Want to pick a Value resort- bad reviews

[ReluctantDisaholic]

We liked POP when we stayed there for a night this summer (we had only stayed at moderates before) - we really liked it and would stay there again.

I don't read Disney reviews anywhere but the disboards - generally the reviews I've read on regular travel sites have been by people that aren't that familiar with WDW.

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

We've done the values, we like the value. They're great when you are trying to save a little extra money. I'd stay at any of them again. Like PP said, people tend to only review when they have something negative to say.

 

[Pmlocke]

I stay at All Star Music every year. I'll be there in 23 days and can't wait. I have written in this site multiple times my reason for choosing ASMusic as my home away from home when we travel down to WDW every year but I will let the remarks from a good friend of mine help you. My good friend has stayed at every resort. Every Resort. She told me that every resort had it ups and its downs. What I found to be the most curious was when I asked her what, if any, resort would she never return to and she told me the Grand Floridian. There are perks to staying at the all stars and there are down sides. Personally, I stay at Music because of their staff and I actually love the place. I may be the most tolerant person in the world, my wife doesn't think so, but I can honestly say that I have NEVER had a problem with my stay at Music. I have been there for Pop Warner football, dance, cheerleaders, and band. I was there when the restaurant was closed for rehab. I have seen remarks that there are no extra towels. Then go get some. I ran out of shampoo, then ask for more. There is no microwave in the room. Personally I don't eat in my bedroom so I don't see a need for a microwave in it. There are microwaves in the restaurant. Go eat there. There is no coffee maker. I get up and walk up and get a fresh cup of coffee every morning in the restaurant It is a beautiful morning usually and it gets me ready for the day. They share buses. Only during the slow part of the day so that is also a false claim. I stay at the parks for the most part, except for the afternoon when my wife and I spend time poolside so the time spent in my room is usually while I am asleep. Again, we must be lucky but when our heads hit the pillows we fall asleep only to be awakened in the morning by the sound of the ducks in the pool. For those of you who think I must be losing it. We stay at the Calypso, pool side and every morning there are a few ducks swimming in the pool, quacking away. Best alarm clock in the world.

 

[MamaJinji]

I've mostly enjoyed my stays in the Values, as that's usually the only way we've been able to afford going. The food is decent, the pools are fun, and the theming (while admittedly corny) is amusing enough. The biggest problem we ever had was at All-Star Music - the first night we were there, the door to the bathroom got stuck, and when my sister managed to pull it open she smashed and broke her toe. Fortunately, Disney was very good about getting her the medical attention she needed, provided a wheelchair to use for the duration of our stay, gave us credit against the room payment, and moved us to another room with very little fuss. I loved Art of Animation the best, with Pop Century running a close second.

Edit: I'd say values are a great way to go if your focus is going to the parks. If you want to spend more time lounging about in the resort, well, moderates and up might be more up your alley.

 

[PurpleKomodo]

I have stayed at Pop and All-Star Movies. I don't really have anything bad to say about either. They are perfectly fine hotels. We tend to look at it this way: If we are mainly using the resort for sleeping and showering and spending all day every day in the park (which we commonly do), then a value is plenty sufficient. But, on our most recent trip with DS, I was thinking about the possibility of mid-day breaks, naps, him needing to go to sleep before we did, and having super cool pool areas and activities. We opted to upgrade and it was a great decision for that trip. I think if DH and I went as just adults again, we would probably stay at a value, but going with our young family, moderates or deluxe (especially villas) suit our needs better.

 

[kwdw]

Remember that reviews are the opinion of the reviewer - and everyone's opinion is based on expectation.

Most of the bad reviews I've seen of the value resorts are from folks expecting them to be MORE. The Disney website clearly describes the amenities in the room and resort and clearly levels their resorts into three categories. Yes - towels are going to be thinner and beds not as nice at a "value" hotel. Duh. There's no coffeemaker. Yuck. BUT - the nice thing about the Disney values - what you get is usually delivered in excellent, clean condition. They are consistently clean and in very good/excellent condition.

