Would you stay at value or moderate just to try it out, even if you could afford deluxe?

[Haley R]

We are at a mod right now after several stays in a row at a deluxe. There are so many small things that make up the differences. Maybe a lot of y'all never notice them but we do. I don't care if we are in the parks all day the small things stand out more then. Bigger and softer towels. Even better toilet paper. We like FQ just fine. A stay here let's us fit in more trips so that's good. But anytime the budget allows a deluxe that's where we'd be. I'd never willingly go down just because

Our towels at YC CL seemed to be no different than the towels at POFQ two weeks ago. We did get a robe and slippers that we didn't wear. Not trying to contradict you, but we thought they were the same towels.

 

[rdaky]

We are at a mod right now after several stays in a row at a deluxe. There are so many small things that make up the differences. Maybe a lot of y'all never notice them but we do. I don't care if we are in the parks all day the small things stand out more then. Bigger and softer towels. Even better toilet paper. We like FQ just fine. A stay here let's us fit in more trips so that's good. But anytime the budget allows a deluxe that's where we'd be. I'd never willingly go down just because

Yes! We are about to stay at CBR in a couple of months after staying deluxe and while I know it's fine because we've stayed there before and my kids like the pool, I'm dreading the downgrade (although I'm still searching for someone to cancel their AP reservation so I can score a deluxe deal) but there are definitely differences. I agree that the towels are nicer. I have noticed a difference in the sheets and even the mattress. Interior hallways make a huge difference. Having to walk out in the rain to go do a load of laundry really stinks. Less chaotic quick service. Our last stay at AKL having a quick breakfast was night and day difference from trying to navigate the food court at a value or even a moderate. And no gigantic groups of teenagers. That's the best part about a deluxe!

 

[jennyq87]

We are at a mod right now after several stays in a row at a deluxe. There are so many small things that make up the differences. Maybe a lot of y'all never notice them but we do. I don't care if we are in the parks all day the small things stand out more then. Bigger and softer towels. Even better toilet paper. We like FQ just fine. A stay here let's us fit in more trips so that's good. But anytime the budget allows a deluxe that's where we'd be. I'd never willingly go down just because

I totally get what you're saying here. I loved Riverside and POFQ - still do! - but it's so hard to go back and give up the perks once you've gotten used to the Deluxe resorts. Even little things, like the way the lobbies smell.. the extra customer service touches.. softer bed. Part of me wishes I'd never tried and didn't know what I was missing, haha

 

[AngiTN]

Our towels at YC CL seemed to be no different than the towels at POFQ two weeks ago. We did get a robe and slippers that we didn't wear. Not trying to contradict you, but we thought they were the same towels.

They are not the same towels as we get at BWI CL. They are a lot less fluffy and a lot smaller. The deluxe have what we call bath sheets. The others breath towels. It's silly yes. But it's the little things

 

[VAfamily1998]

One thing I dislike about a lot of deluxe resorts is that some of them are almost an "attraction" themselves. I mentioned earlier in the thread that I am not a fan of Polynesian. It just seems so chaotic to me; not only are the actual guests of the hotel there, but also other onsite/offsite guests there to eat at 'Ohana or the dinner show, people there to watch fireworks on the beach, people there just to see the resort, etc. I've never stayed at Grand Floridian, and thought my "dream trip" involved a stay at Royal Palm club level. But our last trip in December we stopped by to see the gingerbread house and realized just how many other people go just to visit the resort (yes, I realize we were part of that "problem.") It was just so loud and crowded in the lobby, now I'm not so sure I want to stay there. Moderates don't get that kind of chaos.

 

[roydavid7771]

We always stay at a moderate (most likely Riverside) for the first night or two before we move to our DVC villa. We do it mostly for the boat ride to Disney Springs as we usually don't hit the parks upon arrival. Plus the theming and landscaping are beautiful there!

 

[MainMom]

We used to stay at pop when the kids were younger and it fit our budget. Now we stay at a deluxe for most trips. We are not all day park people. We take breaks mid day. We take evenings or mornings off and just enjoy our resort location and the pool. Our room is more than just a bed for us. I would definitely stay value again if it was just my DD and I, but when it’s all 4 of us it’s deluxe all the way.

