"Value" Resort costs more than Deluxe

[ParentsOf4]

We are looking into a WDW trip in late July. An Art of Animation suite is $345/night (sleeps 6) while a room at the Boardwalk Inn or Beach Club is $277.50/night (sleeps 5).

I just stayed offsite in a comfortable hotel in a 2-room suite with kitchenette that sleeps up to 6 for $118/night during Easter week.

I realize AoA is offering a suite and sleeps one extra person than a Deluxe Resort room but does anyone else think the AoA price is insane, especially for a so called "Value Resort"?

 

[nepalostparks]

I'm not really sure why they are calling it a value hotel. They could better make it an moderate because the standard room is more expensive than some of the moderate hotels.

Please read some of the above posts for more information.

Based on what your are getting (size of the room, amenities, etc), when comparing the rack rates of Disney properties (regular price with no discounts), Disney has determined this falls into the Value category.

The suites at AoA are NOT the same thing as a standard room.... at any resort level. Two very different things, which can't be compared directly on price alone to determine the value and category.

 

[Freshee61]

Parentofour you are ablsolutely right there is not a value in that. Disney is just nickel and dimming which is what they are becoming. Once the dust settles iam guessing prices will come down. It is ridiculous that we are comparing a value resort to boardwalk prices or even that of the contemporary!

 

[sbkline]

As others have said, comparing a suite to a regular room is an invalid comparison. To really get an accurate comparison, you need to compare suite to suite. The suites at Art of Animation are suites on the value level. The suites at the Wilderness Lodge are suites on the Deluxe level. And the suites at the Boardwalk, Grand Floridian, etc. That's what you need to compare. How much is a value suite compared to the price of a Deluxe Suite, or even a moderate suite (as the Ft Wilderness Cabins are now classified).

And when you see how much you would pay for a suite on the Deluxe Resorts, you'll see that the suites at Art of Animation are, indeed, a value. Relatively speaking anyway.

 

[gwhb75]

Sounds like basic supply and demand. X # of people are willing to pay the un-discounted rack rate at AoA to the point that Disney doesn't have to give a discount to fill the place. Why would they offer a discount if they don't need to? They can use the "new" factor for the first year (at least) rather than a discount, so that's what they'll do. Also, from what I've read in other threads, AoA will have some newer technology (ie. contactless key/locks) which, while a person might not think much about it, does increase the costs and the "coolness" factor.

Is it cheaper to stay off site? Probably (especially if you drive rather than fly since you won't need to rent a car), but Disney is offering the full on-site experience that the off-site locations can't, so they can price their resorts at a premium. If the extras of on-site locations (transportation, EMH) don't seem worth it, then off-site is probably your better option.

 

[Annielkd]

If you want to stay in Disney/go to Disney/etc etc... You will pay. Plain and simple. I just booked our trip in October. 5th to the 13th. AoA plus dining n hoppers everyday... A little under 2600. I understand Cost of staying on property has gone up a lot. Am I happy? No, But I cant stay off property for a "Disney" vacation. For the folks that can, that is great. I have nothing against people trying to save. For me and my family, it just isnt a Disney vacation without being on property. Transportation, unique feel at each hotel, magic hours and other great things are why we stay on property. If we just can't afford to stay, we'll wait till we have the money and go. We won't settle for less.

I will say after experience at all the hotels, except AKL ( which we plan on eventually) we won't do Moderates anymore. We find no reason to fork the extra money (and a lot of it) to move from Value to Moderate. Its barely an upgrade in our eyes and most of the moderate hotels bus stops are Awful. You may notice Pop century bus stops can be crowded, but there are always so many buses moving people out. Moderates, we would always wait forever for a bus, then you have to deal with the multiple stops at the hotel. It's a headache to us. If we want to spend the money and stay at a nice resort then we wait a little longer and book a deluxe. Now they are worth it. Beach Club is amazing. Worth every expensive dollar! Otherwise, if we want to go, because we have the disney itch, we just go Pop Century or now AoA.

I love Port Orleans Riverside... but, I have my own car and only use there transportation fro Magic Kingdom. I find it's almost as good as Beach club... BUT, there is NOTHING like staying at Beach Club or Boardwalk for the proximity to Epcot. NOTHING like walking over there with the beautiful breeze. I pay 1000 just for that alone. It's all about what you want and what you are willing to pay to get it.

