Sorry in advance for what will probably turn into a bit of rambling but a lot leads up to my conclusion.
My family has a 30+ year history of almost annual visits to WDW. We stayed at the Poly back when the only onsite options were that and the Contemporary. We stayed for a week in September every other year and for a shorter Thanksgiving trip in the alternate years. We eventually decided that we couldn't justify the Poly cost. Since there were only 2 parks back then, MK and Epcot; we always also did SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and Universal after it opened. So since we were out of the bubble anyway, we switched to less expensive offsite properties. That worked fine for us for years.
After the mods opened and the newer WDW parks were added, we came back with the Carribean Beach being our resort of choice. The only years we missed a trip were some years when our kids HS sports coaches would not allow them to miss that week in September (schools are closed for the week but sports continue). I don't remember any major issues with those stays except the most recent where we had paid in advance for a water view room and were given very late access to our room in spite of arriving at 7 am. Then being assigned a parking lot view with no mention that we had paid for the higher grade. When I went back and questioned it, they said they had nothing else available and gave some minimal credit back to the room. Bus service experience that trip was also horrible. We ended up driving everywhere. Gave us incentive to consider the values.
Last fall we moved to Florida and were elated at the ability to buy a reasonable AP and visit throughout the year. So far we've made 4 weekend trips staying at values. Since the weather in winter isn't really conducive for using the pool facilities we figured we'd save a bit. But our hotel experiences and trip experiences in general have been a major letdown. Our first surprise was no coffee pots in rooms. Really? Motel 6 gives you a coffee pot. But we were paying over $150 per night here for 2 adults and 2 children (the grands). Our room was never ready on arrival and we never got notified when it was, though they always said we would be. Though I completed checkin online, I still had to go to the desk on arrival. Some of our magic bands did not work for the door (I apparently have too many bands for
MDE to handle). Another trip back to reception. Upon reaching the room on arrival after a full park day and long wait at checkin, with 4 people wanting to use the bathroom immediately we find not 1 square of toilet paper in the room. And no box of tissues to use as a substitute. Again, Really? Waiting for toilet paper to arrive at 11pm is not fun.
Parks saw crazy crowds and long lines even for fast pass. Multiple broken down rides that totally disrupt the schedule I spent hours putting together months before. Lines for QS food had us going hungry and starting to carry a backpack full of snacks. AK being the worst for the food since in spite of the crowds all the street food kiosks closing early (I believe it was 5:00).
I have a long trip planned next month staying at the campgrounds. This will be a first for us but thought the grands would enjoy it, and their parents will be joining us for part of it, exact days as yet to be determined due to work schedules. With the campgrounds, our changing headcount each day isn't an issue vs needing different numbers of rooms for different days. And though I'm not spending a fortune on a deluxe room, we will be spending plenty on meals as we always eat most meals on site with no dining plan. I've spent countless hours planning this with 3 character meals and other QS and TS meals including Cali Grill Sunday Brunch and BOG for a group of up to 7 people. That in addition to all the FP+ scheduling which is now giving me headaches worrying about trying to wing it when we hit the crowds, broken rides and long lines which from reading here seem to be the new norm.
So in spite of that, since we have the APs I tried to schedule some additional trips about a month ago. I called and asked about potential campsite availability for later in the year but got laughed at, that Nov and Dec book up 499 days in advance. What? Seriously?
Okay, I'll try next spring. Sure, I can book a tent site for $150 per night. Again, what? I'm looking for a patch of ground to put my own tent on. No housekeeping, coffee pot, towels or bed linens, walk to a comfort station for toilet and shower, $2 per bag of ice, etc. So no thanks.
I switched back to November. I'm looking for the best deal at a value for the week before Thanksgiving. I tell the CM, I am a Florida resident, AP holder, with a Disney Visa card. I ask which will offer the best deal for that week. Sorry, I'm told there are no deals for any of those. I can have a standard room at All Star for $160+ per night. But she says I can book now and keep watching so that if deals become available , I can call and get it changed. They will not automatically apply it. So I have to add something else to obsess about in addition to ADRs and FP+ scheduling, now also monitor for room rate changes. Sorry is right.
If I look at booking a room at a Marriott, Hilton, or essentially any other hotel brands, I get discounted room rates listed right on the page. Discounts for loyalty program members, AAA, AARP, prepay in advance, plus any random promotions they may have going on such as extra nights or free breakfasts. Plus we can earn and use loyalty points for future stays. That seems to be industry standard. But apparently not with Disney. You have to play their games and waste your time to not get any more royally ripped off for their overpriced rooms with lower and lower service quality.
So, I had booked the $160+ All Star room with the plan to monitor for discount in spite of feeling taken advantage of. But after the parking fee announcement, I have rethought my future plans. I'm not playing the fool for them anymore. I called yesterday and cancelled even though the fee would not apply because the reservation was made before the fee added date. I will look for an offsite property for that stay and will have to do some heavy thinking about whether to renew my AP.