Help deluxe vs moderate

[apress]

Looking for opinions. My husband and I are planning a couples only trip for the end of July. It is a combo celebration for our birthdays and anniversary. My question is we always wanted to stay deluxe but the cost always gets me. We thought since we don't have the kids this time, maybe this is our chance to stay deluxe. Well the summer promo came out and we can stay at POR which we love or for a $1000 more we could stay at the Yacht club. Would you spend the extra for the deluxe?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

What is your intent with this trip?

Do you intend to spend a lot of time at the resort? Do you want to spend a lot of time at the pool? Do you love Epcot and HS?

What else could you do with that $1000? Dining, tours, etc.?

It really comes down to priority. If you don't spend much time at the resort, I don't know that there is a lot of real extra value to a Deluxe. YC is walking to Ecpt and HS, but that might not be considered a big wow in July, since it is an exposed walk in the worst of the Florida heat.

 

[Epcot242]

Hmm that's tough. I'm of the mind if you can afford it, and can still do what you want in the parks financially (eat where you want to, buy souvenirs, etc.) then go for it. It sounds like it'll be a once and done type thing, so why not? Yacht Club is nice, very quiet in my experience and not terribly lively. The Beach Club, while probably a bit more $$, has more energy to it. But if you're finally going without kids, quiet and relaxed might be just what you need! You still have access to the amazing Stormalong Bay, so take advantage of that if you do stay at the YC.

In terms of the walk to DS or Epcot, you still have the option of taking the boat to DS and the walk to Epcot isn't that long. What's 10 extra minutes in the sun in the long run? You're also close to the Boardwalk, which can be nice to stroll at night. Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[loves to dive]

I'm a fan of YC, stay there every time I go if it's available so I'd say go for it if you can afford it. How about a split stay, do a couple of days at POR then move over to YC especially if you know you are going to be spending a lot of time at Epcot and HS. Do MK and AK on the days you are at POR since you pretty much have to bus to those anyway. Best of both worlds. Also, you might consider Swan/Dolphin. Just make sure you factor in the resort and parking fees when doing your comparing. I recently stayed at Swan for less a night than I paid for CBR, and that included all the extra costs.

 

[starousse]

I've stayed both, and for a $1k savings, I'd definitely stay moderate. If you had said $500 bucks, I would've said go for it.

 

[buzznina]

OP, how many nights are you staying? I usually draw the line at around $75 per night and even then it is hard for us because, even though we spend a lot of time as the resort, we still have troubles justifying the "worth" with a deluxe over a Mod.

 

[Masonmj84]

I am of the opinion that, as far as just the resort itself goes, deluxe usually isn't worth the price difference over moderate. Along those lines, I've found the deluxe resorts to be only marginally nicer than moderate resorts. And, in the specific case of POR versus YC, I think this is particularly true (not that YC isn't a nice resort, it's just not nice enough to justify a $1K price difference over POR - and I actually like the theming of POR more than YC - but this is somewhat of a personal taste issue).

For me, the biggest general advantage of deluxe over moderate is location. And YC certainly has POR beat in that regard, especially if you plan to spend a lot of time at EP and HS (I won't lie, being within easy walking distance of World Showcase is awesome). But in my mind, factoring in proximity to the parks still doesn't quite justify a price difference of $1K (athough to me it would justify, say, a $500 price difference).

If, however, you are planning to do a lot of table service dining in the Epcot and Epcot resort area, then your decision, in my mind, becomes a very close call. It's just so very nice and relaxing to be able to walk back to your resort in the middle of the afternoon (for, e.g., a nap or pool break) and then walk to dinner (and perhaps around World Showcase and/or the Boardwalk) in the evening without having to rely on cars or busses. In that case, I'd probably say go for YC if you can afford it.

 

[BestAunt]

i went this past weekend for an adults only (kind of) trip and stayed at beach club. for me, yes. totally worth it being so close to epcot and the world show case since we spent most evenings there.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

We've stayed multiple times at both Port Orleans Riverside and Yacht Club. My wife and I did our first "no kids" vacation 3 years ago at Yacht Club. If the $1000 is something you can afford (and I agree that is a lot of money) then I'd say go with Yacht Club. Here are the reasons:

1. Location - from Port Orleans you'll have to take a bus, cab or drive to any resort. I don't like the Disney buses - I'm impatient so can't stand waiting for a bus to arrive, and they can be loud and crowded. Yacht Club you can walk to Epcot in 5-10 minutes (great if you want to grab a drink or bite to eat), walk to the Boardwalk area in 5-10 minutes, and walk to Hollywood Studios in about 20 minutes. The boat ride to Hollywood Studios takes 10-15 minutes, and while you may have to wait for a boat I find the wait more enjoyable. We'll often take a cab from Yacht Club to either Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom. Costs about $20.
2. Pool - Port Orleans has a good pool but Storm Along Bay can't be beat. We tend to spend the afternoons relaxing at the resort and Yacht Club is much better in this regard. And as mentioned, if I want to leave Epcot to go back to the resort it is a short walk instead of waiting for and riding a bus.
3. Food - Port Orleans has a well-regarded food court and a pretty decent table service restaurant. Yacht Club has basically 2 table service restaurants (Captain's Grille and Cape May at Beach Club), a signature (Yachtsmen) and the restaurants at Boardwalk. Plus it is an easy walk to Epcot, with Chefs de France and Rose & Crown being the closest restaurants there. We also enjoy the Crew's Cup Lounge at Yacht Club - one of our favorite bars.
4. Rooms - the rooms at Port Orleans are nice but Yacht Club has bigger rooms and all rooms have a private balcony. We like to pay a bit more for water view because you have a great sunset/sunrise view over Crescent Lake and you can often see the Epcot fireworks from your balcony (you can also see them from the pool). The fact that all hallways are internal is fairly nice too - save's you from walking in the rain if you want to get somewhere and the weather isn't great.

 

[apress]

OP, how many nights are you staying? I usually draw the line at around $75 per night and even then it is hard for us because, even though we spend a lot of time as the resort, we still have troubles justifying the "worth" with a deluxe over a Mod.

We are staying 8 nights.

 

[Disneylover99]

We are staying 8 nights.

I'd stick with POR.

 

[addiln]

Saving $1000 is a lot of money to save and I can find a lot of other things to do with that money. I would save the money and splurge at some of the signature restaurants. Also maybe do a tour that the kids would not have wanted to do. If you are not at the resort much it really does not matter where you stay.

 

[Hopefully]

I would definitely stay at the YC if you can afford it. It is a special trip for you and the location can not be beat. Everything about it is nicer.
Enjoy

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

If, this could be your only shot at staying at a deluxe at least for the foreseeable future and spending an additional $1000 isn't going to keep you up at night and the resort is going to be as much a destination as the rest of WDW (pool time, eating time, bar time, exploring the resort time, entertainment time, etc.) than I would go for it. For us the resort is just as much a destination as the parks and Disney Springs. We will go back during the afternoon to cool off, enjoy some piece and quiet, dining reservations, a day away from the parks etc.

So when we can afford to move to the next category up at a WDW resort we will do it. We have stayed at least once in each of the WDW resort categories; it depends on how much we are willing to spend at the time.

 

[Shanti]

YC will be so much nicer in July. Stormalong Bay is the best resort pool complex in WDW, and has multiple cozy hot tubs. The restaurants are great, you won't have to walk outside in the heat all the time like you would at a moderate. For a couple's-only weekend, I would especially recommend it as the rooms are better and you can order in room service, etc. $1,000 more for 8 nights sounds reasonable, but if it's a stretch, then I recommend a less expensive deluxe, such as AKL or SSR. Either way, I recommend a deluxe over a moderate any day, especially in the summer when you can get the best prices of the year on them.

 

[rpb718]

...we can stay at POR which we love ...

I think you have your answer. You can use some of the extra $ for upgraded ADRs or you can save it and be that much closer to scheduling the next trip.

 

[eeyoresmom]

IMO Stormalong Bay in July would be a negative not a positive. Great pool for teenagers but hectic to say the least. I agree with the poster that asked if you would spend much of your time at HS and Epcot and enjoy the restaurants in the area. I stay at the Epcot resorts frequently and love being able to walk to and from Epcot and HS (although I'm not sure if you'd walk to HS in July) One thing I always think about when considering the Epcot resorts is how often I'll be taking buses to the parks or Disney Springs because I think they have the worst bus service.

 

[Juliet25]

I'd stick with the mod and save the deluxe for when you have the kids (since you'll have more room). It's not worth $1K to stay at YC over a mod. Use the money for dinners out or souvenirs you'd otherwise pass up. Or, if you want to try deluxe, go for AK or WL, which are smaller than the other deluxes but have all the other amenities.

 

[Olaf63]

Take a look at CSR. Its the closest to a deluxe as far as amenities go. You can get a couples massage at the spa, there is a salon, fitness center and dance club. They even have concierge-lite rooms with lounge access.

 

[Ensusieasm]

Looking for opinions. My husband and I are planning a couples only trip for the end of July. It is a combo celebration for our birthdays and anniversary. My question is we always wanted to stay deluxe but the cost always gets me. We thought since we don't have the kids this time, maybe this is our chance to stay deluxe. Well the summer promo came out and we can stay at POR which we love or for a $1000 more we could stay at the Yacht club. Would you spend the extra for the deluxe?

Another option would be to splurge a little instead of a lot. Spend 7 nights at POR... Then pick a deluxe for your last night. You could pack up most everything for your trip home, and pack a change of clothes, swim suit and the essentials in an overnight bag. I would pick The Grand Floridian or the Yacht Club and plan to spend more time at the resort and less at a nearby Park for that one day.