What makes a deluxe resort deluxe?

[mi*vida*loca]

Am I right in thinking that only the deluxes have splash pads at the pools for kids? Although, not all of the deluxes, I can't picture one at BW or OKW, but my mind might be deceiving me!

Generally, deluxes are conveniently located for at least one park, or Disney Springs.

Also, supposed to have more retail and dining options, including signature TS.

And larger rooms.

They definitely have a splash pad at CBR. I think POFQ has one also.

 

[Tink-osophy]

They definitely have a splash pad at CBR. I think POFQ has one also.

Thanks for clarifying.

I'm way off on that one then!

 

[MisterBubbles]

What do you get for your $ at a deluxe resort? First things that come to mind are Space, Resort Ambiance, Food and Drink.

Value, Moderate, and Deluxe resorts each have their pros and cons. We have had a wonderful time at Pop Century. Nice stays at POFQ. Relaxing stays at AKL. Find the right deal and your deluxe stay can be a bit more enjoyable. Over time we have gravitated towards Deluxe resorts. We enjoy the immersion in the theme. We like to be able to visit a restaurant or lounge steps away from our room and of course, the pool and landscaping. I think that customer service is the same Disney level across all ranges. Disney touches are also visible no matter where you go. We have found specific resorts that have certain amenities or touches that work for us. Coronado Springs has heavy wooden doors that slide shut between the bathroom vanity area and the beds. This allows people to use the sink and restroom without disturbing others in the room. Because of this we used this resort many times. Would love to have this added to Deluxe resorts!

When we think of relaxing and fun stays we always return to our time at AKL. The lobby is ridiculously soothing. The fire pit and animals outside transport you to a faraway land. We have yet to experience this anywhere else in WDW. For us, it is worth it.

 

[Mari0824]

For me it's the amenities and transportation of deluxe. I feel they immerse you into themes and with the exception of AKL all other deluxe have multiple forms of transportation to the parks.

My go to Deluxe is always YC because of their amazing pool and things to do at night. Their pool has a huge slide, sand pit for kids and lazy river. They also have a beach area with swings that is so nice at night plus the added bonus of the boardwalk closing at 2am.

With that said I def agree with the post that says to request Room close to lobby because the walk from the room can be a hike but I have always done the walk from the outside vs all interior hallways so it makes it much better.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Both the Yacht Club and the Beach Club are walking and boating distance of Epcot and Studios. That alone is well worth the $600 IMO if you will spend a lot of time at either of those parks.

The whole Crescent Lake/Boardwalk is such an awesome place to stay. I'm really sold on the Swan right now, and location is at least half the reason.

When I'm out in the boat on the water taking in the scenery, I'm practically in paradise. Such a beautiful and engaging place to be.

 

[agavegirl1]

DH and I actually went from Deluxe (BC) to Value (POP) and he preferred POP. This time we are going to a moderate (POR) depending on how the dog thing rolls out. We may go back to POP. DH preferred Pop Century to the Beach Club. While we liked Martha's Vineyard and some of the amenities at BC, we mostly just like it's proximity to Epcot. When I explained the money part, he was all about Pop Century. Then we got there and he loved it. I didn't "love it" as much. Better buses, cheaper, still fun, quiet pools had hardly anyone in them etc. for him. Me? No hot tub, no TS restaurant, no lounge, no entertainment.

Mostly, Deluxe Resorts have:

On site restaurants and lounges
On site fitness centers
Pools with hot tubs
Proximity to or more than one transportation option to a park
More upscale themes
Club Level rooms

We are still experimenting with what works best for us. It will not be DVC. We are too old to get enough benefit and are busy spending our children's inheritance.

 

[MAYNARDS99]

Valet parking, spas and salons. All of these have additional charges though.

 

[Shellyb84]

I can attest to this at YC as well. My last stay I was at the end of the hallway, and my fitness tracker registered it as over a .15 mile walk from lobby to room. Needless to say, I got a LOT of extra steps in that trip!

Omg yes - we had a room at BC that was basically in Epcot. It took soooo long to get to the lobby.

 

[Shellyb84]

DH and I actually went from Deluxe (BC) to Value (POP) and he preferred POP. This time we are going to a moderate (POR) depending on how the dog thing rolls out. We may go back to POP. DH preferred Pop Century to the Beach Club. While we liked Martha's Vineyard and some of the amenities at BC, we mostly just like it's proximity to Epcot. When I explained the money part, he was all about Pop Century. Then we got there and he loved it. I didn't "love it" as much. Better buses, cheaper, still fun, quiet pools had hardly anyone in them etc. for him. Me? No hot tub, no TS restaurant, no lounge, no entertainment.

Mostly, Deluxe Resorts have:

On site restaurants and lounges
On site fitness centers
Pools with hot tubs
Proximity to or more than one transportation option to a park
More upscale themes
Club Level rooms

We are still experimenting with what works best for us. It will not be DVC. We are too old to get enough benefit and are busy spending our children's inheritance.

My DH prefers deluxe, but if it were entirely up to him he would stay at Pop every time just because of the price difference. I like Pop but my max is about 4 days there. The rooms are just so crowded, and it's just us and DD8. He doesn't care about the hot tub or the crowded bus stops. BC is my favorite deluxe (that pool!) and it always wins out for our longer trips.

 

[BriLovesDisney]

Having never stayed at a deluxe resort I'm wondering what exactly is it that makes them so superior? I don't doubt that they are superior, but I'd like to hear more specifics. Is it just that the rooms are nicer and more spacious? What else?

We're staying at POR in a preferred room for 7 nights and I can upgrade to garden/woods view at BC or YC for $600 and I'm wondering if it's worth it. What would I be getting for that money?

