Disney lodging is no longer price competitive

[Goes4FastPass]

...we can pay $20 less per night than a value and get free internet, fridge, microwave, and plasma tv its hard to sacrifice those things with paying more money.

We have internet (that's faster),
fridge (that's bigger),
microwave (that's better) and
plasma TV (with many HD channels and Little Big Planet)
at home.

What we don't have is a bus stop near our bedroom where we can hop on and go to MK... EPCOT... DHS... AK... DTD...

That's why we DME to WDW to have FUN.

[Ian]

That's why we DME to WDW to have FUN.

But to be fair, the fun really isn't totally dependent (at least for most people) on staying on property.

I've stayed off property many times and had as good a good time as when I've stayed on.

[Goes4FastPass]

But to be fair, the fun really isn't totally dependent (at least for most people) on staying on property.

I've stayed off property many times and had as good a good time as when I've stayed on.

I only meant to say that when we say, "you can get a better room for less money off property" it's only fair to point out WDW resorts have their own advantages over off property choices.

I expect everyone who passes through the Walt Disney World archway to have fun.

The notion of sorting people into "resort guests" and "day guests" is a Disney Company invention.

[gueli]

I for one do not disagree with your choice.
I have not stayed at the universal hotels, but for universal to compete with 'the magic' - they have to do something to get people there.
I do like the disney perks.
I do like to be immersed in the magic.
But if a $1200 difference means that you will enjoy your trip more- than more power to you.

And for those who believe that disney is the only way to go- There is nothing wrong with you. As long as you enjoy your trip, what does it matter what someone else does ?

[luvmyboys4ever]

Two words...Bonnet Creek!
It is right in Disney.
The 2 bedroom deluxe is huge.
If you get a room using that ever popular auction site, you can get a 2 bedroom deluxe for around $100 a night...less for a 1 bedroom!
The 2 bedroom gives you a full size kitchen, washer & dryer, jacuzzi tub in master bath(that's right, you get 2 bathrooms), a real livingroom, balcany...etc.
You can't even imagine how much room you will have, and at such an amazing price!
Sure, there are cons, but no enough to convince me to stay away for our next trip
Some cons:
Limited shuttle service---we drive or rent a car---we don't like to wait for buses
No EMH---we avoid the parks with EMH
Pay for parking---we're saving so much money, we don't care---Make full meals, do laundry for free...it all adds up! Not to mention the great deal on the room itself.
Yep, it's settled...next trip, we stay at Bonnet Creek

[iheartdisney]

We have internet (that's faster),
fridge (that's bigger),
microwave (that's better) and
plasma TV (with many HD channels and Little Big Planet)
at home.

What we don't have is a bus stop near our bedroom where we can hop on and go to MK... EPCOT... DHS... AK... DTD...

That's why we DME to WDW to have FUN.

Exactly! Quite honestly we don't consider staying anywhere else. We prefer and can luckily afford the deluxe resorts. However, when we travel elsewhere we ALWAYS compare our experience to a deluxe resort at Disney. And 9 times out of 10 we find that Disney is providing the same value (if you include all of the conveniences shared above) if not better than deluxe resorts elsewhere. Level of service is often 10X better. And quite frankly, we don't mind paying for that. Now I'm not saying that the Value resorts don't offer amazing service, they do! (We've chaperoned many a school trip) Deluxe resorts offer pool amenities and proximity to parks, varied transportation (monorail, boat, walking out your door!) that we don't mind paying for. Sure the room sizes are not grand but at the last deluxe resort we stayed at (a spa, located in Georgia, ranked and rated) our room was only slightly larger than any we stayed at Disney. But the attention to detail, the cleanliness and the service was not up to Disney standards.

[princessgirls]

It's all about location, location and location and they are offering transporation as a perk!

Motel rooms are a fortune at the Jersey Shore too during the summer... and I pay them too, and those rooms are NOTHING to write home about! LOL!!
Julie

[Seasonscraps]

It's all about location, location and location and they are offering transporation as a perk!

