Is Deluxe worth it?

[NJMomma]

I am planning our next trip to WDW and pondering this question. We can swing a deluxe for the first time; we have stayed at mods before (CSR and Ft Wilderness cabin) and a value (pop). I am looking for a place with a food court for us to have b'fast at, and a decent pool with a slide. We tend to spend most of our time out of the room, and I wonder are the deluxes so terrific, so awesome, so much better? Never having stayed at one, I don't know. I am tempted by the ease of a monorail hotel, but feel its a bit wasteful to spend so much for a room that most of time there will be with my eyes closed! I don't mind the buses to a degree, but had long waits at Pop that we don't wish to repeat. CSR buses were fine except for the dreaded resort to resort hop. Any input is most welcome

 

[Sparrow624]

Based on your criteria...No, I would not do it.

Now, to me, the Deluxe's are very worth it, but that is because we enjoy spending quite a bit of time around the hotels, enjoy being able to jump on the monorail or walk to a park, and enjoy the theming.

Most Deluxe's (I have not been in all) do NOT have a food court (they have a quick service area) but primarily have sit down lunches/dinner's. The quick service area's are usually smaller and have a few tables/outdoor eating area. Most people bring breakfast back to their rooms.

If you do not spend very much time in your room or at the hotel itself, I would not waste the extra money on a Deluxe.

 

[Mousemommy1]

I am planning our next trip to WDW and pondering this question. We can swing a deluxe for the first time; we have stayed at mods before (CSR and Ft Wilderness cabin) and a value (pop). I am looking for a place with a food court for us to have b'fast at, and a decent pool with a slide. We tend to spend most of our time out of the room, and I wonder are the deluxes so terrific, so awesome, so much better? Never having stayed at one, I don't know. I am tempted by the ease of a monorail hotel, but feel its a bit wasteful to spend so much for a room that most of time there will be with my eyes closed! I don't mind the buses to a degree, but had long waits at Pop that we don't wish to repeat. CSR buses were fine except for the dreaded resort to resort hop. Any input is most welcome

IMHO, you won't know until you try!

We had been a family that stayed (mostly) values and had great stays at all of them. We also stayed at CBR and were not very thrilled with it.

This year, with the help of the 40% military discount, we decided to splurge and stay deluxe. We chose the WL (and club level), and although I was extremely worried that we were spending so much money and that I would come away thinking it wasn't "worth it", I can absolutely say that for our family IT WAS WORTH IT!!!

We had an amazing trip, that was just soooo different from our prior trips. Not that the value trips were bad, because they weren't, but we found that there was really nothing drawing us to stay at the resorts when we stayed value, so we were constantly go-go-go, and often felt that we needed a vacation from our vacation.

At the WL, we actually spent 2 of our 11 days just hanging around at the resort, and our kids loved it!!! We loved the location of the WL and the alternative transportation options.

We loved our deluxe experience so much that we are doing it again next year, except we are doing a split stay between YC and Poly CL!!! I have to say that it will be hard going back to a value or moderate but we would do it if finances dictated.

I think you should give it a shot!

 

[JKMJ441724]

How many are in your party?


We've rented DVC points and in off-peak times, we can stay in a deluxe studio for little more than we can stay at POP.




For example - POP Century for May 11, 2013 checking out on May 18, 2013 according to Disney Website is $1,009.00


You could rent 123 points and stay at AKV in a Savannah view room for those same nights. If you paid $10 per point that is $1,230.00 and you've gone up TWO categories. If you booked this room online through disney it would be $3,268.00

 

[NJMomma]

How many are in your party?

.

4- me, hubby, 14 yr old son (who is bigger than me) and will be 10 yr old daughter. We are planning for April or May, still working that part out exactly. We will be staying for 5 days, spending 2 at a Universal resort prior. Also to clarify, a quick service b'fast would be ok, just not a sit down restaurant -that takes too long! Thanks again everyone

 

[tinkermommyof3]

I am planning our next trip to WDW and pondering this question. We can swing a deluxe for the first time; we have stayed at mods before (CSR and Ft Wilderness cabin) and a value (pop). I am looking for a place with a food court for us to have b'fast at, and a decent pool with a slide. We tend to spend most of our time out of the room, and I wonder are the deluxes so terrific, so awesome, so much better? Never having stayed at one, I don't know. I am tempted by the ease of a monorail hotel, but feel its a bit wasteful to spend so much for a room that most of time there will be with my eyes closed! I don't mind the buses to a degree, but had long waits at Pop that we don't wish to repeat. CSR buses were fine except for the dreaded resort to resort hop. Any input is most welcome

First, since you mention the food court, check out the menus at the Deluxe Resort QS locations on Allears.net to narrow down what is most (or least appealing). All of the Deluxes have slides (as do the moderates). They all have decent pools. Some are more highly rated than others. But, if you look at some photos you will get an idea of what theme you like the best. Even if you don't spend a ton of time at the resort, you should find that when you are staying at the Deluxe resort you will probably spend more time than at other resorts. For example, my children love to build sand castles on the resort beach. It is a definite price jump. The rooms are bigger which is nice (if that matters to you). The resorts are less crowded and more peaceful. IMO. But, you can have a great time at any level of resort. Do what makes you feel most comfortable.

