Deluxe Resorts A Little Out Of Control?

[Donald Duck888]

I just returned from a 6 night stay at the Beach Club and wanted to mention a couple of things that are on my mind about this subject since my stay.

The first is I did not pay rack rate but still found it to be expensive for what you get amenity and structure wise.

Having said that the main reason I paid for the deluxe was for location and that, as many have said can not be beat and at least to me was the biggest selling point and i was not disappointed in that at all.

Even with that point however I was somewhat disappointed with some things as well. First for a resort that has been just remodeled our room was very tired looking. Just little things like the open hole in the bathroom wall where the door stop must have fallen out from. Also not having a clock in the room was really kind of odd. The fridge also froze everything and there was no adjustment on it. Over at Boardwalk where i stayed the previous year they no longer had the big "life size" gingerbread house (cost saving move?) which really disappointed my daughter since she loved that last year.

Also we ended up having to take a different room then we had requested as it was approaching 6pm and our room was still not ready. Yes we could have waited longer but we arrived at noon and were really tired and really wanted a room. I would just think for over 3k for a week stay they could have the room ready by late afternoon. Also and this has nothing to do with the Deluxe but did effect the whole experience for the first day. When we landed at the airport the line for the Magic express was across the whole airport. It took us almost an hour to get to the podium. Been going this same week for 3 years now and have never seen it like that. When we got to podiums not all were being manned either.

In reading this i realize it kind of reads like a gripe fest and that is not really my objective. All in all we had a great stay at Disney and loved the location of the hotel. The staff was really nice and it was a "nice" hotel. Was it worth 3k for 6 nights? Can't say for sure as the location was so nice and I love the airport check in right from the hotel on leaving day. Amenity wise and and condition wise, no, not worth the price. So a split decision I guess. I will say however though that unless there is a deeper discount in the future we will probably stay at either Swan/Dolphin or a Moderate in the future as I feel they offer far better value for money spent.

 

[scrapquitler]

Hi Everyone

I love Disney like we all do on these boards; so please bare with me...I just need to vent. I really think that they have gone over the top with the rates at the deluxe hotels. There are 5 star resorts that don't charge well over $500 a night! I know some will say "well they'll get it so they can do it", but I just can't see the value at a difference (for example) of $1600 from the same amount of nights at a moderate. Tickets were in that difference, but they were the same cost so that's a wash...

Anyway, I am just aggravated and a bit sad. Over the past 16 years we have visited atleast that many times. A great number of those times we have stayed deluxe. Ofcourse we love the convenience of their location and transportation options not to mention dining....but at the recent rate difference there is just NO justifying it.

Ok I'm done...thank you for reading. Does anyone agree? Have a magical day! lol

I guess that there are enough people that disagree with you that Disney doesn't care. There seem to be plenty of people very willing to pay that much to stay at the Deluxe resorts. We stayed at AKL for a couple nights on our trip in April We loved it and we had a great time. But we will be back to staying at Pop Century when we go back in a few weeks, because for us, as much as we enjoyed the stay at AKL, it wasn't worth an extra $300 + night to us.

Edit to Add: when we go in March, we will be staying at the Boardwalk. There is only one reason we are staying there: DH is attending a conference and they are paying for his room and they expect him to be at the Boardwalk because the conference is there. If someone else is paying, I'm all for it. However, the conference is 3 nights, our trip is 7 nights. We aren't paying to stay at the Boardwalk the other 4 nights, even at a reduced rate that will be offered to us (Last time it was $289, I think) -- we'll spend those last 4 nights at Pop instead. We don't care that much about the room -- we are there only to shower and sleep.

 

[Farro]

We are staying at Poly for 9 nights next October.
Yes, it's expensive.
Yes, it's overpriced.
Yes most of my "nicer" trips cost less than WDW.
No, I'm not some naive rube who thinks they are getting some kind of deal.
Yes we are EXCITED!

We don't go to go Disney often, when we do we stay deluxe because that's what we like. We save for it, pay it off and shrug it off.
C'est la vie!

 

[lovin'fl]

I have heard that they are converting deluxe resorts to DVC because of low occupancy. Here's an idea, Disney, how about you stop jacking up the rates???? But what they discovered is that DVC is a big seller so win-win for them to keep rates jacked and occupancy low while they convert half and sell as DVC.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

I think the rates are a tad ridiculous, but I still continue to pay, bc while on vacation I want to feel "pampered" and if I get that feeling staying at the Grand Floridian or the Contemporary then so be it, lol. I however don't want to pay high rates for value rooms and feel like I am staying in a motel, same with the moderates. I am sure they are all extremely awesome hotels, but I hate having the doors open from outside, I feel like I am in a motel with those type of doors, lol. I would much rather be able to walk inside and have a lobby and everything, plus all the amazing dining. The next trip though I am weighing out my pros and cons of even wanting to stay on Disney property bc they are so expensive. I think if Disney keeps increasing their costs they will eventually lose valuable clients in the long run bc people will start to go else where.

