Least expensive deluxe?

[aurora, ariel, and bell]

Just wondering which of the deluxes is the least expensive, and is it worth it to stay there vs French quarter?

We usually stay at POR, and last time stayed at POP with grandkids. Husband is saying he is getting Disneyd out, so was wondering if staying at deluxe would be better. Need something to entice him...although the golf will do that too!:blush:

[Ransom]

Not counting any special discounts that may be available at a given resort, the Wilderness Lodge and the Animal Kingdom Lodge are the least expensive deluxe resorts.

Whether it's worth it comes down to individual preference, really. Versus a mod, you get an additional table service dining location...a Signature restaurant (Artist Point at WL, Jiko at AKL). You also get room doors that open to indoor corridors. And in the case of the Wilderness Lodge, you get a smaller resort in toto, plus boat service to the Magic Kingdom and the nightly Electrical Water Pageant. At AKL, you get an animal-filled savanna right on property (perhaps right out your window, if you pay for the view).

[our happy place]

Wilderness lodge is the heapest. we stayed there for the first time in Sept. We always stay moderate so this was our first time upgrading. The lodge is beautiful, the boat to magic kingdom is a nice perk but I don't think it was worth the extra thousand. Unlike the moderate the food court or counter service is scaled down to two stations one hot and one cold and the selection is always the same.My family always loved the food court and its many different choices. It was also the longest we ever had to wait for buses. I suppose there are less buses because its a smaller resort than the moderate, you also share routes with the Grand Floridian so it takes a little longer to get to where you're going. My DH did love that his coffee was just an elevator ride away no walking to another building.If the food and the buses are not a concern than it is a great place to stay.

[andreallybadeggs]

If the deluxes are too much of a jump you might also consider the Swan or Dolphin. They often have good promotionals and if hubby is feeling over-Disney'ed they could provide a nice compromise. We think they are lovely-- Disney views all over the property, heavenly beds, :cloud9: nice pool areas; definite winners. :thumbsup:

[garymacd]

We love both WL and POFQ, so trying to make a decision between them is tough. Usually for us it comes down to economics: do we splurge on lodgings or all those golf shirts and pearls from DtD?

Most often the pearls win out.

As to your original question, WL is the cheapest deluxe and is just great. I just love walking into that soaring lobby with the huge fireplace. I just wish we could afford the deluxe resort AND pearls for the girls.

[jnfr2424]

Another vote for the Swan and Dolphin. Its in a great location ( you can walk or boat to EC or DHS) Boardwalk is also right there and depending on when you decide to go they do have great discounts (practically @ moderate prices) give it a thought!

[aurora, ariel, and bell]

I never thought about Swan and Dolphin. Can you get the dining plan when staying there. We usually go in September with Free Dining, if the price is right I don't mind not going with free dining but I did like the convenience of the dining plan.

[Tygger7]

As others have posted, WL and AKL are the cheapest deluxe resorts. IMHO, it's defintely worth the extra $$ to upgrade. (We had a bad experience at POFQ, and there seem to have been a flurry of other problems at POFQ & POR lately.) What do you get for the extra money?

1. Softer, slightly larger beds. Yes, the WL beds have to be the best I've ever stayed in on WDW property. That alone is worth every penny.

2. Location, location, location. We spend a lot of our time at MK, so being across the lake & being able to take the boat over is a huge time-saver for us.

3. Location, location, location...part 2. In general, the bus times are better getting to/from the parks & WL. For example, when we stayed at POFQ, we never had a bus ride that was under 30 minutes...some were close to an hour. This was during the summer, but it really turned me off POFQ.

4. Inside hallways at WL. I HATE rooms with outside walkways....people seem to think they're the only ones on property and end up screaming at their kids right outside my door at all hours. You still get some noisy people with interior halls, but it's MUCH better.

Honestly, the WL is one of those places I could go and never set foot in the parks. I just love the overall feel of the resort, so it's well worth the extra cost to us. :mickey:

[jnfr2424]

I never thought about Swan and Dolphin. Can you get the dining plan when staying there. We usually go in September with Free Dining, if the price is right I don't mind not going with free dining but I did like the convenience of the dining plan.

that's one of the downsides: no free dining and no ME but you do get EMH. They are Sheraton hotels on Disney property

[aurora, ariel, and bell]

Can you still purchase the dining plans when staying at Swan/Dolphin?

[TammiMcMan]

Can you still purchase the dining plans when staying at Swan/Dolphin?No, unfortunately you cannot.

[Pirate Granny]

The last two times I went...the ME bus lines had both the Swan and Dolphin on the signs...is this new? Is it one way only?
:pirate:

[LudwigVonDrake]

When pricing for my next trip in July, WL was the lowest price of the Deluxe reosrts :mickey:

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Cheapest is Animal Kingdom...I've never stayed there but have always wanted to

[Disney Doll]

Okay, CSR is my favorite moderate and we just returned from our first deluxe trip (AKL). We had a big family trip in a 2 bedroom villa at Kidani with my parents' DVC. I don't know about WL, but here's my take on AKL.

1. Beds- we can get queen beds at CSR so the larger bed was not a perk to me. I didn't notice the beds at AKL being any softer than the beds at CSR.

2. Location- Very close to AK, but comparable travel times to the other parks. Bus service was no better or worse at CSR compared to AKL. Honestly, I prefer to rent a car anyway.

3. Inside hallways- I hated the inside hallways. Our room was at the end of a long hallway so every time we walked to our room all we saw was a long corridor of carpet and wallpaper. At the moderates you have beautiful landscaping to view along your route and I missed that. Makes the walk so much more enjoyable.

4. Savannah view- pretty awesome, but then no longer the cheapest deluxe since you pay extra for a savannah view room.

5. Pool- We stayed at Kidani where they have the new splash park and we spent tons of time there with our son.

Overall, AKL was great mostly because we didn't pay for it (parent's DVC). However, a deluxe trip has not spoiled me. In fact I think I still prefer CSR. I'm not convinced that AKL is worth the extra cost.