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.

 

[jmvd20]

I would definitely go for the moderate. We have stayed at Value resorts in the past and I doubt I will again. The walls are very thin as you can hear everything going on around you, the decorations are neat at first but after a few days Giant Bowling pins and football helmets start to get old at least (annoying at times actually), at least to me. I do not find the landscaping or pool area to be relaxing at all, the food courts are congested - at almost all hours of the day.

Now all that being said I would stay at a value over an off-resort hotel anytime. But the bottom line is that you get what you pay for, and to me the step up from a value to a moderate is worth every penny. There are massive differences between the 2, from what you have said I doubt you would find a value very pleasing and would most likely try to change hotels after a few nights at one.

There are many people that only want a room to sleep and shower in, and spend the rest of the time at the parks - for those people a value is a great deal, I like to relax at a resort though, not just sleep at a hotel.

 

[Flower'sChild]

There are many people that only want a room to sleep and shower in, and spend the rest of the time at the parks - for those people a value is a great deal, I like to relax at a resort though, not just sleep at a hotel.

That was kinda how it was for me many times. The main thing was the parks and I wanted a hotel with good transportation to the parks and stuff. So the value was perfect. It also helped that I go solo so a twin bed and the smaller value room was fine for me.

Now I have used the perks at the value. I enjoy the pools at the values a lot. For my birthday I would like AllStar. With AllStar I got tons of pools and I would take photo of the icons and stuff. A lot of times during the day the food court does not always seem that busy at Music (I have stayed at Music that most out of all the values). If it's a time far away from when most people eat breakfast,lunch and dinner there are tons of tables open. One thing also is my bithday vacations are in Jan/Feb so it's not as busy.

Since I have the annual pass and I go to DisneyWorld all the time sometimes I liked trying the other resorts. That is when I spend more time at the resorts, though I still go to the parks. The park I go to the most would depend on how close the resort is to the parks. Like a couple years ago when I was at the Beach Club for 5 days my main park was Epcot and then Mgm, but I did go to Magic Kingdom for the late night extra magic hours. I stay at the Poly this month for 5 days and the main park was the Magic Kingdom though I did go to Epcot 2 times for extra magic hours.

For my next birthday I booked Wilderness Lodge for something different. I am going to spend a lot of time at the Wilderness Lodge. I will also spend some time at Fort Wilderness and some of the other Magic Kingdom resorts. The main park I go to wil be the Magic Kingdom, but I will go to the other parks some.

 

[Flower'sChild]

My understanding with the limit is when you hit it you have to authorize them to take the payment from your credit card before they will give you the limit again to start charging again. You can do this over the phone... it's happened to us while shopping in DTD and you can do it at your resort as well, I think!?!

Yes I think that is how I remember the cast member explaining this to me. One of the things that I enjoy about staying at a Disney resort is charging stuff to my room. Of course I can just use my credit card, but it's just fun and exciting to use my room key

 

[JohnLocke]

I've only done Pop Century, and I really like it. I really only use the resort as a place to come back to after a long time in the park though, but I've never really experienced most the problems others have brought up.

I haven't ever found much trouble with other guests being noisy or hearing what's going on in the room next door. The pools, which I don't use, don't really seem that crowded, at least not during Christmas and Thanksgiving. And the food court isn't always a big problem either, a certain times during the day you will find a line, and sometimes it's fairly big, but I've never had problems securing a table or had to wait too long to check out. Most of the time, I find it much less rushed or crowded than most CS locations in the park.

 

[soin2disney]

The only real advantage I see with a mod is the bed itself, Values have doubles and most mods have queens. After all the walking and playing, it's nice to have the extra room to stretch out. With the age of your kids they may prefer the cartoon like value decor. If it's not a surprise, show them the virtual tour on the WDW site and let them decide.

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

 

[CleveRocks]

Newfie fan is correct on both counts.

The room charge limit is absolutely, definitely NOT a daily limit. It is no problem to start a new room charge account after the limit is reached, but it definitely does not reset to zero each day.

And as already mentioned by others, Moderates have double beds, except for Coronado Springs Resort, the only of the 4 Mods with queen-size beds.

 

[paul436]

The French Quarter is beautiful and if you can afford to stay there instead of the values it's worth it. But if you have to cancel something else to do it, I would stay at the values. I've stayed there many times and always found them to be up-to-par in every way. You obviously don't get as much as the moderates as far as amenities but I never found myself missing those extras. I believe the All-Stars was just voted the best hotels for kids by a travel organization. Your girls may enjoy the All-Stars better at their current ages.

 

[JWH]

Go with a Moderate. There will be a noticeable difference in the level of peace and quiet in your stay, and that can make all the difference in the World for your vacation. Actually, I've found the Moderates (especially Coronado Springs) a more relaxing stay than the Deluxes.

