How a resort can make your stay and change your views!

[rotlex]

OK, I admit it. I used to be one who would say the resort I stayed at didn’t matter as I only use it as a place to shower and sleep. I used to tout the value of the values, love the mods and wonder why anyone would stay deluxe when they could add a few more days to their trip for that extra cost. Then, our family spent 10 nights at AKL followed up last year by a 10 night stay at WL. Love them both of course, but favored the Wilderness Lodge a LOT due to location and the service we received at the time.

Flash forward to just the past few weeks when we spent 10 nights at Riverside. (Not putting down Riverside, although it was the least favorite of the mods to us, having stayed at all of them over the years). We decided to stay mod this year to save some money, roughly 1K over the same nights stay at say AKL or WL thinking heck, we do spend a lot of time in the parks, and that extra money could be saved, or used to buy some cool stuff. Wow, let me tell you. After having a balcony, HUGE lobbies with activities, indoor entrances, the ability to access the food places without going outside if it’s raining, better transportation options etc. etc., all I can say is, man, I think we have become deluxe snobs!

We are already booked for next year on a free dining bounce back to French Quarter, but I’m already seriously thinking about switching back to the Wilderness Lodge. Does anyone else out there feel this same way about resorts? We have two younger children, 10 and 4, so parks are a priority. However, I just can’t help but feel it’s a much better vacation at a deluxe resort. It’s odd, as I NEVER used to feel this way, see opening comments, but having had the additional amenities a deluxe can offer, all I can say is I got used to it quickly! (I also feel the level of service received from the CM’s was better than the mods or values).

I keep trying to convince myself that since we drive down, and have free dining again, it’s really not much extra, but man, in the past two years prices have inched up, and our son is now a “paying visitor”. Our WL trip from two years ago, same number of nights, goes from roughly $3400 to $4500 for the same vacation! Granted, our French Quarter reservation with free dining is $3200, so it’s still up there, but were talking a $1300 dollar difference. (Easily spent on air fare if we flew, or food with no free dining). See how I keep trying to convince myself it’s worth it?

Anyway, I guess I’m not really looking for help here, just venting my post Disney vacation blues, and trying to make a decision on how much money I want to\can spend, and hoping there are others who share my misery!

 

[Knuckleball]

Our experience was the exact opposite! For the past ten years, we have come to WDW once a year for about week and always have stayed at the moderates for the landscaping, themes, etc. In fact, we have stayed at all of the mods at least once. Last year, we decided to splurge and stay at the Wilderness Lodge for a week. Although it was very nice, at the end of the week, we all agreed that - with the exception of the boat to the Magic Kingdom - we didn't see enough of an advantage to justify the significant cost difference. Perhaps the Polynesian might be different due to the monorail, so we won't rule out the possibility of another deluxe stay.

We always have our own car, hop back and forth from park to park, eat lunch and dinner at downtown Disney or in one of the park restaurants and even explore off-site. Again, we did like WL a lot and I can see why anyone would really enjoy being there provided money wasn't an issue. Frankly, we found the food court to be small and busy, the pool was crowded (we love the quiet pools at the moderates) and we seemed always to have to park at the end of the lot so our walk to the room was a bit longer than we expected. The staff was great!

This year, we went back to Caribbean Beach (Barbados) and loved it. I walked once around the lake each morning before breakfast, Downtown Disney was a couple of minutes away, and the landscaping made us feel as though we were in a rainforest. We actually enjoy the walk to/from the foodcourt. And, there was no feeling of "gosh...is this worth the money".

That is what makes Disney so great. Each family can find the place where the "magic" is most powerful for them!

 

[AWaltFan]

Although I go often, I have yet to vacation at Disney for 10 days and you are on your multiple trip! Good for you and you are an inspiration!

I must agree with you on the Deluxe thing. We've never stayed Value but adored all the MODS. Then, I booked us in the WL lodge for a 3-night stay, then the following year for a 5 night at BWV! I am hooked and the resort really does make our stay so much better!

