Are the Deluxe Resorts Really Worth the Money.

[lpandorf]

I've stayed at POR and CSR and then went to WL on our last trip. I'm not sure the extra money was worth it. They were all great but I can't say WL was that much better then the mods. I thought POR and CSR were great! In fact, the transportation at CSR was so much better then at WL. We only waited 5-10 minutes for a bus but at WL sometimes 20 minutes (which is still not that bad) but then had to stop at Grand Floidian to pick up more people. The only way I'd stay at WL again over the moderates is at the holidays. We went to WL in November and the decorations made the trip. It was so beautiful and relaxing to sit in the lobby with the big tree in the middle. I found CSR and POR to be very relaxing because of how spread out things are. I did not feel we saw as many people. The pools at the mods were as nice as the one at WL. I thought it was kind of small for the big hotel. We are going again in June and staying at CSR and I'm very excited!

 

[clownfish1452]

I am really glad to see this post because I wondering the same thing.

Thank You
Sarah

 

[hannymom]

Quick advice: look into renting DVC points. We stayed at the BoardWalk Villas on DVC points for super cheap and loved it.

i have read about renting points. where do i begin? all of that is so confusing to me.

 

[moviegirl11]

It's all relative. When we could only afford the Days Inn off property - we loved the Days Inn off property. When we could afford Dixie Landings, as it was called then, we thought we died and went to heaven we loved staying on property so much. Now that we can afford the Poly, it would be hard to go back, what with the great location and the wonderful, cheesy, over the top WDW magic there!!!

My point - it's all good at WDW! Spend what you are comfortable with and you'll have fun no matter what!!

you pretty much summed it up perfectly. Also, I think there are people who are going to try to say the deluxe isnt worth it simply because the deluxe is out of their price range. The fact is, when you can afford better, you want better. The standard is generally set by what you can afford. The value of the amount of money is different for each person. If I were rich and had $10,000 to blow on a week's vacation, I'd get a suite in one of the nicest resorts and not think twice about upgrading for a better view or more convenient location.

Since I'm not rich, the idea of spending $10,000 on a vacation is ludicrous to me but it wouldnt if I had that kind of cash to throw around.

Basically what it comes down to is that if you can afford deluxe (without breaking the bank), its worth it. If you can only afford moderate, dont go broke trying to pay for a deluxe, especially if you're not the type of person who spends a lot of time in the resort. Staying at Deluxe isnt worth missing a car payment or having no money to save for food and souvenirs on the trip.

From my own opinion - between CBR and Polynesian (we didnt see the entire Poly resort but we did see the lobby and some of the grounds) - there's no comparison. CBR was nice. Polynesian was GORGEOUS. The difference in resorts comes down to more than just the room you're sleeping in. It is the environment you choose to surround yourself by for the duration of your stay at WDW. The values are fun. The moderates are.... moderate. The deluxes are pricey but they dont cut corners with the way they're laid out.

We havent stayed at a deluxe resort yet (unless you count staying at the contemporary when I was like 7, back in the 80s). We'd like to try to work out the budget to do it for our next trip.

 

[minnie61650]

IMHO

Disney does charge a premium price for their Deluxe resorts.
Deluxe guests are paying for location and amenities not for stellar customer service.
Many guests are disappointed because they think the GF is a 5 star hotel.
They expect the service of a 5 star and are disappointed when their expectations are not met.
It is in no way near a 5 star hotel even though it costs as much as many 5 star hotels.
The GF is rated 4 diamonds by AAA but most sites rate it as 3 and a half.
The Poly and CR are usually considered 3 star hotels.

Have fun at Disney!

 

[Flagondry]

Totally a personal choice. For us, the answer is no. Disney is crowds, kids, noise and fun. I know this when I make my vacation choice. I accept that this remains true for the whole trip. I almost booked POFQ this trip, but I can't justify the cost. Disney is just not about the rooms for dh and me. I haven't seen Pop is person and I hope to be surprised, but from the pictures it's um But, that's ok. It's Disney. I plan to embrace the sillyness. I also don't plan on spending much time at the hotel.

When I want a relaxed, quiet vacation then I do that. Our last trip involved lots of swimming and laying on the beaches of Mexico. I'll pay the extra cost for a beautiful resot on the beach because that is what is central to the trip. I totally can see how a deluxe would be a great choice for those who have kids and one shot at a vacation each year. That way they get a relaxed resort feel and WDW all in one. That just doesn't happen to be our situation. With summers off, we will have already relaxed our way through a couple of months of time off. The extra noise and action of the Pop at the end of summer won't bug us at all.

 

[moviegirl11]

I can well afford to stay any of Disney's resorts.

