Why Spend $$$ on a Deluxe?

[Aliceacc]

Just to clarify - the 5 of you are generally in 1 room at a Value or Moderate resort? In looking at Disney's site, most of the rooms say they'll sleep "up to 4". I could't get Disney's site to let me book 5 people into a room.

If certain resorts let you sleep 5 to a normal room, that might be hard to compare to a Studio in a Deluxe. AFAIK, most Value/Moderate resorts have two double beds or two queens, whereas a studio has a queen and a fold out couch. I'm not sure about that 5th person.\
If you're comparing 2 Value / Moderate rooms vs the equivalent DVC accomodations, a 1 bedroom could very well work for your family. As Jade1 said, many of the resorts have a sleeper chair, and can sleep 5. Some resorts only sleep 4 and have one bathroom, but some sleep up to 5 with two bathrooms - plus, as was mentioned, you also get a kitchen, dining room, laundry facilities, etc.

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We stay Deluxe for a lot of reasons, one of which being that most of the Deluxes (other than WL or AKL) will sleep 5 in a standard room. My son sleeps on the Daybed. (The only non-suite option for families of 5 that want to go Value/Mod is the Murphy bed rooms at POR-- my son will NOT fit into that bed!)

Rack rate at the Beach Club for the first week of August next summer is $428 a night, or a total of $2996 for 7 nights. (I'm desperately hoping not to pay rack rate, of course!!!)

I just hit the point charts (again!) We would need a 2 bedroom at almost any DVC, and that it would be in the ballpark of 300 points. At $14 a point, that's $4200... absolutely nowhere near rack rate. The cheapest I can find is a 1 bedroom at OKW, at 222 points: $3108-- still more expensive than the Beach Club, and we're trading an amazing location for a higher price and more room.

Again, every time I look at it, renting points is not the less expensive option for my family. I realize it's a great option for a family that can fit into a studio, but not for us.

 

[dakotix]

I know I'm entering delicate territory here, but when I look at the prices of the different resorts, I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would pay $300-$500 or more a night for some resorts!

I think the question should be if you are restricted by budget, why would you stay at a Deluxe resort. If I had the financial means I would stay at the Deluxe resorts. But I don't .. so I don't! I have splurged the last two nights of an otherwise "moderate" vacation and stayed at Contemporary. I must admit, other than the CM's being more attentive and being steps from the MK, the difference was not worth the extra $$$.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Location, location, location.

Exactly!

 

[anniescupboards]

Try Deluxe once and you'll get it.

Polynesian I stayed for my honeymoon. Best experience ever. I've been back several times. It's my most favorite resort. The beautiful scenery, the quick transportation, less noise, quiet rooms, bigger beds, less screaming kids lol, way wayyyyyy better food, atmosphere, booze, bigger showers, fluffier pillows and comfy beds. The pool is awesome. I am always going to the pool in the middle of the day. The night time scenery. Very romantic.



I've stayed there which my kids and sometimes just me and hubs.

It's expensive. I'm a budget minded girl. It's worth it to me. I never regret it.

 

[goofy4prez]

After following this thread for several days and posting once, I had to ask myself why do I stay deluxe?

Why?









Because I want too!!!

No need to explain. No reason to analyze. No reason to apologize. No reason to rationalize. No reason for explaination. No reason to justify.

Life is full of choices and as long as the choices made are not bringing harm to anyone and are ethically correct we don't have to give a reason for them. If you want to spend your money at the Grand Floridian-CL go for it. If you want to stay at the Pop Century go for it. If you want to pitch a tent at a public campsite go for it. To each their own.

 

[robinb]

Rack rate at the Beach Club for the first week of August next summer is $428 a night, or a total of $2996 for 7 nights. (I'm desperately hoping not to pay rack rate, of course!!!)

I just hit the point charts (again!) We would need a 2 bedroom at almost any DVC, and that it would be in the ballpark of 300 points. At $14 a point, that's $4200... absolutely nowhere near rack rate. The cheapest I can find is a 1 bedroom at OKW, at 222 points: $3108-- still more expensive than the Beach Club, and we're trading an amazing location for a higher price and more room.

Again, every time I look at it, renting points is not the less expensive option for my family. I realize it's a great option for a family that can fit into a studio, but not for us.

*sigh* I had most of my response typed and then my cat stepped on my power strip .

You are missing a couple things here. First of all, you are using the weekend BC rate for your comparison. It's $400 per night on the weekdays. Secondly, you are not calculating taxes of 12.5% on your BC stay. DVC point rentals are not subject to additional taxes. Lastly, you are using a fairly high price per point. You can find lots of people who are willing to rent for $12 per point over on the DVC point rental board.

So we should compare this ....
Beach Club rack rate pre-tax = $2856
Beach Club rack rate post-tax = $3213
OKW 1BR 222 points @ $12 per point = $2664

So, it's actually $549 more to stay in a 381 square foot BC room v/s a 942 square foot 1-BR at OKW .

The other resorts with a sleep chair:
Bay Lake Tower Standard View 1BR = 268 = $3216
Animal Kingdom Lodge Savannah View = 272 = $3264
Animal Kingdom Lodge Savannah View = 228 = $2736

You can also sleep 5 in a BCV 1BR, but you'll have to provide your own air mattress:
Beach Club Villas 1BR = 269 = $3228

Of course, you will probably find a discount for the BC. Historical discounts can be found here: http://www.mousesavers.com/historical-information-on-walt-disney-world-resort-discounts/#2014

 

[Marionnette]

After following this thread for several days and posting once, I had to ask myself why do I stay deluxe?

