Deluxe resorts...are they truly worth it?

[BethanyF]

We've stayed at All Stars Music, POR and Beach Club. Each had their own plusses. But my next trip witll be POFQ.

The Beach Club was gorgeous, and the pool was amazing, but I dont feel like it was worth the $$. We don't spend enough time in the room to justify the cost. We like having breakfast at the hotel, and the options were extremely limited. We ended up driving off property to go to breakfast on the days we didnt have a character meal planned.

All Stars was a great deal, and we paid for the preferred room so we had a perfect location. My only complaint was the room was small. The food court was great, we had no real problems with transportation and the pool was fun.

POR was beautiful, quiet, decent sized room, nice theming, fun pool, great food court plus a table service restaraunt. I love the boat to DD and the bus service to MK & Epcot was fine (we drove everywhere else). I loved my early morning walks and reading on a bench by the river.

Some people love the interior corridor, but at WDW I prefer the outdoor hallways. I wake up really early on vacation (5:00 or so) and like to go for a walk in the morning. Or just to head outside and enjoy my morning coffee or soda.
At Beach Club I felt the need to 'get ready' before I could leave my room.
At the value and moderate I didnt feel as out of place if I went to the food court for a quick mug refill in my lounge pants & a sweatshirt.
At BC I had to wait for the store to open before I could go fill my mug; at the other places the soda station was open whenever I went in there.

I guess it's all a matter of taste, budget and travel habits. But for us, we are definitely moderate people.

eta...since the value & mods are less expensive, I gladly pay the upcharge for the preferred locations. IMO, that makes a HUGE differnce. location, location, location

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

I do Disney 'deluxe' (because let's face it, what Disney calls 'deluxe' isn't what the outside world calls 'deluxe' by a longshot) or value. The deluxe resorts have all the amenities I like and need and the proximity to the parks. Plus, since I'm the parent of a 'special needs' child, staying deluxe is the requirement more often than not.

We do stay value for a few nights before checking into our deluxe resort. POP is our favorite value and we stay there while we do a lot of touring the parks and only returning for naps. But those hard beds are murder on my back and the basic amenities start to wear on me. Usually 3 nights is enough.

I have done a moderate twice--POFQ. It is a very nice resort but we'd rather split our stay and spend the bulk of the time at a deluxe.

 

[bangzoom6877]

We are going to be dining at a few other resorts. We will be doing dinner at Boma in AKL one night and I did plan to show the boys the animals there. This is going to be after a fun-filled early morning and lunch at AK followed by some rest time in the room and then dinner at Boma. Seemed like the perfect end to a day at AK. Another night we are dining at Ohana at the Polynesian so we will get to check that out too. Also breakfast ur last morning at Chef Mickey's @ Contemporary. So we will get to see three deluxes. I would love to check out GF as well...maybe one afternoon on the car ride back to the room from one of the parks, if the kids fall asleep I will stop in there and pick up a snack to take back to the room using my snack credits from the DDP. Then at least DH can stay in the van with the kids and I can check it out. Or maybe DH would like to stay in the room and relax with the kids while I go on an excursion of my own and check out some other places and their shopping and restaurants and stuff. I am sure he would not mind that...he will probably nap while the kids do and I don't tend to do that as much so I might be bored anyway. At least it would give me a chance to explore a little and enjoy the whole WDW area.

Renting DVC points seems great but also very risky. Not too sure about doing that but would consider looking into it in the future.

If you upgrade when you arrive at WDW to a deluxe resort, would they offer the room at a discounted rate or still the regular rate? I know some hotels offer a discount but you still pay considerably more, because they are happy to make more money by selling you a room that is more expensive. Curious about this in case we see at the last minute that we have a little extra for the trip. In other words, we are over-estimating the cost of gas, food, etc. for our other stops on this trip (driving from NYC). We are budgeted for a certain amount and maybe we could do an upgrade if the rate is decent. Anyone ever try to do this?