 

[AliceIn]

You'll get a lot of answers, but I think the common thread will be what it is you are looking for out of your vacation. The deluxe can definitely be worth it if you believe that you will make use of the amenities and if the room will comfortably fit your family and lifestyle. It's not about the money for us at the moment.

We are a family of 5 so space and privacy is an issue. The deluxe hotels would mean all of us sharing a single sleeping space and a single bathroom. That's a deal breaker right now. We absolutely loved the AoA family suites due to the separate bedroom and the second bathroom. None of the mods offer anything close to the space there unless you book two rooms. Since connecting rooms are not guaranteed, we would not book that option.

My kids are 7, 8, and 11, so my husband and I would most likely not be able to get away much to enjoy the deluxe amenities like hot tubs, spa, romantic dinners, etc. We don't care about whether or not the pool has a slide -- our community center at home has both indoor/outdoor pools with tube slides, zip line, lazy river, etc. We will go to the waterparks for the special stuff there. The pool at the resort is just a place to chill out and cool off for us.

I think in a few years when the kids are old enough to be on their own for a few hours or go off and do their own thing, we'll definitely be looking at deluxe. I've stayed at the CR a few times and loved it. I just know that right now it's really not worth it to us.

There's really no right or wrong answer -- everybody has a different idea on what is a good use of a dollar.

 

[AJA]

If you aren't going to spend a lot of time at the hotel then for me the answer lies in how much location means to you. For our family, paying the extra for deluxe would not be worth it unless we were on the monorail or Epcot area. The ease of walking into/from our favorite park instead of relying exclusively on the bus really adds to our whole vacation experience.

For example in May we spent 3 nights at AKL and loved it, but, we did not have park tickets. We wanted to enjoy the hotel and the "other" things to do at Disney that we never seem to take time for when we are visiting the parks. I wouldn't pay the price for AKL (savanna view) again if we were simply using it as a "place to crash for the evening".

Even though we have our DVC at Beach Club we love POFQ and are perfectly happy there if need be.

 

[eliza61]

We love the deluxes but since we go in August when it's nuclear hot outside, we tend to spend the hot midday at our resort. Unfortunately "worth" is so subjective. Here are the things we enjoy

1) proximity to parks. simply can't beat walking to Epcot or a short monorail ride to MK.
2) No food court. LOL. sorry I loathe, hate and despise food courts. Loud, noisy and crowded. reminds me too much of my local mall.
3) great pools
4) not having a door leading to outside.
5) larger rooms. I have three males in my family (dh, 2 sons) all over 6ft tall. values were simply too small for us. after day 2, I need the space.
6) theme. I know folks like the value because they are really "disney-esque" but my family actually perfers the opposite. We have no desire to see 20 ft tall dalmations or bowling pins.

Do a list for yourself. that should narrow it down

 

[LauraLouLovesPooh]

Deluxe would not be worth it to us just because we don't even utilize the pool at our resort, we usually stay at Pop and take advantage of free dining. From our experiences at Deluxe resorts the bus system is not as fast as we had anticipated. Because Pop has so many people taking advantage of the bus system they ALWAYS accommodate for that and you never wait long for a bus (although you may stand once you get on one). Hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[tinkermommyof3]

Deluxe would not be worth it to us just because we don't even utilize the pool at our resort, we usually stay at Pop and take advantage of free dining. From our experiences at Deluxe resorts the bus system is not as fast as we had anticipated. Because Pop has so many people taking advantage of the bus system they ALWAYS accommodate for that and you never wait long for a bus (although you may stand once you get on one). Hope you enjoy your trip!

Although I love my Deluxe resorts (especially Poly), I agree about how many more POP buses passed before our bus showed up at several locations we were waiting. It was sometimes five to one. Seems pretty efficient to me.

 

[spiceycat]

I don't mind the buses to a degree, but had long waits at Pop that we don't wish to repeat. CSR buses were fine except for the dreaded resort to resort hop. fi Any input is most welcome

sorry Pop did not work for you - most of the time their buses are the best.
so might suggest trying Pop again - or go to All star movies.
deluxes are generally not worth it for guests who only are there for the parks.

now there is not a slide at any of the values - so - sorry you are talking about a moderate - might go with PO either POR or POFQ - now there slide is not as great as CSR. but love their food courts even more than CSR.

the one thing that make it worth for you is walking to your favorite park - you can walk to MK (from cr/blt), bc & bw Epcot and studios. or take a boat to EPcot and studios from bc & bw.

you also might do what pp say and go with a dvc resort rented from a DVC member - but that takes trust - and can understand why some people have a problem with that. you also don't have control of your reservation the member does - but you don't - until you arrive at the resort. also canceling can be a problem some members don't allow any cancelling (why changing can be done if available) - while others do. so you can try David - he rents points to others as a middle man - so would think you might be saver with him.

now the resort hop might be easier from a deluxe resort - if you are going to others in the same area - MK resorts (cr/blt, polyn, gf) use the monorail and a boat to WL (from CR only) to go from resort to resort.

epcot resorts - BW, BC, YC, D&S - generally walk around but you can do the boat for fun - just kept in mind that you will also go to the park (either studios or epcot) sometimes before you get to the resort you wanted to visit.

so which resorts are you planning on hopping to? is DD included - then you might consider OKW, ssr or PO (all have boats and buses) SSR and OKW can also walk to DD.

forgot all deluxe resorts share a bus - BLT/CR shares with Polyn and GF to both Studios and DD - and boy that bus drive is LONG - mainly because of GF - you have to backtrack alot to get to this resort from the others. MK resorts share to DD, Studios (DHS) and AK.

bw, d and s always share - so do both bc and yc - but at times (non-demand times) they will all share. they share to MK, AK and DD.

