When is it worth the extra buck?

[DisneyFan 2000]

So my friend and I are planning a trip to the USA this coming April, with an obvious pit stop being a 10 night stay at WDW! Now, it's his first time there, so the obvious choice for planning would be staying on-site and soaking in the "magic" completely, but here's the dilemma and was interested in hearing you guys' opinions.

We're not gonna be spending much time at the resort. The basic plan is park hours from open to close, and half day parks (AK, Sea World) will be mixed in with a bit of outlet shopping, Downtown Disney etc... So my question is this: In your opinion, when does upgrading from the basics of a value resort to a moderate / deluxe experience become worthwhile? I know the moderates and deluxe resorts are awesome, and for 10 days some packages offered are more than tempting, but is it worth the extra buck?

Discuss away... I'd love to hear more seasoned guests' opinions on the matter.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

I think the simplest answer for me is: when you get a hotel not at WDW, do you look first at the price or at the brand of the hotel? Personally, I'm always on Hotwire or hotels.com or whatever, pretty much finding the cheapest hotel possible. Location is a consideration for me when I book a not-WDW hotel, but I think the values are fairly well located on property. The differences between the values and the deluxes are similar to differences with the national hotel brands: room size, different sheets/beds, interior/exterior hallways, table service restaurant onsite, etc. However, with the values, you still get nicely landcaped grounds, good sized swimming pools and theming that you normally wouldn't find at a budget hotel off-site.

So... I say if you would normally pay the upcharge when you're not on a WDW vacation, then do it here. If the cheap hotel normally suits you just fine, then it probably will at WDW, too.

 

[wendysue]

The Values at Disney are much better than some of the better hotels outside of Disney. Taking into consideration how much time you actually stay in the room, no, I don't believe I would upgrade to moderate or deluxe.
We LOVE Pop Century. :wave:

 

[boufa]

The Values at Disney are much better than some of the better hotels outside of Disney. Taking into consideration how much time you actually stay in the room, no, I don't believe I would upgrade to moderate or deluxe.
We LOVE Pop Century. :wave:

Set me up a bed in the parking lot... I would be o.k. with it. Once a hotel meets basic standards, clean, close, and cheap. Anything beyond that is a waste of money. I'm there for the parks, not the hotel room. Some will say but you spend a third of your trip in your hotel room! and I would say that with the exception of 1 hour in the AM and 1 hour in the PM I am asleep for all of those hours... the same sleep I would have gotten in nearly any hotel. When my eyes are closed I don't need the extra space, the sit down restaurant, or access to the monorail!

Take the money you save and "plus" your vacation.

 

[Stellajack]

Take the money you save and "plus" your vacation.

Totally agree with this. The Values have "magic" like all other onsite resorts.:dazzle:

 

[WDWLOYAL1971]

the Disney's Value Resorts are great. One of the reasons I prefer the Pop is because the buses don't stop at other resorts. Yes the moderates and deluxes are beautiful but not a necessary expense at times. Even if you're not going to be spending alot of time at the resort, you can enjoy the great Disney transportation, package to room delivery and the magic of it all. You can still drive to the other theme parks out of Disney. There is nothing that can beat the Disney magic from the moment you arrive. :wave:

 

[ThatMouse]

You can always go visit, explore, and eat at the other resorts even though you're sleeping in a Value. I've been staying at the Deluxes a lot lately, and there's really only minor differences -- 2 sinks instead of 1, a coffee maker, slightly larger rooms. Maybe if you think of it in terms of alternatives -- spend that extra $300 on a really awesome dinner, or a souvineer instead of a slighly better room. The only other major reason I can think of FOR a Deluxe is being on the monorail or like Beach Club, walking distance to and from EPCOT.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

I think that upgrading your resort it worthwhile if you are going to use what the resort offers. At deluxe resorts you pay for the nicer pools, beaches, bigger rooms, etc. If you don't have a need for that, then why pay for it? For me, I have now placed a larger value on my resort for most of my trips. Since I am closer, I either take quick one or two day trips more often. For those visits I just need a place to crash and will look for something cheap and decent on hotwire or go value if the season is right. If I am going to go for a longer visit (as I am in October), then the resort makes a difference to me and was a key factor for me purchasing DVC (besides the savings). When I go for 5 days I move at a slower pace since I have seen the parks so many times. I like to swim and enjoy the amenities in the afternoon instead of going to the parks from open to close.

