Moderate vs. Deluxe

keo0511

Earning My Ears
Joined
Oct 18, 2019
I am planning a trip for November 2020 and was wondering if it is worth the extra money to stay at a Deluxe resort over a Moderate. My kids will be 2 and 4 so I was thinking Wilderness Lodge because it has a boat to Magic Kingdom and that is probably where we will want to go the most. However, I could save over $2,000 staying at a Moderate resort during the same time frame. Is it worth all that money to stay at a higher tier hotel? I know it would definitely be more convenient, but I am having trouble wrapping my mind around the price.
 
I've yet to be able to cost justify the upgrade from moderate to deluxe with our current income/expenses. 2k is A LOT OF MONEY to me.

And honestly with kids that young, I don't think it truly matters where you stay. All they care about is whether there's a pool.

I took my 20 month old to POFQ and we're doing CBR just before she turns 4.

Just my two cents, if you're phrasing the question as "is it worth all that money" your brain is leaning towards no and you'll constantly wonder if you overspent. Save the 2k on lodging and use it for other things in the trip, like EMM/food/etc if you really want to spend it.
 
I love staying at the deluxe resorts, mainly because of their closer proximity to a park(s) and better transportation options. However, if it was going to cost me 2,000 more, I would definitely go with a mod. Keep watching for discounts and you may be able to bring the price difference down. With kids that young, they will enjoy anywhere that you stay.
 
I've never been able to justify the cost, especially because we have 3 kids and usually want 2 rooms. We've stayed at most of the moderates and have never felt like they weren't good enough. But, I wanted to add, that we've done a few winter trips, and have taken that boat to see Wilderness Lodge. We were freezing during the ride.
 


First, if you are a family that is going to be spending most of the time at the parks then why pay a lot more $$ for a resort. Even with that said, we are a family who spends time at the resort and are not always at the parks and still find it very hard to find the "worth" in a deluxe. We have stayed at both Mod and Deluxe, and over the years it has become harder to justify the cost increase, and if we do stay at a deluxe it's all because we decided to splurge and definitely not because we think it's "worth" it. The transportation options are nice and at some resorts being able to walk to a park or 2 is also nice but not at $200-$300 more per night. The travel time saved, to us, is minimal and not a big deal. We also have no issues taking the buses and our DDs actually likes taking them. You will also see posts from people who think a balcony or indoor hallway is worth the more $$, our family doesn't, but others do. As for TS restaurants, we can take a trip to a deluxe to eat if we want to. This is from a family who's favorite resort is GF.
 
We just came back from a split stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge to start and Port Orleans Riverside at the end. It really will vary person to person but here is how we felt. We LOVED Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was beautiful, the pool was great, dining options were great, and the cast members seemed to really enjoy working there. Our only negative was the slightly longer bus ride to many of the parks.

Not criticizing Riverside at all because it is a beautiful resort. there was just a notable difference when we switched in feel and appearance. Even many of the cast members (not all but some) just didn't seem to have some of that Disney Magic and we often got the feel that we were just at a resort not a Disney Resort if that makes sense?

BUT all that being said, I dont know if we would stay at a deluxe in the future given the cost difference even as much as we enjoyed staying there. At AKL we had an off day and hung around the resort, we used the pool most days, and we ate at the restaurants. But on days we go to the park we are generally out early, back in the afternoon for a nap and a quick dip in the pool then off again around dinner. Even with the off day we just didn't feel like the extra cost was worth it based on how we spend most of our time at Disney. Using the resort for the most part as just a place just sleep at night for us was not worth the cost. Not sure if we had a longer stay with more time off would change our minds though.
 
I have not been able to justify it for sure. We stay Value except for once and are very happy with it. However, in 2021 we are staying moderate but have not chosen a resort yet but leaning towards POR. We can only save so much in a years time so it would take forever to stay deluxe and have no vacation debt.
 