 

[Flip83]

I love Port Orleans Riverside... but, I have my own car and only use there transportation fro Magic Kingdom. I find it's almost as good as Beach club... BUT, there is NOTHING like staying at Beach Club or Boardwalk for the proximity to Epcot. NOTHING like walking over there with the beautiful breeze. I pay 1000 just for that alone. It's all about what you want and what you are willing to pay to get it.

Well, I agree with you. I don't have as much of a problem with Port Orleans as I do the other moderates. We stayed Coronado and the transportation was MISERABLE. CBR has a ton of spots, but they seem to have a good system and always have a lot of buses going. If hou spend money for the car/van then sure, moderates are fine. To me, we barely rent a car. My parents used to, but my wife and I don't. We figured transportation is put into that price of staying on property so we use it. We also like the buses or boats/monorail. I have had 1 bad bus issue in all the times I can remember dating back to my early teen years. Other than that, we never have an issue waiting for a bus. Too many people are in a rush. They forget it's a vacation lol.

Many things factor in for why Moderates really arent worth the extra cash over Values. Many things

 

[Sassie]

Hi. I live in the U.K. and am looking to book for August 2013. The prices are now out in the U.K. Was interested in this thread as I too have noticed how expensive the Art of Amination is compared to the other Disney hotels, especially as its a value resort.

Just for comparison for two weeks in August for two adults and two children the AoA is £6455 with flights, AllStars £4633, Animal Kingdom £6249, Port Orleans £5233.

I always book early and although the travel brochures are just on sale now in the U.K. for 2013 there has been no mention of free Disney Dining for next year. In other years I have booked, the free Disney dining was always available as soon as the brochures were out for us here in the U.K. the holidays are being sold without the free Disney Dining which is unusual.

 

[vjgraham]

We are planning on arriving on July 28. Disney is offering room-only discounts for many rooms that week. The discounted room rate at CBR is $152/night or $304/night for 2 rooms. So I can get 2 rooms at a Moderate Resort with more square footage than one 2-room suite at the AoA "Value Resort", which is $345/night for the same night. Again, this seems to support my complaint (or observation if you want to use a nicer word) that $345/night at a Value Resort doesn't seem like much of a value, even by WDW standards.

I have been reading the posts, and I have to say I agree with you and I understand where you are coming from. We have been to Disney many times and have always stayed at Deluxe or Moderates. I actually looked at the prices for the "family suites" at the value resorts for our upcoming trip. We actually booked two rooms at the POFQ for less than what they were charging for these suites. I feel that we ended up with more square footage, 2 bathrooms, 2 tv's, 4 queen beds, 2 refridge's, and four sinks, etc.. This to me was a much better value than any "family suite". I used free dining pin code so we actually did not get a discount on the room rate. This combined with better amenities and location of the moderate made all the more sense. My point of the whole thing is that in this case the "value" resort was not a better value, even if it was a "suite".

 

[CaptainJackNO]

Thanks for the replies. I am familiar with the room types, having stayed at the Beach Club, Boardwalk Inn, and an ASM suite in the past (but obviously not yet at the new AoA resort).

A couple of points to clarify:

1. I realize that the rooms at BC & BWI are the discounted rates while the AoA is the rack rate. Currently, WDW is not offering a discount for AoA, making the AoA suite more expensive than rooms at some of Disney's nicest Deluxe Resorts while the room-only discount is being offered.

2. We have comfortably slept 5 at the Epcot Resorts. I recall a chair pulling out into a small bed, which was just fine for my teenage daughter.

No matter how I slice it, I cannot consider any room/suite at $345/night at Value Resort to be a value. Especially since I can get a comparable suite off-site at one-third the price.

I should have been more clear. The point is that what is basically 2 rooms (and yes, I am very familiar with the interior details) at a Value Resort costs significantly more than a very nice large room at some of Disney's best Deluxe Resorts. Do you consider $345/night to be a good "value"?

No. Not a value at all. My family routinely stays moderate or value, in 13 days we will check in to Disney's CBR. While I know Disney rooms are more expensive, the location and convenience makes up for it. However, 345 at AoA is no value and none of the conveniences offered can justify that for me. Especially when it costs more than 2 adjoining rooms at POP or any all star. Too expensive and, no, not a value.

