I was spoiled on my first ever Disney trip. Worried about being disappointed now.

[VACamm]

I have never stayed at a Deluxe resort, but I have stayed at all 4 Moderates and 1 Value. I will say that I never feel like I'm missing out when I'm at a moderate resort. Like you said, we are hardly in the room at all!

 

[KonaKaiTom]

Last year we did a split stay - first 4 nights at the Grand Floridian and last 3 nights at the AOA -- The entire family enjoyed both parts of the vacation and there was no letdown. We had a 5th person join us for the last 3 nights, and we needed a family suite, since the AOA prices were so much lower than the Deluxe suites, we gave it a try - first time staying value -- it was a great deal of fun for us. Even though the youngest was 16, we all enjoyed the over the top theming at AOA -- and we loved having 2 full bathrooms.

Enjoy, you will have a great trip.

Tom

 

[WDWNY]

You can look into the Swan/Dolphin for a cheaper Epcot resort option.

I came back from AOA a week ago. I've stayed at all the Values but movies and AOA just has a different vibe than the other values. Since it's a new resort, everything is new and updated which gives it a nicer feel than the other values.

Regarding the discounts, we thought the same thing that a moderate might come out tot he same price. In our case there was about a $250-300 difference between AOA and the moderates with the discounts, so we stayed at AOA. We do not regret it at all. It will be different, but you'll enjoy it. It's Disney.

 

[jimandami]

Have you considered renting points to stay in a DVC studio. The last adult only trip DH and I took (last March), we had a value studio at AKV that was around $115/night. Now, that was an exceptional deal but the studios are really were you save by renting points. Yes, you need to do your research and know what you are getting but you can often get a deluxe room for the cost of moderate.

ETA: We are deluxe people and were very spoiled by staying in a 2 bedroom villa at Boardwalk on our first trip. We tried AoA in a family suite a couple years ago, and that was enough value experience for me. The room was super cute and the kids loved it, but there was just a certain something missing for us. Having said that, we are NOT park commandos and spend quite a bit of time at the resort.

 

[MaC410]

Have you considered renting points to stay in a DVC studio. The last adult only trip DH and I took (last March), we had a value studio at AKV that was around $115/night. Now, that was an exceptional deal but the studios are really were you save by renting points. Yes, you need to do your research and know what you are getting but you can often get a deluxe room for the cost of moderate.

ETA: We are deluxe people and were very spoiled by staying in a 2 bedroom villa at Boardwalk on our first trip. We tried AoA in a family suite a couple years ago, and that was enough value experience for me. The room was super cute and the kids loved it, but there was just a certain something missing for us. Having said that, we are NOT park commandos and spend quite a bit of time at the resort.

Is that a typical cost for a studio at a villa? I haven't really looked into the Boardwalk or Beach Club Villas. Where do you even begin to look when wanting to rent points?

 

[jimandami]

Is that a typical cost for a studio at a villa? I haven't really looked into the Boardwalk or Beach Club Villas. Where do you even begin to look when wanting to rent points?

The $115 is not typical, just happened upon a great deal. If you look on the rent/trade forum here under DVC forums, there is a FAQ sticky at the top with really, really good information. There are a couple ways to rent points, one being via a private owner that posts either here on the DIS or another forum that I like a lot that I cannot say the name of because it's not allowed (google is your friend). This is our preferred method because it's a bit cheaper per point than the other option, which is going through a broker like the one advertised on here www.dvcrequest.com. At a glance for your dates, going through a broker would be between $1500-2500ish for your entire stay. That is probably a bit more than Pop but WAY cheaper than paying for a deluxe via Disney. Be aware, however, that fall is a very popular time for DVC members and to get your choice of resort requires you to book far in advance as the most popular resorts (as well as the cheapest rooms such as Boardwalk standard view) get booked 11 months in advance when the booking window opens. For example, we book our October trip a couple weeks ago and ended up having to do a split stay because Boardwalk wasn't available for our entire week.

 

[Lynzer4]

I would second looking into DVC. It will be much cheaper to rent and get a deluxe hotel. Use dvcrequest.com to figure out points and estimated cost. You can rent through Dave's or come to the DVC board and see if you can find a personal renter to rent points.

Now the Epoct and MK area DVC hotels will cost more then SS or OKW.

I am staying a night at POLY before a cruise. If I booked directly with Disney a standard room is $599 (with tax). I got a studio villa for $299. So even with a 25% on the room I still paid $100 less for the night renting someones points.

Also AOA is the most expensive value. For the cost of AOA I personally would pay the difference and move to a moderate. The rooms are much larger and the resorts have more food options.

