I think Disney ruined me for the moderate resorts

[poconopixie]

Last March we had our first Disney trip. We had originally booked a River View Royal Guest Room. Because they were not going to be complete upon our arrival, we were upgraded to.....

The Grand Floridian Theme Park View. And we had free dining. Major pixie dust here. It was the vacation of a lifetime and we felt totally spoiled.

Now I find myself in a pickle. I am in the planning stage for our Dec 2014 Disney trip. I have crunched the numbers and there is no way I am affording the Grand. Not if we plan to eat anyway.

So I found that I CAN afford AKL CL or WL CL, or we can do POR with Deluxe dining.

My fear with POR is now we have a taste of a deluxe. We loved the interior hallways and the turndown service. I loved having a glass of wine on the balcony. We also loved that the GF was not spread out so much that you had to walk a mile to get to the monorail, the bus stop, the lobby or the QS dining. Or the pool either for that matter.

I honestly don't know what to do. Maybe some of you awesome DIS'rs can help me out.

** I am not interested in renting dvc points.

 

[Singinglizzie]

I feel your pain. It is tough to go from a deluxe to mod or a value , yet it can b done and u can have a great time. I'd suggest AKL since its in your budget. You can specify a pool room for just a few dollars more than a standard,so your balcony view won't be looking at the parking lot. You can buy African wines in the gift shop and take back to your room. Akl isn't on the monorail but its one of my favorite Disney resorts and I I think u will have a wonderful trip there!

 

[Singinglizzie]

Oh wait - I see u can afford club level- no doubt go AKL!

 

[poconopixie]

Oh wait - I see u can afford club level- no doubt go AKL!

Yup, I need either Deluxe Dining or Club level because hubby will be joining us. At home, we eat normally with not a lot of unhealthy snacks. He feels that this is a vacation and we should let it all hang out. When he is with us we tend to turn into pacman, gobbling everything in our way.

I was definitely leaning towards AKL. If we tell the whole family we want Disney gist cards for Christmas we will be able to book the Sunrise Safari, which would thrill my husband.

But WL does have the boat to MK, and from there we can catch the monorail to Epcot. See the dilemma?

So it seems like POR is out.

 

[Babsy]

DEfinitely AKL or WL. POR is nice, but is a moderate. After GF it would be hard to go back, not impossible if neccessary, but hey! It's not necessary. You are even looking at Club level.

GF is MK area. Would you miss the MK area or are you looking to try somewhere else?

Both AKL and WL are great themed resorts. Just pick the one that appeals to you most. OR do a split stay and try both!

 

[Siriusblack]

I think either WL or AKL would be awesome. Boy, they really gave you an awesome upgrade! I agree with the PP, why not try a split stay?

 

[Mousemommy1]

Of your choices, I would 100000% recommend WL CL. We stayed there in July 2012 and it was the most magical Disney experience ever! The WL in and of itself is gorgeous, and up on CL, the CM's are amazing, the food is delicious. It is simply fantastic!

I think AKL is a beautiful resort, but I don't think I would do CL there (though it gets rave reviews). If I am doing CL, I want to be able to get back to the resort fairly quickly and where AKL is a little further out w/no options other than bus transportation, I would probably just book a pool view room there, as I am not sure we'd be able to take advantage of CL too often.

I have never stayed at GF, but I often see people post that if their favorite CL is GF, then WL CL is a close second. It might be your next best bet!

 

[bluejasmine]

Yes I know how you feel! We fell in love with GF CL and Poly CL its really really hard to go to mod or value, BUT id do it if it meant not going.

I say you book either AKL CL or WL CL!

 

[Aliceacc]

Having never been to any of those resorts (my family of 5 won't fit into any of their standard rooms!)...

I would take the convenience of the WL. That accessiblity would make it an easy choice for me.

 

[trishadono]

Last March we had our first Disney trip. We had originally booked a River View Royal Guest Room. Because they were not going to be complete upon our arrival, we were upgraded to.....

The Grand Floridian Theme Park View. And we had free dining. Major pixie dust here. It was the vacation of a lifetime and we felt totally spoiled.

Now I find myself in a pickle. I am in the planning stage for our Dec 2014 Disney trip. I have crunched the numbers and there is no way I am affording the Grand. Not if we plan to eat anyway.

