Why no "Classy" value resorts

[Theosus]

Not familiar with the demographics of each resort. I imagine the values are more popular with families with children. More people per party, more money to spend on prices that are static i.e. tickets, food , merchandise etc... so you have to save somewhere.

I find a lot more Electric Grannies at value resorts. You can't go to a bus stop without running into (and having to wait on...) those darn scooters.
Last two trips were at moderates, and found them less crowded in general, and only one Electric Granny in two trips...
But I started driving and avoiding the buses all together, and find myself enjoying that a lot more.

 

[SleepingMonk]

... They could even have a winnebego park...

Because nothing says "classy" like an RV park.

 

[CaptainJackNO]

I don't understand why some people seem to confuse "classy" (and i used that only cause i couldn't think of a better adjective at the time) and money. There is no reason why they can't build the same hotel as say the POP but instead of spending the money on the 25 ft statues they spend it on nice walk ways with some nice lighting and landscaping and still charge the value resort rate. Again i am not looking for a clone of the Yacht club or Grand Floridian at a budget price but just something alittle tone downed. Again just cause certain people are on a tight budget and maybe can't afford the upgrade to a Moderate there is still no reason for the only options of a value resort being what is there currently

There appears to be a bit of snobbery on the part of some people towards the values. There is nothing wrong with not liking the values, everyone has the right to like and dislike what they choose. The problem is some cannot dislike values without denigrating them to those who stay there. Again, I said some people, not all.

I have stayed in the values before and, with young kids, I may stay there again. Now, our last two trips have been in the moderates (CBR and POR to be exact.) And, I liked the Moderates better because of the additional space and having a ceiling fan, etc. However, I think the values are excellent choices for hotels and the comparisons some make between the values and Motel 6 and Days Inn are way off base and have, obviously, not stayed in any Days Inns or Motel 6's recently. Disney value resorts are better than or equal to Holiday Inns and Hampton Inns, etc.

I stayed in a Motel 6 in Kissimmee one night in order to squeeze an extra day in the parks on my check in day. I did this because we didn't arrive in Lake Buena Vista until 9 PM and I wanted a cheap place to stay as we were checking into the CBR at 6 AM the next morning. Boy, did I regret it. I will, from now on, pay for the added night in Disney hotels b/c Motel 6 and Days Inn are not close to touching even the value resorts.

The value resorts are nice. They are smaller, offer fewer amenities, but are far from "dumps" as some try and paint them as. In fact, they, along with every other Disney Hotel I have stayed at, set the standard for cleanliness. I would argue that even Hilton should aspire to the cleanliness, service, and safety of the Disney value resorts. In fact, my favorite room I have stayed in was a POP Century room that offered a view of Spaceship Earth through my window. My son, who was 4 at the time, fell asleep every nights with a view of a purple Spaceship Earth. That's as good as it gets.

 

[lighteningqueen]

Ditto to all you said. There is nothing really wrong with Values. I know some people that can well pay for Deluxes and would rather stay in Values Why because of it's themeing it IS Disney and it is FUN,and they can spend more money in other areas. Not every body makes 6 figures and can afford to come every year. Many are just lucky to be able to come and when they do they are hooked.. Its tough out there when you drive or fly in anymore it cost just as much as your whole stay to get there. This just makes not a bit of sense for some to pay those high prices and be out in the parks from early in the morning to way late at night when the parks are open late. But I am not going to bash you for doing so. Let me tell you we once had a very good business and the economy has ripped it right out from under us. Were going to Disney in Dec and staying at POP and will scrape whatever we have to to do so.

 

[mickey2008.1]

I have four kids, and we prefer a moderate because of the amenities. Private pools, water slides, bigger rooms. But we also travel as two adults once a year to wdw, and it would be nice to have a value themed as adults only, but one has to accept, it will not have deluxe amenities. A value with entertainment and a bar open til 2am would be cool. WDW cant be all to all. You have to pick and choose. In the end, have a place like PI again, and just stay at a value.

