Why Do You Spend the Money on Deluxe?

[Laren]

Number one reason: ease of transportation at monorail hotels. I have to use a wheelchair at WDW and it's just too hard for my husband to handle all the busses with having to tote me around.

Also, when we take grandparents along we need the extra room.

Third, location, location, location! If we stay anywhere that is away from the MK we seem to spend all our time trying to get back to it.

I've asked DH, and he concurs: He'd rather go to WDW less frequently, and go deluxe when we get there.

~Laren

 

[minnie61650]

For me, I like service...when I am traveling, whether it be for work or play, I want good restaurants on site, I don't want to have to park my car, I want a large comfortable room and all of the rest of the perks that go along with being a 4 star or better resort.

I travel several times a year for pleasure and stay at many 4 and 5 star hotels.

Disney's deluxe resorts are not 4 star.

Disney does charge a premium price for their Deluxe resorts.
Deluxe guests are paying for location and amenities not for stellar customer service.
Many guests are disappointed because they think the GF is a 5 star hotel.
They expect the service of a 5 star and are disappointed when their expectations are not met.
It is in no way near a 5 star hotel even though it costs as much as many 5 star hotels.
The GF is rated 4 diamonds by AAA but most sites rate it as 3 and a half.
The Poly and CR are usually considered 3 star hotels.

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If I am going to spend a lot of time in the parks I will stay at a value. I have limited mobility and I like the fact the fact that I can book a preferred location at a value and know that my room will near the main pool, food court and bus stop.

If I want to spend more time relaxing at the hotel I will choose to stay at the Swan or Dolphin.

The Swan/Dolphin often have great rates that cost about as much as a Disney Moderate.

They are real 4 star hotels with 24 hour room service.

They are deluxe but not as expensive as Disney's deluxe resorts.

The heavenly beds are ...well heavenly.

The Grotto pool and hot tubs are fun and relaxing.

Plus Epcot and MGM are just a short boat ride or walk away!

From Epcot I can hop on the monorail and head on over to the MK!

 

[maxsdad18]

I am going to Disney World for the first time in September with my son who will turn four a week later. I am staying at the Wilderness Lodge. I chose this resort because it was close to the Magic Kingdom, which is where I will spend most of my time, especially after dinner. I think my son will enjoy the theme of the resort and taking the boat over to the Magic Kingdom. The extra money was not a factor in my decision, but my expectations are high for the amount of money I am paying. I have a courtyard view w/bunk beds reserved.

 

[branv]

I like deluxes for the bed sizes as well. I also like the indoor aspect of many of them, as opposed to doors exposed to the outside. One big thing to me is the distance from the door to the beds. As you know, with moderates and values, the door is right next to the beds. I find that this creates a noise issue for me. And of course, breakfast room service if I want

 

[zipuzee]

1. bed size. We prefer the queen size beds over the doubles at the values and moderates.

2. location. WL for us is the perfect location. We spend most of out park time at MK or EPCOT. WL offers the boat transportation and we enjoy that over the busses. (I mean, really, I can take a bus ride at home, but not a monorail!) We can take a boat to directly to MK or Contemporary and then transfer to the monorail to get to EPCOT. It may take a bit longer, but for us, that's part of the magic!

 

[crisi]

We do DVC now, but are Deluxe snobs - and I like Deluxe resorts better than DVC resorts.

Bed size
Location, except AKL which makes up for it with....
Theming

(POR is a really immersively themed moderate, but for the most part the theming at Deluxes is really wonderful).

(And yeah, Disney Deluxes are not five star. They are really expensive, but there are far nicer hotels for less money in the Orlando area. However, they are on site)

 

[minnie61650]

I am going to Disney World for the first time in September with my son who will turn four a week later. I am staying at the Wilderness Lodge. I chose this resort because it was close to the Magic Kingdom, which is where I will spend most of my time, especially after dinner. I think my son will enjoy the theme of the resort and taking the boat over to the Magic Kingdom. The extra money was not a factor in my decision, but my expectations are high for the amount of money I am paying. I have a courtyard view w/bunk beds reserved.

Just an FYI

The room sizes at WL are quite small.

