Are the resort hotels really all that much better than the value resorts?

[Disneyland1084]

I'm reading about all the different hotels around Disneyworld. I keep thinking someday when I do go, that I just have to stay at the Contemporary Resort or Grand Floridian. I'm thinking mainly of the convenience of location to Magic Kingdom. But I started thinking, how much better are they than the value resorts? Yes, they're gorgeous and probably have more shops and restaurants. But what makes the resort hotels so much better than the value ones (if at all) and vice versa? For those that stayed at both, did you enjoy your trip more when staying at a resort hotel or not? ETA-Any positives about the moderate hotels would be appreciated too. Thanks.

 

[kjs1976]

We liked all the amenities of AKL and BC vs. values. We liked the bigger room, Queen beds, balcony, and bigger seperate bathroom area.
Our room was further from the busses and food, but it was inside vs. outside. It didn't bother me. Unusually like walking outside, but it was nice during the one rainy evening. For me, part of the experience is walking outside to get my morning coffee at the food court. I love the sights, sounds, and smells. Pools are nicer with water slides. Food at AKL was great, but we didn't care for the lack of counter service at BC.

That being said....I'd never pay for a deluxe. We got a sweet deal 10 yrs ago at AKL FOR $151 a night. 5 yrs ago we were booked at POFQ and got a call on our way to the airport asking if we'd be ok to upgrade to BC. So we paid $130 a night for our $370 room back then. We were also upgraded to a 1bdrm at OKW one year. Pop was overbooked and they asked us if we were ok moving. We were only there three nights and had a rental car that time so it worked out. Don't think I'd go back there either just for the sheer size.

We've decided were POFQ fans all the way. Small enough resort with a perfect mix of Disney and relaxation, great pool, great food court, and boat to DTD. I always say I'll keep looking until I feind a deal on a room for $150 or less. This year the magical agency is offering rooms for $149.60 during the week we wanted to go...SCORE!!!

 

[tcherjen]

For us no.... We have visited them. We like the AOA family suite just for the extra room we have on vacation. It is so nice to go and relax. I really don't think
I could cram the 5 of us in a deluxe and be comfortable anymore.

 

[justgot2havefun]

Couldn't agree more we have stayed at POFQ three times because it is smaller than any other moderate and is perfect for us.

 

[nicci10681]

Hubby and I always do the value resort POP. But we are there everyday at rope drop and stay through evening EMHs. So even though the value rooms aren't as big or fancy, it's simply a place to sleep. Plus the value resorts are like deluxes compared to off site motels, NEVER stay off property. The motels are used and abused, not worth the tiny amount of money you might save. We love POP bc it has its own dedicated buses, so no other stops, the restaurant there has pretty good food, I HIGHLY recommend the pot pie it's so good, and though not as grand, you are still immersed in all things Disney!!

 

[Disneyland1084]

Thanks for all the replies. I really appreciate it, and it's a big help with planning a future trip there. I'm thinking I probably won't stay at a deluxe resort unless I hit it rich.

 

[DOOM1001]

Hubby and I always do the value resort POP. But we are there everyday at rope drop and stay through evening EMHs. So even though the value rooms aren't as big or fancy, it's simply a place to sleep. Plus the value resorts are like deluxes compared to off site motels, NEVER stay off property. The motels are used and abused, not worth the tiny amount of money you might save. We love POP bc it has its own dedicated buses, so no other stops, the restaurant there has pretty good food, I HIGHLY recommend the pot pie it's so good, and though not as grand, you are still immersed in all things Disney!!

POP is also one of my favorites at Disney but I would disagree over the offsite hotels,I probably stay offsite like 75% of my trips but I do like 10-12 trips a year living in South Florida,so I'm still staying 2-3 times a year at the Disney or Universal hotels.Basically I think I've probably stayed at half or more of the hotels in the tourist areas of Orlando,LBV,I-Drive,192,I can drive down these streets and just go,stayed there,stayed there,haven't stayed there,stayed there, etc..My point is that since I'm as knowledgeable of the hotels in the area I know what hotels are good and I would stay at again and which ones to put in the "don't do again" list.I love staying at the Disney hotels as well as the Universal ones,I'm trying their new hotel Cabana Bay on a trip this weekend,I've already toured it and I love the theme and atmosphere but this will be my first stay there,it's a tad more than the Disney values so I'm going in comparing the two.But as far as the offsite places for the money,a good one with free breakfast for half the price or less than a Disney or Universal value is going to be the best deal in my book.

 

[tzolkin]

Is there a reason you're not considering the moderates?

The deluxe resorts are more expensive than I like to pay (we usually go for around 12 nights, so that adds up), but we feel that the price difference between the values and the moderates is worth it.

We stayed at Pop a few times when our kids were little and certainly enjoyed our times there, but the moderates have a more relaxing atmosphere that my family prefers.

