I think Disney ruined me for the moderate resorts

[4RJN]

I here ya man, por is nice but you can never beat the grand

 

[RHMH]

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.

IMO - AKL is the way to go! It almost feels as if it's a Disney Park in itself.

 

[DJFan88]

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.

This Is what we're actually doing next trip. I love POR so am going 5 nights there. Then, have always wanted to do BC and can actually afford to this time, so will go the last 4. I just couldn't bear to not do POR! However, I don't know if my opinion will change once I experience BC, so that's why POR 1st!

 

[poconopixie]

Oh my gosh! So much love for both WL and AKL!!! It makes my decision even harder guys!

I would love to do a split stay but that would annoy the family. Once they are settled they don't want upheaval. Especially my 12 year old.

To us, our room will not just be a place to sleep. We are not park commandos. We like a little downtime to relax at the resort, take a swim, take a nap or just explore. So a Value would never, ever work for us. Too cramped, too chaotic. I can even see by reading my own post and the posts of others that a Moderate would probably not make us happy either. My husband would be fine with it (he would sleep in a tent) but my girls (who are 12 and 13) and I have higher standards.

I think I have decided on WL CL. This will be the second time I have passed over AKL so there must be a reason for that. Animals aside, having only a bus for transport is giving me the shakes just thinking about it.

And at WL I can see the little electric parade, which is small and short but I found it charming enough that it's important to me.

I am very excited. I don't know how I am going to survive 24 months!

Thank you everybody! you ROCK!!!

 

[DJFan88]

I think I have decided on WL CL. This will be the second time I have passed over AKL so there must be a reason for that. Animals aside, having only a bus for transport is giving me the shakes just thinking about it.

And at WL I can see the little electric parade, which is small and short but I found it charming enough that it's important to me.

I am very excited. I don't know how I am going to survive 24 months!

Thank you everybody! you ROCK!!!

Glad you have made your decision. sounds like a good one! You will have a great time!

 

[poconopixie]

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!

I am off to read that thread now, THANK YOU!

AKL has animals, yes, but we have had enough exposure to exotic animals that they really are not a big mystery. My husband used to work for an exotic animal establishment and even brought home a baby mountain lion to socialize him once. And he got to hold baby tiger cubs while I watched. So you can see that the animals are sort of anti-climatic.

Nothing will ever beat the GF for us. There was nothing about it that we did not love. We even loved Gasparilla's. We loved that it was small and not crowded.

Since I have decided on WL CL, I am hoping that we find it every bit as charming as we found the GF.

 

[Tinkmom]

We loved AKL CL and while we enjoy WL I do not think that it has better transportation -- except to MK. I felt very distant there, and not nearly so much at AKL, as the buses are frequent and direct, not having to do all sorts of transfers.

I don't think you can go wrong either place!

 

[2Tiggies]

If you can afford CL at WL I'd rather do that than AK CL. While AK is a beautiful resort, after being so close to MK, and even Epcot and DHS, when you stayed at GF you may find AK feels really far away from everything and you have to allow for that when leaving for parks and/or ADRs. So if location is important to you, then WL would be a better choice. I prefer WL theming to AK, but that is personal preference.

 

[elaw]

... I love POR so am going 5 nights there. Then, have always wanted to do BC ... I don't know if my opinion will change once I experience BC, so that's why POR 1st!

Ours hasn't ... we love them both for different reasons. For us, our vacation just isn't right without a stay at the WL and POR

 

[houstonmama]

I know exactly how you feel! For our first trip we did GF/AKL split. It was expensive but I thought it was our first trip so we splurged but the next time we would do a moderate...Well, we fell in love with both!! We went the first week of December and GF is just fabulous decorated for christmas!

When in December are you going? We can afford GF only because there is room discount. Are you going based on rack rate? There is usually a discount unless you are going Christmas week.

 

[Robbi]

Sometimes the exterior corridors are better than those enclosed. We were never bothered by children or families walking around in the mornings or at night when staying at CSR. The deluxes though- On every single deluxe trip, we have been awakened by people talking too loudly in the hallways.

 

[poconopixie]

I know exactly how you feel! For our first trip we did GF/AKL split. It was expensive but I thought it was our first trip so we splurged but the next time we would do a moderate...Well, we fell in love with both!! We went the first week of December and GF is just fabulous decorated for christmas!

When in December are you going? We can afford GF only because there is room discount. Are you going based on rack rate? There is usually a discount unless you are going Christmas week.

Yes, I was planning based on rack rate. I did not know there was a discount. Do tell! I would never go during a holiday, that would be completely masochistic.

We are planning Nov 30 - Dec 6.

 

[poconopixie]

Sometimes the exterior corridors are better than those enclosed. We were never bothered by children or families walking around in the mornings or at night when staying at CSR. The deluxes though- On every single deluxe trip, we have been awakened by people talking too loudly in the hallways.

Exterior hallways make me feel too exposed. I don't like them anywhere. It's stupid, I know.

 

[karriealex]

I would go with WL CL rather than AKL. AKL is nice but it is far from the parks so you have to figure on bus times if you really want to enjoy what the CL has to offer. Also the rooms at AKL are smaller. We stayed there in a savannah room and were kind of shocked at how small they were. WL is a beautiful resort with a couple of transportation options.

 

[davale4]

You have a tough choice! Both resorts are great and so different from each other. Keep us posted and let us know what you choose! Either way, you will have a wonderful time. Once you do CL you are spoiled!

 

[rosiebean]

I feel your pain. I've stayed at a mod before and had a fine time, but the shear convenience of transportation at MK area resorts have spoiled me!

