Is Deluxe Worth $150 More Nightly Over Value????

[pitmindi]

Hi, I am staying at the Pop Century for 5 nights from Aug 31 - Sept 5. the price is $700 for a preferred room with dining and 1 day tickets for 3 people. We will spend time at the resorts Wed, Thurs & Fri and Sat & Sun (when the parts would probably be too crowded for us to enjoy) at our hotel. Would a Deluxe resort, like AK ($1450 for 5 nights with pool view) or Contemp ($1550 for standard view) or WL ($1450 for woods view) be worth the extra money? I have never stayed at a Deluxe resort. My only Disney hotel experience was the Carib. Beach moderate in Nov. 2003 and we didn't like it since it felt too much like a cheap motel room. I know the Pop will feel even more like a cheap motel room, but since we are basically getting this room for free, it would be easier to tolerate. So many people on this board seem to stay at expensive deluxe resorts, and I doubt all of them are super-rich, so I wonder if these deluxe hotels are worth their price. Should I change to a deluxe???? Thank you, Mindy

 

[TammiMcMan]

Mindy, you will find as many opinions to this question as there are DIS'ers. Some have to decide based on finances, others choose a value so that they can take multiple Disney trips and others simply because they only need a place to sleep at night. If it's within your budget, then you can consider the fact that deluxe rooms have interior hallways, balconies, more space, they might be closer to a particular park, have a wider variety of dining options, hot tubs, on site spa's/healthclub, etc. If it's within the realm of possibilty, you might want to consider a split stay. Spend a few nights at the value and a few nights at a deluxe. Not sure if your package would be available for a split stay though.

Definitely decide what works best for your family and this particular vacation.

Tammi

 

[DemoBri1]

Mindy...If you do switch to a Deluxe you'll probably never want to stay at a value or moderate again. It's true that you don't spend alot of time in your room, unless you decide to go back for afternoon breaks for kiddies.

Personally, I've never stayed in anything but a Deluxe or one of the Vacation Club resorts. I'm not independently wealthy either. You make the statement that CBR felt like a cheap motel to you. I'm afraid you'll be totally disappointed in Pop then with the exception of the whimsical theming that is in place there. If you have small kids they'll probably get a kick out of it.

It looks as though you're talking about doubling the money you're going to put out for lodging. I would do it. The deluxes just make you feel a little more like you're getting away from things, and you'll hopefully have less ambient noise to deal with. I would go with either the AKL or WL. CR is now undergoing some renovations and I don't know how much of it is closed off and what the noise factor would be. Plus, I think that WL and AKL have a nicer theme.

Whatever you decide have a great trip.

 

[skiingwife]

Mindy,
My family is staying at deluxe resorts (Polynesian and YC) because we are a family of 5, therefore the value resorts can't accomodate us. But I also like the fact that we will have queen size beds (vs. doubles), rooms are bigger, we are closer to MK and Epcot, the theming of the deluxe resorts (tropical/more upscale), and for more dining options. We plan to have a lot of downtime to spend at the resort, so the size of our room is important to us. We're not rich but I've been saving my money. Maybe you could try a split stay and see for yourself what you prefer.

 

[june@imsarc.com]

We (4 at the time) stayed one night at ASMovies a couple years ago when our flight came in late and we did not want to use Vacation Club Points. I was totally disappointed with the room. It is extremely tiny. I remember opening up the door and the bed literally being 6inches from the end of the door. I would say that it is not even comparable to a Holiday Inn or La Quinta type hotel. One huge positive, however is that the kids loved the themeing and the food court.

 

[minnie61650]

It is NOT worth that much more to me. Not when values have so much to offer.
I guess if I wanted to lounge in my room all day it might be worth it to me .
When I am at Disney,I go to the parks or I'm out shopping or dinning or just exploring ,taking in all the sights. I'm hardly ever in ever in my room.
I have stayed at the Contemporary and it was nice and was kinda fun to be at a monorail hotel but it takes longer to get to Epcot,MGM and AK from the Contemorary than it takes to get to those parks from the All Stars.

Bus rides are shorter from the ALL Stars than POP according to PassPorter.com
All Star Buses----Pop buses------- Contemporary
MK 20 min-------MK 25 min-------MK 20 min (mono)
Epcot 10 min-----Epcot 20 min----Epcot 15min.
MGM 10 min------MGM 15 min-----MGM 20 min.
AK 10 min--------AK 15 min-------Ak 20 min.
DTD 15 min-------DTD 20 min------35 min.