Motel rooms are a fortune at the Jersey Shore too during the summer... and I pay them too, and those rooms are NOTHING to write home about! LOL!!
Julie

True - but you have a general idea of what to expect when you book a motel.

When I hear deluxe accomodations, I have certain expectations that are not entirely met by the Disney deluxe resorts. I am not saying they are bad or that there are not advantages to staying there they are just a little over priced for the ammenities provided.

[hokies4life]

The other part of what I was trying to say before was that those are things we have come to expect from hotels when we travel. All those things help us with meals and snacks and staying connected since we are a couple of "computer geeks" that would not deal well with all that time away from a computer. Free internet alone would make the hotels more comparable for us.

I know what people are going to say, why do you need internet when you're in WDW? But when you grew up in our generation when we use computers all the time and that is the basis of BF's job, its not really something we can be without.

[BIGDOG]

It is a very simple question do you want to wake up inside the happiest place on earth? Or do you want to wake up out side of Disney? I my self only spend the extra money to be surrounded 24/7 by Disney for the kids(and me). If that does not matter then most defiantly save the cash for other things.

[SurferStitch]

I want to pose this question to all of you who stay for the "immersion" factor. Why should luxury have to be sacrificed for theming on the deluxe level? I can't think of any reason why. It is one of the things which disappoints me with Disney "Deluxe" hotels. They seem to be starting to fix that on some level, especially at the Contemporary, but not at the level I think it should be commiserate with the price charged for rooms.

It is definitely the reason they no longer call it "Concierge" level and is now Club level. People who booked that level of accommodations expected concierge service as they would receive at any other deluxe hotel, which Disney did not provide. So, in response to the complaints, they had to re-brand that level of rooms.

I have to say, our last stay in GF Sugar Loaf completely amazed me, and really made me appreciate the luxury at their flagship luxury resort.

The staff in Sugar Loaf was exactly like I imagined concierge to be! They were extremely attentive, and Robert (the best concierge EVER) was almost a mind reader. He offered us things and did several tasks for us without us needing to even ask! He almost always knew what we needed, and made sure our stay was completely magical.

The quality of a WDW room does far surpass most places we've stayed at. Yes, we've had beautiful rooms in NYC (most recently at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square), but there was no real theme or style to the room. We had a gorgeous 1 bedroom suite at the Waldorf in NYC, but the other two times we had older, almost run-down rooms for the same price. We've NEVER had that in WDW.

As for the luxury in a deluxe resort at WDW.....

At the Grand Flo we had incredible bedding, turndown service, chocolates, extra towels that were fluffy, thick robes, every lotion and potion you could want (even foot rub lotion), roses throughout our room, nice gifts from concierge, champagne on two different nights, and an incredibly friendly and courteous staff.

Sugar Loaf service blew the Royal Palm Club away! We've also had spectacular service and attention when we stay in a regular room there, too.

The Poly was also meticulously detailed, and we were thrilled with the quality of the room and grounds there. Not the level of service like at the Flo, but still a fabulous experience.

We've also stayed moderates and values, and we feel the values are a great price. You get a lot for not much money, and we would stay at Pop again.

[Hammer]

I have to say, our last stay in GF Sugar Loaf completely amazed me, and really made me appreciate the luxury at their flagship luxury resort.

The staff in Sugar Loaf was exactly like I imagined concierge to be! They were extremely attentive, and Robert (the best concierge EVER) was almost a mind reader. He offered us things and did several tasks for us without us needing to even ask! He almost always knew what we needed, and made sure our stay was completely magical.
...
As for the luxury in a deluxe resort at WDW.....

At the Grand Flo we had incredible bedding, turndown service, chocolates, extra towels that were fluffy, thick robes, every lotion and potion you could want (even foot rub lotion), roses throughout our room, nice gifts from concierge, champagne on two different nights, and an incredibly friendly and courteous staff.

Sugar Loaf service blew the Royal Palm Club away! We've also had spectacular service and attention when we stay in a regular room there, too.

The Poly was also meticulously detailed, and we were thrilled with the quality of the room and grounds there. Not the level of service like at the Flo, but still a fabulous experience.

