Moderate vs Deluxe

[4simpsons]

We have a reservation at Coronado Springs but I am thinking about upgrading to the Animal Kingdom Lodge or the Beach Club. We stayed at the AKL on our last trip and lived it. What do you think? Is it worth the price difference?

 

[aml3679]

It depends on if you can afford it. We were booked at POFQ. Then we decided that we wanted a resort we could relax at. A place with indoor restaurants and places to sit and relax. I am sure POFQ is a wonderful resort but I think all the Mardi GRAS theming would have drove me crazy.

 

[mickeynut1]

Worth is subjective as it's different for everybody, but for us, it is worth the extra cost for a deluxe. Our first onsite stay was at CBR and while we had a great trip and loved the resort, once we tried a deluxe we haven't been able to stay anywhere else. We spend alot of time at the resort and we love the amenities that the deluxe resorts offer. If the extra cost is doable, I would definitely upgrade.

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

Nothing like AKL in my mind - I love that resort and would upgrade in a minute! It is so unique and beautiful!

That said if you really want to try something new go for Coronado Springs but know it won't be the magic you have at AKL - but will have its' own Disney style/magic and you'll save some money in the process.

But if it were me - I'd definitely upgrade to AKL - it is not much more!

 

[Amy&Dan]

For us it is not worth it (or hasn't been thus far).

The two deluxes that have a price point I am comfortable with are WL & AKL. Both of which have rooms roughly the same size as a moderate. So that has me balking as far as trying them out.

Right now, our preferance is a spread out mod, which excludes POFQ. We like having a sit down restaurant, food court, and lots of space/grounds and pools. The boat to Dtd at POR and the beaches at cbr and csr really make us feel like we are at a resort, but for hundreds/thousands less than a deluxe.

We spend a lot of time at our resort, to us the mods are a great place to relax.

Since room service, interior hallways, and being attached to a park ( although the Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge are not attached to a park), as well as transportation that isn't a bus; are not important to us, so a moderate fits our criteria.

The deluxe in a sense was a waste to us and the lack of cs was a negative. However we enjoyed our stays and didn't regret them.

We love CSR, ( just had 10 great night's there) and it has the most amenities of any mod. POR also has a lot to offer.

Saving money is a winner, and you know you love AKL, so you can't go wrong!

 

[marykatmp]

It is worth it to us if the budget allows for the upgrade. Disney is wonderful no matter where you stay, but there is a more relaxed vibe to us at the deluxe resorts. I tend to go home feeling more like I had a vacation as opposed to feeling like I ran around parks all day long.

 

[4simpsons]

Thanks for the input. I tend to agree with most of what's being said. If we think we have the money we will probably upgrade.

 

[bookgirl]

I used to think it was but now, not so much.

I've done every level now and while I used to think why pay mod prices when they are just a value with an extra sink and it'd be much better to just splurge and do a deluxe. But honestly my deluxe stay was not any better than my mod stays.

I'm not a pool person really so taking that out it became a question of amount of room, and whether having an outside door made a bounce of 200 to 300 per night worth it. And it doesn't for me. I also could care less about having a TS at my hotel.

My parents may join me on the next trip. They did the trip before last with me and that was a deluxe stay. And while my mom really liked the deluxes, we just can't see spending that much again. We may do a family suite for the room, (still about 150 less per night than a standard deluxe room), but I'll probably stick to POFQ for my trips without them. Loved it and price wise it's well within my ability to pay. That means a deluxe is not the right choice for me.

You just have to look at the amenities and really see if it's worth it to YOU to pay more. If you want a bigger pool (we stayed BC and if my nephews were going it probably would be worth it for the pool alone) or club level, or TS resturants or monorail service then maybe. But if you only care about a nice place to sleep while you're not at the parks then maybe not.