Help me Plan my First WDW trip... I think its really happening this time...three's a charm.

[mickEblu]

@mickEblu a few clarification points -

The website does not list all availability. Once you have decided on your dates/resort, CALL. Yes, you may have a long wait on hold but it should be worth your time.

There have been NO discounts for the Polynesian since the resort reopened. It has been excluded from all discounts offered. Yacht Club typically has discounts available; Beach Club does too, but discounted rooms are more limited there. Deluxe resort discounts rarely reach a full 25% these days (note the Disney verbiage states discounts of up to 25%.)

Monorail to MK from an Epcot resort is not possible because you need an Epcot park pass (or a park hopper ticket after 2 pm) to enter the IG. Even then, the Epcot monorail only goes to the TTC, where a transfer to Express monorail or ferry is required to reach the MK. A bus to MK from Yacht/Beach will conveniently drop you at the front entrance.

Using the Skyliner from Epcot/Epcot resort to DHS is about 15 minutes travel time, not including time waiting to board at the IG and the waiting to board at Caribbean Beach transfer hub.
IG > Riviera (slowdown, not a full stop) > Caribbean Beach.

Disembark at Caribbean Beach and transfer to DHS line. (Direct route, no stops.)

Reverse the process when traveling from DHS to Epcot (IG).

As mentioned in other posts this transport mode is more “fun” than efficient.

Good to know! I'll give them a call. I think the last time I was planning a WDW trip was during the pandemic so the discounts might have been little heftier than usual. If I can get the Beach or Yacht club in the $500-$600 range ill probably pull the trigger. I realize I'll only get that rate if they end up offering the discounts and they re available on the dates im going. This one of the worst/ expensive times to travel in recent history due to the High demand so I'm not holding my breath.

Thanks for the skyliner details. Ive come to the conclusion that I'll probably only be using it on my way back from DHS or on a down day.

 

[mickEblu]

I do have to wonder if the crazy rates for the Deluxe hotels are worth it though. Yes, they re nice and conveniently located for the most part but you're not exactly staying at the 4 Seasons nor spending a lot of time at the hotel. For example, I've been to Hawaii 3 times and have stayed at pretty nice hotels each time so I'd have to imagine I'd be a little disappointed with the Poly, at least for those rates.

The reason we wanted to stay at a Deluxe was for the ambiance and for it to "feel like a nice vacation." But if you're at the parks 6 out of 8 days for example, are those rates really worth it for the 2 down days?

Another idea is maybe doing a split stay and staying at the Poly (if Beach or Yacht aren’t available) for the MK days, an Epcot day and maybe a down day. Then staying at one of the Orleans hotels or value hotels for the DHS day, Epcot day 2, AK day and another down day but this creates another level of planning where you have to sync up hotel stays with specific park reservations. I think I’ve officially reached the burnout phase of WDW planning.

 

[Mickey's Pal]

I have never been so have no advice to give but I just want to wish you a fun trip and hope you enjoy yourself and have a freaking blast man! You have always been one of my favorite posters here. Wish nothing but good things for you.

 

[mickEblu]

I have never been so have no advice to give but I just want to wish you a fun trip and hope you enjoy yourself and have a freaking blast man! You havr always been one of my favorite posters here. Wish nothing but good things for you.

Thanks my man! (Or woman?) I really appreciate that.

 

[Mickey's Pal]

Thanks my man! (Or woman?) I really appreciate that.

I am a man. And you are very welcome. I hope you make a trip report. Would love to read it. Hope you have an amazing trip!

 

[mickEblu]

I am a man. And you are very welcome. I hope you make a trip report. Would love to read it. Hope you have an amazing trip!

I can see myself having a lot to say and writing a very lengthy trip report.

Thanks again!

 

[Mickey's Pal]

I can see myself having a lot to say and writing a very lengthy trip report.

Thanks again!

Very welcome sir.

 

[mickEblu]

Played around with the dates a little. Beach club is available for part of the dates I was looking at. I’m thinking about booking it tomorrow for part of my stay (Epcot, DHS days and 1 down day) and booking Port Orleans Riverside or French Quarter for the MK and AK days since I would be taking a bus to those parks anyway. I could change hotels on the 2nd down day.

What’s better Riverside or French Quarter?

I wonder if I can book one vacation package with two different hotels online? That might have to be a phone call

 

[PiratesMansion]

I do have to wonder if the crazy rates for the Deluxe hotels are worth it though. Yes, they re nice and conveniently located for the most part but you're not exactly staying at the 4 Seasons nor spending a lot of time at the hotel. For example, I've been to Hawaii 3 times and have stayed at pretty nice hotels each time so I'd have to imagine I'd be a little disappointed with the Poly, at least for those rates.

