Value vs Moderate – looking for opinions – please sell me!!

[darkwing]

Hello everyone,

We have our Disney vacation booked for mid September. We are currently booked at All Star Music with Free dining and 8 day hoppers for $1427. To upgrade to a Moderate Resort it will cost us $2069 (approx. $600 more) Being at the Value resort we are on quick service dining and anticipate doing 2 characters meals for an approximate cost of $160 so the difference once that is factored in is about $440 more for the moderate. I am wondering if anyone can sell me on why I would upgrade to the Moderate and if it is worth the cost and alternatively I’m looking for people to sell me on why I should save the $440 and spend it elsewhere!

Background/more info: We are three people – me, wife, and kid (2 year old) We’ve been to Disney about a dozen times always staying at either the Value resorts or offsite in a rental house. We’ve been 3 times with the kid (each time was offsite) so this is our first time bringing her onsite. We plan on bringing a pop-up tent for her to sleep in which she is very comfortable in (been practicing this summer We are going to be in the parks most days with afternoon breaks (some that will turn into evening breaks I’m sure!) We also have a car rented and will be using it to get to the parks (except for MK which we’ll probably bus to)

So now it’s your turn – sell me on what you think the best option is!

Chris

 

[Sue M]

http://allears.net/acc/g_dxl.htm Pictures say it all! Our fav moderate is POR. For me it would be worth it to switch from a value. We enjoy the beautiful theming, landscaping, and relaxed atmosphere of POR. We like to take mid day pool breaks back at our resort. Boat to DTD, and evening entertainment.
We prefer the mansions.

 

[goofy4prez]

Let's list the reasons why a moderate over a value. Free dining with moderate will have a TS instead of only CS (this alone should seal the deal). Queen Beds (except CBR) instead of full beds, much nicer pools, beautifully landscaped and themed resorts instead of purple, pink, and yellow buildings with giant yo'yo's and bowling pins. Some offer boats to DTD. I'm sure others on here can add a few more reasons.

 

[Masonmj84]

Personally, I'd upgrade but part of this is personal taste in that we much prefer the theming of the moderates over the values (to me, the values feel like an oversized Motel 6 with over-the-top, kid-focused theming whereas the moderates feel like a real resort with more appealing theming and landscaping).

The other thing that's always turned me off about the values is the possibility of being overrun by very large, obnoxious groups of teenagers. While this is also a possibility at a moderate, the odds are lower.

Other than that, the following are the oft-cited advantages of moderates over values:

1. Slightly larger rooms.
2. Queen beds (except at CBR).
3. Covered bus stops.
4. Pool waterslide and hot tub.
5. On-site table service restaurant.

 

[DreamChasers]

I know Disney ends up costing a lot. You can always spend more, but you have to decide how much you’re willing to spend. If you can afford the upgrade it is pretty easy to justify. With the free dining plan offer staying at the mod resort gets you the plus dining plan, which generally costs $51.54 per adult. The quick service dining plan costs $34.99, that’s a difference of $16.55 per adult per day. If you’re staying for 7 nights that’s a difference of $231.70 overall. I know you factored in the two character meals, but having the ability to have a few more table service meals makes the dining more appealing.

Additionally, the mod resorts are closer to the parks, which means for shorter bus rides and makes it easier to get back to the hotel for a nap. Add to this, larger and better rooms and a nicer pool and you can justify the extra $400 ($230 for dining plan and $400 for the hotel). In the end you have to come home and pay the credit card company so justifying the expense is fine, but you need to limit it to what you’re willing to spend.

 

[KatMark]

Personally, I would upgrade. We've done the values twice now...once for three nights and then I made our husband go and find us a new room elsewhere (we were with the kids that trip) and we were at a value for one night in April. Although the one night was not a big deal because it was just a layover and we didn't go to the parks, I could not stand doing it for any longer period of time...too busy, too crowded and too noisy for our type of vacation.

 

[merina888]

I'd upgrade for all the reasons listed above: you upgraded to Plus Dining which includes table service, queen beds, slightly larger rooms, excellent themeing, your own bus to and from your resort. My big reason is the same as someone else's: I prefer something quieter and quite honestly those value resorts fill up quickly because they are cheaper and they attract large groups of teenagers for sporting events and such. I like quiet and my children like quiet.

 

[I Love Pluto]

Thanks for asking this question. I am going through tbe same thing!

 

[MMlvsMM]

I would pick a mod over value for the reasons already posted.

 

[MMS1125]

mods also have multiple bus stops through out the resort so it's usually a shorter walk for transportation if you rely on that.

You will also not be sharing a bus with the other 2 all stars if you go to a Mod. Most have their own bus (POR/FQ shared when we stayed there last time)

 

[nickapoohiluvu]

Queen sized beds makes my mind up for me.

