Moderate or deluxe?

[Pdollar88]

Hi again all!

I’m already on that slippery slope where I talk myself up to a more expensive resort. I’m currently booked at Riverside for May 2019 with my bf. We tried to do a lot on his first trip, so it’s my mission that we really take it easy this trip. I anticipate spending more time at the resort than before (when we were st Yacht Club, sigh).

Would you stay at POR or move to a deluxe? Setting aside the issue of money, which deluxe would you pick? I’m trying to stay at resorts that have a lot of extras I’d like to experience and that I’ve never stayed at. Hence POR. I’m also eyeballing AKL. He doesn’t like to chat about it, so I’m relying on my DIS friends!

 

[Disneylover99]

I’d recommend trying a monorail resort since you’ve already stayed at an Epcot resort.

The Polynesian gets my vote, especially since you’ll be spending more time at the resort. I love the tropical vibe, watching the fireworks from the beach, and it’s a nice walk to the GF to check out the offerings there.

I really do like POR, but the huge size of most of the moderates gets to me. POFQ is my favourite moderate cause it’s so small.

 

[Marionnette]

Hi again all!

I’m already on that slippery slope where I talk myself up to a more expensive resort. I’m currently booked at Riverside for May 2019 with my bf. We tried to do a lot on his first trip, so it’s my mission that we really take it easy this trip. I anticipate spending more time at the resort than before (when we were st Yacht Club, sigh).

Would you stay at POR or move to a deluxe? Setting aside the issue of money, which deluxe would you pick? I’m trying to stay at resorts that have a lot of extras I’d like to experience and that I’ve never stayed at. Hence POR. I’m also eyeballing AKL. He doesn’t like to chat about it, so I’m relying on my DIS friends!

YC/BC or Boardwalk for the proximity and easy walk to 2 parks. Good restaurants nearby and a robust night life atmosphere.

 

[sjs314]

Definitely move to a Deluxe if your planning on more resort time. My two favorites are BWI and AKL. WL is also high on my list

 

[KenHutch]

On our first 4 trips we stayed at Riverside twice and French Quarter twice. For our fifth trip I upgraded the girls to Animal Kingdom Lodge which they loved. The only problem with upgrading to deluxe. Both the 17 year old and the 8 year old have informed me that they can never go back to being moderate girls again after enjoying deluxe. For our 6th trip they have selected the Poly. Ohana is our favorite restaurant so they have been to the Poly a lot.

 

[loves to dive]

I know you said you plan to spend more time at the resort but what type of activities are you interested in and which parks do you plan on spending the most time in. That would make a difference for me. We are not huge fans of MK (I know a sin) but love Epcot and HS so the Epcot resorts make more sense to us. We spend a few hours a day at the pool but just for the hot tub so any resort with a hot tub works for us, we rarely make use of the other facilities at the resort except I love to sit on the balcony in the mornings and evenings. Because of that, BC is usually very low on my list since you aren't guaranteed a full balcony. We love AKL but again when we are in the parks Epcot and HS are where we are and having to ride the bus turns me away from there. We do stay there during split stays, putting that at the beginning of the trip so we do AK and MK during our stay there and enjoy the resort. My lowest priority is the MK resorts, we love GF but having to ride the monorail to get to Epcot is a real turn off to us, I dislike it a lot. All things being equal and if the price were not an issue, I'd probably do a split stay with a MK resort at the front then moving over to an Epcot resort or AK at the front.

 

[Pdollar88]

I know you said you plan to spend more time at the resort but what type of activities are you interested in and which parks do you plan on spending the most time in. That would make a difference for me. We are not huge fans of MK (I know a sin) but love Epcot and HS so the Epcot resorts make more sense to us. We spend a few hours a day at the pool but just for the hot tub so any resort with a hot tub works for us, we rarely make use of the other facilities at the resort except I love to sit on the balcony in the mornings and evenings. Because of that, BC is usually very low on my list since you aren't guaranteed a full balcony. We love AKL but again when we are in the parks Epcot and HS are where we are and having to ride the bus turns me away from there. We do stay there during split stays, putting that at the beginning of the trip so we do AK and MK during our stay there and enjoy the resort. My lowest priority is the MK resorts, we love GF but having to ride the monorail to get to Epcot is a real turn off to us, I dislike it a lot. All things being equal and if the price were not an issue, I'd probably do a split stay with a MK resort at the front then moving over to an Epcot resort or AK at the front.

I hesitate to do a split stay. I’d like to, but it’s only a 6 night trip, and I want it to be as simple and stress free as I can make it.

