Deluxe to Mod - what did you miss?

[Remy is Up]

We love the deluxe but at the end of the day coronado is a deluxe resort at a much lower price. The rooms at Coronado were more impressive than most deluxe rooms.

 

[buzznina]

Not much anymore, probably the grand lobby (GF, AKL & WL), and MK views. Once in awhile the TS restaurant but since we always drive we get to go to various ones, if we want to, no matter where we stay . Only at Disney resorts, do we prefer outside doors over hallways, and there are some deluxe hallways that are a LONG walk. We always have our curtains open during the day to lookout and to let the light in, it makes a BIG difference in the room and we could care less if someone walking by glances in. Like a PP mentioned, we also like the openness of the mod rooms better, especially if you have a stroller. Beds are very subjective, I have had great and not so great beds at all 3 levels. Heck, we had rooms that one bed felt a lot better than the other. LOL
Just like McKelly, we have stayed at all 3 levels and had great times at each.

 

[kylenne]

there are some deluxe hallways that are a LONG walk.

This is one of the things I didn’t like about BC. My room was way at the end of the 4th floor, practically up against the YC side, and it was halls on halls on halls coming and going anywhere. It wasn’t a dealbreaker, and it was nice not being in the elements when it was chilly in the morning and late at night, but it was a little annoying.

 

[MarkS2112]

Deluxe = better pools, inside rooms, better dining options, one bus stop, better themed, not much not to like except the price. Key is do you take advantage of the amenities or are you in the parks always. If so moderate can be better. If cost no option always deluxe.

Moderates = skyliner at CBR is game changer. Outside that transport not so good, food choices not as good, rooms are ok but deluxe has better bathrooms and balconies.

 

[tinabina919]

We mostly stay deluxe for the close proximity to the parks although the Skyliners have made it not as necessary.

 

[cobright]

I suppose the thing I missed the most was being able to get to a park without taking a bus. However, the buses were honestly fine.

Other than the Riviera, I've spent a night at least at all of the deluxe and I really like them all. But I still come back to POR. Transportation is a common benefit raised so far and it's cool to have a monorail on site or a boat right to a park but let's be honest an average WDW vacation day for me is 14-16 hours long and the time savings of having that deluxe transportation option is usually just a 20-40 minute for the day. And that's only on days where we're going to a park served by that transportation option. For the money saved, I just get us an Uber when the waits are bad.

There're no balconies at the mods, and people seem to like them, but I've no use for them. Sometimes we'll take coffee on a slower paced day and on such occasions we'll light in the lobby or (usually at POR) the outdoor area in front of Boatwrights and watch the flow of people roll out and in.

 

[Jaxbelle]

If staying at POFQ -try to get a River View room and request an upper floor. That way you can keep your curtains open, and not worry about people walking by, looking into your room. We had building 5, River View Room, top floor. Never a problem. And the views (and sounds) from the river were so relaxing. Yes, even the sounds of the boats going by! I miss the sounds now while I'm typing!!!

For the OP, our first Disney stay was at the Polynesian (Deluxe) . Our second and third stay we stayed at the POR, and POFQ (Moderates). The only thing we missed about staying Deluxe was being on the monorail. To save the money for the next visits, and try the moderates was worth it! Both POR and POFQ had beautiful grounds, fun theming for the kids, great food, and we would go back in a second!

However, it is my goal for our next trip to try another Deluxe and another different resort stay. Disney has so much to offer! Best wishes on your planning!

 

[kylenne]

Transportation is a common benefit raised so far and it's cool to have a monorail on site or a boat right to a park but let's be honest an average WDW vacation day for me is 14-16 hours long and the time savings of having that deluxe transportation option is usually just a 20-40 minute for the day. And that's only on days where we're going to a park served by that transportation option. For the money saved, I just get us an Uber when the waits are bad.

It really depends on your touring style, I think. We are midday break people due to health challenges, and proximity really matters for that—it adds up to a lot more than 20-40 minutes saved per day, especially over the course of a week or longer. Now that I think about it, I wonder if the people who eschew taking midday breaks because “they take too long” are staying at mods or values. I definitely found that to be the case at POFQ, even utilizing Lyft.

The Skyliner is a game changer in that respect. If I ever stayed non-Deluxe again, I would definitely go to a Skyliner resort. It doesn’t solve the MK stress but at least 2 parks are easy.

 

[Dug720]

Now that I think about it, I wonder if the people who eschew taking midday breaks because “they take too long” are staying at mods or values

I "eschew midday breaks" regardless of where I'm staying. I'd rather go at a slower pace in the parks and plan on shows and such for breaks rather than going back to a resort and then back to a park. Probably because when we started going we stayed off property and it was not an option but the "shows and more resting things midday" seems to work best for me. (Similar to I don't like popping into my apartment between school and going to OrangeTheory - once I'm in I don't want to go back out.)

 

[raddisneyfan]

If I were spending more time in the room and not going to the parks every day, then i would book a deluxe just to have the balcony where i can open the drapes everyday and have the privacy and the light in the room that the private balcony allows and be able to have my own reading space outside. What a long, ungrammatical sentence! my favorite resorts for more of a staycation are AKL and WL, followed by BWI.

