Go Deluxe & never go back?

[DrummerAlly]

Hi Everyone -

We had said that we would never stay at a Deluxe.... until we stayed at the Yacht Club.

We stayed at the YC Concierge Level (free upgrade!) for our honeymoon this July and it was out of this world. Previously, between the two of us, we had stayed at All Star Music, Pop, Port Orleans, and Caribbean Beach. I even used to think all of the people staying at deluxe resorts were out of their mind - paying three times the price and missing the wonderful amenities that $82/night gets you at ASMu.

Now I don't think we can ever go back to value or moderate resorts. Im still sticker shocked by the price of a deluxe resort vacation, but I think we'll just have to go to WDW less often.

Anyone else ever felt this way? Did you go back to the values and/or moderates? Were you just as happy as you used to be with them?

 

[docnabox]

Hilarious post, docnabox!

I stayed at POFQ twice when suddenly it wasn't available for my 2007 trip. Free dining was out and I wanted to go to WDW!

They told me that the Beach Club was available, so I booked it. EPCOT was my favorite park, so I was excited at the prospect of walking there.

I have stayed at the Beach Club for the last 3 trips and I consider it home.

This year, I am doing a quick solo trip and money was an issue. I am staying at a value for the first time, and I am nervous about it. I will really miss the proximity to parks that Deluxes provide.

I think I might be a resort snob!

Thanks. I am used to people laughing at me.....:lookaroun LOL

 

[Phonedave]

DVC clinched it for me.

Value is not even on the radar anymore.

Well, that may be a lie. My friends are die hard Value people, having never stayed in a Mod or Deluxe. Last time we all went together we all stayed in POP. Well this October we are all going, and this time it is in a 2BR DVC unit in Kidani Village. They may have already looked at some pictures because yesterday my friend told me he was looking at DVC resale prices.

Another one gets snared in the Deluxe web.


-dave

 

[_Scar]

I think you'll really enjoy Port Orleans Riverside. It's just a very lush and relaxing resort that really does make you feel like you're in a different place. At least the Aligator Bayou section does and in my humble opine it is one of the greatest spots on Disney property period! You can simply lose yourself in all the flora.

I can't wait! I love Southern charm! Should I request staying at that Aligator Bayou section or another section? I don't mean to derail this thread so just pm me

Yes I am a deluxe snob too.

My family won't stay anywhere other than a Magic Kindgdom area resort that and the fact that DW and I would kill one another if we had to share a full size bed.

I wish my family was like that! After a lot of trying, I finally convinced my family to try and book BLT for our next summer vacation. They really wanted BCV, but I convinced them that a ton of ammenities cancel out and BLT has an added gorgeous view. :shrug: Anyone else agree or disagree?



Anywho, if you don't think you can afford a deluxe then try renting through DVC! I spent less on (more than 100 less) on SSR for 1 week than POFQ through Disneyworld.com

 

[Dwarful]

I've got to throw my hat in with MontyMon. We have stayed at all three levels numerous times. We are also working our way around the WDW resorts. Personally I enjoy the Epcot resorts...I like being close to Epcot and the Studios. The only thing I don't like about the monorail resorts is the fact that #1 they still share buses and #2 to get to Epcot we have to transfer at TTC...I"d like just one stop.

But would I skip WDW if we had to go value? No way. This year we did Easter at Pop and summer at Yacht Club. We knew at Easter it would be crowded...we'd be up early and spend most of our time in the parks..so Pop was perfect. July we knew it would be hot and the girls would want to go back and swim...so the discount with Yacht was perfect. I sort of missed Boardwalk...but we were happy at Yacht. I just wished they had more drawer space...and we always bring extra hangers from home.

 

[mickeysshoes]

Hi, my name is Jeff and I have a problem. I am a WDW deluxe resort snob too.

It all started years ago after spending many summers travelling on summer trips with my parents. Since Dad was working primarily, we needed to be close to where he worked and actualy stayed at a great Howard Johnson in Winter Park...bird gardenrs, olympic sized covered pool, playground etc. I loved that place.

Then it all started.....I got older and got into college. My mom died and my brother got his first real job. Dad didn't really care to go with us any more and so we spread our wings. About that time CBR opened. My brother thought it would be a good idea to stay on property. "Let's just do it once," he said. "C'mon, it will be fun, we'll just have a good time, that's all. Just once and then we won't do it again." Famous last words.

Sure that one trip was great...I thought I had really moved up in the world. I was staying ON property. "Hey, look at me, I am cool and get to ride the bus to the park while all you losers have to drive and park and take a tram. I am SPECIAL," I said to myself.

