Moderate vs. Value - I need an analysis

[Nightsbane]

My wife and I when we have gone like to stay at the Poly. We have been promising our girls a trip for a year now, and haven't been able to go when we would have liked due to finances etc. We are trying to set up a trip to go next fall, knowing that at their ages (5 and 8 now, 6 and 9 then) we are just about out of time with them being giddy little girls at disney wanting to do the kids stuff. Another year and the older one will probably scoff at some things.

So we want to take a trip next fall and are wondering about resorts. We cannot afford to take the girls along on a trip to a deluxe ( we love monorail access and proximity to Magic Kingdom) and so we were pretty set on Port Orleans, French Quarter. It still looks gorgeous and like a wonderful stay.

Yesterday as I was arranging the trip I wondered how much more we could save if we considered a value, that could be put towards spending money, activities and the like.

What I do know, is that the hotel is important to us. It must be clean, well run, not run down, and not super crowded. We want to feel like we are staying in a nice place. I am not trying to insult anyone's sensibilities that has stayed in value resorts; I simply have never even been inside one and have no knowledge on their level of niceness. The pictures online of the couple I have seen look almost a bit run down, though I may be simple not seeing good shots.

What advice can you give those of you of wdwmagic? What is the difference in stay and amenities as well as location between the two for getting to the parks? I am not sure how much money can be saved by the switch or how the experience will be affected. We are planning a 7-10 day trip next late October or early November, 2 adults, 2 children.

 

[French Quarter]

The other extra cost is transportation from the airport to Swan/Dolphin. I read upthread that the Magical Express is unavailable to these guests.

 

[lighteningqueen]

Then avoid All Star at all costs. The room was like a shoebox, it was messy, the bathroom floor would flood anytime someone took a shower and it was like a madhouse there. (This is of course based solely on MY experience, I'm sure someone will run in and say how clean and well kept it is)

Spend the extra for a moderate, it sounds like it'll fit your needs/tastes much better.

Not all the All Stars are like that. We have stayed 3 times at them and they are very well maintained. I do not know about Sports but Music was wonderful Pop was clean although the decor inside was a little bland compared to Music. You can do alot with the extra $50.00.. Plus tax. Save the money stay at a Value which is more themed to Disney anyway and the girls would love the theming . I think POR and those place to me are more for adults since there are not any Characters speaking Disney as there decor outside. Especially when kids are little then move up as they become teens.. just MHO

 

[erinshaneb]

I have stayed at all three levels..we stayed at All-Stars Movies for our honeymoon and were thrilled with the experience..until we went back the following years..Movies had a great theme and it was soo much fun and with little kids I could see how that would be very entertaining..that being said the rooms were a little small and the buses were sooooo crowded..we went in May and it wasn't that busy, but it just seemed at the end of every night we had to wait through 2 or 3 buses to get on one..Also (this is a HUGE thing for my hubby) the doors are on the outside..he HATES that..a security thing..Coronado is beautiful, but big..I love the food court and the ambiance..depending on where your room is you may have a little hike to the bus stop..Caribbean was wonderful..Then there is AKL..We have stayed there 2 times and headed back there this year..We originally were going to PO, but decided to upgrade to AKL bcuz this will be my father's last trip and we wanted to surprise him with a hotel he would never pay for..My daughter will be 4 and my son 8 months old..I told my husband that yes, waking up looking at giraffes is cool for a 4 year old, but the price difference! Why don't we just wait til she is older and can remember it, which brought us to PO..We generally enjoy the moderates..don't get me wrong..there is definitely a difference between mods and deluxe..to me there is something about walking into the lobby of AKL that is just so over-whelming..but you do pay for that..I would spend the little bit extra and stay at a mod..if you get a discount on the hotel room, then the difference isn't all that much..We are people that (until this trip since it will be the first with kiddos in tow) that only use the hotel room for showering, sleeping and changing clothes, but it's still important to have that little extra something..GL

P.S..we wanted to park hop last year or go to downtown or something, forget the exact reason why we did this..but we needed to leave a park, go to a resort and get another bus to get back to a park..so we chose Pop since we hadn't been there before..big mistake !! we had to wait for over 30 minutes and at least two buses to get a bus to another park..it was like a cattle call..and this was in September..just FYI..(maybe to leave Downtown to another park? hmm now that's driving me nuts..lol)

 

[Flower'sChild]

Just a word of caution with the Swan & Dolphin - beware of the extra costs when looking at these resorts. There is a $10 mandatory resort fee, per room, per night and also an $11 a day charge to self park. If you drive to a theme park, you'll also have to pay the parking fee there as well as theme park parking isn't included with your room rate like it is with the Disney hotels. (Another $14 per day - I think. I have an AP, so I don't pay to park.)

I do agree that these are nice resorts & the location is awesome. I've stayed at both & will do so again when I can find a good deal. If you choose the Swan or Dolphin just make sure the extra costs don't make you end up with a more expensive room. There are deals to be had with these 2 hotels, but you have to look to make sure you are getting the best deal.

I know about that extra $10 a night resort fee. But they also charge you $11 a day to park there if you are staying there? I have never heard of any hotel that charges you to self park if you are staying at that hotel.