 

[hakepb]

If you do decide to stay at a moderate ... don't walk from Epcot to BC/YC/BW for a visit.

During a POR stay, I was impressed with the lovely setting, and enjoying taking pictures as I was walking around POR. Then we decided to walk to the Boardwalk in an Epcot day, and it really hit me ... this is a Lot nicer than POR. So my advice is to avoid that direct comparison during the trip, and enjoy where you are staying.

 

[smcabee]

If I didnt have DVC, I would stay in a Value resort every time. No reason to pay all that money for just a place to sleep in my opinion.

 

[mco65]

Stayed at Grand Floridian one trip and every trip (resort) since has paled in comparison... but but..
NO worries, they have all be beyond FANTASTIC and MAGICAL!!!!

Actually AoA is on our list of places we want to stay.. that an the Cabins at the Fort... and Poly and Boardwalk and Beach Club... you get the idea!

 

[LaidBackDad]

I hate to be the Disney downer here; but, yup you're right, you messed up. People are right when they say you have to realign your expectations but that can only go so far. I'm positive you will still have a great time because you will still be at WDW and all the resorts have their bright spots but there is a reason they charge so much for deluxe hotels. You just have to keep focusing on the positive things in your trip when that little voice in the back of your mind keeps telling you how much better something was on your first trip. Our first trip to WDW was in a moderate and we moved up to deluxe for our next few trips. We tried going back down to a moderate and the downgrade remorse was always present (buses and transportation is where it hits you first then food). We still had a great trip but we learned our lesson. I agree with the other posted who recommended renting DVC points, that seems to be the way to go for you.

 

[HolRae]

Our first stay was at wilderness lodge for our honeymoon. We loved it. Our next several trips were at all stars. I would rather stay at a value and be able to go every year than stay at a deluxe every other year.

 

[Peepster]

We stayed at the Poly initially and then it just became too expensive as we kept making more trips (go figure!). Then we decided to buy into DVC and the problem was solved for multiple trips...but, not being of the elite class, we would run out of DVC points so needed to find a place we not only could afford, but enjoyed. We fell in love with Port Orleans FQ! A moderate with true queen size beds, vs full, and the smallest of all the resorts so the most negotiable. Plus, we think the theming is even a bit romantic. Love hopping on the boat to Disney Springs for a night out, too. Good bus service to the parks after grabbing some warm beignets for breakfast.

 

[MaC410]

Thanks for all input everyone. Just discussed stuff with my wife and she is actually excited to try something more fun themed like Art of Animation and try something new. We may still see how the discounts treat the moderates when the time comes. Maybe renting from DVC will be something we try in the future after we have tried out some other resorts.

 

[izzylovesmickey]

We have stayed at the Deluxe resorts (mostly BC so we know how nice it is to walk to Epcot on a whim) except for one trip. That trip was a last minute/bonus stay due to some odd circumstances. We ended up staying one night at ASMovies and 5 nights at CSR. For myself and my DD we didn't mind ASMovies but DS disliked it. The room will feel smaller and there are less amenities but it was clean and the grounds were cute to walk around. We moved over to CSR and all three of us agree that if we stay Moderate it is our resort. It was not the same as the Deluxes but it had beautiful landscaping, a nice food court , the pool was nice and the bus situation was good. We could see some high fireworks so it felt more like being at BC when we would watch the fireworks sometimes from our balcony. Other pps have recommended adjusting your expectations and I fully agree. Also know that once you do, you will still have a great time. You may even find a "new home or two" as you go.

 

[scrapquitler]

I know I know, disappointed is not a word someone should be using when talking about going to Disney haha. Let me give some backstory!

My wife and I went to Disney World last April for our honeymoon. It was my first ever trip to Disney. Since it was our honeymoon we didn't hold back on where we decided to stay. We stayed for 10 nights at the Yacht Club. We absolutely loved it. It wasn't so much the actual rooms at the resort we enjoyed it was just how beautiful everything was in the Epcot area resorts and how convenient it was to walk to Epcot.

Honestly though, we were barely in our rooms except to sleep at night. We spent our entire days out at the parks. While we enjoyed it so much we both had the same feeling after the trip. $300-400 a night just to sleep at night doesn't seem like a smart decision to keep doing every time we go back. When we go on vacation we like to stay for a good amount of time.

I know the moderate resorts can be beautiful as well and also a cheaper option, but with how little time we spent actually at the resort we just can't get ourselves to go for anything more expensive than a value resort. So for our next trip we decided to try out a much cheaper option, the Art of Animation. We chose the Art of Animation since we will be staying 11/30-12/9 and that will most likely be when Pop Warner Week is. All of our research shows that the Pop Warner groups never stay at the Art of Animation.

