What would you do? Help!!

[lisareneeo]

Have a trip to WL booked 10/12-10/22 We fall into the group of people who were unable to book Best Rate (either at 120 makr or 60 day mark) We were hoping we could get an AP rate for our trip but no luck.
Anyway, I was thinking aboout switching to a moderate...maybe CS or POR This would save us $1300 Yikes! We have the money already saved for the trip. So, we can "afford" the Wl. We have stayed here 3 times in the past and love it. But $1300 is a lot of money. We have also stayed at 3 of the 4 moderates (never CS) and like them too. BUT we LOVE the WL, there is just something about the Lodge. My mother in law will also be staying with us in her own room for a portion of our trip. I would love for her to experience the Lodge but I am back to $1300 is a lot of money. Mother in law is very flexible and will stay where ever we decide. Decisions, decisions.
Any input?

 

[MICKEY_MOUSE]

why don't you split your stay. do the mod first then WL that should save you half of the 1300 bucks!

 

[hallie615]

Go for the WL. We are going 9/28-10/4. We bought a new house a few months ago and are trying to save. We tossed the idea of staying at a value or a moderate, and decided while we have the money lets enjoy the WL. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure we would have a great time wherever we stay but we just love the WL.

 

[lovesdumbo]

Sounds like you really want to stay at WL. What if instead of looking it at $1,300 you look at the total cost of your trip. Then you say "we can save 10% (or whatever it works out to ...) if we go to a moderate...". You've got to consider all the other expenses you're investing in your trip. If you won't have a nice trip and can afford WL I would stay there.

Have you consisdered a value? I just got back from Movies and we had a great trip. I enjoyed it more than POR. If I wanted to save money I would book a value not a moderate but my kids are too young for a slide so that might be a factor for you. I have a reservation for the Poly 10/14-23 and I too missed out on the AP rates. I do have AAA though and will NOT cancel my reservation. I love the Poly too much and know I won't enjoy the trip as much if I switch now that I've been planning on the Poly all along.

 

[Scoootch]

I am in a similar situation....we were booked at WL in a woods view room for 10/7-10/9 for a weekend trip to do the MNSSHP. I switched the ressie over this week to POFQ because I just couldn't stomache paying so much more for the room at WL I booked back in March with the hope of getting the FL res. discount and called the very day the code came out....and then a few more times afterward too. They had absolutely NOTHING with the discount. For that matter haven't been able to get the discount at FQ either But $149 vs. $265 is quite a difference. While I really wanted to do WL this time, I just can't bring myself to spend THAT much extra when the rooms there are not much bigger....the resort is nicer but the rooms themselves aren't IMO.

Anyway....that's what we did and I'm still really bumming about it. On the other hand though, staying at FQ knowing what happened to the REAL FQ is even more heartwarming at the moment.

 

[jarestel]

You can do a lot of extra fun stuff with that $1300, or even just save it towards your next vacation. WL is a wonderful place to stay, but if the money is bugging you, a moderate may be the best choice. Even if you stay at a mod, you can still visit the WL for a meal or to just look around and get that WL "fix".

Good luck!

 

[JFrey4240]

If you can afford WL then stay there! We've done what you suggested and POR just isn't the same. We feel like we're on a great vacation when we stay at WL--can't beat having to go through the lobby to get to the buses and gift shop. The music they play in the lobby just makes you feel relaxed and happy! We've had nice vacations staying at moderates too. We just don't care for the many buildings they have at those resorts. Lots of walking, lots of bus stops... They are done up very nicely--room and grounds--but we don't get that same vacation feeling like we do when we stay at the lodge. Vacations are for spending money--enjoy!

 

[EthansMom]

If it's any consolation, I'm going the first week of Dec. with the Best Rate and could NEVER find availability at WL at the Best Rate. I might have stayed at WL if I could have gotten a good discount, but since I was able to get the Best Rate at POFQ, that's where we'll be staying. Fortunately, we love POFQ.

If you have something else that the $1300 could really help with, then I vote for going to a Moderate. You could always go to WL for a nice dinner one evening so that you MIL can experience it. That's what we'll be doing on our trip.

 

[tallpkb]

For us, it would be a 'no-brainer'. We'd stay at CS, since you've never been there. It's the best of both worlds~some place 'new' for you (since you've never been there!) and you save a bundle of money! Then, with the money you're saving, find something extravagant to treat yourself to (a special dinner, a fireworks cruise, A SPA TREATMENT).

 

[cindyfan]

For us.... $1300 is ANOTHER trip!
We can stay at a value for a long weekend with that money.
If you have already gotten AP then you obviously will be going back for another trip. Or were you just going to get the AP if you got the discount?

But I would go for CSR, it is the closest to a deluxe you can get and still pay mod rates.
We love CSR.... stayed there 4 times now!!

Another good suggestion is to split the stay. Since you are there 10 nights....split it 5 & 5 or 6 & 4.
We have done that many times.

 

[johnvree]

Have a trip to WL booked 10/12-10/22 We fall into the group of people who were unable to book Best Rate (either at 120 makr or 60 day mark) We were hoping we could get an AP rate for our trip but no luck.
Anyway, I was thinking aboout switching to a moderate...maybe CS or POR This would save us $1300 Yikes! We have the money already saved for the trip. So, we can "afford" the Wl. We have stayed here 3 times in the past and love it. But $1300 is a lot of money. We have also stayed at 3 of the 4 moderates (never CS) and like them too. BUT we LOVE the WL, there is just something about the Lodge. My mother in law will also be staying with us in her own room for a portion of our trip. I would love for her to experience the Lodge but I am back to $1300 is a lot of money. Mother in law is very flexible and will stay where ever we decide. Decisions, decisions.
Any input?

I am the king of rationalization when it comes to booking our Disney vacations. I usually go through 3 stages. First I plan the trip we really want (two weeks, deluxe resorts, nice restaurants). Then at some point I do what you are doing now. 'If we knock off the lagoon view we could save $_____; if we stay at this resort we would save $_____; etc.' Ultimately, I decide that the vacation is important enough to spend the extra money and do the trip we want.

Sometimes that means not doing projects around the house and feeding our kids once a day instead of three But we always find the extra money.

Right now, our kids are perfect Disney age - 5 and 6. The thought of blowing several thousand dollars on a beach trip sounds good to me and my wife. But I know after two hours on the beach my kids would be clamoring for theme parks. So we spend the extra money. Five years from now, we can take cheaper vacations and do those things around the house. But for now, we spend the money and enjoy.