Room size Comparison:

Pop Century/All Stars-260 Square Feet
CS, POR/POFQ-314 SF
Caribbean Beach-340 SF
Wilderness Lodge-344 SF
AKL-344 SF
Yacht/Beach-381 SF
Boardwalk-385 SF
Polynesian-409 SF-476 SF
Contemporary-436 SF
Grand Floridian-about 400-440SF
Ft Wilderness Cabins-504 SF
Family suites at All Star Music -520 SF
__________________

So the room size is only 4 square feet more than CBR which is a mod.


Here is the layout of POR:

POR room lay out


Here is the layout of a WL bunkbed room:

Most of the extra square footage at WL is in the entry area and bathroom not the sleeping area.

Even though the rooms are small the lobby at the lodge is very nice and I am sure your son will really enjoy the boat ride over to the MK.

Have fun at Disney!

 

[Cool-Beans]

Deluxe hotels have bellmen, valet and room service. I like that stuff a lot.

You can get out of your car at the front door and go inside (except at the Poly) and BE inside. I like that. No, I love that. Especially when it rains or I'm hot and tired.

The rooms are bigger. Every little bit helps there.

At the monorail hotels, you also get the monorail (duh) and the Electric Water Pageant.

Some of the views are so very much prettier than you can get at the mods.

So, that's that.

 

[DisneyBride'03]

Bigger beds, bigger rooms...bigger price tag! Hey, its my vacation and I'll pay if I want to!! lol

 

[brodyjen]

For us, it's all about the beds this time - DH and I are both tall/big people, and we are not sharing a double bed (we have a king at home), nor are we sharing a bed with our girls (7 and 3). That's not a vacation for us! We couldn't afford a suite option or two rooms (although I was not aware of the family suites at the values or I might have booked one of those), so 2 queens at a deluxe sounded like the best option for us. Of the deluxes, AKL seemed like the best fit for us, with the animals off the balcony, and I remembered just really loving the look/feel of the resort, so that's what we booked.

Last trip, we stayed at CBR and it was totally fine for that particular time - DH and I each got a double bed of our own, DD5 slept in a rollaway, and DD15mo slept in her Pack-n-play behind the privacy curtain. We were only in the room to sleep, really - never came back for naps and only swam one time. We were all so tired by the end of the day that we just laid down and crashed. This time, we have some things scheduled other than just being in the parks (Kennedy Space Center, visiting friends who are moving to Orlando, more resort/swim time), so we really felt like we needed more room and a little private space (hang out on the balcony until the kids fall asleep!).

If it was just me and DH, we'd probably go back to a moderate - but more than likely not a value. We live an hour from DL, and have AP there, so we don't really need to fly across the country to stay in a value just to spend time at WDW.

For us, going to WDW right now is an alternative to a resort in the Carribbean/Costa Rica or other travel - we do a big trip every other year, so by next time, our girls will be 5 and 9, old enough to do some real travelling! In the meantime, we do want to enjoy the vacation, hang out in a nice hotel, etc....

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Several reasons:
1. We are usually a family of 5, but sometimes 4 lately
2. My dh and I are big people and dh insists generally on a queen sized bed
3. We put a high priority on our vacation, family time and save up for it.
4. Generally we book the cheapest category room at the Deluxes and look at the season etc. Try to get an ap rate if possible.
5. Do feel that however the disney deluxes are sorely lacking in customer service and value for the money, so lately we have been doing split stays with the Swan too. Dh can get a nice govt. rate there and they reward their frequent guests, unlike disney.

 

[stemikger]

I would never pay for a deluxe. One of the reasons is that my family fell in love with Pop Century. We just love everything about it.

Also, I think the best part of the deluxe hotels are the restaurants and the lobby. We always eat at the Poly and AKL so we get to hang out in the lobby and have a drink without paying big money to stay there.

I have visited many of the deluxe resorts to see the grounds and I prefer the pool at Pop Century more then any of the deluxe pools I have seen so far.

Also, I don't find the rooms at Pop that small, we are a family of three and it is perfect for us.

I like to spend the extra money I save on other goodies and besides we are not in the room all that often.

 

[MickeyNicki]

1. If I get a heck of a deal...in May of 05 we stayed at the CR because I got a last minute deal of $137 per night. The only thing I liked about the resort was the location. I would not stay there again unless it was a very low price.

2. A special occasion. Dec 06 was our 10 year anniversary so I booked the WL at $280 per night. I would go back again but not at that price.

