. The Peabody is also a very elegant hotel offsite. Gaylord Palms is the newest resort, very close to Disney and is gorgeous! You may have to rent a car, but after your first couple of rides on a Disney bus you'll be glad you did that too!

Thanks,
Jennifer

 

[Katiebug]

If you are looking for a Polynesian theme - you might want to look at the Royal Pacific Resort at Universal. It is brand new and has a Hawaiin theme.

You could probably get the Presidential Honeymoon Suite there for what Disney wants to charge you at their Polynesian Hotel for only a regular room!

Jennifer

 

[Planogirl]

Hi Katiebug. I don't recall seeing you around this board before so welcome if you're new here.

As for your views on the nicer offsite resorts, I tend to agree with you. I also mentioned previously in this endless thread that I recently found a great deal for the Peabody and I wouldn't hesitate to stay there if I could have gone at the time. However, some people seem to find the chance to stay onsite worth any amount of money. And some people don't seem to mind the Allstars which I don't really get. But to each their own.

 

[ohanafamily]

Hi Katiebug, Welcome as well...

You can call me lost if you like, but last October DW and I stayed at the Royal Pacific for 3 nights (concierge) then moved to the Poly. We were not impressed with the RP, there was little theming. It was just a basic hotel room. When you stay at Disney there are a lot of extra details. That is why we are DVC Members.

As far as the offsite hotels go, there are many very nice ones out there. In the original post, Snacky was planning a honeymoon. I would want to stay onsite for that.....



Hi PG, Haven't seen you around a lot lately, glad to see you back.

 

[DisneyKidds]

As far as the offsite hotels go, there are many very nice ones out there.

Yes, there are many very nice hotels off property.....................but they are just that - hotels. The on-site Disney properties have that added something. The theming, the location, being in the middle of whatever "Magic" one finds in WDW...........................to some it makes a difference, to others it doesn't - especially if they find nothing "Magic" about WDW any longer. We find it makes a huge difference. Does it make an "I'll pay rack rate" difference? Not for us. But at $189 a night I'll take the Poly over any off site hotel in a heartbeat. If I had to pay $300 plus, you'd find me somewhere else. I'm glad we don't have to worry much about that decision, but seeing as we need to save some of our DVC points for a future trip it was nice to snag the Poly at a good rate.

 

[Patch'sD]

I beg to differ, Royal Pacific was well themed. Hotel grounds were were well landscaped. Hotel Entrance and Lobby were very well themed as was the pool area. Room themeing was lite, However it compared well with any of the Disney Motels ( Moderates and Value). Face it, Royal Pacific is on Par with a Disney " Deluxe" at a little more in cost than a Disney " Moterate".
The only magic that a Disney Resort gives you is make your money disappear quickly.

 

[ohanafamily]

OK Patch'sD,

I will agree to disagree with you on this; RP to me is not well themed, especially when you compare it to the Poly. It is an OK hotel (It is the Value hotel at IOA), it is clean and it is a nice place. I will not argue that. I can tell the Disney Difference and it matters to me. When I travel for work I will settle for a nice room; when I travel for vacation, I want something special.

Even the hard rock is not too themed, I liked the touch of a free CD in the room. The reason to stay there is for the FOTL pass.

I guess I am just spoiled and should go buy more DVC Points...

 

[SnackyStacky]

I like the suggestion of the Royal Pacific! But this is a honeymoon, and we've settled on the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

I usually stay as FAR away from the Disney hotels on property as I can. I consider them to be overpriced. I stayed at the French Quarter on my last trip, and really was not at all impressed.

I'm giving a deluxe a shot because, well, it is my honeymoon! And also because the circumstances surrounding us staying at the French Quarter were bad to begin with, and that may just have set the tone. Our flight had been cancelled, we felt like crap, and just generally wanted to get home.

So, because it's a honeymoon, I know I'll be having a fantastic time and will be able to make a fair assessment of the Disney "resort" experience.

 

[DisneyKidds]

But this is a honeymoon, and we've settled on the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Snacky - I may have missed it, but what resorts did you consider?

I've heard lots of good things about the AKL. The only reason I am not jumping at it for a few nights on our next trip is the fact that it is a deluxe without direct connection to any park. In Nov we need to pick up a couple nights and I'm willing to spend $30 a night more to be able to walk or boat to one or more parks. I think that having different forms of direct transportation to a park magnifies the "Magic" of staying on-site. Be it a boat to the MK from the WL, a monorail to a park, or a walk/boat to Epcot or the Studios - it is a nice added feature that the AKL is lacking, IMHO. I'm sure you will love the AKL, just thought I'd give you one more thing to think about . BTW, if you are stuck with rack rate the WL is cheaper.............and in many people's opinions similar to but better than the AKL.