 

[CaptainJackNO]

I am not one who usually gets frustrated, but some posters cannot accept that someone is flabbergasted at these rates. In a discussion forum, most all discussions should be welcome, not just sweet ones most people agree with. I enjoy the banter and differing views here. I find it rude to continually assert that the OP is wrong or should just stay off sitr. I think most of us are loyal long term to this company and occassional frustration should be ok. Disagree, fine. But, the attacks and disregard seem uncalled for.

 

[sbkline]

Another thing to keep in mind is that the Art of Animation Resort also has regular rooms, which do fall into Value Prices. The prices that some of you find so flabbergasting are for the suites. And, as I said earlier, if you're going to compare a "value" to a "deluxe", you need to take a Value price, be it suite, or regular room, and compare it with its counterpart in the Deluxe Category. A suite is a suite and a regular room is a regular room. So you need to compare the price of a Value Suite with the price of a Deluxe Suite. And you need to compare the price of a regular Value Resort Room with that of a regular Deluxe Room. I've looked at suite prices before (just out of curiosity, never with the actual intention of staying there) and the suites at some of those Deluxe Resorts actually get up past $2,000 a night. So if those are the kinds of prices we are talking about for Deluxe Suites, it makes sense that a Value Suite would be around $300 a night. Again, compare suite to suite and compare room to room. You can't compare a suite to a room, as that's comparing apples to oranges.

 

[sbkline]

I was looking at allears.net and here are some of the prices I found for suites at the Deluxe Resorts. I started with the Wilderness Lodge, since that is one of the cheapest in the deluxe category. All prices are for New Years, simply because that is the first one listed.

The Yosemite Vice Presidential Suite Club level is $1,315.

At the Beach Club, a one bedroom suite is $885 and a two bedroom suite is $2,065, and in between those two, there is one called the Nantucket VP Suite, and it is $1,350.

At the Grand Floridian, there is a one bedroom suite for $1,725 and a two bedroom suite for $2,500.

These are all prices for suites on the Deluxe Level. The price that you quoted for an Art of Animation Family Suite sounds perhaps a little on the high side compared with the price of a family suite at All Star Music, but all in all, I would consider it mostly ballpark for a suite on the value level.

 

[DisneyJoe]

I was looking at allears.net and here are some of the prices I found for suites at the Deluxe Resorts. I started with the Wilderness Lodge, since that is one of the cheapest in the deluxe category. All prices are for New Years, simply because that is the first one listed.

The Yosemite Vice Presidential Suite Club level is $1,315.

At the Beach Club, a one bedroom suite is $885 and a two bedroom suite is $2,065, and in between those two, there is one called the Nantucket VP Suite, and it is $1,350.

At the Grand Floridian, there is a one bedroom suite for $1,725 and a two bedroom suite for $2,500.

These are all prices for suites on the Deluxe Level. The price that you quoted for an Art of Animation Family Suite sounds perhaps a little on the high side compared with the price of a family suite at All Star Music, but all in all, I would consider it mostly ballpark for a suite on the value level.

You need to qualify your rates with the time of year, that $1315 is for New Years, it drops to $915 for a January weekday...

oops - just saw you did that - nevermind....

 

[nepalostparks]

I am not one who usually gets frustrated, but some posters cannot accept that someone is flabbergasted at these rates. In a discussion forum, most all discussions should be welcome, not just sweet ones most people agree with. I enjoy the banter and differing views here. I find it rude to continually assert that the OP is wrong or should just stay off sitr. I think most of us are loyal long term to this company and occassional frustration should be ok. Disagree, fine. But, the attacks and disregard seem uncalled for.

Thanks for the support. At times, it did feel as if I was being personally attacked because I expressed an opinion that some disagreed with. Like you, I recognize that people have different opinions and was interested in reading other thoughts on the subject. I am glad there were posts both supporting and questioning my original post. It makes for a more interesting thread.

I just re-read all of this posts, and I didn't see any personal attacks you both mention. As CaptainJackNO pointed out, this is a discussion forum, and differing opinions will come up. As far as I can see, no one is disagreeing with the original poster's main point - that the new suites at AoA on a monetary basis alone seems expensive, or does not seem like a good value. The amount of money someone is willing to pay for any resort room, or the perceived value they see in it is certainly a matter of opinion.