Which is one the of the resons I the All Star Resorts --they can't be beat. I have visited WDW more than a dozen times with the 1st time in Oct. 1971. It was brand new. I've stayed at FW, Disney Inn, a few the of Hotels on hotel Blvd., CBR and the towers at the Contemporary. I got to see the MK from my balcony at the Contemporary and I'm happy I got to experience it once. I just prefer the All Star Resorts.
The theaming is pure Disney.
My last 4 visits have been at The All Stars and this fall when we take dd,dsil, and our grandson age 3 we are staying at the All Stars Music. I thought about AKL and even though we can well afford AKL I just wanted Alex to experience the Disney Magic at the All Stars on his first visit. I can hardly wait.
Linda

 

[amee]

Mindy,

Have you considered renting points from a DVC member and then staying in a DVC studio(OKW, BC, BW, AKL)? We did it several times before we bought into DVC ourselves. It really is a cost effective way to add a little luxury into your stay. It will still be a little bit more expensive than Pop, but not too much more, depending on the timing of your trip. DVC resorts are good values Sun-Thurs....the week ends require a lot of points and so aren't such a great value. I would definitely chekc it out if i were you!

Good luck........Amee

 

[k5thbeatle]

" Is Deluxe Worth $150 More Nightly Over Value???? "

...yes!

 

[pitmindi]

HI again, I forgot to mention that we will have a rented car while at disney (going to the beach first 3 days) and we want the free dining, and they don't give it with the club points. Thanks for everyones help---I am still torn since we will be spending alot of time at the hotel, more time there than at the parks, but, on the other hand... I love a good bargain (which the Pop certainly is)!

 

[skiwee1]

Yes!!!

 

[mouseketeerwannabe]

Since you know that you will be spending a lot of time at the resort, this would be the perfect trip to experience a deluxe resort. You won't regret it! At WL, I love just hanging out in the lobby soaking up the atmosphere and people watching. I also enjoy walking around the courtyard, watching and listening to the waterfall. The rooms are a comfortable size with queen sized beds instead of the full sized ones in the value and moderate resorts. Refrigerators are also included free of charge in the deluxe resorts. If budget is not an issue, I say splurge!

 

[Aimeedyan]

You'll be spending a lot of time at the resort this time and I think it would DEF be worth deluxe. I would be bored out of my mind if I was hanging at Pop that much time.

We'll never do value again. It was very much a cheap hotel room with paperthin walls. NOT relaxing at all, and we didn't get any sleep. Stayed at WL next trip and BOY what a difference! It's not worth saving money to have a "vacation" at value again. There is so much more to do at deluxe, location is so much better, rooms are better, quieter, just nicer.

If you were going commando parks all day long then I wouldn't say it's worth it if you think you'd be happy in a value. Lots of people like them. But since it's moreless a resort trip for your family, I'd def stay at a resort then a motel.

Good luck!

 

[BriarRosie]

I'm a DVC member who saves points by staying at Pop Century on the
weekends. I can assume that since you didn't like the outside-entry
rooms at CBR, you won't like them at Pop Century, either.

That doesn't bother me, so I am more than willing to stay there.
I also like that Pop Century only has one bus stop, rather than share
a route with other resorts or make stops within the same resort.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is the only other resort that has one dedicated
bus stop....and it's one of my favorite deluxe resorts. I also believe it's
a great resort to spend time away from the parks. Some find it too
dark in decor, but I wouldn't expect everyone to like it as much as I do.

The problem with resort preferences is that one person's favorite can
be another person's nightmare resort. YMMV.

And some of the long hallways in deluxe resorts DO seem to go on forever.

 

[jann1033]

i am basically cheap and don't ever stay at a delux hotel anywhere unless i get a good rate ( like**** on priceline for $60, then i'm happy as a clam) so i will no doubt never stay in a wdw deluxe if i am paying....it would mean they would have to literally pull the cc out of my grubby little hands and i'd cry all night....

that being said, we stayed at pop last year..it was ok, not bad,no noisier than VEro beach disney( less in fact since we had a fighting family by us there) basically like a smallish holiday inn room( ie hairdryer, safe, don't remember if they had an iron but think so,ect set up about the same, entertainment center With drawers,not armoire, might be a little smaller but h.inn vary too).the beds are more than 6" from the door so maybe they are bigger than allstars ( never stayed there). we( 2 adults) spend next to no time in room so it was fine for me. however since you are already debating and planning on staying a lot there ( no offense but that is something i never understand...i don't want to leave the parks to go to a hotel no matter how nice. if i was going just to go to a pool or something i'd just go to a local nice hotel but that's me)..