The reason we wanted to stay at a Deluxe was for the ambiance and for it to "feel like a nice vacation." But if you're at the parks 6 out of 8 days for example, are those rates really worth it for the 2 down days?

Another idea is maybe doing a split stay and staying at the Poly (if Beach or Yacht aren’t available) for the MK days, an Epcot day and maybe a down day. Then staying at one of the Orleans hotels or value hotels for the DHS day, Epcot day 2, AK day and another down day but this creates another level of planning where you have to sync up hotel stays with specific park reservations. I think I’ve officially reached the burnout phase of WDW planning.

I feel like there's nowhere near enough perks to justify staying at a Deluxe Hotel for the prices they charge (though in fairness, even the value resorts charge more than I feel they are worth). Don't forget that you can still fairly easily visit the Magic Kingdom and Epcot resorts without staying there, and the only thing you CAN'T do in that circumstance is sleep there or use their pools.

I get being in the burnout phase of WDW planning. It's exhausting.

 

[SaucyBoy]

I do have to wonder if the crazy rates for the Deluxe hotels are worth it though. Yes, they re nice and conveniently located for the most part but you're not exactly staying at the 4 Seasons nor spending a lot of time at the hotel. For example, I've been to Hawaii 3 times and have stayed at pretty nice hotels each time so I'd have to imagine I'd be a little disappointed with the Poly, at least for those rates.

The reason we wanted to stay at a Deluxe was for the ambiance and for it to "feel like a nice vacation." But if you're at the parks 6 out of 8 days for example, are those rates really worth it for the 2 down days?

Another idea is maybe doing a split stay and staying at the Poly (if Beach or Yacht aren’t available) for the MK days, an Epcot day and maybe a down day. Then staying at one of the Orleans hotels or value hotels for the DHS day, Epcot day 2, AK day and another down day but this creates another level of planning where you have to sync up hotel stays with specific park reservations. I think I’ve officially reached the burnout phase of WDW planning.

With your party and age ranges, I wouldn't recommend doing a split stay. It's tempting to want to stay in different resorts for different parts of the trip but the coordination is tiring. You've got to pack luggage, check in, have them hold it if your room isn't ready, etc. We've done it a few times between DVC resorts and even for us adults, it's more work than it's worth. Personally, I've stayed at true "deluxe" resorts in the past and of course Disney's (while themed beautifully) come nowhere being worthy of that title. You're really paying for the convenience, if anything.

 

[Communicora]

I do have to wonder if the crazy rates for the Deluxe hotels are worth it though. Yes, they re nice and conveniently located for the most part but you're not exactly staying at the 4 Seasons nor spending a lot of time at the hotel. For example, I've been to Hawaii 3 times and have stayed at pretty nice hotels each time so I'd have to imagine I'd be a little disappointed with the Poly, at least for those rates.

The reason we wanted to stay at a Deluxe was for the ambiance and for it to "feel like a nice vacation." But if you're at the parks 6 out of 8 days for example, are those rates really worth it for the 2 down days?

Another idea is maybe doing a split stay and staying at the Poly (if Beach or Yacht aren’t available) for the MK days, an Epcot day and maybe a down day. Then staying at one of the Orleans hotels or value hotels for the DHS day, Epcot day 2, AK day and another down day but this creates another level of planning where you have to sync up hotel stays with specific park reservations. I think I’ve officially reached the burnout phase of WDW planning.

It can get overwhelming. Have you considered the Dolphin, Swan or Swan Reserve? You would still get the early entry and extended evening benefits.

I found the Dolphin to be very walkable to both Epcot and DHS. They also have a really nice pool area. It definitely has that resort feeling.

I would also consider using a Disney specialist travel agent. Maybe the agency that sponsors these boards? They can manage the searching for you as well as help you keep up with discounts. Most don't charge a fee because they get commission from Disney. I never used one pre-Covid, but I think I would now.

I replied before you shared your last update. I hope you can get the Beach Club. Maybe there's more availability if you call.

 

[flynnibus]

I do have to wonder if the crazy rates for the Deluxe hotels are worth it though. Yes, they re nice and conveniently located for the most part but you're not exactly staying at the 4 Seasons nor spending a lot of time at the hotel. For example, I've been to Hawaii 3 times and have stayed at pretty nice hotels each time so I'd have to imagine I'd be a little disappointed with the Poly, at least for those rates.

