Going from Delux down to Moderate?

[Forensicmom]

We went on our first trip to Disney this past November and stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. It was amazing and all 6 of us had the best vacation that was truly magical.

We want to go back in another year or so, so we're starting to plan again. The problem is, we splurged on the Wilderness Lodge. We would love to try a few of the other Deluxe resorts but I doubt we can afford to stay in one so soon. So I am looking at more of the moderate hotels instead.

My only fear is, with our expectations being so high from the last trip, will a moderate seem like a big step down?

Out of the moderates, is there a better one then other? Our 3 youngest DD's (13, 11, 8) will be going next time. We're not into the over the top theme hotels either (we really liked the Contemporary).

 

[elaw]

.... We would love to try a few of the other Deluxe resorts but I doubt we can afford to stay in one so soon. So I am looking at more of the moderate hotels instead.

My only fear is, with our expectations being so high from the last trip, will a moderate seem like a big step down?

Out of the moderates, is there a better one then other? ....

If you are willing to do a split stay, you could do both in one trip. We usually start out at a moderate (POR is our Favorite) and transfer to the Deluxe for the last part of the trip. We've found it's much better to start with the mod and "upgrade" to the Deluxe. I dont think the moderates are too much of a let down ...each of them are uniquely themed and very nice (better is very subjective) .... we've never been disappointed.

 

[Sue M]

We go back and forth between deluxe & mod freq. Our fav moderate is POR- Riverside. We love the mansion section, either Acadian House or magnolia Terrace. The other 2 mansions now are all princess rooms (Oak Manor & Parterre Pl).
IMO POR has a little extra to offer with the boat to DTD, Horse & Carriage Rides, and evening entertainment in the lounge.

The grounds are beautiful, and it's so nice just strolling around.

POR is split into 2 sections, and the AB section has rooms that sleep 5, with 2 queens & a murphy bed, with a more rustic theme.

Great food court, we love WL too, but the POR food court is so much better then Roaring Forks. Love the make your own pasta bar, and in the morning it's a make your own omelet.

 

[duffdo]

Of course the deluxe resorts are better than the moderates, but I really think the moderates offer the best value for money out of all the Disney hotels. I have experience with Port Orleans Riverside and Caribbean Beach. POR is definitely my favourite. Opt for a room in the mansions section, I felt they have a more deluxe "feel" about them.

 

[KatMark]

We used to stay deluxe all the time (Contemporary and Poly) and then moved down to a moderate (Coronado Springs Resort) and we have never regretted it. Personally, we prefer the outdoor walkways (we're in Florida...I want to enjoy the environment and not walk down a long, dark hallway), the pools are great, most of the moderates now have queen beds, larger food courts, etc. We would continue to stay at the Coronado if it were not for the fact that we've been able to stay cheaper at DVC resorts.

 

[Day-Day]

Forensicmom,
There are big diffrences between WL and some of the other deluxe resorts. WL is barely a "deluxe". I much prefer POR-Riverside over WL due to some of the favorable aspects including those listed by Sue M. In addition, we found POR-R to be quieter than WL and liked the pools better.

There is a chance that you will feel like some of us who prefer moderates over a "lesser deluxe" like WL. I have not stayed at the Contemporary (which you mentioned) but I suspect that is is truly an upgrade from the moderates; I feel that the Poly was when we stayed there.

 

[Sinderelly]

We have stayed deluxe (BLT and BC), moderate (POFQ) and value ASSP and Pop). Out of all those resorts we prefer BLT for location and Pop for everything else. I think as long as you're at a Disney resort you can't really go wrong. We really did not like the BC CL although some people really like it. I thought SAB felt like a "dirty" pool with the sandy bottom and everything there seemed like a far walk. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[LuvLDM]

I really enjoy the moderate resorts, as another poster noted...I think they offer the best value. POR is my favorite, the grounds are just lovely and my family really likes the food court.

When our budget allows we stay at the Beach Club, if we need to keep costs down we are quite happy at a mod.

 

[Kaitysmom]

I agree with the others - we have been really happy with the moderates with POFQ being our favorite. We have stayed there more than any other resort, especially for shorter trips. We look at the resort as part of our experience now as we don't go to the parks as much as we used to. When we spent the full days at the parks, we wouldn't have been at the resort enough for it to justify the added cost because we weren't really taking advantage of the amenities. We prefer POFQ because of the small size of the resort, great bus service and the overall theming. The boat ride to DTD more than makes up for having to take buses to the parks - at least for us.

 

[shell8558]

We have stayed at WL and I have to say that it is not much different that POR. Actually the pool is better at POR and I absolutely love the boat to DD and the carriage rides available. POR is by far our favorite resort! We dont ever feel like we are missing out on something. I dont think that you will be disappointed if you choose POR.