i'd say if you can afford it, go mod or deluxe cause i don't think you'll be happy at Pop. it's cute, don't think there isthat much more to do any place else ( like i said i don't like just sitting around hotel's pools) and we barely had time to walk around the resort anyway .it had an inside and outside bar, a lake you could walk by but it is not luxurious by any means.

disney is so spread out now you are going to be far from something no matter where you stay...i thought pop was pretty central actually so imo the distance factor doesn't really hold up unless you plan on spending all your time at one park.

 

[Castillo Mom]

If it's in the budget, I say try a deluxe. We loved the Beach Club so much, we're making sure that on our next trip, we have more down time in order to have a couple of resort-only days. There's a lot more to do than just lounge by the pool depending on which deluxe you stay at. Some of the them have water activities, etc.

 

[minnie61650]

You'll be spending a lot of time at the resort this time and I think it would DEF be worth deluxe. I would be bored out of my mind if I was hanging at Pop that much time.

We'll never do value again. It was very much a cheap hotel room with paperthin walls POP . NOT relaxing at all, and we didn't get any sleep. Stayed at WL next trip and BOY what a difference! It's not worth saving money to have a "vacation" at value again. There is so much more to do at deluxe, location is so much better, rooms are better, quieter, just nicer.

If you were going commando parks all day long then I wouldn't say it's worth it if you think you'd be happy in a value. Lots of people like them. But since it's moreless a resort trip for your family, I'd def stay at a resort then a motel.

Good luck!

BTW the bed is not 6" from the door at ALL STARS or POP for that matter.
It is more like a coulpe of feet.
I know that because I use a ECV and have plenty of room to get it in the door.(My room does have 2 double beds. So it is a standard room.)
The ALL STARS and POP have the same basic layout of their rooms.

However,I have heard a lot about parper thin wall at the POP. I have not stayed at POP because the bus rides are longer from POP to the parks than from All Stars to the parks.
I have never had a problem with thin walls at the All Stars. Maybe because they are older and they were built a little more soild.

Also I have never viewed the All Stars as cheap hotel rooms.
I like the ALL STARS much better than CBR and althought the towers at the Contemporary had nice rooms. The halls were very noisy!
I HATE noisy halls!
Linda

 

[Hincher]

We upgraded from WL to Contemporary because we like the convenience of the monorail. It was worth it to us. Being on the monorail is part of our vacation. The kids expect it.

 

[amyhwang]

It's all in your attitude! You can stay anywhere (clean and safe, relatively quiet) and have a great time if you want! The year before my DH and I got married, we went to WDW (his first vacation in his life, I kid you not). We had been given our admission tix free, used airline miles for one of our airplane tix, and stayed at a residence inn offsite for $59/night for a week. We rented a car for $79 for the week. Ate almost all meals offsite (except counter service) and had a great vacation. Plus is was August and stormed every afternoon - we looked at that as an opportunity to go back to the motel and cool off, or wait it out at the park and enjoy the fact that everyone else left! Now that we can afford it, we always stay at deluxes, so we'd never go back to the budget trip again, but I remember that trip as such fun. If a Disney value resort was around 13 years ago, we would have loved that also. Don't feel pressured to spend too much now - whatever you choose will probably be fun. Just don't expect a lot of space at a value - I think the rooms are about 40% smaller than some deluxes.

 

[goofydad621]

Hi

We have stayed at the moderates, the Deluxe 9 nights at the Poly and next month my wife and I are going to stay at Pop Century. First tiem for us at a value but we are looking forward to it. For just three nights and a quick budget trip it should do fine.

If the budget allowed I would NEVER hesitate to stay at a deluxe. I am sold on the Poly and would stay there again in a heart beat if we could afford it.
The level of service and comfort for us anyway is not comparable to anything else.

JMOHO Dave

 

[rcraw45425]

Have never stayed in a value but we were at POFQ last month and I noticed quite a difference between it and the deluxes we normally stay at. Room was smaller, no room to move between potty/shower area and sinks (there were two, however and a curtain to pull to close you off from the bedroom), outside corridors, smaller pool, smaller lobby area, no sit down dining options, numerous bus stops (shared with POR) we just felt more isolated han at the deluxes. Next trip (Oct., Halloween Party) we're back on the monorail at the CR.