Why?









Because I want too!!!

No need to explain. No reason to analyze. No reason to apologize. No reason to rationalize. No reason for explaination. No reason to justify.

Life is full of choices and as long as the choices made are not bringing harm to anyone and are ethically correct we don't have to give a reason for them. If you want to spend your money at the Grand Floridian-CL go for it. If you want to stay at the Pop Century go for it. If you want to pitch a tent at a public campsite go for it. To each their own.

^This!

I read threads like this and ask myself why I should have to defend my decision as to where I vacation, how I vacation and how much I spend on those vacations.

I could easily ask why stay at a value resort when a Days Inn is cheaper and provides many of the same amenities? Heck, I can be an offsite guest and stroll the lobbies of the deluxes, eat in their restaurants and enjoy their atmosphere. I can use Disney's transportation anywhere on property once I arrive there, I only need to get their from my offsite location.

However, I choose the deluxes resorts because I LIKE the deluxe resorts. I bought DVC because I cannot see myself staying in a value or moderate and I don't WANT to go offsite. It's all about preferences and these are mine.

 

[jcjen519]

We have only stayed either deluxe or dvc villas. Ideally we do club level. Some trips dvc fits needs better so we do that (with our own points).

We stay at what we decide to be the nicest/most ideal resort or hotel anywhere we travel. Not just disney. Basically we do it because we want to, we can afford it financially, we want to feel comfortable and like the level of service we receive. It matters to us.

It does not have an effect on length of trip or activities, dining or extras for us. We book what we want.

I think it's great that there are hotels of all levels at disney and elsewhere. Everyone's needs are different. I can see reasons people book hotels at all levels. do some really find it impossible to find a reason someone would book a deluxe resort at disney? I mean really? May not be their choice for various reasons but I find it difficult to believe that someone can't even think of a reason to stay at a deluxe hotel.

 

[patty57]

I think it's great that there are hotels of all levels at disney and elsewhere. Everyone's needs are different. I can see reasons people book hotels at all levels. do some really find it impossible to find a reason someone would book a deluxe resort at disney? I mean really? May not be their choice for various reasons but I find it difficult to believe that someone can't even think of a reason to stay at a deluxe hotel.

Totally agree with this.

 

[Sydney2977]

For my family we decided to go deluxe- AKL- this trip because we got a great discount, the kids will really enjoy it being older, as well as DH and I, and we wanted to try something new.
When the kids were 2&6, 3&7, 6&10, and 7&11 we stayed value and it was perfect for our budget and size needs. At 10&14 and 11&15 we switched to a mod- CSR- to get bigger beds, a little more room, and less "little kid" noise and atmosphere.
We enjoy staying onsite for the extra magic, transportation and not paying for parking, and we like trying different resorts. Eventually maybe we'll be able to try every one! I cook just about every night at home, so on vacation we like to indulge in going out to eat. For us I don't see us utilizing a kitchen in our room, so we'll probably not ever do that. But like OP said- to each his own! That's what is great about WDW- there's something for everyone!

 

[Minniesgal]

I know I'm entering delicate territory here, but when I look at the prices of the different resorts, I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would pay $300-$500 or more a night for some resorts! I'll preface by saying that I'm a budget-conscious mom---or you may even say cheap. I shop sales and discounts, cut coupons, and watch what I spend. That being said, we have been to Disney four times in seven years, so we're not against spending money on vacations! We've always stayed at a Value resort until the last time when we stayed at POFQ and loved it! We'll go back there in a heartbeat. So I spend less than $200 at POFQ for a lovely room, great service, fun pool, beautiful grounds, etc. Or I could spend $400 and stay at a Deluxe. Why???? Some of the arguments I've heard are.... Indoor corridors -- does that really matter? Better transportation -- never had an issue with buses at any of the resorts we've stayed. And we've never had a car. Nicer rooms -- thought POFQ room was lovely! Closer proximity to MK -- when we go we visit all the parks, so don't care if we're closer to one. Again, never an issue with transportation. Beautiful lobby/grounds/views/etc. -- Can get all that just by visiting! I guess if we were going to spend our whole vacation hanging out at the resort, we might be more worried about it. But we're there to visit the parks! Yes, we'll take breaks, swim in the pool, eat in the food court. But our rooms are basically places to sleep, shower, dress, and go. Unless money really were no object at all--which I can't imagine is the case for the vast majority of families--I can't justify spending the ridiculous amounts of money on the resorts. For that price, they should be throwing in breakfast (and lunch and dinner!) and providing me a private driver to get me where I want to go! Not to mention laundry services and a turn-down each night! So let me hear it! How do you justify spending that kind of money on a room? Do you spend all your time there? Is it just to say "been there, done that'? Is the difference really worth twice the cost? I'm honestly curious about this...

I think you have hit the nail on the head in your post. For you Disney is about the parks so it makes sense that you don't want to upgrade your hotel. For us we are more likely to blow off park time to relax and enjoy the resorts. We really love some of the deluxe resorts and love just being there and that is why we upgrade simply to spend our holiday in a place we love.