Pauline Frommer - Here's my 2 cents

captainkidd

captainkidd

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I can't stand that woman. I was reading some of her book this afternoon. I hate her comment "I don't think any Disney Resort is worth $250 - $600 per night, but I'll review a few anyway." Then she goes on to say Disney's level of Deluxe isn't on par with the outside world.

A few thoughts:

I don't think any hotel anywhere is worth $600 per night. That being said, I DO think the Wilderness Lodge is well worth $250 per night.

I just don't think Pauline gets it. You can't compare outside hotels to Disney Resorts. It's apples and oranges. At Disney, you're paying for location, convenience, and theming. Has anyone ever asked Pauline how many deluxe hotels in the real world have electrical water pageants going by their room? Or how many of them have fireworks displays every evening you can see from your balcony. Or, how many of them have free transportation literally to everywhere in that city?

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not looking for the Ritz Carlton at Disney. I'm looking for Disney at Disney, and I feel as though they always deliver upon that. I've stayed at some $300+ per night Westins and Marriotts, and they weren't half as nice as the Wilderness Lodge.

Seriously Pauline, write a book about some of the finer hotels in Manhatten or San Francisco. Leave Disney to the people who "get it".
 
bradandsarabr

bradandsarabr

Member
I agree with your comments re: convenience & amenities. But for the price, the actual quality of the room is poor. The actual rooms at deluxes are no better than a Hilton. Just my two cents.
 
Scooter

Scooter

Well-Known Member
I just wish Disney would provide free WiFi.
For the prices you pay for deluxe rooms, it goes without saying that WiFi should be included.
 
Cinderella1976

Cinderella1976

New Member
captainkidd said:
I can't stand that woman. I was reading some of her book this afternoon. I hate her comment "I don't think any Disney Resort is worth $250 - $600 per night, but I'll review a few anyway." Then she goes on to say Disney's level of Deluxe isn't on par with the outside world.

A few thoughts:

I don't think any hotel anywhere is worth $600 per night. That being said, I DO think the Wilderness Lodge is well worth $250 per night.

I just don't think Pauline gets it. You can't compare outside hotels to Disney Resorts. It's apples and oranges. At Disney, you're paying for location, convenience, and theming. Has anyone ever asked Pauline how many deluxe hotels in the real world have electrical water pageants going by their room? Or how many of them have fireworks displays every evening you can see from your balcony. Or, how many of them have free transportation literally to everywhere in that city?

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not looking for the Ritz Carlton at Disney. I'm looking for Disney at Disney, and I feel as though they always deliver upon that. I've stayed at some $300+ per night Westins and Marriotts, and they weren't half as nice as the Wilderness Lodge.

Seriously Pauline, write a book about some of the finer hotels in Manhatten or San Francisco. Leave Disney to the people who "get it".
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I couldn't agree with you more!
 
CaptainJackNO

CaptainJackNO

Well-Known Member
captainkidd said:
I can't stand that woman. I was reading some of her book this afternoon. I hate her comment "I don't think any Disney Resort is worth $250 - $600 per night, but I'll review a few anyway." Then she goes on to say Disney's level of Deluxe isn't on par with the outside world.

A few thoughts:

I don't think any hotel anywhere is worth $600 per night. That being said, I DO think the Wilderness Lodge is well worth $250 per night.

I just don't think Pauline gets it. You can't compare outside hotels to Disney Resorts. It's apples and oranges. At Disney, you're paying for location, convenience, and theming. Has anyone ever asked Pauline how many deluxe hotels in the real world have electrical water pageants going by their room? Or how many of them have fireworks displays every evening you can see from your balcony. Or, how many of them have free transportation literally to everywhere in that city?

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not looking for the Ritz Carlton at Disney. I'm looking for Disney at Disney, and I feel as though they always deliver upon that. I've stayed at some $300+ per night Westins and Marriotts, and they weren't half as nice as the Wilderness Lodge.