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

I HAD thought the same thing. We had always done moderates. We then did a split stay with POR/WL to try out a deluxe. Loved POR, were completely underwhelmed by WL. Next up - Poly - as a splurge. The Poly totally ruined us for going back to mods - or so we thought. We had decided to wait a year between trips (we had started going every year) to save up and stay again at the Poly. However, this year was to be the "skipped" year. We just couldn't stay away, so decided on a spontaneous shorter-than-usual trip. In order to not touch our "Poly fund", we decided to just try POFQ. We LOVED the FQ!! And while we pine for the Poly and love it in a different way, we are seriously considering staying at the FQ again next year instead of Poly- - for the simple fact that we can stay almost double the amount of days if we book FQ over Poly. That decision hasn't been fully made yet (and we may still wind up at the Poly) but I'm happy to report that in our case, we can stay at a mod or deluxe and still have a fabulous vacation!

 

[Karabee]

I could flip back and forth on this all day long I tend to be a resort snob as well but there are a few things I think carefully about when planning any vacation (not just Disney). I absolutely love the Disney atmosphere, and would never stay off-site, yet I will never stay at a Deluxe without a discount - see how difficult I make things? I love the amenities at the Deluxe because we actually use them (especially the balcony and lobby bar), but at that price difference and free dining I would be sitting pretty at POFQ.
That being said, imho, WL is not worth the extra money over POFQ. I stayed at WL and I just wasn't impressed enough to spent that much more. Loved the boat, but we actually had horrible service there. Yet everyone has their "happy place".
Something things to think about while you decide -
Can you absolutely get free dining for the room category you want at the WL? Which amenities, aside from the lobby and boat would you be missing if you stayed at POFQ? Are they worth $1300?
Are their any "extras" you would be giving up this time around in order to stay at WL - such as BBB, or Cirque or renting boats?

Everyone has their reasons and their favorites, but coming from someone who was spoiled by parents and stayed in Deluxe on their dime, I'm definitely now balancing everything out more carefully. However, if your whole trip you are saying "I wish we stayed there" then that might be your answer to "is it worth it?"

Good luck

 

[gtpoohbear]

On our first trip to Disney (as a family, we both went several time as kids but never stayed on-site) we stayed at the Poly, so we got spoiled early Two years later, we stayed for a week at CBR, and it was nice enough, but after that trip DH said he didn't want to go back unless/until we could stay deluxe again.

For us, the location is the biggest factor. We spent so much time in transit from CBR, having been used to being right on the monorail it was frustrating. So we are trying YC this next time, and looking forward to being able to walk to both Epcot and DHS.

I have done a short stay at ASMo, and it was cute - glad I got to see it once, but I wouldn't want to stay there for more than a couple of nights, and with all 4 of us especially (DH didn't come on that trip) just because of the space- it definitely felt more crowded. Plus I like having at least one TS option at the resort.

So for us, yes, it is deluxe or nothing, at least for our "big trips". Even if it means staying less nights. Quality over quantity!

 

[twinboysmom]

We are anying but resort snobs. We go frequently and stay at all levels. We are DVC members and don't have enough points to support our Disney addiction. I won't lie and say I don't prefer a deluxe resort but I have never felt like one trip was better over another based on the resort I stayed at. When we stay at a value we still have a fantastic time. But everyone is different so what works for you.

 

[Knuckleball]

Has anyone gone from staying at moderates to a value resort? And what was your reaction? Although we also were underwhelmed by WL as compared to POR or CBR, we haven't been able to bring ourselves to stay at a value. The landscaping, ambience, and quiet pools are important to us and we just haven't warmed to the giant decorations at the values as opposed to the tropical plants at CBR or the lushness of POR.

 

[KELLY]

We went in the opposite direction. Staying at mods and deluxe then going to value all the way. We also booked bounceback for 14 nights at pop. But we also prefer the QSDP since we go for so long we spend quite a bit of our time at the WP and usually open and close them. So not having to rush back to eat is a huge factor for us. I actually really enjoy pop. I did give dh the option when booking bounceback to go to a moderate but he didn't want the regular dining plan. Saved me 1000.00. So we may add a rental car for a couple of days and hit seaworld and aquatiqua this trip.