 

[tlmadden73]

I remember going to Grand Floridian in January of 2010 and don't recall paying that much. It was an adult trip .. my future (at the time) wife and my parents. For two of us, I got 3 nights , 4 day park hopper tickets and a dining plan for $2000. It was probably $200-300/night then, but I can't imagine spending near $500/night now!

Well worth every penny to splurge like that (just the proximity to the parks was worth it) and I can't wait until our kids are old enough to maybe have a trip at another Deluxe in the future ..

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

From what I have seen, prices have skyrocketed in the last 5 years, and I would have trouble justifying the cost today. In 2011, we did the Contemporary Atrium Club Level, Tower View, and I paid $4,501 including room, tickets, and deluxe dining for three people for a week. For fun, I just priced the exact trip for next year. Rack rate would be $10,553. I can't imagine a scenario where I would pay that. A room only discount (that is what we had on that trip) still wouldn't get me close to the same price today. I'm glad we try to do a "different" trip each time, so I don't feel the need to try and budget that particular trip again.

In the end, it really comes down to supply and demand. As long as people are willing to pay it, Disney will charge it. I'm sure they have some very bright people figuring out exactly how high they can go before they can no longer fill the rooms.

 

[maxiesmom]

I have heard that they are converting deluxe resorts to DVC because of low occupancy. Here's an idea, Disney, how about you stop jacking up the rates???? But what they discovered is that DVC is a big seller so win-win for them to keep rates jacked and occupancy low while they convert half and sell as DVC.

That is the first I have heard they added DVC because of low occupancy. Source?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

That is the first I have heard they added DVC because of low occupancy. Source?

That's been the rumor at both Poly and the conversion at the main Lodge at Wilderness Lodge.

They built new buildings to open BLT and VGF, so that doesn't seem to be about occupancy rates.

Hard to say. There are limited places to build out at Poly, obviously, while keeping the "ooh la la own at one of the original resorts!" Not sure about WL.

 

[hakepb]

Didn't they build BLT after they demolished the N wing of garden rooms?

VGF was a full addition.

Back to the original point, I think all Disney resorts are out of control.
Once you become resigned to the overall cost ... I can see how the extra $1600 for deluxe is almost reasonable. Especially if you ever walked from Epcot to YC/BC while the rest of the world is involved in the bus cattle-drive.

It's the overpriced value resorts that drive up everything else.

 

[maxiesmom]

Also we ended up having to take a different room then we had requested as it was approaching 6pm and our room was still not ready. Yes we could have waited longer but we arrived at noon and were really tired and really wanted a room. I would just think for over 3k for a week stay they could have the room ready by late afternoon. Also and this has nothing to do with the Deluxe but did effect the whole experience for the first day. When we landed at the airport the line for the Magic express was across the whole airport. It took us almost an hour to get to the podium. Been going this same week for 3 years now and have never seen it like that. When we got to podiums not all were being manned either.

In reading this i realize it kind of reads like a gripe fest and that is not really my objective. All in all we had a great stay at Disney and loved the location of the hotel. The staff was really nice and it was a "nice" hotel. Was it worth 3k for 6 nights? Can't say for sure as the location was so nice and I love the airport check in right from the hotel on leaving day. Amenity wise and and condition wise, no, not worth the price. So a split decision I guess. I will say however though that unless there is a deeper discount in the future we will probably stay at either Swan/Dolphin or a Moderate in the future as I feel they offer far better value for money spent.

Didn't they build BLT after they demolished the N wing of garden rooms?

VGF was a full addition.

Back to the original point, I think all Disney resorts are out of control.
Once you become resigned to the overall cost ... I can see how the extra $1600 for deluxe is almost reasonable. Especially if you ever walked from Epcot to YC/BC while the rest of the world is involved in the bus cattle-drive.

It's the overpriced value resorts that drive up everything else.

I don't find the values overpriced. But then I'm used to at least $200 a night for a 2 star motel in Mackinaw. And we are talking barely 2 star.

 

[cruiser21]

We are staying at Poly for 9 nights next October.
Yes, it's expensive.
Yes, it's overpriced.
Yes most of my "nicer" trips cost less than WDW.
No, I'm not some naive rube who thinks they are getting some kind of deal.
Yes we are EXCITED!

We don't go to go Disney often, when we do we stay deluxe because that's what we like. We save for it, pay it off and shrug it off.
C'est la vie!

Thats kind of how I feel. I haven't been in 4 years..probably won't go back for at least 4 years, but if I do go I'm staying deluxe. I'm not a big fan of the parks, but I appreciate a nice resort.