 

[MomOTwins]

We have stayed almost always at deluxes and at POR once. I definitely noticed the difference at POR. The room and bathroom were smaller, the bus service with shared stops was unpleasant (buses passed us by full from other stops in the morning and it took forever to get back at night), the dining options were not as good, and the deluxe resorts just had a wow factor that was missing at the moderate. But that said, we use discounted rates at deluxes. Recently, I couldn't find any discounts at deluxes and so was planning to stay at a moderate or AoA suites, but luckily a deluxe opened up at not much more money per night than the AoA suite after the discount.

 

[portocall]

I started at the values. I loved it but it has it's downsides. Mainly the bus waits. Not comfortable. (When we stayed there. It's been years).

We then went moderate as we could afford it. They are better themed and a true bump up. I would never mind staying at any of the Disney hotels but mods are my current preference.

I am staying Deluxe this summer thanks to my friend. Beach Club and the Poly. 11 days split stay. I'm sure I will love them but I will miss the food courts.

I think when you try them all, you gain appreciation for the different levels. I don't know that I would do a long stay at the values anymore but at the same time if it was between a value and not going going then I would reconsider or wait until I can go to the moderates. I would definitely do a night or two in a value though.

 

[buzznina]

We have stayed all 3 levels and can honestly say we had great trips at each. We spend a 3rd of our time at the resort and really liked our deluxe stays, with GF being our absolute favorite resort. But, we just do not find that they are worth the extra $$ and most of the time would rather use that $$$$ saved on other WDW stuff. We find that the Mods offer everything we need and normally pick one of them. Our next trip, we will be back at POP, because we will be doing parks every day, with not much resort time, and are paying under $100 a night, so why waste the money. We also like to eat at QS at our resorts and find the deluxe really lack there and we have found that the buses were just as good and bad at deluxes as any other resort and do not find the monorail to be "all that". We do love the lobbies at GF, AKL, and WL and they are great. As for mattresses, everyone has their preference, we hate soft mattresses. Plus, we have had rooms that the mattress on the 2 beds in our room felt totally different. What's important to one family may not be important to another and that is why we enjoy WDW having so many choices and we like to take advantage of all of them

 

[Pmm_]

We typically stay in deluxe resorts but I really want to try out a value resort (specifically art of animation or pop)

 

[mkb3]

We are "new" to Disney and are kinda doing things in reverse. Our first trip (as adults) in 2017 we went with The Contemporary and while we enjoyed it (mainly the smell) we didn't think it was Disney enough. People roll their eyes when I say that because you have the monorail going through it but the rooms felt like a Marriott. The next trip we decided to try POR Royal Room and really enjoyed it more than the contemporary. Only downside for us was the easy access to the Magic Kingdom. Since we enjoyed a Moderate we are trying a POP on our next trip to see if we like a value resort. As much as we always say we are going to slow down and not spend all day in the parks that changes the moment we get there. The excitement overcomes us and we have to be in the parks all day, we just feel like we are missing out if we don't. I asked my wife last night if she wanted to change our reservation for our first adult only trip to a moderate and she shot it down real quick and said that she is really excited about staying at POP.

 

[happymommy]

I used to only stay deluxe, but the prices are outrageous for the quality that Disney offers now. My youngest and I tried Pop Century once, and it convinced me that the values are perfectly fine! The trip prior to that was at the Boardwalk Inn, and we both felt it wasn’t worth $300/night. We also like the food courts, so we tend to grab some dinner at the end of the day, bring it to the room, and relax (food courts can be loud sometimes), At the Boardwalk there was little in the way of quick options.

Last trip, All Star Sports screwed up our room reservation, so they sent us in a cab (they paid) to the Boardwalk Villas. Reason was we had two connecting rooms booked (guaranteed, as one was a roll in shower for my youngest who is in a wheelchair), and they tried to put us 3 in a room with 2 double beds and no handicapped accessibility. Someone on their part had changed my reservation. So we ended up in a studio with 3 sleeping surfaces (needed) and roll in shower, but literally no drawers. They did reimburse me for the cost of the room, as they totally screwed up, but the room was so cramped and we lived out of our suitcases.

