Moderate or Deluxe

[DisGin]

I'd love some opinions on whether I should do 3 nights in a deluxe or 4 nights in a moderate close to Christmas. Here are the details:

It's my 5 year old daughter and myself. We go on a family trip pretty much every year, but this will be just the two of us. We are definitely doing MVMCP. The other things she wants to do are "meet the princesses and prince charming and do roller coasters". She gets outvoted by her brothers on these things a lot. I also want to do afternoon tea and one signature meal with her.

I can't decide if we would enjoy the Christmas feel of the deluxe resorts. Or will we have more time for everything by staying longer at a moderate?? I know it's all subjective, just looking for thoughts!

 

[DisGin]

My other thought is, we will have to do at least some resting. She won't be able to do the party and go go go like an older kid. Would that be more pleasant at a nicer hotel?

 

[lala5176]

Sounds like GF would be a good choice. They have the Princess tea and on certain days at 3:45 or sometime like that you can meet Cinderella and Prince Charming in the lobby.
The resort looks beautiful during the holiday season!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

If it was for a longer stay I would say go deluxe. But with such a short trip I would add that day and go moderate. If it were between 9 days deluxe vs 11 days moderate I would go deluxe.

 

[mtemm]

Deluxe! This isn't your family trip, so it's a bonus trip that is princess-y. Stay somewhere fancy, I'd opt for GF for the princess-y feel and gingerbread houses. And don't Cinderella and Prince Charming make an appearance daily? With some downtime, a lovely resort to explore, and super close for after the Christmas party. It's a short trip, but not your only trip so go big and girly (this from a mom of 2 boys/1 girl).

Honestly there is no wrong decision, but this is what I would choose.

I would also be influenced by the fact that Christmas is always a busy time full of gatherings and shopping and baking and family stuff so a shorter trip might be nice so you aren't away for so long.

 

[mousegear]

I am assuming with 5 y/o you will have to take things pretty slowly. So it would be super nice to stay at deluxe resort (specifically monorail resort) as most things you are looking to do are MK related. Grand Floridian would be my first choice and CR comes second. Then you will have signature dining options from monorail resorts and convenience of staying close to MK and as others said you could meet Cinderella and Prince Charming at GF. Also you get to enjoy Christmas decor of those resorts. Gingerbread house at GF is nice to see also.

 

[Elizabeth Smith]

Think what YOU would prefer in a hotel. I'll say that when I went to Disney for a brief trip when I was five, I did not appreciate it fully nor did I remember it that well. Plus, I'm sure your daughter would have an equally fun time in a moderate resort and you'd save money. There are royal princess suites at Port Orleans that I'm sure she would find "magical". That themeing would probably make a bigger impression on a young kid than a grown-up deluxe resort would. You can always hop on a monorail to visit the GF to see the gingerbread display as well.

 

[Westcoastwild]

Think what YOU would prefer in a hotel. I'll say that when I went to Disney for a brief trip when I was five, I did not appreciate it fully nor did I remember it that well. Plus, I'm sure your daughter would have an equally fun time in a moderate resort and you'd save money. There are royal princess suites at Port Orleans that I'm sure she would find "magical". That themeing would probably make a bigger impression on a young kid than a grown-up deluxe resort would. You can always hop on a monorail to visit the GF to see the gingerbread display as well.

I agree, I would go with a very themed room. And I'd say that a 5 year old is less about convenience and more about speed. I'd want an extra couple of days.

 

[wdwthanksgiving]

You might consider WL...it is beautiful at Christmas with a huge tree and decorations in the lobby along with a roaring fire and rocking chairs...the boat ride to MK, Contemporary (where you can hop on the monorail) and Ft. Wilderness is convenient and fun...great pool, too! All the rooms are interior rooms so even is the weather isn't great, you can easily go to the lobby..also feels very safe. WL tends to be less expensive than being on the monorail so might be more affordable but give you that "deluxe" feeling you are looking for. Good luck with your decision making!

 

[maxiesmom]

I would go with more days at a moderate. That gives you more time for breaks or swimming or just hanging out in the parks.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I'd love some opinions on whether I should do 3 nights in a deluxe or 4 nights in a moderate close to Christmas. Here are the details:

It's my 5 year old daughter and myself. We go on a family trip pretty much every year, but this will be just the two of us. We are definitely doing MVMCP. The other things she wants to do are "meet the princesses and prince charming and do roller coasters". She gets outvoted by her brothers on these things a lot. I also want to do afternoon tea and one signature meal with her.

I can't decide if we would enjoy the Christmas feel of the deluxe resorts. Or will we have more time for everything by staying longer at a moderate?? I know it's all subjective, just looking for thoughts!

Given the bucket list of what you'd like to do on the trip, I would opt for 4 nights over 3 nights. You will be hard pressed to get MVMCP, afternoon tea and a signature in (not to mention meet and greets and roller coasters) with only two full days. I would consider, perhaps, a royal room at POR (they're super cute) and taking uber around the resort to save on bus waits.