Then like so many problems, it grew. We moved on to newer, bigger better....Dixie Landings (yes, I still call it that, sorry PC police,) WIlderness Lodge.

When I got out of residency and started my practice, I suddenly had my own money, enough to do even more. Sure, I had been partying at the mods and WL, who blames a guy for having a little fun. But, I guess like all addictions, after a while, you need MORE! You need the strong stuff. And each time, that happened, I just kept telling myself, "It is only once, just like my brother said all those years ago."

One day, I finally did it. I was nervous....heart was racing, sweaty palms, a little light headed. I decided I was moving on to the big stuff. After all, wasn't that what all the cool kids did? With a lot of excitement and a bit of fear, I made my first reservation at the Poly. I went on a week long bender.....a mystical stupor so good it almost had to be hallucinogenic. When I came home, I crashed. I hit tough times, the withdrawal was terrible.

For a while, I kept to my word. I walked the straight and narrow. No more Deluxe for me. That Poly stuff is dang good, but man is it powerful, you know? I tried to live a normal life, go back to the basics and keep my focus. But I was hooked. You hear guys talking about how just once is enough to get you hooked forever and you think, "Nah! Not me. Never happen. Those guys are just whimps and can't handle it."

Well, here I am all these years later. Still hooked. Still craving more of my wonder drug. It makes me feel GOOOOOOOOD. I guess I am here today just to admit to myself and all that there is no going back and I sure don't want to. Give me the good stuff!

NOTICE: There will be a meeting of the WDWMagic Chapter of Deluxe Resort Snob Anonymous at 8 PM tonight. Donuts and coffee with be served.

OMG...that was great!!! I was ROFL when I got done!!! I am at the point that I want more than the WL but cant get the DL agree. We snobs work hard all year long for our delux vacations and i will not give it up. I will front and center for the 8 pm meeting tonight!!!! I will bring a cake...and delux cake!!!!

 

[MickeyKimmy]

Um yeah, I am slowly turning into a deluxe snob. Usually stay at the mods and love them but have been trying the deluxe resorts lately and the more I try the more I love them. I love all the dining choices and extras at the deluxe resorts. I would stay at a mod still....but next two trips will be BW and Poly! :sohappy: We did try a value once and I would rather not go than stay at a value. Hated the theming and everything just seemed so congested and loud though I know some people love them. They were just not for DH and I.

 

[Babylon Control]

Hi Everyone -

We had said that we would never stay at a Deluxe.... until we stayed at the Yacht Club.

We stayed at the YC Concierge Level (free upgrade!) for our honeymoon this July and it was out of this world. Previously, between the two of us, we had stayed at All Star Music, Pop, Port Orleans, and Caribbean Beach. I even used to think all of the people staying at deluxe resorts were out of their mind - paying three times the price and missing the wonderful amenities that $82/night gets you at ASMu.

Now I don't think we can ever go back to value or moderate resorts. Im still sticker shocked by the price of a deluxe resort vacation, but I think we'll just have to go to WDW less often.

Anyone else ever felt this way? Did you go back to the values and/or moderates? Were you just as happy as you used to be with them?

We always stayed at CR when I was a kid, then when my mom and I started going back in 2001, we stayed at WL. I went with a friend on 06 and stayed at POP. Last year my mom and I stayed at POFQ and the Poly. Next year we're off to POFQ again and then in 2012 we're off to POP for the marathon weekend. We loved our stays at WL and we adored the Poly but we also love POFQ. We have no trouble going back to a Moderate or even staying Value if the need arises even though we love the deluxes.

 

[NewfieFan]

Hi, my name is Jeff and I have a problem. I am a WDW deluxe resort snob too.

It all started years ago after spending many summers travelling on summer trips with my parents. Since Dad was working primarily, we needed to be close to where he worked and actualy stayed at a great Howard Johnson in Winter Park...bird gardenrs, olympic sized covered pool, playground etc. I loved that place.

Then it all started.....I got older and got into college. My mom died and my brother got his first real job. Dad didn't really care to go with us any more and so we spread our wings. About that time CBR opened. My brother thought it would be a good idea to stay on property. "Let's just do it once," he said. "C'mon, it will be fun, we'll just have a good time, that's all. Just once and then we won't do it again." Famous last words.

Sure that one trip was great...I thought I had really moved up in the world. I was staying ON property. "Hey, look at me, I am cool and get to ride the bus to the park while all you losers have to drive and park and take a tram. I am SPECIAL," I said to myself.

Then like so many problems, it grew. We moved on to newer, bigger better....Dixie Landings (yes, I still call it that, sorry PC police,) WIlderness Lodge.

