Does it really matter where you stay?

[hotblooded]

I only go for Run Disney events these days, so transport to the race start is a huge factor in choosing to stay on-site. I don't drive (life-long city-dweller and public transit user), so bus service is essential. I haven't looked into it, but if the Disney Springs hotels had regular shuttles, that would suffice.

 

[Westcoastwild]

if you couldn't have your chosen resort-would you still go on vacation?

Would you/do you have a backup resort?

For those who simply the resort is a place for sleeping; how do you select your resort?

I usually choose based on sleeping/budget:

Convenience, and what I'm willing to tolerate, basically. Outside of Disney, that's a nice hostel in a stellar location. For Disney, that's a clean, safe onsite or walking distance motel.

USUALLY I don't have a chosen resort. I mean, with WDW it's fort wilderness, but if I could get another onsite property for about 20-50 bucks more, I'd stay there. Probably- unless the whole point was to camp. Then maybe I'd switch?

At DL, there's a budget at which I max out at. I'm just not going to pay more than $150 a night; and in that scenario, I'd ditch Disney and enjoy LA.

I mean if I treat your question literally...if I want to go on vacation, I'll go on vacation no matter what. I just won't go to Disney. Lots of other options out there.

 

[Elle23]

I doubt I'd ever stay in anything other than a value. I think deluxe hotels at Disney are ridiculously over-priced.

 

[AllieBoo]

The resort definitely matters to us, especially the more trips we get under our belt. The first few times we went, we were barely at the resort, so we hardly noticed, but as we've slowed down and not tried to cram so much into each trip, we've realized we like to relax at the resort more. We prefer to stay at places where you can walk to a park(s), so if one of those were not available, we would probably postpone.

 

[dbavis]

the resort matters for us as it is part of the experience. i wouldn't want to take a trip where i was staying at a resort that i didn't like.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Yes, it absolutely matters where we stay. After staying at all levels of resort, we only stay deluxe or Swan at this point. We also choose our resort based on which parks we will visit most during our stay. I can be flexible with the deluxes, but it has to be onsite deluxe at this point.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We spend a lot of time at the resort and we would change our travel dates if we couldn't get into a resort that we wanted to stay at. We have several favorites and will stay at any of them. Even in the days when we went to WDW with our children and spent a lot of time in the parks, we still came back to the resort every afternoon for pool time. It was part of the fun of the vacation.

 

[Marionnette]

if you couldn't have your chosen resort-would you still go on vacation?

Would you/do you have a backup resort?

For those who simply the resort is a place for sleeping; how do you select your resort?

if you couldn't have your chosen resort-would you still go on vacation?
Yes, I'd still vacation but probably somewhere else. We don't have the chance to vacation frequently, so I prefer not to compromise on the accommodations just to be in Disney. There are a lot of wonderful destinations out there and I have no problem skipping Disney in favor of them.

Would you/do you have a backup resort?
I bought DVC and paid a little more for those contracts in order to get my preferred resorts at 11-7 months.

For those who simply the resort is a place for sleeping; how do you select your resort?
The only time that this is a consideration is if I book a 1-night stay prior to the start of a DVC stay in order to save points. In that case, it's a matter of what's available for the least amount of money. If I'm taking a late flight, the hotel would be at the airport. If I have a morning-to-midday arrival, then it's usually a Value Resort with a discount or (if I have a car) an offsite hotel on frequent guest points.

 

[Pkltm]

We are pretty flexible with dates, I would stay almost anywhere on property with the exception of POP.

 

[Dis703]

Yes, it matters where we stay. There is a very different feel to our vacation when we stay deluxe, or mod, or value. When we stayed at BC and BWI it felt very all inclusive because there was so much to see and do right there around our resorts. And we were able to easily walk into Epcot and HS and it was easier to split up for nap times in the afternoon. Pop into Epcot just to grab a quick bite whenever we wanted. The balconies were a lovely touch to have as well. Wind down in the evening and with the right view maybe catch some fireworks with a drink while the kids were going to sleep. Grabbed a treat at the Boardwalk bakery and enjoyed a book on the balcony during the kids' nap.

Our favorite mod is CBR and we love it because it has such a relaxed feel to it. We enjoy the hammocks on the beaches and watching the fireworks at Epcot from the bridge at night. It's more comfortable with bigger rooms, bigger and more comfortable beds. Rooms are also much quieter than we've experienced at other resorts of all levels. When I walk to the food court and look around and breath in the fresh air it just feels so refreshing.

