Value Resorts

[W.E.D.]

Hello all!

Doing some preliminary planning for our next trip. Wondering everyone's opinion on the Value Resorts. While we have fallen in love with POR, we are itching for a return visit sooner than later and finances may not allow for a Moderate.

I'm looking for things like:

Do you find one resort to have better food than another? What do you think of the pools? Does Disney transportation seem to move smoother at one Value over the others? Which do you think has the best theming?

Any input would be much appreciated! Thank you!!

 

[canoeingmonkey]

I have stayed at both POP (July 2011) and ASMu (August 2012). Both resorts are excellent, but some things are better than others at each resort, IMO:

Food court: ASMu. Better layout, a bit more selection. POP food court is also good, but ASMu's trumps.

Pools: Tie, but a bit of a lean toward POP because there are three pools instead of two. Both resorts' pools are themed well, and they both have quieter pools: the piano pool at ASMu and the computer pool at POP. But, POP's three pools give it the advantage.

Transportation: POP, because it does not share buses. In my experience, bus service was commendable at both resorts. I never experienced any of the many horror sites one reads about when researching the resorts. Still, frequently stopping at Sports and Movies before and after did become somewhat frustrating, especially when I was really tired and just wanted to go back to my room. Thus, POP's dedicated buses trump.

Theming: Tie. Both resorts are themed excellently. You just have to like the theme to like the resort!

Layout: ASMu and POP are set up well. Sports's layout is okay, and Movies's layout, IMO, is deplorable because of the three sections of preferred rooms, though some preferred rooms are almost as far away from Cinema Hall as the standard rooms. ASMu has, for me, the best layout of all of the All-Stars.

Pricing: The All-Star Resorts are slightly cheaper than POP year-round. Still, it's not usually a terrible addition to stay at POP if you really want to. Maybe $50-$60 a week, if my numbers are correct.

Overall: You can't go wrong with either.

Hope this helps!

 

[goofy4tink]

Just got back from a split stay at the values..May 28-June 3. Dd (19) and I started at ASMusic. We've stayed there and enjoyed it before. But, because we've also stayed at Pop mulitple times, Music seemed to be very tired and plain looking. I was so sad!! I really wanted to enjoy my time there, but I couldn't wait to get out. Of course, we were in Country Fair, so had a hugely long walk each morning. I stopped going to get coffee and light breakfast in the morning!!! It just seemed to lack, oh, I don't know..pizazz or something.
When we moved over to AoA-LM we were much happier. I had promised my dd, a huge Ariel fan, that she could stay there just once. So, we spend our last two nights there. And it was wonderful.
But I also love Pop!
So, if it were me? I would book at Pop over one of the All Stars...and I hate saying that. But I like everything better at Pop...pools, food, buses, theming. It's either Pop or AoA for me from now on...when choosing to go value anyway.

 

[JennyDrake]

The All Stars are very similar to each other except w/ different theming. I like them all!

Pop has a better food court (love the grilled flatbreads) and a lovely walk around the lake--but it also has 1,000 more rooms. I find the chaos and noise at the food court overwhelming at times and I dislike "having" to walk through the gift shop to get to the food court.

I've stayed at each value multiple times (except AoA where once was enough). ASMusic is my favorite for theming and it seems a bit more quiet than the others. I was just there in May and I did not notice anything looking tired or worn. ???

Bus service at WDW can be ANYTHING at ANY TIME for ANY resort. I think the bus sharing at All Stars is WAY overstated. I stay at the AS at least 2-3 times per year and I would guess that we share buses 25% of the time or less. Even when we do, I see no difference in that and a moderate with multiple stops within the resort.

The pools are all basically the same--one main pool and 1-2 smaller "quiet" pools. None have slides or deep ends.

 

[katt789]

Art of Animation wins out for every category! The themeing is perfect, the food is awesome and there are some different varieties you might not find elsewhere! The standard LM rooms are shiny & new & decorated perfectly while the big blue pool is amazing, the small pools are great too and never that crowded!

That being said it is a bit more pricey, even in the standard rooms!

I recommend Pop Century! You can also walk over to AoA to check it out, eat at the food court, or us their bussses (need a key card for the big pool though!)

All stars are all basically the same, I've heard that sports is the best, but I liked staying at Music better, Broadway sections was done really well.

Better busses, food court & less crowds at Pop though!

 

[VillianDiva]

My favorite value resort is POP!

I love that it has it's own transportation rather unlike the All-Star Resorts. The theming is great at all of them though. I haven't stayed at AoA yet...maybe one day!

 

[MSSANDRA]

Going back to a value after a moderate or a deluxe can be hard but if it is between going or not, or even staying on site or not, I would do it in a heart beat. Just know it is very different from a moderate or a deluxe.....not bad just different. The Themes are very loud but fun. Pool is huge but very little landscaping like at the mods and deluxe. We have stayed All Star and Pop and we much prefer Pop. The rooms are newer, better layout, and buses are MUCH better. We really did not use the food court much but I think I did like All Stars better. Granted it has been quite a few years since we stayed value. We were smitten by moderates and they are a good compromise for us!

 

[Dis*Mom]

Hello all!

Doing some preliminary planning for our next trip. Wondering everyone's opinion on the Value Resorts. While we have fallen in love with POR, we are itching for a return visit sooner than later and finances may not allow for a Moderate.

