I'm trying to convince myself to stay in a moderate instead of deluxe

[skittles67]

I also struggled with the decision of choosing a moderate over a deluxe (we stayed at Wilderness Lodge last fall and LOVED it). This year we wanted to go back again but for a longer length of stay. With our budget, we could do a deluxe again for 6 or 7 days or stay at a moderate for 10 days. I went ahead and booked at CBR for the 10 days. I hope I made the right decision, lol!

 

[mco65]

CYB, i hear ya... once you get used to those DELUXE resorts its hard to go back..
I have looked into renting points in the past..seems like it might work out for ya..

 

[mco65]

I also struggled with the decision of choosing a moderate over a deluxe (we stayed at Wilderness Lodge last fall and LOVED it). This year we wanted to go back again but for a longer length of stay. With our budget, we could do a deluxe again for 6 or 7 days or stay at a moderate for 10 days. I went ahead and booked at CBR for the 10 days. I hope I made the right decision, lol!

Depends on where you spend MOST of your time really.. if you at the PARKS most of the time. Not sure a deluxe is 'penny' wise..

 

[Amelia :)]

Why are you considering somewhere you don't like? I don't get it. It's less money, but it's still money, don't pay to stay at a hotel you've just said you didn't like.

 

[cyb]

You mentioned that you have stayed at CBR before, but didn't enjoy it. Can I ask when that was? All of the rooms were refurbed a few years ago and we were pleasantly surprised by the quality.

It was about 8 years ago, we were in Orlando for a trade show and didn'the plan on going to the parks, the resort was huge and our room keys wouldn't work we had to wait about 30 minutes to get in our room and had to wait for a janitor to let us in, it was just a bad experience

 

[cyb]

Por and pofq are both very close to Epcot. A 10 minute bus ride if that.

I looked on the travel wizard and the bus says 34 minutes

 

[Hopefully]

I looked on the travel wizard and the bus says 34 minutes

What travel wizard? I don't think it is accurate.
I would check additional Moderate Resorts and stop considering the resort you know you don't like

 

[maxiesmom]

I looked on the travel wizard and the bus says 34 minutes

That travel wizard is so wrong, it isn't even funny. Don't use it!!

Trust me, I've stayed at both POR and POFQ multiple times. The only way it would be 34 minutes to Epcot would be if you were pushing the bus.

 

[Ratzo]

Here's my outlook on travel expenses: I don't have a budget, per se. However, I try to analyze costs of things like hotel rooms, park tickets, etc. using a purely subjective "bang over buck" metric. I've gone on a few cruises and I will always get the cheapest room possible. Why? EVERY room on a cruise ship is conveniently located. Ah, but some rooms are bigger with more amenities. Yes, but if you're on a cruise, the only time you should be in your room is to sleep. There are plenty of places to relax, eat, and drink. There's no reason to sequester yourself to your room. With the money I save by getting an inexpensive room, I can allow myself to spend more money on other things that I want.

Disney trips involve two things I want to minimize at all costs: walking and traveling time. Every moment at Disney is precious. If I'm not sleeping, I want to be enjoying. What's an hour saved in traveling time to and from the hotel to the parks worth? Attaching a monetary value is difficult, but I'd argue for a Disney vacation that time saved is significant when translated into dollars. I'm physically fit, but traveling in summer months in Florida will stress anyone. The time before last, I got a blister on my foot from all the walking and it felt like being on a death march going back to the Port Orleans.

For me, the location of the Grand Floridian, Poly, and Contemporary makes them worth the expense. I chose the Contemporary for a number of reasons with one of them being the rooms outside the main building aren't TOO expensive compared to other Disney resorts.

 

[Leelo]

In regards to the decision of Anxiety vs Money, if you have the money and it will not change your life to spend the extra, prevent the anxiety and choose the place you love. You will remember the anxiety of "that trip" for years to come but you will soon forget you paid extra for Deluxe when you are having an easy, wonderful time.

I also agree with others about renting DVC points. My DH and I rented from DVC Rental Store (you can pay half upfront and the rest a few months before your trip). Everything has worked out great so far. Saved us TONS of money to stay at the Poly. I was like you in that I prefer Deluxe but was concerned about the cost. The downside to point rentals is that you cannot cancel, booking early is highly recommended in order to get what you want (we booked 9 months out), and housekeeping does not come every day.

 

[Mike_Mac]

My family stayed at CBR for the first time this past Christmas. Definitely a letdown from our previous experiences at WL (delux), AoA (value), and Swan/Dolphin. The big letdown (aside from the bus service, which feels always jammed and far away from everything, even Epcot) was the near complete lack of Disney theming. You could have been in any large, open air resort hotel in central Florida. Just not memorable.

We've had great experiences at WL, but you pay for that. However, we just rented successfully from the DVC Rental Store for this coming Christmas. Rack rate base WL rooms are about $485/night (ouch) with tax for my family, which for six nights was just shy of $3K. Renting a DVC villas at Boulder Ridge for the same number of nights cost $1500! So, a huge savings. We also have food delivered from Garden Grocer, which puts a huge dent in the cost of eating (breakfast and lunch at the room, and then have a nice dinner each night at a park or resort, and still save money)

We also stayed at the Swan&Dolphin this past July while my wife was at a conference. Rooms were very reasonable and recently refreshed. The walking proximity to Epcot and the Boardwalk was excellent, so you kept the Disney-bubble. The exterior decor has got a bit of an over-the-top feel about it, but not so much that it's a problem. Nothing bad to say about the rooms at all, which are contemporary, but not garish in the least.

When our son was 3, we stayed at AoA. A little on the noisy/active side with all the young families there, but the price point is great and the Disney animation themes again keep you in the bubble.

If you're looking for a cost compromise, I'd recommend DVC renting a deluxe or the Swan&Dolphin.