My brother refuses to "slum it at Disney"

[nytimez]

I "prefer" the deluxe resort of AKL... but I have no problem at all staying at Pop. It's a fantastic value.

As for the so-called "subtle distinctions," it's simply a matter of providing a higher level of service/convenience to those who pay the most. People staying in deluxe rooms are paying 7-10 times more per room than someone staying at a Value, it's just a practical matter of providing perks to those willing to pay extra for them... just like it can be a reasonable practical decision to pay less to have fewer perks.

 

[disneychick0412]

My sentiments exactly!! We've stayed at a few moderates and didn't feel it was worth the extra $. My pet peeve is the lines to get on the buses. There is none at the moderates we stayed at. People walk up and right on the bus while others have to wait. At least at the values there is a line and no confusion. It also seems like there are more value buses. I suppose if I had money to blow and wanted to skip a year or 2 I'd stay at the Grand Floridian but I'd rather go every year and "slum it"!!

I would rather go every year and stay value than every 2 or 3 at a deluxe. It is just DH and I, so the rooms are plenty big. If we want to eat at a restaurant at another resort we will travel there and eat there. We always book Chef Mickey and Ohana, but don't pay $300 or $400 per night so that we can be closer to that restaurant. As long as I am on Disney property I am a happy girl!

 

[mskayjay]

Loved the moderates and love the deluxe. Didn't really see much difference in the two to tell the truth! ONLY reason we haven't done the Pop or Sports is we were told they were noisy. Stopping in to see for ourselves is on our list of things to do this trip.

Had also never wanted to stay at one of the "preferred off-site hotels" and was very pleasantly surprised by the Royal Plaza as an option for when WDW is full. Affordable, newly renovated and right near DTD.

 

[itsreally4mommy]

I too notice those subtle distinctions. But I try and think of it in their shoes, if I were paying the price of the delux I'd want those extra ammenities. I tell myself it isn't a big deal, but sometimes when standing on that second or third bus w/an elbow in my back and another at my ear I think perhaps I should suck it up and pay the extra bucks, LOL.

I don't want to be a resort snob, but my back and nerves are beginning to say otherwise, LOL.

 

[jeanninepl]

I would rather go every year and stay value than every 2 or 3 at a deluxe. It is just DH and I, so the rooms are plenty big. If we want to eat at a restaurant at another resort we will travel there and eat there. We always book Chef Mickey and Ohana, but don't pay $300 or $400 per night so that we can be closer to that restaurant. As long as I am on Disney property I am a happy girl!

My husband and I feel the opposite. We go every two years so we can stay deluxe. We love enjoying our resort and days when our girls don't want to go to the parks, just spending the day at our resort and eating with the characters at night!!

 

[disneychick0412]

My husband and I feel the opposite. We go every two years so we can stay deluxe. We love enjoying our resort and days when our girls don't want to go to the parks, just spending the day at our resort and eating with the characters at night!!

It is all a matter of personal preference and I am so glad that Disney has something for everyone! Our once yearly disney vacation is something we look forward to all year and we stay at values so that we can do just that.
Not to say that I don't want to stay at other hotels, but our budget says that it is values for now, so that is what we do. I would love to stay at
the Poly sometime and one day I will!!

 

[jeanninepl]

It is all a matter of personal preference and I am so glad that Disney has something for everyone! Our once yearly disney vacation is something we look forward to all year and we stay at values so that we can do just that.
Not to say that I don't want to stay at other hotels, but our budget says that it is values for now, so that is what we do. I would love to stay at
the Poly sometime and one day I will!!

I completely agree! Its great that there is something at Disney that meets everyone's vacation needs! Then we can all share in the Magic!