I likely won’t ever book a Disney deluxe resort again. Heading back to All Star Sports next week, as it was the only resort available under $400 a night (and it’s a solo trip). I don’t think the deluxe resorts are appealing to me any longer.

I can afford to spend the money, but don’t find any desire to go back to deluxe again.

Moderates don’t appeal to me, so never have even considered one.

 

[mommyrosa2]

One thing I dislike about a lot of deluxe resorts is that some of them are almost an "attraction" themselves. I mentioned earlier in the thread that I am not a fan of Polynesian. It just seems so chaotic to me; not only are the actual guests of the hotel there, but also other onsite/offsite guests there to eat at 'Ohana or the dinner show, people there to watch fireworks on the beach, people there just to see the resort, etc. I've never stayed at Grand Floridian, and thought my "dream trip" involved a stay at Royal Palm club level. But our last trip in December we stopped by to see the gingerbread house and realized just how many other people go just to visit the resort (yes, I realize we were part of that "problem.") It was just so loud and crowded in the lobby, now I'm not so sure I want to stay there. Moderates don't get that kind of chaos.

It's interesting you mention your "dream trip". Poly was always our "dream resort" and when we finally stayed there, it was a complete bust! It was so bad that we moved to another resort and I can honestly say we would never stay there again. Now, the GF.... we have loved our stays there and would go back in a heartbeat!

 

[jaiminee krikit]

I have, and I fell in love with Pop! I decided to stay there for a solo trip several years ago, even before the renovations, and I just loved everything about the resort! I do prefer staying moderate or deluxe when it's my whole family, but if it's just me or two of us, I will usually choose Pop! I'd love to try the AS resorts once they're renovated, too. Well, Music and Movies.

 

[indoshakespeare]

For me, staying at a deluxe is like throwing money to the trash can. Value is good enough.

 

[sbd78]

I've stayed at Pop and AoA when our family was smaller and liked them fine. The values no longer make financial sense though, we are a family of 5 and the value family suites usually price out quite a bit higher than the mods that sleep 5. We stayed at POR last summer and are excited to try CBR this summer. The new renovations look great! We could probably afford deluxe but I like to be frugal...the more money saved means more frequent/longer trips! Never stayed deluxe and a balcony and interior hallways would be nice, but it just isn't worth the extra money to me. Plus, we like to do the dining plan (our upcoming trip is booked with free dining) so good quick service options are important to me, something deluxes are lacking. I'm open to trying a deluxe someday if I find a deal, but so far the mods make more sense.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

It's interesting you mention your "dream trip". Poly was always our "dream resort" and when we finally stayed there, it was a complete bust! It was so bad that we moved to another resort and I can honestly say we would never stay there again. Now, the GF.... we have loved our stays there and would go back in a heartbeat!

We stayed at the Poly once. We enjoyed it but it didn't live up to the hype for us either. I mean it was a nice stay but I think it's way overhyped on the boards, especially the pool. We found it to be small and boring. We had a split and moved to the BC and were in absolute heaven there.

 

[rdaky]

We stayed at the Poly once. We enjoyed it but it didn't live up to the hype for us either. I mean it was a nice stay but I think it's way overhyped on the boards, especially the pool. We found it to be small and boring. We had a split and moved to the BC and were in absolute heaven there.

We have never stayed at Poly but we have been to Ohana and one thing I have noticed is that because it's a monorail resort, there are SO many people in the lobby, walking around looking at everything, checking out the resort. People everywhere. It seemed crowded and awful to me. I know that all deluxe resorts have a bit of this because of restaurants, but this one seems to be in its own league with the crazy level.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We have never stayed at Poly but we have been to Ohana and one thing I have noticed is that because it's a monorail resort, there are SO many people in the lobby, walking around looking at everything, checking out the resort. People everywhere. It seemed crowded and awful to me. I know that all deluxe resorts have a bit of this because of restaurants, but this one seems to be in its own league with the crazy level.

The lobby definitely gets crazy and chaotic, especially around Ohana. We went during "low season" (end of August) and it was still chaotic. I can't imagine higher crowd times at the Poly.