Thanks again,
Bonnie

 

[Dawn68PA]

We have only ever stayed at Value's. ASMu & Pop. We enjoyed both very much. For this trip there will be 6 or 7 of us so I looked into renting a DVC. I found a dependable chap who posts here on the DIS and has rented before. I feel pretty safe. I'm not paying much more than I would be if staying at the value resort and saving literally thousands off renting 2 rooms at a deluxe. Since DH & I are celebrating 20 years of wedded bliss this year we really wanted to stay where we could see the animals anytime we wanted.

Our goal is to stay all over the world. We love the differences in all of the resorts and if you can budget it, I think it's worth checking out all different ones.

 

[BethanyF]

Since DH & I are celebrating 20 years of wedded bliss this year

OT....when is your anniversary? I noticed our trips overlap and we are also going for our 20th. Ours is Nov 12.

 

[Disneylvr]

We are willing to take shorter trips so that we can afford a deluxe. We have a young daughter with autism and the larger rooms and better transportation options are the decision maker for us. As for theming we love the Poly and Caribbean Beach themes equally!

 

[Dawn68PA]

OT....when is your anniversary? I noticed our trips overlap and we are also going for our 20th. Ours is Nov 12.

Our anniversay is September 24th. With a DD in high school it just wasn't possible to go during that time. We'll celebrate late but that's ok!

 

[ols386]

I've only stayed at two of the Disney luxury resorts, two moderate resorts, and one value resort. I personally don't think the luxury resorts are worth the extra cost. The rooms at the luxury resorts are not any larger than at the moderate or value resorts (unless you get a suite or something like that.) Last time I stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and loved it. I also enjoyed the Pop Century Resort. My favorite is Riverside. The luxury resorts have more of a selection of places to eat, but I am happy with eating at a food court as long as they have more than 1 or 2 things to choose from...I thought Riverside had a nice selection of food in their food court, but I'm not someone who necessarily likes to eat in a nicer, fancier restaurant, that's just my own personal taste. You can still eat somewhat healthy in a food court with things like cereal, fruit, yogurt, salad, that type of thing. If you stay in any of the resorts (luxury, moderate, or value), you still have to make reservations in advance of your trip to get in to a sit-down restaurant, at least that's been my experince.

 

[Disney Fool]

The rooms at the luxury resorts are not any larger than at the moderate or value resorts (unless you get a suite or something like that.)

I'm sorry, but you are wrong there. The rooms at the Poly are 415 sq.ft or 475 sq.ft. the Contemporary has huge rooms, as well as the GF. the AK and the WL are smaller in size although considered Deluxe.

 

[Esmerelda]

The rooms at the deluxes are quite a bit bigger than the moderates or the values. We felt like we were on top of one another at our last stay at Pop 4 years ago.

Pop - 260 SF per room
WL - 340 SF per room
SSR studio - 355 SF per room (wow and this is just a studio!)

The Poly concierge and the Contemporary are the biggest on property 'rooms' I've ever stayed in...they are huge!

So to recapp, yes the deluxes are bigger.

have fun no matter where you stay...

 

[Sweetbug74]

The buses are not an issue for us this trip. We are driving down (yes, all the way from NYC so we can visit people along the way and see some interesting things too!), so we will have our car with us and drive to the parks and our ADRs. We decided this will be easier with the stroller, and since from what people told me here it is not more than a 20-min. walk from the far parking spots at MK to the TTC, we have no problem walking instead of taking the tram. We anticipated a 30-min. walk which would have been fine, but recently learned it is less than that. So the kids can ride in the stroller while we walk to the TTC and catch the monorail or boat. So no tired or sleeping kids on a bus to worry about...they will probably fall asleep in the car on the way back to the room.

Wow, deluxes do sound great! Even though we are not worried because not using the buses, being on the monorail line must be awesome! Hopefully someday we will be able to afford it! Right now we are on a budget as I said above, so a clean room on Disney property makes us very happy! Just being there will make all of us so happy and it will be magical and lots of fun no matter where we stay on property. I do hope though that we will someday be able to indulge in a deluxe.

