Help me Justify this!!!! WL v/s 2 rooms at Pop!

[JadenLayne]

We are booked in September with free dining at the Wilderness Lodge in a woods view room. We have never stayed here and I'm looking so forward to it! I've always dreamed of staying at WL. HOWEVER, our price for 3 adults, 1 teenager for 9 nights with hoppers and water parks and the free dining is $3,848.15.

I priced out Pop Century for the same thing and the cost is $2,094.18.

Then the moderates are $2,789.00 (approx.)

Well since its me, DH, DS and Dmom I priced out 2 rooms at Pop and its only $2,700 (Approx.)

So now I'm sitting here thinking that for $1,000 less we could have two rooms and for $1,800 less we could stay at Pop! We just got back from Pop in March, all 4 of us and really didn't have any problems in the room.

I'm just looking at what I could do with that extra money. Then again I would love to stay at WL.

Honestly is it worth $1,800 more? What would you do?

 

[Mom of Sleepy Bashful and BabyDoc]

Well, are you able to pay it or will you go into debt for it?

If you can pay it, I would go for it, only because we are not guaranteed this deal will be back. If it does, then you can stay value next time and save the money, knowing that you had your dream fulfilled by staying at WL before.

We love WL but can't swing it with having 5, so for us we would need two rooms. That's a no go. So we are at POR.

I know some feel differently, but there is a HUGE difference, in my opinion, between the Value resorts and WL. Even more difference if you compare them to the monorail resorts or say, Beach Club.

So if it has been a dream of yours and you can swing it, I say go for it.

 

[DisneyAuntie52]

Hey there!

I had the same problem thinking should I go deluxe with the saved money or stay with the moderate. Since we had stayed at the Polynesian in the past we knew if we didn't act on this great deal then we would have regretted it once we were there! We also don't vacation multiple times per year and will be taking my brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew as a special welcome home gift. (brother and sister in law are military and they just moved back to the US after 8 years of living abroad!!)

Don't regret your decision to stay WL, you'll love it and it will feel that much more like a dream vacation!

 

[JadenLayne]

Yes we can afford it this time which is another factor. We don't know that we will have the extra money in the future to swing it. We are also expecting a child at the end of the year so from now on there will be 5 of us instead of 4 so we will need 2 rooms or of course a deluxe.

I guess I'm thinking suveniers I could buy with the extra money but I just wonder if anything would match the experience of staying at WL!

 

[vpack05]

Wouldn't it be nice if a voice from somewhere boomed out "Forget your doubts, do what's right for your family."

Unfortunately, that doesn't happen all too often. There are so many factors to consider for your family. We also are a family of 5 (1 adult, 2 pre-teens, 1 child, 1 infant) and dream of WL.

Here are some thoughts for you:

Is budget an issue?
Do you need the hopper option?
Are you really going to go to parks every day?? You can always get base ticket and then upgrade once you're there.
Is one room just too little for everyone?
If you did the dream, would you have nothing left for activities or souveniers?
Will you be disappointed to be at POP and constantly compare to WL?
Will you be returning again?

Hope this helps!

 

[Rella Bella]

As long as you think your sweetheart will truely be happy spending his vacation with three ladies in one room, I'd say go for it. But keep in mind you may spoil yourself and never want to go back to the moderates.

And just so you know, Disney doesn't count children under 2 in the number of people in the room... so you will still count as 4 for a while.

 

[n2mm]

I say go for the 2 rooms at Pop (and 2 bathrooms) and save the leftover money to put to your next trip.

 

[JadenLayne]

Rella thank you, I didn't know that!!!! So we can still stay at Pop after the baby for at least a year or so!

