Are all Disney resort perks fair?

[Luckybee]

They are. I would consider it a little above WDW moderate level.

We haven't stayed at either the Royal or the Hard Rock. We stayed at the Portofino which is one of only one of 4 hotels in the Amex fhr program namely, the 4Seasons, the Ritz, the Waldorf and Portofino. The only one we haven't tried yet is the 4s and I can honestly say that Portofino was better for us than the other 2 . To be fair I may be a bit biased because we had one of our best upgrades ever , or maybe it was the cold facecloth provided at the pool, or the concierge calling more than once to see if we needed anything, or the pool guy trying to fix my shoe, or the greeting by name at the front office by someone in the back who was "waiting for our arrival" to explain the program benefits to us at that property or maybe it was the front desk person calling a cart to get us over to the park when we missed the water taxi and we were in a rush, or the engineer bypassing the a/c, ...I could go on and on.
To me the service there was what Im used to at a 4s property and what I expect at actually a higher price point

 

[UncleMike101]

One "bad" bus trip that we've had was last year when we stayed at POP and going back from the MK we were on an articulated bus that was full of South American teenage girls who apparently were all deaf since they conversed at 90 decibels or more.
Luckily I was too tired to give a hoot about the noise and just blocked it out until we arrived back at POP.
The other one was going from POP to AK one morning.
The driver was obviously pi**ed about something and was continually hitting the accelerator which made the bus lurch each time she did it.
Several people said they were going to file a complaint with Disney since the driver appeared to enjoy upsetting the passengers.
However, neither of these incidents would make me want to stay offsite.
I just chalked them up to people being inconsiderate.....

 

[cakebaker]

Several people said they were going to file a complaint with Disney since the driver appeared to enjoy upsetting the passengers.

I'm afraid that complaint would've been lodged with the driver before I got off the bus along with a demand to see a supervisor immediately. Seriously, that would not have waited.

I'm not about to claim bus rides are fun, although we have had a few that were quite entertaining. They are however, very convenient and if the monorail or a boat is not an option- they beat any other choice I have outside of a taxi.

 

[momof2n2]

(1) Do you mean the ferry from MK to TTC? I have never found it all that crowded and it's pleasant enough for what it is. That said, the ONE time when I feel Disney transportation beats your own car is parking to go to the MK. It is just inconvenient to do the multi-step process ... parking lot at TTC > TTC > ferry or monorail > MK. For the other parks, or for visiting a Disney resort for dining, I find driving to be far superior. That's just me ... other's experiences may differ.

I'm so grateful that they went away from that hideous design with the other three parks. I know it was Walt's Vision, and all. But I'm glad someone said, "That vision rots," in latter days.

(2) We have stayed offsite a bunch and drive to the parks exclusively, and we have never used a tram. We get to the parks early and we park relatively close. So for us, trams = not an issue.

Same here. We have been the first non-handicap row car a few times.

(3) We also travel in temperate weather so we have never experienced a 400 degree car. That would surely be unpleasant if it were to happen, but it has never happened to us.

Same here. And remote car start gets things cooling, too.

Just us, but we drive the short distance to the parks, we park relatively close, we walk a short distance from the lot to the entrance and off we go. Reverse the process when we leave. Honestly, I thought driving would be SUCH a pain, but it's just not. Everyone is different. I'm a control freak and waiting for a bus really drove me crazy ... not so much TO the parks, but FROM? Drove me nuts. Others experiences and personalities may differ.

One year (2007) we packed lunches at our rental house and went to DTD/DQ for a while. Then we headed to BB. We figured we'd eat in the car, but when we got there saw all those covered bus stops and thought to sit under one of them. DH stood out front so he would just smile and wave on any buses that stopped by.
We ate our lunches, and took our stuff back to the car. In all the time we did that, not one single bus stopped.

