Narrowed it down to 3, Please help

[The_Girl's_Mom]

I have booked our vacation for February 17, 2018 through February 23, 2018. Currently we are booked in the All Star Movie standard room, our Girls are 10 and 4. It will be theirs and my husband’s first time. This will be my 10th time to Disney, my last being 12 years ago, and al= lot has changed since then….. I figured we would go for a value resort because I know the Girls are going to want to see and do it all. We have a 5 day World Hopper pass minus the Water Parks and the food plan with one sit down and 1 grab and go. (My kids like cereal in the morning so I figured I would pack a box and get milk for their in-room breakfast)

So my question(s) is/are, do we stay at the Movies, Art of Animation or the Caribbean Beach Resort (I know they are remodling). I want to stay at the latter for the fact that I remember how cramped the All Star rooms were, but is it really worth the extra? Also should we upgrade to the Deluxe food plan?

 

[hooch]

I have never done a dining plan but i would always advise booking a higher category of resort.
Look for special offers on the Disney website https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/
and try and go during Value season. You're going at a very expensive time of year. Check out Value Season https://www.mousesavers.com/2018-all-star-movies-room-rates-season-dates/ But if that's when you want to go then try and get best deal possible. Book least expensive room type in a moderate or deluxe over the value. Just my opinion. A nice resort is my favorite part of the trip. Good luck!

 

[correcaminos]

Since you said you remembered how cramped it was, I would go with Caribbean Beach honestly. It would be worth it IMO.

As for the dining plan, it has never made sense for us to get it at all cost wise, so I cannot advise on that really.

 

[DisneyAubs]

I have booked our vacation for February 17, 2018 through February 23, 2018. Currently we are booked in the All Star Movie standard room, our Girls are 10 and 4. It will be theirs and my husband’s first time. This will be my 10th time to Disney, my last being 12 years ago, and al= lot has changed since then….. I figured we would go for a value resort because I know the Girls are going to want to see and do it all. We have a 5 day World Hopper pass minus the Water Parks and the food plan with one sit down and 1 grab and go. (My kids like cereal in the morning so I figured I would pack a box and get milk for their in-room breakfast)

So my question(s) is/are, do we stay at the Movies, Art of Animation or the Caribbean Beach Resort (I know they are remodling). I want to stay at the latter for the fact that I remember how cramped the All Star rooms were, but is it really worth the extra? Also should we upgrade to the Deluxe food plan?

One big consideration for me would be bed size. Do your girls share a bed okay? Would they feel squished in the full sized beds at Movies? Or would you be better off at a moderate with queen beds (particularly Caribbean Beach or Port Orleans a riverside where you could potentially have the small murphey bed for the 4 year old.)

if you decide a Value resort is the way to go I would look at pictures and decide which theme and decor you prefer. the Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation are the same size as the other Values.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I have never done a dining plan but i would always advise booking a higher category of resort.
Look for special offers on the Disney website https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/
and try and go during Value season. You're going at a very expensive time of year. Check out Value Season https://www.mousesavers.com/2018-all-star-movies-room-rates-season-dates/ But if that's when you want to go then try and get best deal possible. Book least expensive room type in a moderate or deluxe over the value. Just my opinion. A nice resort is my favorite part of the trip. Good luck!

I would normally agree but Caribbean Beach is in horrifying condition right now. OP, can you swing Port Orleans Riverside or French Quarter?

 

[DisneyAubs]

Oh, and I would say probably no for the Deluxe dining plan. Since it is their first trip I wouldn't want to lose valueable park time to having multiple sit-down meals.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Oh, and I would say probably no for the Deluxe dining plan. Since it is their first trip I wouldn't want to lose valueable park time to having multiple sit-down meals.

Completely agree. Even the "regular" dining plan is a tremendous amount of food.

OP, I think you'd be better off without any dining plan at all. Your four year old will need to pay for a "child" plan and your ten year old will be charged as an "adult," which will be very hard to get value from. You'd almost certainly be much better off paying cash.

 

[Herdman]

I would go with a moderate resort (prefer POFQ over the others). My only thought against is what kind of theming are your girls going to be expecting? Although all the moderates are great when not under construction, the values may have that "Disney" look that your girls might be disappointed in not having at a moderate.

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

I agree with CaptainAmerica it will be hard to get your money worth with a dining plan. If you like the idea of having your food paid for before you go take a little time and look at the menus of the restaurant TS and QS and make a plan. You can purchase Disney gift cards at home in many stores take them with you to pay for your food. Sometimes BJ's has the gift cards at a little discount and I pay with my Disney credit card so I get Disney dollars.

 

[Worldlover71]

Definitely skip the dining plan. You will save money paying out of pocket due to the kid's ages. Since you will probably spend very little time in your room and CBR is under construction, I would keep the All Star reservation.

 

[Marijil]

Not a fan of dining plan unless its"free"
Only resort you mentioned that I've stayed in was AoA and was very impressed

 

[MickeyMomV]

With your 10 yo being considered an "Adult" by Disney pricing in terms of park tickets and dining plans it does not make it worth it to pay full price for the plan. Personally we were big advocates of the dining plan until our DS turned 10. We still find value in the plan when they are running "free" dining. For us the free dining saves a lot more than the room only discount in the value's and moderate's.