When I got out of residency and started my practice, I suddenly had my own money, enough to do even more. Sure, I had been partying at the mods and WL, who blames a guy for having a little fun. But, I guess like all addictions, after a while, you need MORE! You need the strong stuff. And each time, that happened, I just kept telling myself, "It is only once, just like my brother said all those years ago."

One day, I finally did it. I was nervous....heart was racing, sweaty palms, a little light headed. I decided I was moving on to the big stuff. After all, wasn't that what all the cool kids did? With a lot of excitement and a bit of fear, I made my first reservation at the Poly. I went on a week long bender.....a mystical stupor so good it almost had to be hallucinogenic. When I came home, I crashed. I hit tough times, the withdrawal was terrible.

For a while, I kept to my word. I walked the straight and narrow. No more Deluxe for me. That Poly stuff is dang good, but man is it powerful, you know? I tried to live a normal life, go back to the basics and keep my focus. But I was hooked. You hear guys talking about how just once is enough to get you hooked forever and you think, "Nah! Not me. Never happen. Those guys are just whimps and can't handle it."

Well, here I am all these years later. Still hooked. Still craving more of my wonder drug. It makes me feel GOOOOOOOOD. I guess I am here today just to admit to myself and all that there is no going back and I sure don't want to. Give me the good stuff!

NOTICE: There will be a meeting of the WDWMagic Chapter of Deluxe Resort Snob Anonymous at 8 PM tonight. Donuts and coffee with be served.

Great post! :ROFLOL: I noticed you said residency... doctor? What kind?

We had our first taste of deluxe last year because of a weird twist of events. A hurricane was headed for our province and we flew down two days early... we ended up at the YC!

And while I was wowed in the biggest sense of the word... I didn't mind going back to ASMusic and I'm trying out CBR on our upcoming trip!

I think part of it for us... is the money. Vacations tend to cost us a little more (Canadian dollar, flying from NL, etc.) and we try to cut costs where we can!

 

[KnK]

Count me as another Deluxe Snob.....worse yet, (cough cough) slowing turning into a concierge snob.

We stayed a many of different resorts, all levels, our favorite is WL. At first we would split the time between either a value/WL or moderate/WL.

Then one year we saved enough to stay the whole time at WL. What a mistake this was, :ROFLOL: Then we didn't want to split the next year! Plus the fact we have slowly increased the number of days we stay from 7 to 10.

One year, I got a PIN code and we splurged on the concierge floor. (It cost us about $100 more than we'd spent the year before on a 10 night courtyard view.)

That was 3 years ago, have keep up the tradition of staying for 10 nights on the concierge floor.

Would we sacrifice a trip if we couldn't afford it one year? Probably not, we'd end up at moderate or value. Knowing that, I can hear the comments from my husband, "If we were at Wilderness Lodge we could......."

Yes.....we need help. Make sure there a fruit filled doughnuts at the meeting. Better yet, Mickey head shaped snacks would be nice as well.

 

[Funfy]

While I do prefer staying at the deluxe resorts mainly the Wilderness Lodge, I will goto the Values if the need arises. It also helps that I am a DVC member.

Yes, it is hard to even go back to a deluxe after being a DVC member--I guess we are double snobs!!:wave:

 

[docnabox]

OMG...that was great!!! I was ROFL when I got done!!! I am at the point that I want more than the WL but cant get the DL agree. We snobs work hard all year long for our delux vacations and i will not give it up. I will front and center for the 8 pm meeting tonight!!!! I will bring a cake...and delux cake!!!!

Thanks for signing up and for bringing the cake. From the sound of it, we should have a big turn out and I know everyone will be hungry, deluxe resorts do that to you every time! I personally start to crave French Toast with bananas and cinnamon and pineapple slush.

Tonight's topic will be living with this addiction and how to still be a functional part of society. No one should cast judgment on others. WE are all in the same boat. WE have all been through this before. I still remember my last hit like it was yesterday. I had been on a week long joyride....an unparallelled bender. I had been hitting it hard and enoying ever single minute of it. Those feelings of nerves just as you are about to take your first hit, the sudden sense of calm as you check in and receive your room key, the feeling that the rest of the world just fades away as you walk into your room. Yeah, I know, makes you want more and more, doesn't it?

But tonight, we will discuss moderation. I will use myself as an eample of what it means to go too far. On that same trip, the week long pleasure trip, I think things got a little out of hand. All week, I had been getting all I could get my hands on, not leaving anything untouched. Then funny things started happening. I still swear that somehow every time I left my room and returned, the towels somehow had gotten themselves up and left the bathroom and gotten onto my bed, positioning themselves into the shape of animals and mouse ears. If I stayed in the room and was careful to make sure nobody else entered, it never happened! But each time I left for about an hour, I came back to the same. Weird, huh?