I am planning a trip for November 2020 and was wondering if it is worth the extra money to stay at a Deluxe resort over a Moderate. My kids will be 2 and 4 so I was thinking Wilderness Lodge because it has a boat to Magic Kingdom and that is probably where we will want to go the most. However, I could save over $2,000 staying at a Moderate resort during the same time frame. Is it worth all that money to stay at a higher tier hotel? I know it would definitely be more convenient, but I am having trouble wrapping my mind around the price.

This is such a tough question and personal. So I will answer it with my personal experience. I also have two kids but mine are now 11 and 12. When our girls were younger and we spent less long days at the parks and more time at the resort, I felt like Value/Mod was the way to go since-

A- my kids don't really need space
B- they didn't care if we stayed at a dump or a nice hotel, staying in a hotel was a novelty enough to them so it was always fun.
C- theming at the values was better suited IMO for young children.
D- all they cared about was the pool

The transportation is a big convenience factor with strollers and little kids in tow so you do pay a hefty price tag for that. We didn't mind the bus but we've also thrown in the minnie van on our last bunch of trips and it's awesome. Even though I don't have strollers anymore, you cannot beat the convenience so even if you took a Minnie Van every day of your trip, likely multiple times per day, it wouldn't be at $2K so you could stay further off property and do that over paying for WL.

I think it comes down to priorities. You just need to list your pros and cons and see how it all shakes out. If transport was my #1 driving factor in my stay, I'd look at a Monorail resort as opposed to WL. The boat is nice but the monorail is more convenient and of course, walking from the Contemporary can't be beat.

For us now with older kids, we do mods/deluxe for the 5th sleeper option and we pay more for that, but I wouldn't want to be on the hook for $2K more. Even the crazy Disney fan that I am, I draw the line on what's worth extra for us.
 
Here's what tipped us from Deluxe to Moderate:

Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs. Indoor corridors (yes, that's important to me :) ), new, gorgeous and the cost is 50% less than what we were about to pay at Yacht Club!!!

Yes it's only bus service, but I don't care! :)

I would love to stay at Yacht/Beach again, but with prices creeping up to almost $600 a night, it's hard to justify anymore.
 
We just came back from a split stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge to start and Port Orleans Riverside at the end. It really will vary person to person but here is how we felt. We LOVED Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was beautiful, the pool was great, dining options were great, and the cast members seemed to really enjoy working there. Our only negative was the slightly longer bus ride to many of the parks.

Not criticizing Riverside at all because it is a beautiful resort. there was just a notable difference when we switched in feel and appearance. Even many of the cast members (not all but some) just didn't seem to have some of that Disney Magic and we often got the feel that we were just at a resort not a Disney Resort if that makes sense?

BUT all that being said, I dont know if we would stay at a deluxe in the future given the cost difference even as much as we enjoyed staying there. At AKL we had an off day and hung around the resort, we used the pool most days, and we ate at the restaurants. But on days we go to the park we are generally out early, back in the afternoon for a nap and a quick dip in the pool then off again around dinner. Even with the off day we just didn't feel like the extra cost was worth it based on how we spend most of our time at Disney. Using the resort for the most part as just a place just sleep at night for us was not worth the cost. Not sure if we had a longer stay with more time off would change our minds though.
The Deluxe to Moderate/Value split stay scenario.......my wife and I did that split between Yacht Club and PoP. We did the deluxe first as you did.....and loved it. Move to a Value (or even a Moderate) will bring you down. We love Pop too......we've stayed there 4 times since that split stay, its just starting up.......and moving down just isn't the way to go IMHO.

As for the OP question/comment.........this will be different for everyone. My wife and I will stay Deluxe more than anything but.......we plan for the extra cost.....its part of our calculation. We also don't have children. You have to decide if saving $2,000 matters to YOU. Will that extra 2k buy 2 more days on property? Will you be able to afford the Dining Plan? Its very subjective. If you're questioning it now.......I'd save the money and do moderate.

Doug :goofy:
 
If you are returning to the resort for afternoon naps and will put the children to bed quite early in the evening, I think deluxe. They are quieter because they have internal corridors and some have balconies, so that you can chill with a drink, play cards, chat etc while they sleep.
 