 

[MarkTwain]

Last year we stayed at CBR for a weekend and we were really disappointed to see how they had changed the rooms there to a Nemo theme. We liked the "Caribbean" feel the resort used to have, and with Nemo taking place in Australia, the whole theme just didn't make sense. DH even commented that he felt like CBR was just a higher priced value resort now.

Are all the rooms either Nemo or Pirates now? I thought they were just changing some of them so they would be there as options. :shrug:

If I wanted to see cartoons I'd go over to Nickelodeon and Universal. But I don't want to subject my kids to such infantile poor taste, which sadly becomes ever more difficult to avoid at WDW too.[/QUOTE]

Yup the addition of chaaracters has certainly dumbed down the Disney Resorts. Nemo at Caribbean Beach makes the rooms feel cartoony. They are a far cry from the unique island feel of the original room concept.

Beach Club rooms and common areas are loaded with Little Mermaid post refurb. Why an "Eastern Seaboard Martha's Vineyard of the 1880s" needs Little Mermaid characters is beyond me. It totally ruined the original theme of a "grand seaside resort."

Characters are far too prominent at many non Value Resorts.

...and I didn't even know about this. Darn, I loved the Beach Club... sad to see it's been cartoonized too.

 

[tirian]

If you want to be an adult why go to Disney? I go to Disney to be a kid.

I'm not sure how you meant this, so I'm not aiming my comment directly at you. But it's a great place for me to address something that comes up frequently on Disney forums.

I hope fans realize the Contemporary, Boardwalk, Caribbean Beach, and Wilderness Lodge resorts, among others, are indeed "Disney." One of the last great American Renaissance men, Walt expanded his company as quickly as he could; Davy Crockett, Zorro, True-Life Adventures, and 20K are just as "Disney" as Mickey Mouse and Tinkerbell. In fact, his last great dream was E.P.C.O.T. the city, not a theme park.

I don't mind the over-the-top nature of the value resorts, because it's kind of fun in a kitschy way. But the idea that everything has to be full of Magical Pixie Dreams and Wishes is nothing more than a manufactured PR line from marketing. It was never the exclusive part of Disney's marketing machine until the last 15 years—and you could build a strong argument that Disney's actual quality of films, merchandise, and entertainment have suffered since they tried focusing directly on Magic.

 

[AEfx]

Pretty much sums up the whole Disney ecxperience to me. The theme, immersion and fun are forever deteriorating the more Walt Disney World becomes cartoonified.


If I wanted to see cartoons I'd go over to Nickelodeon and Universal. But I don't want to subject my kids to such infantile poor taste, which sadly becomes ever more difficult to avoid at WDW too.

This was sarcastic, right?

Complaining about Disney becoming too "cartoonified"?

Really???

 

[Krack]

This was sarcastic, right?

Complaining about Disney becoming too "cartoonified"?

Really???

It's pretty much how I feel about it. And further, it's not just cartoonified, but synergized. Apparently nobody in Disney management has said "You know, we made a billion dollar franchise out of intellectual property created specifically for the parks (not to mention they are our most popular attractions) ... maybe we need to aim for attractions like Pirates and the Haunted Mansion instead of all film tie-ins."

The parks need more Western River Expedition and less Nemo and Stitch and Magic Carpets, imho.

EDIT: To clarify my point, arguably what are the most popular attractions at WDW? (no particular order) ...

Haunted Mansion
Pirates
Splash Mountain
Tower of Terror
Test Track
Soarin
Toy Story Mania
Space Mountain
Peter Pan
Expedition Everest

Notice a trend? Out of the likely Top 10, four were created based on film/tv and in two of those instances (Splash and ToT) the inspiration was 40+ years old and certainly not the "hot new property". Most kids probably don't even know what the Twilight Zone or Song of the South are.

