Value Resort, have only stayed at Mod & Delux

[travelgip]

Do you suppose I would enjoy staying at a value resort (Pop, All Stars, etc) if I have only really ever stayed at Delux (stayed at moderate once):shrug:? I would like to take a little refresher trip on my own and can really only afford to stay at value this time. Will it be a huge difference in room quality? Also, is it more difficult to get around when staying at value resorts and how is the bus waits/crowds. Thanks for the info!

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

Do you suppose I would enjoy staying at a value resort (Pop, All Stars, etc) if I have only really ever stayed at Delux (stayed at moderate once):shrug:? I would like to take a little refresher trip on my own and can really only afford to stay at value this time. Will it be a huge difference in room quality? Also, is it more difficult to get around when staying at value resorts and how is the bus waits/crowds. Thanks for the info!

Good question. I am really interested about the answers because I have stayed at deluxe and moderate so far but this time there are first 5 days at value (Pop) before we move up to deluxe (Poly)

 

[Zummi Gummi]

When I go on solo trips, I ALWAYS stay at a Value Resort. Since I'm alone, I don't need a lot of space, and I spend very little time in the resort anyway. It works as a nice place to sleep at night that won't break the bank, plus you still get to enjoy the benefits of staying on-site.

That being said, in two weeks (!!) my boyfriend and I are going down and staying in Pop. So, I'll be in a Value this time, and I won't be alone. We'll see how that goes!!

 

[mickeysshoes]

I have never been solo....but last year we tried to save $$$ and stayed at POFQ and boy were we sorry. Yes i now we are spoiled. Had a great time while off resort property but hated every minute at the resort. Book at bouse back (63 days) for WL and will never look back. In fact i was DREAMING about a solo trip and pricing it at the GF so...no chance i would even consider a value on a solo. Hey but what works for me might not for the next and if you are OK with it give it a try. As you will still be a Disney and wont know till you try!!!

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

I have never been solo....but last year we tried to save $$$ and stayed at POFQ and boy were we sorry. Yes i now we are spoiled. Had a great time while off resort property but hated every minute at the resort. Book at bouse back (63 days) for WL and will never look back. In fact i was DREAMING about a solo trip and pricing it at the GF so...no chance i would even consider a value on a solo. Hey but what works for me might not for the next and if you are OK with it give it a try. As you will still be a Disney and wont know till you try!!!

What were you exactly sorry about with the POFQ (I presume thats Port Orleans French Quarter), what did you hate? I mean its not even a value but a moderate resort.

 

[Master Yoda]

I have stayed at every level of resort that Disney has to offer and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the value resorts. They are great for an inexpensive, clean place to shower and sleep. As long as you are not expecting more than that you will be fine.

 

[mickeysshoes]

What were you exactly sorry about with the POFQ (I presume thats Port Orleans French Quarter), what did you hate? I mean its not even a value but a moderate resort.

We had nothing but problems with our rooms not being in a location in which we paid for, went thru about 7 sets of keys in 8 days as they would not work. Luggage was delivered to the room the key would not work and then maintance knocked on the door at 1 am after telling the manager to have it fixed in the AM. Then when they would remake the cards the ones the kids had IN THE MIDDLE OF DINNER would not work when they went to pay. Most of the staff was not helpful or did they did not care or where not trained on how to deal with problems. And we were not the only one having these problems and the only thing the staff could tell us was it was because of it being the first day of FREE DINNING and they were not ready for the onset of people checking in. Please... you know this day was coming MONTHS ago. And yes i know this could happen at any level resort but it was just a reminder of the differnt level of service and support staff we have always gotten in the past at the WL. So in the end the money we saved was spent dealing with hassels. And like I said in the OP we are jsut plain spolied by the delux resorts.

 

[mickeysshoes]

I have stayed at every level of resort that Disney has to offer and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the value resorts. They are great for an inexpensive, clean place to shower and sleep. As long as you are not expecting more than that you will be fine.

Very well put. It is all what you want out of a room and your vacation. We work very hard to afford a WDW trip and work even harder to save so we can be spolied by the deluex level resorts and what they have to offer over the others and will contiue to do so. Everyone must do what is right for them.