I had selected POR for the boat service to Springs, the lounge entertainment, and potential for fishing. We plan on spending a rest day at Springs/the resort - perhaps with fishing and the Void if we stay at POR. There are resort-specific things at all of the resorts that I haven’t experienced and would like to though

I really loved the Epcot area deluxe on our March trip. I would be tempted to do that again, even though I’m a sucker for Poly. I guess I’ll wait and see how the discounts shake out.

 

[loves to dive]

Hmmmm, if you want to go to DS, and want a deluxe resort, Saratoga Springs or Old Key West work since they have boats or you can walk. We don't do DS but I know the buses to there are a pain so POR would be better than any of the other deluxes. For fishing, I'd be tempted to go to WL and if you are into horses you can ride them there. Just about every deluxe has access to lounges, BW probably having more than others and I'd probably pick any of those over POR. We only go for 5 nights most of the time and do split stays with 2 nights/3 nights splits but we drive down so moving resorts is pretty easy for us and not really a hassel.

 

[disny_luvr]

I think I’d stick with POR. We just stayed at POR last month and we absolutely loved it and I would say we are deluxe snobs. There really is so much to do at POR. The boat to DS is really nice. There are also horse and carriage rides and don’t forget about Yeehaw Bob. FQ is a short (and very nice) walk. There is nightly entertainment over there, too. The pool area at POR is super nice and there are also several quiet pools around the resort.

 

[mickeynut1]

Hi again all!

I’m already on that slippery slope where I talk myself up to a more expensive resort. I’m currently booked at Riverside for May 2019 with my bf. We tried to do a lot on his first trip, so it’s my mission that we really take it easy this trip. I anticipate spending more time at the resort than before (when we were st Yacht Club, sigh).

Would you stay at POR or move to a deluxe? Setting aside the issue of money, which deluxe would you pick? I’m trying to stay at resorts that have a lot of extras I’d like to experience and that I’ve never stayed at. Hence POR. I’m also eyeballing AKL. He doesn’t like to chat about it, so I’m relying on my DIS friends!

We've stayed at all of the deluxes except CR & YC and while all of them are great, my first choice would be the Poly. We love the Poly for the relaxing tropical atmosphere, beach for watching the fireworks, and being within walking distance to the TTC. It's also convenient to the GF and CR (as well as WL) for a variety of great dining options. Good luck deciding, although I don't think you can go wrong with any of the deluxes. Happy planning .

 

[kniquy]

In the effort to save a little money maybe consider doing a moderate for your first few nights and then move to the Polynesian for 3 days at the end of the trip. You will get the best of both worlds. Having your luggage moved should not pose much of an impact on your trip. It only becomes more difficult if you have little ones who need a nap in the afternoon.

 

[FSU Girl]

I love the deluxe and I'm not sure I can go back to moderate and definitely won't to value. My favorite resort is Bay Lake Tower theme park view. Watching the fireworks from our balcony is magical. Wilderness Lodge is really pretty, a good hotel to spend the day relaxing at. I would try out a hotel you haven't been at before and the monorail resorts are a lot different than the Epcot resorts. Another favorite of mine is Animal Kingdom Lodge. I love the savanna view and sitting out there during the day watching the animals, it's probably the most unique hotel on property.

 

[hakepb]

Hmmmm, if you want to go to DS, and want a deluxe resort, Saratoga Springs or Old Key West work since they have boats or you can walk. We don't do DS but I know the buses to there are a pain so POR would be better than any of the other deluxes. For fishing, I'd be tempted to go to WL and if you are into horses you can ride them there. Just about every deluxe has access to lounges, BW probably having more than others and I'd probably pick any of those over POR. We only go for 5 nights most of the time and do split stays with 2 nights/3 nights splits but we drive down so moving resorts is pretty easy for us and not really a hassel.

POR is a lovely resort in its own right.
Just don’t make the mistake of walking through Epcot’s IG to visit any Epcot resorts...because you may be hit with that “Oh..this is nicer”

 

[aml3679]

We would love to stay at a Deluxe, but, the prices are through the atmosphere. We stayed at POFQ for 2 weeks last time and found it to be fine. The boat to what is now Disney Springs was right outside the room and the buses not far. This time around we are staying at Riverside. We will have a car this time since we are now Florida residents. For a 4 night stay at the Polynesian, it was $1600 before taxes. For a 8 night stay at Riverside, it will be the same before Florida discounts. Maybe someday.