As excited as I am to return back to Disney World, I can't help feel disappointed that we can't replicate our last visit. Staying in the Epcot area was amazing, again mostly for the location and convenience. Is it silly to feel this disappointment? With how little time we actually spent at the resort it's the smart move to pay 1/3 of the price. How did everyone here deal with feelings like this? I'm sure everyone here has had that one trip that completely spoiled them but knew they couldn't really do it again or as much as they wanted to.

Here's a different perspective: When you look back on your Disney trips years from now, do you want you honeymoon to stand out as THE most spectacular trip you ever took with your beloved spouse, or do you want it to be just another in a long line of many similar trips you took with him/her? In my way of thinking, I would want my honeymoon to have been extra special, not the same as an annual vacation. So yes, staying in a more beautiful resort than usual, eating in more luxurious restaurants, etc. And then scaling back for future trips (I'd rather go on more frequent less costly trips than only every few years and spend a ton)

 

[nicolej92]

For me- it's all about the Disney experience. One of my friends growing up was a DVC owner, so my first on site experience was in a gorgeous three bedroom villa. When I went back in college on a budget trip with another friend, I was worried about the same thing. However, just being there was amazing. You will enjoy your vacation either way. Like you have mentioned, if you are park people, then you're only going to the room to sleep anyway!

 

[klmall]

Just like you can't repeat your wonderful first hotel experience you won't be repeating your first park experiences either. Think of your first trip as a perfect or near perfect WDW initiation with each trip thereafter being a different but hopefully still great experience also. You're actually at a great stage to try a different level of hotels; not set in your ways yet!

While you may like lengthy vacations in general Disney is a very expensive place to visit and stay; appropriate to splurge on for a honeymoon or other special occasion but there are also ways to save money and still enjoy Disney. Sometimes when I see people writing about returning to Disney every year or several times a year and paying top-of-the line hotel and food prices I shake my head. We could afford to that but it just doesn't make sense to us. Saving some money and planning for down the road is important too!

 

[ScubaCat]

Another thing to do for your next trip is take some time and go around and check out a bunch of the other resorts. You may find one that you like even better. We bought and stay at BCV almost every time but that's on DW's orders

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

I know I know, disappointed is not a word someone should be using when talking about going to Disney haha. Let me give some backstory!

My wife and I went to Disney World last April for our honeymoon. It was my first ever trip to Disney. Since it was our honeymoon we didn't hold back on where we decided to stay. We stayed for 10 nights at the Yacht Club. We absolutely loved it. It wasn't so much the actual rooms at the resort we enjoyed it was just how beautiful everything was in the Epcot area resorts and how convenient it was to walk to Epcot.

Honestly though, we were barely in our rooms except to sleep at night. We spent our entire days out at the parks. While we enjoyed it so much we both had the same feeling after the trip. $300-400 a night just to sleep at night doesn't seem like a smart decision to keep doing every time we go back. When we go on vacation we like to stay for a good amount of time.

I know the moderate resorts can be beautiful as well and also a cheaper option, but with how little time we spent actually at the resort we just can't get ourselves to go for anything more expensive than a value resort. So for our next trip we decided to try out a much cheaper option, the Art of Animation. We chose the Art of Animation since we will be staying 11/30-12/9 and that will most likely be when Pop Warner Week is. All of our research shows that the Pop Warner groups never stay at the Art of Animation.

As excited as I am to return back to Disney World, I can't help feel disappointed that we can't replicate our last visit. Staying in the Epcot area was amazing, again mostly for the location and convenience. Is it silly to feel this disappointment? With how little time we actually spent at the resort it's the smart move to pay 1/3 of the price. How did everyone here deal with feelings like this? I'm sure everyone here has had that one trip that completely spoiled them but knew they couldn't really do it again or as much as they wanted to.

The values are just fine, but if it's really bugging you, why not split the difference and consider a moderate? We stayed at Coronado Springs Resort during Pop Warner week last month, and CSR was one of the official PW hotels. We had no problems with the PW crowd there beyond a couple of kids who tried to cut the line at the food court and were stopped by cast members. What the moderates can give you is a sense of romance in the evening, after the parks. They are very strollable. When my partner and I first stayed at a moderate (Coronado), it was a downgrade due to cost from the deluxe we originally had reserved (oddly enough, Yacht Club.) We were iffy about it at first until we got there. We didn't have any interest in a large, sprawling resort. Now we have an official "moonlit romantic walk bench" we head for, and we love that quiet time together after the parks. If you miss that holding hands around Cresent Lake vibe, the romance of it is recreatable at the mods!