 

[erinshaneb]

I think the only moderate that have queen beds is corondo springs.......the other mods have double like the values

Unless things have changed, I have slept in a queen bed in both Coronado springs and caribbean.. My hubs is 6'5 so we always try to get the biggest bed everywhere

 

[French Quarter]

I know about that extra $10 a night resort fee. But they also charge you $11 a day to park there if you are staying there? I have never heard of any hotel that charges you to self park if you are staying at that hotel.

I don't know about in Orlando but where I come from it's standard practice to charge for parking at a hotel, even if it's self-parking.

 

[shipley731]

I know about that extra $10 a night resort fee. But they also charge you $11 a day to park there if you are staying there? I have never heard of any hotel that charges you to self park if you are staying at that hotel.

Lots of big cities charge to self park. When I stayed in Honolulu, it was $30 per night to self park. Yikes! Needless to say we just rented a car for the day to go to Pearl Harbor & then returned it as soon as we got back. Was just in Nashville in March & it was $18 per day to self park & $24 for valet.

The Swan & Dolphin charges $11 per day to self park & $18 for valet. They've always charged to park whether it's self or valet. I think the price went up to $11 from $10 a few years ago. The first time I stayed here, I was a little taken aback by the charge. Now when I stay there, I just take the charges into consideration & weigh out whether it's less expensive to stay there than in a moderate, AKL, or WL. Sometimes Swan & Doplhin have the better deal, sometimes not.

 

[Disneykidder]

If you decide to stay at a value, Pop would be the way to go. It is the only value we have stayed at where we have not encountered any problems. The last value we stayed at made us not want to ever visit a value again. With that said, POFQ is very nice. That is the only mod we have not stayed at but have been there several times and swam in their pool, as well. I think your girls may like CSR...it is a lot of fun but very large.

Go on the Disney web site and check out the difference in price between the 2 categories. For our trip next summer we have been comtemplating between Coronado and Wilderness Lodge. The difference in price is almost $700. We really want to stay at WL but I could think of a lot of things to do with that $700. (Spent at Disney or at home) We have even considered splitting the trip between both resorts but it ends up being more due to tickets and dining. Are you going during a free dining period? That may sway your vote because with a value you receive QS dining and with a mod you receive the plus dining. That may save you there, too.

In rereading my response I realized that I have pronbably confused you more than helping...sorry.

 

[Goofycanuck]

Unless things have changed, I have slept in a queen bed in both Coronado springs and caribbean.. My hubs is 6'5 so we always try to get the biggest bed everywhere

You were probably in a King then. If there was only one bed in the room it would be a King, if there was 2 beds they were doubles. Coronado is the only mod with Queen beds.

 

[snowpony]

DBF and I love POP as well! We were trying to decide between a moderate and a value, but DBF (who is a "big kid") loved the theming of the POP so much that he only wants to stay there. The only other place he would like to stay is the Animal Kingdom Lodge in the area where you can see the animals.

We're the types who are at the parks sun-up to sun-down, so we only use the hotel for sleeping. We also looked at the price difference and realized that $ we save can be spent on other stuff towards our trip, such as souvenirs. We spent $500 in souvenirs our last trip and will probably spend that much this trip as well.

OP, if you stay at a value, I too vote for POP!

If you decide to stay at a value, Pop would be the way to go.

The difference in price is almost $700. We really want to stay at WL but I could think of a lot of things to do with that $700. (Spent at Disney or at home)

 

[RooFest]

4 people? go moderate!

i'll make this straight to the point
my family has 5 people and we've stayed at every level of hotel in the chain.
values are smaller ! you only get 1 sink in the bathroom compared to 2 in moderate and deluxe.
your more likely to hit crowds..obviously there cheaper.
moderates are a large step up and completely worth it POFQ is lovely although my family preferred Coronado Spings resort over POFQ.
we also stayed AKL, the view was the best part..the rooms were better at coronado considering there was a curtain seperating the outside sinks from the hotel, meanwhile AKL didn't have that.
for a deluxe hotel.. there weren't really any amenities that were worth that large price gap, aside from the view of the savannah..which we were lucky to get.

 

[ThinkTink721]

From my experience at WDW, I would recommend the POP Resort (value) or POR (moderate).
POP is clean & themed well for kids.
There are several pools & it has a bus service that only makes stops at that resort.
We do prefer POR (the Alligator Bayou section), but to save $ to be able to do other things, POP is a good choice.
POR is clean, quiet, & scenic.
The pools & the food court at POR are very nice.
You can even take a boat ride to/from DTD.
POR is closer to the MK than POP, but you do have to share bus service w/ POFQ (which I hear is a nice resort too).
You can also rent bikes & fish at POR.
The difference in $ is usually a few hundred dollars.

If you plan on going in the fall, the Halloween decorations are up in Sept./Oct.
If you plan on going in Nov./Dec., the Christmas decorations are up then.

Here is a list of activities that your kids may enjoy:
Princess Tea Party at the Grand Floridian (with Princess Aurora)
Wonderland Tea Party at the Grand Floridian (with Alice & the Mad Hatter)
Pirate Cruise (take a boat ride & search for buried treasure)
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique (get dressed up just like a princess)

My girl has done the PTP, the WTP, & the BBB.
My boys have done the PC.
All of these were great!

Hope this helps! :wave: