Value Resort opinions please

[jgraney106]

Another vote here for Pop Century. We are going to try the new AOA resort for our trip in September !! So my opinion could switch to AOA, but for now Pop Century is our favorite!

 

[dancin Disney style]

I've stayed at all the value resorts.....multiple times. Our family favourite, by far, is ASMu. We love the music and activities at the pool as well as the layout of the resort(we book preferred) and the mature landscape.


We have almost no complaints of the other values. Each has it's own good points. In general, I think it really comes down to the theme that you prefer.

 

[digiMom]

I've stayed at ASSp and POP. They're pretty comparable, with differences being minor.

ASsp seemed more relaxed for some reason. The buildings have three stories rather than four, so it seems less, I don't know, claustrophobic maybe. But we were there on the off season and there were no school groups at the time. I think the AS are more likely to have school groups.

POP is energized. No matter where you are you aren't that far from the buses and food court, which has good food options. I also like having a lake there, even though you really just look at it. When AoA opens, you can just walk over to look around and eat at their food court, too.

I think the edge goes to POP, but not by much. If a theme appeals to you, I'd say go with that.

 

[I Love Pluto]

OT - does anyone know if they will be taking those horrible-looking barriers down between Pop & AoA?

On Topic - Pop Century is the brightest & CLEANEST resort of the values. Anyone would LOVE it there!

 

[digiMom]

I would think the barrier would come down when the resort opens - May 31?

 

[CerysG]

So OttawaMom is this a special thing just for Canadians? So you book a year in advance and get the free dining. For Value its the two quick service meals a day, but you can upgrade to the one quick service and one table service if you want to? I wonder if they will include the family suites at AoA for next year. So which board is the best to watch for these deals? Do they do it every year? I'll have to do some more thinking about this and see what happens in August. Bit torn between a family suite and two rooms (sounds like Pop is a strong contender), I think I would pay a little more for a Nemo suite if free dining was included. I tell you sometimes planning a trip to Disney is so very complicated! We plan to spend the first part of the trip at Universal and it seems way less complicated but maybe its because they don't offer the same kind of deals and have less hotel options. I wonder if I'm going to be stark raving mad by the time the trip rolls around in a year or so! I think planning the frist time around was easier as I didn't know anything but now I know way to much!
Oh as a aside does Disney off trip insurance or do people buy that elsewhere (I'm Canadian so would that might make a difference who will sell it to me).
Thanks for everyones help!

 

[ottawamom]

So OttawaMom is this a special thing just for Canadians? So you book a year in advance and get the free dining. For Value its the two quick service meals a day, but you can upgrade to the one quick service and one table service if you want to? I wonder if they will include the family suites at AoA for next year. So which board is the best to watch for these deals? Do they do it every year? I'll have to do some more thinking about this and see what happens in August. Bit torn between a family suite and two rooms (sounds like Pop is a strong contender), I think I would pay a little more for a Nemo suite if free dining was included. I tell you sometimes planning a trip to Disney is so very complicated! We plan to spend the first part of the trip at Universal and it seems way less complicated but maybe its because they don't offer the same kind of deals and have less hotel options. I wonder if I'm going to be stark raving mad by the time the trip rolls around in a year or so! I think planning the frist time around was easier as I didn't know anything but now I know way to much!
Oh as a aside does Disney off trip insurance or do people buy that elsewhere (I'm Canadian so would that might make a difference who will sell it to me).
Thanks for everyones help!

That's the deal they were offering last year. Yes to the dining plan upgrade. I was faithfully watching the Resorts Board starting early July to find out when deals were going to be offered. I think there is a sticky at the top of the page (rates and codes?).

I agree Disney can be very complicated if you are trying to watch your pennies and get the most for your buck. I always thought it would be nice to be able to plan a trip with no consideration for the cost of anything. Such is not my fate in life, but I enjoy the game of getting the best deal possible for our family.

Disney does offer trip insurance. You actually have to click a box to opt out of it when you book a package online. And yes it is available to Canadians. Check out the Canadian trip planning board for a thread on insurance. There are many other options open to you as well. (your credit card co. for instance)

Good luck with your planning. I am having trouble waiting for our trip time to arrive now.

 

[mickey4ever]

We are going for 9 days in this June. We booked two rooms at POP Century. We love the food court and the pool area to cool off. We usually stay at the wilderness lodge all the time but this time we needed two rooms and the Wilderness would have been to much money. Our next choice (by far) would be Pop Century. Try there meatball subs. They are to die for. Yummy.