Seriously Pauline, write a book about some of the finer hotels in Manhatten or San Francisco. Leave Disney to the people who "get it".
Click to expand...
You gotta read Frommer's guides in the right perspective. These people tour the world and stay in the most elite hotels; therefore, they are too accomplished to stay at some childish resort such as Disney. HOwever, since we can make a killing financially because so many bubbas love WDW, we are gonna produce a book anyway. Granted, frommers people would rather be in Paris, but they have to make a profit."
These people are travel snobs...take their advice for what it is worth..........Nothing!!!
Go to mousesavers.com....allears.net.......and a myriad of other sites that offer much better travel advice by people who love the parks and frequent them enough to have meaningful, in depth knowledge on how to have a great vacation in WDW.
Those Frommers folks are snobs
 
durangojim

durangojim

Well-Known Member
I agree that comparing a Disney Deluxe to a 5 star hotel is no comparison. For Disney it's all about location, but service isn't really up to par with other resorts. However, to me, the Disney World resort is all about ambience. WL is one of our favorite resorts because of its architecture and atmosphere. BC too is great because of the pool and proximity to EPCOT. So if you're not a Disney fan, I could see how you wouldn't think the money would be worth it, but if you love Disney like most of us do, staying in a Disney resort is just an extension of the magic and lets you be immersed in it 24/7.
 
lentesta

lentesta

Premium Member
Excluding theming and the fact that they're located within walking distance of the Magic Kingdom, the Ritz is most definitely a better hotel, with better rooms and better service, than the MK resorts.

A room tonight at the Ritz would be around $190, whereas the GF would be around $450. Pauline is saying that the $260 premium per night isn't worth the location and theming.

For the deluxe resorts, I generally agree with Pauline. Amenities that are now standard at most hotels either don't exist or were unknown to Disney's until recently. WiFi access is limited, for example, and until the 2008 upgrade, your bed was outfitted with the same standard 180-thread count sheets at the Grand Floridian that you got at Pop Century. The Ritz offers down-filled pillows and large 100% cotton towels; the Disney resorts do not. (More people prefer down-filled pillows than poly- or foam-filled pillows; for towels, more cotton means they're more absorbent. 100% cotton towels don't last as long as cotton/poly blends, however, which is probably why Disney uses a blend of anywhere from 6 to 12% poly.) The Ritz's rooms have better lighting and better soundproofing. The Ritz's spa is among the best in the United States, while the Grand Floridian's isn't even the best on property.

And having stayed at concierge-level resorts throughout the state, I'm certain that Disney's concierge service isn't in the same league as even the most basic concierge service at other resorts. (To be fair, this is more because of how Disney limits the job's responsibilities, not the talent or willingness of the CMs to go above and beyond.)

I'm hopeful the new Four Seasons complex will provide enough competition to Disney's deluxe resorts that they'll be strongly encouraged to upgrade.

For the record, I don't get free hotel stays, tickets or meals from Disney. Other than the flight and room at the 2005 Soarin' press event, I can't think of anything free we've ever got; my annual research budget for WDW is many tens of thousands of dollars, and we pay the same as the general public for everything. I mean, we use Mousesavers like y'all.:animwink:
 
durangojim

durangojim

Well-Known Member
It will be very interesting to see what happens when the Four Seasons opens, although I have a freeling that they will be $500/night, especially if they offer water transportation to the MK (as has been speculated apon). I hope I'm wrong about the price but I'll bet Four Seasons will adopt a similar price scheme to Disney but cost more because of better service.
 
I_heart_Tigger

I_heart_Tigger

Well-Known Member
lentesta said:
Excluding theming and the fact that they're located within walking distance of the Magic Kingdom, the Ritz is most definitely a better hotel, with better rooms and better service, than the MK resorts.