 

[PrepandLanding]

We stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort after our Wilderness Resort stay last trip. The suite was alot bigger, full kitchen, & was much more affordable. Its roughly located between Typhoon Lagoon and Pop Century, and our room overlooked Downtown Disney. There are a few great threads on the boards. We also stayed at POFQ recently & loved the tranquil feel & boat to Downtown Disney. We are thinking of renting DVC points next year, 100% agree with you Wilderness Lodge is absolutely amazing!

 

[msbiscuit]

In 30 plus years of going to WDW, I'd never stayed in a Moderate until December 2011. It was always Deluxe - Poly, CR, BC, BCV, YC, BW, OKW. (Not bragging, just setting the stage a bit here. )
I can't begin to tell you how impressed I was with POFQ when I stayed there! IMO, the only differences would be: no balcony/patio, outside corridors, buses only (boat to Downtown Disney) and no sit-down restaurant. Didn't bother me a bit! The room was comfy and large enough, the food court was great and mousekeeping was excellent!

 

[shell8558]

We stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort after our Wilderness Resort stay last trip. The suite was alot bigger, full kitchen, & was much more affordable. Its roughly located between Typhoon Lagoon and Pop Century, and our room overlooked Downtown Disney. There are a few great threads on the boards. We also stayed at POFQ recently & loved the tranquil feel & boat to Downtown Disney. We are thinking of renting DVC points next year, 100% agree with you Wilderness Lodge is absolutely amazing!

Glad to hear you enjoyed Wyndam Bonnet Creek!- We will be staying there for our first offsite visit in May!

 

[marymac123]

I came to ask this same exact question...so excited. We have been struggling with this as well. We have been fortunate to stay only at WL every visit. And absolutely LOVE it there, especially the boat to MK. But, I am trying to save some $ & was wondering if either POR or POFQ would be a good fit for us. Can't wait to hear more.

 

[scottmel]

The last 3 summers we stayed club level at BWI and YC. LAST summer I won a free trip to disney (thank you disney gods!!!) and the prize included for the hotel a moderate. I was skeptical b/c face it, it is hard to compete with club level yacht club! I sort of cheated and the last 2 nights of our trip arranged to transfer over to YC Cl as a surprise to my family. To be honest, I REALLY enjoyed POFQ! way more than I thought I would and would stay there again easily. If I hadn't already paid for the two YC nights I might have just stayed put with POFQ for the duration but had booked months prior etc.

What I missed was the balcony and I don't care for the interior room AC. Sort of noisy. However that being said the resort was great. Would stay there again easily!!!! And the rooms had just been refurbed too. Granted it was free so what is there to complain about but I would pay to stay there.

 

[starousse]

I'm in the same boat. Just got back from the WL and loved it. We're planning a new trip for December and have booked WL again, however I don't know if we can swing it financially. I was thinking of POR as well, but I see so many people talking about how horrible transportation was. I'm confused....

 

[Forensicmom]

I'm so happy to hear such positive responses. It makes me feel much better.

One of the main reasons we went with te WL before was for the location. We could see the fireworks from MK from our balcony. That was a treat. It was just a boat ride away too.

All the places we went, we didn't like Downtown Disney very much. We aren't big shoppers, so we probably wouldn't go there again.

We will look into things but I will also consider a split stay. Not sure if it would be too much trouble or not to switch. I liked checking into the WL and staying there for the entire 7 days.

 

[elaw]

.... We will look into things but I will also consider a split stay. Not sure if it would be too much trouble or not to switch. I liked checking into the WL and staying there for the entire 7 days.

I love to try new resorts ... but the one trip I didn't stay at WL, I ended up missing it so much, I vowed to never do that again. For me it's worth the hassel even if its only for two nights

 

[jujube]

We're DVC members so we've stayed in villas and the deluxe resorts a lot. Yes, the deluxe resorts are nice but when we were low on points and just because, we've stayed at CSR and we did not regret it for 1 second. It's called deluxe lite for a reason. Even the outside corridors were not a problem. It's actually less noisy that the deluxe resorts because the sound is not trapped in the interior corridors.

 

[appleorchard]

It depends so much on which moderates and which deluxes. If I had to choose between POFQ and Saratoga Springs, for example, I'd be just as happy or happier with POFQ. Both have outside rooms (the main reason we prefer deluxes is inside corridors) and POFQ is much smaller and has the food court. On the down side, POFQ's boat is not nearly as reliable as walking on your own two feet from SSR to DTD--and the bus ride to DTD is, in my opinion, the worst route from every disney resport. POR, because it's so big, and SSR or OKW would be a wash too.

On the other hand, in my opinion, you can't compare the monorail reports--anbd we've stayed at all of them--or the Boardwalk, Beach and Yacht club to any of the mods. The deluxes that have the monorail or boat advantage to several parks can't be beat.

The good thing is that everyone has a different favorite and a different opinion about what makes the hotel the "best." I enjoyed POFQ last week--my first mod stay-and would have enjoyed it more if the boat to DTD had been more reliable and not always full by the time it came from POR. Mousekeeping was excellent and the food court made life easy, but I did miss the street life of the Boarwalk.