Let's Discuss why you stay at Deluxe Resorts

[PlutoTheDog89]

Okay, let me start with a caveat. This is not meant to insult people who stay at Deluxe Resorts or question your choices. I'm actually intrigued and looking to have a conversation about them! All things considered, I would love to stay at the Grand Floridian or Y&B Club at least once. It's on my bucket list! My family could afford it, but it would mean going to Disney maybe every 5 years rather than every year. I also understand people have DVC or larger families that require suites rather than the ordinary resorts.

So here goes... We all know Disney is expensive, regardless, but I've been looking into prices at the Poly and Contemporary and... holy cow, how and why do people pay for these? I get it - these resorts are gorgeous and the proximity to the parks add to its value... but hear me out.

When we go to Disney, we love to spend time at the parks. That usually means heading to the parks early and/or staying until late at night. After, we hop on the bus and are back at our resort in almost no time. I get it - if we stayed at Y&B Club we could walk home from EPCOT or DHS - but we'd still be a good distance away from MK and AK - and vice versa with the MK resorts.

To me, I don't see the value in paying for a luxurious hotel room at Disney because we barely spend any time in our room. We sleep - that's it. Sometimes we come back for a nap or hang by the pool. IMO, if we were going to an all inclusive resort in say, Mexico, we'd spend for a higher priced resort - because that's where we'd be spending all of our time.

And so, Deluxe resort go-ers, I ask what makes you choose these resorts. Is it worth the value? We stay at POFQ. For fun, put on your sales hat and up-sell me on your Deluxe Resort over POFQ. This could be fun!

 

[RookieLady]

I have and do stay at all levels of Disney resorts. It depends on what type of trip I am going on as to where I stay.

When I go with my husband during New Years, a value is fine because it's just the two of us and we will be at the parks the whole time.

If it's a get away for my husband and me, we stay near an Epcot resort because we like to enjoy the restaurants and adult beverages. When we are ready to leave, it is so easy to get back home. This was particularly true when we ran Wine and Dine and just limped out the back gate to get to the Beach Club. It was so nice not to have to mess with a bus. We also have a lot of down time and spend time in the restaurants and bars the hotel offers. The sit down restaurants are wonderfully convenient, and we eat signatures. I don't want to take an hour round trip to get to a signature, nor take a cab; I want to walk downstairs. Deluxe affords me this opportunity.

When we are with kiddos at Spring Break, we stay moderate. I won't pay Disney prices for deluxe at the peak times. However, my kids want a pool slide, so this is a compromise.

During the summer with kids, we stay deluxe. Lately, we have been staying club level. We have found that when the hotel amenities are there, we use them. My kids don't like crowds, but now that they are older, we must travel in the summer or other peak crowd times. Therefore, we get up at the crack of dawn for rope drop, but by lunch, my kids are done with the crowd. We go and enjoy the pool and other amenities the hotels offer. They love raiding the club level for snacks, and we appreciate the extra space the lounge affords. We also like the convenience of breakfast. We go back to the parks at night during lesser crowds. Usually this follows a drink at the club. I have found that club offerings greatly reduce the amount I otherwise spend on food for dinner and alcohol purchased at dinner (I buy an app and a glass of wine, as opposed to a meal and sharing a bottle with DH). Also, we like getting back to the hotel more quickly that the proximity of a deluxe hotel provides. While usually two parks are distant from just about any deluxe, because we hop, we are hopping to or from somewhere really close.

So, I have been to Disney enough that I don't feel compelled to stay at the parks the whole time, and I enjoy smelling the roses at the resorts, when the trip is designed for it.

 

[mickeynut1]

Okay, let me start with a caveat. This is not meant to insult people who stay at Deluxe Resorts or question your choices. I'm actually intrigued and looking to have a conversation about them! All things considered, I would love to stay at the Grand Floridian or Y&B Club at least once. It's on my bucket list! My family could afford it, but it would mean going to Disney maybe every 5 years rather than every year. I also understand people have DVC or larger families that require suites rather than the ordinary resorts.

