Help with the new Room Types

[Horizons '83]

Hello there! Can someone please explain to me what the difference of a resort view and standard view room is now with their new changes? The example attached is from the Boardwalk Inn. Both the resort view and standard view state you can have views of Disney's Boardwalk Inn Gardens, Leisure Pool or Parking Area. So what is the difference and why pay more for the "resort view" if you still have the possibility to see a parking lot? Thanks in advance!

 

[nickys]

Hello there! Can someone please explain to me what the difference of a resort view and standard view room is now with their new changes? The example attached is from the Boardwalk Inn. Both the resort view and standard view state you can have views of Disney's Boardwalk Inn Gardens, Leisure Pool or Parking Area. So what is the difference and why pay more for the "resort view" if you still have the possibility to see a parking lot? Thanks in advance!

View attachment 744991

I think they’re replacing standard view with resort view.
Which is why standard view is showing as unavailable in your screen shot.

 

[Horizons '83]

I think they’re replacing standard view with resort view.
Which is why standard view is showing as unavailable in your screen shot.

Ah, got it, so then there really are only 2 views, Water and everything else?

 

[Weather_Lady]

"New" Resort View = Former Standard View (e.g., parking areas, rooftops), plus some former Garden/Woods View (grassy lawns, walkways, courtyards, trees)
"New" Water View = Former Lake/Pool View, plus some former Garden/Woods View (e.g., facing quiet pools)
*NOTE: Some hotels will have additional categories based on their particular location, e.g., theme park views, savannah views, etc.

They are phasing out Standard View and I'm not sure why it's still even displaying, but WDW is notoriously slow to update its website. If you did have the choice, however, and it's cheaper, there's no reason not to book Standard View, since as you noted, paying more for Resort View won't guarantee you don't get a rooftop or parking lot view.

Apropos of nothing, we visited in August and had booked Garden View at Yacht Club, many months prior to the change. Disney arbitrarily re-designated our reservation as "Resort View" after they retooled the room categories, and I was concerned that we'd get assigned one of the less desirable standard views, and I'd have to ask for a new room (or a refund of what we'd paid for the view upgrade from standard to garden). Happily, that wasn't an issue. Not only did we not get stuck in a former-standard room, but we received an unsolicited "pixie dust" upgrade, and were assigned a room with a beautiful view of Crescent Lake!

 

[Horizons '83]

"New" Resort View = Former Standard View (e.g., parking areas, rooftops), plus some former Garden/Woods View
"New" Water View = Former Lake/Pool View, plus some former Garden/Woods View (e.g., facing quiet pools)
(Some hotels will have additional categories based on location, e.g., theme park views.)

They are phasing out Standard View and I'm not sure why it's still even displaying, but WDW is notoriously slow to update its website. If you did have the choice, however, and it's cheaper, there's no reason not to book Standard View, since as you noted, paying more for Resort View won't guarantee you don't get a rooftop or parking lot view.

Apropos of nothing, we visited in August and had booked Garden View at Yacht Club, many months prior to the change. Disney arbitrarily re-designated our reservation as "Resort View" after they retooled the room categories, and I was concerned that we'd get assigned one of the less desirable standard views, and I'd have to ask for a new room (or a refund of what we'd paid for the view upgrade from standard to garden). Happily, that wasn't an issue. Not only did we not get stuck in a former-standard room, but we received an unsolicited "pixie dust" upgrade, and were assigned a room with a beautiful view of Crescent Lake!

Much appreciated! I'm not sure I like this new process, paying for a garden view and getting stuck with a parking lot view doesn't seem like a fair shake.

 

[nickys]

Ah, got it, so then there really are only 2 views, Water and everything else?

There’s Boardwalk view too. At least there is for the DVC rooms.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Much appreciated! I'm not sure I like this new process, paying for a garden view and getting stuck with a parking lot view doesn't seem like a fair shake.

Garden view isn't available to book anymore, but if someone has already booked and paid for it before the change (as we had), I'd suggest they do what I did: screenshot touringplans.com's Resort Finder maps for the old view categories at your hotel, so you can easily confirm if the room you're assigned is a formerly-known-as-Standard View room instead of the Garden View you paid for. If that happens, you can then politely ask to be switched to a former Garden View Room, or else ask for a refund of the price difference between Standard and Garden at the time you booked.