Okay

Is budget an issue? No, we can afford it this time.
Do you need the hopper option? Yes we always end up flip-flopping between parks.
Are you really going to go to parks every day?? You can always get base ticket and then upgrade once you're there. We actually aren't. We are going to Tampa for two days BUT the difference in the price isn't 20 dollars for some reason. We are coming back to Disney to eat so we may need entrance if we decide to eat at MK or Epcot one of those nights.
Is one room just too little for everyone? No, its really not.
If you did the dream, would you have nothing left for activities or souveniers? Yep we have a budget of $6,000 so thats $2,000 extra for souveniers and extras. Which should be plenty.
Will you be disappointed to be at POP and constantly compare to WL? Disappointed? No Probably Not, we really enjoyed it there. I would though think of what it would be like to stay at WL.
Will you be returning again? Yes!!!! Can't wait to take our new baby to Disney! We will probably be returning in September or so of 2007.


Oh and we aren't three girls. My teen is a boy! So its me, my mom, our 14 year old son and DH. There will be three girls though when our daugter gets here!

 

[dandave]

It is, of course, a personal choice. I have stayed at WL a couple of times, as well as a couple of times in multiple rooms at POP.
Speaking only for myself, there is no way that I would pay that much extra money to be cramped up in a WL room. WL is nice, but it's not *that* nice.

 

[MdmMim]

I'd go with the 2 rooms at Pop. The WL rooms are small, and with 3 adults, one teen-- !

 

[momfor4]

I was in the same situation. We have 6 in our family so I had a deluxe at WL. then with the Free DP we had to get 2 woods rooms which took alot of our savings from DP. UGH.

So I looked into POFQ and we are staying there- saving @ 1,200. added an extra night and maybe I can use the extra $$ to buy furniture for my dd room! It was VERY hard to get to this point- but I feel sooo much better now! I know we will have a great time either way!!

Once you decide either way don't look back and have fun!!

 

[pandora174]

I think it you can afford it go for the WL, the resort is beautiful. We've been to Disney several times & now that we have our DS I am very glad we splurged in 2003 & stayed at the Poly/BWI and then in 2004 WL/AKL so now that this free dining comes along it's alot easier to stay at the POP because our budget won't allow those deluxes any longer. So I did my dream resorts while I could & will enjoy the POP with no feelings of "what if". & when I'm able to we'll be back at the WL. So it you can afford this splurge I say you only live once !

 

[kizmac]

Yes we can afford it this time which is another factor. We don't know that we will have the extra money in the future to swing it. We are also expecting a child at the end of the year so from now on there will be 5 of us instead of 4 so we will need 2 rooms or of course a deluxe.

I guess I'm thinking suveniers I could buy with the extra money but I just wonder if anything would match the experience of staying at WL!

In that case, do WL! It is your dream and free dining will make it even better and more reasonalbe to stay there. You may not get the chance to do it for many years once you hit having 5 people in your traveling group.

 

[kizmac]

I say go for the 2 rooms at Pop (and 2 bathrooms) and save the leftover money to put to your next trip.

Before you do that, consider doing 1 room (since there are only 4 of you) at a moderate. It will be less $ than 2 rooms at POP and you get a nicer resort. Try POFQ or CSR that you won't be able to do with a 5th person....you'll still save money but I think you'll have a much better time than doing POP.

 

[vpack05]

What about a split stay?? Disney will move your luggage and everything. Then you can have the best of both worlds (budget happy and deluxe delirious (sp?))!!

Normally, the advice is to stay at value first, then go deluxe. But I almost think since you're considering two rooms at value, maybe going to one room deluxe first might be best. Whatever works best for you, your family and your schedule!

 

[GoingtoWDWagain]

Hi everyone, it's been a while since I've visited my favorite Disney information site.

I agree with the person that suggested a split stay. I've visited the WL for many years and have always wanted to stay there. Well, finally this year as part of my birthday gift from my hubby we will be staying @ The Caribbean resort for five nights and then at the WL for seven nights. We always visit WDW for no less then 10 nights and I've learned with the help of this board that spliting your stay between resorts allows for my family and I to enjoy a little bit of the deluxe resorts. I do agree with those that have posted to stay at the deluxe at the end of your visit, what a treat it is!

