for those of you who have stayed at moderates and wl/akl

[sarah4770]

Is it worth it to stay at wl/akl vs. moderate resorts. There is an $800 difference for a 6 day stay.
I have stayed at both akl and wl.... but for $800, I am wondering if it would be better to stay at a moderate?

 

[spiceycat]

deluxe resorts are that - room service, valet parking, several restuarants, queen beds, etc

if that doesn't mean anything to you - then definitely go with a moderate or even value resort.

the moderate and value resorts have a food court which is great for saving money and getting everyone is your party to eat.

bus transportation only!!!

 

[EsmeraldaX]

I'd pick the deluxe over the moderate if money was not an issue.

 

[chyam]

I was and probably still am a WL devotee but due to the fact that it is getting hard to book I was "forced" to try a moderate, that was in April POFQ and I am returning there tomorrow for 4 days. I love the WL and the themeing and yes the boat over to MK, I love the nature walk over to FW but I have to say I like POFQ too! The grounds are beautiful and it does have a boat to DD. That being said unless you are someone who really needs room service or valet parking I would save the $600 for something else! If money is not an issue then choose the Deluxes but I could think of alot of ways to spend $600! I think alot also depends on how much actual time you want to spend at the resorts and also if you have small ones and need to get back to the resort more often. Although I can honestly say you will never find me at the value resorts!

 

[eeyore7567]

It really comes down to how much money you are willing to spend and how much time you spend in your room or at the resort. We stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort and I thought the resort overall was pretty good. The rooms were nice and the bus service was incredible. The lines for the buses were never a problem which seemed opposite for the Budget Resorts. The restaurant at CSR was not very good and we ended up eating 2 meals at the Wilderness Lodge.

If I had my choice, I would rather stay at the WL, but for $800.00, that money might be put to better use. If you are spending a lot of time at your hotel and not at one of the parks, then your hotel choice should be a place you really enjoy staying.

We pretty much used the room for sleeping and spent the days at other hotel restaurants and the parks. So for us, the Deluxe would have been a waste of money and the Budget hotels seemed too chaotic and crowded....especially their bus system.

 

[cjsmom5]

Every year we stay 3-4 days at a moderate (POFQ our favorite) and then we spend another 8 days at a deluxe (Animal Kingdom Lodge for the last three years). We like both resorts. I think it depends on what you are after. If you are not going to spend any time at the resort, or very little, I would opt for the moderate -- for us POFQ. We like the food court and the fact that it is the smallest of the moderates gives it a quaint feeling. We also like the theme and the proximity to DTD is really nice with the boat ride.

Since we've been so many times, we spend a lot of time at the hotel when we move to the deluxe. At AKL there are lots of kids activities and we enjoy both Boma and Mara. Have not eaten at Jikos. This year we are staying concierge so plan to spend "eating" times more at the hotel and hang out. The other things that I really like about the deluxe properties are the fact that they have queen beds, rooms are a bit larger, they have balconies that you can sit on and enjoy the outside, they have room service -- if you want it, and the lobbies seem much grander and offer a very comfortable place to just hang out. Some really enjoy the indoor corridors and the "closet" but for us neither is a big deal.

The similarities are this -- the moderate and deluxe (at least AKL) both have food courts, they both have double sinks, refrigerators and hair dryers. Housekeeping has been about the same at both resorts and we have gotten good as well as bad service at both levels. Since we stay at AKL there isn't another source of transportation and we don't mind the buses.

If money isn't an issue I would probably stay at the deluxe. But, if you spend a great deal of time at the parks and outside the room/resort property then I would opt for the moderate. When we go in the spring we always stay at the moderate.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

It really comes down to how much money you are willing to spend and how much time you spend in your room or at the resort.

This is such a good point. I've stayed at every level of WDW hotel and enjoyed them all for different reasons. In my first reply I said I'd pick the deluxe if money was not an issue, but if I was trying to keep costs down, the mods and values are nice. I like having the restaurant choices at the deluxes but really all the hotels are nice.