 

[Hopefully]

From what I have seen, prices have skyrocketed in the last 5 years, and I would have trouble justifying the cost today. In 2011, we did the Contemporary Atrium Club Level, Tower View, and I paid $4,501 including room, tickets, and deluxe dining for three people for a week. For fun, I just priced the exact trip for next year. Rack rate would be $10,553. I can't imagine a scenario where I would pay that. A room only discount (that is what we had on that trip) still wouldn't get me close to the same price today. I'm glad we try to do a "different" trip each time, so I don't feel the need to try and budget that particular trip again.

In the end, it really comes down to supply and demand. As long as people are willing to pay it, Disney will charge it. I'm sure they have some very bright people figuring out exactly how high they can go before they can no longer fill the rooms.

Nothing will cost the same today as it did 5 years ago - not bread, not milk, not gas, not a Disney vacation.

 

[DisneyRobin]

We always do the deluxe resorts to save time. When we leave the contemporary, we can run over to the mk in less than 10 mins. Also, at the contemporary with a theme park view, I feel like we're staying right in the magic kingdom - and to me that's priceless!

When we're going to the food and wine fest, we walk from the boardwalk or beach club within minutes.

I feel like we're buying time and convenience. I don't like taking the crowded busses. I pay extra for cabs and the resort to avoid taking them.

One other thing to consider is that we're a family of 5 and at the deluxe resorts, we can all share a room. Even when only 3 of us travel, we still stay deluxe since it saves so much time and we can take shorter trips - like a 3 day weekend.

Unfortunately, we rarely get a deal because we usually book too late and rooms are blacked out.

The deluxe resorts are usually sold out. If they lowered prices, they'd sell out faster and I'd have trouble getting a room!

 

[Gracie09]

Dh and I stayed at the yacht club last year for about $200 a night. There are deals you just have to look for them

 

[doubtingthomas6]

While I personally agree that most of the deluxe resorts are outrageously overpriced I also understand the rules of supply and demand. It is also worth noting that some of the deluxe resorts offer amazing discounts from time to time. I recently saw a bounce back offer that had the Wilderness Lodge and the Animal Kingdom Lodge priced at $270/night for a stay in the spring of 2017. That's a great deal.

It's also a matter of perspective. $500/night for some people is unrealistically expensive while for others its doable or ever a great deal. The 1% go to Disney too I suppose.

 

[loves to dive]

I always stay in the deluxe resorts and have never once paid rack rates and I'm here right now. To be honest about right now, I'm actually in Dolphin because I couldn't get a decent rate at an Epcot resort. I usually shop the rates and have been known to change resorts 3 times before an actual trip just because I find a rate for less. My son teases me about it all the time. I think the highest I've ever paid was $300 per night at AKV but that was for a 1 bedroom.

 

[cedricandsophie]

We are dvc members so haven't paid for a room for years. We paid a lot for our points, over 1400 st 7 resorts, and certainly pay a lot in maintenance every year but we feel we get our money's worth. We go to aulani once a year for 10 days and always stay in a one bedroom ocean view which typically would sell for at least 1200 to 1500 a night. No way we would ever pay that for a room. Same at other Disney resorts. Before dvc we would have probably gone every two to three years and shared the cheapest studio we could get. I know this isn't about dvc but I agree the cost of rooms is crazy and something we would never pay now.

 

[GreatLakes]

I have heard that they are converting deluxe resorts to DVC because of low occupancy. Here's an idea, Disney, how about you stop jacking up the rates???? But what they discovered is that DVC is a big seller so win-win for them to keep rates jacked and occupancy low while they convert half and sell as DVC.

My understanding is not that it is due to low occupancy per say but to control inventory and inflate the occupancy rate. DVC rooms are not part of the general resort inventory so when they are empty it doesn't affect the occupancy rate of the resort. It is a bit of an accounting trick to make the numbers better. So while not really due to "low occupancy" in the strictest definition of the word it is an effort to control the published occupancy rates for the public.

 

[Oswin]

OP, I do think deluxe resort rack rates are high but not ridiculously so since you can often get a discount. When my family pays the prices we pay to stay at Poly, we're choosing the resort for a variety of reasons that are all important to us. We like the volcano pool, we love watching MK fireworks from our balcony, we love not ever having to take a bus (because we only go to Epcot & MK), we love being 5 minutes from the MK, we love the size of the rooms, we love the resort ambiance, and we love the service we get from the CMs there. My parents always say that it's worth the cost to them to avoid taking the buses for 99% of our trip. On our trips where we don't visit the parks, the cost isn't worth the benefits to us and we often stay at the cabins at Fort Wilderness because of the plentiful things to do at the resort, or at Saratoga Springs because we can take a boat or the walkway over to Disney Springs.