 

[Planogirl]

Hi ohanafamily. I've been around but let's just say that the board has changed a little lately so I've been a bit hesitant to post as much.

As for theming at a resort, I think that people's feelings about this will vary too. For example, I personally prefer a quieter hotel with a minimum of theming because my resort is my escape and a place to fall out after hard touring. I don't want over the top theming or a complete lack of theming either; in other words dull in a chain hotel way, but just an attractive and softly themed resort. In this regard, both the Polynesian and the Royal Pacific work for me whereas the Allstars and the Grand Floridian don't.

AKL would work nicely for me too because I'm not bothered by its isolation, I welcome it in fact. But to each their own.

 

[SnackyStacky]

Hey Kidds. The debate was between the Polynesian and the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

And that's what made me bring this whole topic up. The Polynesian is $429/night. I can get a 10% AAA discount for now. I have an Annual Pass, but I'm not going to over-extend myself financially in the initial booking, cause I don't want to have to pray when it comes time for them to release AP rates.

So money was playing the largest role. Transportation isn't an issue. We're going to rent a car. I've used Disney transportation, and I don't like it. I really like to drive anyway, cause my fiancée and I always have a grand 'ol time driving around the property and just chatting. The ONLY time I would use Disney transportation is to the Magic Kingdom because the TTC is SUCH a pain in the butt. I'd much prefer to be dropped right at the gate then have to park, take the tram, then the monorail. And yeah, there's a monorail at the Polynesian, but I just CAN'T justify $100 more per night for the monorail when I was working to avoid it in the first place!

Not to mention that we've seen and done the parks. Quite a few times in the past couple of years, so we're going to be taking it slower, and doing other things. A lot more checking out resorts which would require a car anyway.

We also plan on hanging around the resort a lot more than normal, so why not have a gorgeous African savannah as my backyard?

The isolation, like Planogirl, really doesn't bother me. The themeing at Wildnerness Lodge also just doesn't float my boat, nor my fiancée's. And, we booked deluxe savannah view for the larger room. I didn't see anything bigger than a standard room at Wilderness Lodge, and I'd like a little bit more space. (But even if a deluxe is available, the themeing is still an issue)

So those were my thought patterns in choosing the AKL. I know it has no specialized transportation, but like I said. That's okay, cause we're planning on using a car anyway.

 

[Planogirl]

SnackyStacky, it sounds like you've thought this out carefully and have made the same decision that I would have made. So it MUST be right.

Seriously, the only criticism of AKL that made me wonder was someone saying that they got sick of being able to smell the food in the lobby. I unfortunately never mind smelling food.

I also don't mind driving at WDW. I actually enjoy it because I tend to get lost at least once or twice and I've discovered the most interesting backstage areas.

 

[SnackyStacky]

I've been very fortunate in that I've never gotten lost at Disney World while driving. Well, once. But it was because it was the first time I was driving there, and there were no signs to the parks from Hotel Plaza Blvd, so I turned right instead of left. No cool backstage areas, just boring receiving plants.

I don't think that the smells in the lobby were food either. I think it was the firepit. I LOVED the smell!

 

[Katiebug]

Dear Snacky,


I'm sure you'll be very happy at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for your honeymoon. It is a one of a kind experience!

Although I prefer to stay offsite now, I will admit that for my own honeymoon 7 years ago I insisted to stay onsite as well. We were at the Wilderness Lodge and had a wonderful time.

Good Luck. Hope you have a magical wedding and honeymoon!

Jennifer

 

[SnackyStacky]

Katie, unless they have AMAZING deals, after the honeymoon, the figurative honeymoon with Disney is over. I'm all about the bargain rates at the Hotel Plaza Blvd. hotels.

And to the Disney Resort fans, don't get me wrong, I've never been quite as excited about a trip as I am about this one. Not just because I'll be married, but because we're staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge! But this will probably be the only "going-all-out" kind of trip for a while.

 

[ohanafamily]

Originally posted by SnackyStacky
Katie, unless they have AMAZING deals, after the honeymoon, the figurative honeymoon with Disney is over. I'm all about the bargain rates at the Hotel Plaza Blvd. hotels.