 

[ciera321]

I may be figuring wrong, but with the standard rooms during value season there would be a difference of about $360 and regular season about $500. I doubt I would spend an extra $800, that's about $133 per night more. If you don't have a problem spending that much more a night, go for it. They (AKL and WL) are wonderful resorts, but so is CSR and for me, I'd rather spend the $800 on "stuff"!!! IMHO

 

[Bashful2]

Personally, I don't think I'd pay $800 more to stay at WL or AKL. If it was one of the monorail resorts, maybe. However, the rooms at WL & AKL are not that much bigger than the mods, plus you have to take a bus to most places.

For our next trip in October, 2006, we're looking at either CBR, WL or AKL. It just depends on the price difference. As much as I love WL, I can't see spending a whole lot more than I would for CBR.

Another possiblity is to split your stay between a mod and one of the deluxes. We've done that on several occasions and really enjoyed it.

 

[jlcd]

For us it really comes down to the size of the beds. We really prefer the queens over the doubles.........

 

[conwaym98]

On our last trip, we did a split stay between POFQ and AKL. Although I liked both resorts, I'd have to go the POFQ over AKL. It was great to wake up to see the giraffes outside our room in the morning, but we weren;t in the hotel enough to enjoy all the benefits of the resort. If we had to choose again,I'd have spend the entire trip at a moderate and spend the $800 at the parks.

 

[F1Julie]

I think it depends on what type of trip you're taking and how much time you plan on spending at the resort. I stay at a value if I plan on spending all my time at the parks. If I plan on relaxing a little, but still being at the parks a lot, then I go moderate. If I stay deluxe, I like to spend a lot of time at the resort to feel like I'm getting my moneys worth out of it. I can't justify the cost of a deluxe if I'm only going to be using the room for sleeping and showering.

 

[mc97]

I think it depends on what type of trip you're taking and how much time you plan on spending at the resort. I stay at a value if I plan on spending all my time at the parks. If I plan on relaxing a little, but still being at the parks a lot, then I go moderate. If I stay deluxe, I like to spend a lot of time at the resort to feel like I'm getting my moneys worth out of it. I can't justify the cost of a deluxe if I'm only going to be using the room for sleeping and showering.

I couldn't agree more! We have stayed at budget, moderate, and deluxe for different types of trips. POP was great, but we really just slept and showered there; CSR is our favorite moderate and we love the pool and food court (probably better because this is the moderate "Convention Resort"); we love CR because we can walk to MK...AKL is simply awesome all around...maybe we'll hit WL next time!

I don't think I've added anything useful here, but definitely think about how much time you want to spend at the resort and balance the "cost value" that way. For example, when we stayed at AKL - I honestly didn't want to leave and do the parks for the first two days! There was so much to see and do right at the resort! Enjoy!

 

[Forever a Princess]

Hi there,

We have stayed at the WL and AKL (both multiple times).

That being said we just got home from a wonderful stay at POR.

My opinion is save the money and spend it in the parks.

 

[disneyholic family]

yes it's worth the $800 to me.......i splurge when i'm on vacation..

that being said, in august i got an amazing AP rate at the WL....$124/night....
kind of an offer i couldn't refuse....

 

[DiscussDisney]

deluxe resorts are that - room service, valet parking, several restuarants, queen beds, etc

if that doesn't mean anything to you - then definitely go with a moderate or even value resort.

the moderate and value resorts have a food court which is great for saving money and getting everyone is your party to eat.

bus transportation only!!!

And indoor corridors at the deluxes. Very important, especially on those rainy days.

 

[Buzz2001]

I'd pick the deluxe over the moderate if money was not an issue.

I agree, if money is not an issue, you can't compare a deluxe vs a mod. But 800.00 can buy you alot of meals and souvenirs.

CSR offers a lot of deluxe amentities like room service, a spa, a gym.

CSR has great bus service and the best main pool area.

 

[Disney Spaz]

We just got back from POFQ and I have to say we loved it. However next trip we are looking at AKL because we will have a 1 1/2 year old with us and I prefer to have bigger beds with a wriggly little one. We did try WL several years ago and felt that the difference between a standard room at WL and one at POFQ was minimal. The beds were bigger and the halls had interior corridors. That was about it. We did also spend more on food at WL because their food court is so small and really limiting in selection where as POFQ we found more options and really enjoyed the meals. Without a little one I would stick with POFQ and spend the money elsewhere but if you plan on being at the resort for breaks then move up to deluxe.