Originally Posted By Mickeyfan1 Personally I would have to say Animal Kingdom Lodge. The resort itself is beautiful, but when I last stayed there the staff at the desk, housekeeping and in the Lounge were for the most part rude and uncaring. For the money I spent the value of a Deluxe Disney Resort was not there. I wrote a letter, but again the response was simply you general "we thank you for your letter, and simply don't care" wording. Again, just my opinion from my last stay.
Originally Posted By jonvn why should they care. They still have tons of people show up anyway. But supposedly, attendance is going flat at the place. Maybe these little things are starting to cut away at the edges of its popularity. Stuff like that happens. They want to make a fast few bucks more, because while they are making money, they aren't making enough so they make some cutbacks. The cutbacks cause fewer people to go, so they cutback a bit more, the place deteriorates in various ways, and it spirals downwards. When stuff opens, it's shiny and new. When they close, they are old and decrepit. It does not all happen in one day or even one year. It happens over time. Some of the finest and most lavish places have aged and died. Maybe it will happen to Disney too, at least in their parks. Who knows. It's still a pretty good deal as of now, but their lack of interest in their customers, and how they seem to really salivate over your money at the place is kind of a bad sign.
Originally Posted By dshyates "...how they seem to really salivate over your money at the place is kind of a bad sign." The last time I was there their lust for my money actually made me uncomfortable. And their unwillingness to provide quality to earn it is plainly obvious. I really didn't enjoy the experience. And we haven't been back. This past year we went to Uni/IOA/SW and stayed at a nice hotel instead.
Originally Posted By dshyates To put Disney in perspective. This rack rate for this place is the same as Dixie Landing: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/397os4" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/397os4</a>
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy ^^ Dixie Landings is $300+ a night now? I had no idea! At least, that's the "rack rate" quote the site you posted provided for a room at the Marriott.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Au contraire my friend. The rate for the least expensive room at the Marriott for 2/16 check-in and 2/17 check-out is $339. The cost of a standard room in Dixie Landings for that night is $204 (both resorts are more expensive than normal because that date falls on President's day weekend. Both resorts increase their rates for that period by about the same %). At Dixie Landings you also get: 1) Free use of Disney Transit 2) Free Parking at the Parks 3) Access to "Extra Magic Hours" 4) Convenience of charging most expenses back to your room 5) Free package delivery to your room I won't even go into the Disney Magic 24x7 because some folks just don't see it. But how much are those items I listed above worth? Well, Universal charges $45.99 per person extra for the Express Pass, so if you have three people in your party I figure the value of the Extra Magic Hours access is at least $100 per night. Then you have free transportation and free parking at the Theme Parks. How much is that worth? Parking at WDW runs $11 per day. Oh... at the Marriott you also have to pay for parking. That is another $14 per day you save at Disney because Disney lets guests park free at their resorts. So that makes the free parking at WDW worth $25 per day. An all day transit pass at any resort destination will run you at least $5 per day per person, so there is another $15. The convenience of charging and package delivery to your room? Meh... not a biggie. Let's just say that it is worth $5 per day. So, what is the value of the extras you receive from staying on site? $145 per night, which subtracted from the Dixie Landings nightly rate, leaves you at $59 per night that you are paying for lodging. That is $280 less than you are paying at the Marriott. Does the Marriott give you a room that is nicer? Absolutely! Is it $280 a night nicer? Hmmmmm...
Originally Posted By dshyates Sorry I do stand corrected. On my last trip I was quoted $169/night at both Dixie Landing and the JW. That was this past August. I chose the Ritz Carlton for $199.
Originally Posted By dshyates Yeah I just did the comparison again using high summer dats and Dixie Landing came in at $149 and the JW $219. So things have changed.The Disney resort is now cheaper than last year and the JW is more. Oh well. I was in fact very wrong. It seems if the cost more closely reflects their true value. Based on what I would pay for each.
Originally Posted By barboy Least favorite straight-up(no money or value attachment): All Star Sports---- totally classless set up Least favorite based on lack of value for the money: Contemporary--- stupid in its theme and architecture
Originally Posted By Mr X Well, barboy, it was real neat in 1971 though. The architect might tend to agree with you though, he was really ticked off they ran a train through the place.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I‘ve actually liked all the WDW Resorts I've stayed at least a little. Liked a little: All Star Sports Yacht Club Liked a lot: All Star Music Caribbean Beach Club Loved: Boardwalk Saratoga Springs Old Key West Fort Wilderness Cabins Dixie Landings (Port Orleans Riverside)
Originally Posted By jkayjs <<$145 per night, which subtracted from the Dixie Landings nightly rate, leaves you at $59 per night that you are paying for lodging. That is $280 less than you are paying at the Marriott.>> When we stayed in Dec we got our room for 50% off(airline employee discount). Wow Trippy with those calculations Disney payed us to stay.
Originally Posted By demderedoseguys Well, someone has to defend the Yacht Club, so I will. It's the one place my wife and I say at at least once a year and have never had a bad experience there. We love everything about it from the water view rooms to the the decor to the the Yachtsman Steakhouse, which we feel has some of the best food in WDW, albeit quite pricey. Nothing is more relaxing than a stroll over to the BW, of which we own DVC and use for family trips. Worse resort, besides the All Stars, is Saratoga Springs. It has no character and seemed more like a condo community than anything else to us. One year we decided to "upgrade" and stay at the GF. We felt it was vastly over rated and after 2 days, changed our reservations to the YC.
