Always stayed at moderates....a question...

[michaelwilliammidd]

Hey everybody...DW and I have always stayed at moderates in the past. And this year didn't think we would get to go to Disney at all however, now there is the possibility of going on a little smaller budget than we have in the past so....my question is...Have any of you stayed at moderates then stayed at a value? What was your feeling about the value resorts? I have heard lots of people complain about them in ways that I haven't seen them complain about moderates....such as noise due to thin walls, cleanliness, bus service, food courts etc..... I would still love to go albeit on a smaller budget but wouldn't want the resort to take a toll on the trip. If you have stayed at values what resort would you suggest and why? Thanks for all the help Disers!

 

[sters]

If the choice is value vs. not going at all, then go value. The rooms are a little smaller, especially the bathroom, and there are no slides at the pools. You may have to wait longer at the laundromat. There are no on-site restaurants. At the All Stars at least, each resort had its own bus to the Magic Kindgom but shared with the other All Star resorts for the other resorts. But guess what, all the moderates have their transportation issues too. Only the ANnmal Kindgom Lodge shares no busses. If you are basically going to spend your time at the parks and have no use for pool slides and on-site restaurants, then the values are just fine. The walls were thin at POR, too. Was the All Stars loud? Yeah, a little bit, but only because we happened to go during Grad nights. You'll be fine. Enjoy your trip!

 

[ktink]

I've never stayed at a moderate, yet, so I can't compare but I can tell you a little about Pop Century. WE LOVED IT! The bus service at the time we were there was great. There were long lines but it was only about a 10 or 15 minute wait. The decor at the resort was really upbeat and it really made a good impression on us. We didn't notice the walls being thin, we had no noise problems w/ neighboring rooms and we were poolside. The food court was ok. But like someone mentioned I would stay value than not go at all. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[PoohGal05]

The values resorts have food courts. Kind of like a cafeteria I would have to say. We didn't have a problem using the laudromat when we were there. Of course it was raining the day we did our laundry so that may have kept a lot of people in their rooms.

When we stayed at the All Star Movies in July 2003, the Movies had their own bus, with Music and Sports sharing a bus. We found the bus service to be quite frequent, although depending on when you got in line to get on the bus, you might have to stand. I personally didn't mind standing as long as mom could sit if possible.

Angi

 

[goofylarry46]

We have stayed at value, moderate and deluxe. We love POP food court is good. Never heard any noise bus service was fine. You should give it a try.

 

[stacy6552]

we prefer the values to the moderates. I just dont see the value in the extra money at a moderate. You should be AOK

 

[n2mm]

we prefer the values to the moderates. I just dont see the value in the extra money at a moderate. You should be AOK

Me too, you took the words right out of my mouth! If I had to choose between a moderate or value resort, I would always choose a value resort hands down. Sorry, just not a big fan of the moderates, but do visit delux resorts several times a year along with the value resorts several times a year. (Depends on what season it is value vs regular vs peak season.)

 

[disneyfan61]

The first time we went we stayed at ASMo & we thought it was great. No
issues with busses. Then last year we stayed at CBR & had an issue with the
busses. They stop at all the five stops within the resort & we hated that. Next year we are going to try Pop (value). I've heard a lot of great things so we'll see. Our biggest issue is the buses because we rely on them for transportation. We are in the parks most of the time so the food court is not
a big issue. We are in the rooms to sleep & shower. So value here we come.

 

[dawgfan]

Stayed at ASMu twice prior to staying at POFQ last year. I am sold on POFQ now but if it came down to going or not I would definitely go to a value. No problem. They are busy and louder it seems. There is less attention in the design with landscape etc to spread things out and keep the noise down. There are larger groups here and those may tend to be church groups etc with lots of kids. The rooms are small in relation to what most people may be used to in a hotel especially those charging as much as Disney does. They are great in theming and emerse in Disney mood. They have food courts that sprawl out and are busy. The pools are loaded with small kids and they are smaller in size than the mods. The mods do have that much more on the values as far as what you get for the money. At the same time there is absolutely nothing wrong with the values. I will say this as an absolute...the more time you spend at the resort, the more you need to be at a mod or higher. The more park time yuou spend, the better the values look.

 

[ReninDetroit]

The only bus issues I noticed at All Star were that you will almost never get a seat, (women and children do, but being the courtly gentleman I am I have to always give up my seat ) - the buses get more full than at any of the other hotels I've stayed at.

On rooms being "a bit" smaller, this is where I think the difference is. They are MUCH smaller than a moderate or deluxe. IMO, there's more difference between a value and a moderate than there is between a moderate and a deluxe. But then again I've only stayed at All Star Music, and not the Pop yet.

But, I really really liked the pool at the All Star. It was shaped like a piano

I'd say go for it. It sure beats not going, and it will probably be better than staying offsite.

 

[NotTooGoofy]

I've stayed at ASMovies and POP and both were fine resorts. If you are going during a busy time of year, the odds are the parks will be open later and you'll spend less time in your rooms anyways.

I stayed at POP in March the only complaint I had was the noise outside. I had a room facing the bowling pin pool and I could hear people outside swimming late into the evening (and even early morning!). The best way to avoid the noise, if this an issue with you, is to look at the resort maps and decide which buildings/rooms are furthest away from the pools or play areas. So I certainly would stay at a value resort vs. not going at all.

Good luck!

 

[bridget8822]

I have stayed at the Poly, Caribbean Beach, and ASMusic. My personal opinion is knock out the middle man in that group. I really really didn't like CB AT ALL. The Value resort was fun, and you can't beat the price. No matter what it's DISNEY and you'll have a super time!!! Happy Planning!!

 

[michaelwilliammidd]

Thank You Disers!!! Ya'll are always sooooo helpful with questions....thanks for taking the time to respond so quickly. We are definitley going to try to make the trip work and stay at a value now just to decide which one....we are torn between ASMO and POP. Thanks again for the help and hopefully it will work out.