Are Magic Kingdom Deluxe hotes worth the $$$$?

[SBETigg]

If convenience and speed in getting to and from a resort are factors in deciding which MK resort to choose, the WL will win just about every time. The WL/MK bus beats the MR. It's a five minute ride and due to an operational necessity, don't ask, it's complicated, they run more frequently than any other resort to park bus on property.

Win every time, arguable. It's not faster than hopping on the monorail at the GF to MK. It's probably not faster than hopping on the monorail to the MK from the Poly. It all depends on wait times. Is the bus right there? Yeah, five minute ride. Is the monorail delayed or one just pulled out? Yeah, maybe WL beats it that time. How about the walk from the Contemporary? And what about the boat launches from the GF-Poly-Contemporary-WL? You could argue that it's usually faster by your experience, but you can't say "wins every time" with any certainty. Plus, the bus just is not the most pleasant way to travel. With little ones, the convenience of just rolling the stroller on to the monorail beats bus travel any time for me, even if it's faster by bus.

[A Big Kid]

It is TOTALY worth it to me. Totaly. And here is why:

#1) I find the Deluxes quieter, dare a say saner, than the values.
#2) I'd rather have a meal at a sit down restaurant on vacation than do the "Food Court Full Court Press."
#3) Location at any Deluxe is closer to at least one park.


My wife and I did the POP once to "save some money" and we were very sorry we did.

[buddie]

Win every time, arguable.

Ok, I'll give you maybe not every time.

It's probably not faster than hopping on the monorail to the MK from the Poly.

Once on the monorail or the bus, it absolutely is faster.

It all depends on wait times. Is the bus right there? Yeah, five minute ride. Is the monorail delayed or one just pulled out? Yeah, maybe WL beats it that time.

Is the monorail right there?
As I said, and this only applies to the WL/MK run, buses are dispatched more often than at other resorts.

You could argue that it's usually faster by your experience

Ok, good point. You say the monorail is better by your experiences. How many times have you taken the monorail from MK to resort and how many times have I been on the bus from MK to the WL?

The point is that people shouldn't discount the WL just because it's not a monorail resort.

[HeadFairyInCharge]

Grant it this is a personal opinion and everyone views Disney differently. We love the monorail and boat transportation. Buses are a pain when dealing with a stroller and you will need a stroller. The food choices are much better at Deluxe all around, and atmosphere is top notch. When I travel to Disney or anywhere I need to try and make it feel vacation like... even if Disney is more of an active event than relaxation time away like a beach vacation would be. My two cents ..your Daughter is young and all though she may love all there is to see...the experiences are slightly limited for her size, you may want to wait a year. Always go during a discount or special offer. We have done free dining and stayed at Grand Flo it was awesome. We are going back next week on a pin code discount and can't believe we are doing GF again. It is that nice -that I didn't want to change. Poly has great theme, as well as CR but the whole Victorian feel just fits us perfectly. I have 2 DD ages 8 and 5 this is our third trip since 2008. Our first trip youngest was just over 2 the other one was 5 and it was great but more for the 5 year old. DD 2 was actually scared of Cinderella ! Look into the slower times of year for lower prices, the weather is always great, just have to know how you will spend your trip and plan...plan..plan. Good Luck

[SBETigg]

The point is that people shouldn't discount the WL just because it's not a monorail resort.

Your end point is a good one. For the savings, the WL is a good choice for many people. And some people prefer the theme and the resort layout.

[BrerGnat]

In my opinion, based on experience, the Wilderness Lodge and Contemporary Resort are the only two MK resorts that are "worth it" (when compared to a moderte or value, speaking of the upgrade to an MK resort).

I find the Poly very off putting, thematically, and it's missing a lot of "perks" that every other Deluxe has. The layout with the various buildings is not my idea of convenient (ditto on GF).

I find the GF not that convenient, unless you are going from there to the MK. That is the only convenient route while staying at that resort. Buses to other parks share with other resorts, and the trip to Epcot from GF is convoluted and long via monorail.

When speaking directly to the convenience of traversing the resort-MK-resort trip, Contemporary wins hands down. The ability to walk cannot be undervalued.

[eire]

Worth Every Penny!!!!!!

