Deluxe Resorts - are the rooms better in person?

[jodi16s]

I know this sounds so terrible and so spoiled.. but we have had the blessing of staying in a lot of great hotels and rooms over the years. I am looking at all of the pictures of the rooms and the decor looks really outdated in all of them. I could care less about location - I am more concerned with the look and quality of the room. Am I better off finding something off site? Again, I know this comes across at snooty but I love staying in a luxurious room!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

So, the thing to understand is that Disney deluxe is not necessarily what $400-600/night gets you in the "real world."

If you care about look and quality of the room, you will likely be better off at Swan-Dolphin, or the Four Seasons that is near property.

Disney deluxe resorts are about theme and location. They are not luxury hotels. They are Disney resorts. There is a distinction between the two. If you want a Disney resort, they will have the most involved themes, better dining, and often something extra like monorail, a walk or boat to a park, giraffes.

But they aren't going to be super-high thread count, turndown service, whatever whatever hotels. They are high volume, often have some wear and tear in the rooms, and are a bit more like a higher end Marriott in Des Moines for overall quality of room.

 

[foodiddiedoo]

I think if you're looking for a modern Deluxe room the Contemporary is the best overall. They have a nice desk area that feels like an upscale hotel, and the bathroom is much more modern than the other deluxes I've stayed in. The rooms are also very large in Contemporary even with two queen beds.

Some of the resorts do offer turn down service (GF- Concierge does), but I don't think it's that close to what you'd get in a Mandarin Oriental.

 

[loves to dive]

They are not the Four Seasons if that is what you are looking for but I'd say they are a tad better than say a Hilton. I'd compare them to the mid level in the real world. They are slowly renovating them so some are better than others. As others have said, it's all about location and the perks that come with the deluxe resorts at Disney. If you don't mind driving and parking and not having EMH, then you would probably be better off doing off site. We don't like to drive and enjoy staying in the bubble so they are worth it for us.

 

[jodi16s]

Thank you all! I think I am going to lean towards the Four Seasons. The only downside to that for us is not being able to use the Dining Plan but I guess it isn’t that big of a deal. May still consider the Contemporary since foodiddiedoo said it is probably the best as far as luxury rooms.