So I found that I CAN afford AKL CL or WL CL, or we can do POR with Deluxe dining.

My fear with POR is now we have a taste of a deluxe. We loved the interior hallways and the turndown service. I loved having a glass of wine on the balcony. We also loved that the GF was not spread out so much that you had to walk a mile to get to the monorail, the bus stop, the lobby or the QS dining. Or the pool either for that matter.

I honestly don't know what to do. Maybe some of you awesome DIS'rs can help me out.

** I am not interested in renting dvc points.

WDWKOOK is a big fan of the WL CL . As a matter of fact , she is there now! Check out the CL thread but you will find people have loved both AKL and WL.

WL is a short boat ride to CR and the monorail where as AKL has animals but longer transportation to everywhere.

CSR business class is also a good moderate option. I tried it in April and we really liked it. I have stayed at CL at CR,GF and poly and it not as good as that but still was good. Go to 1st page of CSR thread for info.

I love wine on my balcony too!

 

[Skjhjb]

I have the same fear!

We did four days at Disney last year. Stayed at Poly and had free dining. TOTALLY spoiled!

But I want a full week next time. SO much that we missed. Especially with it being August, stinking hot and rainy in the afternoons.

Being a family of 5, we are limited in choices. But we're aiming for Art of Animation. Yes, I will have 3 teenagers by the time we travel, but that is the one place they all wanted to stay last time and it wasn't finished yet!

DH and I both feel that the room is "just a place to sleep" - even tho at Disney it is so much more. With it being a newer place, we think it will be fantastic anyway! And we've heard great reviews.

Now to see if we can actually do the trip!

 

[Dis703]

I've heard nothing but fabulous things about WL CL so I'd go for that if you can afford it.

I spoiled things a bit for myself this last trip. We decided since we hadn't taken a vacation in a while to book BC CL and it was our first, and because of finances, probaby last deluxe stay. I loved it and I'm not sure how I'm going to go without for our next trips. In the fall we are planning to stay at Pop but it's a shorter trip with just me and my 5 year old so hopefully it won't be too big of a disappointment. But we loved the feel of BC and the convenience of location and everything under one roof. And the lounge was such a nice treat as well.

Someday perhaps we can do it again, but for now it's values and mods for us.

 

[panixx]

Yup, I need either Deluxe Dining or Club level because hubby will be joining us. At home, we eat normally with not a lot of unhealthy snacks. He feels that this is a vacation and we should let it all hang out. When he is with us we tend to turn into pacman, gobbling everything in our way.

I was definitely leaning towards AKL. If we tell the whole family we want Disney gist cards for Christmas we will be able to book the Sunrise Safari, which would thrill my husband.

But WL does have the boat to MK, and from there we can catch the monorail to Epcot. See the dilemma?

So it seems like POR is out.

I gotta say, I will never get Deluxe Dining again unless I plan on doing lots of 2 TS credit meals.

We felt we were planning our entire vacation around when our ADR's were. And by the end of the week I was sick of food. Way too much food. And with the price you pay for it you feel obligated to eat or you are wasting money! LOL.

 

[Bree]

I don't know the ages of your kids, but if they are young I would choose WL CL just for easier access to the parks. We stayed there in a bunk bed room and loved the entire resort. We are staying at POR next year for the first time so I have nothing to add regarding the resort itself, but I can comment on Deluxe Dining since we have done that. Deluxe is worth the money if you plan on going to the Signature (2 TS credits) restaurants like Artist Point, Narcoosees, etc. If you don't plan on going to the Signature restaurants get the regular dining plan.

 

[stephgles]

We have never stayed at AKL but we love our home away from home WL. This is the first year we are staying CL there. We love the boat ride to and from MK as we spend a lot of time there with a little princess.

 

[DJFan88]

Okay, so I love POR, but in your case, I would not choose it.
First of all, I agree with the post above mine about only needed the deluxe if you do signatures. too much food, otherwise. Esp. if you're at POR, where a CS make your own pasta meal can fill you for hours and is big and now you still have 2 TS! and desserts!
I would so love to go CL. I visited WL for fun and to check it out. It's beautiful. I wouldn't go if standard, since the QS place to me didn' hold a candle to POR, but if you're talking CL, well now, that's a different story, don't need the QS. The ease of the boat sounds cool, and the electrical parade goes by, I think.
AK is a really nice resort, visited there too, but the convenience sounds so much better at WL.
Have fun!

