8 days value or 7 days deluxe... What would you do?

[BigHero4]

I'll start by saying I'm Blessed for being able to ask this question so I don't want to come off as pretentious. We have the opportunity to take a 2017 November vacation to WDW. Our boys will be 7 and 4 y/o. It's roughly the same cost for us to stay 8 days at a value (POP) with 4 park days (+MVMCP) as it is to rent DVC points and stay at a DVC Villa (WL or BLT) for 7 days with 3 park days (+MVMCP).

It would be our first Deluxe stay and the themeing at WL at Christmastime is amazing, so I'm leaning towards Deluxe 7 days.

Which one would you pick and why?

 

[DisneyFans4Life]

Would you be able to do an extra night at Pop so you get the full 8 days, but get to stay at the Deluxe for the majority of your time?

How important are the parks to you? Is it worth giving up a day at the parks and a day on your vacation just to stay at a deluxe resort? Is Pop going to be enough room for your entire family to stay comfortably for 8 days?

 

[Tiggerish]

If you go with WL, you can easily spend most of a day very enjoyably exploring the resort. It's beautiful and amazingly well-themed.

And having a villa means that you may be able to save yourself quite a few dollars by getting some groceries and having at least breakfast in the villa. A 1BR villa has a full kitchen. I know, it may not seem vacation-like to prepare meals, but the $ saved could contribute to an extra park day!

 

[Rinx]

In my honest opinion, this one is a no brainer. I do not mean to sound snobby saying that but that's just how I feel. Most important reason being is the big size difference in rooms. At Pop, it is one room with two beds. In a villa, you will have more than one room with a separate bedroom. Given the ages of your children I would assume there may need to be a nap time during the day or something. I find the ample space at WL to be more relaxing and quieter during such times. WL also has a slide at the pool which your kids might really like as well as easy transportation to and from MK, which could really help during MVMCP. Plus boat recreation and trails to Fort Wilderness. You'll have plenty to do on that one less park day

 

[BigHero4]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. And appreciate the honest feedback @Rinx... not snobby at all. I've thought of all of those points with staying at WL - especially the point about heading back to the resort for breaks. It would be nice to have a relaxing 10 minute boat ride as opposed to bumpy and crowded 30 minute bus ride. I did forget to mention that we would be staying in a Studio villa, but I think there is still good space for us.

 

[Rinx]

I did forget to mention that we would be staying in a Studio villa, but I think there is still good space for us.

AH! Now I can really speak from experience! I've stayed at WL DVC several times all in a studio. One downside is I do not believe they make up the room everyday. They will do a "trash and tidy", I think, in the middle of your stay. But I'm sure with a small request you can get anything done. I've only stayed in the studio for a max of 4 nights so that I'm not 100% sure about.

But other than that you're in for a real treat! The theming is as fantastic as the main lodge. There are two fireplaces as well in the DVC building in quiet cozy areas with excellent rocking chairs. If your boys like trains they will love the Carolwood Room just off the lobby. It has a lot of Disney railroading history on display and some classic board games to play. The spa is also located in the building. You will have a smaller, quieter pool to enjoy as well with a hot springs theme as the water bubbles up from the floor throughout the pool. The kitchenette in the room can be very useful. Your boys can each have their own bed as well as they have recently installed a pullout bed under the tv and the couch pulls out as well.

Sorry for rambling on about stuff you may already know!

 

[TXDisney]

7 day delixe

 

[anchorman314]

I thought of a few other factors that could influence your decision. If you're not going until November 2017, the rates for Pop will most likely be higher than what you are seeing now for November 2015 or 2016. The rates for renting DVC points should remain relatively stable. And by then, the ticket pricing structure could be something entirely different too.

If you're flying in, the flight days could also make a huge impact on the total cost of your vacation. Shifting flight days could even pay for an additional night in the hotel. In a similar vein, DVC rooms use more points for Friday/Saturday nights, so that could also come into play.

All that being said, my gut is saying the 7 nights in a Deluxe.

 

[rob0519]

The 7 day Deluxe for us would be a no brainer. You are exactly right about the 10 minute boat ride vs. the 30 minute bus ride back to the resorts. We're fortunate enough to have been able to stay at a monorail resort for most of our trips. We have a special needs adult son and the convenience of getting him back to the room is worth the price.

The only caution I would have is that once you experience a Deluxe resort, going back to value could be a real downer. It's easy to like the ambience, service and convenience.

Maybe you could spend one night in a value and still get the four park days. Just though.

 

[BigHero4]

The 7 day Deluxe for us would be a no brainer. You are exactly right about the 10 minute boat ride vs. the 30 minute bus ride back to the resorts. We're fortunate enough to have been able to stay at a monorail resort for most of our trips. We have a special needs adult son and the convenience of getting him back to the room is worth the price.

The only caution I would have is that once you experience a Deluxe resort, going back to value could be a real downer. It's easy to like the ambience, service and convenience.

