Being offered this upgrade for our CBR room

[Freshman]

Staying at CBR mid October(5th sleeper standard @$3900 for 5 days)and being offered the following:

• Port Orleans Riverside, Royal Guest Room Standard View Room – package price $4,737.00
• Animal Kingdom Lodge, Resort View – package price $4,413.43 (this resort is a Deluxe resort)

AKL seems tempting but we are leaning towards just staying at CBR. The skyliner is a big plus and we tour heavy on Epcot/HS. Do any of these upgrades look like a great deal?

 

[tzeitel]

Staying at CBR mid October(5th sleeper standard @$3900 for 5 days)and being offered the following:

• Port Orleans Riverside, Royal Guest Room Standard View Room – package price $4,737.00
• Animal Kingdom Lodge, Resort View – package price $4,413.43 (this resort is a Deluxe resort)

AKL seems tempting but we are leaning towards just staying at CBR. The skyliner is a big plus and we tour heavy on Epcot/HS. Do any of these upgrades look like a great deal?

I would stay in CBR. Have stayed at POR and it's very nice but a bit meh for me. AKL is nice too, but too far from everything except AK.
The Skyliner is so convenient!

 

[Sue M]

I would take AKL it’s amazing. And being a deluxe you’ll get the extra evening park hours. Plus everything is under one roof so if weather is inclement you won’t get soaked getting to food court, or bus stop.
Id ask and see if theyd throw in a savana view at same price. Whats the worst they can say? No?

 

[gottalovepluto]

AKL is beautiful but I found being out that far to be a pain so I’d be inclined to keep the Skyliner. And you’ll lose the 3rd sleeping surface if that matters. $500 goes a long way, even in a Disney theme park.

ETA- also, don’t let Disney prey on your FOMO. “Do any of these upgrades sound like a great deal?” is a FOMO reaction…

 

[DJFan88]

I think they're just saying these are things you could book. They are priced higher. Its upsell, calling it an upgrade makes you feel good. Personally if those were places I wanted and wanted to spend that price, I would've already looked at it. POR at a royal room is just trying to get you to pay more for a different category at another moderate. For fun you could price out these "deals" and see how much of a deal they really are, or if that's basically the price.

 

[patty57]

Is this something new? Disney trying to upsell? If they were offering you AKL at the same price, I would consider it, but as it stands, I would keep what you have with the Skyliner.

 

[unrequited23]

If you had your own car, didn't need the 5th sleeper, were travelling with animal lovers and would take advantage of the extra evening hours I would consider to AKL.

We stayed at CBR this summer in building 36...right by the Riviera skyliner and it was so, so easy.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Is this something new? Disney trying to upsell? If they were offering you AKL at the same price, I would consider it, but as it stands, I would keep what you have with the Skyliner.

Yes. Disney rolled it out a few months ago. Select reservations are offered upsells.

 

[DanceDisney23]

This is really interesting from a consumer psychology standpoint. Likely, Disney wants OP to go for AKL. That’s why the other option, another moderate, is more expensive. Comparatively, the deluxe option seems like the no brainer choice.

OP probably saw AKL for the same price when they originally booked, but the option did not seem enticing enough then to go for it. So they booked CBR. Now that CBR is budgeted and maybe paid for, an “extra $500” doesn’t seem as steep as the original $4,413.

OP, go with where you want to stay at the price you are willing to pay. Like DJFan88 said, if you want AKL and are willing to pay $4,400 for it, why didn’t you book it to begin with?

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Staying at CBR mid October(5th sleeper standard @$3900 for 5 days)and being offered the following:

• Port Orleans Riverside, Royal Guest Room Standard View Room – package price $4,737.00
• Animal Kingdom Lodge, Resort View – package price $4,413.43 (this resort is a Deluxe resort)

AKL seems tempting but we are leaning towards just staying at CBR. The skyliner is a big plus and we tour heavy on Epcot/HS. Do any of these upgrades look like a great deal?

I agree with PP and imo, neither of those are really that significant of an upgrade and/or worth the money. I'm kind of surprised that POR is more than AKL, that makes no sense. Guessing that both of those resorts have super low bookings right now.