 

[Flower'sChild]

Newfie fan is correct on both counts.

The room charge limit is absolutely, definitely NOT a daily limit. It is no problem to start a new room charge account after the limit is reached, but it definitely does not reset to zero each day.

And as already mentioned by others, Moderates have double beds, except for Coronado Springs Resort, the only of the 4 Mods with queen-size beds.

Well everytime I have went over $500 during my stay when staying at a value I have never had to contact my value resort so I can keep charging again. It takes days for me to go over $500 but I have went over $500 many times.

 

[durangojim]

My thought is that if you want to save money, just stay at a value like Pop and deal with it's shortcomings. If you're willing to stay in a moderate you're not going to be saving that much more than you would if you stayed in a standard room at AKL or WL with the common discounts that are offered. We stayed at PORS last year and didn't really care for it as we kept comparing it to our favorites of the BC and WL. We also stayed at Pop for a short time last year and really enjoyed it mainly because we felt it wasn't competing at all with the deluxes and our minds knew it. We still prefer the deluxes, and that's where we choose to stay, but we're going on a spur of the moment trip tomorrow and choose to stay at Pop even though we could have easily afforded a room at a mod.

 

[Bigeagle]

For the OP:

Others have already provided comparisons between Value vs Moderate--both are great, depending on needs and expectations. Given your past experience with Deluxes, I'd suggest that a Moderate with your children (POFQ or POR) would be a better choice than a Value. We've visited ASMo with daughters ages 8 and 6 and it was great, but we stepped up to POR when DD were 10 and 8 and really appreciated the "upgrade". To put it another way, I'm not sure you'll apprecriate your financial savings at a Value as much having expereinced what a Deluxe has to offer. A Moderate would be a satisfying compromise.

Whatever chose you make, have a great time!

 

[dreamfinder]

I personally feel that both value and moderates are both good for what they are. Value appeals more towards kids with their giant icons, while moderate is a step up. The theming of pools at values also tends to be a little more kid friendly, despite not having a water slide of some sort.
Regarding room quality, resort crowding, etc, both types can have issues. All the resorts cycle through refurbs, so you at either type you could get a room that was recently redone, or one that will be redone shortly. There is no guarantee that moderates will be in better shape. The same for crowding. We stayed at All Star Sports late October, and the resort never seemed noisy or crowded. (There was some large martial arts competition going on at WWoS so lots of the participants were staying at the All Stars) Other people have reported it being swamped at similar times.
If you are going to use it as mostly a place to sleep, then a value should be fine. But if you anticipate spending time in the room, then you may appreciate the extra space in the moderates. Also, depending on how you get ready in the morning, you may equally appreciate the second sink in the moderates.

 

[French Quarter]

Even with the current discounts being offered, you do save a bundle by downgrading to a moderate. We priced it out for our value season trip and by changing from Wilderness Lodge (the cheapest deluxe room we could find) to POFQ, we will save at least $50 per night.

 

[WVParkfan]

Have you tried the Swan or Dolphin Resorts? Deluxe resorts for the price of a moderate! AND, they are in the Epcot Resort area.

We've stayed at all 4 values, and 2 moderates. We've enjoyed all of them, but our stay at the Swan 2 weeks ago was simply amazing, including the price!
http://www.swandolphin.com/

 

[French Quarter]

Have you tried the Swan or Dolphin Resorts? Deluxe resorts for the price of a moderate! AND, they are in the Epcot Resort area.

We've stayed at all 4 values, and 2 moderates. We've enjoyed all of them, but our stay at the Swan 2 weeks ago was simply amazing, including the price!
http://www.swandolphin.com/

The cheapest I could find for the Swan/Dolphin is in the $180 range a night. With the discounts Disney's offering, it would be cheaper to stay at Wilderness Lodge.

 

[WVParkfan]

Odd. I guess it depends on when you are going.

We stayed at the Swan from August 8-15 for $161 per night. The Boardwalk, Beach Club, and monorail resorts were all around $400 per night. Moderates were $160 per night, so we were thrilled with the price at the Swan. The only discount I got was AAA, and I made the reservations 10 months ago.

The resort was beautiful, and the Grotto pool is the best on property. And the convenience of walking to Epcot, DHS, and the Boardwalk restaurants and entertainment made it absolutely worth every penny.

 

[fngoofy]

The major differences between Moderates and Values:

Moderate rooms are 314 sq. ft. (except CBR's, which are 340 sq. ft.)
Value rooms are 260 sq. ft. The 54 sq. ft. difference is about the size of 2 double beds.

Moderate rooms have refrigerators, standard.
Value rooms have no fridge, and to rent one is $12/night.

Moderate rooms have 2 sinks (except CSR's rooms have 1).
Value rooms have 1 sink.

Moderate rooms have ceiling fans.
Value rooms don't have them.