I would rent DVC points from an owner for a studio villa for either Boulder Ridge Villas (the original DVC building at Wilderness Lodge) or Copper Creek (rooms are in the main hotel building shared with Wilderness Lodge). You can make breakfasts with kitchenette for the littles and are a quick boat ride back for daytime breaks! Also WL is decorated beautifully for the holidays that time of year!

Cons of DVC: DVC rooms at Boulder Ridge or Copper creek are in high demand during November so you’ll want to line up an owner ready to book at the 11m window. You have to usually pay everything upfront and cannot cancel. But it allows you to stay in deluxe for so much cheaper! For example: we own DVC and ran out of points this year, so we were going to stay two nights at Pop, but rented points from a fellow owner for AKL-Kidani for same price!
 
In regards to choosing Deluxe vs Moderate vs Value, it's really what's right for the parent, not the kids. I'm sure most young kids would be happier at AoA, but us parents wouldn't! So we stay deluxes because that's one of the places I personally garner the most enjoyment out of our Disney trips.

But as OP mentioned with the boat to WL, you can't overlook the value of being close to your room when your tired 2 year old needs a nap.
 
I've yet to be able to cost justify the upgrade from moderate to deluxe with our current income/expenses. 2k is A LOT OF MONEY to me.

And honestly with kids that young, I don't think it truly matters where you stay. All they care about is whether there's a pool.

I took my 20 month old to POFQ and we're doing CBR just before she turns 4.

Just my two cents, if you're phrasing the question as "is it worth all that money" your brain is leaning towards no and you'll constantly wonder if you overspent. Save the 2k on lodging and use it for other things in the trip, like EMM/food/etc if you really want to spend it.
YES to everything here. I agree. $2k is a lot of money!!! I'd save it and book moderate. To kids that age, it really doesnt matter. Save the $2 and spend it on other things if you want. Moderate resorts are quite nice! And personally i can never justify spending money on a deluxe when im literally only at the resort to sleep and shower.
 
At that age I would lean towards a moderate resort. We tend to stay deluxe because of the pools, but that is because DS is nearly 11. If it we're just me going with DDnearly2 I would stay at Coronado tower. I do like having inside corridors, and that moderate fits perfectly! We may stay there one day. Have a great trip :)
 
I also vote for moderate if the savings is $2k. We've owned DVC for 10 years and have stayed at pretty much each one. While I love my DVC stays, I wouldn't pony up the dough to stay on the cash sides of the resorts. I personally think the pricing is too high for the level of "deluxe" that Disney provides. You are paying a hefty premium for the location.

Many of the amenities of the deluxe hotels such as cool lounges and restaurants are open to non guests. You can enjoy almost everything a resort has to offer, except the pools, and then head back to your resort to sleep.

I would lock in a moderate and then join the November 2020 discount code thread....if it's open. Maybe a great deal will come out between now and then and that $2k spread might narrow. As several others have mentioned, take a look at renting DVC points. It can be relatively affordable.
 
Not criticizing Riverside at all because it is a beautiful resort. there was just a
In case you ever decide to do something similar, it's often recommended that you stay at the less expensive property first, then move up.
so even if you took a Minnie Van every day of your trip, likely multiple times per day, it wouldn't be at $2K so you could stay further off property and do that over paying for WL.
While Minnie Vans have very recently started accessing a very few off-site resorts, it's very limited and not likely to expand: Hotel Plaza Boulevard, Swan/Dolphin, and the four (I think) predicts within Disney boundaries but before not Disney resorts
I'm sure most young kids would be happier at AoA, but us parents wouldn't!
.
Try it. You might like it! :)
 
We had the exact same debate on our first on-property stay. What finally tilted it was the DIFFERENCE between the deluxe and moderate was more than I would pay to stay somewhere besides WDW. We ended up at POFQ and loved it. IMHO, the pool at POR is better. Don't believe the negative posts about the buses. Every once in a while we found ourselves at a bus stop seeing multiple DHS buses roll through when we were headed to DAK (for example) but that was rare and in the grand scheme, not a big deal.
 

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