So, long story short...upgrade if you feel that you are going to get your money's worth out of staying at a specific resort.

 

[BigRedDad]

Since you will be going shopping and other things, I assume you will have your own vehicle. I would stay off-site if that were the case and I did not have to pay for daily parking (AP or what ever things are out there).

Staying on site a lot of advantages. I had neighbors that spent a week at a Deluxe suite at Wyndham Bonnet Creek. They have nothing but exceptional reviews of the place. Next time I drive, I am considering going there. You can get a week off eBay for $600 or less.I can't get $600 for a Value with some of the better discounts.

It really depends on what you are looking for and comfortable with.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

It honestly all depends how many of the amenities you will be using at the resort. If you're going to be in the room only to sleep, why bother to pay for the extra stuff? We're staying at the Wilderness Lodge in Noveber because this will be my 3rd trip in a year and we're going to be going at a slower pace and enjoying the resort more. If we were going to be on the go all day and night we would probably go for a value resort. In any case, Disney magic will be all around you!! I'm sure you'll have a blast whichever way you go!!

 

[dreamfinder]

I would look at what you plan on doing at the parks, what your habits/routines are, and the time of year you are going. The values are great resorts for what they are. A roof over your head, bed to sleep on, bathroom to use. They are themed with the large oversized items that tend to appeal to kids. Since it doesn't sound like kids are involved with this trip, not a huge selling point. But, depending on when you are going it may be a big group period, so the values may have lots of kids onsite, some of which can be obnoxious.

The mods/deluxes get a bit more floor space, along with a guaranteed mini fridge. If you spread out, or plan on keeping snacks cold in the room then you may benefit from the bump.

The TS options tend to be less as you go up the food chain, values have the most, deluxes the least (but tend to be different food) so if you crave late night meals before crashing.

Personally I have no issues with the values. If it wasn't for my DW who spends a bit of time at the resorts during the day, and likes to relax both at the pools and in the rooms, would never have moved upstream.

 

[durangojim]

Having stayed at a moderate in the past, I'd say I'd never pay to stay at a moderate again. If we want to go on the cheap we'll stay at Pop. The majority of the time we like to be immersed in the theming and convenience of the deluxes, so that's what we stay at. I would not say deluxes are luxurious hotels, as they don't really compete with Four Seasons, or other true luxury chains. You're paying for location, bigger rooms, better theming and ambiance, restaurants, and possibly better transportation. You have to decide if that's important to you. For us and the type of vacations we like to take, it is. 61 days until I'll be lying in a cabana at the Poly drinking an adult beverage, recuperating after the Halloween Party on Oct 31. That is not something you can do at a value or moderate.

 

[mp2bill]

Set me up a bed in the parking lot... I would be o.k. with it. Once a hotel meets basic standards, clean, close, and cheap. Anything beyond that is a waste of money. I'm there for the parks, not the hotel room. Some will say but you spend a third of your trip in your hotel room! and I would say that with the exception of 1 hour in the AM and 1 hour in the PM I am asleep for all of those hours... the same sleep I would have gotten in nearly any hotel. When my eyes are closed I don't need the extra space, the sit down restaurant, or access to the monorail!

Take the money you save and "plus" your vacation.

Agreed

 

[HouCuseChickie]

My only experiences are off property and deluxe. While I also agree that the deluxe resorts aren't on par with true luxury resorts off site... there are certain things that make it worth it for us.

1. staying at the Contemporary, and to some degree Wilderness Lodge, we wasted less time on transportation. i.e. walking to MK and monorail to Epcot.
2. we have young children and a large stroller, so a large room is a huge plus to fit the wheeled monster
3. we go back during the day for naps and rest time- so not only is the convenience huge, but it's nice to have a nicer more spacious room if you're spending more time there
4. slides in the pool (I guess this also applies to moderates)
5. ease of getting to TS restaurants in the hotels in your area...i.e. it was a breeze having things at CR, and Poly and GF were super easy as well.
6. While you can't fully avoid buses- for people with strollers, folding them up for bus rides can be a pain. Back in Dec we went to MK 3x in 6 days and it was WONDERFUL being able to keep the kids in the stroller when hopping the boat to and from MK.