 

[DVCcurious]

Imagine no FP+ advanced booking window
I wonder if you could see
Everyone fighting for FP+s 60 days out
That's really how it should be

Imagine all the Deluxe Resort guests
Getting stuck with Stitch and Philharmagic fastpasses

Imagine no benefits to staying onsite
It isn't hard to do
Stop all boat and Monorail transportation
And get rid of Extra Magic Hours, too

Imagine the people at Grand Floridian
taking a bus to the Magic Kingdom

You may say I'm not being fair
And I'm sure some people do
I hope someday you'll realize
Us Offsiters should be treated like customers, too

 

[Satchmo128]

We have never stayed onsite at WDW (we have friends in Kissimmee who we stay with). We have stayed onsite once at Disneyland, but the California parks are a different vacation entirely, so that experience is moot to this conversation.

We visited this past December with and found that ADR's were the same as before (you can still book at 180 days, you just have to go day by day if you want to make those that early). And FP+ at 30 days wasn't difficult at all. *shrug*

 

[SmithSmith]

We haven't stayed at either the Royal or the Hard Rock. We stayed at the Portofino which is one of only one of 4 hotels in the Amex fhr program namely, the 4Seasons, the Ritz, the Waldorf and Portofino. The only one we haven't tried yet is the 4s and I can honestly say that Portofino was better for us than the other 2 . To be fair I may be a bit biased because we had one of our best upgrades ever , or maybe it was the cold facecloth provided at the pool, or the concierge calling more than once to see if we needed anything, or the pool guy trying to fix my shoe, or the greeting by name at the front office by someone in the back who was "waiting for our arrival" to explain the program benefits to us at that property or maybe it was the front desk person calling a cart to get us over to the park when we missed the water taxi and we were in a rush, or the engineer bypassing the a/c, ...I could go on and on.
To me the service there was what Im used to at a 4s property and what I expect at actually a higher price point

A pool guy at Universal's Portofino Bay tried to fix your shoe?

 

[SupplySide]

I think any perk offered by an on-site hotel is fair. They have to justify their higher rates somehow so in reality people who stay on-site are paying for those perks.

I also know they are presented as such but I don't consider the buses, monorails, and boats to be a resort perk since anyone can use them. Especially if you have park-hopper tickets or annual passes, so I think it's really erroneous to present the transportation system as some sort of on-site perk. And if I ever come across a 400 degree car I hope I have a Papa Murphy's pizza with me because that would make a perfect pizza oven.

 

[LaurenT]

I take the buses because then I don't have to drive after visiting La Cava. I wouldn't care if they were loaded with fully grown mountain trolls so long as I didn't have to drive.

This!! I have to drive when we stay offsite, but when I'm onsite I don't even rent a car. Part of being on vacation is not having to worry about driving or whether or not i can have a drink... and I do love a couple of avocado margaritas!!
The only time i wind up on an overcrowded bus is right after nighttime entertainment - so I try to hang back and let everyone go ahead of me.... the rest of the time I always have a seat and everyone is friendly. And I leave extra early in the mornings, so I'm on the bus (and standing at the tapstile) before the rest of the resort....

 

[LaurenT]

Although we like staying onsite I don't consider Deluxe hotels a deluxe experience. Just try staying over at the Hard Rock at Universal. IMHO, betters Disney in service and accommodations. Besides the free Express Pass the staff there seem to like their jobs given the ones I've talked to. No college program short-timers.

I agree, WDW should start charging for some FPs. Many people already think they cost money anyway.

I've stayed deluxe at Universal, it was nice, but not even close to Animal Kingdom Lodge!! Maybe you just haven't stayed at the right Disney deluxe - I HIGHLY recommend it - I could stay in the bathroom at the pool and be happy!

 

[LaurenT]

We stayed at the Royal Pacific at Universal. I don't know what quality it's supposed to be, but we were completely unimpressed. The pool was small and packed and my grandson couldn't enjoy it for all the kids in the splash area shooting him and everyone else in the face constantly. We only tried the pool once- that was enough. The bathroom door in our room had a hole in it. It was just the right height for my grandson to have no end of fun yelling through it to whoever was in the bathroom at the time- so that was fun.

The breakfast buffet there at at 20 something per person was the worst breakfast I ever tried to eat. The server was extremely nice though and even had them make my grandson his favorite strawberry milk.

Perhaps their other resorts are nicer.

That's where we stayed and came away with a similar impression.