This is honestly such a good question. And I'm not sure if there is a true answer except it costs more LOL

 

[goofy4tink]

Larger rooms.....not hugely larger, but larger. More luxurious appointments in the rooms...nicer bedding, towels, toiletries. Nicer resort theming....more 'adult' vs childlike. At least one table service restaurant on-site. A pool with a slide, hot tubs. The ability to walk, boat or monorail to at least one park.
WL and AKL are deluxes but with slightly fewer amenities.....WL has a boat that runs to MK. AKL has no alternative transportation.
Here is a breakdown of standard room prices...
WL...$307-478
AKL...$308-450
CR....$356-468 (wing rooms), $444-609 (tower rooms)
YC/BC...$374-549
BW...$408-591
Poly...$452-628
GF...$574-750

AKL and WL have the smallest rooms, not by a lot, but they are smaller. They also don't offer the same transportation the other resorts offer.
WL....bus to all parks, boat to MK
AKL..bus to all parks
CR...bus to DHS/DS/AK. Monorail to Epcot/MK. Walk to MK
YC/BC...bus to MK/AK/DS, walk/boat to Epcot/DHS
BW..bus to MK/AK/DS, walk/boat to Epcot/DHS
Poly...bus to DHS/AK/DS, boat/monorail to MK, monorail to Epcot
GF..bus to DHS/AK/DS, boat/monorail to MK, monorail to Epcot

 

[buzznina]

Am I right in thinking that only the deluxes have splash pads at the pools for kids? Although, not all of the deluxes, I can't picture one at BW or OKW, but my mind might be deceiving me!

Generally, deluxes are conveniently located for at least one park, or Disney Springs.

Also, supposed to have more retail and dining options, including signature TS.

And larger rooms.

Almost. POFQ, CBR and AOA also have them.

 

[Aflyingbuttress]

What about Saratoga Springs? That is available for less than $100 more than what we're booked for now. It looks like many of the rooms are close to transportation.

Edit: A better question might be what deluxe resort has the smallest foot print?

 

[tinabina919]

I would upgrade if I were you. The location of BC is great. Easy walk to Epcot and plenty of great food. Also just a beautiful resort.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

What about Saratoga Springs? That is available for less than $100 more than what we're booked for now. It looks like many of the rooms are close to transportation.

Edit: A better question might be what deluxe resort has the smallest foot print?

Smallest footprint of a deluxe is Contemporary, almost certainly. It is NOT SSR, fo sho.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

When I first went to WDW in'72 (19 yo) there were only 2 resorts and they were deluxe. When they built CBR we started staying there and loved it....that is until a few years ago when smokers were all over the place and smoke would get in the room. We decided then that we would only do deluxe from then on. With Disney implementing the military discounts it hasn't hurt our wallet as much. We like the larger space and interior hallways.

 

[Tink6584]

A lot of really great responses here. We are not going to spend full days in the park. We will do half days and then spend half the day at the resort. I want to minimize walking because I'm disabled and YC and BC look like smaller properties. We are also kind of foodies so good food is important to us, but we don't always want to invest the time in a TS meal. We're going in January and we'd probably make use of the balcony more than warmer times of the year. We'd also make more sue of the kids club with them being right on property.

Sounds like it may be worth it. $600 across the whole trip doesn't seem too bad. But that is also pushing us right to the edge of our budget. I'm torn between upgrading and going all out for a luxury vacation and downgrading to a value and saving a ton of money!

We stayed at both YC and POFQ.
If you are disabled we say stay at
BC less walking time and a wonderful resort with a great pool! Plus if you stayed at POFQ you have to figure out the times it takes to go to the parks
and back if you want spend hour to the parks and hour or so back to park and not spend time at the resort. Also
pool at POFQ is very small compare to
Yacht and Beach. I have trouble walking and we found out it easy for us to stay at YC or BC so I can take my time and not be so stressed or rushed when we stayed at POFQ.
Hope this helps. O the food is wonderful there too. Good luck.

 

[MisterBubbles]

When I first went to WDW in'72 (19 yo) there were only 2 resorts and they were deluxe. When they built CBR we started staying there and loved it....that is until a few years ago when smokers were all over the place and smoke would get in the room. We decided then that we would only do deluxe from then on. With Disney implementing the military discounts it hasn't hurt our wallet as much. We like the larger space and interior hallways.

Same here. Growing up in South Florida and making day trips to WDW in the 70s I dreamed of a day when I would be able to stay at the Poly or Contemporary. Still haven't, but after our recent purchase of DVC I will have my first stay at Poly in summer of 2018. Almost 50 years later!

 

[Aflyingbuttress]

Smallest footprint of a deluxe is Contemporary, almost certainly. It is NOT SSR, fo sho.

Yeah, I realized SSR definitely wasn't small right after I posted that. I'm sure we cannot afford the Contemporary though. YC, BC or BWI are possibilities. I've been trying to compare rates all day but the website hasn't been working unfortunately.

 

[Aflyingbuttress]

We stayed at both YC and POFQ.
If you are disabled we say stay at
BC less walking time and a wonderful resort with a great pool! Plus if you stayed at POFQ you have to figure out the times it takes to go to the parks
and back if you want spend hour to the parks and hour or so back to park and not spend time at the resort. Also
pool at POFQ is very small compare to
Yacht and Beach. I have trouble walking and we found out it easy for us to stay at YC or BC so I can take my time and not be so stressed or rushed when we stayed at POFQ.
Hope this helps. O the food is wonderful there too. Good luck.

Thank you, I appreciate the reply. It's nice to hear from someone who had an easy time getting around YC or BC. One note though is we are staying at POR right now, not POFQ, and we're in a preferred room. So I'm not quite sure how that compares. A couple people said earlier that the preferred room at POR would be less walking than a room at YC or BC. So many other perks to consider too though.