 

[Nemo14]

Are all the rooms either Nemo or Pirates now? I thought they were just changing some of them so they would be there as options. :shrug:

The Nemo theme isn't as over-the-top as the Pirate rooms, but as far as I know, all the rooms there now are Nemo themed (bedding & wallpaper,etc).

It was really disappointing.

 

[CaptainJackNO]

The only themeing my room had that was Nemo was the wall border and the comforter on the bed. I found the themeing to be very understated. It's not like you walk into your room and are immersed in Nemo.The only place Nemo is present is in the wall paper border and the comforter. It's very understated and does not erode, in any way, the resort's theme.

 

[CaptainJackNO]

Ditto to all you said. There is nothing really wrong with Values. I know some people that can well pay for Deluxes and would rather stay in Values Why because of it's themeing it IS Disney and it is FUN,and they can spend more money in other areas. Not every body makes 6 figures and can afford to come every year. Many are just lucky to be able to come and when they do they are hooked.. Its tough out there when you drive or fly in anymore it cost just as much as your whole stay to get there. This just makes not a bit of sense for some to pay those high prices and be out in the parks from early in the morning to way late at night when the parks are open late. But I am not going to bash you for doing so. Let me tell you we once had a very good business and the economy has ripped it right out from under us. Were going to Disney in Dec and staying at POP and will scrape whatever we have to to do so.

Lightning Queen, you are exactly right. For me, I always haggle over with paying an extra 400 dollars in a week when all I use the room for is sleeping. Literally 1/3 to 1/4 of the day. I love the values for exactly what they are. They are clean, provide nice amenities for the price (pools, game room, expansive food court,) and are as safe as any other resort. I can still buy tickets, make ADR's, check my luggage, basically all of the Disney needs.

In all, the values are, in the basics exactly the same as the Moderates and Deluxes: Clean, Safe, wonderful service. The Moderates and Deluxes offer bigger rooms, more in-room amenities, and that is great for those who like the extra perks with a resort. For me, the basics are the same and the values are every bit as good as any other Disney Property.

I say like what you like. Just don't tear down the values because you would prefer something else.

 

[Nemo14]

The only themeing my room had that was Nemo was the wall border and the comforter on the bed. I found the themeing to be very understated. It's not like you walk into your room and are immersed in Nemo.The only place Nemo is present is in the wall paper border and the comforter. It's very understated and does not erode, in any way, the resort's theme.

If we were staying at the Great Barrier Reef Resort, it may have been approprate, but since we were at the Caribbean Beach Resort, it was totally out of place. The rooms used to have a definite Caribbean theme to them with colors and textures that really set the mood.

 

[Kristamouse]

LightingQueen, how old are you children? We have 4 too, (6,5,2,1) and stayed at PORS last year but found it just so-so. I was curious if it worked better with older kids, we found it to be too spread out for little tired little legs at the end of the night. We also did not like sleeping with our kids, they were great but loud sleepers. This year we are doing the All Star Family Suites a little more $$ but we are looking forward to having our own room and hopefully a 1st floor room
On topic I agree with some of the OP's, I see the All Stars as a clean, fun way to sleep on property to get the on property perks and not break our bank. I would love to go up to a Deluxe for the themeing and pool areas but right now we hit the parks so hard our kids really don't want to swim or do anything besides parks now. Once they are all able to swim on their own we will spring for the Beach Club. We will just need two rooms Are the Values loud, yes , but I guess it doesn’t bother me enough to not stay there…

 

[marni1971]

I agree. As Yoda said the basic building bulks are square concrete blocks, but the same money used for the oversized props and signs could go towards extra landscaping and some smarter cladding. The rooms would still be smaller but the look more classy.

Personally I think the All Stars and POP look like Six Flags clashed with Blackpool.

 

[Motorpro]

Yup the addition of chaaracters has certainly dumbed down the Disney Resorts. Nemo at Caribbean Beach makes the rooms feel cartoony. They are a far cry from the unique island feel of the original room concept.