 

[LaurenT]

Okay - I apologize for my hyperbole. But man, a BUS could NEVER woo me.




The barge part - do you mean leaving MK? Yes - MK is a pain in the butt to leave, period. The other three parks are smoother and we just walk to our car.




Hmmmmmm - should I instead have said, "drunk people?"

JUST KIDDING PEOPLE!

MK is not a pain in the butt to leave if you take the bus... they now have resort busses right at the entrance - no need for a boat or monorail to a tram to a parking lot.

 

[LaurenT]

I would think you could fathom it. While I don't see any value (in monies or amenities) for our family to stay onsite, I can appreciate that others do find things to like about it.
Where did you stay off-site that was awful? Was it just another hotel/motel? For many here, off-site means rental home. The six-bedroom, four and two-½ bathroom home we rented last May was exceptional; we've rebooked for next year. It was $108/night. If you are comparing WDW motel/hotel with off-site motel/hotel, I may agree with you it makes more sense just to stay on-site.

Agreed. I do love staying onsite for many reasons, but we also stay offsite every year and we have an enormous 3 bedroom with full kitchen, balcony, full living room... i have a giant roam tub in my master bedroom.... along with a giant glassed in shower.... washer/dryer... very nice to come back to after a day at the park. Over Easter we were on the 6th floor with a view of both Illuminations and wishes - we'd sit on the balcony with a bottle of wine and watch....

 

[Minniesgal]

Although we like staying onsite I don't consider Deluxe hotels a deluxe experience. Just try staying over at the Hard Rock at Universal. IMHO, betters Disney in service and accommodations. Besides the free Express Pass the staff there seem to like their jobs given the ones I've talked to. No college program short-timers.

I agree, WDW should start charging for some FPs. Many people already think they cost money anyway.

we actually found the opposite we stayed 2 nights at HRH and we felt it was like a holiday inn with theming. we loved the pool but the rooms were tiny and the corridors were endlesss we feel much more spoiled in a Disney deluxe.

 

[pjhootch]

Fairness is irrelevant to market driven economics. We can take it or leave it. I've stayed offsite many times and there are positives and negatives to either choice.

 

[Luckybee]

I didn't comment on whether it was a common perception or not. I said it wasn't our perception.

Actually you did when you suggested I was taking digs



I don't give much credence to how many stars a resort has- it's a nice way to brag if one likes that sort of thing, but it's the service I receive that matters to me. We have found Deluxes and DVC to offer exceptional service. It's actually quite amazing considering the number of guests and issues they deal with on a daily basis.

But the comparison does matter...at least to us...I wont pay higher prices for less quality...in other words Im not paying 7* pricing for a 4 * property esp when I can get get 5 and 6 star properties right next door




I would have no way to know. We have never and never will stay off site.

Oh I didn't just mean offsite in Orlando....I meant compared to real "deluxe" or "Luxury" anywhere at all

See above quote for response

 

[Luckybee]

A pool guy at Universal's Portofino Bay tried to fix your shoe?

Yes....!!!

Sadly not successfully but the funny thing is Ive broken a shoe twice on trips and both times at the pool. Both times at high end hotels and both times had pool people offer to help. The other time was a four seasons and it was a pool guy. This time was a lifeguard at Portofino

 

[Luckybee]

I've stayed deluxe at Universal, it was nice, but not even close to Animal Kingdom Lodge!! Maybe you just haven't stayed at the right Disney deluxe - I HIGHLY recommend it - I could stay in the bathroom at the pool and be happy!

And this is a good example of why there are different flavors of ice cream. We stayed concierge level at akl and other than the animals we were so very disappointed that we've avoided Disney deluxe properties ever since.
We say the same thing about Loews Portofino that you say about AKL but in reverse.

 

[LaurenT]

And this is a good example of why there are different flavors of ice cream. We stayed concierge level at akl and other than the animals we were so very disappointed that we've avoided Disney deluxe properties ever since.
We say the same thing about Loews Portofino that you say about AKL but in reverse.

lol!! Good thing we don't vacation together!

 

[Davis2902]

MONEY TALKS BS WALKS! THAT SUMS THIS POST UP!