Upgrade dilemna - What would you do?

[dkmwong]

Hi all,
So with the free dining going on I thought I would take advantage of it.

We are currently booked and paid, for our stay at POFQ the first week of December which includes park hopper, memory maker and Disney Dining..
I wanted to take advantage of the free dining and found on the website that only Old Key West and Animal Kingdom lodge were still available. We have stayed at AK before and my wife wasn't too impressed. We looked at OKW via pictures and videos and it really looked out dated.

Mind you to switch to either of these for the same time frame would cost us only 100 dollars to upgrade.

We are thinking about sticking with POFQ because of the coziness and how close everything is in that resort.

What would you guys and gals do?

Thanks in advance !!!

[Tink1]

I would keep watching for what I want. The first week of this promo availability is very volatile. It changes by the minute. Usually you will see things open up in the coming days

Nanc

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

I can't tell from your post, if its just you and the wife, or if there are kids involved as well. If you are staying at POR-FQ then at most you are only four people. But, if only two, the savings isn't as great for free dining, in which case (since you were already willing to pay oop for it anyway) I'd probably put more emphasis on resort preference over getting the free dining.

For me personally, I always thought OKW looked very interesting and would choose that, but we are also a family of 5, so our situation is a bit different.

[buzznwoodysmom]

Having stayed at all 3 my family would choose AKL, but I see that you guys didn't care much for it.

Old Key West was OK, but we wouldn't stay there again by choice. It's just so big! And when we stayed there it was very outdated. I am sure its had to have had a refurb since our stay (2011).

Given your situation, and impression of AKL, I would probably opt to stay put at FQ. We liked FQ a lot better than OKW. Or like Nanc said, keep checking back. I imagine a lot of folks scrabbled to get free dining quickly but will switch things up as the frenzy settles. Good luck and have a great trip where ever you end up.

[#1donaldfan]

So, you're saying you are gonna pay an additional 100$ to get "FREE" dinning ?? I love AKL but if you don't then stay with the FQ and keep your cash. Both Riverside resorts are moderates with the deluxe feel, so enjoy our little home away from home at the FQ ...

[Tink1]

So, you're saying you are gonna pay an additional 100$ to get "FREE" dinning ?? I love AKL but if you don't then stay with the FQ and keep your cash. Both Riverside resorts are moderates with the deluxe feel, so enjoy our little home away from home at the FQ ...

I took it as they are upgrading from mod to deluxe for $100 which would have been a lot more if the dining wasn't free.

Nanc

[dkmwong]

Yes it would be 100 additional just to upgrade to a deluxe resort as I already paid for the moderate with mem maker, hopper passes and Disney Dining Plan.

But so far from reading your posts I'm leaning towards staying where we are at POFQ. But we will see if anything opens up.

Thanks all !!!

[ThanxForNoticin]

It's interesting, as you have mentioned 2 of our favorite resorts at Disney - AKL and OKW. If AKL isn't for you, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend OKW over FQ. We've been to OKW a couple times in recent years, and we have never felt like it was outdated. They've been going through and fixing things up at the resort, but they're doing that at many of the resorts. But the rooms at OKW are some of the nicest at Disney - larger than those at FQ, with more amenities in the room. You also get the same advantages of location with OKW that you do with FQ - a boat ride to Disney Springs and buses most everywhere else. Good luck with your choice. Have a great trip!

[#1donaldfan]

I took it as they are upgrading from mod to deluxe for $100 which would have been a lot more if the dining wasn't free.

Nanc

Exactly what I was saying, that the additional amount, no matter how you factor it, is not worth it if you do not like the potential "upgraded" resort ......

[dkmwong]

I would keep watching for what I want. The first week of this promo availability is very volatile. It changes by the minute. Usually you will see things open up in the coming days

Nanc

Thanks Tink1

I have been watching the website and checking every couple of minutes when I have the chance and there are a few opening popping up at other resorts. I found that I could switch to The Grand Floridian for about another $1600 dollar, but it's hard to convince my wife to spend that money. I'm actually hoping for more to open up at The Boardwalk Inn. I got my fingers crossed

[Tink1]

Give it a few more days. Friday you should see stuff open up since Mondays 3 day hold will over

Nanc

[JanetMegan]

Also I assume you have the regular dining plan paid for with your reservation and not the Quick service right?

[dkmwong]

Also I assume you have the regular dining plan paid for with your reservation and not the Quick service right?

Yes we have The Disney Dining Plan not the quick service.

[dkmwong]

So obviously I missed the upgrade for the 100 dollars while awaiting for things to pop up. So I ended up changing our dates and ended up at The Grand Floridian for a lot more money.We ended up with an outer building with a garden view. I will wait to see if anything changes. Fingers crossed I'm still hoping for The Boardwalk.

[dkmwong]

Well patience paid off and we finally got into Boardwalk Villas. I would have liked to have stayed at The Grand Floridian but really wanted The Boardwalk plus it was 1000 less.