 

[john64]

We did Boardwalk in 2011 and did Coronado 3 times prior. Loved the location of Boardwalk but loved Coronado. This time we are doing Beach Club because of the location and the pool for the kids. BTW, renting points as earlier mentioned will save a ton. 8 nights at Beach Club in April is costing us $1850.

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

I might recommend one of the less expensive deluxe resorts for a first stay.

I think the Animal Kingdom Lodge is an absolutely unique resort experience - and in my mind totally worth it. If the theme at all appeals to you and your family it is an extraordinary resort experience - not just a room.

The Wilderness Lodge would give your family ease of transport the MK area - I love the boat to the MK - plus it is also a very beautiful resort.

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

If I were you, I would try it, if you can afford it. This will allow you to be able to make better informed decisions for future trips. I agree-a less expensive deluxe may be the best choice. Because you're going to get tons of opinions about why you should/shouldn't do it, and really, that's only something you can decide.

If you're asking my personal opinion, the Epcot area hotels have greater "ease" as you can walk directly to EP/HS, and not have to wait at all for buses/monorails. That said, MK is not my favorite park.

I say you should try it to see how it is for you/your family. If it doesn't work out, next trip you'll be even more confident in the money you will save. If it does, it will likely be an experience to remember.

 

[3pletprincesses]

To us no and base on what you wrote, I think you will be fine with Value. We stayed at Animal Kingdon Lodge for the first time one night this past trip and although I loved it and would spend the money again for a day, I wouldn't spend the money to stay there if I was going to the park.

 

[Jetta8300]

I am planning our next trip to WDW and pondering this question. We can swing a deluxe for the first time; we have stayed at mods before (CSR and Ft Wilderness cabin) and a value (pop). I am looking for a place with a food court for us to have b'fast at, and a decent pool with a slide. We tend to spend most of our time out of the room, and I wonder are the deluxes so terrific, so awesome, so much better? Never having stayed at one, I don't know. I am tempted by the ease of a monorail hotel, but feel its a bit wasteful to spend so much for a room that most of time there will be with my eyes closed! I don't mind the buses to a degree, but had long waits at Pop that we don't wish to repeat. CSR buses were fine except for the dreaded resort to resort hop. Any input is most welcome

If I were you, I would try the deluxe once since you are able and see if it's worth it! We personally have stayed at the Contemporary, and Coronado Springs, and actually liked CSR better. We do not think the deluxes are worth the money. We don't spend much time at the resort, and we also have a car with us and don't worry about busses.

My husband and I both spend a lot of time in hotel rooms for both of our jobs, and to us, as long as its nice, a hotel is a hotel, and we spend our time everywhere else. mWe loved the feel of a LARGE resort like CSR, it feels more like a vacation to us, so this next time we are trying POR! We would not prefer a value due to the double bed situation, but never say never!

We were not at all impressed with the quick service food choices at the CR, and all other deluxes we have visited. They all have touch screens with a very limited menu, or a sit down restaurant (s). We Like the CSR food court much better, or just grabbing something to go quickly from Cafe Rix.

 

[pepe of ohio]

I say go for it... Try it you might just like it...


We're deluxe people, we feel we're worth the splurge once or twice a year... We do spend a lot of time at the resort.. Our stays are 9-12 nights, we get plenty of park time in and enjoy the resort the majority of the trip! We don't waste outport on the big ticketed resorts but prefer the MK area the most do WL appeals the most to us, deluxe without the huge price, about the same rate as AKL but not out in no man land ...

 

[Dizzytime]

Man, it's such an individual thing. Our first trip Jan 2000 we still had the two (getting older) kids and stayed at the Disney Institute Bungalows, took the bus everywhere, didn't know any better, and loved every minute of it.

Since then no kids, and after seeing the Epoct resorts we've stayed at BC ever since for one reason only: location. Since we love WS, the ability to walk there, BW, even S&D for a few minutes... any time we want!... is the only thing that makes the price worthwhile. Oh, and catching the easy and fun boat ride to HS, well, it makes it like topping on the cake.

Yep, Beach Club is a beautiful resort for sure but we stay there for the location. I've said this before, but the best way to explain it is that if Disney replaced the BC with a moderate, or value..All Star-whatever, even a Motel 6...hey for a third the price we'd not only come without hesitation, we'd come more often.


Regardless of what you choose I know you'll have magical time!

 

[NJMomma]

Thanks everyone! I think we are going to go for it and try BC After all, you only live once!