We pay more personal income tax each year than the average family makes in a year.

I can easily afford to spend a lot more than $10,000 on a vacation but I am not willing to just blow it on the nicest resort.

DH and I take several vacations a year and we do stay at 4 star hotels quite often but I am just as happy at a nice 3 star hotel/motel depending on how long we are staying there and what kind of activities we are going to do.

So I guess I will have to say the Deluxe hotels at Disney do not have the amenities (the stellar service, the high quality beds, the high thread count sheets, the large fluffy towels) I have come to expect for the prices they are asking.

Disney does charge a premium price for their Deluxe resorts.
Deluxe guests are paying for location and amenities not for stellar customer service.
Many guests are disappointed because they think the GF is a 5 star hotel.
They expect the service of a 5 star and are disappointed when their expectations are not met.
It is in no way near a 5 star hotel even though it costs as much as many 5 star hotels.
The GF is rated 4 diamonds by AAA but most sites rate it as 3 and a half.
The Poly and CR are usually considered 3 star hotels.

Have fun at Disney!

Re: the income tax thing - Not sure if you meant that to sound like you were bragging but for some reason thats how I read it (could just be me). There's no reason to get into how much any of us make (especially in comparison to others). Saying you can afford to stay in a deluxe but because you vacation a lot, are more budget conscious pretty much gets the point across. Anyway despite that, you raised a good point that hadn't occurred to me. My DH and I usually only take one "big" vacation a year so we tend to put most of our vacation savings towards that and try to go as all-out as we can.



My point was that the cost of the deluxe resorts is all relative to what people can afford and are willing to pay. If you cant afford it or if you're on a tight budget (no matter how rich you are), its probably best to do as much research as you can on the deluxe resorts you're considering and then try to determine if the convenience of location, transportation options, theme, restaurants, etc are worth the extra money to you.

 

[tink_lover]

We just got back from spring break. We had debated and changed our mind many times about where to stay. In the end, we loved the Contemporary. We transferred after one night at POR. POR grounds were beautiful, but room was small for the 5 of us and we were much more comfortable at CR. We used the balcony every night to watch the light show, fireworks and have a glass of wine after the kids were in bed. Next year we are think the Poly, but it will be hard not to go back to CR.

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

Here is my take on it:

If you are doing Disney commando style and really wont be at the resort at all then it doesnt matter. When I was younger and didnt have a baby that is just what I did. We love CSR over the other mods.

Now that we are older and have a child we prefer the deluxe resorts. One main building, easier to get back to the room with a little one. bigger room that we can put the baby down for a nap and go out on the balcony. Also I have come to love the concierge services and lounge. It is much nicer than fighting the crowds at the food court first thing in the morning.

As far as values we have never stayed there but other family members have and I did feel the room was a bit cramped and I know I would not be happy there even before baby.

It is definately a personal choice depending upon your needs.

 

[RKO1968]

Go deluxe! We tried POFQ and didn't care for it at all. We will definitely stay with the deluxes for future trips.

 

[minnie61650]

Re: the income tax thing - Not sure if you meant that to sound like you were bragging but for some reason thats how I read it (could just be me). There's no reason to get into how much any of us make (especially in comparison to others). Saying you can afford to stay in a deluxe but because you vacation a lot, are more budget conscious pretty much gets the point across. Anyway despite that, you raised a good point that hadn't occurred to me. My DH and I usually only take one "big" vacation a year so we tend to put most of our vacation savings towards that and try to go as all-out as we can.



My point was that the cost of the deluxe resorts is all relative to what people can afford and are willing to pay. If you cant afford it or if you're on a tight budget (no matter how rich you are), its probably best to do as much research as you can on the deluxe resorts you're considering and then try to determine if the convenience of location, transportation options, theme, restaurants, etc are worth the extra money to you.

I apologize I did not mean to sound like I was bragging.

I did want to point out that I think Disney deluxes are more about location and transportation and less about the amenities one can find at other deluxe hotels.


I agree with your statement that a family should determine if the convenience of location, transportation options, theme, restaurants, etc., are worth the extra money to them. I just did not agree with the "The fact is, when you can afford better, you want better. "

That was the part of your previous post that I was disagreeing with.

There are always exceptions to blanket statements. I post frequently on the value posts and there are a lot of DIS'ners "who can afford better" but who stay at the values because they enjoy or their children enjoy the theming there. Some of us just enjoy the theming at the values more.

When I am at Disney I want my resort to remind me I at Disney.

I don't want to come back to my resort and have the resort look like I am in another part of the country or the world.

I understand there are many who enjoy the theming of the other resorts.

That is another thing to love about Disney. The fact there are so many resort choices.


