What makes a more expensive resort "worth it" to you?

[TristiK]

We will only stay deluxe. We love being close to the parks, the larger bed size, and having a balcony. Our kids still go to bed fairly early so it's important for DH and I have somewhere to go that won't disturb them.

 

[Parker Clan]

We have switched to Deluxe after our stay at the GF last August. What makes it worth it for us is the beautiful resort and location. Last year we ended up spending more time at the resort then in the parks lol

 

[ArwenMarie]

Just location
While the theming of the lobbies is neat at the Deluxes, you're still in the equivalent of a Hampton Inn by the time you hit the rooms

 

[cruisin5]

Room to spread out. We've spent many nights in close quarters while camping but having some personal space is divine. Oh, and a balcony. I honestly don't know how 2 adults and 2 young children share a room for any length of time.

 

[LoopyDoopy]

Location. Distance to parks and dining. Contemporary is located close to Epcot and MK and I love the restaurants in the GF, Poly, and Contemporary.

Amenities. Most of the Disney resorts are beautiful, but that alone isn't a big enough of a draw for me. However, BC/YC is perfect for people who want access to a mini-water park who are too chicken to go to BB or TL.

 

[Sue M]

Good day to you all.

My family and I are currently deciding on which WDW resort to stay at for a visit at the end of August 2018. There are 3 adults and 2 children under 10 in our group. I'd like to throw the question out there:

What makes a more expensive resort "worth it" to you and your family?

I understand we all have a variety of budget levels but money than is spent on one luxury can't be used on another. So why do you choose to, or choose not to, spend more on a resort and less on say food or souvineers etc?

With 3 adults plus children, room size alone would push me toward a deluxe with larger room size. That would be one of the MK resorts, Poly, GF or Contemporary. Or I'd go with 2 rooms at a value resort.

 

[gillep]

Location- Our favorite park is Epcot, so the resorts that are walking distance to Epcot are wonderful for us, especially during F&W or F&G trips.

Transportation- I don't like the monorail, so monorail access is not a priority for me. DH and I both also dislike lines at resorts for buses, and also prefer for larger resorts to have multiple bus stops, so that we can choose to get off closer to the room, or the main amenities so the transportation factor alone makes the values a non-starter for us.

Food- I prefer to at least have the option for a table service meal at my resort. I also much prefer it if my resort has a bar or lounge that is separate from the pool bar, so that I can grab a glass of wine (or more likely flight of wine) in the evenings to relax without dealing with the pool crowd.

Amenities- We both love a nice pool with a good pool bar, slide, and hot tub. We also both love to sit out on the balcony.

Layout-I also give slight preference to self-contained resorts such as Jambo house, or Y&B where the rooms and restaurants/lounges are all connected in one building, but it isn't a deal breaker.

I usually do all of the resort booking for DH and myself, and I don't even look at the pricing of the values, I know that neither one of us would stay at one again, so it really doesn't matter how much we might save by booking a value resort. We own DVC so sometimes it makes sense for us to use points and other times it makes sense to book a cash reservation. If I can get a good deal on a deluxe, or have a specific need for an amenity or location (such as Epcot for F&W access) then I will book a deluxe over a moderate. If we don't have any specific needs or requirements, and aren't using points, then I know we will both be happy with either POR or CSR.

 

[maramarrie]

I consider how much "park time" vs. "pool time" we are going to have, as well as which parks we want to be closest to. We prefer moderate and deluxe resorts based on theming, activities, bed size, and location. Price plays a role as well, once we have it narrowed down to a few contenders. Often we are planning trips with 1-2 months notice, so there are also limitations with what is left available to us.

When we've done quick vacations that were packed full of parks with little rest time, we knew the resort was just going to be a bed and a shower for us. We didn't even visit the pools, so on those trips we didn't choose deluxe resorts with loads of activities. We have chosen DVC rooms when we wanted to spend more time in the room, wanted a "living space" for various reasons, kept loads of food, and needed a washer/dryer unit. Twice I've planned a trip solo with kids and chosen a resort solely for what activities we could occupy ourselves with at the resort when we are taking a day(s) off from the parks. When the kids were a bit younger and we knew we'd basically be sticking to MK and EP, we chose Contemporary for the ease of the monorail. I was solo with kids for part of that trip, so it was nice to be able to get to/from parks without having to break down the stroller. Since our first trip to Disney, we have always felt at home at AKL, even though it's farthest from everything but AK. For one of my "solo w/ kids" trips I embraced the location and decided we would spend an extra day at AK so we could enjoy more and the kids could take more time to get the wilderness explorer badges. AKL has TONS of things for the kids to do, both free and paid, and they love doing the bead activities and trying to get all their beads before the end of the trip. Plus the option of using two fantastic pools and a splash pad make it a good choice for us when we are planning a lot of down time.

ETA: To respond to your comment about "where to spend the money" - We feel that Disney is more an experience than anything, so we know there isn't much to show for what you've spent once it's over. We want to enjoy the experience, and sometimes the hotel plays a large role in that. Once we had visited WDW a few times, souvenirs really had little meaning for us. I might buy a mug every other trip, and the kids want to purchase things, but other than that we don't really spend money on souvenirs. We have a few table service restaurants that are now our "must-go" favorites, but otherwise we are content with our favorite quick service food options and a drink or two at the pool. Because it's so hot we graze on snacks more than fill up with large meals (though we do love a nice siesta in the A/C restaurants). For us, I don't think the food or the souvenirs would be an overindulgence either way, so it doesn't totally affect our room selection (except that our favorite meal on WDW property is always at Sanaa in AKL).