I've personally never had trouble with the thin walls - because I've never been next to noisy guests. Yes, I believe that happens - but it can happen at a deluxe resort, too. Couple of my worst hotel nights ever were at high-end hotels with noisy neighbors. My only real problem at a Disney hotel was at a moderate - HVAC unit wasn't working properly.

Yes - you can get more features and a higher quality experience at a resort off-site for the same amount of money. Lots of folks diss the value resorts (well, all Disney resorts, really) based on that fact. Some of those off-site folks aren't calculating in the cost of parking, gas, and drive time. Or they don't place any value on the on-site experience. Some have family group sizes and needs that really aren't going to be met by Disney options. So those that like to complain about Disney prices vs off-site hotels - I disregard those - it's like choosing between an apple and a banana - sure its a fruit - but there are lots of other differences.

Me - I'm headed on my seventh stay at a value resort later this month. I really prefer higher-end, more business class hotels and rarely stay at places as basic as the Disney values for my other travels. But hey - it's because I opt to not spend too much on the room all the time that I can afford to be headed on my 13th trip to Disney since 2010.

 

[sharadoc]

Pop is much bigger than any of the All-Stars, so the food court, bus stop, etc. will be more crowded at certain times. At the All-Stars, you have access to all their amenities. So it's 6 pools, 3 laundry rooms, 3 food courts, 3 stores. The buses only share in the middle of the day when they're almost empty. The walk to any room from a bus is good.

We've stayed in both Calypsos and Jazz 2. All close to everything. At Calypso 10, you're almost the same distance to Movies as you are to Music's front entrance.

Personally, I would recommend the All-Stars for all those reasons. Otherwise, pick the theme you like.

 

[patster734]

we stayed at the AS Sport this past September and liked it. Infact, DW liked it better than POR.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

General travel sites are not the place to look to judge a Disney resort. Disney isn't the real world and Disney hotels are not like real world hotels. This can be good, or it can be bad; it depends on what you expect. A Disney-expert site like this one can help you learn what to expect. Like, if you are looking at the prices for the Grand Floridian and expecting Four Seasons swank - you won't get it. It's swanky for Disney, but not Four Seasons swank.

 

[englishteacha]

We've only stayed at Pop, and offsite for several trips before that. We liked Pop. It was nice to not have to drive anywhere. The room was adequate, clean, and we had nice service everywhere we went there.

That said, a room at Pop costs twice as much as the Hampton Inn where we stayed in June for my birthday trip to NH, and the room there was huge, with giant beds, and the hotel had free breakfast and an indoor waterpark. Don't expect a value resort to be luxurious and you'll be fine.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I've personally never had trouble with the thin walls - because I've never been next to noisy guests. Yes, I believe that happens - but it can happen at a deluxe resort, too.

Yeah. Upgrading to Deluxe expecting thicker walls is a pretty terrible idea. (Hel-LO, Poly!)

 

[stinkpickle]

Some folks just can't stand staying at a value. You never know until you try.

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

We're doing a split stay in the spring and I really want to try a value- I was leaning towards Music but some of the reviews on various travel sites are awful. Then I looked at Movies, Sports, Pop- so many bad reviews for the values! The pictures and videos I've seen of the values looked pretty nice to me, so I'm confused. Even the Dis podcast people had lots of negatives- I still want to try one, just don't know what to pick! Any opinions/advice?

If we didn't stay at a WDW resort because of the negative reviews I have read, we literally would not have stayed at ANY of the resorts we have stayed at.
And we would have missed out on many wonderful WDW family vacation memories. As a previous poster has written, people are more likely to write a report about all the negatives they experienced during their stay; than take the time to report on the positive ones. So for each bad review out there, I believe there are many more good experiences out there that are not being reported. After all, if it really is as bad as all the reports you are reading do you think they would still be filling up the rooms week in week out each year?

I especially ignore reports where there is nothing but a loooonng laundry list of all the horrible things that have happened during there stay. And Disney owes me!

