Worried I'll be disappointed with a Moderate after staying at a Deluxe

[nkereina]

We stayed at Poly for my very first trip, so I thought I'd be let down every trip after that. But truthfully, we haven't. We've also stayed at AKV over the course of our trips. For us, the moderate resorts are just as nice and even provide amenities we like better, like a more robust food court and QS offerings. Its hard for me to justify the cost of any deluxe resort after experiencing everything the moderates have to offer.

 

[bavarian princess]

I recently staid at the new CSR Tower room and must say it was an almost deluxe experience. Maybe that could be an option for your family?

 

[Deb & Bill]

We stayed at Poly for my very first trip, so I thought I'd be let down every trip after that. But truthfully, we haven't. We've also stayed at AKV over the course of our trips. For us, the moderate resorts are just as nice and even provide amenities we like better, like a more robust food court and QS offerings. Its hard for me to justify the cost of any deluxe resort after experiencing everything the moderates have to offer.

We stayed at the Polynesian on our first trip and never again for another 50 trips. Not in love with the Polynesian, but it was fine for our first trip.

 

[JoJoGirl]

We love the PO resorts and have stayed at both many times. POFQ is my first choice when budget calls for a moderate, with Riverside being a close second, mostly due to the sheer size of it and the multiple bus stops.

One thing that hasn’t been mentioned about POR is that not all the buildings have elevators, only the mansions. The bayou buildings have stairs only. Not sure if that would be an issue for your mom, but something to consider.

 

[laurenpetro]

We stayed at deluxe resorts and then went to POR. I won't be back. The service was great, the people were fantastic. Mainly it was a space issue for us with 5 in our room. It was also a LOOOOT of walking, which was fine except in the rain. We actually had the building furthest from the main building which was great for the bus since it was closest to the first stop on the line.

If space isn't an issue then you're fine. It's a lovely place.

 

[nkereina]

We stayed at the Polynesian on our first trip and never again for another 50 trips. Not in love with the Polynesian, but it was fine for our first trip.

My point isn't about Poly specifically, but just that if you are blown away and love the first resort you stayed at (like the OP with WL), don't let that discount or takeaway from other resorts. They all have their pros and cons, and there may be another one you like better or just as much. You don't know until you try. At the end of the day, they are still a Disney resort - you know you won't be staying at the Bates Motel.

 

[Momto2minniemice]

We own DVC and normally stay there, but when we need more nights we stay at a value. Believe it or not we like the values for so many reasons! The buses are great and not shared for one and the quick services have much better selection than the deluxe resorts.

 

[Disneypro1]

We love the moderates. But, to save money usually stay at the values though.
We have stayed Deluxe. WL and I could not imagine being disappointed staying from one to another. To me. The Values are great. Let alone a moderate.

 

[CynBeth]

We visit every few years and alternate between mod and deluxe. We have stayed in both POFQ and POR and loved them both but were at FQ years ago before the renovation. In 2018 we were at Riverside in a Royal Room with a river view during Thanksgiving week and to us the walk to the food court was not bad. The bus system worked out fine.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

We stayed at deluxe resorts and then went to POR. I won't be back. The service was great, the people were fantastic. Mainly it was a space issue for us with 5 in our room. It was also a LOOOOT of walking, which was fine except in the rain. We actually had the building furthest from the main building which was great for the bus since it was closest to the first stop on the line.

If space isn't an issue then you're fine. It's a lovely place.

Last time we spent a full vacation at Port Orleans we had 2 adults and 3 teens and that simply didn't work for us. Agree that 5 in a Port Orleans room is too crowded.

 

[vadersprincess12]

We love POR as well. We stayed at Wilderness Lodge two years ago as it was a resort I always wanted to stay in. We had a great visit but the truth is that the rooms are not much larger, if at all, than the moderate resorts and since we are in the resort usually just to sleep and shower, we'd rather spend the money having fun. And, we can always do some resort hopping to spend a little fireside time at Wilderness Lodge fireplace whenever we want. We also go to the Geyser Point Restaurant on the water there to watch the fireworks.

Riverside is a lovely resort ~ Old Man Island pool is relaxing and refreshing, and the Riverside Mill food court has plenty of choices. We love walking the winding paths throughout the resort and along the river. It's nice to walk over to French Quarter to get some Mickey beignets.

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

You might want to try POFQ since it is a more compact resort than POR and there is only one bus stop. You still have a boat to Disney Springs. Unless POFQ isn't included in the discounts you are looking at.

I agree. I would go with POFQ for sheer size and limiting walking at the resort. I actually choose it due to mobility issues myself.Also chose it because all of FQ buildings have elevators, whereas POR does not have elevators, only in the mansions.

 

[YawningDodo]

Like many others in this thread, I adore Port Orleans French Quarter and think its compact size would lend itself well to your needs--none of the rooms are very far from either the food court/bus stop or from the boat dock. It's buses only to the parks but you can take a scenic boat ride to Disney Springs. Same is true of Riverside, but it's a much larger resort and you'd want to be more careful about your room requests.

Two alternatives spring to my mind, though. Have you looked at either of these?

1. Swan/Dolphin - these are between Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios. They're not Disney-owned, so Magical Express transportation and MagicBands aren't included, but they're deluxe-level resorts that tend to get deeper discounts as a result. I stayed at the Dolphin with my mom in 2015 because my parents found a good deal through Costco. Now, I did not like the Dolphin as much as I like the Disney moderates I've stayed at, because it was too light on theming--it felt a bit generic to me. There are people who love it, though, and it's got a great location (you don't have to walk to Epcot and DHS there; you can take a boat instead--a lot of people just walk because it's about as fast or faster to go on foot).