Good luck with your decision and have a happy safe trip

 

[KJMAX1]

We have never stayed at a Value resort, but this is going to be our first trip at a value. We have stayed at a Deluxe and Moderate, and IMHO I really prefered the moderate. While the WL is nice, which is where we stayed, its not nice enough for me to pay almost 1,000.00 more to stay there. The rooms arent even as nice as the Westin! I think it all depends on how much time you will be at the resort. It worked out well for us because my DH got really sick last time we went, and spent most of the trip in the room. We had an active toddler, and I was able to hop the ferry by myself and take her to Fantasyland everyday to entertain her. I never thought Id get sick of MK but I was....We also were able to take her to the white sand beach, and play at the playground. I loved the market being in the gift shop so I could buy other foods for her. BTW, the WL is VERY expensive when it comes to food. I actually took the monorail to the Poly one night and picked up dinner because it was a lot cheaper. So if you will be spending 40% of your trip at the resort, go for WL, if you plan on being in the park 80% of the time, get the two rooms!

 

[lovesdumbo]

A split stay doesn't work so well with the free dining offer because then they'd have to purchase park tickets for both resorts to get the free dining.

I would pick WL because you're pregnant. You'll appreciate the queen bed, the convenience of WL to MK, and the fact that the bus stops at the other parks are closer than the value resorts.

 

[Suzanne74]

I am in the same position as you. DH, myself, MIL and dd4. I had initially thought of doing the Beach Club as I have always wanted to stay there and thought it would be great to be so close to many restaurants etc... I priced it out with free dining and was a little shocked how much it was. I normally only do deluxes with pin codes, AP or general codes. I was trying to think "well we are saving money on the dining and we can afford it" but then I thought of all of us in one room and changed my mind. Deluxe or not, the rooms are not that big and there is no privacy for anyone. 3 adults, 1 teenager sharing a bathroom is tough on a vacation as well as when to go to sleep - who wants to stay up etc.... I priced out 2 rooms at POP and just felt like it was a better deal for us - we are saving $1250 for 7 nights. We have 2 bathrooms, 4 beds, 2 TV's, etc... This DOES make a difference, esp in the heat of the summer - you will probably want to take afternoon breaks here and there. If someone wants to sleep or nap (like you might want to being pregnant) you can go in one room while the others come to and from in the other room watching TV or whatever. Your teenager will also like the extra space and TV too. I think I would have died as a teen sleeping in the same room with grandmom and parents for a week. Hehe - just kidding but you know how teens think....

I started to realize I would much enjoy a deluxe with a discounted rate then free dining. I mean if everyone staying at the values are getting the same exact deal as me, it doesn't pay to stay at the deluxe this time, esp if we are all smashed in together. The WL is a nice place but the location isn't all that great. The ferry is nice but other then that - there isn't much to do where you don't have to get on a bus like POP anyway. Also realize that the WL rooms are not as big as the other deluxes - I think they are only VERY slightly bigger then moderates. $6000 is a lot of money! I would stay at the POP and take out $2500 completely this trip and deposit it for later - like another disney vacation - maybe a long weekend to the WL in early December with the lodge decorated and the rates are discounted.

Just my 2 cents....

Oh, our total for POP for 2 rooms 7 day hoppers, 3 adults 1 child came to almost $2000. I did free dining last year and we only spent another $230 the entire vacation on all the extras. Believe me the free food is a huge cost reduction!!!

 

[DeeDeeDis]

have you checked into the price break of a split stay? 4 days at pop in two rooms & 5 at WL (or visa-versa). I don't think the park pass would be that big of an issue as I understand it you only need to purchase One Pass in order to qualify for the free food. So 3 of you could do the longer park hopper passes- saving/day price and one could purchase a 4dayhoppper/5day hopper so you still qualify for the meal plan.

I would just check what the price for doing this would be - it may be worth it, you may get the BEST of both worlds, Your dream to stay at WL AND SAVE money.

Good luck - love to know what the savings would be if you did something like this. Have a great trip & congradulations on your upcoming baby.

ps PO-Riverside - some rooms have a tromble-bed that will fit a child up to age 9, so you can do a one bedroom at a moderate (or a delux) resort for at least 9 more years - also in the near future they are going to offer the "family" suites at the Allstar resorts.