At the values it's just a room. I don't get that relaxed or refreshing feeling at these resorts. We stay there when I go for short trips on a budget but I l definitely lose that relaxed vibe. It's louder and more chaotic, especially at the food courts. The rooms are okay (although we had some really bad ones at this level too) but they are just a place to sleep at these resorts. We may spend some time at the arcade with the kids but typically we don't break much at values because I don't have much interest in hanging out there.

In all categories there are definitely resorts I won't stay at and would potentially go off site if it was all that was available to me.

 

[Kellykins1218]

Absolutely, I would still go. It is a place to sleep and swim and all of the resorts have beds and pools. We have our favorite but have stayed at other resorts 3 of our last 4 trips because of pricing and package deals. It didn't affect our enjoyment of the trips at all.

 

[prprincess]

if you couldn't have your chosen resort-would you still go on vacation?

Would you/do you have a backup resort?

For those who simply the resort is a place for sleeping; how do you select your resort?

I would. I usually have second and even third choices for resorts, no matter where I travel, so it's never a problem.

I used to just say a resort was for sleeping, but no longer. During one trip to WDW we all caught some kind of bug and spent a day in the room. Thankfully we were at a Moderate...had it been a Value, we would have been extremely uncomfortable and crowded. Then during this last trip we had to deal with the remnants of a hurricane and were stuck at the resort. We found a ton to do at Coronado, and were comfy. You just never know what's going to happen and don't want to end up somewhere uncomfortable.

 

[Auntie_Maim]

Yes and no. We're OK with pretty much anything except the All Stars (I would be rolling my eyes so hard at the three-story football helmet that I'd be in danger of bumping my brain), but if someone offered me a free trip and said I had to stay at one of the All Stars, I'd be on it like nobody's business (similarly, I'd never stay off site if I had my druthers, but a few years ago we lucked into a free stay at an off-site time share, and we couldn't pass up a deal like that). There are resorts I don't like for aesthetic reasons like CR (unattractive exterior) or BWI (vomiting clown pool) but again, if those were the only ones available, I'd still go for it.

Resorts can surprise you. We stayed at POR back in '14 solely because of its bed setup, and we ended up liking it a lot.

 

[DisDreaming4116]

It's different for every family, individual and group. I couldn't fathom justifying the added expense of staying at moderate or deluxe based on how our family vacations. We only stay at POP (though I've stayed elsewhere when growing up) and the price allows us to visit once every 1-2 years. We are at the parks from morning until late night and get our rest at TS restaurants or indoor shows.
A week at All-Star Movies in Disney World surely beats a week at home...

 

[ErinsMommy]

if you couldn't have your chosen resort-would you still go on vacation?

Would you/do you have a backup resort?

For those who simply the resort is a place for sleeping; how do you select your resort?

1. No, would plan it for another week
2. If I HAD to stick to that week, I would look for a 'comparable' resort but I book so far in advance I usually always get the type of resort/room I want.
3. Most of our Disney trips have been park commando and resort for sleeping; but it doesn't change our choices.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I want to try a different resort every trip, so I have back ups. Location is extremely important to us.

 

[DVC_Dad_Canada]

I have two DVC home resorts. Saratoga Springs points are used to try out every DVC resort. It wasn't until our last trip (our ninth in total), that we finally used these points at Saratoga Springs (with the exception of the treehouses). With our Bay Lake Tower points I use them for New year's Eve at bay Lake Tower. We try and go every other year, although with my kids now in high school, it gets rougher to take time off school.

Those who say a resort is just for sleeping need to slow down and chillax poolside for a day or two.

 

[Moliphino]

I'll stay at any Disney resort, though I do have preferences (Pop is my preferred value, CBR is my least favorite mod). I would only change dates if there was nothing available in my price range.

I prefer resorts based on location and buses. I like Pop over the All Stars because it's more central and never shares a bus with another resort. CBR is my least favorite mod because it has so many bus stops and no elevators.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

Yes, it matters where I stay, but I have several different resorts where I would like to stay, and I usually can move my dates a bit, so I've never had a problem getting something I love. We spend a lot of time at the resort though, so it might matter more to me than to others who just sleep and shower at the resort. If only a value was available and my family of 4 was going, I would change the dates--all 4 of us in one value room would not make a happy vacation for us.

 

[married2mm]

Thanks everso much for all the varied replies.

Anymore?