Originally Posted By davewasbaloo My fav hotel was in Dubai. The butler drew my bath with oils and flower petals, all a part of the inclusive experience. Coffee delivered fresh if I did not want to make my own, simply arrived at the same time the alarm went off or at the pull of a cord. Now that was cool, and felt like a vacation. That's the thing. If my life revolved around the same few square miles day in and day out, I would feel differently. But having spent so much time in good hotels, bad ones, scary ones, and magical ones, Disney service is Holiday Inn quality in the Deluxes at Four Seasons prices. All because of the proximity (though I swear the DTD partner hotels are closer to the MK then AKL) and brand. The brand used to stand for quality, not so much anymore. Is it a hell hole? No. But it is not the value of the Peabody or Ritz Carlton to me. It will be interesting to see what happens when the Four Seasons does open on property. will the Grand improve again (it was a pretty awesome hotel in it's early years).
Originally Posted By A Happy Haunt <<Needless to say, if I ever stayed in the Poly, I think I would be floored for life. LOL>> What's the obsession with the Poly? I stayed there A LOT as a kid! GO! It's a bed & shower..WHIPEE! The grouns are beautiful.. take an hour & walk around! I love The Contemporary & the rest of my group hates it so I tour the Resort/grounds & say "good enough"!!
Originally Posted By MousDad >>>I prefer not throwing money down the toil...er, I mean staying off property, but I also prefer staying close. (If I'm doing multiple days at Disney.)<<< Funny... I find staying ON property is throwing money down the toilet.....<<< EE. Really? Do I need to smack you? You know me better than that. Re-read my post. [not throwing my money down the toil...] = [staying off property] Okay, I can see how it was easily misinterpreted. Lol.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***You're Welcome!DH likes The WL.. he's paying... I MUST have my boat ride to MK so WL is fine with me! The kids love the pool, he needs a hot tub & the quick service rest. was good enough...*** Oh, okay. So that makes things a bit clearer, anyway. If you have the means to stay at the deluxe places, then it's fairly easy to say "I don't care about staying off property", and mean it because your proximity is genuinely superior and can't be matched. Makes a ton of sense, and thank you again for your reply! My comments are geared a bit more towards the folks staying in the cheaper rooms which are much more off the beaten path, but in any case it's great to hear commentary from all angles!
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo FWIW - after our disappointing stay in the Deluxe Savannah View room at AKL in 2006, we stayed at the Grand Californian in DL in 2008. The Grand Californian still offered a lot of these things (valet parking, 24 hour room service, turn down, sofa drink orders, live music, deliveries to rooms). so Disney can do it, but they choose not to at WDW.
Originally Posted By Mr X Thanks Dave for your excellent list. One thing, and one only, struck me and I wanted to ask... "turn down" I never understood the need or appeal of this? Is it really important that someone come in and flip over your blanket? Or am I missing something (is it an image thing? or does it really warm up or cool down the bed or something? "turn down", I simply don't get it, I guess). Anyway, excellent list of expectations and much appreciated! Thanks, Dave!
Originally Posted By Mr X ***The butler drew my bath with oils and flower petals, all a part of the inclusive experience*** That sounds incredibly gay. I'm surprised you were okay with it. ;p
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo It's not a big deal in itself. It is the cherry on top. It is also evidence that the room has been checked to see if soaps, drinks, coffee etc. need to be replenished. and for the kids, seeing it with the chocolate, is a little of a Santa Clause/Tooth Fairy moment. I am not bothered by it when on my own, but as a family, it adds to the special feeling. and when staying in old castles and things, sometimes they will warm the sheets with a bed warmer for you. Much neater than an electric blanket.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Like I say, these are the levels of service you can get up the road at the Ritz Carlton (ok, not the bath running thing) for a fraction of the cost of a deluxe. If the deluxes at WDW were like this, and all offered either more monorail/ferry service, or more frequent buses so there is always one waiting for you (like Alton Towers did at Christmas), then I would say it was worth staying on site. Otherwise, you might as well stay at the Travel Lodge near the grocery store just outside of DTD. Yes, the theming is a huge part of the Disney appeal, but Portofino and the Marriott Villas also do theming in the area too. Again, if the hotels were better maintained, a non issue.