I'm looking for things like:

Do you find one resort to have better food than another? What do you think of the pools? Does Disney transportation seem to move smoother at one Value over the others? Which do you think has the best theming?

Any input would be much appreciated! Thank you!!

We have stayed at All Star Movies, Pop and AOA. We have enjoyed our stay at all 3 but I would say for theming AOA was the best. Pools would also be AOA first choice, then POP. Food - I definitley like the Pop's food court the best - has a great variety and good layout. We have had great expierience with busses at all 3 resorts. Hope this helps

 

[maxiesmom]

My favorite value resort is POP!

I love that it has it's own transportation rather unlike the All-Star Resorts. The theming is great at all of them though. I haven't stayed at AoA yet...maybe one day!

You know, there have been a few posters reporting Pop sharing buses with AoA on occasion.

OP--Never book a resort bases on thinking it has better busing. They can all have great busing, and they can all have horrible busing. What you get it sheer luck.

Theming is a very personal choice. Many people love AoA but it looks way too over the top for me. I love the theming at the Sports in the preferred section, as it has a beach theme. It is very pretty with bright blues and greens. I think you should go check out each value resorts thread, and see which one appeals to you. Don't stress about the buses or pools as they are all very similar.

 

[dpswift]

I agree the values are all basically the same. I did not notice much difference in the busing, it is pretty much luck of the draw. I have had more problems with POPs buses but we have stayed there more.

The only value that is somewhat different is AoA. It is nicely landscaped and the pools are fenced. This gives it a slight moderate feel. I loved staying there but Dh hated the walk from the LM rooms.

There is nothing wrong with staying value you just need to know what to expect.

 

[Babsy]

I have stayed in all three AS resorts and POP century. We are going to try AoA in January.

AoA looks fabulous to us - can't wait!

Out of the other three, I like POP the best, with ASSp second.

 

[Alabama Minnie]

We have stayed at all the values but Sports. The room size and layout is the same. Crowded with more than 2 adults in a room IMO. Full-size beds no queens.

We last stayed in LM at AofA and it was really cute (but girly). It has the best detail inside and the grounds IMO.

My next vote would be MOVIES for their theme detail and then POP. We also found MUSIC to be really dull compared to the others.

We don't really care for any of the bus q's at the values. We really don't care to stand in line in all kinds of weather and we usually always end up standing on the value buses.

We usually only eat 1 or 2 meals on-site so I can't offer an opinion on that.

 

[Nohal]

We have stayed at ASSports, Music, Movies and POP. We like ASMo the best as it is the smallest. We always request the Mighty Ducks section as it has a smaller and less crowded pool, it is also close to Music so we usually use their food court and bus stops. Looked to stay in a Mod for this trip and even though it is only me and DH we couldn't justify the difference in price as we spend virtually no time at the resort other than to sleep. We have been staying at a value since they built the first one which was ASSp with our 2 sons and even with the 4 of us I never felt that the rooms were that small.

 

[W.E.D.]

Sorry it took me all weekend to get back here. Thanks to everyone for the great input!! You have set me in a direction and now I'll go do some more in-depth research. Thanks again for your time and info.

 

[KELLY]

We love pop. But have never stayed at ASMU. We did however walk over to AOA before the LM section was open last year. The main pool Was super crowded and the entire resort wasn't even open. SO we will stick with pop.

 

[goofy4tink]

You know, there have been a few posters reporting Pop sharing buses with AoA on occasion.

OP--Never book a resort bases on thinking it has better busing. They can all have great busing, and they can all have horrible busing. What you get it sheer luck.

Theming is a very personal choice. Many people love AoA but it looks way too over the top for me. I love the theming at the Sports in the preferred section, as it has a beach theme. It is very pretty with bright blues and greens. I think you should go check out each value resorts thread, and see which one appeals to you. Don't stress about the buses or pools as they are all very similar.

AoA buses never shared with Pop any of the times I was at AoA. Now, that isn't to say that it never happens, just didn't happen to me.

 

[Willows909]

I've stayed at the Music and Pop and loved the POP the best. We actually like the preferred pool view rooms because of the closeness to filling up that mug the way we do! I don't know if they still do this, (with the food court food redo) but they make a great salad at the place next to the icecream place in the food court...you pick your ingredients and they mix it in front of you...excellent! The first time we went there they put us in Country fair...ugh..all it took was one time to never go back there again! So far! I pick POP for sure!

 

[kbnmommy]

I'm a value resort person almost everytime (although we did enjoy the pool when we were at The Contemporary). We have stayed everywhere but AoA and that's on our list.
We have never experienced any of the horror bus stories either. I have never had to stand. DD11 stood once and DH stood a couple of times but they prefer standing anyway so it was no big deal to them. I actually had worse bus service with AKL...
The food courts are pretty good IMHO. We enjoyed the nachos at ASMu and at ASMo the chili cheese fries are a good use of a snack credit, although not very healthy...
Pop is a great choice, but if we are saving all we can we go for an AS just to svae the extra $.
We actually loved ASMu. It's one of our faves. I loved the theming of ASMo and it is my girls' favorite but I like ASMu best. DH prefers *** (Go figure....).
As long as you know what to expect you will be fine. It's a small room with cute Disney themes. It's not a 5 star resort, but for us it works well since we spend all our time in the parks anyway. Also worth mentioning, my DDs love the outdoor movies that they each have every night. That is one of their favorite things about being at Disney.

 

[kbnmommy]

Haha... it blocked my abbreviation for ASsp.