What to do?!

[tgarre06]

We are planning a Disney Trip for Thanksgiving week. We typically go 2 times a year, so I am having withdrawals! We usually rent DVC but with the COVID craziness, I just want to book direct with Disney to sleep at night. We want to book now at rack rate and know we may be able to scoop up a discount later in the year. We really want something to look forward to! We have the below choices for 7 nights:
Beach Club or Yacht Club standard view: $4900
Coronado standard: $2300
Coronado Tower standard: $3200
What would you do? We hate the buses, so if we stayed at Coronado we would be ubering (hopefully Minnie Van is back by then!). We would be ubering at BC too for MK and AK. Background: We have stayed at all deluxes except GF, Riviera and SSR. We have stayed at POR and POFQ for short stays. We love Stormalong Bay but we are rolling the dice with weather this time of year. I am having a hard time swallowing the BC and YC rack rate, it’s more than we pay for private villas with private a waitstaff when we go to Negril! But I have no problem coughing it up if we wouldn’t enjoy ourselves at Coronado. TIA!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Mind if I ask the age makeup of the group?

 

[tgarre06]

Mind if I ask the age makeup of the group?

I don’t mind at all! At the time will be (2) 38 yos, 9yo and 6yo.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Gotcha, thanks! Mine are 10 and 6 so pretty similar. Right off the bat, “hates buses” screams BC or YC to me given that you can walk to two parks (which to me has a ton of unquantifiable value). Unless you are the type that just loves ride share and doesn’t mind using it every single time you want to go somewhere, CSR doesn’t seem like a good choice. Even though I do really like CSR (stayed there over this Thanksgiving week in fact). The tower holiday decorations are beautiful and we all really enjoyed “kicking off the holidays” there.

Barring early cold snaps Thanksgiving weather trends plenty warm for swimming, generally speaking (knock on wood). So for us, SAB would probably win out.

Banking on future discounts always has some level of risk (especially during holiday weeks), but I’d be willing to bet you’ll see at least some discounts available when they eventually come out given depressed demand conditions and such (which I’m assuming will linger on for quite awhile). Watch it like a hawk though as you generally want to make sure to adjust your reservation as soon as they come out.

Good luck planning, hope it works out for you.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

I would not book anything at rack rate with the idea of switching later to a discounted rate, because the more rooms are booked at rack rate, the less likely that discounts (or good discounts) will ever be offered there.

 

[MomOTwins]

I would not book anything at rack rate with the idea of switching later to a discounted rate, because the more rooms are booked at rack rate, the less likely that discounts (or good discounts) will ever be offered there.

Very true—WDW discounts resorts and room types with low booking rates, not high ones. Don’t mess with their algorithms—always wait for discounts to book.

You should definitely stay at YC. Ubers are not always the most reliable. We’ve waited over an hour for them sometimes on Disney property, and you are always rolling the dice on a bad experience (living in a major city for 10 years and using uber a lot, I have seen the good bad and ugly, and the ugly is a real stinker). I am a firm believer that non-bus transportation is the #1 perk of a deluxe resort, and worth it every time.

 

[tgarre06]

Very true—WDW discounts resorts and room types with low booking rates, not high ones. Don’t mess with their algorithms—always wait for discounts to book.

You should definitely stay at YC. Ubers are not always the most reliable. We’ve waited over an hour for them sometimes on Disney property, and you are always rolling the dice on a bad experience (living in a major city for 10 years and using uber a lot, I have seen the good bad and ugly, and the ugly is a real stinker). I am a firm believer that non-bus transportation is the #1 perk of a deluxe resort, and worth it every time.

Okay, so it sounds like I should practice some patience and wait for discounts to come out. Easier said than done for me!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Okay, so it sounds like I should practice some patience and wait for discounts to come out. Easier said than done for me!

It’s an age old debate on the DIS and you’ll see people passionately advocate from both sides. IMO there’s really no right or wrong approach, just whatever works for you. Disney knows the numbers on their end who cancel, adjust, tinker, or whatever when discounts come out and generally has things dialed in enough to know how to fill their rooms.

Personally, I book plenty of reservations at rack rate and then tinker later. Do I occasionally have to move resorts or room types around because I don’t like the offer that comes out or one isn’t available for my particular resort/room type? Yes. But far more often than not (especially in current times where availability is abundant), it works out fine for me. I do pay close attention to the general time period where discounts ‘should’ be released, historically, and am quick to tinker when they do come out.

I am one that values/appreciates having a reservation on the books just to have something “real” to plan for down the road. For others, that has little value and waiting is perfectly fine.

But to each their own, of course.

 

[DisneyMommy77]

Hmmmmm...........I see the dilemma.

Have you considered a split stay? YC/BC for HS and Epcot days?

Then since you would Uber no matter what for MK and AK maybe move to Coronado?

Saves a little money, but you still get to enjoy the YC/BC pool and experience etc...

 

[tgarre06]

Hmmmmm...........I see the dilemma.

Have you considered a split stay? YC/BC for HS and Epcot days?

Then since you would Uber no matter what for MK and AK maybe move to Coronado?

Saves a little money, but you still get to enjoy the YC/BC pool and experience etc...

I’m liking this idea!