The TLDR - No they aren't

No you don't want a motel 6 experience... but the Disney Deluxe hotels experience do not scale with their prices. And the way WDW has setup transportation and access you don't get 'improved access' everywhere.. just some things. This is why the International Gateway hotels are popular.. they have good access, to something you'd probably want to repeat often (for food,etc) in epcot, stormalong bay, and are cheaper than Poly/Contemp.

This isn't vegas where paying for the Wynn gets you exotic luxury level stuff, dining, lounges, service levels, etc. You're still basically getting a 4* hilton kind of experience but paying $700/night. There is no value in it.. people do it because they want to turn off that part of their brain and just go for it.

This is why I mentioned the family suites at Art of Animation before. You can still get a very disney -unique experience, the kids will love it, you have good transportation options, there is food options that will likely be more fitting to your group, and you pay a premium, not a gold-bar premium like at Poly.

The reason we wanted to stay at a Deluxe was for the ambiance and for it to "feel like a nice vacation." But if you're at the parks 6 out of 8 days for example, are those rates really worth it for the 2 down days?

Another idea is maybe doing a split stay and staying at the Poly (if Beach or Yacht aren’t available) for the MK days, an Epcot day and maybe a down day. Then staying at one of the Orleans hotels or value hotels for the DHS day, Epcot day 2, AK day and another down day but this creates another level of planning where you have to sync up hotel stays with specific park reservations. I think I’ve officially reached the burnout phase of WDW planning.

Switching hotels is fine - but you wouldn't want to do it TOO much - especially with a group of kids to round up. Disney check in times are not friendly for mid-day breaks either.

 

[mickEblu]

BOOKED!

After a painful process of about 5 phone calls that lasted roughly 2.5 hours with Disney due to technical glitches on their end, one CM giving me the wrong instructions, my tickets not showing up in the My Disney Experience App (even though my wife and sons tickets were there) and an initial email confirmation that showed the wrong dates even though Disney had the right dates in their system.

A little disheartening when you’re staring at a vacation that will cost about 10k.

 

[mickEblu]

Anyway I’m booked at Beach Club from 2/28 - 3/4 and at Port Orleans Riverside from 3/4-3/9. The planning was starting to burn me out and seeing some hotels being fully booked on certain days made me pull the trigger faster than I intended.

I might switch the Port Orleans Riverside portion of my stay to French Quarter. Did a little more research post booking lol. Even though I think I’d enjoy the ambiance more at Riverside looks like French Quarter might make more sense with the kids due to the easier/ closer transpo and the better pool. Riverside has more restaurants but I would rather just hop on a water taxi to Disney Springs.

Does anyone have any strong opinions on French Quarter v Riverside? Should I request a specific wing/room/ or part of the hotel?

 

[mickEblu]

The TLDR - No they aren't

No you don't want a motel 6 experience... but the Disney Deluxe hotels experience do not scale with their prices. And the way WDW has setup transportation and access you don't get 'improved access' everywhere.. just some things. This is why the International Gateway hotels are popular.. they have good access, to something you'd probably want to repeat often (for food,etc) in epcot, stormalong bay, and are cheaper than Poly/Contemp.

This isn't vegas where paying for the Wynn gets you exotic luxury level stuff, dining, lounges, service levels, etc. You're still basically getting a 4* hilton kind of experience but paying $700/night. There is no value in it.. people do it because they want to turn off that part of their brain and just go for it.

This is why I mentioned the family suites at Art of Animation before. You can still get a very disney -unique experience, the kids will love it, you have good transportation options, there is food options that will likely be more fitting to your group, and you pay a premium, not a gold-bar premium like at Poly.




Switching hotels is fine - but you wouldn't want to do it TOO much - especially with a group of kids to round up. Disney check in times are not friendly for mid-day breaks either.

Thanks for all the advice. Yeah definitely only switching hotels once! I like that I’ll get two different experiences and check out two different hotels that have been on my list. Not to mention save a little money not staying at Beach Club the entire time. Due to availability in staying at Beach Club first. I hope Port Orleans won’t feel anticlimactic after staying at Beach Club.

 

[Communicora]

Anyway I’m booked at Beach Club from 2/28 - 3/4 and at Port Orleans Riverside from 3/4-3/9. The planning was starting to burn me out and seeing some hotels being fully booked on certain days made me pull the trigger faster than I intended.

I might switch the Port Orleans Riverside portion of my stay to French Quarter. Did a little more research post booking lol. Even though I think I’d enjoy the ambiance more at Riverside looks like French Quarter might make more sense with the kids due to the easier/ closer transpo and the better pool. Riverside has more restaurants but I would rather just hop on a water taxi to Disney Springs.

