Once you go Deluxe.......

[PamNC]

Hello everyone! My husband and I got into a discussion last night about Deluxe vs. Moderates. Specifically....we've been staying at Deluxe resorts now for the last 3 trips. We particularly love the YC/BC (Stormalong Bay & Location!) but we've also stayed at Contemporary and Grand Floridian.

We were looking through some old stuff and found things that reminded us of our trip back in 1996 at the CBR. We thought that was the greatest thing...like we had died and gone to heaven. That was our 3rd trip and before that we stayed at All Star Music. After CBR we stayed at Coronado a couple of times and thought it was the greatest thing.

Now, we've started staying at Deluxe resorts and we were saying that in a way we longed for a simpler time when the ultimate would be CBR or CSR.

Now, having said all that...here's the question I'd like to through out there.

If you have stayed at a Deluxe, could you go back to a moderate??? When we asked ourselves that question the answer was "I don't think so" but we wish we didn't feel that way.

ONCE YOU GO DELUXE....CAN YOU GO BACK?

PamNC

 

[peachgirl]

ONCE YOU GO DELUXE....CAN YOU GO BACK?

This is a question we wrestled with for our Dec. trip. Our first trip to WDW was at a Fort Wilderness Cabin and we thought it was wonderful ( and it was )....till we stayed at the YC in 2000. I don't think it gets any better than the YC! Then last year we made the pilgrimage to Disneyland and stayed at the Grand Californian...has to be one of the most impressive places I've ever stayed and the staff there made it even better! This year tho, we're staying for 13 nights so we decided maybe we better cut back to a moderate because of the expense, so we chose CBR. I was really worried that we'd be disappointed and wondered if we had made a mistake. Fortunately fate stepped in and they announced the CBR closing. We're booked for later in December so the CBR may be open by then, but I took it as a "sign" and changed our ressies to the WL! I don't know about others, but for me it was really hard to move down to a moderate after having stayed at a deluxe!

 

[scanne]

I think you can go back. In fact we're planning a trip in October 2003 for Port Orleans. We just had a baby so of course $$$ might become more of an issue. However, we are also planning a trip for August 2004 and we will DEFINITELY stay in a deluxe then. But I think it;s possible to go back to a mod or even a value after a deluxe. It's just a matter of knowing what you're getting for your $$$.


BTW, if there are great AP rates or codes next October, we'll probably upgrade to a deluxe......but it has to be a good deal, you know? I will never pay rack rate for a deluxe again. Did that on my honeymoon. We grossly overpaid!!!!!!!

 

[Kaitysmom]

I have - I stayed at the Poly 2x (loved it )& GF (just ok) once. I have since stayed at Riverside (liked it) and plan to go back again in October. For us the moderates are fine - in fact we take a two week trip in Feb and stay in our RV at FW. I don't think I would stay at All Stars though we have friends that have and liked it - the rooms are a little too small for us. That said, we don't spend a whole lot of time at our resort - if we did, my answer would be different. In my opinion, if you aren't going to spend a lot of time at the resort, it isn't worth the extra expense. We take the money we save on the resort and spend it on other stuff - the boat ride over to the marketplace comes in handy then.

 

[DisneyFreaks]

It's funny that you asked this because my family was just discussing this very subject last night. We always stayed at the moderates and have tried them all except PO/FQ {where we will be next trip} Then we stayed at Contemporary and Wilderness Lodge. Hated CR and thought WL didn't really have much going for it besides its breathtaking beauty. We really missed the food courts and all the other ammenities the moderates have to offer.We came to the conclusion we are just a "moderate resort family"and will probably stick with those resorts. For the time being anyway.

 

[Disney Fool]

Yes, you can, BUT....you will be disappointed, I think, because of the lack of room especially in the bathroom. I recently stayed at Port Orleans in the mansions area, and I loved the landscaping and the quiet pools, great theming and atmosphere. The one thing I would change would be the bathroom. There is positively no space! The bathroom door opens and practically hits the bathtub, which is very close to the toilet. Yes, the sinks are outside and there are two of them, but no privacy. So, if one wishes to dress with some modesty, the bathroom's the place and there is very little space to accomplish that feat. After going deluxe, and being spoiled by a wicker laundry basket in the bathroom, abundant space to change, and counter space and hooks galore to hang and store clothing while changing, telephones (although I've yet to figure out why anyone would use one in the toilet!) magnifying make up mirrors, and mirrors on the INSIDE of the bathroom, I must say I didn't care for that aspect of the moderates. Would I stay there again? You bet! All you lovers of everything moderate, please don't flame me--I've a right to my opinion, and I didn't say I didn't like Port Orleans, I do. I've got my refillable mugs to prove it!!! I'm answering a specific question about a comparison to Deluxes. There really is a difference, and it does take some getting used to. That's my humble opinion.