2. DVC rental. If you want to go this route you're going to need to submit your reservation and lay down the money 11 months in advance to get the room you want, but you can end up staying at Deluxe-level resorts at a deep discount this way. For our trip in January 2021 I'm going to go through Dave's DVC Rental, which is one of two recommended online brokers (you can rent directly from a DVC owner, but your purchase is protected if you go through a broker). You do need to be prepared to pay at time of booking, though. I'd suggest reading Disney Tourist Blog's guide to DVC rental if you haven't looked at that option yet.

 

[Sue M]

Are the royal rooms the same as the preferred in terms of distance? When I checked pricing I used the royal rooms; I figured worst case scenario was the standard rooms would be that price by March 2021, and best case scenario was they hadn't increased by much and I had budgeted enough to get a room closer to the main action.

No, actually the closest (non preferred) rooms would be in Magnolia Terrace or Acadian house with a location close to foot bridge, I’m the mansion section.
The preferred rooms are in the Bayou section and they all have the 5th bed, taking away a dresser.

As mentioned, Pofq is more compact. We stayed in bldg 4 in the end closest to food court and bus.

when you make your room request, add on the request mobility difficulty. I assume you will have a scooter for your mom, and a first floor room will be easier.

We happily go back and forth between mod and deluxe resorts. No problem.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I started at moderate, went up to deluxe and this past trip I did a split with POFQ and BWV. DD12 like POFQ more. It really is a lovely resort. It's small which would make it easier for your mom and her mobility issues. We can easily go back and forth. If I can afford it and it doesn't break the bank and I feel like it's a good deal I'll do deluxe. If not moderate it is!

 

[Octoberbaby]

POR is beautiful, but imo if you don't get a preferred room you will be disappointed. The size of the resort along with the number of bus stops is why I tend to stay away from the moderate resorts. I will stay at one if I have to, we just stayed at Coronado a couple of weeks ago, but keep in mind that it will NOT be anything like the WL.

 

[CastAStone]

Are the royal rooms the same as the preferred in terms of distance? When I checked pricing I used the royal rooms; I figured worst case scenario was the standard rooms would be that price by March 2021, and best case scenario was they hadn't increased by much and I had budgeted enough to get a room closer to the main action.

No, actually the closest (non preferred) rooms would be in Magnolia Terrace or Acadian house with a location close to foot bridge, I’m the mansion section.
The preferred rooms are in the Bayou section and they all have the 5th bed, taking away a dresser.

If you do a Royal Room with a River View, all of those are in buildings 90 and 95 and are pretty darn close to the lobby. The preferred rooms are still closer.

 

[MsKrueger]

POR is beautiful, but imo if you don't get a preferred room you will be disappointed. The size of the resort along with the number of bus stops is why I tend to stay away from the moderate resorts. I will stay at one if I have to, we just stayed at Coronado a couple of weeks ago, but keep in mind that it will NOT be anything like the WL.

Was I just the number of bus stops, or was it something else that made you disappointed?

 

[Heather07438]

Two years ago, in March 2018, I stayed at the Wilderness Lodge for four nights. It was my first trip to DW, as well as my mom's. It was amazing and we loved it, and I really want to go back March 2021. Unfortunately, I was looking at the price increases and I just can't justify staying at the WL again. Since we agreed we wanted to stay an extra night, the price increases bump the trip up by almost $1,000 dollars (we also do the dining plan). This just won't be possible.

I was looking at the moderates, and while prices for next year aren't out yet staying at POR should still be close to what we paid in 2018. However...I'm worried about staying at a moderate, as snobbish as that may sound. The reviews are good, but I'm tense about how big the resort is and the bus transportation in particular since my mom has several health problems that can make walking long distances difficult. What do you guys think? Will I like POR? Will I be disappointed after staying at WL? Am I way overthinking this, considering we only spend one day at the resort and the big attraction is the parks anyway?

We've bounced around doing deluxe and mods and the occasional night in a value. Honestly, I don't find a huge difference between Mod & Deluxe.

I think of it this way: A WDW trip is full options. We set out with an acceptable budget and then design our trip. When spending extra on resort, we'll pull back expenses elsewhere.

The 2 trips we stayed at PO Riverside were wonderful. The rooms were more than adequate and the grounds absolutely gorgeous. Deluxe can be a bit nicer and certain things feel more special (like Savannah at AKL ), but I'm not always sure it's worth the much larger expense. The $1-2k more spent on a Deluxe could afford upgrade tickets to After Hours, Harambe Feast, dinner at V&A's and Minnie Vans the whole trip... if that money was saved by staying at a Mod instead. It's all about what is important to you for this trip.

I would highly recommend renting a scooter for your Mom. It's well under $200, they're very easy to use and an enormous help for navigating resort grounds and parks. Let me know if you have any questions about scooters, we have much experience and I whole-heartedly recommend for those concerned with mobility. Makes a trip much easier for them.

 

[MsKrueger]

If you do a Royal Room with a River View, all of those are in buildings 90 and 95 and are pretty darn close to the lobby. The preferred rooms are still closer.

Good to know. I think I'll show her a map of the resort with the royal/preferred rooms marked and ask her what she prefers; the more themed room slightly farther away, or the regular room slightly closer. We'll definitely be getting one or the other though.