is there a kind of unspoken snobbery between resorts?

[DisneyDorx]

JMHO, I don't think asking where you are staying should be asked... It can easily be misconstrued and may make the person staying in a less expensive resort feel a bit uncomfortable...


DON"T ASK, DON'T TELL..


CM's, find a different question to ask like....are you having a magical day maybe or can I buy you a Pinata?

 

[Bob NC]

This thread has me thinking. As far as prestige goes, I would order them in the following order. Sorry if I missed any!

1. GF
2. Poly
3. YC / BC / BWV (tied)
4. BLT
5. CR
6. WL
7. Treehouse Villas
8. SSR
9. OKW
7. POR / POFQ (tied)
8. CSR
9. CBR
10. Art of Animation
11. POP
12.All Stars

If everyone agrees that resort snobbery is not a good thing, then why are we so concerned with a "prestige" ranking list?

I know when our family chooses a resort 'prestige' isn't on the pro or con list. Is it for anyone else? LOL, I guess it must be.

 

[married2mm]

If everyone agrees that resort snobbery is not a good thing, then why are we so concerned with a "prestige" ranking list?

I know when our family chooses a resort 'prestige' isn't on the pro or con list. Is it for anyone else? LOL, I guess it must be.

I guess we're all different.
We definitely do not choose our resort by prestige.
According to that particular list,we're very low ranking,and I don't care!

 

[MyMagicKingdom]

Fun is where you make it. For me, I want the full Disney experience and I plan to stay at all of them because it's a new adventure every time.

Always staying in one place because you pass judgement on a resort you have never stayed only cheats you out of a new experience.

Agreed...my dream is to stay in every resort in all of the Dis parks around the world. Well, I guess I should start small and dream at all the resorts in just WDW first.

I think people can be snobs at all levels. My absolute favorite resort is the GF, but I met one woman who looked down her nose at me because I was staying GF and she was at the WL when it was brand new, so obviously her resort was better. Sometimes DVC owners will make a point of mentioning the perks they get or all the extra space they have. I have also met "value snobs" who are all too eager to tell me how foolish I am to be spending all that money to stay deluxe when I could stay longer if I stayed at a value.(I can't stay longer. DH isn't allowed to take more than a week off at once.) Then, there are the people who say the GF is "stuffy" and the guests are "snobby." So, I think people are just eager to validate their own choices---sometimes at the expense of others. As for CMs, I've never heard of them judging where you stay, though sometimes I've heard them say a certain resort or restaurant us their favorite.

This is well said. Unfortunately there are people that need to find themselves superior no matter what it takes. When we stayed at AKL last year a family gave us a crazy snob look just because they were getting off at kidani and we were staying at jambo. Seriously? To each his own I guess...

 

[mefordis]

If everyone agrees that resort snobbery is not a good thing, then why are we so concerned with a "prestige" ranking list?

I know when our family chooses a resort 'prestige' isn't on the pro or con list. Is it for anyone else? LOL, I guess it must be.

The list is just how I feel they are perceived in general. Just my opinion. I don't stay at GF - I am staying at BLT 1 bedroom because I want the location and extra space. So I don't use perceived prestige to drive my choices. I don't think many people do.

 

[DisneyDorx]

Just get yourself to Disney and don't worry about 'keepin' up with the Jones'."

Worry about 'keepin' up with your kids..." That's what matters...

 

[tinkermommyof3]

If everyone agrees that resort snobbery is not a good thing, then why are we so concerned with a "prestige" ranking list?

I know when our family chooses a resort 'prestige' isn't on the pro or con list. Is it for anyone else? LOL, I guess it must be.

OMG. No! We are a family of 5--2 adults, 3 children disney adults. We choose based on space, comfort, theme and what we can afford. If it turns out that it is what some consider a "prestigious" resort, it is what it is--not our criteria.

 

[Lady V]

I know for a fact that the CM's internal code for value resorts is "the projects".

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Speaking as a cast member I can say I have NEVER heard that term. Heck--a lot of the cast members I know can't afford the values and they would be thrilled to be able to take their kids to any resort.

Also-we have stayed at all the values, one mod, and all the DVC's on property. I like them all for different reasons! While I love the amenities at the DVC's, I feel EMMERSED in the magic at the values! Our very first family visit was to ASMovies and it was wonderful! I think it just depends on what you are wanting, and can afford, at the time. Honestly, any day, at ANY Disney resort is better than a day anywhere else!