And appreciate the ones that are written up; "This is what I disliked about resort A" and "This is what I liked about resort A"

I know; not all bad reviews are false or exaggerated. I just think they are out of the norm.

 

[Flight]

Have stayed at all three levels: Value, Moderate, and Deluxe. Have also stayed at all three All Star resorts. Never had a reason to complain about the All Stars.

 

[disnut8]

I wouldn't put too much faith in reviews. Most people only review when they're unhappy.

Totally agree. When was the last time someone came home and wrote a glowing resort review other than on these boards?

The only time I "listen" to a review is when I'm looking for something particular, like a hot tub away from the main pool.

Each person has their own opinion on resorts but it's mostly negative ones that live on in reviews. I just pick what I want because that's what *I* want and my experience will be totally different from anyone else.

 

[Jetta8300]

General travel sites are not the place to look to judge a Disney resort. Disney isn't the real world and Disney hotels are not like real world hotels. This can be good, or it can be bad; it depends on what you expect. A Disney-expert site like this one can help you learn what to expect. Like, if you are looking at the prices for the Grand Floridian and expecting Four Seasons swank - you won't get it. It's swanky for Disney, but not Four Seasons swank.

Exactly! I'm amazed that many people do not even look at pictures of a hotel before they go. You'll see a lot of this on Trip Advisor for Disney hotels, and many negative reviews are people that are from the UK, Australia, etc. I think over there they just go by travel agents and what they say. They are given a price, and by real world standards Disney prices are steep so they are expecting more. Then they complain that there's only one sink, that the beds are doubles, and there's no table service restaurants. And I'm thinking, "how could you not know this ahead of time???" But many people don't do the research, hence the bad reviews.

 

[Aurora0427]

The only value we've ever stayed at is AoA, and the only moderate POFQ. For what it's worth, we'd stay at AoA again in a heartbeat. We hated POFQ, and so many people on these boards love it! So it's all pretty subjective.

 

[jpalasky]

I just booked one night at AS Sports prior to checking in to beach club. I thought it would be fun for two 9 year old boys. We always stay at delux usually Poly. Anything I should know. I know it's only one night but just curious. I also got a great deal. Beginning of May for $87.00 a night. Cheaper then staying off property.

 

[JasonMouse]

I've stayed at them all and have never had a real complaint. Values are just fine. In fact, I've probably stayed in more Deluxe rooms that were in worse shape than values. And for Disney, poor shape means maybe some grout or caulking could be freshened up, fixtures not straight or about time for replacement, light switch face plates wrong color lol, and for some reason all the fire alarm boxes are old and crooked. The quality of the mattress is always a toss up. Carpet is the same at all tiers. It's always very clean though.

 

[sarahann77]

I really liked Sports when I stayed there last year. I'm not a sports person but went by the cost as cheaper than the others a bit during value season. I did stay preferred, and would recommend if being close to the lobby/food court is important. My trips was either just myself or with 1 friend so double beds was enough.

Music - I liked, stayed standard and did get what seemed to be the farthest room available. It was ready when we landed late morning so I was not complaining about it, but for my friend who had extremely sore feet she did not care for the walk. We were not on dining plan so wasn't necessary to be close but we did walk through after the parks to refill water.

My stay at Pop just had much more crowded food court and bus lines leaving the park than I'd like. Sports and Music were just fine in that regard. For Pop I liked having AOA so close that I walked over there most often for food and they had a great gift shop of things I love more than what's in the other basic shops. I would love to stay at AOA at some point as I love that theme in general. There was minimal bus sharing for All Stars and we could wait a bit after leaving the park to guarantee a seat when Pop/AOA still had long lines within the double bays.

I stayed at POR, while the boards here rave about it I did not care for it. I did have a one night at CSR and loved it so I'd pick that as a moderate.
My next trips I'm taking my parents on once in a lifetime trips so staying deluxes.

I can certainly bet that I'll be back to Sports for more trips, especially for any budget trips that might allow multiple trips in the year. I've love to try Movies as well at some point, as I'd pick that theme over the 3 All Stars.