Originally Posted By Mr X Officially requesting "fair use" of posts 21 and 28 for my upcoming novel. I assure you that the character known as Sir Davis of Balondonshire will not be (much of) a homosexual character. Permission granted?
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer WOW, post 29 was for post 20... My internet went out, and I missed a lot.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>What's the obsession with the Poly? I stayed there A LOT as a kid! GO! It's a bed & shower..WHIPEE! The grouns are beautiful.. take an hour & walk around! I love The Contemporary & the rest of my group hates it so I tour the Resort/grounds & say "good enough"!! It has a very, very unique ambiance for me.... not only in it's thematics, but in the fact that it's the first WDW Hotel. It has that charm and quirkiness of the 70's, and captures, what I think, is a long lost essence of hospitality in Disney, that isn't there. That, and I really like Tiki Culture. It's a classy place. And yes, EVERY trip, now, we spend at least a half day at the Poly, touring the lobbies, shops, beaches, and of course, Captain Cook's for some Dole Whips.
Originally Posted By Christi22222 I am an on property gal. Strangely, though, not at DL. Somehow it's different. I, too, would not view this "new" off site Disney property as desirable. I am one that buys into the "immersion" aspect. (To Spirit's dismay!) And I am just as irritated at the declining quality of Disney resorts as the next guy. But I do enjoy the theming significantly. I enjoy the proximity. I rent a car, so am not captive and don't have to wait for buses. (But I do use the Disney transport, just not exclusively.) I go only on off season, so don't pay the highest rates. I have stayed at values, mods, and deluxes. I do not have issue with the values, but will admit that now that I can afford more, I will never choose them as they don't offer enough benefits. Of the mods, I will NEVER stay in Coronado again. I am so-so on Caribbean Beach. First Choice is POR. Don't like the size, setting, or location of the first two. Enjoy the boats and proximity to DD of POR, as well as the gorgeous setting. (I am a serious tree/foliage person.) Of the Deluxes, I haven't had the pleasure of the Poly or GF. I liked the Contemporary very much and had the best room experience I've ever had on property (2000) in a Garden wing room. However, it is a muck pond of theming, so loses me. I was sure I would love WL, but didn't. However, it has great theming/setting and I loved the boats. So it is definitely a thumbs up, just not my first choice. I have stayed AKL often and love it. I am a past life zoo keeper and animal lover, so this hits the spot. But I also love the theming and the feel. Fantastic stuff for my son to do. Close to AK, my husband's fav park. And if you drive, there are lots of places to eat and a Walgreen's very close by. So practicality meets Disney immersion best at AKL for us, I guess. I am dying to try an Epcot area hotel. It is on the list next. Would love to see how I like the location in the Boardwalk area. I could give a rat's patooty about internet when I'm on vacation. A fun pool is a MUST. Did I leave anything out? Oh, we do visit my sister who goes to Disney with us at her Shraton Vistana time share. Love the pool. Can eat close by on I drive. Gorgeous, spacious room. But not immersed. (I feel as though I'm betraying the Spirit with every word I type!! I swear I am not high on pixie dust and actually hang with Doom and Gloomers, but I need my immersion or Disney might as well close as far as I'm concerned!! I'm even going to stay on site at DLP soon, so now I'm going to have to hide from davewasbaloo! It is NOT rational. I get that!)
Originally Posted By Mr X ***If the deluxes at WDW were like this, and all offered either more monorail/ferry service*** That's a most important caveat, and I think all said and done the Animal Kingdom Lodge does come up short due to its' remote location (and AS an expensive resort, they should address that for their guests somehow).