 

[nngrendel]

My two cents....

We find every time we go we end up at the parks or somewhere else rather than stay in our room. I find it a waste of $$ if you are going to spend the vast amount of your time on the go. To come back and have a dip in the pool take a nap and take a shower POP has always fit in great with our budget and I know my budget is different from others. :ROFLOL:We also pay for our trips in cash. We like coming home and not having any debt occurred from vacation. One thing I hate is paying a credit card from a vacation your no longer on.

Now when my wife and I go and the kids have moved out of the house and we are older we do plan on staying at some of the mods to deluxe resorts. However we will be spending a good bit more time in the rooms rather than at the parks.

 

[Dukeblue1227]

Personally, I love the Pop Century.

I grew up with the luxury of always staying at a Deluxe resort on family vacations.

Once I started taking my own trips as I got older I couldn't afford Deluxe so I always stayed Value.

For me, going to Disney is hardly about the resorts. I want a comfortable place to sleep, kick my feet up, be able to grab coffee, a snack, or maybe even a meal at, but that's really all I need. The Values do that just as well as the deluxe's do. They're not as fancy, not as many dining options, not as nice a pool, but you can hotel hop to get the chance to see and enjoy what the deluxe hotels have to offer. For a place to sleep at night and have a few ammenities readily available, values more than get the job done, for me at least.

My parents (who aren't even moderately snobby, at all, but rather just stuck in their ways really, and always stay at deluxe's, or stay at the nicest hotels on other vacations) actually booked at the Pop Century two years ago and were absolutely shocked at how much they enjoyed it... and said they'll probably just continue to stay there because it's so cheap and gets the job done.

My two cents... :shrug:

 

[Jeff456]

My only experience of a deluxe is the AKL, and other than that we have always stayed in one of the All Star resorts, for the amount of time we spend in the room the deluxe felt hardly worth it, we usually have two rooms however so space is not really a factor for us as there is always plenty. I would just go for the value and save some of your money, you will have a great time regardless!

 

[nngrendel]

you will have a great time regardless!

That is key right there! Regardless of what you do you will have a great time. Even when you stay at the Value the Disney Magic is still there.

 

[AJScooch]

POP all the way!

My wife and I have stayed at POP twice and loved it both times. The location is great. The buses work out really well because they are located at the front and only service the POP. No travelling to other resorts. The pools are great. The food court is also really good. It's a great alternative if you're trying to save some money. We're staying this year at the CSR because are bringing our 16 month old for the first time. We'll be there for 2 weeks and wanted a little more space in the room for her pack 'n play and because we won't be at the parks every day so we wanted something with the little playground and "beachfront".

That being said, when she doesn't need the pack 'n play anymore, we would definitely consider staying at the POP again.

 

[bamillerpa]

If you are really that worried about staying at a value resort did you check out the offers for when you want to go? It seems that a lot of times there are 30-40% off offers for the moderate resorts. It might end up only costing you a little bit more to stay there than the values since the values are typically 20-30% off. It might be a good compromise. We stayed at POR once and loved it. I think it ranks right up there with the Deluxe. We are staying at the Poly this year but to me the only thing that makes the Poly better than POR is the monorail access.

 

[amykissangel]

Personally, I love the Pop Century.

For me, going to Disney is hardly about the resorts. I want a comfortable place to sleep, kick my feet up, be able to grab coffee, a snack, or maybe even a meal at, but that's really all I need. The Values do that just as well as the deluxe's do. They're not as fancy, not as many dining options, not as nice a pool, but you can hotel hop to get the chance to see and enjoy what the deluxe hotels have to offer. For a place to sleep at night and have a few ammenities readily available, values more than get the job done, for me at least.

My parents (who aren't even moderately snobby, at all, but rather just stuck in their ways really, and always stay at deluxe's, or stay at the nicest hotels on other vacations) actually booked at the Pop Century two years ago and were absolutely shocked at how much they enjoyed it... and said they'll probably just continue to stay there because it's so cheap and gets the job done.

My two cents... :shrug:

Couldn't have said it better myself. If you enjoy the Deluxe Resorts because of room service, the monorail, the room size, the restaurants and the views of the parks...then yes, you will be disappointed at a Value.

