Should I switch from BWI to a PO resort?

[100acreHiker]

Would love to hear some thoughts from resort vets, given our particular touring and vacationing style. We have done 5 or 6 WDW trips in the last 5 years, always Deluxe (CR, BC, GF, BWI). We LOVE the EP resorts, as we spend most of our time in EP and HS. Right now we have a BWI reservation for this Nov/December, and if money were never an issue, we'd just leave it as is. Part of why we love the EP resorts is we ALWAYS spend the afternoon at the resort. Kids love to swim, we get overwhelmed by the parks and crowds, etc. And then we go into a park for dinner and fireworks and a few rides. We have parkhopper tickets, so it's usually a different park in the evening. I like being able to hop over to either HS or EP to see whatever fireworks are happening that night. So, it's super convenient to just hop on a boat or walk in and out mid-afternoon and at night and not stand in line with the crowd waiting for a bus.

But I just learned I can save over $900 if we switch to POR or FQ. It would mean buses 4x a day with our touring style of afternoon breaks, plus more internal walking if we go with POR. I also keep reading that the beds are not comfortable at the moderates. I'd love to hear from anyone who has stayed both deluxe and at the PO resorts how inconvenient it is to go back and forth to the parks as many times a day as we will need to, and about the the quality of the rooms, as well.

TIA!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We mostly stay deluxe (we tour like you do and also prefer the EP resorts), but we've stayed at POR and it was lovely. The beds were comfortable but I did miss the balcony and interior hallways. For the way you tour, I would recommend using uber to get around. It will cut down on bus time considerably and only costs about $5-$7 per trip.

 

[Alabama Minnie]

We've stayed at both and I don't think there is any comparison. It's more about Location and Convenience to us. The rooms are a little nicer at the deluxe but WE really HATE the buses. That's why we will not do AKL again. We love the ability to have dinner at Epcot every night and then be right at our hotel. We have done many split-stays and planned our AK/MK days for the cheaper option. We are also fond of the Swan/Dolphin, which sometimes can have better rates with the same benefits.

 

[jolene63]

We have stayed at all of the moderates and found the beds to be just as comfortable at the deluxe resorts. We stayed at BWV for nine nights last December and loved the location and the view from our balcony. We also stayed at POR and POFQ last year and loved the theme of each resort. If it were me, I would probably choose to save the money and use it for a future trip.

 

[100acreHiker]

Thanks, everyone. I did check the Swan and Dolphin and with resort fees and transportation costs, it's not any cheaper than our BWI reservation, which is a good discount through our TA. I am willing to try POR and use ubers as necessary. DH is a bit of a splurger and is willing to cut into our savings account to make the trip more comfortable and relaxing, since we spend so much time at the resort. But $900! So tough!

 

[ears2BWV]

I have stayed at both resorts and find them both to be our favorites. Boardwalk being our favorite deluxe resort & port Orleans our favorite moderate. If you enjoy HS and Epcot I would keep your BWI reservation. There is nothing like being able to walk to your two favorite resorts and never get on a bus. I agree it is a great deal of money, but you will have so much more freedom with your down time.

 

[Hopefully]

I too would definitely keep your BWI reservation

 

[melvin1970]

I gave stayed at both and would spend the extra for the BWI.

 

[Nancyg56]

If you are comfortable with the additional $900, I suggest that you keep what you have. I liek POFQ a lot but given a choice between a deluxe and POFQ< I choose deluxe. There is a lot to be said for walking to a park, and having. The luxury of a quick walk back to the resort. Couple that with all of the dining and entertainment available along the Boardwalk, you have a great location.

 

[Eastern]

We usually book deluxe but I stay at POFQ when I think the price is too high. I really like it and will continue to book it. It's never crazy crowded, the buses are good, and it's always a short walk back to the room from the bus stop.

 

[bettybooplove]

I would keep your BWI reservation. Nov/Dec is such a nice time of year and I think you would regret not doing something a little special for the trip.

I've never stayed moderate but I have seen videos of the resorts and I feel I would rather spend the money at a deluxe. I'm actually one of those people who would rather have 4 or 5 nights in a deluxe than 10 in a moderate. I'm...thrifty when it comes to a lot of things but not when it comes to where I sleep at night.

I priced out a room at Port Orleans Riverside and it was only $76 more for a garden view room at BWI. Again, per night that may mean a lot to some families but I would much rather have the convenience of being able to walk or boat to Epcot/Hollywood Stidios and be within close proximity to two parks with great dining instead of hopping on a bus every time.

There's also so much to do in that area on non-park days. There's always something happening on the boardwalk at night.

