Standard room at deluxe, or better room at moderate?

I would say better in moderate, just because I would have a hard time going standard in deluxe, when there might not be much of a difference in the room, and theming at the moderates is good to great. As an aside, when are you going? I ask because we just had a nite at CBR where they offered the Pirate room as an upgrade. We didn't take it; and when we got there, they had upgraded us for free. So if it's a not so busy time, I could see that happening to you, too.

This is a topic very dear to my heart. We've been finding more and more that the convenience of the moderates is really nice. When we went for our last trip we stayed in Coronado Springs and we actually found it more relaxing than the Beach Club, because everything was so easy. We just parked outside and didn't have to deal with valet or walking a quarter-mile to the car. So part of me says "go with the moderate."

A second note that applies to your specific example is that I think an AKL room without the savanna view is a bit risky. Sometimes you still get a decent (or even a good) view, but I feel like the view at AKL can be so important. At Beach Club, I don't care much about the room location, but at AKL it's important.

That being said the reason I pause is because I absolutely LOVE the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It's so "magical" in ways that Caribbean Beach or CSR aren't. We go pretty often so staying at CSR makes a lot of sense for us because convenience is really important, but if we only went once per year I would probably choose AKL just because it's so much more "magical."

My final note though is that I say never stretch the budget too far. If you spend more than you're comfortable with on your trip you're always going to have a miserable time because it has to live up to unmeetable expectations. So I'd say it's always better to have a Moderate Resort budget that you're comfortable with than a Deluxe Resort budget that makes you feel stressed. The trip's supposed to be relaxing so don't introduce unnecessary stress. You'll have a great time either way, so only spend the extra money if it doesn't make you uneasy.

Hope that helps a little bit. It will also depend to some degree on exact options so if you run some more options out there I'm sure you'll get lots of opinions.

I'm determined to try all the deluxe and moderates at least once over the years, but so far, I tend to like the moderates better, mostly froma cost perspective. The deluxe (in our case, the Beach Club) certainly had alot of benefits - close to Epcot, and a GREAT pool but room-wise, I would have been just as happy at the CBR. It's really hard for me to justify the additional expense of the deluxe, unless it's a special occasion or I can offset the added cost with something else, like free dining.

But in the end, I'd much rather take the money saved by staying at a moderate and use it on other things (don't leave me alone at World of Disney!). We spend so little time in the room, it doesn't really matter much as long as it's clean and quiet. Since we always have a car, location is not as critical either.

The CBR was really quite and such a beautiful setting when we were there. But now, after reading Brad's comments, I want to try AKL next for the Deluxe! Maybe for the big 5-0 celebration!

Those are two of my favorites as well. I will say that in both cases the rooms are pretty small, so that's another consideration. They're typically cheaper than most other deluxe resorts, but their rooms are quite small.

Helen, I think you made the right choice. We had a savanna view room two trips back, and we still consider our favorite resort and vacation, it was simpy fantastic just sitting on our balcony looking out on all the animals, don't forget to check out the animals at night where they loan you night vision goggles to to further enhance your experience.

I think it sounds terrific! Can't wait to hear all about your experience!

Great choice!

Ok in most situations I would probably say go with the moderate..but if your choice is really between AKL & a moderate then I'd choose AKL because that is my favorite resort!