And worse, at the very end, I was pigging out and sating my cravings at breakfast when I suddenly started seeing all these strange things. Mice...two of them...one a boy, one a girl. They didn't say much but just walked right up to me and pantomimed some sort of drug induced message even I couldn't decipher. There was a duck and boy did he have a bad attitude. That was the worst part! And even more strange was this... There was a yellow dog. He had a collar and his tongue hung out one side of his mouth...a really friendly pup. But right next to him?? Well, I guess this will tell you how bad off I was. I thought I saw another....it was tall and slender. Had on a vest and a green hat and kept holding up his hand to his mouth as if he was aghast at just how far gone I was. But here's the thing, he had a nose and mouth and two long ears almost like the yellow dog and yet this one was up and walking around on two feet and wearing clothes. I couldn't tell, was this a man or a dog? Or a Man-dog?? Man, I gotta tell ya, that was enough for me. I knew I had gone too far. Whoa, DUDE, that was INTENSE!

See you guys tonight, room 1972 of the Institute for Deluxe Resort Addiction. Parking is free with your room key. Complimentary bus transportation included as well.

 

[docnabox]

Great post! :ROFLOL: I noticed you said residency... doctor? What kind?

We had our first taste of deluxe last year because of a weird twist of events. A hurricane was headed for our province and we flew down two days early... we ended up at the YC!

And while I was wowed in the biggest sense of the word... I didn't mind going back to ASMusic and I'm trying out CBR on our upcoming trip!

I think part of it for us... is the money. Vacations tend to cost us a little more (Canadian dollar, flying from NL, etc.) and we try to cut costs where we can!

I am an internal medicine doctor. :wave:

 

[DisGal]

Yes I am a deluxe snob too.

My family won't stay anywhere other than a Magic Kindgdom area resort that and the fact that DW and I would kill one another if we had to share a full size bed.

DH and I are definitely deluxe snobs and proud of it.

We could never imagine taking a trip to WDW and not staying at a monorail resort. Although we do love the BC and will spend 2 nights there before moving to the GF-CL for 6 nights this Sept.

Just the thought of going from a king size bed at home to a full gives me nightmares.

 

[SeaCastle]

Our family has been spoiled by staying at deluxes for years. We justify it by only visiting once a year (at most), living in a modest house, flying down for cheap, boarding dogs with family, etc. We stayed at the Grand Floridian, Beach Club, Poly, Grand Floridian, Beach Club, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and in the future, the Contemporary. (In that order.)

The price of the deluxes is justified (in our opinion) by the transportation options. No other hotel, either on or off property, offers better transportation options (save for, perhaps, the Animal Kingdom Lodge (which the price is justified by the savanna), and the Wilderness Lodge (boat) ). The bus systems at the deluxes are reliable, but even better you can walk, take a boat, or take a monorail to the other parks. We stayed at DAKL for the first time, and our biggest complaint was the bus system. It makes leaving the park so much more stressful and inconvenient (then again, we are deluxe snobs).

In the end, it comes down to opinion. The side of the family I usually travel with would not be able to put up with taking the busses everywhere, and I can't say I blame them.

 

[WendyTinkerbell]

I really think it depends on the person, family, and/or vacation plan as what each person prefers.

We have stayed at all 3 levels of resorts and honestly now when we decide, we don't really consider the moderates. If we make the price jump then we jump to a deluxe. We would rather stay at POP than a moderate, but that's just us.

We feel that moderates (and most of their bus loops) are just too much for us.

Our plans also depend on the time of year we are going (value, regular, or peak seasons) since that changes the price. This fall we booked at the POP and were waiting for the discounts. Usually AKL has a better discount than other deluxes, but not this year. As of now we are staying at POP and may switch to either WL, AKL or Boardwalk for a few nights.

So I think all of things affect our resort decision. I'm ok staying at the POP in Oct since we will be there for a long time, but will miss the deluxe beds.

