Torn between value and moderate

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

Hello! My husband and I are taking our first trip without kids in our 15 year marriage this April! We are excited! We usually stay at moderates b/c we like going during free dining, and we get the regular dining plan that way. If I stayed at a value, I would want to upgrade to the regular dining plan, so that sort of cuts out a lot of the savings. We are potentially having some friends there with us at the same time who are probably going to want to stay at a value, but we don't have to stay at the same resort if we don't want to.

The other thing we like about moderates is that they seem a bit more peaceful. I visited my parents at ASMo once and watched a movie by the pool. There were so many kids that it was very loud. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind kids (I have 5), but might not want so many kids around on my anniversary trip when I am wanting to relax. It doesn't seem as loud at a moderate. It doesn't matter so much to me that I would never stay at a value though. I would be willing to.

The issue I am having in deciding is that my husband is leaning towards the moderate, which, like I said, I love. It will just raise the cost. For us to stay at a value with free dining (I am counting on a promotion coming up!), upgrading to the regular dining plan from the quick service one, tickets, and flights, it comes to just under $3000. At the moderate (we are thinking POFQ) it would be something like $3500. It is my anniversary trip, so my husband's thinking is that we should treat ourselves, I just like the $3000 pricetag better. It will probably be better for us to spend the money though, right?

 

[MEK]

I do think the mods are more relaxing than the values, but I also enjoy the values. My DH and I did an anniversary trip and we stayed at POP and upgraded to the deluxe dining plan. We also rented a car. We focused more on the dining experience than the room experience and we had a fabulous time. We did out pool time by the 80's pool, which was very quiet. We were totally fine with the value stay. It worked out great. And we belong to DVC so this was just an extra trip that we squeezed in to take advantage of free dining.

My question - do they have free dining in April?

You could also consider renting DVC points for your stay and purchasing the dining plan.

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

I do think the mods are more relaxing than the values, but I also enjoy the values. My DH and I did an anniversary trip and we stayed at POP and upgraded to the deluxe dining plan. We also rented a car. We focused more on the dining experience than the room experience and we had a fabulous time. We did out pool time by the 80's pool, which was very quiet. We were totally fine with the value stay. It worked out great. And we belong to DVC so this was just an extra trip that we squeezed in to take advantage of free dining.

My question - do they have free dining in April?

You could also consider renting DVC points for your stay and purchasing the dining plan.

Thanks for the input! No, so far there is no free dining. I am hoping for it though. To be honest, I just did some math with the current room discount, and for the moderates it is only about $200 more than with a free dining discount. I will probably book under this promotion. It is close enough!

I have looked into renting points before, and it never seemed to save me money. I am sure there are ways though! I guess I never wanted to look really intently into it b/c I didn't want the hassle. It is just easy for me to book through Disney.

I really appreciate your help!!!

 

[minnie mum]

Since they've already come out with the spring discount, and it's a room only discount, I don't think you should wait around hoping for free dining. Also, on the discounts and promotions thread there is current speculation that the next free dining offer will only be QSDP for mods.

I think you should give serious consideration to the current discount at the mods- they really are SO much more comfortable than the values- much nicer for a couples getaway.

And also take a serious Disney math look at the dining plan. While it could be a good value for families, depending on your dining preferences, DH and I have found that it really isn't cheaper (for us) as a couple and the way we like to eat. You may find that you are better off (or no worse off) by paying OOP for your meals.

 

[Sue M]

I would go with POR and request the mansion section. If you are wanting discounts, POFQ seems to be excluded a lot. POR is our fav moderate, and for an anniversary trip with no kids, its ideal. Beautiful grounds, horse & carriage rides, option of quiet pools, and the mods are quieter and more relaxing then the values. Rooms have been recently refurbed, and are very nice. Boat to DTD too

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

Since they've already come out with the spring discount, and it's a room only discount, I don't think you should wait around hoping for free dining. Also, on the discounts and promotions thread there is current speculation that the next free dining offer will only be QSDP for mods.

