Looking for resort help!!

[tjlukas]

We are making our third trip to Disney next year, we have stayed in hotels off the park grounds saving money both times. This time we want to stay at the park. I would like to hear from everyone what you feel is the best resort for the money. I was thinking of either the Value or Moderate resorts. Another part is the Dining plan. Is it truly worth its weight in gold? I want to really make this trip the best one yet. Any and all help you guys can give me. Thanks!!

[dalayney]

First, you need to let us know how many people are going... what ages? When are you going? That way people can give you a better informed anser.

[cheers2ears2906]

Great question. We are going in May. First time ever. Looking into Value resort. Not sure what to expect, book, plan.

[cheers2ears2906]

Btw 2 adults and a 7 year old.

[tjlukas]

Two adults possibly three (2 adults mid 30's and 1 adult 66) and two children (10,9). The trip is planned for sometime between May and October most likely. I know that a big gap in time frame but depending on work needs that's the best I can give. Hope that helps!

[GaBelle]

Originally Posted by tjlukas

Two adults possibly three (2 adults mid 30's and 1 adult 66) and two children (10,9). The trip is planned for sometime between May and October most likely. I know that a big gap in time frame but depending on work needs that's the best I can give. Hope that helps!

If you can work it out, Sept and/or Oct is a great time to go - money wise. Some of the lowest resort prices of the year. Some people complain about the heat, but it has never bothered us. Of course we may be used to it being from Ga! It also has lower crowds which makes the parks easy to navigate.
My advice is to determine what factors are most important to your family: time, convenience, budget, size of room, amenities of resort, etc? Then based on your top 2 or 3, look at those resorts.
For the DP, it again depends on your family. Look at the menus and prices on Allears.net. Roughly put together a list and what your family most likely would eat and how often. Then compare it to the cost of the DP. For the standard DP, it is roughly $56 a day, per adult. Your 10 yr old would count as an adult. Roughly $18 a day per child.
For my family, it is all about convenience and time! We choose monorail resorts and the DP because it is just easy.
Hope this helps a little!

[njmom47]

Originally Posted by tjlukas

Two adults possibly three (2 adults mid 30's and 1 adult 66) and two children (10,9). The trip is planned for sometime between May and October most likely. I know that a big gap in time frame but depending on work needs that's the best I can give. Hope that helps!

It also depends if there will be more than 4 in a room as most value/mods are "built for 4."

There are wayyy more knowledegable people on here than me so hopefully they will chime in once they're awake and have a cup of coffee.

[GaBelle]

Originally Posted by cheers2ears2906

Btw 2 adults and a 7 year old.

POP has a dedicated bus line, which means it does not share buses with other resorts. This is a big time saver, if that is something that is important to you.
I believe AoA does too.

[danceintherain]

Originally Posted by tjlukas

We are making our third trip to Disney next year, we have stayed in hotels off the park grounds saving money both times. This time we want to stay at the park. I would like to hear from everyone what you feel is the best resort for the money. I was thinking of either the Value or Moderate resorts. Another part is the Dining plan. Is it truly worth its weight in gold? I want to really make this trip the best one yet. Any and all help you guys can give me. Thanks!!

Originally Posted by tjlukas

Two adults possibly three (2 adults mid 30's and 1 adult 66) and two children (10,9). The trip is planned for sometime between May and October most likely. I know that a big gap in time frame but depending on work needs that's the best I can give. Hope that helps!

Every resort has something different to offer. We've always shied away from the Value resorts, because we tend to just travel with adults, but plenty of people love them. Now that most of the Mods include queen sized beds, I doubt we'll end up at a Value until we need two rooms, but even then we may go with off-property altogether. You will need two rooms though, unless you stay in a Deluxe resort, get a suite, or fit into an Alligator Bayou room at Port Orleans Riverside (they have murphy beds that can accommodate most kids 9 & under) so a Value resort may be just the thing for you.

The Dining Plan is a personal choice. It USED to be an excellent deal without even trying, but it's not so anymore. Some people still really love it for convenience sake, but if you want to save money, it's not the best choice in many cases.
Your party does make it possible though.
Are you planning on doing a lot of character meals?
These are expensive, and so it can be nice to roll them into the dining plan, especially when you're traveling with kids ages 3-9.

Do either of your children have adult tastes?
If those are the ages of your kids during your trip and not now, then if you do the Dining Plan, you will be paying for the kids plan for one child and the adult plan for the other. As long as one of them is happy ordering off the adult plan and the other off the kids plan (it doesn't really matter who as the credits are pooled by room) then you'll do fine. If both fit into either category, then you may run into a problem.
The Dining Plan works best if you're perfectly happy eating exactly how it specifies - a small snack-like breakfast, a counter service lunch (including beverage and dessert), and a table service dinner (including beverage and dessert). If you'd rather order water (which is better with all the park touring in the heat anyways) and will only order dessert sometimes, then it's likely you'll do better paying out of pocket.

[danceintherain]

Originally Posted by cheers2ears2906

Great question. We are going in May. First time ever. Looking into Value resort. Not sure what to expect, book, plan.

Originally Posted by cheers2ears2906

Btw 2 adults and a 7 year old.

That's a really general question.
With your party size, you can stay anywhere, as long as two people are willing to share a double sized bed.

What's your budget?

[TigrLvsPooh]

With 4-5 people in your group I would look more at the moderate resorts. The value resorts are pretty tight for 4 and don't allow 5. POR and POFQ are both very popular. I would look at tons of photos and see what theme appeals to you. CBR and CSR are more beachy/tropical if you like that. The 5th person will be your deciding factor on which of these resorts you will be allowed to book. As for the dates, May-October is a big span... May is nice and warm, not too crowded, but I also love October with the Food&Wine Festival. The summer is very hot, doesn't really bother me but can be tough for those not use to it. Good luck with your research!