they don't do luxury well, has been my experience. I've stayed at the Grand Floridian at WDW and was greatly disappointed. Disney is excellent at serving the masses. When you go to a luxury hotel, you expect to be pampered or at least that is my experience at other 5 star hotels. I don't know how the Grand Floridian got the 5 star rating, but there is nothing special about the rooms or the service there.
This is not to say that the rooms are not nice and the staff is not generally pleasant, it's just that for the extra money you spend there is no added value. The rooms are a bit bigger and that's all I can tell that is different. It appears to me that the staff is trained as all Disney staff is trained and there is a certain "masses" mentality to it that does not translate well for luxury.
Disney is second to none in providing a very equalitarian experience, lessening the stress of a huge crowd at the parks and in transportation. We all know how marvelously clean the parks are and how well the crowds are controlled. Plus, they have very pleasant employees who aim to please.
However, I would save my money and go with the flow at Disney. On our trip last year to WDW, we stayed at the GF and then switched to the Wilderness Lodge (that was the kid's choice). I think we got a much better value there. I felt much better about the prices (it was about half what we were planning for GF) because they fit the level of service and style of the hotel.
Toodles
WDW 79, 83, 99
DL 91, 92, 93, 95
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