Convince me to change hotels...

[PrincessJasmyn]

My Husband and I are currently booked in to stay at All Star Movies from the 11th - 21st September 2019 with the "Sun & Fun discount".
Coming from Australia, this is already going to be a ridiculously expensive holiday for us (Think upwards of $12000 AUD).

Our package is currently totaling $4100USD (roughly $6000 AUD) with Preferred Room, Disney Dining Plan, 7 day park hopper & the memory maker. Add our flights and we are already at $9000AUD without spending money. We like to drink and I like to shop, I know we will need a fair bit of spending money.

Now... here's my issue. This will more than likely be our last America trip for a LONG time. We have been lucky to go to Disney 3 times in 3 years. After this, its time to save for a house and start a family. I want to splurge and upgrade, husband doesn't think its worth it. He would consider staying at a moderate again (we stayed at Coronado Springs in May 2018) but I didnt love how large and spread out the moderates seem to be.

Should I save the money and stay at All Stars because we probably wont be there too much anyway, or splurge and move hotels to Wilderness Lodge?
We have never stayed deluxe resort, but I've had my eye on Wilderness Lodge and would love to stay, but is it worth the extra $5500 AUD?

Give me all the reasons we should/shouldn't upgrade. And other resort suggestions if you think somethings better.

*Nothing more expensive than WL. We definitely wouldn't go to a higher price point unfortunately.

 

[slappy magoo]

POFQ is not that big. I just dont know if rooms would be available, since it's not that big.

 

[Nemo14]

Have you thought of doing a split stay? Maybe do WL for the last 3 nights?

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

If you switch hotels, maybe drop the dining plan to save money? You could certainly spend less paying out of pocket for meals. Do a combo of snacks/quick service/ sharing meals?

The dining plan, hopper and memory maker are all splurges. Maybe make some modifications and splurge for the hotel instead?

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

LOVE your profile picture btw

 

[DISR]

I like the idea of dropping the dining plan if that saves you enough to upgrade to WL. You could have garden grocer or one of the other delivery services bring some breakfast stuff/drinks/snacks to your room to continue the savings, and splurge on the meals that are really important to you. When you are in a very small value resort, going out for a drink is probably the most enjoyable way to have one. Grabbing a beer out of your fridge and sitting in the lobby or on a rocking chair at WL is as enjoyable as any bar after a long day in the parks. Coffee from your room and a breakfast bar of muffin in the morning is a another way to save money and enjoy the common areas of WL in the morning.

 

[larryz]

My Husband and I are currently booked in to stay at All Star Movies from the 11th - 21st September 2019 with the "Sun & Fun discount".
Coming from Australia, this is already going to be a ridiculously expensive holiday for us (Think upwards of $12000 AUD).

Our package is currently totaling $4100USD (roughly $6000 AUD) with Preferred Room, Disney Dining Plan, 7 day park hopper & the memory maker. Add our flights and we are already at $9000AUD without spending money. We like to drink and I like to shop, I know we will need a fair bit of spending money.

Now... here's my issue. This will more than likely be our last America trip for a LONG time. We have been lucky to go to Disney 3 times in 3 years. After this, its time to save for a house and start a family. I want to splurge and upgrade, husband doesn't think its worth it. He would consider staying at a moderate again (we stayed at Coronado Springs in May 2018) but I didnt love how large and spread out the moderates seem to be.

Should I save the money and stay at All Stars because we probably wont be there too much anyway, or splurge and move hotels to Wilderness Lodge?
We have never stayed deluxe resort, but I've had my eye on Wilderness Lodge and would love to stay, but is it worth the extra $5500 AUD?

Give me all the reasons we should/shouldn't upgrade. And other resort suggestions if you think somethings better.

*Nothing more expensive than WL. We definitely wouldn't go to a higher price point unfortunately.

You must change your hotel...

 

[yedliW]

Have you looked into renting DVC points? you can often get a DVC villa for a lot less than rack rates.

 

[nickys]

Have you looked into renting DVC points? you can often get a DVC villa for a lot less than rack rates.

Might be a bit late to do this for September of this year. There certainly wouldn’t be too much of a choice.

In fact I just checked. For the first half of the month, only Saratoga would be available. For the second part of the month, there isn't full availability for any one week period.

 

[Nottamus]

again, availability might be an issue...but AKL is an amazing place to stay as well. If you like WL, you should like AKL.

OR...like suggested above...do a split stay to get the best of both.

Dining plan is also something that can be dropped to save money. The wife and I used to get it the first few trips, until we realized it saved us a lot by just not getting it.

 

[JIMINYCR]

How much would it mean to you and would it really add to/ make your trip experience that much better? We stay at POFQ because it adds to our trip enjoyment, we always enjoy this resort pleasant atmosphere, we have the money budgeted and its not a burden. If you dont upgrade you can use that money to do something extra or buy extra souvenirs which will definitely enhance your trip. For some the added expense for "just a room theyll be in for a minor amount of time" wouldnt add enough to enhance their trip. You can do a lot with that $5500. On the other hand, staying in a more comfortable resort, having quieter surroundings, and fulfilling a dream is worth a lot. Whats going to bring the most happiness and have the most positive affect to your trips outcome.

