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Is Art of Animation a Value Resort Still?
- Thread starter WDWVolFan
- Start date
Tom
Beta Return
They haven't officially released 2015 pricing, so it may be artificially inflating the price until the firm things up.
Or, you're pricing up one of their suites. Most of that resort consists of suites, which are definitely pricey. They have one area of "Standard" value rooms.....the Little Mermaid section, if I'm remembering correctly. If you're really looking for a Value Room, look at Pop Century.
bethymouse
Well-Known Member
I hate the "value resort" suites!
flynnibus
Premium Member
The comparable alternative is to book two rooms.. and the pricing reflects that.
Price or are they just crappy?I hate the "value resort" suites!
On another note, I don't know how some of you guys do it staying at a Deluxe...too expensive in my book to justify having a place to sleep. LOL
JerseyDad
Well-Known Member
....AoA ....was never a 'value' resort ...nor do I believe that it will at any time in the near future fall into that category.
....it's new ...it popular ...and therefore it's not going to be discounted.
....it has suites ...which are in demand ....so, again ...no discounts.
....I've seen it, "close-up & personal" (brother's family was there while we were at POP) ...and in my opinion ....it's not all that it's hyped to be.
....it's new ...it popular ...and therefore it's not going to be discounted.
....it has suites ...which are in demand ....so, again ...no discounts.
....I've seen it, "close-up & personal" (brother's family was there while we were at POP) ...and in my opinion ....it's not all that it's hyped to be.
slappy magoo
Well-Known Member
Well, technically it is a Value resort, by Disney's definition of a "value" anyway, YMWillDefinitelyV.
We usually drive to WDW. Our next trip down, we may arrive in town a night before our official check-in date so we're pondering a night in a Value. Currently a night in the Little Mermaid section of AoA (the only section that aren't all suites) are 10 to 20 bucks more than the other Values, which are all in the price range of DtD hotels. I can get a suite in Fairfield for 40 bucks less and breakfast is included. I'm all about being immersed in the ol' Disney magic, but for one night, I'm tempted.
psukardi
Well-Known Member
I think it depends on how you plan on spending your trip. If the goal is to hit the park at rope drop & go all out non-stop until park close and then go back to the room & shower & sleep and repeat for several more days on end, then no - going to a Deluxe probably isn't worth it. However, after a while (to me at least) that gets old.
I like not having to set an alarm. I'll wake up, read the paper & have a cup of coffee - maybe walk around or chill in the lobby. Perhaps go back to the room during the afternoon to go to the pool & have a drink. It's nice to just kind of go at a relaxed pace. Plus depending on where you're staying - the location is really a ++. Walking from Beach Club to Epcot is great.
flynnibus
Premium Member
We prefer the offsite for the 'night before..'. Why pay more, get less, and pay for location that you won't exploit? The Radisson we stayed in next to crossroads was closer to food, had a WAY better bed and room.. and was cheaper.
I love Disney.. but I'm not their b#$%#
One of my favorite trips was when we stayed at the Boardwalk. We'd get up, take it slow. We'd walk down to the Boardwalk to get some coffee and then often stroll over to Epcot or walk to DHS. At the end of the day, we'd enjoy a walk or boat ride back. Much less waiting in line - fewer buses. The location was just fantastic.
We have since found that we more often than not stay at the parks all day, and so we've been doing the Value thing lately. The Values have been really nice for us. However, they can't touch the Boardwalk for location.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Or follow Mousesaver's label... 'Value Plus' hehe
bethymouse
Well-Known Member
Price. They're not crappy at all but they're not value prices!
slappy magoo
Well-Known Member
I wonder if it's not that they're totally booked already so much as they haven't been released that far ahead because WDW i still gauging how popular they are and planning to price them even higher?
Though honestly I wouldn't be surprised if they're booked. While I think having somewhat more affordable suites was a good idea on WDW's part (the Value suites seem like a steal for a family of 5 or 6 compared to, say, rack rates for a 2BR Villa in the DVC resorts, but only when compared to them as opposed to, say, 2 value rooms or an offsite suite), I wonder if the ratio of standard rooms to suites is a little out of whack. I'll bet there are of families of 3 or 4 who were hoping they could afford a suite just for the space, thinking they'd be roughly twice the price of a standard room (they seem to be closer to 3x the price of a standard). As a result, I'd bet a nickel that come next year, a lot of families will be pleasantly surprised to find out they've been upgraded to suites because the Little Mermaid rooms become overbooked.
ParentsOf4
Well-Known Member
Speaking of overbooked Value Resort standard rooms while AOA Family Suite bookings are weak ...
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/i-was-upgraded.881372/
alissafalco
Well-Known Member
Yes they are a complete rip off and that's why they are having problems getting these "value suites" filled. If you want a value suite stay off property.