DH and I do not use the pools or other onsite activities that the Deluxe resorts offer so it doesnt make sense for us to stay there (unless the price is right!)

I love the Swan, you are getting a great deluxe resort that is close to Epcot, MGM and BW but at a very low price.

 

[wdwcoltsfan]

Several reasons for us too:
1. Bigger rooms/bigger beds
2. Theme
3. Onsite restaurants/lounges
4. Pool
5. Location
6. Monorail!(if staying at one of those resorts)

Some of the smaller things that make it appealing:
1. Bellservices
2. Valet
3. Inside corridors
4. Only one bus stop rather than having to pick up at various locations around the resort
5. The various shops at the resorts

All of these things put together make a deluxe resort worth it to our family.

Someone mentioned earlier about some of the views you can get. I know I've said this before, but last year when we stayed at the Poly in Oct., we spent several evenings on the beach. We could watch the fireworks from MK. We were surrounded by the CR and GF being lit up at night. We could watch the monorail go around and see the ferry boat and friendship boats move through the water. We could hear the train whistle from the MK. Not to mention the tiki torches lit around the Poly that are very pretty at night. Put all this together and it's a view that can't be matched(at least to us).

It's some of the things like this that make it worth staying at the deluxe resorts.


Rachel

 

[jmpellet]

At this point in my life I probably would not spend the extra $$ to stay at a deluxe -- there isn't enough added value. I would rather have a 12 or more day stay at a mod than a 6 or 7 day stay at a deluxe. I am pretty cheap and although I could afford a deluxe I choose not to. I would rather take 2 large vacations than 1 at a deluxe. We are also a family of 5 and will have limited options in the future.

That being said in 2008 we will be doing a Seaworld/Discovery Cove/Aquatica/Universal trip and will stay onsite at Universal for part of the stay because there is more value added with the FOTL passes. IF....Disney ever offers fast passes to deluxe visitors (rumors are out there) then we would probably feel there is added value and stay there.

 

[wdwcoltsfan]

I will also add that we are staying at the WL in Sept. for $160 per night with an AP rate. We are staying at AKL with a Savanna view in Oct. for $201 per night. We paid more than this to stay in Cincinnati two weekends ago. It's usually that price for us to spend the weekend in Indy or Chicago. I guess it comes down to what one perceives as value for the money.


Rachel

 

[Hoopfamily]

Believe it or not we stay in deluxe for the value of them.

1 - We need three beds (DS 13 and DD 17) cannot be in the same bed.

2 - We don't like the Values (personal choice, don't slam me).

3 - 1 room in a deluxe is cheaper than two in a Value.

Now if my wife and I decide to do a trip just the two of us, we might decide on POR with a King bed.

You should recheck your pricing. At it's cheapest next year WL is 225/night while the values are 82/night. According to "traditional math". 2 rooms at a value are cheaper.

 

[AshleyMWC]

For my DBF and I, we enjoy our resort ALMOST as much the parks. We spend a pretty good amount of time in the room generally, and we love having a nice hot tub to go to at the end of the day. I guess we stay for the ambiance and additional space that other have mentioned. Personally speaking I don't see myself enjoying the values too much (although if that's the only way I could go I'd be there in a heartbeat!!), but I would definietly be willing to stay at POFQ just because of it's size. Oh, size- I think that's another reason we choose Deluxe. The resorts don't seem as vast to navigate around. But, I guess in the end it's all in what you are used to. Deluxe is all I have ever stayed- but I'm sure that will change one day.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

This is the first time I'll be satying at a deluxe (well, when my parents aren't footing the bill anyways). We probably would be staying at a moderate (at best) if it weren't for the free dining. Generally, when I plan a trip I set the amount I can spend...then I spend that amount. This time, that happened to come out to a deluxe...and we're very pleased. But we'd be pleased with a moderate too...and even happy with a value. I don't put too much stake into a hotel (I want to spend as little time there as possible), but if I can afford better, I'm going to. I don't get into fashion. I don't care for nice cars. I don't buy season tickets to my favorite sports team (though I wish I could). I live to travel, and so when I do travel, I'm going to do it right.

 

[jimmalru80]

We choose to stay in the deluxe resorts because of the amenities, room size, and service. I also like the on-site dining at most of the deluxes, plus the transportation is good.

Oh yeah, and the pools!

That about sums it up for us as well.