So... WAS the Deluxe Resort Worth it?

[nkereina]

) we feel like if we're paying for it, we may as well get maid service every day.

FWIW, if you rent DVC points, you can pay a nominal fee to receive daily maid service.

 

[kniquy]

If you want -- you could book your room through Disney. then look at trying to book through davids dvc or another rental company -- start looking 12 months prior, because i am sure you are aware -- someone who owns at BCV can book at 11 months. The tricky part might be finding an owner who has BCV points that wants to rent. If you secure your DVC rental then just cancel your disney room. You really can't lose out this way. I almost prefer not having daily maid service. If you are staying for a week then on day 4 you will get your trash and towel service.

 

[megs1313]

I miss being able to afford a deluxe. *sniffle*

 

[Parker Clan]

We have done mods and deluxe. We won't stay anywhere else except the Grand Floridian anymore, our stay was that great

 

[buzznina]

I have stayed at AoA, POR, CBR, WL, AKL, YC, and SSR. For my next trip I rented points at the GF, which is on my bucket list. Renting DVC points is the only way I could afford to stay there. I have stayed at all levels of Disney resorts and I've enjoyed every single one. Each resort has its own flavor that makes the trip unique. I love the variety and enjoy experiencing the differences. Is deluxe worth it? Well, there is no definitive answer as it depends on the person/family. Things Deluxes offer that moderates and values do not:
Location
Signature dining on site
Slightly larger rooms
Double sinks - Mods have double sinks except for CSR.
More comfortable beds - Another debatable category I found the bed at GF to mushy.
Interior hallways

Are any of these essential to me? No. Will I still spring for a deluxe sometimes? Yes. Have my trips at moderates and AoA been just as enjoyable? Yes. I will continue to stay at all levels of Disney resorts.

Mostly when I do choose deluxe it's because I want the experience of trying something new and that is what makes it worth it to me. I don't find that the deluxe hotels are really that luxurious compared to hotels outside of Disney. AKL had the biggest WOW factor for me of the deluxes I've stayed at. I'm not rushing to go back to WL or YC although I did enjoy them. We'll see how I feel after I try GF! Honestly, I'm equally looking forward to trying POFQ sometime!

This is our take on the WDW resorts. I will say that, if at all possible we will pick a Mod over a value mainly because of queen beds.
Stayed at a few deluxes, with GF on our last trip last year in November. GF became our favorite resort, BUT no way did we think the $$$ difference was actually "worth" it to us. We loved the monorail to MK but will not use it again to go to and from Epcot. When we stay at a deluxe, we know we will be splurging and needing to cut cost somewhere else, ADRs etc. There is just to many caveats that we do not like when it comes to renting points (except from my sister). Plus, not a fan of not having 2 real beds and no way the pullout I slept on was anywhere close to being as comfortable as a bed. Studios are the only category you can rent that will be around the cost of a Mod and once the pullout is open it is very cramped (BWV, felt smaller then a value room). BTW; we do not spend all our time at the parks and take a couple days off to spend at the resort doing stuff, so the resort is a big factor on our trips. Our up coming trip we are staying at CBR, which we have not stayed since before our DD's and like westie55, the whole family is very excited and looking forward to it.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

This is our take on the WDW resorts. I will say that, if at all possible we will pick a Mod over a value mainly because of queen beds.
Stayed at a few deluxes, with GF on our last trip last year in November. GF became our favorite resort, BUT no way did we think the $$$ difference was actually "worth" it to us. We loved the monorail to MK but will not use it again to go to and from Epcot. When we stay at a deluxe, we know we will be splurging and needing to cut cost somewhere else, ADRs etc. There is just to many caveats that we do not like when it comes to renting points (except from my sister). Plus, not a fan of not having 2 real beds and no way the pullout I slept on was anywhere close to being as comfortable as a bed. Studios are the only category you can rent that will be around the cost of a Mod and once the pullout is open it is very cramped (BWV, felt smaller then a value room). BTW; we do not spend all our time at the parks and take a couple days off to spend at the resort doing stuff, so the resort is a big factor on our trips. Our up coming trip we are staying at CBR, which we have not stayed since before our DD's and like westie55, the whole family is very excited and looking forward to it.

This was REALLY helpful and you addressed all of our concerns when it comes to renting.

 

[JerseyJanice]

You people need to check out the Swan and Dolphin. Deluxe room, service and location for the price of a moderate.

 

[pens4821]

We absolutely loved CR theme park view. It was awesome, and we had a wonderful time. Even walking out of the room and feeling the energy of chef mickeys was awesome. Walking to MK was so convenient.

However, we don't really feel it's worth it. We stayed at sports last time and aoa before that. We spend so little time in the room, that we feel deluxe just isn't worth it. Don't get me wrong, we'd love to stay deluxe again, but to us the extra saving for it just isn't worth it. We take a few vacations a year, staying deluxe we'd have to take at least one if not two less, and to us it's just not worth it (but as always mentioned, worth is different to everyone).

