Deluxe as a solo

[maxiesmom]

Would you think it a waste of money to book a deluxe resort as a solo, if you don't plan on spending a ton of time hanging out at the resort?

I had plans to vacation with my sis and her family and stay the Contemporary. Primarily for the ease of getting to the Magic Kingdom. Now sis's plans have changed, and she won't make that part of the trip. Would it be crazy to stay at the Contemporary solo?

I'm not made of money, and the cost would be noticeable. The trip we are planning isn't for a while, so I would have time to save up. But I'm wondering if it wouldn't make more sense to downgrade to a different resort. Can any of you tell me why it would be a great idea to stay at the Contemporary, cost be darned/

 

[BadPinkTink]

Ive never stayed onsite at Walt Disney World but I have stayed at the Deluxe Disneyland Hotel in Disneyland Paris as a solo.

As with everything as a solo, to me its not about being solo, its about budget and personal preference. If I was going to Walt Disney World as a solo, and I had the budget for a Deluxe, then yes I would stay in a Deluxe.

You mention ease of getting to Magic Kingdom. To me, this is reason to stay there, even as a solo. What about other hotel amenities, the style of food in the restaurants etc?

If you would enjoy the hotel, and its in your budget then stay there. I don't see why you should feel you have to downgrade the hotel just because you are solo

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Can any of you tell me why it would be a great idea to stay at the Contemporary, cost be darned/

A little self-pampering? I know you said you won't have much resort time, but CR has lovely views from nearly every room/view category, with the exception of some on the Garden Wing rooms (although many there have great views too). Relaxing on a balcony - alone - at the start or end of a day gets two thumbs up from me. This sounds corny, but I find CR to be relaxing for the soul. It has the fun / exciting vibe of the MK/Seven Seas Lagoon side....just a short walk to MK whenever you want...the total essence of why many of us travel to WDW. On the other hand, you have the Bay Lake side...among the most serene spots in all of WDW.

I personally enjoy the dining options at CR, be it Contempo Cafe, The Wave, or Cali Grill....plus the boat to WL expands options as well. I always appreciate the Contemporary Grounds cafe for a real cup of coffee in the morning before heading out for the day.

In full disclosure I'm probably a little biased, as CR is a personal favorite.

Good luck deciding.

 

[ahhhshmatthew]

Personally, I think that any hotel one stays at during a WDW trip (regardless of how much time you do or don't spend there) plays a crucial role in the overall magic of your experience. My wife and I routinely stay at Deluxe hotels when we go to WDW (we usually rent DVC points), despite the fact that we go without children and spend a lot of time away from the resort.

1. I think there is still a lot to be said for theme, vibe and overall "aura" of a resort. While I don't think there is anything wrong with Values or Moderates (quite the opposite, they both have phenomenal qualities), for my taste (and I'm betting for many solo adults), the vibe, theme and "aura" of a Deluxe is preferable to that of a Value or Moderate. If you love the way it looks and the way you feel while you're there (or think you will), then it is worth it.

2. My wife and I have a young daughter (too young to go to WDW, at least in our opinion, yet) and love children, but on our adult trips, we prefer an atmosphere at our resort that is less chaotic and more calm. I think Deluxe resorts have a leg up in that arena. Additionally, an argument might be made that because of the more concise layout/size of the Contemporary (compared to say, a Moderate like Port Orleans or somewhere else with a sprawling lay out), it's more beneficial for you in terms of not wandering the resort every time you want to leave/come back.

3. You can't oversell the ease of access to Magic Kingdom and Epcot (via the monorail). While that may not be entirely worth the price increase, it is definitively valuable, not to mention the easy access the monorail also provides to the Grand Floridian and Polynesian, and the bar/food options those resorts present.

4. My wife and I simply love to try new places. I personally love to compare and contrast, plan for future trips and be able to "check-off" resorts. Again, not necessarily something that everyone finds valuable, but I love experiencing new things, so I can see that having value. <-- Not sure if this would be a first for you at this resort, so if not, this may not apply.

5. Lastly, I splurge when at WDW. I save up and spend how I want to; I generally take this position on all vacations. If you want to stay here, do it! It's your vacation.

----

In the end, you can't make a wrong decision here. Even saving the $ and staying elsewhere isn't bad - hey, you're still at a WDW resort and on vacation All in all though, I say if you want to stay there, go for it!

 

[Miffy]

Would you think it a waste of money to book a deluxe resort as a solo, if you don't plan on spending a ton of time hanging out at the resort?