 

[93boomer]

Hi--well I may as well confess now. My husband and I are newbies to the deluxe snob group. We have always stayed at the CBR or POR and thoroughly loved it. We did stay one year at the All Stars Movie with the fairytale pkg. that was out then. We did not enjoy it at all. The walls were paper thin. We heard people during the night all around us. And, the pool was filled with nothing but kids. Not a place you want to go to on an anniversary trip!
We recently decided to splurge for our 30th anniversary by staying at the Beach Club Resort. We sooo loved it! We loved the quiet and clean rooms. The staff was wonderful and courteous. We felt special!! Also, the best part was being able to walk to Epcot-our fav. park.
We may splurge again soon and try the Boardwalk. But, we won't give up totally on the moderates.
I feel so much better now that I have gotten that off my chest and that there are actually more of you out there!!:ROFLOL:

 

[Epcotfan21]

I think my parents are to blame for my deluxe habit. In my younger days, the entire family would stay at Beach, Yacht, or Contemporary and since then, it's hard to stay anywhere but deluxe. And since I've got my wife hooked on deluxe now, I doubt we can ever do anything less.

 

[ASHLAND WDW MAN]

I am 50 and grew up in a different time. My parents didn't take vacations. I was taken on many daycations, 1 day at a time. Enough of my crying, i want to go to wdw as often as possible and i will stay at whatever i can afford to make that happen. We started out at port orleans, have stayed at cbr, old key west and at 2 of the values. I will probably stay at a deluxe next year (hopefully) but it will be at any resort (on property) that i can go to. If i was only concerned with the comforts of the resort then it would be deluxe all of the time but i would not be concerned about going to the parks all of the time so i could enjoy lounging at the resort but i want to spend my time in the parks. So bring on whatever gets me there the most and longest.

 

[ShookieJones]

If I had the dough..

..I guess I would be a deluxe resort snob. Unfortunately I have to wait for a deal to come up and then I'll take advantage (did it with AKL and the Poly most recently) but other than that my price range dictates that the best I can do is a moderate.

With that being said - If you've got the dough to stay at the nicer places then more power to you.

I have to say this though - why in heaven would you skip WDW if you couldn't stay at a Deluxe resort? I get why you want to stay at a Deluxe Resort but I don't get why you wouldn't do WDW without one? :shrug:

Another thing for the posters that are talking about staying at the deluxes for the transportation reasons.
If you're plopping down all that coin for the luxury of your bed at night. Drop another $125-150 for a week and get yourself a car!!??

Aside from the monorail (from a monorail resort) going to MK That's the BEST transportation option on property!

 

[KnK]

Thanks for signing up and for bringing the cake. From the sound of it, we should have a big turn out and I know everyone will be hungry, deluxe resorts do that to you every time! I personally start to crave French Toast with bananas and cinnamon and pineapple slush.

Tonight's topic will be living with this addiction and how to still be a functional part of society. No one should cast judgment on others. WE are all in the same boat. WE have all been through this before. I still remember my last hit like it was yesterday. I had been on a week long joyride....an unparallelled bender. I had been hitting it hard and enoying ever single minute of it. Those feelings of nerves just as you are about to take your first hit, the sudden sense of calm as you check in and receive your room key, the feeling that the rest of the world just fades away as you walk into your room. Yeah, I know, makes you want more and more, doesn't it?

But tonight, we will discuss moderation. I will use myself as an eample of what it means to go too far. On that same trip, the week long pleasure trip, I think things got a little out of hand. All week, I had been getting all I could get my hands on, not leaving anything untouched. Then funny things started happening. I still swear that somehow every time I left my room and returned, the towels somehow had gotten themselves up and left the bathroom and gotten onto my bed, positioning themselves into the shape of animals and mouse ears. If I stayed in the room and was careful to make sure nobody else entered, it never happened! But each time I left for about an hour, I came back to the same. Weird, huh?

And worse, at the very end, I was pigging out and sating my cravings at breakfast when I suddenly started seeing all these strange things. Mice...two of them...one a boy, one a girl. They didn't say much but just walked right up to me and pantomimed some sort of drug induced message even I couldn't decipher. There was a duck and boy did he have a bad attitude. That was the worst part! And even more strange was this... There was a yellow dog. He had a collar and his tongue hung out one side of his mouth...a really friendly pup. But right next to him?? Well, I guess this will tell you how bad off I was. I thought I saw another....it was tall and slender. Had on a vest and a green hat and kept holding up his hand to his mouth as if he was aghast at just how far gone I was. But here's the thing, he had a nose and mouth and two long ears almost like the yellow dog and yet this one was up and walking around on two feet and wearing clothes. I couldn't tell, was this a man or a dog? Or a Man-dog?? Man, I gotta tell ya, that was enough for me. I knew I had gone too far. Whoa, DUDE, that was INTENSE!

See you guys tonight, room 1972 of the Institute for Deluxe Resort Addiction. Parking is free with your room key. Complimentary bus transportation included as well.

Your post have been the joy of my day!!!!!!!