So here goes... We all know Disney is expensive, regardless, but I've been looking into prices at the Poly and Contemporary and... holy cow, how and why do people pay for these? I get it - these resorts are gorgeous and the proximity to the parks add to its value... but hear me out.

When we go to Disney, we love to spend time at the parks. That usually means heading to the parks early and/or staying until late at night. After, we hop on the bus and are back at our resort in almost no time. I get it - if we stayed at Y&B Club we could walk home from EPCOT or DHS - but we'd still be a good distance away from MK and AK - and vice versa with the MK resorts.

To me, I don't see the value in paying for a luxurious hotel room at Disney because we barely spend any time in our room. We sleep - that's it. Sometimes we come back for a nap or hang by the pool. IMO, if we were going to an all inclusive resort in say, Mexico, we'd spend for a higher priced resort - because that's where we'd be spending all of our time.

And so, Deluxe resort go-ers, I ask what makes you choose these resorts. Is it worth the value? We stay at POFQ. For fun, put on your sales hat and up-sell me on your Deluxe Resort over POFQ. This could be fun!

We love the deluxe resorts for the following reasons:

- larger rooms
- signature restaurants
- convenience of getting to other resorts for a variety of dining/shopping options (particularly the MK area resorts for us)
- interior corridors
- club level

I will add that we spend a lot more time at the resort than we do the parks (probably only spend 3-4 hours/day total at the parks, some days no parks at all), so the resort is a big part of our trip as it's more than just a place to sleep for us.

 

[thisismyusername]

Personally, I don't think someone is going to be able to sell you on why they think deluxe is worth it. I am an owner of a luxury business: Some people think I'm cheap; some people think I'm crazy expensive (including my own sister, who doesn't pay me when I do work for her, but would never hire me in a million years). And, interestingly, I often find that people's perception of my "expensiveness" isn't directly tied to their income: Some people who I've worked with have lots of money and spend lots of money; some have lots of money and spent very little of it or try to cut a deal with me, and just the opposite is true. Like watches, purses, cars, and many other luxury items, Disney offers levels for nearly everyone, and not everyone understands why someone spends or doesn't spend what they do.

For us, we stay deluxe for two reasons: One, it's one of the only ways our family of 5 can sleep in one room. The suites at AoA and All Stars and CSR are often on par (and sometimes more expensive) with the other deluxe resorts. Moderates are out for us since the bed is not big enough to sleep my teen daughter, and my daughter doesn't want to sleep with her tween brother (and neither does he) while my youngest sleeps on the Murphy bed.

Two: For us, we like the deluxes. They're more compact resorts with usually one main building (no running in the rain, no multiple bus stops, no being far away from the hotel's amenities), with much nicer aesthetics, better restaurants, and are close to the parks. The pools are nicer. The towels are nicer. The toiletries are nicer. Generally speaking, families are older (big difference in the average age of the majority of kids when we stayed at AoA vs. other deluxes) which is nicer for us since our kids are no longer babies or toddlers. I find food courts to be noisy and loud and stressful since no one ever agrees on eating at one window, thus requiring us to visit 5 separate stations, wasting time. We also always stay at least a few nights club level, and usually use our DVC points on a trip, so that can only be done at deluxe resorts, too.

In nearly all areas of my life, I can be very frugal. And when I make cash reservations at Disney, I am very cost conscious and find the cheapest way to do it. I'm also great at finding deeply discounted air fare. But I will splurge for deluxe accommodations and nice dining (using the TIW card) while at Disney because I find these things worth it.

 

[MsThumper]

We love the deluxe resorts for the following reasons:

- larger rooms
- signature restaurants
- convenience of getting to other resorts for a variety of dining/shopping options (particularly the MK area resorts for us)
- interior corridors
- club level

I will add that we spend a lot more time at the resort than we do the parks (probably only spend 3-4 hours/day total at the parks, some days no parks at all), so the resort is a big part of our trip as it's more than just a place to sleep for us.

This is also us, except for the club level.