Beach Club rooms and common areas are loaded with Little Mermaid post refurb. Why an "Eastern Seaboard Martha's Vineyard of the 1880s" needs Little Mermaid characters is beyond me. It totally ruined the original theme of a "grand seaside resort."

Characters are far too prominent at many non Value Resorts.

How dare a Cartoon company put cartoons in their hotels, Lets get them out of the parks too, then we will have room for more bars and maybe some slot machines!!!!

 

[Minnie1976]

When I go to Disney I'm not going for Classy, I'm going to be at the parks. I don't spend time at the hotel. The values are big enough for my husband and I and the scooter. I've done moderate and deluxe. I think the moderate my son stayed at had a smaller bathroom and just fancier fronts on furniture than our room at POP. POP gave us excellent service and very clean rooms. The staff was wonderful. I don't know why people keep putting the values down. Just because you stay at a value doesn't mean you are poor or low class.

 

[lighteningqueen]

So true Minniemouse.. It means we are smart enough to not pay high dollar for a place no different than there others. I posted this on another thread. There furniture comes from all the same place including their beds. It just has a fancy front to it or a different fabric. Its all made in the same place so does that mean that one is better than the other one. No just that they can get a huge price for change. So what if the rooms are 3 square feet bigger I am not throwing a party in there I am in the parks comando style. Never know when you can return so live it to the fullest. Your right there is plenty of room for a scooter and the suites are great. LOVE the Values. makes me smile..

 

[lighteningqueen]

LightingQueen, how old are you children? We have 4 too, (6,5,2,1) and stayed at PORS last year but found it just so-so. I was curious if it worked better with older kids, we found it to be too spread out for little tired little legs at the end of the night. We also did not like sleeping with our kids, they were great but loud sleepers. This year we are doing the All Star Family Suites a little more $$ but we are looking forward to having our own room and hopefully a 1st floor room
On topic I agree with some of the OP's, I see the All Stars as a clean, fun way to sleep on property to get the on property perks and not break our bank. I would love to go up to a Deluxe for the themeing and pool areas but right now we hit the parks so hard our kids really don't want to swim or do anything besides parks now. Once they are all able to swim on their own we will spring for the Beach Club. We will just need two rooms Are the Values loud, yes , but I guess it doesn’t bother me enough to not stay there…

kristamouse:

My grandkids are 8,2 and 2 and a baby they wont be coming for a few year with the little one infact we are taking our 2 year old grandson this Dec and our 2 year old grandaughter that is in LOVE with Disney characters including her es thats princess best she can say it but she lives for my computer to come on and see my firefox persona headers with the es. But you cannot beat the suites it is fantastic.. LOVE them. There are a chair in the corner that makes to a twin bed and the ottoman is twin size We take the ottoman and put it to the left of the armoire and move the table set to the window. This way his bed can stay made out with the ottoman all the time and when we come in at night he is just put to bed. He was 4 and 5 at that time he is 8 now so that will change he can walk in ha ha. 2 baths are a life saver as with the kitchen area. Frig for drinks snacks, micro and paper dishes are included I think coffee makers now but cannot remember cos we brought our own. They need more of these units in all the values they are the best thing they could have done. 2 tvs and a seperate bedroom with door and desk etc. we bring the chair out in the living room and use it in there to sit and talk we put it wherever we like. I really go in and start rearranging and they do not mind one bit and then put it back like we found it. Hope this helps and do not get the bottom floor unless you do not mind people walking by all night and talking ,the 3 rd floor is fantastic never hear a thing not even down at the pool

 

[Animaniac93-98]

...and I didn't even know about this. Darn, I loved the Beach Club... sad to see it's been cartoonized too.

I didn't see any LM references in the room when I last stayed at BC (Jan 2010). Only the carpets in the connecting hallways had any kind of reference and I remember it being like that for a long time now. Has this changed?