Deluxe Tier

Image: DisneyThe Deluxe Tier is where Disney gets its bread buttered. They charge several hundred dollars per night for each room, and their occupancy rate hovers in the upper 80s on an annual basis. That’s a LOT of money earned thanks to hotel rooms.

Disney can charge those rates because the properties in the Deluxe Tier are cathedrals, immaculately themed properties that marry luxury and convenience. There’s a reason why most new Disney properties fall into the Deluxe Tier. The profit margin is highest for this grouping. According to Disney’s site, the official list of participating resorts is:

• Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney's Beach Club Resort
• Disney's BoardWalk Inn
• Disney's Contemporary Resort
• Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Disney's Polynesian Village Resort
• Disney's Wilderness Lodge
• Disney's Yacht Club Resort

• Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort
• Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge
• Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney's Wilderness Lodge
• Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Jambo House
• Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village
• Disney's Beach Club Villas
• Disney's BoardWalk Villas
• Disney's Old Key West Resort
• Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
• Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
• The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

For our purposes, we won’t view the villas as separate entities, presuming that they’re just better versions of the regular hotel rooms. The evaluations here reflect that some villas are better, however, and these rooms justify higher positioning for their associated hotels.

Picking the worst of them is like naming the worst player in the Hall of Fame. Simply by earning a spot in the Hall of Fame, you’ve demonstrated rare and profound greatness. All Disney properties in the Deluxe Tier are triumphs of architecture and Imagineering.

Image: DisneyThe problem in culling this list down to a few candidates for best and worst resort is simple. I seem to disagree vehemently with voters at TripAdvisor. Their least favorite resort is my family’s favorite. And their second least favorite is my second favorite. We’ll come back to that divide in just a moment.

Their number one choice is the one you’d expect, the Grand Floridian. I understand that line of thinking, but this property wouldn’t make my personal top three. I find it a bit too patrician in feel. My favorite thing about the hotel is its set of restaurants, which isn’t what I’d expect to say about the best Deluxe Tier hotel. So, I’ve ruled it out.

We also don’t agree on worst. TripAdvisor voters believe that the Polynesian and the Contemporary are the bottom rungs of the Deluxe Tier. Just seeing that information makes me feel stabby. We can find a compromise candidate after that, though. Saratoga Springs is a lovely resort conveniently located right beside Disney Springs. It has terrific theming and plenty of onsite activities for hobbyists. It’s just kind of…blah compared to the other options in the Deluxe Tier.

Image: DisneyAs for the best, I’m tempted to say that it’s my list, and so Polynesian wins. While that’s true, I want you to find some utility in this piece. Selecting something that I like better than everyone else doesn’t help you. As such, I’ve ruled out the oldest resorts at Walt Disney World, the Polynesian and the Contemporary.

In their stead, I’d suggest a different Magic Kingdom-based resort. Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is a gorgeous property with the most impressive lobby ever constructed. The rooms here are passionately rustic, and the campus is stunning. Thanks to recent repurposing of the grounds, its pool area now has a remarkable style that somehow reinvigorates the entire resort. It still feels perfectly in keeping with the overall spirit and tone of the hotel, though. Wilderness Lodge gets overshadowed by other, more storied Deluxe Tier hotels, but Disney fanatics know the truth. It’s the hidden gem of the bunch.