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

Has anyone gone from staying at moderates to a value resort? And what was your reaction? Although we also were underwhelmed by WL as compared to POR or CBR, we haven't been able to bring ourselves to stay at a value. The landscaping, ambience, and quiet pools are important to us and we just haven't warmed to the giant decorations at the values as opposed to the tropical plants at CBR or the lushness of POR.

We're not resort snobs by any means, but the values have just never appealed to us. We do spend a lot of time in the pools and our kids love the slides, which the values don't have. Also, the mod food courts are crazy enough. I just don't think I could take the chaos of the food courts at the larger values. So no values for us. The cost difference from value to mod is well worth it to us.

 

[Mousemommy1]

Hmmmm....I think I could have written this....

The first paragraph you wrote could have come right out of my mouth. We always stayed values, LOVED values, and talked about how awesome they were.

Well, we stayed at WL for 10 nights in July (on CL as well) and FELL.IN.LOVE. The service, the resort, the location....it was all sooooo wonderful. Just such a different experience from our previous stays, which we thought were so awesome. The deluxe stay just really stepped it up a few notches.

Well, now we are booked for April 2013. A split stay between Yacht/Poly CL. We had thought about possibly doing the 10 nights at POR instead, but just couldn't bring ourselves to do it. We were "spoiled" I guess, and "snobbified".

We could save sooooo much money by even just doing a regular room at WL, but now that we've stepped it up and it paid off so greatly, we are wanting to do it again....

I dunno....soooooo much money, but it's worth it, right?

 

[rotlex]

Hehe, thanks for the responses on this. It is hard, for me at least, to justify the extra money for "a room", but boy, I never realized how much use the balcony would get. I think the big\neat thing for us, well two actually, at the WL, was having a room that faced the Magic Kingdom. We could see the castle through the trees, and the monorail from the contemporary. It was a woods view room that we were upgraded to for free from a standard. We also got to be the flag family during that trip, and had a great time taking pictures from up on the roof, raising the flags, and learning the history of the lodge from the ranger that took us up there. (We also got to have breakfast at the club level area on that morning which really gave us a taste of the other side).

Ah well, at least were booked for next year already, and I have like 11 months to change my mind on the resort.

 

[rotlex]

Hmmmm....I think I could have written this....
I dunno....soooooo much money, but it's worth it, right?

Absolutely!

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

OK, I admit it. I used to be one who would say the resort I stayed at didn’t matter as I only use it as a place to shower and sleep. I used to tout the value of the values, love the mods and wonder why anyone would stay deluxe when they could add a few more days to their trip for that extra cost. Then, our family spent 10 nights at AKL followed up last year by a 10 night stay at WL. Love them both of course, but favored the Wilderness Lodge a LOT due to location and the service we received at the time.

Flash forward to just the past few weeks when we spent 10 nights at Riverside. (Not putting down Riverside, although it was the least favorite of the mods to us, having stayed at all of them over the years). We decided to stay mod this year to save some money, roughly 1K over the same nights stay at say AKL or WL thinking heck, we do spend a lot of time in the parks, and that extra money could be saved, or used to buy some cool stuff. Wow, let me tell you. After having a balcony, HUGE lobbies with activities, indoor entrances, the ability to access the food places without going outside if it’s raining, better transportation options etc. etc., all I can say is, man, I think we have become deluxe snobs!

We are already booked for next year on a free dining bounce back to French Quarter, but I’m already seriously thinking about switching back to the Wilderness Lodge. Does anyone else out there feel this same way about resorts? We have two younger children, 10 and 4, so parks are a priority. However, I just can’t help but feel it’s a much better vacation at a deluxe resort. It’s odd, as I NEVER used to feel this way, see opening comments, but having had the additional amenities a deluxe can offer, all I can say is I got used to it quickly! (I also feel the level of service received from the CM’s was better than the mods or values).