On a different note--while working at Epcot if I had a guest and we had time waiting on things or filling out shipping slips I would talk to them about their resort. I can assure you I always gave the same enthusiasm no matter where they were staying! What is ironic though ---when I would tell guests that I owned my DVC points at the same place they would look at me in shock---as in--surely she can't own DVC? She works here! Sometimes they were nice but for the most part they seemed like they didn't believe me. So just remember that guests can be equally hurtful to the CM's during transactions.

Got a funny story though about that last comment: during my last trip down a couple months ago I was working at Epcot and met a really cool couple. You should have seen their faces when we ended up seated next to each other at Boma and they asked if I was working? I said no-I'm staying here and wanted to grab dinner! It was as if two worlds collided in their eyes!

 

[YankeePrincess]

I have never understood why people think the GF is so much more "grand" than the other deluxe resorts. I stayed there and while the grounds were gorgeous, I wasn't impressed by the rooms. I think all of the other deluxe resorts rank up there too. The only difference is in the theme and what your tastes are.

 

[mommyrosa2]

JMHO, I don't think asking where you are staying should be asked... It can easily be misconstrued and may make the person staying in a less expensive resort feel a bit uncomfortable...


DON"T ASK, DON'T TELL..


CM's, find a different question to ask like....are you having a magical day maybe or can I buy you a Pinata?

I agree here and would never ask someone where they were staying, partly because for one, I would never think to do so and secondly, because I really wouldn't care to. But I can tell you that a couple of years back we were on the receiving end of that exact question "where were we staying?" while waiting in a line for a ride. When my husband said the BC, I caught the wife rolling her eyes. I seriouslly had to bite my tongue because I so badly wanted to ask her what her deal was! I think that was really my first and only encounter & honestly I "almost" felt like I needed to explain myself. As for CM's, we've never encountered anything like that, and yes, we've stayed in every category.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

I've stayed at all levels and have enjoyed them all. I will ask people where they stay as I love to hear about resorts I may not have been but would enjoy. I would never be snobby about any place I stayed or someone else.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[katieam1]

I know when our family chooses a resort 'prestige' isn't on the pro or con list. Is it for anyone else? LOL, I guess it must be.

Our family also does not choose our resorts via prestige. We are DVC so we go with either our home resorts or what is available but if we are paying cash I have to say we just decide where would be the best fit for our needs of the trip. Where will we be going to most or how much we want to spend since it is not a points trip and generally either Pop wins or we go with PORFQ because we just found we enjoy those places most. I would love to try AOA at some point too because we walked through it and it looks amazing. I love my points stays and we love our cash stays to us we are in Walt Disney World and love every minute of it. I have to say though I think the people that would be snobby at Disney or care where someone is staying would probably just be snobby outside of the Disney universe as well it is just people. People judge people and think they are better no matter where you are in life. I personally could not careless what others have or do not have as long as my life if how I want it and it does not effect me personally then I do not care but like life other people have to feel better so I think you will find that everywhere.

 

[katieam1]

I've stayed at all levels and have enjoyed them all. I will ask people where they stay as I love to hear about resorts I may not have been but would enjoy. I would never be snobby about any place I stayed or someone else.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

I also have asked people that question before so I sure hope they did not take it negatively. We usually try to strike up a conversation about that specific resort and what we like about it or if we have not stayed there ask questions about it and say we would will have to try it. I also like to ask about the food or tell what I liked there so we can continue the conversation to not just leave it at what resort are you at then stare at each other while on the monorail or in the baby care center or anywhere we are. We even talk to people at restaurants too but I am probably going to be careful how I ask or answer to make sure people do not get offended.

 

[timp718]

We stay at DVC, mod and value; I can say that the CM's have been "professional" at all the resorts. Haven't experienced staying at the deluxes, but dining and shopping there they seem just like the others.

 

[maxiesmom]

JMHO, I don't think asking where you are staying should be asked... It can easily be misconstrued and may make the person staying in a less expensive resort feel a bit uncomfortable...


DON"T ASK, DON'T TELL..


CM's, find a different question to ask like....are you having a magical day maybe or can I buy you a Pinata?