[javamama]

Yes, it's completely worth it IMO. I've stayed at 2 mods b4, they were fine. We haven't stayed at Moderates since the mid 90's. I prefer the DLX rooms, ammenities are better, and resorts are bit better IMO(pools, and resort dining). I'll go 1 further, I prefer to stay at MK Resorts only on the monorail line. It's pricey, but well worth it to our family. We stayed at an Epcot area DLX, and wouldn't do that again....resort was beautiful, but having a bus break down ruined it forever for our family!

[RBrooksC]

The CR was worth the money for us. We were within walking distance to the MK. My children are 5 and 2 and so it made getting to parks like Epcot and MK VERY easy. We did have a car so that helped. What I liked is we could see the fireworks from our room and the MK view was great. My son, who loves trains, loved that he could see the monorail from our balcony.

On the Sunday night we were there, after dinner at the CG with some friends, I took my five year old to the MK for EMH and the ability to just pick up and walk there was fantastic.

[Mogie]

I prefer the Deluxe hotels as well. But i dont think the monorail deluxe hotels they are worth the price. The buses seem to be way more convenient than monorail system. Plus if Im going to pay for a deluxe, I would want the convenience of being near the boardwalk.

[Mousemates]

I prefer the Deluxe hotels as well. But i dont think the monorail deluxe hotels they are worth the price. The buses seem to be way more convenient than monorail system. Plus if Im going to pay for a deluxe, I would want the convenience of being near the boardwalk.

no disagreement here...i think the BC/YC have the best locations in WDW

[buzznwoodysmom]

We stayed at an Epcot area DLX, and wouldn't do that again....resort was beautiful, but having a bus break down ruined it forever for our family!

I have a question, just because I'm cruious. Do you not use a bus at all when staying at a monorail resort? If you go to DHS or AK don't you get there by bus? You could end up having a bus break down when staying at a monorail resort too, right? Not trying to be argumentive, just curious.

[SBETigg]

I have a question, just because I'm cruious. Do you not use a bus at all when staying at a monorail resort? If you go to DHS or AK don't you get there by bus? You could end up having a bus break down when staying at a monorail resort too, right? Not trying to be argumentive, just curious.

Yes, it's buses to anywhere but MK and Epcot. We spend most of our time at those two parks and resorts, but there are times when you need buses from monorail deluxes, too.

[buzznwoodysmom]

Yes, it's buses to anywhere but MK and Epcot. We spend most of our time at those two parks and resorts, but there are times when you need buses from monorail deluxes, too.

Yeah, I know that to get to those parks you need buses, but I'm wondering why the poster I quoted feels that a broken down bus ruined her opinion of the Epcot deluxe resorts. They stated that while staying at an Epcot deluxe resort they experienced a bus break down that ruined it for them. Yet even at a monorail resort you have the same chance of getting on a bus that might break down as you do when staying in an Epcot resort, unless you don't visit all the parks. Both resort areas leave you with basically the same options. Two parks in which you must take a bus, two parks with alternative transportation. I was just cruious as to why a MK resort would be better, or eliminate the possibility the poster experienced at an Epcot resort.

[joonyer]

Well, a monorail breakdown would be just as bad, probably worse, as far as having to wait to get off and get alternate transportation. You could be stuck for hours. You can't really judge any resort by rare occurrences, like a bus breakdown or hurricane, or other calamity. Sure it might "ruin" your particular vacation, but it wouldn't be the result of the resort you chose.

As far as the original question, I'd say the Deluxe resorts are worth the extra money, IF you have the extra money. For us, the money we save by staying in a value resort is the difference between going to WDW, or staying home. We'd rather go to stay in a a value and be able to go to WDW every other year, than only go to WDW once every 5 years and stay in a deluxe.

The resorts are like icing on a cake for us. We enjoy them, but it's the parks that bring us to WDW. We spend very little time at our resort except sleeping and showering. We have to get to the parks!

[Darbylew]

It is not worth the extra money for us as we are up and out of the room in the parks all day. We have stayed at a deluxe but like the moderates
better. It depends on what is best for you and your family. We always stay at a moderate. I
know whatever you choose it will be very
magical for your little one. Have a great time.
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT AND GOING BACK IN
DECEMBER!!