 

[earfulofmagic]

Even when I was 11, I didn't fully appreciate staying in the Polynesian. Didn't appreciate staying in the Contemporary when I was 8/9. (Granted, I didn't know there were all these other resorts either, but still.)

A lot of the resort is what you make of it--my parents didn't even let us explore the hotels besides the pool. Whatever you pick, it'll be special and magical because it's just the two of you.

But because the choice is 3 or 4 days, I would suggest doing 4 days in a Royal Guest Room at Riverside. That would be the ultimate room for a trip dedicated to meeting princesses and princes, doing afternoon tea, etc. so that the magic doesn't end, even when you're back at the hotel to rest. Consider taking Uber/Lyft/rental car to get around so there's not too much bussing!

 

[DisGin]

I didn't think about the fact that the features of the resort will likely be lost on her. There's been a surprisingly low amount of availability during our dates so I snatched up 3 nights at copper creek. I think she will live the Christmasy feel there. There was no availability for Port Orleans so, for now, that's not an option. I'll keep checking while I make my final decision. Lots of good points here!

 

[Shanti]

I'd love some opinions on whether I should do 3 nights in a deluxe or 4 nights in a moderate close to Christmas. Here are the details:

It's my 5 year old daughter and myself. We go on a family trip pretty much every year, but this will be just the two of us. We are definitely doing MVMCP. The other things she wants to do are "meet the princesses and prince charming and do roller coasters". She gets outvoted by her brothers on these things a lot. I also want to do afternoon tea and one signature meal with her.

I can't decide if we would enjoy the Christmas feel of the deluxe resorts. Or will we have more time for everything by staying longer at a moderate?? I know it's all subjective, just looking for thoughts!

Stay at a Port Orleans Riverside Royal Room. I bet your daughter would love that.

 

[leebee]

Moderate for longer. Even offsite for longer, if you have a car. Longer stays are ALWAYS my choice! You can visit the resorts if you want her to see the holiday decorations, gingerbread houses, etc. Make a reservation for dinner at 1900 Park Faire at the Grand Floridian, explore the lobby, oooh and ahhh at the gingerbread house, then have dinner with Cinderella and Prince Charming. Have breakfast or lunch at Akershus in Epcot to see the rest of the princesses. I just think the cost differential between a moderate and a deluxe is staggering, and agree that a 5 year old isn't going to see/appreciate the differences; don't they say that most kids, when asked, usually want to spend their time in the pool anyhow, regardless of the rest of the resort?

 

[earfulofmagic]

I just think the cost differential between a moderate and a deluxe is staggering, and agree that a 5 year old isn't going to see/appreciate the differences; don't they say that most kids, when asked, usually want to spend their time in the pool anyhow, regardless of the rest of the resort?

Oh yes. The pool is the holy grail of the family vacation! some of my favorite memories from Disney were my "jelly legs" long after our vacation ended. that feeling you get in your legs, like you're still floating/wading through water because you spent so many hours day after day in the pool? hard to describe, but I loved it. felt like I was still swimming even when we were driving home.

ETA: the exception, of course, is children who don't like to swim.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

I didn't think about the fact that the features of the resort will likely be lost on her. There's been a surprisingly low amount of availability during our dates so I snatched up 3 nights at copper creek. I think she will live the Christmasy feel there. There was no availability for Port Orleans so, for now, that's not an option. I'll keep checking while I make my final decision. Lots of good points here!

WL is supposed to be among the best resorts for Christmas decorations, plus convenient to the MK, and you can take a boat from WL to the Contemporary and catch the monorail to the GF. I think what you got is a good location. If I were in your situation I'd probably stick with that.

 

[mickeynut1]

WL is supposed to be among the best resorts for Christmas decorations, plus convenient to the MK, and you can take a boat from WL to the Contemporary and catch the monorail to the GF. I think what you got is a good location. If I were in your situation I'd probably stick with that.

I agree! I would stick with WL for 3 nights over 4 nights at a moderate. It's not only convenient to MK/monorail resorts, it's beautifully decorated for the holidays.

 

[Dis703]

I would go with a mod and stay the extra day. I've taken each of my 3 boys on a trip, just the two of us, when they were 4/5 and we stayed at a value just to make all three trips fit our budget. Using the buses was a non issue, but we didn't do any resort time aside from the arcade. Mods have plenty to offer for some down time out of the parks. The small amount of time saved on travel staying closer to MK wouldn't be enough to make up for an entire extra day IMO.

 

[DisGin]

Ok, sticking with it and getting to planning for now. I'm going to try my best to keep things on the convenient side of where we're staying. No matter how long we go it's never enough time! I'm thinking we'll skip HS and DS this trip. Although, I really want to try some of the new restaurants. Oh well.

So, I'm going to go ahead and try to schedule the tea party and our signature dinner. I'm gonna try for Cali Grill. I love Artist Point, but there's not really anything fun about it. I'm undecided on ROL. At least dining packages haven't been released so I've got some time to decide. Hoping I can get everything we want!