Not being judgmental just trying to justify a pipe dream

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

So someone talked about walking to mk from contemporary I would not feel safe doing that with my luck I would end up in the woods I have no sense of direction

 

[MonaMN]

So someone talked about walking to mk from contemporary I would not feel safe doing that with my luck I would end up in the woods I have no sense of direction

There are no woods - you can see it looming ahead... no chance of missing it!

I think for us, now that we have a few trips to WDW under our belt, it is easier to imagine using more amenities at deluxes. But the first couple trips were still trying to do everything. We stayed at AKL last time - we loved it!

 

[ols386]

So someone talked about walking to mk from contemporary I would not feel safe doing that with my luck I would end up in the woods I have no sense of direction

As pp said, there are no woods. Just a walkway from CR. Just stay on the walkeay, and it takes you directly to MK.

 

[kmdrago1783]

So someone talked about walking to mk from contemporary I would not feel safe doing that with my luck I would end up in the woods I have no sense of direction

There is a paved walkway with signs if I remember correctly, LOL-- there are also plenty of other people walking back and forth so we never felt unsafe.

 

[AngiTN]

So someone talked about walking to mk from contemporary I would not feel safe doing that with my luck I would end up in the woods I have no sense of direction

That would be impossible. You walk towards that giant building called Space Mountain. Hard to miss
The monorail is sort of a dead giveaway too. You follow it
If you ended up in the woods you got way bigger problems than a bad sense of direction. Probably means you weren't at CR to begin with

 

[AngiTN]

Ok, so obviously I don't know what it means to go "commando"? I'm assuming you all are not talking about underwear. Can someone explain, please?

LOL.. well, maybe. Don't ask, don't tell

 

[SGMCO]

I've never stayed at a deluxe on the monorail, but we love to visit and eat at the restaurants and walk around the resort, relax in lobby, shop their gift shop and not spend that much per night. We have only stayed once at a Deluxe and it was AK lodge (back when AK lodge cost $225.00 per night), I missed the QS restaurants that I love so much at the Mods . This upcoming trip I rented DVC points to stay at OKW, and it wasn't to expensive to stay there per night $150.00 per night for a Deluxe Studio. We like to use the money we saved to take other trips during the year, we just got back from New Orleans.

 

[Hikergirl]

With a family of 5 our options are mod or deluxe. We don't tour commando, we like to hang out at the resort for part of the day, or for an entire day. I love the Epcot resorts because I just love the atmosphere there and the ability to walk over to a couple parks if we feel like it. I definitely don't spend rack rate for our room when we stay and can manage to find a great deal that gets me a room for the same as a mod. Last trip it was just dh and I so I splurged a little on a studio at BW, but still it was a discounted rate. Not sure I'd pay full rack rate as much as I love the deluxes.

 

[DaisyJ]

I've never stayed at a deluxe on the monorail, but we love to visit and eat at the restaurants and walk around the resort, relax in lobby, shop their gift shop and not spend that much per night. We have only stayed once at a Deluxe and it was AK lodge (back when AK lodge cost $225.00 per night), I missed the QS restaurants that I love so much at the Mods . This upcoming trip I rented DVC points to stay at OKW, and it wasn't to expensive to stay there per night $150.00 per night for a Deluxe Studio. We like to use the money we saved to take other trips during the year, we just got back from New Orleans.

Animal Kingdom Lodge has a QS location. It is right by the pool.

 

[SGMCO]

Animal Kingdom Lodge has a QS location. It is right by the pool.

I know we ate there, that is why I missed the QS at the MOD, very limited food choices and not very good food.

 

[DaisyJ]

I know we ate there, that is why I missed the QS at the MOD, very limited food choices and not very good food.

Ok. I thought you were saying they didn't have a QS location.

 

[disneyvoice]

We used to say we didn't think it was worth it to stay at a Deluxe Resort since we are at the parks most of the day.

Then we stayed at the Poly.

Since that trip we feel totally different about Deluxe Resorts. I think some of it is that we have gotten older and are no longer comfortable staying in a double bed for more than a night or two. We do like Coronado Springs but we really do prefer the Deluxe Resorts now, whether we are spending most of our time at the parks or are having a more relaxing trip. Trips just seem much more relaxed and enjoyable when we stay at a Deluxe. There tend to be better options for food, the proximity to the parks is better, and the rooms are much more comfortable.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

OP, I'm with you, except I speak from the experience of having stayed at the deluxe resorts when the prices were/are right.