I'm sure I could come up with more but my brain is fried. :hammer:

 

[desertrat]

The Values at Disney are much better than some of the better hotels outside of Disney. Taking into consideration how much time you actually stay in the room, no, I don't believe I would upgrade to moderate or deluxe.
We LOVE Pop Century. :wave:

So not true. The values are like motel 6, and the mods are not better. The grounds and pools are nice, but the rooms do not compare to national chain hotels. I just stayed at a courtyard marriot that had nicer rooms than the poly or akl. I love the disney deluxes, but not for there rooms. I love the theme and the convenience. I would always recommend deluxe over the lesser resorts if you can afford it. I think it will definetely improve your vacation.

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

We always grade up later during our stay after we once first had four days at the WL and then had to downgrade to moderate because we expanded our stay and they had no rooms left at the WL. The Coronado was really nice but it would have been better BEFORE the WL. Since then we go first value then deluxe (or moderate if no deluxe is available) The experience is nice at the Pop, we love the Pop, but we need some days (at least four) at a deluxe because the feeling at a deluxe is even more magical and more relaxed then at a value or moderate.

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

Set me up a bed in the parking lot... I would be o.k. with it. Once a hotel meets basic standards, clean, close, and cheap. Anything beyond that is a waste of money. I'm there for the parks, not the hotel room. Some will say but you spend a third of your trip in your hotel room! and I would say that with the exception of 1 hour in the AM and 1 hour in the PM I am asleep for all of those hours... the same sleep I would have gotten in nearly any hotel. When my eyes are closed I don't need the extra space, the sit down restaurant, or access to the monorail!

Take the money you save and "plus" your vacation.

That's because you don't include your resort into your vacation. Of course, when you only stay at the parks from the morning to the evening, from rope drop to closing hours a deluxe or even moderate is not exactly necessary although you even then have several amenities. It's a difference e.g. if you go by bus to the AllStars or by monorail to the Poly or CR.

But I experienced a stay at a deluxe as a huge enhancement of the entire trip experience. Of course you need more time for that, I will never again stay for less than 10 days at WDW. This time we even stay 16 days and when you have enough time you plan your entire vacation at the World different. You enjoy the lobby (i could just sit an hour in the gargantuan lobby of the WL and watch people and the lobby), you swim or relax at the pool, you explore the facilities of the resort etc.
IMHO it's worth the extra money.

 

[DisneyFan 2000]

You can always go visit, explore, and eat at the other resorts even though you're sleeping in a Value. I've been staying at the Deluxes a lot lately, and there's really only minor differences -- 2 sinks instead of 1, a coffee maker, slightly larger rooms. Maybe if you think of it in terms of alternatives -- spend that extra $300 on a really awesome dinner, or a souvineer instead of a slighly better room. The only other major reason I can think of FOR a Deluxe is being on the monorail or like Beach Club, walking distance to and from EPCOT.

Right off the bat, I'd like to first of all thank everyone for all the great input! I weighed all the pros and cons of both the value and the moderate resorts. I have to say ThatMouse, you were the real deal-breaker. It hadn't occured to me I could just enjoy the deluxe resorts on a more limited basis (such as a dinner). I figured since we will hardly be at the resort - I'm very much a dawn 'till dusk park person - value would be the best choice, and that it is! This coming May 17th I'll be checking in at the Pop Century resort for 10 days!

Very excited! I'd love for any added tips you guys have to plus this vacation (reservations, recommended events). Yikes, I can't believe I'm really going back after what will be 9 years of absence! Now all I need to do is convince my good friend to visit a certain resort of 2 parks at the west coast. :lookaroun lol

 

[YankeeMouse]

For me, it is not about the room but the themeing, ambience, and details in the surroundings around the room. I'd rather see miles and miles of landscaping and trees than billboards and chain restaurants. So any Disney resort holds that magic.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Whenever some one says "Is it worth the additional money?" you are dealing with a very tricky question. I have stayed at all four of the resort types on Disney property (Value, Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villa) So far the only one that for how I personally travel isnt "worth it" to me has been the Villas due to the sleeping options and the kitchenette/kitchen facilities. The bedding in those resorts doesnt usually work for my party mix and I definitely dont cook on vacation so for me the resort amenities dont match what I am looking for. On the other hand I have recommended these accomodations for families with smaller children who need the kitchen facilities or families who are coming in for an extended stay. For me, I tend to usually stay at the Moderates for room size and amenities. Every once in a while I do treat myself to a Deluxe level stay, which is always amazing. If it makes the difference between going to WDW and not going, then of course, I would certainly stay at the Values, but otherwise I would tell you to maybe split a stay to experience the other resorts and different levels. Only then can you determine if it is "worth it" to you. Marie