How do you choose your hotel?

[LeahA]

I was just wondering how people choose their hotel?

Do you have a set dollar amount that you just can't go over?

If you go over by a couple hundred is that o.k.?

Do you normally spend less than projected or more?

Is your hotel the most important expense, or is the tickets?

Just curious...

 

[goofy4tink]

I have APs as well as own DVC at BWV....but, I do make at least one trip a year and stay someplace other than a DVC resort. I chose based on my current budget. It would usually be either a value or a moderate. I just think about what it is I want from this trip...relaxation by a pool, eating well, more park time....whatever. If I'm planning on being on the go, and in the parks for the most part, I will go with a value resort. If I'm going to want to hang out at a pool, sunbath, read, have an adult beverage or two, that kind of thing, then I'll go with a moderate.

Now, if you want all the amenities, then go with a deluxe...really terrific pool areas (for the most part), nice, larger rooms with queen size beds as opposed to double beds. There's usually a day bed that can sleep one person as well. Balconys to sit on and watch the world go by. Restaurants on-site, and usually pretty decent to eat at. More recreational facilities.

It all depends on what you are looking to do and what you need to pay.

 

[pigletforever]

We chose because of bed size. DH and I are Pooh Sized and are used to a queen size bed. So we knew we had to be in a deluxe. Our kids are 13 years a part and DS17 hates to share a bed with DS4 so we needed bunkbeds for them. So we chose the AKL. Our reservation was made before the Suites at the value hotels.

 

[CindyT]

We have purchased APs for our 3 most recent trips, and still have one to use next summer; so recently it has been our budget that has driven our hotel choice. Also, we have a 5th wheel camper, so we stay at Ft. Wilderness sometimes; this is not so much because of budget, we just love to camp. In our opinion, Ft. Wilderness is the best camping facility going. We have never stayed anywhere on property that we didn't like. Some hotels have more conveniences than others, but our main reason for going to WDW is to go to the parks -- we are just happy to be there!!!

 

[shafke]

First we decide on a budget... how much hotel we can afford.

If a deal comes out then we make a decision... pocket the savings or upgrade.

For example...

Two trips ago we originally booked POR but when they came out with the codes WL ended up being the same price so we booked that.

On out last trip we booked CBR and since there ended up being no discounts this time around that is where we stayed.

The hotel is really the only expense you can control since the tickets are going to cost the same no matter where you stay as will food.

 

[pepe of ohio]

We always go with the idea, it may be our last trip, so we tend to pick our resort by amenities then price but we always stay deluxe, so the big difference is Wilderness Lodge, cheapest of deluxes or Puly and CR. we like the MK resorts, monorail loop is a great feature and would not consider a value or mod, did stay once at CSR not to our liking being so remote and same once for AKL. During our EPCOT days, daughter was at Disney, college program, and worked EPOT, we had enjoyable stays at the Yacht and Beach Club but our main interest is MK. A ten night stay with AP discounts runs our MK resort stays to around 2 thousand bucks, thats for the 2 of us, food and all which I feel is reasonable and if our daughter and son in law join us there we split the room cost and it makes for a real cheap stay for all of us.

 

[AKLRULZ]

The basis is that it has to be a Deluxe resort, as I won't consider a Moderate or Value. We've stayed at every Deluxe excpet for BWI, so nowdays we decide based on theme and location and we're we'd like to repeat.

 

[Evil Queen]

The cheapest route I can go. That won't always mean value resort.

We normally have 4 of us traveling together. 3 adults and a 10 yr. old that's as tall as an adult. So food comes into play too. So can we only afford CS, can we only afford to cook for ourselve, etc.

This time around, the cheapest route for us was the MYW Free Dining deal and going to a value resort. We will have 2 rooms, so that helps on space.

 

[DFWtoDIS]

Heh, heh.
After the week I had changing plans, this thread cracked me up!

We 1st decided on a budget. We could afford POFQ w/dining, which I loved...I like the idea of all the "major money" being spent before we ever arrive. I'm that kind of person who does better on a vacation if I don't have to mind every single penny being spent. The dining plan seems to help us out in that respect.

Now, here's the part that cracked me up. We have 2 kids, DD5 and DD2. First trip to DW for both (DD5 has been to DL once). Judging from our trip to DL withe DD5 (then 3 years), we were so very thankful for the monorail that dropped us off steps away from our Disneyland Hotel...so I changed to Poly...and kept the dining.

IT BLEW MY BUDGET OUT OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are going Feb 1-7, and I will be praying nightly for a code. I am not even telling DH until a code does or doesn't come out. He started griping when I only wondered out loud if I should switch...so now I'm hoping for a code so I don't have to pull out the big guns on justification!

Anyway, my point to this LONG response is, go for the resort that fits your FAMILY best that you can still afford. I'm going to have to pinch some major pennys between now and Feb, but I'm sure we'll be happier with all that monorail access. I made ADR's at Epcot, MK, and the monorail resorts to also make getting to those easier!