Moderate main pools have a pool slide and a Jacuzzi.
Values don't have either one.

Moderate resorts' bus stops are covered (think protection from rain and hot sun).
Value resorts' bus stops are uncovered.

Moderate resorts have multiple internal bus stops (except POFQ), meaning that no room is a far walk from the bus.
Values have only one bus stop/area.

Moderate resorts have pool towels at the main pool.
Value resorts don't (consistently) offer pool towels.

Moderate resorts have a table-service restaurant (except for POFQ) as well as a food court.
Value resorts have only a food court.

Moderate resorts offer some type of recreational activity (boat rental, bike rental, etc.).
Value resorts don't offer any of that.

Moderate resorts have a maximum room charge limit of $1,000.
Value resorts have a maximum room charge limit of $500.

Great job! I learned a lot.

Some other observations of mine (not as concise as yours.)

1. You stand a better chance of running into large groups staying at a value (think Cheerleading Competition, Little League, Pop Warner Football)

2. The grounds at moderates are more landscaped whereas the values feature over the top figurines (giant 3 story high helmets, big wheel tricycles, etc.)

3. Moderates are less dense, 2 to 3 stories high as opposed to 3 and 4 stories high.

I would also recommend POFQ, very quiet, though we've stayed at all of them except Coronado and have liked them all.

I would also recommend getting a rental car.

We stayed in POFQ in May of this year and had a rental car. You park for free at the parks and other resorts. Go with one of the companies at the airport, as it is very easy to pickup and drop off, they are just outside of baggage claim. We usually go with Budget or National. Mousesavers.com has deal listing, in the fall you should be able to get one for well under $200 if you do a little deal hunting.

The nice thing about a rental car is that you can park right outside your room area: no waiting for buses, no waiting in lines at the end of the day, (not just waits, but heat, tiredness), maximizing your time.

Also, very easy to get to places that the busses don't easily get you to: mini golf, water parks, DTD, other resorts. And it lets you get to places without having to go back to a central hub, like being able to stop in DTD after leaving a park, going to another resort to have a drink or to eat, or just popping into your resort to pickup something before going on to somewhere else.

A car also lets you stop at Target and pickup things on your way in. Water, snacks, lunch items, etc. That is a HUGE saver and can pay for the cost of the car.

In addition, it lets you piggyback on Deluxe resorts, every time we went to MK we simply parked at the Poly and rode the monorail in (we joked that we were staying in the southernmost long house.)

When asked at the gate we simply stated we where coming in to shop and eat (which we did, we just broke up the time with a detour into the park. You can also park at the Boardwalk and walk into EPCOT which is handy.

One thing you might look at other than the moderates, is the garden wing at the contemporary or one of the Wilderness lodge rooms. Sometimes they can be low enough to make it worth the up-charge.

One other thing, if you look at Coronado, you will see that there rooms are a little more up to date than the other mods, they have flat panel tvs and room service I believe. They small down side is that there food court is a little more expensive as they are a convention facility and the guests are usually on a package plan and they can charge a bit more.

Good luck, let us know what you pick!

 

[dreamfinder]

In addition, it lets you piggyback on Deluxe resorts, every time we went to MK we simply parked at the Poly and rode the monorail in (we joked that we were staying in the southernmost long house.)

When asked at the gate we simply stated we where coming in to shop and eat (which we did, we just broke up the time with a detour into the park. You can also park at the Boardwalk and walk into EPCOT which is handy.

Be careful with parking at other resorts. There have been instances where people have been towed/charged for parking more than the 3 hours especially at the deluxe resorts. If you park and shop/eat you should be ok. But leaving a car at a resort without a parking pass for that resort can lead to problems.

 

[French Quarter]

Can't you park at the parks for free when you are staying at a Disney resort?

Odd. I guess it depends on when you are going.

We stayed at the Swan from August 8-15 for $161 per night. The Boardwalk, Beach Club, and monorail resorts were all around $400 per night. Moderates were $160 per night, so we were thrilled with the price at the Swan. The only discount I got was AAA, and I made the reservations 10 months ago.

When I checked the dates for February 9 to 12 at Swalphin, I was given the lowest rate of $180+ (before taxes) a night. To stay in a standard view room at WL during the same time with the current 40% off offer amounts to around $150 (taxes in). That's a significant difference to me. And then to stay at POFQ with the current offer it's less than $110 a night, which is even more significant. It's always worth checking though for your dates.

 

[shipley731]

Have you tried the Swan or Dolphin Resorts? Deluxe resorts for the price of a moderate! AND, they are in the Epcot Resort area.

We've stayed at all 4 values, and 2 moderates. We've enjoyed all of them, but our stay at the Swan 2 weeks ago was simply amazing, including the price!
http://www.swandolphin.com/

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.