"Just a place to sleep"....?

[pigletto]

It is a huge part of the experience for me. It's why I get such a thrill out of planning as well. I don't need it to be super fancy. To be honest we've had just as much fun at the Mods as the Poly. But the atmosphere is what draws me in.
That is likely why I am not a fan of the values. To me that atmosphere is busier, nosier and louder at the mods. I really enjoy the lush landscaping of AB at POR, or the quiet of the hammocks at CSR.
This upcoming trip I am excited for the quiet of OKW, and the fun and excitement of the Boarwalk.

All of the resorts offer something different and exciting on some level. I would say it's easily 50% of the enjoyment of our vacation

 

[Scarlett81]

NO WAY!
Not for us anyway. If I'm going to take 2 little ones and all their stuff plus my stuff on an airplane for the 1 or 2 wks vaca we have each year, I want to relax at a resort too. We view it as the whole Disney experience. Plus, we love dining, my hubbys a real foodie so thats part of it for us.
For others, its only about the parks, which is great too, but if that were my only interest then staying onsite might not be worth it to me either.

I liken it to people that go to Disney and only do quick service/or prepackaged dining their whole trip and don't do a single character meal or sit down experience. I don't get it personally, but if thats their thing-go go go-hey go for it.

 

[tink20]

It really depends on the trip, if we are just talking about WDW resorts, then for me, its just a place to sleep, shower and rest. We have stayed at 2 moderates and 2 values. I was completely happy with the values, but when we go back DH said he doesn't want to stay at the values. The two times we stayed at the values, we had more than 4 people, and I just couldn't justify two rooms at a moderate. Sometimes the room difference is more than $1000.

Now, we went to Universal this summer, and the Portifino Bay Hotel, was wonderful, but I got it for what a WDW moderate would have cost.

 

[shalom]

I always say that it's not a vacation if it's in a hotel room, because we way prefer condos, however there are some non-DVC resorts I suspect I'd be okay with if it was just hubby and I, because they've got little nooks and crannies or other places to just hang out a bit. I don't like to hang out in most lobbies but little sitting areas or some bars or other public space that isn't so busy as a lobby are good.

At any rate, the only time it's "just a place to sleep" is on the way there or back; when it comes to vacation destinations, the resort is very important to me.

And I'm guessing you'd get a higher count on "just a room" if you posted this poll to the Orlando board. On second thought, maybe not. While I'm guessing it gets more "just a place to sleep" type traffic in terms of people just popping in to ask a question, a lot of the regulars there care very much about unit size and the amenities and all.

 

[Pakey]

We spend a lot of time at our resort; we are never in the parks for more than 6 hours in a day.

 

[Brian Noble]

I think people say that because most hotel rooms aren't good for much else---and that includes WDW's.

 

[tinacaplan]

Even for our four year old son, the resort is a huge part of the trip for us. We always go back in the afternoons to nap, go to the pool, etc.

 

[bookgirl]

Dude, where's the OTHER.


I feel both ways about it. I go with my parents and a family friend on gambling jaunts (they gamble, I don't) because the rooms are usually free. Then I want a decent hotel because I'm only good for about an hour of gambling and then I've got to have something to do. I don't really sunbathe but a decent pool is good, but I often end up doing the movie/book/nappin/spa thing so bad hotel means crappy vacation even for free.

When we are going somewhere, and there are tons of stuff that I want to go and do, then I don't really care about the hotel other than clean, good mattress, and non-criminal location.

So I vote OTHER. (not really I voted big part of the experience because depending on the trip I do use that to decide what kind of hotel I'm going to stay at, if that makes any sense)

 

[chrisw127]

I think for some people it really is just a place to sleep and I completely get that, but for me it's a big part of the experience. Also, it really depends on the trip. If I'm not going with my children, I don't mind a smaller room, but if I'm going with the husband and kids, I need more space and ideally, a kitchen and washer/dryer.

Plus, I have to admit that I've turned into quite a fan of theming. I used to think I didn't care, but I recently stayed in a resort that I disliked quite a bit and the theme was a huge part of it, so if I'm not happy with the theme, I'm probably going to like the room a lot less.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

The shortest trip we've taken has been about 9 days, so we enjoy our resort. That trip we did stay at the resort some, but mostly did the parks. Now, we (the kids included) like to take it easy and enjoy what our resort has to offer, so we like to make sure we are truely going to like where we are staying. No, it isn't just a place to sleep for us, we eat there, swim there, relax there, so it has to meet certain expectations.