 

[Pugsley]

No problem at all for me. I've stayed at value, mod & deluxe and have enjoyed them all. In fact I think I might like staying at Coronado better than a deluxe. I love luxury hotels and stay in them in other cities, but WDW just doesn't feel like a luxury destination to me. I'm always dressed casually there, and I like a casual atmosphere at the hotel. I even like being outside when I walk out my door, instead of in a hotel corridor. I'm staying at the Poly in November, so we'll see how I feel after that. It'll be nice to be on the monorail, but I don't mind the busses at all. I'm looking forward to staying at the Poly, but I'm afraid I might really miss the CSR. I'll have to go visit the CSR while I'm there since I can't imagine not seeing it at all during my stay!

 

[Bob NC]

ONCE YOU GO DELUXE....CAN YOU GO BACK?

Absolutely. With us it's not so much even an issue of the difference in cost. Rather, it's what kind of experience or theme we want. My first 3 trips to WDW were spent at the Poly, including my honeymoon. After staying at CSR, I would rather stay there than the Poly. It has nothing to do with whether or not they are called 'deluxe' or 'moderate', I just like the CSR better in this case. I have absolutely no desire to stay at GF or any of the Epcot resorts, I also have no desire to stay at any of the All-Stars.

AKL is currently my favorite resort, but I wouldn't mind staying at CBR or CSR at all. The Contemporary was nice, but, like I say I'd be just as satisfied with one of the moderates. I think the deluxes and moderates each have just as many pros and cons associated with them.

and being spoiled by a wicker laundry basket in the bathroom

Lol, I've never heard anyone refer to being 'spoiled' by a laundry basket, but whatever trips your trigger, I guess. Maybe that's why there are so many different resorts!

 

[kimmar067]

...from a split/stay at WDW, I'll throw in my 2 cents. The first part of our vacation was for 5 days at CBR. I'd stayed at all the other mods, so I pretty much knew what to expect. However, there were several things that made me think negatively about CBR (you can read my posts on "Trip Board" under "DAY ONE", "DAY TWO", etc). The 2nd part of my vacation was spent at WL, which we ABSOLUTELY LOVED!!! Before staying at this resort, I, too, had pondered your very same question. Now, having experienced WL, I find it would be VERY difficuly to return to a mod again. I'm not trying to be a snob or anything, but I did like the:
1) service
2) room layout
3) inside hallways
4) easy access to pool, lobby, bus, rest., etc.

MUCH better at WL than at any of the mods (just MHO )

 

[Desnik]

We have stayed at CSR and didn't like it. Then we went deluxe, the GF. We were in love!!! Last trip we stayed at the BWI and we loved it, but we missed the GF. So, for us we would never go back to a moderate. We are spoiled by the deluxes, the bigger rooms, more amineties, better transportation options, restaurants, views, etc...
Having said that I will add that we wouldn't pay rack rate to stay at a deluxe. We have been lucky enough to get AP rates or take advantage of a code.
When we vacation, we spend time at the resort so it is just as important to us as the parks!

 

[jaguar9748]

Absolutely! Riverside is our #1 resort. The Contemporary is on the bottom! The moderates give a good room at a great price - it doesn't make a lot of sense to us to pay a higher price for a room that we're only in to sleep and change clothes!

Now, an even better question is once you try out a 1-bedroom villa, can you go back??!! Now, 1-bedroom villas are heavenly!!

 

[kimmar067]

...I don't want to start an argument here, but......


I disagree that a room is just that (a place to sleep). Until we stayed at WL, we also felt the same way. We really did not take time (or care to) to enjoy some of the things that the mods had to offer. During our 5-day stay at CBR, we did not go into the main pool ONCE!! (there were 7 of us, ages 8 to 45) Also, we only visited the food court, maybe 3 times, and WERE NOT IMPRESSED! (I did like DxL food court, though) On the other hand, we looked forward to returning to WL every day around 1:30/2PM to enjoy the lodge, and all its offerings! (I'm sure we would have felt the same way had we stayed at BC/YC, GF, the Poly, etc -tho' I DO agree with you about the Contemporary - YUK!)
Again, JMHO!!!!

kimmar

PS ~~ the bottom line is: no matter what a resort is considered, there are different resorts for different needs and tastes....to some, "themes" are important, whether is't called a "Value", "Mod", or Dlx". To others, it's location (ie:an Epcot resort vs. a MK resort) That's what makes the "World" go 'round!!