 

[Octoberbabiesrus]

hahah. Slumming it. I've only stayed at GF and the Poly. But that was a luxury vacation with my grandparents. Something I will NEVER forget. My Grandpa passed a few years later, and Grandma was never happy again. So I tresure those times. Especially now that shes gone. I stayed offsite many times.... I dont think the value resorts are slumming it. Sure... I could of paid for the more expensive resorts...but I see staying at the cheaper as a benefit, one that allows us to do something else for a vacation later in the year. Slumming it? ha. If bro is an adult and going on his own dime, more power to him, but if someone else is paying, I'd tell him he's ungrateful and stay home.

 

[LeesyUD]

I kind of got spoiled on last two trips because we stayed at AKL and the POLY and loved them both. My fiance and I do feel hesitant to stay at a value but mostly because we are a couple without kids and really cannot sleep in a double bed together. (We are pooh- sized) And we don't really want to chance it if we are going for a full week. We stayed our first night last trip at the POP because we were going to be arriving late, and we loved the resort even though we only stayed one night! However, we did need to sleep in double beds, though not a big deal for one night. We are trying to plan our wedding and honeymoon with a big budget in mind. But even though we love POP century and really want to stay there again we will probably stick with at least a moderate where we can guarantee a king bed for the extra cost.

My bottom line is I love staying in the deluxe resorts I have been too, and if it was realistic for us I would stay in them every time. However it is not financially realistic for us, so we do what we can afford and what will work for us. But in the end if it was a choice between taking the chance we could get double beds or not going to Disney World at all, I would gladly take the double beds.

 

[LovingtheCastle]

WOW, talk about judging people!

Even if he can afford the money that deluxe resorts cost, he shouldn't think that he is better than people who "slum" at a value resort!!

Don't know him, but find that wording insulting.

I don't consider everyone that stays at a deluxe resort to be a "snob" or rich (even if some want to seem that way). We have many friends (in same income bracket) that choose to stay deluxe, but must save for it. We actually choose to NOT stay deluxe, because we don't see a need (for our family).

 

[LovingtheCastle]

I have to say, I sort of agree with your brother to a certain extent. Let me add that we had a great stay at Pop last fall, and will probably stay there again.

Still, isn't a bit of the idea of staying at GF or Poly and/or maybe CR, that you are staying in the 'best' place on property?

Disney makes subtle distinctions, like putting the value resort bus stops the furthest out - and at MK - the value "B" bus stop is essentially segregated from the mod/delux "A" bus stop area. They basically do the same thing at the other parks too. As soon as you walk towards the "B" bus stop you are announing to the world that you are a 'value' guest.

There's something special about the Epcot resort area too. It's so colorful and pristine and scrubbed every moring that let's you know it's a Deluxe area.

I've stayed at a few value resorts and NEVER noticed the "B" bus stop. I just looked for MY resort and didn't notice (OR CARE) who was waiting for the other resorts.

I would NEVER be ashamed of staying anywhere on Disney property.

Oh, and I have stayed at non-value Disney resorts and still didn't notice that I actually had the "better" bus stop. There's a reason...because I KNOW that I'm not better than them just because of my resort! NO ONE IS!!

 

[piratemom07]

I have found nothing wrong with the value resorts, we will be making our 5th trip to WDW in August and we will be staying at POP this will be our second time to stay here. In the past we have always stayed at the value resorts for the exception of one year we had reservations at the All Star Movies and my dad thought we were all together and the paid the extra for us to move to the GF that is where he likes to stay.

It was really nice but for the extra $$ I cant see doing that, that is just my opinion yes you do get many more perks with the mod or deluxe but like many have said it is a personal opinion. We had wanted to stay at the POFQ this year but just dont think we can get that much saved, maybe one day we can do that.

We were in the 1950's section last time and the area was not noisey and we had a short distance to the food court and bus stops it was nice.

This year we have requested the 1970's building so we will see what that holds for us.

 

[ShellyLynn3630]

I'm proud to slum it at disney!!!