A room tonight at the Ritz would be around $190, whereas the GF would be around $450. Pauline is saying that the $260 premium per night isn't worth the location and theming.
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Just for my own curiosity I did a comparisan of the dates I am staying. The Ritz would be $229 per night for my dates in August and the GF would be would be $399. I have the free dining plan, though, and would have purchased that plan anyway which is a savings of $91 per night.

In this instance I would happily pay an extra $79 per night to stay at GF rather than the Ritz. The location is better and I don't have to rent a car.

What I'm getting at is that it's really difficult to compare hotels, I read all hotel reviews with star ratings with a grain of salt, having worked in the hotel industry I know that those stars sometimes don't add up to the standards that you think you're going to get, for example, in many reviews if the hotel has an indoor pool that's an automatic star added on, even if the pool is 9' by 9' square and only used as the splash down point of a waterslide (this is a true example btw)

Also, you have to look out for deals, the rates listed in books like Frommers are widespread and include Rack rates which many people never pay. When a hotel lists their rates as $99 - $299 per night that's really not much help. If you're searching for deals like the free dining it can really sway your decision for one hotel over another.

Reviews can help narrow down choices but you have to really know what you're looking for in a hotel to decide whether it's right for your family. Saving $79 by staying at the Ritz is simply not an option for me, I wouldn't give up the convenience of staying at the GF for that.



also...I saw an interview with Pauline Frommer where she said how much she hates rental cars...you'd think she'd agree with me then, that staying on property would be more convenient instead of noting her distaste for the higher charges for Disney resorts :shrug:
 
elizs77

elizs77

Active Member
I just don't think you can really compare Deluxe resorts with the Ritzs or InterContinentals or Peabodys. They're just different beasts with different clientel, different needs and different wants.

DH and I have always stayed in Deluxe resorts (I've stayed in moderates on my parent's dime!), but we don't choose them in the expectation of having 100% cotton towels or 400 thread count sheets. That's not what's important to us when staying at Disney. We KNOW that the high room rates come with amenities more than the room - easy access to and high usage of the Monorail, queen sized beds, larger rooms, interior hallways, etc. I mean, we could get a very similar but unthemed room at the Hampton Inn for w-a-y less, but we're willing to pay more for the Magic. We're also willing to pay more to have a different experience than at the Value or Moderate resorts.

All that being said, I ALWAYS use the Unofficial Guide, even though at this point, I don't really even need a tour book! There are so many books out there, but this is the best.
 
lentesta

lentesta

Premium Member
...we're willing to pay more for the Magic. We're also willing to pay more to have a different experience than at the Value or Moderate resorts.
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As my boss says, we're in violent agreement. :ROFLOL:

You've clearly got a realistic sense of Disney's accommodations and (thus) the premium Disney charges for its location. You've decided it's worth the money given the trade-offs. I think the goal of any guidebook should be to provide its readers with the same analysis so they can go through the same decision-making process.

Well done!

Len
 
pluto1964

pluto1964

Active Member
It is simple....location, location, location. I would pay anything for this experience. We are staying at our first deluxe coming up. The Contemporary is somewhere I have always wanted to stay since I was a child and my parents told me we could never afford to stay there. I know the rooms will not be "like a ritz" but again, it is about the loocation and the experience while there.
 
harveyt0206

harveyt0206

Well-Known Member
durangojim said:
but if you love Disney like most of us do, staying in a Disney resort is just an extension of the magic and lets you be immersed in it 24/7.
Click to expand...


I couldn't agree more. I think the expectation for accommodations would be higher if that was what Disney was promoting. But for the most part, I think Disney is true to their mission, which seems to be "come - stay on property and enjoy the Disney Magic 24/7 by immersing yourself in one of our various properties that are themed within an inch of their life". And it works for them obviously judging by their level of occupancy. I think if individuals were really so disappointed in the lack of higher end amenities at the deluxe resorts, you wouldn't see so many repeat visitors. So, in the end, for the most part - we understand what we are paying for and we are willing to do so.
 

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