Maybe you could spend one night in a value and still get the four park days. Just though.

Great ideas everyone. I never gave a split stay a thought... maybe a couple nights at POP and the rest of the stay at WL??? Anyone have input on doing a split stay between value and deluxe? Although, with such young kids, it might be better to keep them at one location. After all, the Disney experience is already pretty overwhelming.

 

[DisneyFans4Life]

If you go the split stay route, I would think it would be better to start off with Pop and then "upgrade" to AKL instead of the other way around. It would be quite a shock to go from a nice villa to a small room.

 

[disneylover97]

In my personal opinion, I would stay at the WL. I have never stayed at a value resort before (i am for the first time this December) but the WL is my all time favorite resort on property. Even if it means one less day in the world, the transportation times to the parks will be shorter so you will have a little extra times in the parks. Like mentioned before, you are looking at a 5 minute boat ride to MK rather than a 30 minute bus ride. The WL has a decent pool, is very relaxing for the mid day breaks from the parks, and is great for exploring. I hoped this helped and that you have an amazing time in the world

edit: to add about switching hotels mid stay, I personally don't recommend it from personal experience. Moving the bags from one resort to another was a hassle and took up half the day that could have been spent in the parks. I think it would be better to stick to one resort especially with younger children.

 

[Tuvalu]

Great ideas everyone. I never gave a split stay a thought... maybe a couple nights at POP and the rest of the stay at WL??? Anyone have input on doing a split stay between value and deluxe? Although, with such young kids, it might be better to keep them at one location. After all, the Disney experience is already pretty overwhelming.

We did split stays with our young children every year. Never had an issue with "disruption" of changing resorts...the kids always saw it as a new adventure...and it allowed us to sample just about every Disney resort .

Agree with @DisneyFans4Life, always save the best (more expensive!) resort for last part of your vacation.

 

[wdwhoneymooner]

We are fortunate to have climbed the ladder over the years in regards to the levels of Resorts stays, from Values > Moderate > Deluxe > DVC membership. We loved staying @ POP which included being there over the holiday season. Our first Christmas stay was there when our wee ones were about your kids' ages. We still reminisce often about that trip; one of the best ones we've ever had. POP is our favorite value resort and wouldn't mind going back there if our kids were younger. BLT is very nice but we didn't really want to stay again after the second time. While very convenient to MK, we didn't think it provided too much when it came to holiday decor. We have close friends who have stayed @ WL during Christmas and they gave it rave reviews. This resort is on our list for future vacations.

DVC suites only have one full Mouse Keeping room service every 4 days. And we find it necessary to get/bring additional soaps, shampoos and supplies since they don't get replenished daily. Having a kitchen or kitchenette helped us save a few $ because we could cook some meals if we just didn't want to eat out. But the biggest benefit is the elbow room your family will have too. You can really stretch out more vs. a standard resort room. And free access to washers/dryers means you can pack fewer outfits.

 

[bee]

Either way you're going to spend several days at the resort and not in the parks, so to me it's a no-brainer: go deluxe!

 

[BigHero4]

edit: to add about switching hotels mid stay, I personally don't recommend it from personal experience. Moving the bags from one resort to another was a hassle and took up half the day that could have been spent in the parks. I think it would be better to stick to one resort especially with younger children.

Thanks @disneylover97. I've been reading reviews online about splitting the stay with young ones. I don't think they would be too much trouble, but they're kids - you never know what you're going to get! Plus they are boys and love to explore so WL coupled with FW might be good for them on non-park days. I guess I have a while to mull it over... keep the suggestions, opinions and references coming please!

 

[Jeff456]

I'd want the 4 park days.... so because of that it would have to be Pop! Is it not possible to use the money you've saved (I presume you will) by staying in Pop to get more park days?

 

[LAKid53]

Deluxe villa, duh. Fully equipped kitchen, washer/dryer, split bathroom with that oh so nice Jacuzzi tub with a Basin bath bomb (watch the bubbles) after a long day in the park, plenty of space and if you pick the right resort (Bay Lake, Animal Kingdom), you have 2 bathrooms in a one bedroom villa. Important if your travel group includes those bathroom hogs known as teenage girls.

For me, 7 days is sufficient for parks. Having that day to just do NOTHING, relaxing around the resort, do some retail therapy at Disney Springs is heaven (especially the retail therapy, lol).

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Something to think about no matter which trip you take... skipping MVMCP and using that money for regular tickets will get you from a 3-day ticket to a 7-day ticket with money left over. In terms of park time, it's a much better value.

 

[photogineer]

Go for the deluxe! Seriously, my last trip was with cousins that were a bit older than your kids at the time, and they were running on fumes towards the end of a 5 day stay, I think if you use your park time wisely and enjoy the party you won't miss the extra day. They'll have fun at the resort and overall I think you'll find the trip more relaxing. How often do you get to do something like this anyway? I would take it. Pop isn't going anywhere...

Adam