I keep trying to convince myself that since we drive down, and have free dining again, it’s really not much extra, but man, in the past two years prices have inched up, and our son is now a “paying visitor”. Our WL trip from two years ago, same number of nights, goes from roughly $3400 to $4500 for the same vacation! Granted, our French Quarter reservation with free dining is $3200, so it’s still up there, but were talking a $1300 dollar difference. (Easily spent on air fare if we flew, or food with no free dining). See how I keep trying to convince myself it’s worth it?

Anyway, I guess I’m not really looking for help here, just venting my post Disney vacation blues, and trying to make a decision on how much money I want to\can spend, and hoping there are others who share my misery!

I relate!

After staying at AKL I have now decided to buy into DVC!

Hmmm- which deluxe to try next!??

 

[rotlex]

I relate!

After staying at AKL I have now decided to buy into DVC!

Hmmm- which deluxe to try next!??

Oh gosh don't even go there! My wife and I have been discussing DVC for the past 5 years. My big problem with it, at this point anyway, is that every year we get a deal on something. Either 40% off a room, free dining, which we love, or something else. So far, I can't justify the initial outlay, but man, honestly, I keep trying to talk myself into it!

 

[sydneysmom]

I don't know if it's necessarily being a "resort snob" or just one thing appealing to you more than another. We took our trip in 2010 and stayed at the GF. Honestly, it couldn't have been a more magical vacation if I wrote the script myself. The service there was amazing....there was nothing I didn't love.

Fast forward to planning for this trip. We're planning for June 2013 and we have gone back and forth where to stay. We knew the GF was going to be more money because of the time of year we were going to go. This time it'll be June vs. Sept(2010) so the cost is already higher. We went from BC / YC to WL to CR. And I kept doing what you did.... justifying why it'll be good no matter what. My DH finally said to me, you know what? We love the GF, we had the best time there. It's not like we take this trip every year.... it'll be 3 years. So we decided that we would go where we wanted to stay. Now I am settled with our decision and VERY excited.

We got the Disney Premier Visa and we've been putting pretty much everything on it to get the Disney dollars so it'll offset the cost. Which is awesome . So far, I've got everything priced out and with the Disney dollars we've got stored up, we'll actually spend $ 331 (so far) less out of pocket than we did in 2010. So for us, the Disney visa is helping us to stay in our dream resort.

But yes, the resort can TOTALLY make your vacation more magical.

 

[uagirl]

I will confess to being a resort snob. I blame my parents for only taking us to deluxe resorts and Disney for making us even bigger snobs by upgrading us to WL CL on our honeymoon!

I might feel differently in a few years or our situation may change, but for now I don't see us staying anywhere but deluxe. Sure, it means we can only go every 2-3 years instead of every year, but we are okay with that.

We're planning a Dec. 2014 trip so we can hit the Christmas party, and I'm already researching which deluxe we want to try that trip.

 

[TGaines107]

I tell ya, just got back about two weeks ago and we did two nights at AS/mu and three nights at POR then four nights at the Contemporary.

I've come to really enjoy the "step up" of this plan. I tell ya this though, when you're with a couple women, having two bathrooms (ASmu) is really nice!

 

[Pakey]

I don't think it matters for me. This year, I'm doing 3 weeks at WDW. The first one was GF RPC. The one next month is BWI CL. And the one in December is Pop. I've stayed at all of these before and have been happy at each so I'm doing them again. I also own DVC but we are using those points for our Aulani vacation next week.

I've only really disliked one resort at WDW and that was POFQ and I couldn't even say why I didn't care for it there. All of my other stays, regardless of resort, have been pleasant. My upcoming Pop trip will be my 25th WDW vacation.

When I vacation outside of WDW, I'm a huge resort snob. It's the top factor in each vacation budget. It's just not as important at WDW for some reason.

 

[ToddyLu]

I too was a Value girl until we splurged and bought DVC...now I am hooked and to see DH really relax is great. Completely get where you are coming from OP.

DVC changes your trip to Disney like a Corvette changes your drive to work.

What a pleasant experience and worth the cost. Especially doing an annual trip...or now twice a year.