My thoughts exactly! $400-$500 night....you could get exactly that...Oceanfront (with beaches you can SWIM in) beautiful, clean room, with every bit the amenities that Disney Deluxes provide and then some...I mean...we are in St. Louis area, but that said, we can find a hotel in the city that is TOP OF THE LINE with awesome amenities for about $200/night...I know we are not in Disney, but is it really worth $200-$300/night extra just because it offers Disney buses? I know it IS worth more, being it's on Disney property and not St. Louis property, not sayin it's not, but not THAT much....
It's supply and demand. When it comes to the "deluxe" hotels and their proximity to the actual parks, Disney has a monopoly.
For someone who wants the complete luxury of something akin to the Ritz, and wants to be a 5 minute monorail ride from the Magic Kingdom, and have a view of the castle --- The only real possibility is the Grand Floridian. For someone who wants a basic-deluxe-type hotel with views of the castle... again, only a handful of options.
An extra $200-$300 per night is definitely a lot for *most* people. You are getting more than just buses... you are getting to basically be right next to either Epcot or the Magic Kingdom, you are getting Disney-level service and theming, etc, etc. Worth an extra $200-$300?
I'd say... look at it a different way. If I told you that a Theme Park view room at the Poly was 5 times the price of a room at a Value, you would say it's way over-priced...... But...
What if the room at the Value was only $20 per night? And the Poly was $100 per night? It's still 5 times the cost...... But for many people.... the extra $80, would be well worth the upgrade.
Money is quite subjective. There are people willing to spend thousands of dollars, for a ticket to the Superbowl. It's just a few hours, sitting in the stands, to see a game that you can see on TV for free. But for some people... it's worth thousands of dollars to be in the stands, instead of watching it on TV.
Not all Disney deluxe hotels are ridiculously priced, especially not off-season.
Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge can both be booked for under $400 per night -- Not cheap, but not insane.
But these costs are subjective. If a Value was $20... you might not have any problem paying FIVE TIMES the cost... to stay at the Poly... where five times the cost is $100.
But there are plenty of people..... For whom, $500 to them, is like $50 to most of the rest of us.
To a wealthy international traveler, comparing a $5000 beach vacation, $5000 on-site Disney vacation, or a $2000 off-site Disney vacation... Disney may be the more unique experience over the beach, and the $5000 versus $2000 might not really look like a big deal.
Disney is looking to maximize profits. With their premium "deluxe" resorts, as long as they can achieve an acceptable occupancy rate, they'll charge as much as they can. If some millionaires are willing to pay absurd rates, then they get the rooms. And Disney offers other "affordable" options in order to take some profits out of the middle class.