 

[msb578]

I didn't read every word here, so maybe this was already mentioned:

Room discounts can make these Deluxe rates much more palatable. For example, a 30% Disney discount and an additional 15% Orbitz discount... that comes to ~40% off if my math skills aren't failing me

Still expensive, but much better.

 

[Mousemommy1]

We like the location, the larger rooms, the sit down restaurants, club level option and balconies.

We also only book deluxes with a good discount (we use the 40% military discount) which makes it a lot more affordable.

We are also now a family of five. Once our little guy turns 3, our options become limited and of those options, I'm sure we will continue to chose the deluxe resorts.

 

[BellsFam]

Room discounts can make these Deluxe rates much more palatable. For example, a 30% Disney discount and an additional 15% Orbitz discount... that comes to ~40% off if my math skills aren't failing me

Still expensive, but much better.

Exactly... Just for example the AoA(which I deem a value) is only $390 less expensive (off the total) than the CR for the same dates as I am booked (according to Orbitz)... It's worth $400 to me to not have to deal with buses, outside hallways and spread out building!

I personally only go to Disney every 3-5years, so the year I go I'm going to "invest/splurge" on my trip there...

 

[greentea]

While I try to get the best deals, I will also spend a bit more for us to have the experience we want. We don't have kids, so a trip for just the two of us isn't as expensive as taking a larger family (and we're also easily able to travel during lower-priced off seasons because we aren't tied to a school schedule).

We stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge last September because we wanted to view the animals every day. We didn't pay for a savannah view, but ended up with a partial view and were so glad we did. We liked waking up and sitting on the balcony listening to the birds and watching them, watching the antelope and giraffes. I would run down to get breakfast and bring it back to the room and we'd hang out on the balcony. We like slower starts in the morning, so it was nice and relaxing. We liked the look of the resort, we liked easy walking to Sanaa. We also spent time wandering the resort looking at the artwork and reading the interesting info all over the walls.

In November, we're staying at Beach Club because I was able to get a great price on it. We really wanted Beach Club because we'll be in Epcot a lot and being within walking distance will be pretty nice. I don't mind the buses really, but it's just nice to be that close. POFQ was our backup choice because we've visited and it looks really nice (also, beignets). But the price difference after discounts in this case was pretty small.

However, I'm going on a budget trip with relatives and we'll probably be at the parks most of the time, don't really care where we stay so much, and are packing 4 people into All-Star Music. If I go down for a race weekend next year, I'll probably pick AoA. And I'm sure we'll stay at POFQ at some point. We like trying different resorts. I think the monorail resorts are currently outside our budget, but if we got a great price I could see trying one.

I'm glad there's a range of options! And different things work better for every family -- for example, I like to settle in and don't think I'd like a split stay, but lots of people love them, so whatever works!

 

[Networth]

I work hard, we make good money and can easily afford it. Yet we are not "money stupid" as I call it. Right out of school my fiancé and I started paying large amounts towards our loans where as our classmates bought 100k Mercedes. We went through the years of education, hard work, and smart investments in order to grant us the lifestyle we desire. I knew if I wanted "the finer things" I needed to strive to get their. Same with Disney if I want the luxury of staying at the monorail resorts with my family like my parents did for me as a child, than I knew from a young age I needed to have the means to provide that. This is not to be meant as insulting but if the only onsite options for WDW were values or moderates I would never stay on site. That said I understand economic constraints of those that can't afford to stay at the GF or CR every year or multiple times a year. Hence why Disney has the categories it does. To be honest Disney deluxe is by no means a luxery hotel, they can charge what they charge because of the bubble their in and the location of the resorts to the parks.

I want to wake up in the morning peer over the lagoon and see/hear MK. Walk out my indoor corridor to the elevator. Which takes me down toa beautiful lobby and out to the monorail station, no bus no fuss. I enjoy having many nice dining options on site because 90% of our meals are TS Signatures. With 3 of them happening to be at our hotel and it's easy to get to the others (monorail to MK, grab a bus). I like knowing room service is their 24/7 should we need it. I want turn down service, balcony, and bell hop service. I want a place not crawling with crowds after I just left a busy park. Disney knows their are those of us that want all of this are willing to pay more for it.