1. The most important thing I have to say is that the cost of the deluxe resorts has SKYROCKETED recently! Prices are now CRAZY! I once stayed at AKL for only $125/night! I don't think the rooms at the Poly are worth $800/night.

2. We try to have at least 4 people per room. A deluxe hotel for a solo guest is very different than a family of 5 staying at a deluxe. (esp because many rooms at WDW don't hold 5 people.) I have also stayed at the WDW value hotels and offsite, even in truly dumpy places.
3. We base where we stay on what kind of deal/discount we can get relative to our budget, and also what we hope to get out of the trip. Some trips are more deluxe, others are micro-budget.

4. I've long been a fan of split stays and short(er) trips, especially when they stretch our budget. If we have to arrive late/depart early, we stay some place very inexpensive that night.

5. I'm also not above cutting our food costs to bare bones. I go back and forth on the value of a grocery store run, or eating offsite meals. Sometimes it isn't worth the hassle, other times it is worth the savings/better food. I can go along with much of what bumbershoot said in this thread. (a bit surprising, because I don't always agree with Bumpershoot at all!)
6. Like others, we sacrifice to pay for our vacations. Though as I said- the current prices are insane IMO as well.
7. Convenience sometimes enables us to make more of our time. Time=money.

I used to always say if it doesn't save me at least $25, then it isn't worth an hour of my time. Conversely, if something - hopping in a taxi over the bus - saves an hour of our time, AND I have the $ - then it probably IS worth spending an extra $25 on it. BC = a short walk to both Epcot and HS. Some trips, we've waited an hour for the bus every morning and evening. That time adds up.

But many of the old discounts no longer exist. It used to be that with a little research you could save a bundle.

One tidbit that still can save you a bundle: if you fly - pay close attention to your airfare options. Prices go up and down, and sometimes going a day early can actually save $ off the cost of your trip. Then, sometimes shortening your trip by a day also saves a bundle.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

So someone talked about walking to mk from contemporary I would not feel safe doing that with my luck I would end up in the woods I have no sense of direction

Generally speaking, where WDW has walking paths, they are VERY well marked! The walk from CR to MK is rather short- you can see the whole distance.

Also, though I haven't gotten any recently-CM's and bell services are happy to give guests maps of the paths, or at least they did the last time I asked. Now we just use our phones.

I should add, driving around WDW is rather confusing. After many trips, we STILL sometimes make a wrong turn- and generally use the GPS in our phones to navigate when driving between resorts, or between the airport and WDW/US.

Oh, and while there are no woods between Cr and MK, nearby Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness ARE surrounded by woods. Also, CM's would NOT allow us to walk on the wooded pathways that connect those two properties AFTER dark! (Critters!) So OP you aren't off-base when you say there ARE some wooded areas near CR. (You take a boat from CR to WL. From WL you can take a boat, bus tor in daylight walk to Fort Wilderness.

Incidentally, in many cases you can't walk between resorts. You can kind of walk from between Poly and GF, but it isn't a real pathway-or wasn't the last time we did it. You also can't walk from Poly or GF to MK. Only from CR can you to MK.

The paths that connect BC/YC/Swan/Dolphin/Boardwalk/Epcot and HS are all easy to navigate and very visible. You can't see the entire path between Epcot and HS from HS (or Epcot), but mostly you can easily see from each hotel the all the rest of the hotels. It is a nice area to walk in the evening.

Last, the new Disney Springs is also a bit confusing to navigate at times. It is a fun place, but it is entirely possible to get turned around in there for sure.

 

[Jules76126]

As others have mentioned justifying the cost at a deluxe resort subjective depending on the person. I like to splurge on vacation. Growing up, I traveled a lot with my grandmother and her favorite saying was "it only cost five cents more to go first class." Obviously, that isn't true, but it was her way to justify spending money on her grand kids. She bought into DVC so the family could enjoy the deluxe resorts and DVC for years to come - including a trip to Paris that we went on when I was 14.

For us, a vacation is sitting on the balcony watching the world go by, TS restaurants, having a nightcap at the hotel bar, and enjoying the pool and spa. and not being park commandos. However, we do save in our everyday lives. We don't eat out much, we both work full time, only have 1 car, etc. And I always look for deals. I don't like paying rack rate at Disney or anywhere else. When I first met my husband, I warned him that I was very spoiled growing up. We are flying premium economy to Europe this summer and he is worried I will never want to fly coach again.

I would totally recommend a split stay so you could see if the deluxe resorts are for you. Maybe you will find that the hype isn't worth it for your type of vacation. I know Swan, Dolphin, WL and AKL can have some good deals.