I find that all very silly, and way to Politically Correct nonsensical. What next, don't ask if someone is enjoying their vacation because you never know if they have had a recent family tragedy? If someone is offended by a CM asking where they are staying, then I think they already feel inferior for some reason because of their resort choice. Which is beyond silly.

The CM may ask you where you are staying at because they want to chat with you. You know, part of that magical Disney service is to do more than check you out and hand you your money. Or they may want to offer up tips or advice on your resort.

 

[OnlyDisney]

....Deluxe resorts have people in there who saved for years and will never see anything so amazing in their life and don't understand triple sheets on the bed....

I'm one of those people. What's with the triple sheets on the bed?

It seems a lot of posters are just telling stories how you shouldn't be snobby because the person you are judging could actually be rich or a customer paying a lot of money.

What if the person you are judging really can only afford to stay at All Star, or heaven forbid, off property? Then is it okay to judge them?

Thank you for putting this out there!

This thread has me thinking. As far as prestige goes, I would order them in the following order. Sorry if I missed any!

1. GF
2. Poly
3. YC / BC / BWV (tied)
4. BLT
5. CR
6. WL
7. Treehouse Villas
8. SSR
9. OKW
7. POR / POFQ (tied)
8. CSR
9. CBR
10. Art of Animation
11. POP
12.All Stars

We'll be staying at the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds....I guess we don't even rate....

 

[bluwater]

People stay at different resorts for many reasons. I travel a great deal on business - It is common for me to spend at least one night a week in a hotel room - and I always stay someplace nice. When you sleep in that many hotel beds you can pick resorts apart very quickly and, dare I say, you are also "over" a good deal of the hype.

We have been annual Disney guests for the last 11 years - sometimes visiting twice a year. I've stayed at values, mods and dx resorts. My daughter, when she was younger, only wanted to stay at All Star. She loved to pool and the activities and, although the mods and dx resorts may have had "nicer" pools, she liked what she liked....so, guess what....we stayed there. Then on one Poly visit she was under the pool water and heard the music - and suddenly THAT was the best resort - so, we started staying there.

A little older and we stayed at CSR - and she tried the slide - and was hooked. THAT was the best resort - so we stayed there a couple of times (she still says that's her favorite - she's now 15).

Then, when she was 13, she brought a friend over Easter week and we stayed at GF....and they were allowed to take the boat back and forth to MK on their own----and what happened? Oh Em Gee - THAT is the best! Can we go back there (with more friends!)?

On our last stay we were at Beach Club and it was completely unmemorable for her - I keep reminding her about that one...and the great pool...and for the life of her, she can't remember that stay.

Really, when it comes to Disney, I always let my daughter select (within reason). So, if you saw us at ASM, you shouldn't assume that we couldn't afford to be at GF...we just didn't want to.

I was perfectly happy at ASM. I just didnt like the walk to the bus. For me, the real draw of DX resorts is the ease of transportation.

And we're coming back in June and staying off-site. Would saying "we're stayng off site" get me a sympathetic nod? Well, we're staying at the Waldorf Astoria. I've now got enough Hilton HHonors points to make me an elite traveler and am eligible for upgrades to suites, executive levels and free meals. Also, earning the points during Hilton's current promo is important to me as I am planning another vacation for late summer.

So, all of this to say...don't judge a book by it's resort level. If they aren't doing my laundry, laying out my robe and slippers at turndown, transporting me in the resort Towncar or Benz, offering me champagne when I check in and offering me a lemon scented iced towel and chilled spritz at the pool as I sit on the chaise they've prepared for me, then it isn't THAT deluxe anyway. For every DX Disney guest, there are many travelers who think you're staying in a sub-par room for which you have grossly overpaid....so don't look down on the mod or value guests unless you are prepared to be looked down on.

 

[TeddiBarra]

I myself have never ran into snobbery but my sister did in 2007 when she and her husband stayed with us at FW in my RV. She was wearing a FW t-shirt one day. Some woman in one of the lines made a comment that it must be hard to only afford a camping vacation at Disney and not be able to get a room at a real resort. She looked at the woman and said " I am staying in a motor home and do you have any idea how much one of those things cost, I could stay at the Grand Floridian in the best suite for a month for less that the cost of the RV I am staying in"

WOW. That's amazingly dumb to say!!!