Now, what about renting from DVC members? Where is the best place on the internet to do that where it is legitimate? Anyone have experience with this? I saw some on ebay and though they were more than the value resorts, they were not that much more so it sparked my curiosity. Is this is more economical way of enjoying a deluxe resort? Or is it better to watch out and book the way I always do with my travel agent?

Thanks again,
Bonnie

PS--I really hope I do not sound cheap since I am staying at a Value, and asking questions about renting DVC points!

If you have your car, that's the best deal, because at the value resorts, you can almost park your car right near your room. You can park for free at the parks, so if you don't mind driving around the place, its easiest and more time saving to go by car.

You're right in the fact that the deluxes are bigger and more convenient, but again ONLY if you're not using your car. You can also do this at some moderate resorts as well. I did the car thing once at POFQ, because my room was on the first floor and the parking lot was literally about 20 feet away.

Personally, at a cost difference of $300 per night for some of the deluxe resorts, I'll just happily take my beloved ASM, thankyou. I had to laugh when we were planning our trip in November. We thought of booking the GF and had the budget to do it, but I rethought it, crunched the numbers, and just laughed when I sat back and discovered that I can stay 6 days at the ASM resort (I've stayed at both before and like them both the same) for just a tad bit over the cost for ONE NIGHT at the GF. Now, hubby's thinking of taking a MK tour and I've got my sights set on the spa.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Last summer, we went to Lancaster County, PA and stayed at a motel there called the Bird-in-Hand Family Inn. We opted for the room in the front building, since we could park literally right outside our door, and the kids were 2 1/2 years old and 3 months old at the time! Lots of baby stuff was brought on that trip of course! The room was SOOO tiny, but we were just fine, and we actually spent some time in the room for relaxation. We managed to fit the pack 'n' play crib in there for the baby, the room had 2 double beds so my big one was fine with one of the beds plus the bedrails we brought, and although the room was small we didn't care. You're talking to someone who stayed in a regular inside cabin on a cruiseship in 2006 when we brought our older son (before the little one was born!), who was 18 months old at the time and was in a crib which fit into the room. Cramped? Yes, but who cared? We were on a cruise and that was the only way for us to afford the vacation. So the size of the room is not a problem as long as a pack 'n' play can fit, and they are putting a crib into the room for us.

So I guess that deluxes would not be worth it to me at this point yet. We are the type of people who would rather enjoy and indulge in other things (like nice dining or character dining, a longer vacation, etc.) than go for a luxury hotel. Don't get me wrong, I don't stay in what are known as "fleabag" motels just because they cost $30 a night, but we still budget. On our way down and during the time we are spending in Boca, we are staying at all hotels by Marriott, but we chose the Fairfield Inn and SpringHill Suites by Marriott since they are much more affordable for us but still have the good quality and are very clean, and include breakfast which is quick and convenient when you are hitting the road early in the morning. I am with above poster who says they would rather spend 6 nights at a Value than 1 night at the GF. Same holds true for me. I will look at the price of a deluxe, say oh we could afford that for like 3 nights, then look at the price of a value and see we could have a longer vacation for less money and would rather do that and take in everything that Disney has to offer. But that's my opinion...there are many people who feel just the opposite and would rather go for a shorter stay in a luxury resort. Different opinions, and it is always nice to find out other people's points of voew on the subject.

I am happy we are dining around though, and happy that you could park at the other resorts for up to 3 hours, so we could arrive a little early for our ADRs and check out the hotel lobby, public areas, stuff like that to see what it's like.

I am still curious about upgrades, if they are available for less than the original price of the hotel room in a deluxe, provided that you upgrade upon arrival and not sooner than that. Also curious if Disney allows you to tour a room in a deluxe hotel? Anyone know about any of this?

Thanks,
Bonnie

 

[livie1205]

i love all the didney resorts...lol but when i can afford it i do with deluxe...we spend alot of time at the resort so there are just more things to do...