 

[leebee]

I've stayed in both BWV and POFQ, and money is an issue for us. For $900 I'd go with PO. That $900 will cover a LOT of expenses at Disney (two theme park tickets, for example). Heck, you could get a rental car to cut down on bus trips and STILL have $600 in your pocket! (check carrentalsavers.com, keep checking, book what you can accept as a good price, then keep looking&booking until you find something really cheap).

You don't say how many of you there are or how long you are staying (which could affect resort choice), but saving $900 is saving a LOT of money. It looks like you go to Disney about once a year, so if staying at PO turns out to not be your cup of tea, at least you'll know for the future- and you'll have that $900 in your pocket to make you feel a little bit better!

 

[ChristineOH]

I have stayed at the Poly, POR, and CBR. I think the resorts are pretty comparable between moderate and deluxe. I found the beds to be just as comfortable, the grounds to be equally lovely, and the pools to be just as nice. The moderates were actually quieter than the Poly, and had more dining options at the QS level.

It really just depends on your priorities. I think they main thing you give up at a moderate is access to more TS restaurants and a non-bus way to get to at least one park. The TS restaurant thing isn't that big of a deal to us, but we did love taking the ferry to MK when we stayed at the Poly. However, our price difference was about $200 per night, and for that amount of money, I decided the bus wasn't bad at all!

 

[disneydacey]

Walking out of Epcot after Illuminations vs waiting for a bus at the end of the day is well worth the extra money to us. Stay at BWI

 

[buzznina]

You did not say how many nights. Have you thought of a split stay? This way you can try a Mod and it would only be for a few days and if you did not like it you knew you were going to finish your trip at BW. With your traveling style it probably would be better to stay BW, but even then you are still busing to MK and AK. During our many trips we realized that spending $$$$ just for the convenience of saving 5-10 minutes here and there is not worth it to us, but we do not take afternoon breaks, we rather do full or half days at a resort. If we were finishing up "most" of our nights at Epcot then yes we would stay BW. I also did not find the deluxe beds any better. JMO

 

[Surr]

I am going to disagree about the quality of the beds. We love PO, but the beds seemed much better to me at BWI. The two times we stayed at BWI, we were club level though. Perhaps club level has better beds that standard deluxe? Our last trip we stayed at ASM for one night with king bed, the queen bed at BWI club level was much better.

That said, for a $900 savings and if that $900 means you have to make other sacrifices I would probably stay at PO.

 

[kandb]

We have stayed at deluxe results and stayed many times at PO resorts. If you go commando and spend all day and night at the parks, I would say go to PO BUT if you enjoy resort time and have children, the convenience and beauty of the deluxe resorts is no comparison. It's a total different vacation when you stay deluxe. I would spend the extra money.

 

[arminnie]

I despise BWI. My least favorite place to stay in all of WDW. The parking is horrible. I have almost missed a flight twice because of how awful the valet parking is. I'd stay at a value before I'd stay there again.

I don't think that the Boardwalk offers that much in the way of dining, etc. Disney Springs is so much better. For $900 you could take a lot of Uber to make up for walking to Epcot.

 

[100acreHiker]

Hi everyone-- thank you for your thoughts and advice. This is only a five night stay with four park days, so a split stay seems too much to manage with this length of trip, but it is a good idea if we had longer. At this point, hubby really likes the boardwalk area and is inclined to stay put. One of these days is like to try POR, though. I still haven't ruled it out for this trip, but it's less likely now. Thanks again!

 

[100acreHiker]

I despise BWI. My least favorite place to stay in all of WDW. The parking is horrible. I have almost missed a flight twice because of how awful the valet parking is. I'd stay at a value before I'd stay there again.

I don't think that the Boardwalk offers that much in the way of dining, etc. Disney Springs is so much better. For $900 you could take a lot of Uber to make up for walking to Epcot.

Funny--we've stayed at 5 other deluxes and, other than GF, which we can't afford now, BWI has become our favorite. We love its location and that it had balconies in most or all rooms, compared to BC that had very few full balconies. Our kids loved the slide and the fact that the pool was less crowded than Stromalong Bay, and they loved being able to walk down to the bakery by themselves easily. We don't drive so the parking and valet concerns was not an issue for us. I am not against trying other resorts, and I agree that $900 will cover a lot of ubers. That's why I'm inclined to try it, but I also know that if we do POR, our kids will miss the smallness and freedom of BWI and I know I'll miss the balcony, but I'm also game to try something new. It won't be our last trip! Sometimes it's fun having a husband who is happy to splurge, and other times it's super frustrating!