I had plans to vacation with my sis and her family and stay the Contemporary. Primarily for the ease of getting to the Magic Kingdom. Now sis's plans have changed, and she won't make that part of the trip. Would it be crazy to stay at the Contemporary solo?

I'm not made of money, and the cost would be noticeable. The trip we are planning isn't for a while, so I would have time to save up. But I'm wondering if it wouldn't make more sense to downgrade to a different resort. Can any of you tell me why it would be a great idea to stay at the Contemporary, cost be darned/

Why would it be a great idea to stay at the Contemporary, cost be damned?

You love the resort.​

You've always wanted to stay there.​

MK is your favorite park and you want an easy way to get there and get back late at night.​

You're going to get a theme park view room and you intend to sit on your balcony every night and watch the fireworks.​

You're a monorail aficionado and want to ride it as much as possible.​

You're going to eat at all their restaurants so it'd be easy to stay there and do that.​

But only you know the reasons you want to stay there!

There are other much less expensive deluxe resorts at WDW, you know. Not on the monorail line, although I think the Poly might be slightly less pricey than the Contemporary. But there are all the Boardwalk area resorts, WL, and AKL. They're not "cheap," but they're certainly cheaper than the Contemporary.

If this really isn't in your budget and it would be a huge indulgence, and you want to take this trip, then you've got a lot of other very nice resorts to consider. But if the Contemporary is your #1 choice, you really really want to stay there, and you have good reasons, then why shouldn't you, assuming you're not spending next month's rent money to do it? I mean, it doesn't matter if you're by yourself or with someone else.

My opinion really doesn't matter--it's your opinion that matters.

 

[loves to dive]

I've stayed in Deluxe as a solo traveller many times, having said that, if money is tight you might want to rethink.
CR is actually my least favorite deluxe so I wouldn't stay there anyway, we don't spend a lot of time at MK when it's my son and I and don't spend much more time there when it's just me so the monorail resorts aren't a draw for me. I tend to stay at Swan/Dolphin lately. Epcot and HS are favs and being walking distance is great. You can stay there but just about what you can stay at a moderate and have almost all the perks of a Disney resort. There is no airport transport and you can't charge to the rooms.

 

[misonrisa]

Staying solo at a Deluxe is on my bucket list. I am actually considering a split stay: a couple of days at a Deluxe and a couple of days at a Moderate. Have you considered this option? From what I have read on the forums a split stay is common among guests and Disney handles the transfer rather smoothly. Let us know what you decide. You can't go wrong no matter what!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Would you think it a waste of money to book a deluxe resort as a solo, if you don't plan on spending a ton of time hanging out at the resort?

I had plans to vacation with my sis and her family and stay the Contemporary. Primarily for the ease of getting to the Magic Kingdom. Now sis's plans have changed, and she won't make that part of the trip. Would it be crazy to stay at the Contemporary solo?

I'm not made of money, and the cost would be noticeable. The trip we are planning isn't for a while, so I would have time to save up. But I'm wondering if it wouldn't make more sense to downgrade to a different resort. Can any of you tell me why it would be a great idea to stay at the Contemporary, cost be darned/

I go solo often and have stayed in all 3 resort types. I like Deluxe the most due to the privacy and the compactness of the resorts. I like having a balcony to relax on. When I stayed at a Moderate after staying at Deluxes for several trips, I definitely felt it. I didn't like that people would be walking by my room window all the time, so I mostly kept the curtains closed. Whereas at a Deluxe I'd have the curtains wide open and maybe even the door open if the weather was fine. I'm looking forward to my upcoming stays at BWV and AKV, especially for those private moments on the balcony watching the world go by!

 

[indoshakespeare]

It's nice if you plan to have an early ADR in the parks or have a late event (like MNSSHP)

 

[tbssenterprises]

Depends on how many trips you take. Is this a once in a lifetime? Or a once every "x" amount of years. If so, then stay deluxe. If you go frequently, then I'd vote for a Value resort. Even a moderate.

 

[jsmla]

I stay in Values or (gasp!) off-site for most of the 4-5 solo trips I take each year. I also brownbag and eat in quite a bit. I may travel to Disney solo but I don’t live my life that way. Any money I save on my budget trips is money that DH (not a theme park guy!) and I can spend on a vacation together. Those tend to be the splurgy ones.

 

[ludari]

I'm a confirmed solo traveler and DVC owner so all my stays at WDW and DLR have all been at deluxe resorts. I absolutely love the large rooms, perks, convenience to the parks while staying at a DVC resort. I almost didn't purchase DVC because as a single person I didn't see the value or need to do it but I'm glad I did because I've absolutely have taken advantage of it.