I think you should give serious consideration to the current discount at the mods- they really are SO much more comfortable than the values- much nicer for a couples getaway.

And also take a serious Disney math look at the dining plan. While it could be a good value for families, depending on your dining preferences, DH and I have found that it really isn't cheaper (for us) as a couple and the way we like to eat. You may find that you are better off (or no worse off) by paying OOP for your meals.

I agree about waiting for free dining. Since the room discount only makes it slightly more I think we will just book with that. When I originally posted I had not done the math on that yet. I love the moderate resorts. We have stayed at POR twice, CSR once, and CBR once. My favorite has been POR, but I really enjoyed CBR as well. CSR had gorgeous rooms, the pool and hot tub were great, but I hated the food court. I don't think we will stay there again.

I appreciate your advice on both the room and the dining plan. I won't ever go without the dining plan though. I like having everything all inclusive, and I prefer to just have everything paid when I get there so I don't have to worry about too much. I usually just charge everything to my room and pay it down with giftcards b/c it is so easy. We usually take our 5 kids, so this will be our first time without them, but we love to eat out. I can't see my stomach being able to handle the counter service for most of the meals, and I refuse to cook or pack meals on vacation! I will look into how much it would cost us to eat out every day without the dining plan, but I doubt it will be worth it for us to go without it! Thank you so much for your help. We will probably book in the next two weeks. I have to confirm with my friends, with my mom who is sitting for us (which is a big deal as my kids are homeschooled), and since we never use credit cards, we want to wait for our tax return to pay for the whole trip.

I would go with POR and request the mansion section. If you are wanting discounts, POFQ seems to be excluded a lot. POR is our fav moderate, and for an anniversary trip with no kids, its ideal. Beautiful grounds, horse & carriage rides, option of quiet pools, and the mods are quieter and more relaxing then the values. Rooms have been recently refurbed, and are very nice. Boat to DTD too

I have noticed that POFQ fills up really fast b/c they only allot so many rooms for each discount. I'll get there someday!!! I will look into the mansion section. I have never looked at the setup there. We always end up in Alligator Bayou. Actually the last time we went, I sent a letter ahead of time b/c I have a small disability that acts up at Disney, and asked them if it were at all possible for us to be close to the food court. They had us in the first building right outside the food court! It was WONDERFUL!!!! I do love POR, so maybe we will go there and just visit POFQ. It would be roughly $300 more to stay at POFQ, so we will see! Oh, and I love the boat! It is so relaxing!!! Thank you for your input! I appreciate everyone!!

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Stay at the moderate for this trip.

 

[Belle83]

It's your anniversary trip, go with the more relaxing and romantic POFQ. I also think that POR would be a good option

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

Stay at the moderate for this trip.

It's your anniversary trip, go with the more relaxing and romantic POFQ. I also think that POR would be a good option

I think you guys are right. I would be happy at either POR or POFQ. I would also be happy at CBR to be honest. I think that was where I was leaning anyway, but I wanted to know where everyone else would go. Thanks for all your help!

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

Hey everyone! I wanted to thank you all again and just let you know what we decided!

We decided to go back to Port Orleans Riverside! That way we can visit POFQ and pool hop since it is allowed between the two. We decided to book in about 3 weeks with the room discount, unless we get a free dining pin like my mom just did. It is about the same price anyway, so no biggie. Free dining is really important when we take all 5 kids b/c we save so much. With just hubby and I it isn't a big difference.

We did some research since we have stayed at POR before and know that we can be anywhere from right outside the foodcourt to all the way in the back of Alligator Bayou. We wanted to see what our best bet would be for getting a close location to the food and pool. We found out which rooms are the only ones that can have a river view, and that helped us determine how to book. We are going to book POR for 9 days, 8 nights with a river view room. We are getting the Water Parks Fun and More length of stay pass for the first time ever since our friends really want to go the water parks. We figure it is a great time to try them out. We still don't want hoppers as we love to immerse ourselves in one park a day, and having the WPF&M pass will be more than enough hopping for us.