 

[bookgirl]

Both of my Deluxe stays have been because of the family I was traveling with. My mom was on both trips (stepdad on one). She prefers a deluxe. Both for reasons of quality and personal preference. I split the cost of our first stay and I paid for pretty much all of the second stay. I did so for her, because that was her preference. And don't get me wrong I loved both of my Deluxe stays and paid for them happily. I do love the ambience and the little points of interest that you find at that level. I make more than enough to pay for that luxury and to still do some extras.

It's just that on trips by myself I just get more bang for my buck from a moderate or value. I don't tend to use most of the perks of deluxe level, like pool slides or the pool at all, bars, gyms, nor do I mind navigating transportation or outdoor corridors and I don't need a sit down meal at my resort everyday. I also have no desire to ever stay club level or to use Disney to set up my dining or FP's. So I figure why not save the money and do more tours or trips, or shopping and still have plenty of budget for other things.

Just because I could spend the money doesn't mean I have to, so I don't.

Conversely just because I think it's dumb doesn't mean everyone does and sometimes compromise makes for a better vacation for everyone.

 

[Puffy2]

I have tried a moderate and did not care for it compared to the deluxe stays I have had in the past. It's a vacation and I want to enjoy it and feel like I've experienced something a little special or different from my day to day life.

The things I like about the deluxe as opposed to the moderate are:

1. Closer to the parks with sometimes more options for transportation. Epcot resorts are a great location (easy to see fireworks and night and visit the boardwalk) and I like the MK resorts because of the monorail.

2. Beautiful lobbies, nicer restaurants (although I rarely eat there) - I really liked the AKL lobby and hotel grounds.

3. Rooms - definitely prefer the indoor hallways and room access. It has more of an upscale feel to it. The rooms themselves are fine. There are better /nicer hotel rooms outside Disney. They should take a lesson from Loews hotels when it comes to bed comfort. The rooms are ok and upscale but they are not spectacular.

4. Concierge was an awesome treat in the day, but now is just over priced and doesn't make economic sense. For that kind of price increase we can eat at a very nice restaurant and buy whatever snacks we want. If I need away time, I can go to the beautiful lobby and hang out.

5. For me, the deluxe resorts don't seem as crowded. Maybe this is an illusion or maybe the restaurants at the moderate just seem very crowded to me. Who knows.

Now, price. Disney has lost their minds on what they charge for a deluxe hotel room. They were expensive in the past, they are ridiculous now. Given that, I won't book a deluxe at full value. This year I got a GREAT rate through the unnamed magical travel agency (against board rules to post the name, sorry) So, I'm paying less for the deluxe at the Beach Club than I paid for a room at Riverside last time. Before that I always looked for a discount at the Swan or Dolphin which offer some good prices sometimes (location is great and the beds are better...but they aren't Disney hotels so some perks are lost there)

I know Disney will charge as much as they can get away with and there are people out there with more money than they know what to do with who will continue to pay it, so that will never change. But for me, (even though I also went through years of education and work) I won't go as often because it is just too expensive. But when I do go, I'll probably work it so that I go at a discount and stay at a deluxe or the Swan/Dolphin.

 

[AquaDame]

To me, I don't see the value in paying for a luxurious hotel room at Disney because we barely spend any time in our room. We sleep - that's it. Sometimes we come back for a nap or hang by the pool. IMO, if we were going to an all inclusive resort in say, Mexico, we'd spend for a higher priced resort - because that's where we'd be spending all of our time.

Exactly. Most of your responses will be from the following groups: a) we can afford it and demand the "best" from our vacation, b) we are not park commandos/utilize the resort facilities or c) we are DVC members.

 

[baler31]

Exactly. Most of your responses will be from the following groups: a) we can afford it and demand the "best" from our vacation, b) we are not park commandos/utilize the resort facilities or c) we are DVC members.

I think this sums it up.