 

[Anthony1971]

Depends how much time you will spend at the resort. AKL and any deluxe may (To each is own some like other services offered) not be worth the extra cost if you are out all day. AKL by far is not far from HS or EPCOT once on the bus the ride will be shorter to EPCOT and about the same for HS it is normally under 10 minutes to either park (I will exclude traffic etc just as I will exclude the Skyliner down time and moving slowly for various reasons). I have never really seen any significant time savings from one resort to another even walking into EPCOT is not much of a help when you want to do the attractions in front of the park. Go by the resort that will enjoy.
AKL is an absolutely beautiful that offers areas throughout the resort and from your balcony if you have a savannah view to view amazing animals and there is just no other resort in the USA that offers this. But as above if your not going to spend time at the resort it may not be worth the extra cost.

 

[robinb]

@Freshman, If you plug in your dates do you see these same prices, or are they offering you a discount to upgrade?

I am not a fan of POR, so that would be a no-go for me. Plus, it appears that your DD is past the "princess phase" based on your comment that she's now a "Disney Adult" so I would think that a Royal Guest Room is not really an upgrade.

I do love AK, so much that we bought into DVC there.

Advantages to AKV:

1. A larger room (344 sq ft v/s 314 sq ft)
2. A balcony
3. Extra Evening Theme Park Hours, Epcot on Monday & DHS on Wednesday
4. Animal viewing areas
5. Beautiful lobby and indoor corridors
6. A peaceful feeling of being away from it all once your get off the bus

Disadvantages of AKV

1. My main concern there is that it's a Resort View which is really a rooftop or parking lot view. I've stayed in DVC standard views before and there are still plenty of animals to see, but it's not like you'll see animals off your balcony.
2. The ride to the parks can feel long

Advantages of CBR:

1. Skyliner
2. Centertown Market has more food options than Mara.
3. Lots of restaurant options a skyliner ride away

Disadvantages of CBR:

1. The buildings are spread out
2. The pathways and corridors are all outside
3. No balconies
4. No EEH

I think that if your dates cover both Monday and Wednesday, it may be worth it to upgrade to AKL for EEH. I've attended EEH at both Epcot and MK and they were both awesome. Rides were literally walk-ons. Because of parties at MK in October, they are doing EEH at DHS instead. There is a thread somewhere that covers EEH. I would read that and then decide if it's worth it to you to pay more for that and the other advantages v/s being able to take the Skyliner.

 

[patty57]

Yes. Disney rolled it out a few months ago. Select reservations are offered upsells.

Thanks for the response. My last number of stays have been either DVC rentals, or Swan/Dolphin, so I haven't had this happen.

 

[SharonZ]

I don't feel POR is worth the upgrade, and the only way I would stay at AKL is a Savannah room.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I would stay at CBR.

POR is more money and I don’t see the need for that upgrade.

I’ve eaten at AKL and find the resort very nice but very dark. I wouldn’t commit to a weeks vacation for more money. I would try it out for less than CBR and/or possibly a split stay.

 

[Freshman]

OP here and we decided to keep CBR. We never really felt we were being offered much of value. We’ve stayed at AKL in the past so we’ve experienced it already and POR for $800 more seems ridiculous. Now if they offer Beach club or Boardwalk for a few $100 more I’m game.

 

[LizGirl]

How are these offers sent out? Email? A notification in MDE?

 

[katyjeka]

AK without a doubt. We've had the best bus service of any resort and the extra evening hours are worth everything to our group. Nothing beats watching everyone leave the park and lines disappear.

 

[Genie+]

I’d keep CBR. They’re trying to entice to a lower demand option (POR) or help fill a high capacity option (AKL). There’s a reason CBR is a very popular choice right now between the skyliner, cool pool, Sebastian’s, proximity to RIV. I think it’s the best option if you’ll be on the go for most of the 5 days.

We’ve stayed at all 3 and my niece recently stayed 4 nights AKL. She said it didn’t really feel worth it since they didn’t have much time to actually enjoy the resort. All are lovely resorts I just think CBR will enhance this trip the most.

 

[DanceDisney23]

How are these offers sent out? Email? A notification in MDE?

Phone calls, I believe.