Deluxe vs Mods

[Tracy Savage]

Please help me justify the $$$$ difference. We have never stayed at a deluxe but have stayed in the mods. We have a room at WL in Nov. and its $1000 cheaper to stay at a mod. Other than the boat to MK, I need to know the pros and cons. I keep going back and forth about this.

 

[rcraw45425]

Well, here's a shot of a possible view from WL room 6039, courtyard view:

First of all, deluxes have balconies or patios, inside corridors as opposed to outside exposed ones and table service restaurants. The WL offers the boat to MK, walking or boatride to Ft. Wilderness, the geyser that erupts on the hour from 7Am to 10PM:

Also, queen beds instead of full ones, which is a plus for our family as DH is over 6 foot and we share a king at home.

 

[LMO429]

I never stayed at the WL but we went there for a visit last trip!! Its gorgeous!!!! ENJOY!!!

 

[tink_lover]

Tracy- I asked the same question when I first joined this board. Here is my take - but everyone feels differently - we stayed at POR with family of 5 (kids were 4,5 and 8 at the time). While I thought the grounds were beautiful, the room was a little crowded for all of us and I didn't like the idea of one of my kids basically sleeping on a mattress on the floor. The food and pool were great. We were just more comfortable in Deluxe (room was bigger, balcony was great, sleeper spot for fifth person great). We will try a family suite in a few years, but planning on Deluxe for 2008 and 2009. Hope that helps and good luck with your decision.

 

[lpandorf]

We stayed at POR and CSR then decided to give WL a try last year. My husband does not come on the Disney trips so it's just me and DD7 and DS3. Last year was the first time I took along DS and I was a bit nervous handling two kids so decided on WL since everything was under one roof. That was an advantage. It's quicker and easier to get around. Esp if it rains you can just go down to first floor to eat. The balcony was nice, but to be honest, we probably sat out there all of about 30 minutes so not worth extra money to me. I thought the boat would be a big plus, but it was kind of slow and to be honest, I thought the bus service not as good as we had at CSR. We had to share a bus with the Grand Floridian and it just seemed slow. Also, the pool at WL does not seem that big to me and we thought the pool at CSR very nice and great slide!

The lobby at WL was gorgeous, esp in November, decorated for the holidays. With that said, I took the kids back recently and went back to a moderate, CSR. I could not justify the extra money. It was great. We are not in the room all that much and the grounds at the moderates are just as nice as the ones at the Deluxes, IMO and that's where we tend to be if we are back at the resort - swimming, walking around, etc. We are going again in November. I found some points to rent from DVC member so trying SSR. But had booked CBR before I found the points.

 

[eliza61]

Please help me justify the $$$$ difference. We have never stayed at a deluxe but have stayed in the mods. We have a room at WL in Nov. and its $1000 cheaper to stay at a mod. Other than the boat to MK, I need to know the pros and cons. I keep going back and forth about this.

Tracy,
Unfortunatel, the pros and cons were be different for every one. For me, when I go on vacation $1000 is not a big budget buster. I love my balcony, at the end of the day Dh & I chill out on the balcony and have a beer or maybe in the morning we'll have coffee on the balcony. I love having indoor hallway (this is just my preference) and a full service TS restaurant available to me.
I enjoy the boat to MK. It takes all of 15 minutes to get to the MK. Now it is a slow boat, but It's supposed to be slow! If you look around the lagoon you will see speed limit signs of 10 mph and "no wake" signs (meaning they don't want the boats going fast enough to make waves). It is a enjoyable ride, you pass by all the other MK resorts and its really pretty.

I think the extra money is going to stay on your mind, stick with the mod. Peace of mind is great.

 

[rcraw45425]

We are also deluxe people, we just love the extras that you get at them. Our one experience with a moderate left up feeling almost the same as if we stayed offsite, it was too far away from the magic for us. But as the PP stated, you are going to dwell on the extra $$$ or if it's going to be a financial hardship, by all means go for the moderate. You best know your comfort level. Just my .02

 

[Tracy Savage]

I think I'm pretty well set on WL. I just wanted to know if the extras were worth it by others opinions. I like the idea will be so close to the "Magic" and the fact that every thing is under one roof. But the truth is that our family tends to be gone all day to the parks, and would we enjoy the perks? WL sounds wonderful and maybe this trip we will have to kick back alittle more and relax at the lodge. Thanks!

 

[Amy&Dan]

WL sounds wonderful and maybe this trip we will have to kick back alittle more and relax at the lodge. Thanks!

That is the big thing. If you will enjoy and use those amenities you are paying for then by all means go deluxe. If the larger room, bit of extra space, balcony and location are things that really matter then its worth it. If not, then you need to maybe rethink. Sounds like you have made your decision. Have fun!

Oh and the mods do have full service restaurants too. Not character meals, but they do (with the exception of POFQ however Boatwrights at POR is walking distance) have a full service option. CSR even has room service and a spa. But none of them have interior corridors and they are all spread out in multiple buildings.

 

[Tracy Savage]

What I think I will like the most is hanging out in the lobby in the evening. I hate going back to a hotel and plopping on the bed and having nothing else to do but watch info-mercials.

 

[rcraw45425]

At WL each evening the Electric Water Parade comes by each night. You can see it from the pool area or from your balcony if you have an inner courtyard view. Some woods view rooms can also see some of the MK fireworks. Oh and don't discount Ft. Wilderness, in the evenings they sometimes have marshmallow roasts with Chip & Dale and sometimes outdoor movies. THere is a sheet of activities available at the front desk at WL.