We will be purchasing the dining plan as we do not want to have to worry about anything when we get there, such as how much meals cost. We like the ease of the dining plan.

So...that's it in a nutshell. Thank you all for your help! We appreciate you!

 

[Sue M]

Congrats on booking. We've stayed in great locations in both Acadian House and Magnolia terrace. I request a room near bridge to Old Man Island. Very central location, just walk over bridge around main pool and you're at the food court,
That's our fav location.

 

[NJRRK]

Hey everyone! I wanted to thank you all again and just let you know what we decided!

We decided to go back to Port Orleans Riverside! That way we can visit POFQ and pool hop since it is allowed between the two. We decided to book in about 3 weeks with the room discount, unless we get a free dining pin like my mom just did. It is about the same price anyway, so no biggie. Free dining is really important when we take all 5 kids b/c we save so much. With just hubby and I it isn't a big difference.

We did some research since we have stayed at POR before and know that we can be anywhere from right outside the foodcourt to all the way in the back of Alligator Bayou. We wanted to see what our best bet would be for getting a close location to the food and pool. We found out which rooms are the only ones that can have a river view, and that helped us determine how to book. We are going to book POR for 9 days, 8 nights with a river view room. We are getting the Water Parks Fun and More length of stay pass for the first time ever since our friends really want to go the water parks. We figure it is a great time to try them out. We still don't want hoppers as we love to immerse ourselves in one park a day, and having the WPF&M pass will be more than enough hopping for us.

We will be purchasing the dining plan as we do not want to have to worry about anything when we get there, such as how much meals cost. We like the ease of the dining plan.

So...that's it in a nutshell. Thank you all for your help! We appreciate you!

Great choice. One note, if you decide that you want to park hop it will only be about 25, or so, to upgrade each ticket, since you already have the WPF&M.

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

Congrats on booking. We've stayed in great locations in both Acadian House and Magnolia terrace. I request a room near bridge to Old Man Island. Very central location, just walk over bridge around main pool and you're at the food court,
That's our fav location.

Thanks! I haven't actually booked yet, but will be shortly! Thanks for the tip for room request! I sent a letter years ago b/c of an issue I have with my feet, and they put us in building 14 AND it was a river view room. It was awesome!

Great choice. One note, if you decide that you want to park hop it will only be about 25, or so, to upgrade each ticket, since you already have the WPF&M.

Good point! I don't see us wanting it right now, but maybe we will change our minds, and we can just add it on later if we want to! Thanks for the pointers!

 

[KatMark]

We have stayed all levels. We will skip a trip if we can't at least pay for a moderate. The values are not a vacation to us -- too loud and too busy. If we can rent points for a DVC resort studio, we will do that. If one is not available or the moderates are comparable, we go "home" to the Coronado.

Without kids, I'd definitely do a moderate.

 

[rutgers1]

I would consider renting DVC points before staying at a value, as I think you can get a great deal and still have a top-notch experience. The only issue with renting is, well....the issues (read up on it for more). If you can stomach the uncertainty of renting from someone you don't know, that would be a great option.

I also like the Dolphin. There are times/discounts that make it more cost effective than a moderate, and the quality/location is better.

 

[RedfromNL]

I stayed at Port Orleans FQ during our first trip and we absolutely loved it! The whole atmosphere was great. I never stayed at a value I must add, simply because they are sooo massive, I don't really care for the looks of those resorts either.

But that's my personal taste.

You said it was your anniversary trip: treat yourself, if you can afford to do so go for Port Orleans.
Next trip we stay at the WL, we loved that too. But if it hadn't been possible to go there I'd hve been quite happy to go back to POFQ or POR.