Adult trip alone value or moderate?

[atterris]

Hi Everyone,
I plan on going on a trip by myself next Spring Break. I'm a teacher and have a limited budget but will need to take a vacation. The people that I usually travel with are either in the process of having babies or not financially able to go on the trip with me. I can either stay for 7 days at a value resort or 5 days at a moderate. What would you resort level would you suggest for me and what resort do you think would be good for a person going on their own? Also, typically are there any discounts in the begining of March? My friends all tell me to go to an all inclusive resort, I told them are you kidding Disney is the place for me!

Amanda

 

[stingrock23]

I'd say a moderate just so you can spend more time there. If you're planning to do more things, the room shouldn't matter.

 

[atterris]

Unfortunately as a teacher and as a student (working on an extra teaching diploma right now) I can only get away in March next year so I guess I'll just have to deal with the crowds. I think that I can stay at a moderated if I can get a pin code or discount otherwise I think it's a value resort for me. I live in BC and part of two of the days will be travel days. I think a seven day stay at a value resort will work out better than five days at a moderate unless some sort of discount shows up.

 

[Master Yoda]

Hi Everyone,
I plan on going on a trip by myself next Spring Break. I'm a teacher and have a limited budget but will need to take a vacation. The people that I usually travel with are either in the process of having babies or not financially able to go on the trip with me. I can either stay for 7 days at a value resort or 5 days at a moderate. What would you resort level would you suggest for me and what resort do you think would be good for a person going on their own? Also, typically are there any discounts in the begining of March? My friends all tell me to go to an all inclusive resort, I told them are you kidding Disney is the place for me!

Amanda

I typically always go with the more time option but your resort choice really depends on what you want out of your resort. If you intend to be in the parks most of the time and just need the room for sleeping and showering then there is no reason to go above a value resort. If you plan on a significant amount of down time spent at you resort then a moderate resort can be a sound investment. The moderate level is where the Disney resorts transition from a hotel to a resort. The values are just fine, but there is not much extra to them. The moderates will have themed architecture, landscaping, rooms, pools as well as a number of onsite activities.

I was thinking of the quick service plan. Has anyone used this plan before?

I am not a big fan of the quick service plan. You really need to work it to break even and getting ahead of the game is even harder. It is only a good deal when it is free.

How do you get pin codes?

That is the million dollar question. The reality is no one really knows, but there are a few tricks that seem to work. First you will want to make an account on the official Disney site. Once you have done that plan and save, but do not book a sample trip for your exact travel dates. Lastly you will want to order the planning DVD. Then all you can do is cross your fingers and wait.

 

[midwest_mice]

If I were traveling alone I would stay 7 days at a Value. If I was traveling by myself I would be at the parks before they open and stay til I basically drop. Get back to the room and crash for the night to do it all over again

 

[ddbowdoin]

value... simply because the difference in price in value and moderate is a moot point; there is real no advantage. There is some differences in ambiance, maybe clientele, but at the end of the day unless you stay at a deluxe your stuck taking buses everywhere

 

[s&k'smom]

Honestly if it were me 5 days at a moderate. I will admit I'm a bit of a resort snob. I envy you taking a solo trip, sounds wonderful.

 

[dreamfinder]

I'd say 7 days at a value. Unless you are trying to pick up a hot date at the bar on property, really not much that would differ or cause me to choose a moderate over a value. Especially on a teachers salary.

The DP is always a touchy subject. But the best thing to do is to run the numbers. See what you would actually order in food at the restaurants you think you might eat at. But unless you order (and eat) all the food provided under the terms of the DP, you won't come out ahead. The QS plan at $34.99 an adult for 2 CS meals (entree, dessert and drink) and 1 snack a day (plus 1 refillable mug) is an even tougher sell in my eyes. A lunch at Columbia Harbor House of the Grilled Salmon, Apple Crisp, and a soda is $16.37. Dinner at Pecos Bills of a deluxe angus cheese burger, chocolate cake, and a soda is $15.87. And you get a premium Mickey Bar as a snack at $3.50. This totals out to $35.74 So yeah you do come out ahead by ordering the most expensive items on the menu. BUT if you don't normally eat dessert with lunch and dinner, that alone at $3.59 a pop ($7.18 for the pair) would pay for most of a breakfast bounty platter at $8.29. So for $2 more than the QS DP for two meals, you have all 3 meals each day. The same concept applies if you don't drink sofa with each meal and instead opt to ask for ice water, or don't do a daily snack.

 

[Cendure]

If it was me, I'd choose POFQ. I like the live jazz at Scat Cat's and the boat to DTD. I also like the fact that it's a small compact resort. For our upcoming trip (there's 2 of us), I had a room only deposit on a value, Pop Century, and a moderate, POFQ. We waited to see how our finances were and what discounts were available, and then cancelled the one we weren't going to use. I wouldn't bother with a dining plan either. There's not enough value in it for me, I just wouldn't eat enough and I prefer appetizers to desserts at TS anyway, and I wouldn't get full value out of the QS either.

 

[slappy magoo]

The fact that it's Spring Break throws all sorts of monkey wrenches into a suggestion. You're alone, so you won't feel crowded in a Value. But the parks will be crowded, so you may want to spend more time in your resort, which makes a moderate more appealing. But that means fewer days in the parks, which are more crowded in the first place so it takes longer to do stuff, longer lines.

If you tend to go to the parks every year, so it won't kill you to do every single e-ticket, I'd choose the moderates.

And this little bit of criticism comes from a place of love, from a husband of a teacher and a brother of 3 teachers. Because when you're a teacher, spelling ALWAYS counts, even on the internet, especially when it's not a typo but something you think you're spelling correctly...

Dining. Not "dinning."

...I'm not a teacher, so if I spelled anything wrong, it's not bad, just slightly ironic.

 

[atterris]

The fact that it's Spring Break throws all sorts of monkey wrenches into a suggestion. You're alone, so you won't feel crowded in a Value. But the parks will be crowded, so you may want to spend more time in your resort, which makes a moderate more appealing. But that means fewer days in the parks, which are more crowded in the first place so it takes longer to do stuff, longer lines.

If you tend to go to the parks every year, so it won't kill you to do every single e-ticket, I'd choose the moderates.

And this little bit of criticism comes from a place of love, from a husband of a teacher and a brother of 3 teachers. Because when you're a teacher, spelling ALWAYS counts, even on the internet, especially when it's not a typo but something you think you're spelling correctly...

Dining. Not "dinning."

...I'm not a teacher, so if I spelled anything wrong, it's not bad, just slightly ironic.

Fixed my spelling mistakes, would hate for people to think that I'm a sub par teacher!

 

[slappy magoo]

I'm glad you took the constructive criticism as it was intended. You're not the only person to make that mistake, not by a long shot, and I know it shouldn't matter, "it's just the internet." I'm just one of those dopes who thinks that if we don't hold teachers to a higher standard, we risk all of us dropping to a lower standard. So thanks for not taking offense.

And let us know which resort wins your presence