And to the Disney Resort fans, don't get me wrong, I've never been quite as excited about a trip as I am about this one. Not just because I'll be married, but because we're staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge! But this will probably be the only "going-all-out" kind of trip for a while.

Dearest Snacky,

DTA does occasionally run some super deals, and the Dis is the place to find them. Also, I have mentioned this before, once your reservation is all set and the deposit (only) has been paid you can convert it to a Dis-Saver vacation and save close to 10% on everything you booked through DTA.

Being a Disney Resort Fan, I know the excitement you are feeling, and I think that you are a bit concerned that it will be a let-down from what you expect...something about wanting the honeymoon to be perfect.

From my experience the honeymoon won't be perfect, neither will the wedding. It will probably be darn close, but there will be a few minor glitches. What you need to realize is that in 10 years time (actually 2 months for us) you will be laughing at the things that seemed so randomly upsetting...With our wedding, a few of the problems were: The hotel gave away our bridal suite for the day before our wedding, so DW had no place for hair and makeup (they let her use another room). The Ice sculpture broke when the guests started arriving. They had another one in the back and brought it out before anyone who didn't see the implosion noticed. We had all of our guests sign the frame of our marriage contract (ketubah); We had archival pens for everyone to use..except one cousin who had to use his own penwith a different color ink. Our Wedding Coordinator even hid our Bride and Groom Mouse-Ears... My point is that there will be little things that go wrong but the evening as a whole will go perfectly because IT WILL BE YOUR WEDDING. YOU WILL BE GETTING THE WOMAN YOU LOVE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. nothing else really matters.

As far as the honeymoon, there will be a random cast member that will mouse off to you (did I just create another quotable expression?) They may try and put you into a smoking room. The animals may boycott your view, or decide to mate in front of your window. It happens, and being in car #1, I generally deal with it; it's a lot more important on your honeymoon. These things add character to the trip; again in a few months you will find that these are the things that make your memories more vivid and fun.

OK, I am projecting myself, I think some of it is planning jitters. The honeymoon was all DW let me plan by myself for the wedding. She was constantly asking my opinion then doing what she wanted.

I also feel that you are afraid that you will like AKL and not be able to go back to the resort again. You will always call AKL your resort, and it will be a place that you will talk about going back to. Trust me on this,whether or not you ever go back to WDW AKL will be a special happy place for you. Honeymoons do that to you. Additionally, you at least have caught the Disney Bug. It has infected you and maybe you feel that she might not love Disney the same way you do. If she doesn't, you will make less trips but still visit.

Money seems to be a little tight right now, and you might be a little afraid of "Blowing a good chunk of your savings". What else do you save for? I don't think you are going into hock over this trip; it seems like you have carefully budgeted the trip and have/are saving the money to go. You would be surprised what so many couples do and how far into debt they let their wedding take them. Just imagine without the careful planning getting married and having a $20,000.00 debt to repay for the wedding and honeymoon. Again, you are probably spending a good amount of your savings, but you are young and have medical insurance (I hope) and will be able to come back many times.

The concept that you may never be able to stay on-site again without fabulous offers is not a good one; they do make some fabulous offers from time to. Also, Money won't always be so tight... But then again, lots of people love to stay off-site. I think if I had a choice between the All-Star and the Peabody...well I am not even going to admit that except in a PM (They do have lots of busses going to the All-Star though).

Key Items: It will be the trip of a lifetime, and above all else you will be happily married to the love of your life.

{EOR} (End Of Rant)



(Clap, Clap, Clap!)

 

[DisneyKidds]

Stacky.........it sounds like you have given it a lot of thought and you can't go wrong with your decision. You'll have a great trip.

One suggestion if you can't get that nagging thought of the Poly out of your mind. Should an AP discount end up being offered for your dates you can always change your reservation if you so desire.

As for transportation I agree with you. While we almost always stay on-site, we always rent a car and prefer to drive most places. My only point was that it provides an additional special Disney touch when you can use some of their neat forms of alternate transportation. Not that the experience won't be incredible without, but it is nice. However, you don't necessarily have to be staying at a particular resort to hop on a boat or monorail here or there so you can still get the experience. The best of both worlds.

As for honeymooning at Disney, we did the same and it was incredible. Not sure what kind of packages they are offering nowadays, but we had some kind of "gold" honeymoon package that provided the room (GF), three a day meals, unlimited recreation, and a couple other perks at a great rate. Of course that was 12 years ago and it was some kind of Amex package. The only bad thing about the package was...........ALL WE DID WAS EAT, EAT, EAT!!!