Going for a Moderate after several visits to a Value?

[caseybrn]

Not really posing a boring and unproductive one vs the other debate.....But all of the six or seven visits to DSW have been staying at a moderate....I'm beginning to kick the tires and explore the next visit - - But if the family chooses to go to a value for the next visit....any ideas of what we'll expect?

 

[caseybrn]

The title poses the reverse...should be "Going for a Value after several visits to a Moderate?

 

[J_Krafty24]

Moderates have queen size beds and 2 bathroom sinks. Values have full size beds and one bathroom sink. The value rooms are also a little smaller.

 

[John park hopper]

I may be in the same boat. We all ways stay at moderate resorts but as WDW lodging prices continure to increase and we spend very little time in the resort we may be looking to forgo moderate for value resorts. Give us a report if you choose value. It is just my DW, children are gown so the pool for the kids is not a consideration and I try to stay out of the sun.

 

[DarthVader]

I've stayed at, value, moderates and deluxes and all in all, I think moderates offer the best bang for your buck.
What I and my kids like like about the moderates are the pool - typically moderates offer a larger pool, more pools, and a slide. Take the Carribean for instance, you have a local pool near your building and then the larger pool with a slide.

What I like being a family of four, is that we have two queen beds, my kids are not getting any smaller and two larger sized beds is definitely a plus.

With that said, what I like about the value resorts is the cost, its very inexpensive, and if I was being honest, I'd admit that our time at the resort (vs. the parks) is minimal. If I can accept the slightly cramped sleeping conditions, then the value resorts make sense.

I really enjoyed my time at the Contemporary, and it was litterly a bucket list item. I always wanted to stay at the Contemporary. My wife feels the same way at the Poly and so this time we're staying there, but I'll be honest, I think the moderates offer a better deal. The one thing the contemporary has is its location. Walking distance to MK, and its on the monorail line. The Poly is similar, walking distance to the TTC so you can take the monorail to Epoc, and the resort is on the monorail line.

 

[Roanlady]

We always stayed in a moderate, this year trying a value because of the price difference.

 

[Mickey5150]

I've stayed at all the moderates and all values except AOA and I've chosen to save the money and stay at All-Stars Sports every year. If you spend a lot of time at the resort then a moderate will give you more than a value, but if all you need is a bed then value is the way to go. The one question to ask when deciding between a moderate and a value is "Would you rather have twice as many sinks or twice as many nights?" Moderates are close to double the price per night compared to a value.

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

While it's different, bare with me.

DH and I had a few deluxe stays before staying at Coronado years ago. I loved the Coronado many times before this time so I was happy to go back. I was happy to just be in WDW at all. DH struggled more. He was very aware of all the differences and had a hard time adjusting to the smaller room, the difference in bathroom and wash up area, the motel style, I could go on...

What you'll expect? I'm not sure. But this is all to say that to me, most or all of it depends on attitude. If this is how your family chooses to or has to go to have this vacation, then embrace whatever plan you have and enjoy it! If you guys go into it with a positive attitude that this is how you get to save money and have this awesome vacay, go with it!

 

[jaklgreen]

We have always stayed at a Moderate and I went down to a value last year to save money. Hated it. I am allergic to cigarettes and they have their smoking areas on either side of the main building. So in order for me to get to the food court I needed to walk through the smoking area. Not a smart decision on Disney's part. I also thought that the room was tiny, even for just 1 person, the walls were thin, and there was no shade at the pool.

 

[JIMINYCR]

If its a matter of saving money, you do what you have to do to make the trip happen. But if cost isnt the reason for the change, I'd stay in a moderate resort. People may say its only a room and how much time do you really spend at the resort vs in the parks... I get the reasoning but I'd still rather not move down to a value. I've had friends come back from trips complaining about the noise levels, the comfort differences to the rooms, and even the feel of the surroundings. No matter what you decide... youre still at Disney and thats what really counts.

 

[Rachel S1321]

We're doing the opposite. We've always stayed at value, and have decided after our last trip to do Moderates. Our stays over the past few trips at the values have not been as good as previous. Slower service, noise, not the happiest staff. Still enjoyed our trip, but something was missing compared to other trips we've had. A decline in fun over the past few trips. So we're trying something new and moving on up.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I'm very thrifty, but when I decided to save a little money and stay at a value resort, I was SO disappointed. All week, I kept telling myself' "That's what you get for being such a cheapskate." I thought everything was so cheap and tacky looking. Now, I'll admit that this was back before AoA and Pop existed, which may alter things. A few years ago, I visited AoA for lunch and a walk around and I thought it looked nice.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

It all depends on the price difference. As others on this thread have mentioned...smaller beds, smaller pools, more crowded public areas, longer bus lines....on and on.

A $40 difference a night is different from a $100 a night difference. For $40 I'd stick with the Moderate for $100 then it might be worth exploring the Values. Everything in between is subjective.

As an alternative.....take a look at the Swan or Dolphin. That may actually be the best bang for your buck.

 

[slappy magoo]

We did a one night stay at AoA a few years ago, arriving on property a solid day before our check in day. Loved the pools. Hated the room. I'm a big guy, my wife is not big but not a stick and taller than the average woman. The beds are way too small for us. The bathroom was also very small. Food court was cacophonous and slow; after a lunch that was truly a pain in the butt, we wound up getting a last minute reservation at Wilderness Canyon Cafe (we had our own car), so we wouldn't have to have dinner there. But we gave it one more shot for breakfast and instantly regretted it. Great grounds to look around, the statues are neat, they did a great job with the theming. But the next time we arrived a night early we opted for a moderate and didn't regret it. Kids missed The Big Blue. They're more than welcome to go back once they're paying for the trips

 

[graphite1326]

I really, I mean REALLY like staying at French Quarter. It's small and not many children there. It's just DW and myself and we don't care about the pools. We have been to New Orleans and love it so we love the theming. But the prices have forced us to use values. If I have the extra money I would stay at FQ.

 

[StarshipDisney]

Just the opposite here. We have always stayed at deluxe resorts (Poly, Contemporary, AKL, & YC), but my wife "wants to go cheaper"...so next trip we going to try a moderate resort and are staying at Port Orleans Riverside. Not sure how much of a "downgrade" this will be but we are going to give it a try. My biggest concern is the bus service and having to wait on 4 bus stops. Guess we will see.

 

[righttrack]

The biggest difference is the full size beds vs queens. The room size is definitely smaller too but I don't find that as big a change. We stayed in a value once (Pop) and it was decent, but back then the moderates had full size beds too so it wasn't as big of a difference.

 

[TXDisney]

I'm not a fan of the value resorts. But I totally understand if money is tight for going to thrm. But if money isn't the issue I'd say continue staying at moderate.

 

[DE_DISNEY]

It all depends on the price difference. As others on this thread have mentioned...smaller beds, smaller pools, more crowded public areas, longer bus lines....on and on.

A $40 difference a night is different from a $100 a night difference. For $40 I'd stick with the Moderate for $100 then it might be worth exploring the Values. Everything in between is subjective.

As an alternative.....take a look at the Swan or Dolphin. That may actually be the best bang for your buck.

We have stayed at the Swan and Dolphin. I would consider them a step up from the moderates, especially if you can obtain them at a good price or use SPG points.

 

[Roanlady]

We stayed at a value resort for our Sept. 14 trip, after many visits to moderates, it did not have the Disney Magic for me, room was clean and comfortable but the grounds were not well kept.