 

[bangzoom6877]

Yes, if you plan to spend more time at the resort for some R & R, then the deluxes seem much better. More to do besides the pool. We don't even use the pool yet...kids are very little. Plus the theming at Pop Century looked so cool as well, that I wanted to check it out anyway. When I asked my travel agent if it was still a really good hotel, her reply was, "It's Disney...anything they have is going to be nice, and you will have fun no matter what." She also said that she gets a lot of positive feedback from clients regarding POP and also the regular dining plan, as I had originally inquired about the Deluxe one. She had recommended the package we ended up booking, saving us some money. And now that I look at it anyway, if we had the deluxe dining plan, we would be spending more time looking for restaurants than enjoying the parks. We have boys so not going to CRT, and not going to any signature restaurants that require 2 TS credits. Works for us, and I am sure the POP will be wonderful!

Bonnie

 

[Rustysmom]

I'm not sure if deluxes are worth it to us. I never stayed at one until November, when we won a trip to the BC. It was really nice, and it was wonderful being able to just walk to Epcot, and SAB was nice although we only went in once, but I don't know if I could bring myself to pay rack rate for it.

However, I would pay a little more for a moderate over a value, because we stayed at AS Music and just didn't like it. It was too crowded and too cramped. We love CBR for the island themeing and for the peace and quiet.

 

[ntsammy5]

We have stayed at deluxe and value resorts as well as FW -- never at a moderate though. I need to fix that. They're all fine. I do like having the option of staying at SoG however -- a deluxe at value prices. There is no right or wrong answer. Everyone is different and we all expect different things from a vacation. I do agree with previous poster through, Disney's idea of deluxe is much different than the industry standard.

 

[spiceycat]

the deluxe resort is only worth it - if you spend time at the resort - doing the resort stuff.

otherwise stick with the values.

with 2 small children don't except to spend alot of time outside the parks.

that say - CR can be worth it because you can walk back from the MK. only resort you can do this.

BW and BC/YC can walk back from Epcot and Studios. but with little kids your main park will be the MK for a long time.

 

[vanillarum]

We have never stayed anywhere but deluxe. The reason we stay there comes down to 2 basic things: 1, I love the Carribean and Hawaii. The Poly reminds me of those places. 2, LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION !! You can't beat the deluxes for location. We are a family of 4, myself, DW, DS (15) and DD(11). We really need 3 beds, as the kiddos can't sleep together. The deluxes allow us to do that. So do some other places. In fact, our trip this past Aug., we were first booked at the ASMusic Suite, mainly cause it was waaaaay less expensive than the Poly, but also because it had the extra beds. But as we got closer and closer, we decided that we wanted to have more accessability (sp ?), which the Poly provides. So we stayed at the Poly. We do feel that the deluxe hotels have less Disney feel to them than the values and the mods, but for us this is just from sight since we have never stayed there. I feel younger kids like the values and mods more than the deluxes, because they feel more Disney. When our kids were young (they first went when they were 6) they didn't care if the room was bigger or had more amenities. They just cared that it had a pool, any pool, and that they were at Disney ! Wow, enuf rambling ! Good luck and have fun !!

 

[wijkowski]

This is a great thread and one my wife and I discuss constantly.

It is just the two of us and we ALWAYS drive to the parks (never use the buses). We just like the freedom of having our car a tram ride away.

In the past, we stayed at the BW in a one bedroom and POFQ in a standard. We will be staying at ASMU in two weeks ( a little belt tightening). So after the ASMU stay, we will have stayed in all three ranges (other than DVC).

The Boardwalk was very nice, but we found it was much more than we needed. We were on the DDP and the lack of counter service was a little disappointing (but we knew that going in). The boat to Epcot and the Studios was great! We even walked to Epcot a couple of days. Overall, we would not spend the money for the Boardwalk or any other deluxe.
We have stayed at posh hotels throughout the country and the deluxe resorts at Disney are a step below those resorts but with a much higher price tag.

Our stay at POFQ was great and we have decided to make it our preferred resort after our ASMU stay. We love it and it is not very expensive.

Ron

 

[OlderMan]

...in renting from a DVC member, check out the rental board in the DVC section on here.


Just FYI.....