CYA on the DIS!

 

[the who #3]

yes,yes,yes.

we have stayed in all three and liked them all. they all beat the standard motel or economy hotel. but i love the relaxing feel of the deluxe and having the nice restaurants there in case you do not want to go out.

we did take it one step farther and buy into dvc. i would not take anything for that move. it makes our vacation so much more comfortable.

it is true that for the first couple of visits to wdw you spend more time in the parks moving at full speed instead of relaxing in the resort. but, after that your resort area and your rooms become more important. dvc actually does save you money in the long run, if you plan to vacation there often.

 

[magicmouse2]

If i could afford it, I would spend 2 weeks in a deluxe resort However I have enjoyed all my vacations at Disney resorts. Why not try a split stay spending 2 nights or so at a deluxe to get a feel for it ? For a special occasion like an anniversary its nice to celebrate staying deluxe for a few nights.

 

[moviegirl11]

it is true that for the first couple of visits to wdw you spend more time in the parks moving at full speed instead of relaxing in the resort. but, after that your resort area and your rooms become more important. dvc actually does save you money in the long run, if you plan to vacation there often.

I am very inclined to agree with you here. The last 2 times I've been to WDW I didnt spend much time in the resort but while planning this next vacation, I get the feeling we're going to be a lot more flexible and laid back about how we plan our days. Maybe even come back to the resort for a snack and a nap rather than running ourselves ragged in the parks and having no energy for disney night-life.

This is one of the reasons I'm aiming for a deluxe resort this time around. I have a feeling we'll take advantage of it. If it were my first trip to disney I probably wouldnt even care as much about where I stayed. In the end, even the value resorts are good. They're not as lavish and have their drawbacks but they're a safe, clean, FUN place to stay... especially if you just need the room to store your stuff and sleep in.

 

[bzzymom]

I have stayed at value, moderate, and deluxes. I have found that I am at the resort the same amount of time at the value as I was at the deluxe. I figure that I can go to WDW more often if I stick to the value level. It isn't worth the extra for me. If you get a good discount code mailed to you for a deluxe, I would pounce on it. We had one at AKL a few years ago for around $129/night I think. The is the only reason we stayed at the deluxe, it was cheaper than the moderate

 

[Sammie]

Worth when on vacation is probably not a tangible item. Certainly if staying deluxe is going to strain your budget to the limit of making you uncomfortable while there and leaving you with debt when you get home, then no I would recommend a moderate or even value.

To us it is worth it, because we want the amenties a deluxe resort offers when we are on vacation. Kinda like I would never buy a car without power seats or windows but I have a friend that thinks that is a huge waste of money.

Truly a personal decision. I will say the moderates to me are the best bang for the buck. You get alot from them for the money.

 

[quiltymom]

We stayed at the WL last trip - and our first to WDW. It was stunning, beautiful, wonderful, and the kids loved the bunk beds.

Saying that, we were hardly ever there, except to sleep at night. So for this next trip, we're staying at POFQ - it's less pricey and a bit more centrally located. And we're going to be hardly ever there. I would love to stay at WL again, but not if 80% of our waking time will be spent at the parks.

 

[iGenie]

For the most part, the deluxe resorts aren't worth the money unless you just spend all your time around your resort. That being said, some of the less expensive resorts are just as good for that.

 

[1Venus]

The deluxe resorts are very nice, as are the moderates. But, since we visit so often we almost always go with the values. When we moved to Florida 20 years ago and began going we always stayed at the Contemporary. We loved it. But as we traveled to the world more frequently, we realized we were there for the parks and attractions, and not so much for the hotel experience. That's why we stay in values. If, however, you only visit WDW once every few years, then you would probably have a more enjoyable vacation staying in one of the deluxe resorts. Also, if you're visiting for a week or longer, you may find yourself enjoying the activities offered at the deluxe resorts. However, if you're only coming for 4 days, chances are you'll be spending every waking hour in one of the parks and will scarely have an opportunity to enjoy a deluxe hotel.

It's also dependent on the type of accomodations you usually have when on vacation. If you always stay in upper-end hotels, then you'll want a deluxe when at WDW. If, however, you're more accustomed to Courtyard by Marriott or Holiday Inn Express, then you'll be happy at the moderates or values. Only you can make that decision.

 

[lisaanddenny]

that was funny, and since were on the internet, I am really Bill Gates and looking for free dining.........if you pay that much income tax, you need a new accountant, there are ways to protect your money, in investments or such.............anyone else want to tell how much they make or pay to uncle sam? that is really funny! Do you really think anyone on here believes you or even gives a rat's behind what you make per year and what you can afford? GEESH, someone is hiding behind their computer!