 

[packofprincesses]

We enjoyed our stay at ASMu last summer! We were in a family suite, and I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. We actually did a split stay between ASMu and the Poly and we preferred our room at ASMu. We also felt like the resort catered to our young family (for example...Poly didn't have larger bottles of milk in the gift shop area...we got 1/2 gallons at ASMu).

I'm going on a mother/daughter trip and we are going to try AoA!! Just changed this morning and I'm SOOO excited!

Good luck on your choice!

 

[popcenturylover]

We love Pop but, We're staying at AOA on our next trip! Sooooo my favorite might change after that!?

 

[Sprite74]

That's the deal they were offering last year. Yes to the dining plan upgrade. I was faithfully watching the Resorts Board starting early July to find out when deals were going to be offered. I think there is a sticky at the top of the page (rates and codes?).

I agree Disney can be very complicated if you are trying to watch your pennies and get the most for your buck. I always thought it would be nice to be able to plan a trip with no consideration for the cost of anything. Such is not my fate in life, but I enjoy the game of getting the best deal possible for our family.

Disney does offer trip insurance. You actually have to click a box to opt out of it when you book a package online. And yes it is available to Canadians. Check out the Canadian trip planning board for a thread on insurance. There are many other options open to you as well. (your credit card co. for instance)

Good luck with your planning. I am having trouble waiting for our trip time to arrive now.

There is a Canadian Trip planning board, I didn't know that and to think I thought I was getting used to using these boards!!

I have no advise here we are staying for the first time at POP in August, this will be our first trip to the Values!!

 

[jennykay]

We've stayed at Pop and ASMo and we preferred Pop. We really liked that it had its own bus. We went at slower times (Sept/Oct) and at ASMo we did share buses, and we did watch full buses drive by or stop and pack in the first couple of people from the line. Not. Fun. We really just liked the feel of Pop better, too, but that's personal preference. My dd really liked the fantasia pool at ASMo better.
We're going back this fall, and we're going to Pop, so I guess that says it all.

 

[ajpa]

We have friends who could definitely afford to stay in Deluxe resorts (and they travel quite a bit internationally) that always stay at the Pop - at least 3 times now, I think.

(We've only ever stayed at an All Star and that was years ago so I don't have a current review)

 

[CerysG]

Well sounds like POP is a real favorite. I think if the offered the meal plan with AOA family suites for next year I would go there but other wise I'm leaning towards two rooms a t POP. Of course being that I have a long time to think about this I might change my mind yet again! Sigh! I really will be mad as the hatter by the time I get this all organized.
OttawaMom I hear you about it being nice to just once plan a trip with out the worry of the money. Part of our problem is the price to fly from Saskatchewan is just crazy, it will be between 3500 and 4000 for the 5 of us to fly and that's the cheapest through United or Delta...if we fly Air Canada or WestJet its more like 5000! We drove down to Minot ND last time and it saved us about a 1000 but to honest I'd rather not do that again as it's just easier getting on at home and getting off a home and not having the drive. Oh well the kids are getting excited already as we were look at different video's of things.

 

[digiMom]

They added the AoA suites to the current FD offer, so I wouldn't count that out. I'm keeping my eye out when the time comes as well.

 

[cerberus]

When we first started going to Disney I swore we would never stay in a value resort, it did not appeal to us...then we went with friends would could only afford to stay at a value resort. We stayed at Sports then Movies. We really enjoyed ASMo, and have stayed with them twice now and will stay a 3rd time this June. The first time we stayed we drove to the parks instead of the buses, last time we used the buses and it was so easy. We never shared a bus to the parks, but did several times share on the way home...it was never a problem for us. Plus we really liked the food choices at Movies!

This trip will be June 1-13 and we had planned on staying at POP because we had heard so many great things about it (food and transportation especially). However we got nervous that since we are going during a busier time and feared that we may have a longer wait for the bus and the menu did not appeal to us as much. So we switched back to the Movies and plan to visit the POP one day during our stay.

 

[Babsydoodle]

Since your trip is not until 2013 I would definitely check prices for A of A! So far the pricing seems competitive, and with the size of your family the suites would be your best bet! Plus, you could say that you were guests of the newest resort! If A of A doesn"t price out for you, then definitely PC. PC is my family's favorite, unless they change to A of A! In any event, your main objective are all the parks......so have fun!

 

[Mariep26]

We did ASMo in March and loved it. The Toy Story rooms are great and I liked walking the grounds (nice playground and pools). We did not experience any issues with the busses. I have not stayed at Pop. We are doing AoA for December. We picked ASMo mainly for the theme... My kids went nuts over the TS courtyard. I have heard good things about Pop, I may consider it for our 2013 trip.