 

[PamNC]

I've enjoyed reading the different takes on the subject.

I too would NEVER pay full rack rate for a deluxe. No way, no how!

What we enjoy about deluxe, particularly YC/BC, is the location, Stormalong Bay, full service restaurants, and the size of the room (yes...I like the bigger bathrooms too). Maybe what we can do is try a moderate for a little short trip and see how it feels. I don't know...

Here's the thing - we go every year sometimes twice (once three times) and we do spend alot of time at the resort relaxing. I hate to keep saying it but especially at YC/BC. There's so much to do at the Epcot resort area.

I'm enjoying this thread, even if I did start it.

continue....

PamNC

 

[las3888]

That is a tough question. DH and I have stayed at deluxes mostly for past few years. We did however, stay at Dixie Landings (when it used to be called that). We really liked it there - the atmosphere is beautiful, landscape is wonderful, loved the quiet pool right by our building, loved the food court, BUT, I just can't get around the 'motel' room layout (and smaller room). I am not a building engineer or anything, so maybe I am missing something, but would it have cost that much more to make the buildings with inside hallways instead of a motel layout?

I have to say with the codes we find on these boards, we are able to stay at deluxes for a fair price (i.e. we opted for AKL standard view for $129 on our next trip - I know we will long for a savannah view, but didn't want to spend the extra $). I think for us it is the right choice, versus a moderate. It makes me a little sad, though because I really do love the grounds over at Dixie.

I love the deluxes, having stayed in all except AKL and BWI, but if the discount codes were to disappear (or AP discounts) and we were forced to pay full price - it would be back to the moderates in a heartbeat...saving deluxes for those very special trips.

 

[Bob NC]

Kimmar067

...I don't want to start an argument here, but......


I disagree that a room is just that (a place to sleep).

LOL....These are people's personal opinions, right?

I know that to me, a room used to be exactly that...just a place to sleep. The first few times we went as a family we were commando tourers and would leave the room at 7 am and return at 11 pm...The room WAS JUST a place to sleep.

 

[pollyanna]

BUT i LIKE THE lobby and the halls and the fact I don't have to trudge outside to get a drink or foood....that's why I love the Deluxes-actually only stayed at WL & Contemporary.

 

[musicfan]

Go back to a moderate? Heck, we go back to VALUES! We've stayed at all three (value, mod,deluxe) and usually PREFER to stay at the All Stars. We don't think the deluxe rooms are that much bigger, frankly. We were shocked to see how small they were after reading for months on these boards about the TINY All Star rooms in comparison with the HUGE deluxe rooms. In our opinion, they are not $200 worth bigger! And the moderates are even a bigger ripoff (again , in our OPINION) -- they are seriously about three feet longer than the All Stars.

I know there are a lot of other amenities at mods and deluxes (hot tubs -- always too crowded, spas -- too expensive for our blood, sit down restaurants -- we usually prefer restaurants that are not affiliated with the resorts), but they are not worth it to us, generally, for the dramatic increase in price.

 

[maddy]

We visit wdw regularly and have stayed at all types of resorts from delux, we love the balcony's, to value ,we love the food courts, to DVC, we love the space. We personally chose the value over the moderats because w/o the balcony the size of the room is not crucial to us and the value food courts are great . we go off season so mobs at the resorts are not an issue either. of course a few days at a value when you know 10 at a DVC one bedroom are ahead is easy to take. That aside we would always choose a value or delux not a moderate. Sort of a feast or famine mentality but we seem to either have plenty to spend or want to scrape as much time as we can out of a visit.

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

We go from a deluxe to value sometimes. Yes, there is a huge difference, but that isn't always a bad thing. Next trip we will be staying at ASMu (second time) for a night (actually, less than 12 hours) before moving over to the Beach Club.

 

[DisneyFreaks]

I totally agree with musicfan. I have never really noticed that much difference as far as room size is concerned. However, Disney Fool is right about the bathrooms. They are pretty small compared to the deluxes. At WL we had a handicap bathroom and it was so huge you could almost get lost in it. But the service we had there was horrible. Someone actually opened our room door in the middle of the night while we were there. {thank goodness for night latches} and we never even got an apology. The front desk people were downright rude. I guess we expected to be treated a little better at a deluxe but that just didn't happen for us. And cost is an issue with us because we always have to have multiple rooms and DH and I are the ones covering it all. Themeing is important too but we love the moderate themes so that works out well for us also. All in all we just didn't see where the deluxes were really that much "deluxe" compared to the moderates.