Dwarful
Well-Known Member
We were booked at PORS last July/August for a two week trip with our family of five. We arrived and there were plumbing issues with our room that couldn't be fixed in a timely manner. Disney moved us to AoA Cars Suites. The rooms were nice and to be honest after seeing our room at PORS I would NOT recommend those for families of five if more than 3 of your 5 are adults, teens or tweens....tight spaces.
We have stayed at the deluxe, mod and value resorts. We would NEVER book a suite at AoA at the rack rate. While we enjoyed the room and space.....not enough to pay those rates. On the bus rides in the early morning it seemed like many were staying in the Little Mermaid section.
Side note...our girls LOVED the shower curtain in our room. But when we checked at the resort shop we were NOT buying it for $150. Cute but not that cute for a shower curtain.
We have stayed at the deluxe, mod and value resorts. We would NEVER book a suite at AoA at the rack rate. While we enjoyed the room and space.....not enough to pay those rates. On the bus rides in the early morning it seemed like many were staying in the Little Mermaid section.
Side note...our girls LOVED the shower curtain in our room. But when we checked at the resort shop we were NOT buying it for $150. Cute but not that cute for a shower curtain.
sbkline
Well-Known Member
Unless you just REALLY want to stay at Art of Animation because you think it looks awesome, I would plan on staying somewhere else and here is why...
I have never stayed in a Value and part of the reason why is because everytime I price them, I find that they fail to live up to the name "value". Although discounts are never guaranteed, it seems to be my observation that there is ALWAYS a discount available, and the percentage off depends on what type of resort you choose. Currently, there is NO discount available for Art of Animation, but the moderate resorts get 25-30 percent discounts. This means that you can effectively stay in a moderate with the discount and be paying LESS than you would be paying for the Value without a discount.
Even when you look at the other values that offer discounts, it is my observation that the discounts for the Values are significantly less than those of the moderates. I have seen discounts for All Star Movies as low as 5%. I have seen other "Values" get 10 or 15 percent discounts, compared to the 25 or 30 percent at the moderates.
A while back, I did the same thing the other poster did...based on the prices for the current year, I got online and priced this year's dates for the same period that we would be going next year, at Carribbean Beach and at Pop Century. Based on the current discount offered (which I applied, under the educated guess that there would be a similar discount out for the same time next year) for a 10 night stay, Carribbean Beach would only be 200-300 dollar higher than the Value Resort that I priced.
When you think about a 2,000-4,000 price jump from upgrading to a moderate to a Deluxe, a 200-300 savings for a 10 night stay by downgrading to a Value from a moderate seems miniscule at best. And once again, the due to the newness and the popularity of Art of Animation, most of the time, the discounts do not apply for that resort, so you would probably end up paying MORE for AoA than you would a moderate resort.
Once again, the official policy is that discounts are never guaranteed to be released, but it is simply my observation and experience that there always IS a discount. And in regards to Art of Animation, surely as time marches on and its newness and initial popularity (due to that newness) will "wear off", this resort will begin to be included in the discounts that are released. You may begin to see this next year, or you may not. But keep an eye out at www.mousesavers.com for discounts as they become available.
I have never stayed in a Value and part of the reason why is because everytime I price them, I find that they fail to live up to the name "value". Although discounts are never guaranteed, it seems to be my observation that there is ALWAYS a discount available, and the percentage off depends on what type of resort you choose. Currently, there is NO discount available for Art of Animation, but the moderate resorts get 25-30 percent discounts. This means that you can effectively stay in a moderate with the discount and be paying LESS than you would be paying for the Value without a discount.
Even when you look at the other values that offer discounts, it is my observation that the discounts for the Values are significantly less than those of the moderates. I have seen discounts for All Star Movies as low as 5%. I have seen other "Values" get 10 or 15 percent discounts, compared to the 25 or 30 percent at the moderates.
A while back, I did the same thing the other poster did...based on the prices for the current year, I got online and priced this year's dates for the same period that we would be going next year, at Carribbean Beach and at Pop Century. Based on the current discount offered (which I applied, under the educated guess that there would be a similar discount out for the same time next year) for a 10 night stay, Carribbean Beach would only be 200-300 dollar higher than the Value Resort that I priced.
When you think about a 2,000-4,000 price jump from upgrading to a moderate to a Deluxe, a 200-300 savings for a 10 night stay by downgrading to a Value from a moderate seems miniscule at best. And once again, the due to the newness and the popularity of Art of Animation, most of the time, the discounts do not apply for that resort, so you would probably end up paying MORE for AoA than you would a moderate resort.
Once again, the official policy is that discounts are never guaranteed to be released, but it is simply my observation and experience that there always IS a discount. And in regards to Art of Animation, surely as time marches on and its newness and initial popularity (due to that newness) will "wear off", this resort will begin to be included in the discounts that are released. You may begin to see this next year, or you may not. But keep an eye out at www.mousesavers.com for discounts as they become available.
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