 

[brockash]

We are planning a Disney Trip for Thanksgiving week. We typically go 2 times a year, so I am having withdrawals! We usually rent DVC but with the COVID craziness, I just want to book direct with Disney to sleep at night. We want to book now at rack rate and know we may be able to scoop up a discount later in the year. We really want something to look forward to! We have the below choices for 7 nights:
Beach Club or Yacht Club standard view: $4900
Coronado standard: $2300
Coronado Tower standard: $3200
What would you do? We hate the buses, so if we stayed at Coronado we would be ubering (hopefully Minnie Van is back by then!). We would be ubering at BC too for MK and AK. Background: We have stayed at all deluxes except GF, Riviera and SSR. We have stayed at POR and POFQ for short stays. We love Stormalong Bay but we are rolling the dice with weather this time of year. I am having a hard time swallowing the BC and YC rack rate, it’s more than we pay for private villas with private a waitstaff when we go to Negril! But I have no problem coughing it up if we wouldn’t enjoy ourselves at Coronado. TIA!

We love staying on the Boardwalk, but the pricing can be a bit much. We're considering staying at Swan/Dolphin for an upcoming trip so we still have access to everything at the Boardwalk and the walking to Epcot/DHS, but the prices are much more reasonable. We've never stayed anywhere, but Disney owned hotels, however without any incentive, I'm not really sure that it would be better to stay at a moderate for basically the same price we can get Swan/Dolphin (even after fees) with the much better location. One of the reasons we never did before was because we relied on ME, but that's ending anyways and we had already been on the fence before and looked at staying at Swan/Dolphin, so we're definitely leaning more towards doing that for an upcoming stay.

Not sure if that's an option for you OP, but it would help would transportation to parks etc.

 

[tgarre06]

We love staying on the Boardwalk, but the pricing can be a bit much. We're considering staying at Swan/Dolphin for an upcoming trip so we still have access to everything at the Boardwalk and the walking to Epcot/DHS, but the prices are much more reasonable. We've never stayed anywhere, but Disney owned hotels, however without any incentive, I'm not really sure that it would be better to stay at a moderate for basically the same price we can get Swan/Dolphin (even after fees) with the much better location. One of the reasons we never did before was because we relied on ME, but that's ending anyways and we had already been on the fence before and looked at staying at Swan/Dolphin, so we're definitely leaning more towards doing that for an upcoming stay.

Not sure if that's an option for you OP, but it would help would transportation to parks etc.

I was looking at that too. I wasn’t sure about the reviews though.

 

[nkereina]

I think Gran Destino Tower is your best bet. You'll be splitting the difference between CSR and YC. GDT is more consistent with a deluxe resort, but its still at close to moderate level pricing. We've always enjoyed our time at CSR, and it offers more amenities than other moderates do. Its also centrally located, so it will make for quick Uber rides.

(hopefully Minnie Van is back by then!)

A while ago, the rumor was that they will be permanently discontinued, so I wouldn't hold your breath. If we do see them return, I think it will be after this cost cutting period is over.

We’ve waited over an hour for them sometimes on Disney property, and you are always rolling the dice on a bad experience (living in a major city for 10 years and using uber a lot, I have seen the good bad and ugly, and the ugly is a real stinker).

FWIW, we used Lyft over 10 times on our October trip and literally every time our estimated wait was "4 minutes". That was generally pretty accurate. More people than ever are using rideshare in the current environment to avoid the limited WDW transportation, and rideshare drivers know this. The availability was great and it couldn't have been easier each time. True, the risk of a bad experience is never zero, but the same can be said about anything really. At least with rideshare, you can terminate the ride if its a driver with limited or less than 5 star reviews.

 

[loves to dive]

We love staying on the Boardwalk, but the pricing can be a bit much. We're considering staying at Swan/Dolphin for an upcoming trip so we still have access to everything at the Boardwalk and the walking to Epcot/DHS, but the prices are much more reasonable. We've never stayed anywhere, but Disney owned hotels, however without any incentive, I'm not really sure that it would be better to stay at a moderate for basically the same price we can get Swan/Dolphin (even after fees) with the much better location. One of the reasons we never did before was because we relied on ME, but that's ending anyways and we had already been on the fence before and looked at staying at Swan/Dolphin, so we're definitely leaning more towards doing that for an upcoming stay.

Not sure if that's an option for you OP, but it would help would transportation to parks etc.

I stay at Swan/Dolphin just about every trip. YC is my favorite resort but I just can't seem to justify the price. Just so you know, they no longer use Disney buses, they are using Mears and the one that goes to MK does not drop off at main gate. Some people walk to BW or YC/BC and catch their buses but you never know about that option. They are still treated like semi-Disney properties in that in normal times you can send packages back to the resort and you do get the on-property perks other than charging to the room and ME. If you have a car you do pay more for parking than Disney and there is a silly resort charge you need to factor into the cost when comparing prices.

As far as staying at a moderate and taking Uber, make sure you factor the costs of that into your numbers when doing the math. I don't know how much more that would add to things.

 

[hlrubin507]

I have kids your age and have stayed a GDT and if it were me, that is what I would do. GDT is a beautiful resort, nicer even than the Beach Club (in terms of how fresh, modern, and aesthetically appealing it is), and they do have a pool with a waterslide that my kids loved. Stormalong Bay would also be great but to me, not worth the $1,700 additional. All that said, if you have the money and feel comfortable spending it, the location of the Beach Club is a huge advantage for visiting Epcot and Hollywood Studios, and, there are more dining options in that area (though many are currently closed). The dining options at Coronado are not as good, particularly with kids. If I was in your shoes, I would go for the Beach Club if I was feeling comfortable being spendy and GDT if I wanted to conserve that $1700 as that is a lot of money to me, personally.

 

[tgarre06]

I just wanted to report back that we ended up going with the GDT! I’m excited to explore a new resort. The Tower looks beautiful based on the videos I’ve seen online. Thanks for everyone’s feedback!