 

[winterman]

Our family has been to Disney 10 plus times. We've stayed at a moderate resort a few times but lately we've been staying at the Boardwalk or Old Key West the last few trips. My brother recently told my parents that he refuses to "slum it at Disney" by staying at a value or a moderate resort,he's that spoiled by the Deluxe resorts. I've never heard anyone say "slumming it at Disney" I just had to chuckle a little by how he phrased staying at a value resort. We've visited the values to take pics and they seem like really nice places.

This may have been asked before but I wonder who is paying for the resort. Its pretty easy to have your brother's attitude if he's not paying for it.

 

[ntsammy5]

I'm proud to slum it at disney!!!

You got that right!

 

[SplashMtnCrew]

I find this thread very interesting as DH and I had a somewhat similar conversation just yesterday. We are planning our next trip and DS and I suggested CSR, DH thought that sounded good, and we could save money. Yesterday our conversation turned to what we want to do at WDW on our next trip. The long and short of it is this: DH doens't want to transfer around on buses and TTC to get to dining ressies from a mod and that if he's going on vacation then he's going on vacation. He said he doesn't want to be like Alice and try to follow the white rabbit dining ressies around WDW He said it is worth the extra $$ to him to stay deluxe and to be in the area (MK) he likes and to have access to the restaurants he likes. That is what makes it a relaxing vacation to him. He certainly would never say that someone would be "slumming it" if they were in a value, that is ridiculous. That's the magic of WDW, they offer many things for all different types of people/families.

 

[CarolA]

Our family has been to Disney 10 plus times. We've stayed at a moderate resort a few times but lately we've been staying at the Boardwalk or Old Key West the last few trips. My brother recently told my parents that he refuses to "slum it at Disney" by staying at a value or a moderate resort,he's that spoiled by the Deluxe resorts. I've never heard anyone say "slumming it at Disney" I just had to chuckle a little by how he phrased staying at a value resort. We've visited the values to take pics and they seem like really nice places.

Tell your brother that compared to a real deluxe resort he's "slumming" it at a Disney "deluxe"!!!!

I refuse to pay Disney "deluxe" pricing for 3 star resorts.... So I slum it happily!

 

[minnie61650]

Tell your brother that compared to a real deluxe resort he's "slumming" it at a Disney "deluxe"!!!!

I refuse to pay Disney "deluxe" pricing for 3 star resorts.... So I slum it happily!

ITA

Disney does charge a premium price for their Deluxe resorts.
Deluxe guests are paying for location and amenities not for stellar customer service.
Many guests are disappointed because they think the GF is a 5 star hotel.
They expect the service of a 5 star and are disappointed when their expectations are not met.
It is in no way near a 5 star hotel even though it costs as much as many 5 star hotels.
The GF is rated 4 diamonds by AAA but most sites rate it as 3 and a half.
The Poly and CR are usually considered 3 star hotels.


Just my 2 cents.

 

[asmit4]

Tell your brother that compared to a real deluxe resort he's "slumming" it at a Disney "deluxe"!!!!

I refuse to pay Disney "deluxe" pricing for 3 star resorts.... So I slum it happily!

This is EXACTLY what I was going to type and then I saw your response! IMO- the deluxes aren't that 'deluxe'. I am sure that many of us have stayed at true deluxe hotels and the DW version of deluxe is lagging behind a lot. I don't say this to bash those that stay at DW deluxes, I just don't view the deluxes to be deluxe. They are what I think of as moderates in the real world.

 

[spiceycat]

your brother and my mother.

she flat out refused to even consider a value (she never paid for anything - I did).

then one day staying offsite in an Marriott - told her had reservations for Pop - if she wanted to come great - if she didn't she could stay here (marriott).

well guess what she loved it. Pop is very, very clean. the marriott was NOT. So that was a big thing for her. Also the swimming pool couldn't get her out of it. She loved it.

I loved the food court - frozen cokes....

the rooms are smaller so what - you are still at Disney!!! that is what's important.

going this Sept for the free dinning to Pop.