Is it worth it to stay at a deluxe resort?

[Just Theo]

I’ve been planning a 8 day stay in Disney World in December of this year. I’ve been checking out the resorts and the Deluxe hotels look awesome and I keep going back and forth between the Deluxe and Moderate level resorts. The deluxe ones can be $2000+ more than staying in a moderate resort for the 8 days and I’m just wondering if people think it’s worth it when you’re spending the vast majority of the time that you aren’t sleeping away from the resorts in the parks.

[WisconsinDisneyDad]

We are bigger fans of staying off property for exactly what you said, you're not going to Disney to sit in your room. Can get a heck of an off property house with private pool for that price, actually likely half or less of the price. Unless you plan on spending lots of time at the resort, there really is no benefit of staying there right now (no FastPass 60 day vs 30).

[Liquid Ice]

If you want to stay at a Deluxe resort, I would recommend looking at renting DVC points. All DVC Villas are considered Deluxe resorts and you can often stay at one for more than 50% off what Disney lists the equivalent room at.

I think it depends what deluxe resort you're staying at.

Different resorts have different advantages - and for some of them the advantage is not going to the parks. For all DVC Resorts, 1 bedroom and larger room types come with a full kitchen - so you could save money on food by reheating leftovers or cooking yourself in the room - but who really wants to cook on vacation?

For the ones I have stayed at (Bay Lake Tower, Boardwalk and Beach Club) - proximity to the parks is the reason to stay there. For Bay Lake Tower, the short walk to Magic Kingdom (and not having to go through the TTC) or taking the Monorail to Magic Kingdom (and eventually maybe Epcot again), fireworks view from the hotel (or your room for certain room types) - it is up to you if it is worth the extra cost.

Boardwalk / Beach Club - is also about location. For Beach Club in particular, the walk to Epcot is less than 5 minutes, it feels like you're in the park. The walk to Hollywood Studios is about 20 mins from Beach Club, and for Boardwalk the walk is probably 10-15 mins for both Hollywood Studios and Epcot.

My pet peeve about Boardwalk is the rooms don't feel like you're in a Deluxe Resort, at least on the Villas side - despite being refurbished in 2016 the rooms feel really old and musty in some cases - the recently refurbished Pop Century resort rooms feel newer and nicer in some respects.

Beach Club for whatever reason - despite being around the same age, the rooms don't feel as old or musty although the Beach Club Villas are located behind the Beach Club Hotel rooms so the views aren't that good. Beach Club also has an awesome pool, Storm Along Bay.

With both Boardwalk and Beach Club if you don't want to walk, you have the option for the Friendship Boats and the Epcot Skyliner station is very close to Beach Club and not far from Boardwalk.

For other Deluxe Resorts like Old Key West and Saratoga Springs it is proximity to Disney Springs and having a lot of activities at the resorts.

At the end of the day it is up to you to decide if it is worth it or not. If you're going to rope drop the parks and stay until close and just sleep in the room, a Value resort is probably great - staying off property might be even better if you don't mind renting a car or using a Uber/Lyft.

If you come to the parks often, you might want to take things easier and relax at the resorts along with visiting the parks maybe for half of the day - and that is where the deluxe resorts might be worth while, especially if you consider renting DVC Points and the cheaper price.

As far as on-property vs off-property, one advantage right now and for the forseeable future is if you're an out of state Annual Passholder that normally stays in a hotel or some kind of overnight accommodation is you need to stay in a "Disney resort" to get a Park Pass for your stay. If you stay offsite (other than a Disney Springs hotel) and you don't have Theme Park Tickets then you're limited to 3 Park Passes at a time. So for me, as an out of state AP holder, that is one benefit of staying on site - guaranteeing I can get into the park I want each day.

[AnimalKingdomFan79]

It really depends on the resort. Firstly, we know now that staying onsite has less benefits than it once did (extra magic/early fast pass choices gone).

Other than that sometimes it's worth it to stay somewhere nicer for peace of mind or comfort and the question would be are you willing to pay for all of the extra convenience? (i.e. potentially larger room/nicer bed/having stove/microwave etc. etc.) And also consider each member of your traveling party and their preferences. If you plan to spend most days at the parks I generally wouldn't bother with a deluxe resort. But maybe if some folks in your traveling party want to stay in certain days (or pop in to rest in the room midday) then opting for a nicer room may make sense.

Also, if you are thinking moderate, I would consider distance/modes of transport/distance from other resorts + food options. Do you want to be near the Skyliner, do you want to have the option to just walk over to x resort & have breakfast there? I know transportation can take up a lot of time and even more so now with the limitations on capacity. I stayed at CBR last time and was able to have quick + easy access to the Riviera so I still had the option to get some of those 'perks' - plus the Skyliner got us to HS & Epcot quickly. The room wasn't top notch but it did the trick and the grounds were fairly quiet.

TLDR; unless someone in your traveling party needs the large space/added accommodations of a deluxe, save your funds and go moderate.

[Brewbud]

We prefer to stay in Deluxe resorts. For us, part of the vacation is the resort itself so we will pay the extra money. DVC rentals are a great option to save some money. Deluxe resorts have better food options and all but AKL are close to at least one park which makes for easier transportation options. I am not a fan of hotel rooms without balconies. Fortunately, all the Deluxe rooms have balconies.

Staying outside the Disney bubble is great for some, but a Disney vacation for us is more of an immersive experience. Even the one time we rented a car for our stay seemed to change the feel of the trip.

[Just Theo]

We prefer to stay in Deluxe resorts. For us, part of the vacation is the resort itself so we will pay the extra money. DVC rentals are a great option to save some money. Deluxe resorts have better food options and all but AKL are close to at least one park which makes for easier transportation options. I am not a fan of hotel rooms without balconies. Fortunately, all the Deluxe rooms have balconies.

Staying outside the Disney bubble is great for some, but a Disney vacation for us is more of an immersive experience. Even the one time we rented a car for our stay seemed to change the feel of the trip.

Thanks Brewbud.....this was the response I really wanted. you figured out that really i was looking for an enabler, while the other people thought I actually wanted real advice.

[GAN]

It's worth it to stay Deluxe -but you stay where it fits your budget. I'm with Liquid Ice ...rent DVC Points.

[CH-GenX]

We stay deluxe because we like how close they are to the parks, and they are just nice hotels with the disney magic! Being able to walk over to the Magic Kingdom or walk home at night from MK? Is amazing!

[randyf79]

Just Theo,

Now that you are enabled ...a suggestion is to consider the newest resort The Riviera. You would need to rent some DVC points. I would classify it as a Moderate+...it's brand new, you have the Skyliner to get to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios...and you can get great views of several parks at night. We checked it out on our last trip...beautiful facilities and the Skyliner was fun.

Learn more here: https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.co ... gK_9PD_BwE

Whatever you choose, hope you have a magical time!