 

[Polybound]

Last March we had our first Disney trip. We had originally booked a River View Royal Guest Room. Because they were not going to be complete upon our arrival, we were upgraded to.....

The Grand Floridian Theme Park View. And we had free dining. Major pixie dust here. It was the vacation of a lifetime and we felt totally spoiled.

Now I find myself in a pickle. I am in the planning stage for our Dec 2014 Disney trip. I have crunched the numbers and there is no way I am affording the Grand. Not if we plan to eat anyway.

So I found that I CAN afford AKL CL or WL CL, or we can do POR with Deluxe dining.

My fear with POR is now we have a taste of a deluxe. We loved the interior hallways and the turndown service. I loved having a glass of wine on the balcony. We also loved that the GF was not spread out so much that you had to walk a mile to get to the monorail, the bus stop, the lobby or the QS dining. Or the pool either for that matter.

I honestly don't know what to do. Maybe some of you awesome DIS'rs can help me out.

** I am not interested in renting dvc points.

We experienced the exact same thing. To start with, when traveling, I'm perfectly happy staying at a holiday Inn express as long as it's clean. My wife and daughter on the hand are a different storey completely, but that's not important. We stayed at the Poly during our first stay on property at WDW as a family. The next year we stayed at the Caribbean Beach and it was like uuuuuuuuh, how fast we can get back to the Poly. The Poly completely spoiled us, and we wouldn't now stay at anything less than a deluxe resort while at WDW. Now that's why we can't afford to go but every 2 or 3 years, but it's worth the wait, because the entire experience is so much more enhanced at a deluxe resort.

 

[mirage0306]

We have done CL at AKL, and stayed at WL (though not CL). Both are amazing resorts. AKL CL was great. The staff members were so nice, really friendly and helpful. Both WL and AKL are gorgeous resorts. I would give a very slight edge to WL in terms of transportation due to the boat to MK, but other than that transportation is pretty equal IMO. AKL is definitely more remote, but the bus service is direct and actually pretty quick, while WL sometimes shares with other resorts.

Seriously, I would just pick the resort that appeals to you more--I think CL will be great in both places.

 

[elaw]

Last March we had our first Disney trip. We had originally booked a River View Royal Guest Room. Because they were not going to be complete upon our arrival, we were upgraded to.....

The Grand Floridian Theme Park View. And we had free dining. Major pixie dust here. It was the vacation of a lifetime and we felt totally spoiled.

Now I find myself in a pickle. I am in the planning stage for our Dec 2014 Disney trip. I have crunched the numbers and there is no way I am affording the Grand. Not if we plan to eat anyway.

So I found that I CAN afford AKL CL or WL CL, or we can do POR with Deluxe dining.

My fear with POR is now we have a taste of a deluxe. We loved the interior hallways and the turndown service. I loved having a glass of wine on the balcony. We also loved that the GF was not spread out so much that you had to walk a mile to get to the monorail, the bus stop, the lobby or the QS dining. Or the pool either for that matter.

I honestly don't know what to do. Maybe some of you awesome DIS'rs can help me out.

** I am not interested in renting dvc points.

Have you ever considered a split stay? We can afford to go all Deluxe but almost always like to start our vacations at a Mod (we just love POR) and then move over to the deluxe(s) for the rest of the trip.

 

[jaykorf001]

Yup, I need either Deluxe Dining or Club level because hubby will be joining us. At home, we eat normally with not a lot of unhealthy snacks. He feels that this is a vacation and we should let it all hang out. When he is with us we tend to turn into pacman, gobbling everything in our way.

I was definitely leaning towards AKL. If we tell the whole family we want Disney gist cards for Christmas we will be able to book the Sunrise Safari, which would thrill my husband.

But WL does have the boat to MK, and from there we can catch the monorail to Epcot. See the dilemma?

So it seems like POR is out.

If you do AKL CL you'll be eligible for the Sunrise Safari which I highly recommend. The rooms are Arusha Savanna view.