Prices up…profits down…

[Disstevefan1]

It doesn’t cost too much for everyone.

This is true. There are still a lot of folks with a lot of money.
Look at the wait times. Some may look at the wait times and say they are trending downward and therefore there are less folks in the parks but overall the wait times still suck and there are still a lot of folks in the parks with wallets open!

 

[lewisc]

My point is those resorts are great for resort only stays despite their unique location and proximity to parks in the same way Disney resorts are great for resort only stays.

The Universal resorts I mentioned are priced way lower then WDW resorts

I've seen Gaylord pricing below Disney deluxe. Is that no longer true?

 

[Disneylover69]

The Universal resorts I mentioned are priced way lower then WDW resorts

I've seen Gaylord pricing below Disney deluxe. Is that no longer true?

They are priced similarly to Disney value and moderate resorts, especially sapphire. Gaylord palms pricing is heavily influenced by conventions since it is basically a convention hotel, but yes it is routinely priced below Disney deluxe hotels. But again the vibe at the Gaylord palms will differ from that of Disney.

 

[Goofyernmost]

My point is those resorts are great for resort only stays despite their unique location and proximity to parks in the same way Disney resorts are great for resort only stays.

I've stayed in Universal resorts when I was splitting my park visits. I wouldn't dream of doing that if I were only going to the opposite parks. It also hinges on who has the best rates and even if Disney had the best rates that would probably be the same day the sun crashes into the earth.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Some of the best Disney has to offer is in the resorts. I believe the magic in the resorts is way higher than the parks. At the resorts everyone is in vacation mode and the same can’t be said at the parks. People are also a lot less stressed at the resorts, I’m not sure why resort only stays are so widely unpopular

It is hard to justify the pricing for a resort-only stay at WDW these days, when there are so many great options in Orlando that cost less.

I mean, not to get into comparing the two, but when it comes to hotels, Universal's Sapphire Falls costs hundreds less/night, and has a considerably better pool/water slide than the Contemporary. A room in the CR tower now often costs over $700, whereas SF is approx. $350-400 less/night.

Keeping in mind, guests who stay at Universal are allowed to pool hop to any Universal resort pool. It is a short walk to go between Aventura, Cabana Bay and Sapphire Falls. Aventura and SF are so close together that they share a parking garage.

[ Just to throw this out there, a US Preferred AP costs $671 or $300 above the cost of 2-4 day park hopper (current ticket promo is buy a 2-day hopper get a 4-day US hopper ticket.

The AP discount at SF is about $80/night. So just 3 nights at SF w/AP discount nearly pays for a Universal Annual Pass.

Even crazier, the AP discount completely covers the cost of the AP in just 3 nights for a stay at Portofino.

Flat out: BUY a Universal AP + book Portofino for 3 nights with the AP discount, and it will likely cost less than 3 hotel-only nights at the Contemporary. You don't have to go to the parks at all.

 

[Disneylover69]

It is hard to justify the pricing for a resort-only stay at WDW these days, when there are so many great options in Orlando that cost less.

I mean, not to get into comparing the two, but when it comes to hotels, Universal's Sapphire Falls costs hundreds less/night, and has a considerably better pool/water slide than the Contemporary. A room in the CR tower now often costs over $700, whereas SF is approx. $350-400 less/night.

Keeping in mind, guests who stay at Universal are allowed to pool hop to any Universal resort pool. It is a short walk to go between Aventura, Cabana Bay and Sapphire Falls. Aventura and SF are so close together that they share a parking garage.

[ Just to throw this out there, a US Preferred AP costs $671 or $300 above the cost of 2-4 day park hopper (current ticket promo is buy a 2-day hopper get a 4-day US hopper ticket.

The AP discount at SF is about $80/night. So just 3 nights at SF w/AP discount nearly pays for a Universal Annual Pass.

Even crazier, the AP discount completely covers the cost of the AP in just 3 nights for a stay at Portofino.

Flat out: BUY a Universal AP + book Portofino for 3 nights with the AP discount, and it will likely cost less than 3 hotel-only nights at the Contemporary. You don't have to go to the parks at all.

I mean you are comparing SF which is not even considered a premium resort by universal to one of the most expensive resorts at Disney a fairer comparison would be Caribbean beach resort or port New Orleans

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I mean you are comparing SF which is not even considered a premium resort by universal to one of the most expensive resorts at Disney a fairer comparison would be Caribbean beach resort or port New Orleans

You asked why resort only stays aren't more popular at WDW. My answer is to say the Orlando area has a slew of nice hotels at better prices. I'm comparing those specific two because (I think) SF is a nicer hotel than CR. And those two just popped in my head.

SFalls is much newer, has a much better pool slide, a much better pool, a better arcade, better poolside activities, better outdoor dining, comparable free shuttle boats, better parking, and arguably better dining/bar options.

I've stayed at both hotels a number of times. If I'm not going to go to the theme parks, I'd choose SF over CR, even if they were the same price. The main selling point of CR is that it is next to MK. (things like broken elevators, etc.) The garden wing very much looks like 1970's office buildings. For a hotel-only vacation, CR is a bit of a depressing choice.

Alas though, I also mentioned Portofino. If I only planned to visit the hotel, and my choices were the WDW deluxes or Portofino, I might choose Portofino even if the prices were all the same. Portofino has a great layout, great rooms, nice pools, decent food options, great shuttle boats, and is easy walking distance to Citywalk.

For reference, I've stayed at nearly every WDW, most Universal, and many offsite hotels. I dislike the layout of CBR and POR, though it has been some time since I have stayed at either one. The new tower at Coronado is nice, but the food options outside of the tower leave much to be desired.

If they were priced the same, and it was a short stay, I might choose a tower club room at CSR over Portofino.

I just came back from a short stay at the new Endless Summer. I gotta say, for the price, it was AMAZING! The suite room layout is really nice. The only small drawback was it took a while for the shower water to get warm on our first day. The food court could also be a bit bigger, but they serve fresh berries as an option, which is nearly impossible to find at any WDW hotel, at any price point. For the price, I was very impressed with how nice the hotel is.

 

[lewisc]

I mean you are comparing SF which is not even considered a premium resort by universal to one of the most expensive resorts at Disney a fairer comparison would be Caribbean beach resort or port New Orleans

SF is not considered premium by Universal because guests SF don't receive complimentary express passes. Irrelevant for a resort only stays.