GOOD LUCK!
Disclaimer:
It's DH's and my first trip to DW as adults...therefore it's the 1st trip we've ever planned, so I'm not speaking from experience or anything!!

 

[FantasmicDreams]

I was just wondering how people choose their hotel?

Do you have a set dollar amount that you just can't go over?

Not really. We try to go deluxe on AP discounts and we alter legnth of stay based on how much we feel like spending

If you go over by a couple hundred is that o.k.?

DEpends on what it's for? We usually save up a lot for spending money and don't really adhere to a terribly strict budget. But we typically don't find ourselves spending what we can't afford. No one should be spending what they can't afford.

Do you normally spend less than projected or more?

Again, we don't travel on a really strict budget but I'd say we usually spend less than I expect. We aren't big eaters (meals or snacks) but we always plan on more sit down meals than we seem to end up having...

Is your hotel the most important expense, or is the tickets?

we both have APs, we know we can always get a $99/way flight on SW air, we know exactly how much the car service from the airport to WDW is, so the hotel is really the only variable. So yes.

 

[bleeps]

We first decide based on where (park-wise) we want to spend the most time -- MK has won out for first 3 trips so we've done Contemp, WL, and Poly. This trip, Epcot won, so we're trying Yacht Club. We're considering, for following trip, going down to a moderate, but because we believe time is money at WDW and that proximity makes a difference, AND because it's our big vacation of the year and we save up specifically for it, we've been unable to break the deluxe habit (we may try POFQ, but only if at that time a deluxe is just completely out of budget range). One concern I have about going outside of deluxes are the outdoor corridors -- the rooms that open onto an open-air walk-way. I'm worried primarily about noise, but also about security....

 

[Cool-Beans]

I balance my desire to try new ones with my affinity for the ones I like (esp. Beach Club!)

I pick one, then change my mind, go back and forth, then settle on one. Then I start all over with the indecision.

There have been times where I didn't decide until after I landed in Orlando where I was going to stay!

 

[daisyjane]

Tall husband. We have to have queen sized beds, which are common in many hotels. I was sort of surprised Disney did not have them in all resorts.

 

[scoolover]

$$$$$

 

[warpdarkmatter]

easy how much money i have in my pocket

 

[maelstrom]

It just pops into my head. Really. I'll just have a thought, "Wilderness Lodge!", and there we go. Usually we stay at a deluxe resort, but a few times we've had to stay at a moderate. The same thing still applies, though. I have, however, decided that in the event we stay at a moderate again, it's going to be the Caribbean Beach, no question. I'm tired of Port Orleans' bad bus service.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

We are creatures of habit so we always stay at the Poly.
The last 2 trips we split our stay with the Y & B club.
And I really liked them

 

[OhioDisneyLover]

The first thing we do is decide on a timeframe to visit and then check to see if there are AP rates available during that time. If so, we stay deluxe. If not, we stay moderate if it's available. We're trying to exeprience as many resorts as we possibly can over the next few years.

Before we had AP's we would set a budget but we always exceeded it!

Good luck and have a blast!

 

[maxiesmom]

First, I look at all the pictures I can find of the resorts that interest me. Then I look at what season it is at each resort that I like. Usually this is followed by some screaming and lots of "I can't believe it costs xxxx to stay at -----. Am I crazy?" That is followed by trying to convince myself that I need to be more budget minded and stay somewhere cheaper. Then I go back and look at more pictures and transportation times from the hotels I like to the parks I want to visit. I then try and pick someplace that will be both somewhat convenient to the parks and not cost me the price of a small car.

This has been a struggle for me. When compared to where I vacation in the real world, Disney hotels are quite expensive. I have a hard time spending over $300 a night for a hotel room, even if it means that I can walk to a theme park. When I stay at a deluxe hotel, it is usually part of a split stay. That way I can experience walking to MK from the Contemporary, at least for a couple of days. That way it doesn't seem so outrageous to me. For instance, this October we rented points to stay at the BCVs, which turns out to be the same price as getting 2 rooms at POFQ, which is what we originaly were going to do. I then upgraded my 2 alone days from POFQ to the Poly. I couldn't justify 8 nights at the Poly, but I can 2 nights.

 

[momofthreegamers]

We chose Ft. Wilderness a couple of years ago because we had 6 people going and there was a code out that made it cheaper than having 2 rooms somewhere else. Pop was chosen last year because of our budget and Wilderness Lodge was chosen for our trip this month because of it's location. We are going to MNSSHP, MK and Epcot and that's it, so we wanted somewhere that we didn't have to depend on bus transportation. We chose a house off site for our trip in November because there are 10, maybe 12, of us going and we are going to other parks besides Disney.

For us, chosing a resort is usually based on who is going and how much money do we have to spend.