 

[Tink415]

I prefer the mods for ceiling fans, prettier rooms, pools with features, bike and/or boat rentals, pretty much all that has been mentioned already. Before I'd switch, I'd check if I could get ADRs for table service places I'd like to eat at during a reasonable time; if I could, I'd consider if eating at those places, having a nicer room and pool, and maybe more peaceful surroundings was worth $440. If you're happy with your package now, $440 will buy a lot of whatever else your family might want and you can upgrade the resort in the future. The only moderate pool I see as being nicer for little kids is CBR, which still has double beds. The playgrounds are cuter at the mods but 2 might be kind of young to use them much. If you eat in the resort food court during rush hours its going to be busy and crazy no matter where you stay. We stayed at ASMu in Oct one year, slept late everyday, and we found the food court and pool to be almost deserted - go figure! I know its not always like that! I honestly think the transportation is more or less the same everywhere.

 

[mbrown027]

I would upgrade if I were you to POR for all the reasons above plus the fact that most of the rooms were just refurbished! POR is by far my favorite moderate resort. If you stick with the value resort I would suggest Pop Century as I find it to be the cleanest and closer to the moderate level resort, plus it does not share a bus unless that has changed with Art of Animations opening? We stayed at POp last year and loved it, especially the food court!

 

[TJDisneymama]

another option is staying at ASMU and upgrading to the Reg. dining plan which I believe should only cost you around $200. That way you'll get 9 (or however many nights you're staying) table service meals vs. the 2 you were planning to pay for OOP.
I personally love the Values for young kids. I (and they) love the over the top theming. I took ODS (9) to CBR this year and he didn't think it was as great as he thought ASMU was.

 

[mickey24]

I agree with the other posters on upgrading to a moderate, however I wonder if the costs you posted are accurate... It looks like maybe you are assuming that if you upgrade you'll get free dining at the moderate? I don't believe that is the case. There isn't even a current deal at the moderate resorts for free dining during mid-september. Maybe someone can correct me, but I don't believe that they transfer discounts if you make changes (only if the discount is in place at the time you make the change).

 

[raraavis]

guess i'm the minority here, but i would gladly stay at a value to save $600! we looked at mods when we were booking and just couldn't figure out why anyone would pay more money for a place to sleep. but from our perspective, we don't care about the hotel that much since we will be spending all of our time at parks. we only care if it's clean. we don't care about amenities, and we don't have kids to please. it's the same for us when we stay in las vegas. we never pay more than $45 a night at a hotel on the strip, but we also end up in the standard rooms. no biggie to us. so i guess for people who spend more time at their hotels or need to go back there between parks, i guess it makes sense to upgrade. only you know your vacationing style. good luck!

 

[Amy&Dan]

I much prefer the moderates. We have always had very good stays at values, but the mods are so much nicer.

That said, we just downgraded from CSR with free ddp, to Pop with free QSDP. I am heartbroken but I know we'll have a great trip anyway. It saved us around $600 and we will also save during the trip by not having all those ts gratuities.

Unless you REALLY need to save money, go with a mod.


Posted from DISboards.com App for Android

 

[cmurray234]

Another vote for upgrading to a moderate. I hate sleeping in a full-sized bed and the moderate theming makes me feel more immersed. Transportation generally seems to be better also.

 

[I Love Pluto]

This answer isn't going to help much, but it might answer why you feel as you do.

Half the time, we stay at Pop because we like it there. No other reason. We just really like it there. It is clean, affordable, and happy.

The other half of the time, we stay at a Mod because they are spread out more, have quiet pools, coffee pots, larger rooms, and an overall less crowded feel.

So - we alternate as to how we feel. If we know we're going to spend more time at the resort, then we will go Mod. If we know we're going to be at the parks more, we get a Value.

 

[DreamChasers]

I agree with the other posters on upgrading to a moderate, however I wonder if the costs you posted are accurate... It looks like maybe you are assuming that if you upgrade you'll get free dining at the moderate? I don't believe that is the case. There isn't even a current deal at the moderate resorts for free dining during mid-september. Maybe someone can correct me, but I don't believe that they transfer discounts if you make changes (only if the discount is in place at the time you make the change).

I found the link. You do get the Dining plus plan if you stay at a Mod resort for stays between Aug 26 and Sept 15. As far as switching, it shouldn’t be a problem. You can always cancel your original reservation up to 30 days before you’re due to arrive and then rebook at the Moderate resort, but honestly I don’t think Disney will make it that hard.

http://bookwdw.reservations.disney....romotionCode=fy12q4dineCA&market=fy12q4dineCA