 

[Eeyore's My Favorite]

We've stayed at AKL, WL, BC & BWI -along with most of the mods & values. I will say out of the deluxes our fave is AKL & our worst stay ever on property was BC. We won't ever go back there. If we want to go to F&W we will go back to BWI CL.

 

[danikoski]

You people need to check out the Swan and Dolphin. Deluxe room, service and location for the price of a moderate.

This is really dependent on time of year and discounts available. Mom and I are going on a Mother/daughter trip Feb 5-11...I looked at Swan and Dolphin, and prices were basically the same as the prices for WL with the PIN I got from Disney. Mom had always wanted to stay at WL, so that's where we are staying...Interestingly, POR and POFQ were running around the same price as Swan and Dolphin and WL, even with the PIN discount, give or take $10-30 a night.

 

[tinkerbella16]

We just had our first deluxe stay in September, at the BC and it was so worth it. We did get a hefty discount though, so we didn't pay rack rate.. In fact we paid less than what we pay at a moderate, so of course it was more than worth it lol. We easily fell in love with this resort. And I agree with you about the location, amenities and we were also greeted as we stepped off of DME. The pool was amazing! We take breaks each day of our trip, so we spent every afternoon at SAB and it was just so nice and relaxing. Our rooms were on the ground floor, right off of the lobby - our room view was of the main courtyard area where people come in and out of the lobby, facing the BW area. We loved the location of our rooms. The transportation was the best we've experienced - the boat to DHS was nice and we never waited long for buses and they were never packed, even sharing with YC. We did Cape May Café for both breakfast and dinner, and we really enjoyed both. We loved walking to Epcot in 5 minutes - it is our favorite park. Just waking up early each day, walking outside to that view of the Boardwalk and Swan/Dolphin across the lake, was just amazing! We booked the Beach Club again for this September, so we are really excited to go back.

 

[PSUGuy]

We have done Mods and Deluxe. I have to say that renting DVC points makes the Deluxe the same price as the mods, so we now go that route. This year we are planning a split stay. VWL for 4 nights and then BCV for the other 4.

I don't mind the Moderates, but if we can have Deluxe for the same price, I don't see why I would go back.

We've been renting/buying DVC points from the same owner for 5 or 6 years and she has yet to raise the price per point which means a standard view studio at Board Walk costs less than a rack rate Value. Last year all the standards were gone the first day our window opened so we went for the Pool/Garden View and now we're hooked on that so we're paying more than a Value but obviously it's worth it to us.

Bill From PA

 

[buzznina]

This is really dependent on time of year and discounts available. Mom and I are going on a Mother/daughter trip Feb 5-11...I looked at Swan and Dolphin, and prices were basically the same as the prices for WL with the PIN I got from Disney. Mom had always wanted to stay at WL, so that's where we are staying...Interestingly, POR and POFQ were running around the same price as Swan and Dolphin and WL, even with the PIN discount, give or take $10-30 a night.

Plus for us once we add in the resort & parking fee, that adds another $50 per night. But, every trip I do keep checking their prices

 

[buzznina]

We've been renting/buying DVC points from the same owner for 5 or 6 years and she has yet to raise the price per point which means a standard view studio at Board Walk costs less than a rack rate Value. Last year all the standards were gone the first day our window opened so we went for the Pool/Garden View and now we're hooked on that so we're paying more than a Value but obviously it's worth it to us.

Bill From PA

That's a GREAT deal Renting points from owners has gone up from $10 a few years ago to $14+ now, still a good deal but not like what you're getting

 

[Dakota731]

Just saw Swan & Dolphin have a special for $159. I love the location but would miss the transportation from the airport!

 

[robinb]

Just saw Swan & Dolphin have a special for $159. I love the location but would miss the transportation from the airport!

For the amount of money you would save over a WDW Deluxe, you could afford to pay for round-trip transportation and still have money in your pocket.

 

[addiln]

After trying a deluxe once I was not going to be able to head back to a moderate. That is the reason we bought into the DVC and love having the 11 month window to book our favorite resort BLT. The location and the service we seem to get every time we are there can not be beat.

 

[AshleeH]

We always stay Deluxe - it's worth it to us. The service is always amazing and we are all about location, location, location. We usually stick to the MK hotels for proximity to that park and not being at the mercy of Disney transportation, but on an upcoming Adults Only vacation, my husband and I chose to stay at The Yacht Club - one that has always been on our list, but not available to use our DVC points. Since our points are allocated for another vacation, this was the perfect time to mark one off the bucket list and really enjoy Food and Wine with the close proximity. I can't wait! If it's anything like our other stays, we won't be disappointed.

 

[Sugart]

Just like real estate, location, location, location. Your paying for the location, signature restaurants, and pools.

 

[SuperTink]

Not worth it for us. We spend as little time as possible at the hotel. We feel we can do hotels anywhere; we are there for the parks.

Should add that we haven't done Value, because we feel that would detract from our stay. But moderates (so far) have been perfectly acceptable for our needs.