 

[septbaby]

Tracy, we recently stayed at CBR and really liked it. We booked the bounceback for WL and recently switch it to AKL. Here are some of the things we will appreciate about the Deluxe, for about $90 more per night:

- All under one roof will make things seem more convenient
- Queen bed, double was fine but queen will be nicer
- Nicer pool, nephew loved CBR pool but will be in heaven at AKL
- Nicer water slide, I'll probably try this one!
- No sand at playground!!!
- Hot tubs, two pools at AKL or WL, one small poorly placed one at CBR
- Animals, no replacement at CBR for that
- Cultural theming/educational value, no replacement for that at CBR
- Evening storytelling, culinary tours at Boma/Jiko
- Kids activities, there are numerous at the AKL vs few to none at CBR
- Kids club, not an option at CBR (nephew at KC, Mom in hot tub or getting massage while I workout, the perfect timeout for us all!)
- Arcade, never went at CBR, but spent a "rain delay" at the one at WL would have just stayed in the room at CBR, we would not have walked to the main bldg in the rain to enjoy it (had DVDs, cards and games in room just in case)
- Balcony/pool view upgrade at AKL ($10 upgrade)
- Health club for workout with spa services available
- Room service, not sure we'll use it, but an option for a 2TS meal on the DP
- TS restaurant, Boma is a definite do over, Jiko is a maybe

Things we will miss
- CS restaurant, we'll miss CBR food court
- If we get a far room, long walk from bus stop, right outside our door and multiple stops w/in CBR to shorten the walks everywhere, just one at AKL/WL
- Quiet pools, AKL just has one large pool, mods have the multiple
- Lots of buses going to CBR, not sure if how frequency will be with AKL, with WL you have to share buses with Ft. Wilderness, maybe one other stop

By the way our WL to AKL switch was driven by the CS at WL. Roaring Forks is very small, esp compared to CBR's. We are a vegetarian family and saw very little choices at RF. We also would not eat at WCC for similar reasons. We know we'll go back to Boma, Mara offers a bit better selection and space.

We had a GREAT stay at CBR and are really looking forward to AKL!

Not sure if we will always do Deluxe, but I know we just might get spoiled on this next stay!

 

[lake queen]

Just a warning, the boat to MK was very, very slow!! The boats are shared with the Wilderness campsite. And the busses WL shared with GF, and/or Poly.

I really liked the WL, but the transportation was a big dissapointment to me!

 

[Buzz2001]

It's not worth it IMO. CSR is a great resort and is more than adequate to sleep and hang out by the pool. CSR has a better pool and great transportation that is not shared. For $1,000 more you get to share buses with other resorts.

 

[kapoof]

yes the boat is slow to mk but the bus to mk is about a 5 minute ride! i haven't stayed at a mod before but i do LOVE deluxes. i think it is a nice to way to treat yourself. have a great trip!

 

[minnie61650]

Room size Comparison:

Pop Century/All Stars-260 Square Feet
CS, POR/POFQ-314 SF
Caribbean Beach-340 SF
Wilderness Lodge-344 SF
AKL-344 SF
Yacht/Beach-381 SF
Boardwalk-385 SF
Polynesian-409 SF-478SF
Contemporary-436 SF
Grand Floridian-about 400-440SF
Ft Wilderness Cabins-504 SF
Family suites at All Star Music -520 SF

Have fun at Disney wherever you choose to stay!

 

[Lilolvr]

I'd stay at CSR and take the money every time. $1,000 is alot of money.

 

[clownfish1452]

Before my last trip I was also on the fence between deluxe and mod, but after talking to AAA I found out that of deluxes have room service. So my mind was made up I had to stay deluxe. Have a great trip.

Sarah

 

[Amy&Dan]

Before my last trip I was also on the fence between deluxe and mod, but after talking to AAA I found out that of deluxes have room service. So my mind was made up I had to stay deluxe. Have a great trip.

Sarah

Just so you'll know Coronado Springs which is a moderate has room service. A lot of conventioners stay there and they need their room service! And it has a full service spa and salon as well. I also think it has one of the best pools on property. Other than the exterior corridors, its pretty much a deluxe in every way. And the rooms are barely (and I mean barely) any smaller than the AKL and WL ones.

The other mods do not have room service. There is never any wrong decision on where to stay, because hey, you are at WDW! I have found my stays at all the levels of resorts to each be magical. And what I am willing to fork out for each stay changes as my life situation does. Good luck to everyone "on the fence" so to speak!

 

[My2Cinderellas]

$1000 is a huge difference - I know I struggled with it last time. We stayed at POFQ and the double beds were a big issue. DH and I cannot easily share a double. The girls were so tired, and bickering at each other trying to share a bed, that we quickly developed the winning plan for the week. Each girl went to sleep in a bed by themself. DH crawled in with one, I shared with the other.

Queen beds are easier for the girls to share, and DH and I have a queen bed at home. This trip we have rented points for a 1BR at OKW, and then are moving to the WL for the last 2 nights. After we had dinner at Whispering CAnyon last trip, DH wanted to stay at the WL.

If it were just DH and I, or just the girls and I, then we would not stay deluxe, but with all 4 of us, the extra room and bed space is a huge plus.