 

[WhitneyMB]

We usually stay Deluxe and tried POR last time. We ended up deciding to buy DVC for more Deluxe stays.

We usually travel during one of the spring break times & take mid-day breaks. The real difference for us were:
1) Buses—The buses at POR were always so full, we had difficulty getting on them and almost never got a seat. This was with walking to the first pick-up stop, rather than the closest one. We finally started using Lyft about 1/3 of the time.
2) Better & less crowed pools. The pool at POR looked nice & big, but in the afternoons when we wanted to use them, they were so full & noisy, we ended up just turning around and taking a nap in the quiet of our room. We didn't have the same sort of issue at the Deluxe resorts.
3) Shorter walk to get coffee/drinks & food in the morning before heading to the park or for a quick snack.

Overall, I think the moderate resorts are really attractive physically. They are lovely to walk through. If you are someone who stays at the park all day, I could see them being a nice option.

 

[disny_luvr]

We stayed at POR on our last trip, but we usually stay deluxe. We loved POR, but there were two things we missed - interior hallways and proximity to the parks.

We had one of those little lizards (I’m not sure what the proper name is) get into our room when we were at POR and honestly I vowed I’d never stay at a mod after that. Thinking about it now, I guess we could get one in our deluxe room, too, by way of the balcony/patio, but I just felt like they were all over at POR.

We usually stay at the Yacht or Beach Club and we just love the ability to walk to Epcot and DHS. We never have a car with us so we are totally dependent on Disney transportation and we like having options other than the busses.

 

[SgtTibbs]

Having giraffes and zebra's wander by my balcony was fun.

 

[kylenne]

I "eschew midday breaks" regardless of where I'm staying. I'd rather go at a slower pace in the parks and plan on shows and such for breaks rather than going back to a resort and then back to a park. Probably because when we started going we stayed off property and it was not an option but the "shows and more resting things midday" seems to work best for me. (Similar to I don't like popping into my apartment between school and going to OrangeTheory - once I'm in I don't want to go back out.)

With our particular set of challenges (chronic illness, adult ADHD/anxiety), staying in the park all day really doesn’t work for us. I wish it did but we both get overstimulated after a while and dipping into shows only stalls the inevitable meltdowns. I need dark and quiet away from everything.

The cool thing about the World though is that there’s so many different ways to do it, and every time I go I learn something about what I like. I find the older I get, the more I enjoy time at the resort as much as the parks.

 

[Dug720]

With our particular set of challenges (chronic illness, adult ADHD/anxiety), staying in the park all day really doesn’t work for us. I wish it did but we both get overstimulated after a while and dipping into shows only stalls the inevitable meltdowns. I need dark and quiet away from everything.

The cool thing about the World though is that there’s so many different ways to do it, and every time I go I learn something about what I like. I find the older I get, the more I enjoy time at the resort as much as the parks.

Exactly. Different things work for different people. I didn't mean to imply they don't.

 

[Alison S]

We went from the Poly to CSR (GD Tower).
Transportation: we did kinda miss the boat from the poly to MK, but we found the transportation from CSR was faster everywhere else
Pool: Definitely preferred the poly's pool area and general landscaping/atmosphere

The CSR room was much nicer than the poly. I won't be going back there until they refurbish.

 

[mindeola]

We bounce back and forth between all resort levels. It just depends on the trip goals for me. I can also go more often if I switch up the price points. The one thing I miss when I am not at a deluxe is proximity to parks and transport other than a bus! Pop, a value resort, has the most comfy beds of any property I have stayed at though!

We love the deluxe but at the end of the day coronado is a deluxe resort at a much lower price. The rooms at Coronado were more impressive than most deluxe rooms.

I have heard this ! I am excited about a quick trip we have in May. We are staying there for the first time. My niece got me a rate that was too good to pass up!

 

[Sarahslay]

I like that the windows in deluxe rooms don't overlook a walkway with everyone coming and going to and from their rooms, and I like enclosed hallways, so any time I stay mod or value I miss it. I will usually stay value over mod when trying to be more budget though, especially with the room renos going on and the beds improving I just think there is no benefit for staying at a place that is $100+ more for close to the same experience. If I'm not staying deluxe it's usually because I plan on being in the parks more and trying to save money, so I'll just skip the mods all together because I don't like the size of the resorts (aside from POFQ) and all the bus stops with full buses by the time they get to us. I also miss all the common areas around the deluxe resorts that I can hang out in if I need to wait or just want to chill, little nooks with comfy chairs that you just can't find at the mods and values.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

I have stayed at all levels at WDW. Proximity to the parks is not a big deal to us, we don't mind a bus ride. We typically travel at times where it is too cool to use the pools. For us, we either stay deluxe of stay at the Pop these days. Since the refurb, we love the layout of the Pop rooms, and we just don't feel that the extra money to jump to a moderate (up to $100 a night at some times) is worth it, particularly since Pop now has skyliner access.

 

[pixiemama91]

Its not a deal breaker but we like having inside hallways in deluxe resorts. We almost always go in the summer and its just nice to enter the building and have cool air while walking to your room.