 

[AdamEfimoff]

I love to have service and being waited on hand and foot. Something you cannot get inside a cheaper hotel. And for me having a spa, pool, good dining while not necessary are very great for me. And being with Aspergers I do prefer a more quiet resort which luxury tends to be.

 

[steg]

In-room Laundry, it's a game-changer for packing and coming home with little to no dirty clothes, not to say you can't do laundry in the shared laundry service amenity but being able to do it while you're relaxing in the room after a long day in the parks is worth it to me.

Unfortunately, lately we've opted to stay longer in rooms that don't have in-room laundry so we can afford going down a second time that year instead. I also prefer more compact or single building layout resorts more than the spread out out-buildings

 

[lahobbs4]

We choose AKL because we feel pulled away from the craziness of WDW and it's like our own little retreat. We love the balcony, the restaurant options, and the incredible pools. We go to WDW about once a year so we don't feel the need to be in the park from open-close. We love our down time. But, that's how we like to vacation!

We tried a value and many things didn't suit us. Room size, the walk to get food, the walk to the busses after a park (usually the last ones), and we like a table service in our resort if possible.

 

[melanielll]

Location, room size, and service level of the hotel have all been mentioned. I like those - and will add another - better crowd of people staying at the deluxes. Go ahead - throw arrows at me. I have yet to awakened by screaming in the halls or fights in the common areas at The Contemporary.

 

[rwdavis2]

Location, location, location is key for us. We like to be able to walk to some of the parks and mostly stay at Epcot resorts. We also spend a fair amount of time at the resort itself. we are not a family that hits rope drop. So the resort amenities are important to us. That's the wonderful thing about Disney resorts, there is something for everybody. We all have different things that are important to us in a vacation.

Agree with location. We stayed at Boardwalk Villas last November and we think that it will be our go-to resort for any future stays.

 

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

Totally agree with lahobbs4! We own DVC at Akl. While I'm not a "deluxe snob", lol, and will happily stay at any resort level at Disney, nothing compares with walking through the doors at the lodge, and having the craziness of the day at the parks just melt away! I find that most of the things people say are negative about the Lodge, are actually the things we love the most about it.... it's a little dark -(calming), and little far away -(not crowded, no outside visitors), little longer bus rides -(time to talk about the parks),

 

[klacey1]

A general feeling of luxury and exquisite theming is definitely high up there.
I like to feel like I'm on vacation and treating myself. I think along with that comes the amenities--especially multiple table service restaurants.

Location/transportation is an extremely close second.

 

[chris benton]

I'm a "Location, Location, Location" type as well.
Walking to / from the room instead of waiting for a bus, or a walk to a car in a lot, is just huge, imo. Rope drop, or park close.
I love Epcot area for EP, HS, and Boardwalk proximity, PLUS, you have access to all of the restaurants of all of the resorts in the area, and the Boardwalk.

If I were spending a lot of time at MK or AKL, I would try to stay closer to those. Walking to your room at the end of the day is just crazy cool. Walking to rd is awesome as well.

 

[YYC-Rob]

Wow I love the amount of responses in a day. Thank you all for sharing.

The top reason seems to be location and transportation. My family is very used to public transportation so they won't mind the buses but being able to take a boat ride to the gates of a park would be completely magical to them!

When we went to DL a little while back we stayed at the hotel with the mini water park (east side, north end) and it was a life saver! I was thinking the big waterparks at WDW would substitute in place of that. Giving it more practical thought, having a great pool with a slide at our resort will be key.

Disney's website says that next year will be available to book online as of the 20th. I'm looking forward to seeing the available options then. Do you guys find booking super early is the way to go and then keep an eye out for deals? Or are the prices at their maximum early on?

 

[regul8ter18]

for us we like having a hot tub at the pools. We mostly come down for RunDinsey events so it is nice to have that after. I am not a huge fan of the value resorts. They can be loud and again no hot tub. We like the mods haven't stayed at one we didn't like. Our last trip in April we stayed at AKL and my mom says we can go back there. In January we are staying at Yacht club so my mom can watch the full marathon without really leaving the hotel. We stayed at WL and it was nice but just wasn't our cup of tea. The mods and deluxes are bigger so that gave us a little more room.

 

[bootlord9000]

After getting stuck in a hurricane last year, we'll be staying at a Deluxe (only because it was $20 more/night at AKL than POR) this September. 2 Days of being stuck in ASMo was not the highlight of my trip.
That being said, I have nothing but appreciation to give to all of the CMs who stuck around and dealt with that madness.
My family:
Value: Hardly in the room and don't mind smaller beds (for now, apparently POP is getting Queens)
Moderate: Some time in the rooms and Queen beds

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

We can no longer spend all day at the parks, so we now spend a pretty good bit of our vacation at the resort. So for us, it's extra space in the room, pools and grounds we like better, the hot tub, easy access to multiple dining options, a lobby and a lounge to sit in and relax (a club lounge is even better), and a balcony.

Back when we were commando-style park-goers, we stayed value. I've never stayed at a moderate, but the POFQ really appeals to me.