But several of us did point out that the comparison made in the original post is invalid, because of the differences mentioned in the posts. If pointing out flaws in another's argument is considered a personal attack, then any internet discussion forum is not the right choice for you. :shrug:

 

[murphysmom]

Thanks, I'm glad a few people understand where I'm coming from. Like you, we have stayed at WDW many times, including in an ASM suite. Given the choices, my DW and I would much rather book 2 connecting rooms at a Moderate Resort for about $40/night less than one suite at AoA. I like the Value Resorts but like the Moderate Resorts more. (And the Deluxe Resorts even more! ) Given the options, we'd much rather have 2 connecting rooms at a Moderate Resort for the reasons you identified.

The only thing is that connecting rooms are never guaranteed. And I know that from having been denied them before! So any time you book 2 rooms and want them to be connecting, you are taking a chance that you won't get what you want.

As far as a value not being worth the cost, I think for the space you get, it is worth the price. I think some people think value automatically = cheap, which it does not. It means you are getting more for the price, which I think in this case you are. There is more to the AoA Suites than just another sleeping area.

 

[Zummi Gummi]

Thanks for the support. At times, it did feel as if I was being personally attacked because I expressed an opinion that some disagreed with. Like you, I recognize that people have different opinions and was interested in reading other thoughts on the subject. I am glad there were posts both supporting and questioning my original post. It makes for a more interesting thread.

Who was personally attacking you? I just re-read the entire thread and couldn't find any examples of this type of behavior. Can you please point out specific examples of these attacks?

 

[disneyrcks]

Yes, you have it about right. I am basically complaining that WDW is charging $345/night for a "Value Resort". I also am wondering what other people think about it. Does $345/night (more on weekends) at a Value Resort seem right to you?

Over the years, I've stayed at every WDW resort with the exception of the Cabins at Fort Wilderness. I'd like to stay at AoA but won't until the prices come down.

It wasn't that long ago that I booked 2 rooms at a Value Resort for $59/night or $118/night for 2 rooms. Now WDW is charging $345/night for the same square footage and resort category. I recognize that that's not a completely fair comparison but it's still seems like a shocking price increase, even taking into account the differences. So I'm basically feeling sticker shock and complaining. Am I alone in thinking that $345/night at a "Value Resort" is crazy?

For a suite, on property? Yes that seems about right, at least in my opinion. Would I pay the rack rate for it? Nope, probably not.

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

The only thing is that connecting rooms are never guaranteed. And I know that from having been denied them before! So any time you book 2 rooms and want them to be connecting, you are taking a chance that you won't get what you want.

As far as a value not being worth the cost, I think for the space you get, it is worth the price. I think some people think value automatically = cheap, which it does not. It means you are getting more for the price, which I think in this case you are. There is more to the AoA Suites than just another sleeping area.

I was about to point out the same thing. Of the 4 times I traveled with a group of 5 or more only once were we able to get connecting rooms. The other three times we weren't even next door to each other (twice we were in the same building but once we were in totally different buildings)

I'm sure they do try to get families together but it can be stressful for some people knowing that they won't find out if they have connecting rooms until they get there. I know some families like to have connecting rooms so they can have a parents room and a kids room and those plans would be out of the question if one room was in ASM Broadway building and the other in ASM Jazz building.

Just keep that in mind OP if you are relying on getting connecting rooms that it is a request only - not a guarantee. Just prepare yourself so you're not disappointed at check in.

 

[Glasgow]

As many have stated, "Value" is a relative term that has different meanings to different people. The normal rooms at AoA are $139 during July, so if you had to get 2 separate rooms you'd be paying $278. The suite is $345, so normal logic would state that the difference in price ($67) between those two options is probably not worth it to you, except that the $67 ensures that you can fit everyone into the same room and you get a few more amenities to boot. Plus, the resort is new so Disney will be testing the prices that they can charge based on demand for the newest resort on property.

The suite price seems pretty high at first inspection but I guess you just have to boil down all of the options and see where it fits in to your budget and personal opinion. It's really of no use to you to compare AoA with the Deluxe standard rooms at this point - almost all purchases are somewhat based on perceived 'value' so be careful not to mix the two different meanings of the word value.

Maybe the best solution is to try AoA next time when the prices may have stabilized somewhat?

 

[Wisconsin]

I think the OP was just objecting to AoA being categorized as a Value Resort but as murphysmom correctly pointed out, "Values" are not always cheap!