My first trip to the World was years ago...in a camper at a non-Disney campground. My second was an 'upgrade'...an offsite motel (not even an offsite resort ). The next was the mod visit...CBR, which I really enjoyed at the time (was in my 20s and the whole 'being able to stay on site' aspect was amazing). The NEXT trip was over a decade later with an infant, and I insisted on easy access to parks because of the stroller, need to feed, etc. I rented points and stayed at BCVs in a studio for most of the stay, but also did 2 days at Poly.

I'm in the midst of planning a trip this year, and I got amazing rates for Poly GVCL via Orbitz last night. I'm still considering trying to score CL at BWI if/when fall RO discounts come out, but still... Seeing as my experience has gotten better resort wise each time, I told DH that I probably would expect the presidential suite somewhere the next time, .

Still, I'd have no problem staying at either CSR or POR/POFQ. Both of those mods appeal to me theme wise, each has a 'bonus' I'd enjoy (club level, boat ride to DTD). I've done mod before and been fine. I'd just use the savings in the price difference to rent a car for easier access to parks. I was seriously looking at mods this trip, but when my family decided to meet us there, decided to price out deluxe hotels for ease of meeting up with them...they're staying at the Dolphin, and it's much quicker to meet on time at Epcot/Boardwalk area when you can either walk there or take a quick monorail ride (and I also scored a seriously amazing deal...would still be considering mods if not for that).

I've never stayed at any of OPs choices so cannot offer advice for specific resorts...but a good thing to do is consider what you liked most about your previous stays. For me, theming is huge, we're not into deluxe dining, transportation depends on circumstances for the trip, and I'm ok with a resort so long as its convenient to either TMK or Epcot (and if its not, need to have a car so as not to rely on buses). If I were OP, I'd stay at AKL and try to rent a car...the theme appeals to me so much better than WL does, I like its food choices for both QS and if I want to try a sit down meal, and it's isolated but with a car an easy enough drive to TMK and Epcot (from with traffic is another matter). I'd also do POR over WL for similar reasons (as I said, theme is big for me and the theme at WL does *nothing* for me). I'm not OP and her tastes are likely different than mine...but prioritizing that kind of thing might help.

What did you like about your deluxe stay? Easy access to TMK? Will you be happier sitting on a balcony at AKL and watching animals with your glass of wine vs doing the same with the views at WL? Do you really think CL food offerings will be enough vs deluxe dining, or are there differences between what's offered at each resort's lounge as far as food goes? Things to consider .

 

[houstonmama]

Yes, I was planning based on rack rate. I did not know there was a discount. Do tell! I would never go during a holiday, that would be completely masochistic.

We are planning Nov 30 - Dec 6.

There are usually discounts around that time of year...

If you look under "Disney discount codes and rates" in this same Disney Resorts section you can read the thread about the discounts that will be coming out this fall. It can help you get an idea on how it works. You can also go to mousesavers.com and search for historical disney world discounts and they have all the dates and what discount was offered going back like 3 years. Some people are lucky enough to get Pins. Pins are discounts that are either emailed or received by snail mail directly from Disney. We don't know exactly how people are chosen to receive these pins but theres lots of threads on disboards about pins and how to increase your chances of getting one.

When they offer discounts there are black out dates like for example Thanksgiving week and Christmas week. We went last year in early December and will be going this year from 11/30-12/10. One of the black out weeks that usually occurs during this time is Pop Warner week. It is a youth football tournament or something like that. This year I believe it is Dec7-11. Thats why I chose to start before that. I might not get a discount for the some of my stay but maybe I will. Rumor has it that Fall discounts will be released tomorrow so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!

Discounts are not guaranteed but if you pick the right dates your chances are pretty good!

This turned out super long and sorry! if you already know this information and I just bored you to death!

 

[poconopixie]

There are usually discounts around that time of year...

If you look under "Disney discount codes and rates" in this same Disney Resorts section you can read the thread about the discounts that will be coming out this fall. It can help you get an idea on how it works. You can also go to mousesavers.com and search for historical disney world discounts and they have all the dates and what discount was offered going back like 3 years. Some people are lucky enough to get Pins. Pins are discounts that are either emailed or received by snail mail directly from Disney. We don't know exactly how people are chosen to receive these pins but theres lots of threads on disboards about pins and how to increase your chances of getting one.

When they offer discounts there are black out dates like for example Thanksgiving week and Christmas week. We went last year in early December and will be going this year from 11/30-12/10. One of the black out weeks that usually occurs during this time is Pop Warner week. It is a youth football tournament or something like that. This year I believe it is Dec7-11. Thats why I chose to start before that. I might not get a discount for the some of my stay but maybe I will. Rumor has it that Fall discounts will be released tomorrow so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!

Discounts are not guaranteed but if you pick the right dates your chances are pretty good!

This turned out super long and sorry! if you already know this information and I just bored you to death!

Nope you didn't bore me to death at all. My dates are open for adjustment since I am not ready to book yet. I am going in 2014 so the dates Pop Warner will be there won't be published yet. If there is usually discounts released then I will just book WL and then switch to GF if the deal is sweet enough.

 

[Aliceacc]

Also, since you have so much time, you can use the AAA discount. I forget whether it's 10 or 15%, but it's certainly a starting place.

If you book room only, anyone can book with the discount, provided you're an AAA member. If you want a package discounted, you'll have to book with an AAA travel agent.

Should a better discount come along after you've booked, that AAA agent (or anyone else) can apply the discount.

 

[jaykorf001]

I would go with WL CL rather than AKL. AKL is nice but it is far from the parks so you have to figure on bus times if you really want to enjoy what the CL has to offer. Also the rooms at AKL are smaller. We stayed there in a savannah room and were kind of shocked at how small they were. WL is a beautiful resort with a couple of transportation options.

I think WL and AKL have the same sized rooms FWIW. The other deluxes are larger.