Moderate versus Deluxe Resort?

[Poewill]

We will be travelling to Disney next March and are contemplating over a deluxe resort (possibly animal kingdom) or a moderate resort. Can anyone enlighten us to which one they prefer and why? We will have our two daughters withus (ages 4 and 7). Thanks!

 

[Sue M]

I enjoy both deluxe and mods. But some of the things I like about deluxe over mods are the deluxe have inside halls. So more privacy in that no body is walking past your room windows. Also enjoy having a balcony. Nicer bathroom, with separate closets. In the mods they have an open clothing rack in the sink area. Larger room as well. Most of the deluxe have alternative transportation or walking distance to one or two parks, either monorail or boat.
Or both.
The moderates are just bus transportation. With the exception of the POR resorts which have a boat to DTD. And they happen to be my fav mods.

 

[mickeynut1]

We will be travelling to Disney next March adn are contemplating over a deluxe resort (possibly animal kingdom) or a moderate resort. Can anyone enlighten us to which one they prefer and why? Thanks!

Our first onsite stay was at a moderate and we loved it, but since then have tried several deluxes. We prefer the deluxes for many reasons:

- larger rooms
- interior corridors
- balcony or patio
- signature restaurants
- different transportation options
- close proximity to other deluxe resorts for a variety of dining/shopping options (with the exception of AKL, although AKL is a great place to stay)

 

[pamkat1820]

I prefer interior corridors, balconies all the extras the deludes have to offer.
Moderates are nice but too large for my liking.but I have to say they have nice pools.

 

[2012DisneyWorldBride]

We have stayed both deluxe and moderate. We definitely prefer deluxe. We like the feel better. With inside doors and balconies. We like being at GF because of the monorail to MK and Epcot. But we have also stayed a AKL twice and LOVE it there! Having a savannah view is amazing. If you can afford the extra $ then go deluxe!

 

[Nancyg56]

I think that you need to evaluate how much time you will be staying at the resort and how much that time is worth. My family stayed at ALK on the first trip back in many years. My DGD was 4 at the time and she decided that she wanted to move in there. The pool is a zero entry pool and there is a lot for families there.

I think that for little ones, if you choose to stay at a MOD, try POFQ. it is compact, lovely, has a pool that is very kid friendly, has a food court that is easily accessed with plenty of seating, and has a small arcade. Last Thanksgiving we stayed at the BC and my now 11 YO DGD asked if we could go and visit her favorite resort, she wanted her PA to tour her home away from home.

So, go online and check out teh amenities of the resorts that you are considering and then the price differences of those resorts. Factor that against your overall budget and if youwill utilize the resort enough to justify the difference.

We pick and choose. When my DH is along we generally stay deluxe. When he is not we choose MOD and our MOD of choice is POFQ for the reasons listed above.

 

[SydsMommy]

We normally stay at Shades of Green but decided to splurge for our latest trip and stayed at Yacht Club (we just got back yesterday). Our kids are 7 and 3 and we loved it. I would highly recommend it - it was worth every penny! The pool is amazing, location is great for easy access to 2 parks and lots of dining options nearby.

 

[chasgoose]

The moderates are glorified motels. Albeit some of the nicest and most well-maintained motels I have ever seen, but motels nonetheless. We typically flee to our rooms in the middle of the day and don't really like the idea of having the "view" from our room be of the exterior hallway entrances to our room. Other reasons why we like deluxe are the better restaurant options and (with the exception of AKL) alternative transportation options to busses to at least one park.

 

[RapunzelsGoodMom]

The moderates are glorified motels. Albeit some of the nicest and most well-maintained motels I have ever seen, but motels nonetheless. We typically flee to our rooms in the middle of the day and don't really like the idea of having the "view" from our room be of the exterior hallway entrances to our room. Other reasons why we like deluxe are the better restaurant options and (with the exception of AKL) alternative transportation options to busses to at least one park.

THIS exactly. I've stayed at all levels and the mods are nice....just not nice enough for the price. So I'm a strange one but I'd rather do Value or Deluxe. If I want to save money or go big on theme, Value is the way to go at Disney. But it is crazy and loud and fun and manic....I just have to decide if I'm in the mood for that.

If not, Deluxe is the way to go. Balcony, interior halls, and all of the perks of onsite with the sophistication and calm.... I almost always will favor a deluxe over a value and would take the worst room at AKL any day before the best at a Moderate.....but that's just me! Some folks love the mods.....

 

[chasgoose]

THIS exactly. I've stayed at all levels and the mods are nice....just not nice enough for the price. So I'm a strange one but I'd rather do Value or Deluxe. If I want to save money or go big on theme, Value is the way to go at Disney. But it is crazy and loud and fun and manic....I just have to decide if I'm in the mood for that.

If not, Deluxe is the way to go. Balcony, interior halls, and all of the perks of onsite with the sophistication and calm.... I almost always will favor a deluxe over a value and would take the worst room at AKL any day before the best at a Moderate.....but that's just me! Some folks love the mods.....

Totally with you on the value over mod thing. The mods don't offer enough extra to justify paying the price over a value resort. If I'm going to stay in a motel, I want to pay something closer to motel prices.

 

[thej]

We have actually stayed at both and like both for different reasons.

Deluxe has a lot of nice extras, and if I was going to be spending a lot of time at the resort, I would stay at a Deluxe. Better pools, more dining choices, bigger rooms (some with actual views!) better service, great theming and lots to do. Once we stayed at AKL, we've never wanted to stay anywhere else. It's become our go-to resort.

BUT... sometimes the vacation budget won't stretch that far or we are only going to be spending a few days at WDW and very little time in the room... Then a Mod or even a Value fits the bill. Realistically for us there are only a couple of reasons to even go Mod over Value. One is a queen sized bed (some of the Mods). A double is nice and cozy, but I prefer not to wake up with an elbow in my eye, and neither does my spouse. The second is the better pool. And that's really it. It's enough though to keep us out of the Vales some of the time.

In the end though it all comes down to what our budget for that trip will support. With a Mod at half the price of a Deluxe, we are willing to make the trade-off if it means being able to take the trip or not. Sometimes, a Value is what it takes, and we are OK with that. Remember - A day at WDW (even sleeping in a value) beats a day at work

 

[scjo68]

We like both Mods and deluxes. We have never stayed at AKL but the folks I know who have love it. AKL would not give you a transportation advantage to any parks, and the rooms would not be as large as the monorail deluxes. I have heard wonderful things about the dining options at AKL. We tend to eat more counter service, and I have found that to be an advantage of the Mods over the deluxes.

 

[mommyrosa2]

We've stayed at both as well and definitely prefer the deluxes for a lot of the reasons that have already been stated. BUT as another pp mentioned, budget drives where we stay. We love CSR as we feel it's a deluxe "light" and are planning another stay this August but, if I didn't already have another trip booked this year, I would definitely be going deluxe again this Summer.