 

[Tigger's ally]

OP, I'm with you, except I speak from the experience of having stayed at the deluxe resorts when the prices were/are right.

1. The most important thing I have to say is that the cost of the deluxe resorts has SKYROCKETED recently! Prices are now CRAZY! I once stayed at AKL for only $125/night! I don't think the rooms at the Poly are worth $800/night.

2. We try to have at least 4 people per room. A deluxe hotel for a solo guest is very different than a family of 5 staying at a deluxe. (esp because many rooms at WDW don't hold 5 people.) I have also stayed at the WDW value hotels and offsite, even in truly dumpy places.
3. We base where we stay on what kind of deal/discount we can get relative to our budget, and also what we hope to get out of the trip. Some trips are more deluxe, others are micro-budget.

4. I've long been a fan of split stays and short(er) trips, especially when they stretch our budget. If we have to arrive late/depart early, we stay some place very inexpensive that night.

5. I'm also not above cutting our food costs to bare bones. I go back and forth on the value of a grocery store run, or eating offsite meals. Sometimes it isn't worth the hassle, other times it is worth the savings/better food. I can go along with much of what bumbershoot said in this thread. (a bit surprising, because I don't always agree with Bumpershoot at all!)
6. Like others, we sacrifice to pay for our vacations. Though as I said- the current prices are insane IMO as well.
7. Convenience sometimes enables us to make more of our time. Time=money.

I used to always say if it doesn't save me at least $25, then it isn't worth an hour of my time. Conversely, if something - hopping in a taxi over the bus - saves an hour of our time, AND I have the $ - then it probably IS worth spending an extra $25 on it. BC = a short walk to both Epcot and HS. Some trips, we've waited an hour for the bus every morning and evening. That time adds up.

But many of the old discounts no longer exist. It used to be that with a little research you could save a bundle.

One tidbit that still can save you a bundle: if you fly - pay close attention to your airfare options. Prices go up and down, and sometimes going a day early can actually save $ off the cost of your trip. Then, sometimes shortening your trip by a day also saves a bundle.

That is why the AP is IMO one of the best moneysavers out there. You only have to have one in the family to get the deals, and $300 is not a hard cost to recoup with the discounts. Tables of 5 at meals with a 20 percent discount, 10 to 20% savings in most stores, and saving $50- $100 per night on accommodations adds up real fast. And, it makes it easier to talk Mrs.Ally to take two or three trips in a year

 

[MainMom]

My home away from home is pop I can't explain it but it gives me the two things I need a bed and a shower I don't think about the pool I can swim any time I want at home

We have stayed deluxe/DVC many times, but we still love Pop! 2 summers ago was BWV, last summer AKL, this summer it's just DD and I and we are staying at Pop. We took a family vacation last month (4 of us) so the majority of our vacation budget went there. DD and I are excited to return to Pop for a girls trip. When we have the guys with us (DH & DS) we need more of a resort with great pools and a balcony because they are not the park commandos that DD and I are. Pop suits the girls needs just fine.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

You know not to get of topic but I learned something from this thread and that is deluxe hotels hold more people so a couple of questions sens my family has not booked yet

I for a all adults group well it actually sleep four grown adults my main concern is how comfortable would we be? I am talking about adults that are not used to sleeping together dh and I live in a condo and my parents live in a house 10 minutes away

2 would the four of us save money sharing a room at a delux (sp) break even or even save by booking two rooms at pop

3 most important well they deliver a ecv to a deluxe hotel

TIA

 

[DrunkJam]

You know not to get of topic but I learned something from this thread and that is deluxe hotels hold more people so a couple of questions sens my family has not booked yet

I for a all adults group well it actually sleep four grown adults my main concern is how comfortable would we be? I am talking about adults that are not used to sleeping together dh and I live in a condo and my parents live in a house 10 minutes away

2 would the four of us save money sharing a room at a delux (sp) break even or even save by booking two rooms at pop

3 most important well they deliver a ecv to a deluxe hotel

TIA

Not sure how comfortable I would be sleeping in that close proximity to another couple I am not used to sharing with. How much are you going to get on each others nerves? Who snores?

The rest I can't help with, but, being stuck sleeping with each other can break a trip if it is going to be uncomfortable.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Not sure how comfortable I would be sleeping in that close proximity to another couple I am not used to sharing with. How much are you going to get on each others nerves? Who snores?

The rest I can't help with, but, being stuck sleeping with each other can break a trip if it is going to be uncomfortable.

I think you are right I think we well stick to two rooms at pop even if it's more pricey at least we know we are having a good vacation