Does anyone have any strong opinions on French Quarter v Riverside?

The Beach Club will be amazing! My sister chose French Quarter on our last trip and it was a lot nicer than I expected. The resort is nice and compact and the grounds are very pretty. I also enjoyed the boat to Disney Springs. The restaurant at Riverside is supposed to be not great.

I hope your booking hassles are soon behind you and that you have a great trip!

 

[mickEblu]

It can get overwhelming. Have you considered the Dolphin, Swan or Swan Reserve? You would still get the early entry and extended evening benefits.

I found the Dolphin to be very walkable to both Epcot and DHS. They also have a really nice pool area. It definitely has that resort feeling.

I would also consider using a Disney specialist travel agent. Maybe the agency that sponsors these boards? They can manage the searching for you as well as help you keep up with discounts. Most don't charge a fee because they get commission from Disney. I never used one pre-Covid, but I think I would now.

I replied before you shared your last update. I hope you can get the Beach Club. Maybe there's more availability if you call.

Thanks! Swan and Dolphin are booked. But they sound like they would have been a great option. I have a feeling inventory will change the closer we get to our dates. If u chose to go this route I would sub the Port Orleans hotel for one of these.

 

[mickEblu]

The Beach Club will be amazing! My sister chose French Quarter on our last trip and it was a lot nicer than I expected. The resort is nice and compact and the grounds are very pretty. I also enjoyed the boat to Disney Springs. The restaurant at Riverside is supposed to be not great.

I hope your booking hassles are soon behind you and that you have a great trip!

Thank you! Was a little deflating to be honest and makes you wonder if this how I should be spending my hard earned money and if this is a precursor of what’s to come.

Thanks for sharing your experience at French Q. I suspect I’ll be changing the reservation from Riverside.

 

[mlayton144]

Thank you! Was a little deflating to be honest and makes you wonder if this how I should be spending my hard earned money and if this is a precursor of what’s to come.

Thanks for sharing your experience at French Q. I suspect I’ll be changing the reservation from Riverside.

Couple pieces of advice , and not trying to make your life complicated.
I wouldn’t stay deluxe then move to a mod .. love the mods but doesn’t make much sense to downgrade for latter part of stay - you might as well just stay at the mod the whole time. Both Port orleans properties are nice and have the same convenience. Riverside has more going on but more walking.

Aren’t the deluxe prices similar to deluxe level at DLR?

If you can lock in your dates and deal with the risk of no cancellations you can get a villa for close to mod prices with better locations , amenities , and room sizes , etc. I’m personally shocked beach and yacht are sold out for those dates , maybe a conference or something going on since I don’t think it’s spring break just yet. Keep your reservations but keep looking. Would not recommend a split stay , it’s more of a PITA than it’s worth IMO esp with small kids

 

[mickEblu]

Couple pieces of advice , and not trying to make your life complicated.
I wouldn’t stay deluxe then move to a mod .. love the mods but doesn’t make much sense to downgrade for latter part of stay - you might as well just stay at the mod the whole time. Both Port orleans properties are nice and have the same convenience. Riverside has more going on but more walking.

Aren’t the deluxe prices similar to deluxe level at DLR?

If you can lock in your dates and deal with the risk of no cancellations you can get a villa for close to mod prices with better locations , amenities , and room sizes , etc. I’m personally shocked beach and yacht are sold out for those dates , maybe a conference or something going on since I don’t think it’s spring break just yet. Keep your reservations but keep looking. Would not recommend a split stay , it’s more of a PITA than it’s worth IMO esp with small kids

Ugh! I know I don’t want to go backwards ideally. I was hoping to stay at Port Orleans first but there’s no availability for the end of the week at Beach or Yacht. I called too. And there were ZERO discounts applied to the trip I just booked so I can’t imagine why it would be booked 8 months out. Pent up traveling demand?

Honestly booking a WDW trip is a huge pain in the . I just feel like I’m forking over a boat load of money for the honor of being stressed out. Seems impossible to get everything to align. I can’t even get the hotels I want on the days I want paying full price 8 months out. I wouldn’t be shocked if they release more inventory later in the year so I’ll keep checking. With that said I’m getting close to feeling like it’s an omen that it’s not the right time for my family and I to go.

Is it more that you think it’s kind of a buzz kill to move from a Deluxe to a Mod or is it more that you don’t think a hotel move is wise? I see where you and others are coming from but on a 9 day stay to move one time on a down day doesn’t seem like that big of a deal to me. Maybe I’m underestimating how exhausted we’ll be?

And thank you! I appreciate the advice. I’d rather be stressed out now and not while I’m there.