 

[DrunkJam]

My solo trip is at WL. it's definitely worth it to me. it's a massively important aspect of my holiday. That feeling I get when I arrive there. It never occurred to me to downgrade my hotel because it was just me. It occurred to me to cost cut other things, but, the hotel is such a huge part of the feeling of the vacation... If contemporary is that for you, then enjoy it! Plus, if it's just you you can use the lounge when you want, or wander around as you please etc.

 

[YawningDodo]

Is it a waste as a solo? No! Nothing's a "waste" just because you're enjoying it by yourself...as long as you're enjoying it. But that leads into the second part of the question: is it a waste if you're not spending much time at the resort?

Well, maybe.

Only you can really decide if that's how you want to allocate your money. For myself, I have a fairly solid ceiling on how much I'm willing to spend on my resort, regardless of whether I'm going solo or not, and that price ceiling has locked me into always doing either value or a DVC rental (if I can get one). But then I don't go for my cheapest option, either, just because it's cheap. You have to weigh the different things that bring value to the experience and decide whether it's worth your money. For myself, I can't justify rack rate or anything close to it for a deluxe. I'm just not getting enough out of it to take that money away from other parts of my budget. But plenty of people value it differently.

Speaking of DVC rentals, have you looked into that option? You'll have to book (and prepay) 11 months out to be able to get the top-sellers, but it can be cheaper even than staying at a moderate and you'd still get a deluxe resort.

 

[mickey1968]

My go to resort is Pop Century. I go a couple of times a year and would rather take more trips than one uber expensive one. Then every couple of trips I move up to a Moderate and stay at Riverside. It is more relaxing. I just reserve a Preferred room there so I know I will be in one of four rooms close to the main building. However, next week I am splurging big time and staying four nights at the Wilderness Lodge because I just love that resort especially at Christmas. This will be my first deluxe stay except for a conference visit at the Contemporary. I have however struggled with allowing myself to do this and have booked and rebooked this trip several times. Starting with WL, then moving it to POR, then Pop, back to WL. Changed dates a couple of times in there too. Crazy!

 

[BalooFan]

I have stayed at value, moderate, and deluxe resorts as a solo. I just don’t enjoy the value and moderate resorts. I am not wealthy, but live a fairly frugal and simple life. I decided my next solo trip will not only be to a deluxe resort, but club level. I am also going to add some other splurge activities. Is it worth it from a financial perspective? Obviously not and I don’t anticipate taking this kind of trip again. Is it worth it from an emotional perspective? Yes.

 

[LaurenT]

Would you think it a waste of money to book a deluxe resort as a solo, if you don't plan on spending a ton of time hanging out at the resort?

I had plans to vacation with my sis and her family and stay the Contemporary. Primarily for the ease of getting to the Magic Kingdom. Now sis's plans have changed, and she won't make that part of the trip. Would it be crazy to stay at the Contemporary solo?

I'm not made of money, and the cost would be noticeable. The trip we are planning isn't for a while, so I would have time to save up. But I'm wondering if it wouldn't make more sense to downgrade to a different resort. Can any of you tell me why it would be a great idea to stay at the Contemporary, cost be darned/

I’m staying solo in a savannah view room at Jambo - but it’s my home resort and I will definitely be spending time relaxing on my balcony and at the pool.
If the only reason you want to stay at CR is for the transportation, you’d save a ton by staying moderate and using uber. That money could buy amazing meals or a special tour.

 

[nursejackie]

I guess it boils down to what's most important to you to make it a memorable trip. If budget is important (now you can't split the cost) and it's causing you problems, then it's not worth it. However, if you can afford it on this occasion and you want the convenience of walking to MK then go for it. We stayed at BLT once, and its not only easy for quick MK access but also visiting the other monorail resorts for dining.

 

[karly05]

My first solo trip, I splurged on the Beach Club. That was my first solo vacation / stay ANYWHERE, and I was a little nervous. I had stayed there before with my sister and knew I loved it and loved the area and proximity to Epcot and DHS. It was my first visit to WDW in 7 years, and I didn't know how I would feel about going solo or when I might be back. It was an AWESOME trip and totally worth the splurge.

Since then I've made 5 more solo trips, staying at POFQ and POP, with another POP stay fast approaching, but it all started with that BC splurge!

If you want that Deluxe stay and can swing it, go for it!

 

[Lilsia]

The only time that I stay at deluxe resorts is when I go solo. When I travel with my kids, we are at the parks most of the time and do not spend much time at the hotel. When I go solo, I spend more time hanging out in my room and at the resort in general so it is worth it to me. Stay wherever you want to stay. If you can afford it and want to, then do so.