 

[PrincessJasmyn]

How much would it mean to you and would it really add to/ make your trip experience that much better? We stay at POFQ because it adds to our trip enjoyment, we always enjoy this resort pleasant atmosphere, we have the money budgeted and its not a burden. If you dont upgrade you can use that money to do something extra or buy extra souvenirs which will definitely enhance your trip. For some the added expense for "just a room theyll be in for a minor amount of time" wouldnt add enough to enhance their trip. You can do a lot with that $5500. On the other hand, staying in a more comfortable resort, having quieter surroundings, and fulfilling a dream is worth a lot. Whats going to bring the most happiness and have the most positive affect to your trips outcome.

I really like how you put this!! Great way to make us think.
I could definitely afford the upgrade, I just dont know if i can justify it.
Maybe staying, saving the $5500 to really make our trip enjoyable in other ways would be a better option. hmm... Thank you for your input!!

 

[PrincessJasmyn]

Thanks everyone for your ideas. We are really excited to have the dinning plan and the other add ons, so they will definitely be staying. And by the time our trips here i will have the money to spend on the upgrade.. But maybe we will just save the money and use that on other extras while we are there..
Whats really getting to me with a value are the reviews on the buses... I dont want to be waiting ages etc. So saving that money and having it to spend on Ubers etc when we really cant be bothered waiting around/loosing valuable park time/rushing around to get to reservations, would be a better option.

Maybe they will release another discount deal closer to the trip and I would be able to justify it all

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Mmm, ya know I always have a good time when I save money! If you splurge for WL just keep your expectations tempered, as you could set yourself up for disappointment if it doesnt blow you away. Animal Kingdom Lodge is a similar price and there are animals!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Thanks everyone for your ideas. We are really excited to have the dinning plan and the other add ons, so they will definitely be staying. And by the time our trips here i will have the money to spend on the upgrade.. But maybe we will just save the money and use that on other extras while we are there..
Whats really getting to me with a value are the reviews on the buses... I dont want to be waiting ages etc. So saving that money and having it to spend on Ubers etc when we really cant be bothered waiting around/loosing valuable park time/rushing around to get to reservations, would be a better option.

Maybe they will release another discount deal closer to the trip and I would be able to justify it all

We have stayed at the All Stars 3 times and Pop once and I can honesty say the buses were a non issue. No difference than when we stayed at AKL. The only thing I remember is that at the theme park bus stops, the values are the furthest away. My husband and I would always joke that they make the poor people walk the furthest
95% of the time, the buses came within 15ish minutes in the morning. Getting back at night after the fireworks was a long wait but I feel that’s a typical bus issue regardless of where you stay.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Oh and you might see some older reviews about the three All Stars sharing buses but on our last trip in 2016, that didn’t happen at all. When I asked around, I was told that doesn’t happen anymore at all.

 

[Janir]

I like the idea of dropping the dining plan if that saves you enough to upgrade to WL. You could have garden grocer or one of the other delivery services bring some breakfast stuff/drinks/snacks to your room to continue the savings, and splurge on the meals that are really important to you. When you are in a very small value resort, going out for a drink is probably the most enjoyable way to have one. Grabbing a beer out of your fridge and sitting in the lobby or on a rocking chair at WL is as enjoyable as any bar after a long day in the parks. Coffee from your room and a breakfast bar of muffin in the morning is a another way to save money and enjoy the common areas of WL in the morning.

One thing to keep in mind if your going to drop he Dining Plan and do a bunch of cooking in, you will need to upgrade to a 1 bedroom place to get a full kitchen to cook with. Meaning you have to upgrade to not only a resort but a nicer room type as well. Your costs will definitely be higher so better check against the one bedrooms with kitchens to get a better apples to apples comparisons. And estimate what you'd spend for cooking your own food where you can.

Overall going with a nicer resort isn't a bad way to go if you plan on spending time in the resort. If your gonna be at the parks the entire time, then it may not be so worth it, but others have already gone over that.

 

[DisneyJoe]

Since the announcement of SW:GE opening on August 29, you may find availability for your dates being a bit tight.

 

[jpeden]

I wouldn't upgrade from a value to a moderate. My wife and I often go just the two of us, and unless I just get an amazing deal on a moderate, we are either deluxe or value people. There isn't a huge difference between the value and moderates in my opinion that justifies the cost when you don't have kids.

 

[nickys]

I wouldn't upgrade from a value to a moderate. My wife and I often go just the two of us, and unless I just get an amazing deal on a moderate, we are either deluxe or value people. There isn't a huge difference between the value and moderates in my opinion that justifies the cost when you don't have kids.

Out of interest, what is it that does justify the cost of upgrading to a moderate if you do have kids? The pools, rooms, something else?