I have read all about your experience but I don't believe that is the generally what is received by most WDW club level guests. From other reports I've read here, most staff at the various club levels are not like Robert. Maybe that's part of the problem. If all club level staff was like Robert, you might be able to actually call club level "concierge" once again. Sadly, it is not consistent.

The quality of a WDW room does far surpass most places we've stayed at. Yes, we've had beautiful rooms in NYC (most recently at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square), but there was no real theme or style to the room. We had a gorgeous 1 bedroom suite at the Waldorf in NYC, but the other two times we had older, almost run-down rooms for the same price. We've NEVER had that in WDW.

It's funny you used the Waldorf. We feel the same way about the Waldorf. It's living off past reputation which it doesn't really deserve anymore as the rooms and level of service is not consistent.

[lockedoutlogic]

Two Things:

The Waldorf isn't the same because...I believe...it is run by a hotel conglomerate. That brings an automatic bottomline attitude that will more often than not cut corners to increase profit at an acceptable loss of mystique or reputaion

The second.....as SurferStitch outlined what sounded like a great stay at Sugarloaf at the GF (coincidentally most GF patrons hate the concept of "secondary" concierge)....it is not a description of a great concierge stay - rather a great Disney stay. Real concierge is about "access" and granting all requests. Many provide luxury airport service and or complimentary private transportation for length of stay. Concierge also is about granting all requests....something no disney concierge has the access or means to do. But mostly concierge is about access. The connections and access to never tell a patron "no" to anything (legal...of course)
Disney cannot do that. They can't even hammer people into their own restaurants often.

I'm sure it was a great trip....but 500+ a night? But most of what was credited was fluff...not concierge type stuff. And it didn't cost them much to do it.

Sorry....not cutting it.

[Ian]

I have read all about your experience but I don't believe that is the generally what is received by most WDW club level guests. From other reports I've read here, most staff at the various club levels are not like Robert. Maybe that's part of the problem. If all club level staff was like Robert, you might be able to actually call club level "concierge" once again. Sadly, it is not consistent.

I can assure you 100% that it's not consistent, because we had a Club Level stay at the Poly that was pathetic. I mean just pathetic. It wasn't even good by Holiday Inn standards, let alone Disney Club Level standards.

I agree with lockedoutlogic totally on this one. Disney concierge is not real concierge service (hence the name change to "Club Level").

[cgriff]

This thread was summed up nicely with TOYMAN357's post. Concierge vs. "club" level service expectations were not the topic of the original post.

[Hammer]

This thread was summed up nicely with TOYMAN357's post. Concierge vs. "club" level service expectations were not the topic of the original post.

Yes, the conversation is relevant as the original poster is getting club level service at a Universal hotel for $1200 less than a standard room at a WDW deluxe.

While some people will pay the extra just because it is Disney, it needs to be pointed out where Disney needs to improve as many more people leave after a WDW deluxe stay dissatisfied because they have the expectation of a deluxe stay that they would receive anywhere else.

[Ian]

This thread was summed up nicely with TOYMAN357's post. Concierge vs. "club" level service expectations were not the topic of the original post.

Since you aren't the OP, don't you think it best to leave it up to him what he thinks is and isn't relevant and what does or does not "sum up the thread nicely"?

[cgriff]

Yes, the conversation is relevant... as many more people leave after a WDW deluxe stay dissatisfied...

"Many more people..leave WDW..dissatisfied". Wha? Many more people leave WDW dissatisfied than leave satisfied? That's a bold assertion. Please provide your stats and sources so that this can be independently verified.

[cgriff]

Since you aren't the OP, don't you think it best to leave it up to him what he thinks is and isn't relevant and what does or does not "sum up the thread nicely"?

No.

[Hammer]

My statistics are from talking with people who have gone to WDW and booked deluxe accommodations and have come back and spoken with me. They do say that they had a nice stay (most of the time) but almost every one has said to me that it was not an actual deluxe experience as they have experienced in other locations which are also AAA 4-5 Diamond Rated. No specific article by a critic, though my sister (one of my sources) is a conference/event planner who judges hotel properties as part of her job.