You know some of those motorcoaches are huge and so expensive I will not be able to afford renting them let alone probably ever own. We stayed at the Cabins at Ft Wilderness (which btw actually cost the same as the less expensive deluxe resort rooms) and we did the wagon ride, and the driver pointed out some of the "RV's" there were the top of the line and one was for sale for $3 MILLION.

Some people....

 

[toodycat]

People stay at different resorts for many reasons. I travel a great deal on business - It is common for me to spend at least one night a week in a hotel room - and I always stay someplace nice. When you sleep in that many hotel beds you can pick resorts apart very quickly and, dare I say, you are also "over" a good deal of the hype.

We have been annual Disney guests for the last 11 years - sometimes visiting twice a year. I've stayed at values, mods and dx resorts. My daughter, when she was younger, only wanted to stay at All Star. She loved to pool and the activities and, although the mods and dx resorts may have had "nicer" pools, she liked what she liked....so, guess what....we stayed there. Then on one Poly visit she was under the pool water and heard the music - and suddenly THAT was the best resort - so, we started staying there.

A little older and we stayed at CSR - and she tried the slide - and was hooked. THAT was the best resort - so we stayed there a couple of times (she still says that's her favorite - she's now 15).

Then, when she was 13, she brought a friend over Easter week and we stayed at GF....and they were allowed to take the boat back and forth to MK on their own----and what happened? Oh Em Gee - THAT is the best! Can we go back there (with more friends!)?

On our last stay we were at Beach Club and it was completely unmemorable for her - I keep reminding her about that one...and the great pool...and for the life of her, she can't remember that stay.

Really, when it comes to Disney, I always let my daughter select (within reason). So, if you saw us at ASM, you shouldn't assume that we couldn't afford to be at GF...we just didn't want to.

I was perfectly happy at ASM. I just didnt like the walk to the bus. For me, the real draw of DX resorts is the ease of transportation.

And we're coming back in June and staying off-site. Would saying "we're stayng off site" get me a sympathetic nod? Well, we're staying at the Waldorf Astoria. I've now got enough Hilton HHonors points to make me an elite traveler and am eligible for upgrades to suites, executive levels and free meals. Also, earning the points during Hilton's current promo is important to me as I am planning another vacation for late summer.

So, all of this to say...don't judge a book by it's resort level. If they aren't doing my laundry, laying out my robe and slippers at turndown, transporting me in the resort Towncar or Benz, offering me champagne when I check in and offering me a lemon scented iced towel and chilled spritz at the pool as I sit on the chaise they've prepared for me, then it isn't THAT deluxe anyway. For every DX Disney guest, there are many travelers who think you're staying in a sub-par room for which you have grossly overpaid....so don't look down on the mod or value guests unless you are prepared to be looked down on.

You've definitely got a point there. We love the GF, but it is not up to the standards of a Ritz Carlton, for example. Actually, we stayed at the Hotel Del Coronado last summer which is one of the architectural inspirations for the GF. There's a woman by the pool there whose job is to go from lounge to lounge to wipe down your sunglasses. I am not actually sure this level of attention is even necessary, but that super high-end pampering you describe is not available at any WDW deluxe. When you pay high prices at Disney, it's just about mouse appeal.

 

[EagleScout]

Indeed, as others have posted, while it is true that some people may be "factually" wrong when they judge others based on which resort they attend (i.e., falsely presume a certain income level), it is always morally wrong to judge in such ways - whether to "look down" on poor (and none of Disney fanatics are likely truly "poor" if routinely spending even 2-3k for annual Disney vacations, and certainly those fortunate to do a flying/deluxe resort vaca, which likely getting into 5-10k territory for weeklong stay), but more importantly, or to "look down" on those spendthrift rich people (although even I sometimes get a bit self-conscious staying deluxe, etc.)

Part of the amazing thing about WDW is you can really appreciate the vast and varied nature of our country (and even our world- from the international guests). And most are on relatively best behavior - so can learn about different parts of country, etc., at least on a superficial "make conversation" level, without the baggage of political debates, etc. If somebody truly did not like to associate with "lesser" citizens, then they are literally foolish for picking a place like Disney. Part of my favorite experience at Disney is finding people in lines with clearly different regional accents and just start talking- they may only indulge me b/c they assume I am "crazy."