1. We don't spend all day in the parks our room is not just for sleeping. We need a gym every day to work out, we don't break our exercise routine.
2. We do a lot of recreational activities: parasailing wakeboarding, renting the watermice, fishing excursions, golf, race track experiences etc.
3. We use club level and room service a lot.
4. We want valet parking, bell services, at least daily housekeeping (we prefer twice as we shower after pool time before dinner).
5. Proximity to parks, when not visiting the parks or just 1 day or so we stay at the Ritz, 4 Seasons, or Waldorf the service is better but it does not work for quick entrance to the parks.

 

[markmcalear]

I am a bit of a hotel snob tbh.

I cant settle if I am at a cheap hotel, I find myself looking for problems that may not even exist. At a deluxe hotel I just feel more relaxed. The larger rooms, internal hallways and balconies are a nice bonus too though.

 

[heidijanesmith]

For us it is all about:
1-location
2-theme
3-patio/balcony availability. No patio or balcony is a deal breaker for us at WDW.
4-Room size
5-Pool
6-Transportation options, love the walking option.
7-a good discount, I have changed my resort due to discount availability. I would not stay full price at any WDW hotel.
8-queen size beds and a real bed for all of us. We do not like pull out couches and have a king bed at home so a double bed is not going to work for us. A daybed is a nice bonus.

All of these make the deluxes the best option for us at WDW.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

We try to do a "different" trip each time. I'm heading for a value next because we want the over-the-top theming on that trip. We chose the Contemporary a few years ago for our trip, primarily for the monorail. When we started room shopping, they had a discount special going on, and the only room left at the discount for the Contemporary was MK View Club Level, and we were able to make it work in our budget. We chose between a 2 week trip in a moderate or a 1 week trip in the CL room for about the same price. I really loved the balcony with the view of the MK, and I think that would be my main motivation if I decided to do the Contemporary again.

 

[pixarmom]

All of the above and one more thing. Our youngest son has disability-related issues that make it difficult for us to be in the parks all day. With our two older boys, we used to do that and it was a ton of fun. We stayed at mods or WL and had a great time. With our youngest in the mix, however, we need to spend more time at the resort. So the atmosphere, pools, balcony/patio, club level snacks and space, etc. all became more important to all of us. We still stay value sometimes for quick trips (last August) or for our arrival night (in January and again later this month) but we'd prefer deluxe for all those reasons.

 

[100acreHiker]

I agree with a PP: when I travel, I prefer for the whole experience to feel like we're staying somewhere special and out of the ordinary. I find the act of traveling itself (flying, buses, dealing with security, etc) so overwhelming that when we arrive at a resort, I want it to be worth the trouble and as relaxing and inviting as possible, not bare-bones. We're not particularly wealthy, but if the overall cost difference is within a few hundred dollars, I will not think twice about it or look back. Disney can be so exhausting to navigate everyday, so the conveniences that often accompany deluxe resorts make that navigation a bit easier. I never intended to stay at a deluxe on our first trip, but after we booked, I found out that our hotel was the chosen hotel for a large group of cheerleaders that week, and my DH said he really didn't want to deal with teens running up and down the halls, and being loud at hours when our little kids were sleeping. So we upgraded at a very good price to GF and it was SO peaceful and everything was so pleasant and fairytale-like. So a luxury once tasted does, in some ways, become a necessity. We're traveling with friends this fall and they want to do a moderate, which I'm open to, but I do feel sort of bummed that for just a bit more, I could stay at an Epcot resort.

 

[ellie05]

For us it really depends on the type of vacation we are taking. The trips we stay deluxe are longer so therefore we have time to enjoy the resort. Our trips to values have been only a few nights so we barely spend time in the room. In our three value trips we have spend a total of 9 nights in values. Our shortest stay at moderate or deluxe is 10 days. Now we don't have the pressure of trying to fit everything in one trip anymore since we know we will be back, so we don't do full park days, unless we are traveling with first timers or other family which have been the case lately. The other reason for us is depending on our vacation schedule that year. If we only do disney that means more days and more money to spend. If we have multiple trips plan we have to fit it all in our travel budget for the year. I'll be honest I am hotel snob, I think it comes from working at hotels and reading those hotel subscription magazines of all the things that can go wrong .