We are currently booked for POR for this trip for 12 days and with the refurb now underway, we are a bit nervous about enjoying it. We've stayed at WL, CBR (several times and love it there), and POFQ. So, I'm a bit hesitant, but seem to be locked in there now, as rooms at other mods are a bit limited now. Oy vey!!! Hope all turns out well.........

 

[mickeystoontown]

Over the years, our trips to WDW have gone from 5 days to 11 days. Over time and with the addition of extra days, our resort choice has become more and more important. Back in the day when we stayed offsite and for a week or less, we really just used the room as a place to shower and sleep. Once we added extra days to accommodate our need for down time, our resort choice and stay became more important to us. We spend at least two days at the resort swimming, relaxing or renting bicycles or watercraft at the marina. It's essential to us that the resort meets those needs.

 

[Colleen27]

It depends on the trip. At the extremes, our last trip involved almost no waking time at the resort, just a couple hours of pool time on check in and out days. The resort was absolutely just a place to sleep - in a 6 night trip we fit in 6 park days, a spring training baseball game, and a 3am EMH close at MK. On the other hand, my DD's 6th birthday trip involved just 2 park days in 4 nights and we booked the Beach Club specifically because we knew in August the pool & resort would be a bigger part of the trip than the parks.

Our next trip is shaping up to be a bit of both - a split stay with no parks at all during the Beach Club part of the trip, and a faster pace with just one afternoon to enjoy the resort at the (as yet undecided) moderate resort part of the stay.

 

[wcpamotm]

I think people say that because most hotel rooms aren't good for much else---and that includes WDW's.

You may well be correct in your assessment. However, the poll reads "My hotel is" rather than "My room is" - and that distinction could make a big difference in the result of the poll!

 

[Belle83]

In past trips to WDW, it has been just a place to sleep. When we went in May, my SO's knee was acting up so we spent a lot more time at the hotel than I thought we would. It made me really appreciate having a nice hotel to relax at. Now we are considering staying at Wilderness Lodge during our next trip, which I never would have considered before because of the extra $$$.

 

[LittleMissMagic]

When it comes to Disney hotels, it's a big part of my vacation experience. It's one of the parts of the vacation I look forward to the most. I like trying new hotels, and I enjoy going back to my favorites. And I'm willing to pay more to get the experience I want. Some people think Disney deluxe hotels are priced too high for what they offer, but I prefer the Grand Floridian over a Ritz Carlton anyday! (And I don't just sleep there... I swim in the pool, walk the grounds, shop, eat, relax... it's more than a sleeping location.)

Now, there are some situations where "it's just a place to sleep."

If I'm going to a certain location because I have to for a convention or spending the night near an airport, I don't care so much. I won't stay at just any hotel, but it's not as big of a deal to me. Marriott, Hilton... whatever.

 

[tyniknate]

Let's see. Would I rather spend 5 days at the Grand Floridian or 12 days at the Pop? I'm going for the Pop. I want the most that my budget can accomodate and that means staying at a value and enjoying more days of magic.

 

[miralys]

Our vacations have a bad habit of being "go,go,go!", so yes, all we need is a place to sleep and shower. We recognize this. The few times we have stayed at an actual "resort" we felt bad about not getting our money's worth because we did not have time to relax and explore the grounds. If we ever stayed with other people, or stayed longer and had scheduled down time, we would feel differently.

 

[troynkasey]

It's soooooo a big part of our vacation. We don't hit the parks commando style (that is from open to close...not minus underwear) . We like to relax at the hotel, use the pool, walk the grounds, eat at the restaurant, etc. With that in mind, we want something that we get to and feel welcomed. If we wanted to stay at a hotel "just to sleep" then we'd stay at one of the off property resorts around Downtown Disney.

 

[sleeperclan]

I'm all about finding a great deal, BUT with that said, the resort is a big part of the experience! We did a quick stay Mother's Day weekend at the Dolphin and although it was a beautiful resort, it lacked the Disney feel. We absolutely love the themed resorts, especially AKL and are looking forward to staying Boardwalk DVC this fall! I do believe we are turning our 18yr son and 16yr daughter into resort snobs as they love deluxe and DVC

 

[troynkasey]

Let's see. Would I rather spend 5 days at the Grand Floridian or 12 days at the Pop? I'm going for the Pop. I want the most that my budget can accomodate and that means staying at a value and enjoying more days of magic.

To each is their own. This is why I love Disney. Your idea of magic is hitting the parks with say 12 days of staying at Pop and 12 days of hitting the parks. My idea is to maybe stay at POFQ for 8 days, hit the parks, spend a day at the pool and maybe hit DTD. We both walk away feeling "magical" and yet have two different experiences at the same place.

I would also avoid the GF. It seems too "stuffy". We're more WL or AKL people when it comes to deluxe.