As for the hotel, we would recommend doing a moderate. POR has the option for the trundle/murphy bed giving you 2 queens and 1 child bed. It seems like there was another hotel that offered this option but I do not remember which one it was.

 

[Rsj88]

We usually end up staying at Pop. The value resorts are a bit cramped but we don't spend any time there. Maybe half a day swimming. We are always at the park and too tired to care about the size of the room when we get back lol. I would love to upgrade but it gets more expensive every year and we just can't justify the cost. We would rather stay longer, than have a bigger room we are never in. If money was not an issue I would definitely upgrade We also use the dining plan when it's "free". I have never had the need to use delux though. Sit down meals take up a lot of time and we would rather be riding rides! However, one sit down a day can be fun and relaxing!

 

[tractor tipper]

When you say AoA as a possibility do you mean Little Mermaid room or family suites. If it is the suites then ASMusic has family suites a lot cheaper than AoA. If you pay out of pocket with Disney VISA for meals some may qualify for 10% off, that you will have to check the fine print.

 

[The_Girl's_Mom]

Thank-you for all your replies , I have a lot to consider. My 10 old can eat more than most men I know. I have know idea where she puts it .Hoping when they announce the Winter deals we get either a nice upgrade for the same price or free dining.

 

[wagner1225]

I have booked our vacation for February 17, 2018 through February 23, 2018. Currently we are booked in the All Star Movie standard room, our Girls are 10 and 4. It will be theirs and my husband’s first time. This will be my 10th time to Disney, my last being 12 years ago, and al= lot has changed since then….. I figured we would go for a value resort because I know the Girls are going to want to see and do it all. We have a 5 day World Hopper pass minus the Water Parks and the food plan with one sit down and 1 grab and go. (My kids like cereal in the morning so I figured I would pack a box and get milk for their in-room breakfast)

So my question(s) is/are, do we stay at the Movies, Art of Animation or the Caribbean Beach Resort (I know they are remodling). I want to stay at the latter for the fact that I remember how cramped the All Star rooms were, but is it really worth the extra? Also should we upgrade to the Deluxe food plan?

AOA is really nice for kids, the theming is great and its newer, we stayed Nemo suite, and it was nice..

 

[Sabriel]

If you are get up and go people and won't be in the room much, I would recommend Pop Century. The All-Stars seem a little run down to me in comparison and the remodeled rooms at Pop look nicer too.

If you can do a family suite at Art of Animation, that would be the way to go, it's nice having the extra living space and two bathrooms, plus the theming of the result is lovely too.

Also seconding the suggestions of Port Orleans over Caribbean Beach if you opt for a moderate.

 

[Zipadeelady]

Moderate resorts are worth it in my opinion. There are many arguments on this site regarding the dining plan and if it is worth it, I am one that likes the dining plan. I would not go with the deluxe plan though. It is just too much food. You'll be happy with the plan you have. Don't change it.

 

[JohnD]

I have booked our vacation for February 17, 2018 through February 23, 2018. Currently we are booked in the All Star Movie standard room, our Girls are 10 and 4. It will be theirs and my husband’s first time. This will be my 10th time to Disney, my last being 12 years ago, and al= lot has changed since then….. I figured we would go for a value resort because I know the Girls are going to want to see and do it all. We have a 5 day World Hopper pass minus the Water Parks and the food plan with one sit down and 1 grab and go. (My kids like cereal in the morning so I figured I would pack a box and get milk for their in-room breakfast)

So my question(s) is/are, do we stay at the Movies, Art of Animation or the Caribbean Beach Resort (I know they are remodling). I want to stay at the latter for the fact that I remember how cramped the All Star rooms were, but is it really worth the extra? Also should we upgrade to the Deluxe food plan?

Since you have girls, Art of Animation is an option. They have the Little Mermaid Rooms which are the only standard rooms on that property. All others are family suites but could match your price range.

 

[Weather_Lady]

If you haven't purchased the dining plan yet, I'd consider skipping it. When you know where you want to eat, check the tool at distripplanner.com and see if you're more likely to save money by paying out of pocket. (e.g., my family - 2 adults, 1 child over 10 and 1 child under 10 - spends up to 20% LESS paying out of pocket, even if we have a couple of extra table service meals instead of counter service -- e.g., for a 5-night stay, having 7 TS and 3 CS meals instead of 5 TS and 5 CS.)

As for upgrading to the deluxe dining plan, I would NOT recommend it -- not if you don't want to spend 3+ hours of every day getting to/dining at TS restaurants and being continually stuffed to the gills, and having to skip some attractions to make up for all that dining time. (You said your girls want to "do it all," so I'm assuming that covering most of each park is a priority for your family.) The same money would be far better spent upgrading your room to a moderate, and getting bigger beds, more square footage, more storage space, an extra sink for getting ready in the morning, and a more immersive and attractive environment.