If you enjoy the Deluxe Resorts because of the fun pools, being on Disney property and the friendly families - you won't mind a Value at all. If you're the type of people who like a comfy room at the end of the night to rest your head, fun pools for you and/or the kids, fun pool-side bars and fun-ly(I made up a word) themed places - the Values are a blast. (I do recommend staying away from ASSports though - lots of highschool "teams" that make you want to poke your eyes out.)

 

[Tomi-Rocket]

stayed at all three....

We have stayed at all three - value on our first, moderate on our second and deluxe on our third. We must have been very lucky because I saw no difference in service between the three. All were a completely different experience except that service was exceptional at all three. I'm starting to wonder if/when we may have a bad experience like I read about on the boards sometimes. All the resorts are completely themed and the more you pay the more luxury you will find. As my kids get bigger I don't see us staying at a value again until the new family suites are opened up at the new Art of Animation hotel but not because of the rooms, the property or the staff. I also think the value themes, especially the PC, are the most fun for kids or kids at heart. :animwink:

 

[travelgip]

Thank you all for your replies. It is so helpful to have different opinions to help make my decision.:wave:

 

[loveofamouse]

I would LOVE to take a disney vaca at a Deluxe resort. Ive never even walked on the property of one. lol. Ive always stayed value with the exception of one stay at POFQ with my parents as a teen. Military doesn't pay enough for the deluxe resorts. lol. We mainly stay at pop and are happy

 

[devoy1701]

Couldn't have said it better myself. If you enjoy the Deluxe Resorts because of room service, the monorail, the room size, the restaurants and the views of the parks...then yes, you will be disappointed at a Value.

If you enjoy the Deluxe Resorts because of the fun pools, being on Disney property and the friendly families - you won't mind a Value at all. If you're the type of people who like a comfy room at the end of the night to rest your head, fun pools for you and/or the kids, fun pool-side bars and fun-ly(I made up a word) themed places - the Values are a blast. (I do recommend staying away from ASSports though - lots of highschool "teams" that make you want to poke your eyes out.)

I beg the differ on some aspects. Mainly that a big downside to the Value resorts for me are that they are alot "louder" than the deluxe resorts are. A lot more children, a lot more of those children are unsupervised, and there are many many various large groups of children/preteens/school groups/tour groups. This higher volume is also because there is a much higher ratio of rooms in a given area at the values than the deluxes.

I in no way dislike children. But I enjoy the quite grounds of the Wilderness Lodge, and I enjoy my private balcony in the mornings. We've stayed at all levels of resorts, and CBR is our second favorite resort on property. But we probably won't be staying at any Values again...it's just not our cup of tea.

 

[Dukeblue1227]

I beg the differ on some aspects. Mainly that a big downside to the Value resorts for me are that they are alot "louder" than the deluxe resorts are. A lot more children, a lot more of those children are unsupervised, and there are many many various large groups of children/preteens/school groups/tour groups. This higher volume is also because there is a much higher ratio of rooms in a given area at the values than the deluxes.

I in no way dislike children. But I enjoy the quite grounds of the Wilderness Lodge, and I enjoy my private balcony in the mornings. We've stayed at all levels of resorts, and CBR is our second favorite resort on property. But we probably won't be staying at any Values again...it's just not our cup of tea.

I don't disagree with this.

Values are generally 100% louder. I will say, though, Beach Club CAN BE just as loud; however, Beach Club is my fav resort on property so I'm not saying that necessarily as a big negative. Just that, it can be just as loud.

But anywho, my original point in my post was that, if you need a place to sleep at night, shower, and have the availability to grab a bite to eat at, the values get the job done. And do so very affordably.

They are loud; but not at 10 o'clock at night when i'm winding down for the day... and I, personally, spend 97% of my waking time in Disney World away from the resort.

If I were ever going on a trip to Disney with intention to enjoy a significant amount of time at the resort I am staying at, then I wouldn't stay value.

But the Values generally are only loud around all the main areas; I've never had noise issues in my room. So even if I went back for a nap in the middle of the afternoon I've never had any issues.