Here's a pricing example for June for standard rooms:
Grand Floridian $633 (Contemporary is $444)
Caribbean Beach $220
Pop Century $161

A jump of $60 (usually less with a discount factored in) from value to moderate may be easier to justify than an extra $300-450 per night to move up from a value to a deluxe.

There are certainly benefits of the deluxe resorts (the biggest one for me would be location), it's just a matter of what fits your budget and whether you think the benefits are worth the price jump.

 

[Disneyland1084]

Is there a reason you're not considering the moderates?

Oh no, I'm considering everything. I guess I should have mentioned moderate in my OP.

 

[worm761]

Each level of resorts has their own pull. I guess it depends on what you are planning to do on your trip. If we are going for only a short time and will be spending little to no time at the resort, Pop Century all the way. If we are going for a full 8 days and will be spending most of our time at the parks, then we go with Coronado Springs for the space. If we are going for a nice relaxing time and plan on half days at the parks and evenings at the resort, we go deluxe. Animal Kingdom Lodge was fantastic. And nothing compares to opening your curtains and find some giraffe and zebra outside your room.

 

[LISAMWDW]

Speaking for myself and my family, we avoid the values and our first pick would be moderates. This is because we enjoy the atmosphere of the spread out resorts. The grounds are gorgeous and to us, magical. I would much rather walk thru the theme than down the regular hallways of a tower hotel, like the deluxes, except Poly. The rooms are larger and more comfortable and more amenties than the values. Not to mention, it is quieter. Everything is quieter, pools, rooms, food courts, etc. We found the values to be chaos and rooms very small, crowded and basic. The bus stops/buses were very crowded. The deluxes except AKL, had multiple means of transportation, which is very nice. The moderates have more bus stops so the transporation seems like it is smoother.

This upcoming vacation we are staying at the Poly, Poly (gorgeous grounds, spreadout feel) and BC (BC for the wonderful pool). So excited!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

I have stayed at value, moderate and deluxe, and have found the Disney magic to be at all 3.

 

[Estella]

I have stayed at value, moderate and deluxe, and have found the Disney magic to be at all 3.

So glad to hear - we are considering a value this year and good to know the Disney magic will be there. Besides, the way we run around, we will only be sleeping there (okay, maybe a dip in the pool, too). I will miss the deluxe AKL, but money is driving my choice this visit.

 

[Jbausch]

I have stayed at all three and DVC. It depends on what you want to do. That said there is NOTHING like hopping on a monorail or taking a short walk to your resort when you have small tired children. Getting a stroller and tired kids on and off a bus is the pits - esp if it is crowed and no seats avalible! (Please take into account I am a single Mom with twins so this is a huge factor for me - I only have two hands. ) So for me it is worth it to stay at a deluxe but I still try to find ways to save money. Look into renting DVC points - you can save alot of money.

 

[biim85]

Honestly until my last trip to Disney (and I've had many) I swore by deluxe resorts. Prior to this last trip I had only stayed in deluxe or value resorts. It wasnt that the actual room at the deluxe resort was THAT much better. It's bigger and more comfortable to spread out in, but if you're in the parks all day that doesnt matter much when you're tired at night and just want to sleep. My issue with the value resorts was always all of the people. If you dont mind people, go for it. But I mind people when I'm exhausted. It's like being in a park full of folks all day only to come back to your resort and want to relax and have to deal with an overcrowded pool or eatery. That was why I swore off of value resorts. Not because of the actual rooms, which are okay. HOWEVER, this last trip I stayed at a moderate resort. Port Orleans Riverside, and let me tell you how fast my opinion changed. It was almost the best of both worlds. Not too crowded. The buildings are layed out much further apart and are much smaller than the value resorts. The selection of eateries was more than just the quick service that you get used to at value resorts. The rooms were quite nice surprisingly. Ours slept five (two queen size beds and a pull down twin underneath the television). There were no children (or drunk adults which seems to be an issue during F&W) hooping it up outside as they ran past at odd times of the night because of the lay out. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at POR and would gladly go back anytime. My only itty bitty complaint the entire time I was there was a lost bag, other than that it was great.

 

[EPCOTgrl1]

If you plan on spending time at your resort then go for the moderate or deluxe resort. Then tend to offer more and have nicer rooms. If you plan to spend more time in the parks and the room is just a place for you to sleep then go for the value. Before we had DVC we ALWAYS did value. We never really spent time in the room and we rather have the extra money for the parks.

 

[loves to dive]

I've stayed at GF, Poly, Cont, BC, YC, BWV, OKW, POR and POP and will be doing a split stay between AKL and BWV this May. It's really according to your style of travel and what you are comfortable with. I don't do commando in the parks any more and am at the time in my life where comfort is important so I go with the deluxes. When I stayed at POP it was on a solo trip, split stay with BWV and for two nights. I drive down so at best I arrive around 2 so I figured the first night was somewhere to lay my head and planned on knocking out the busy park days the day of arrival and next day so didn't plan on spending any time at the resort. I had a room that was just a parking lot away from the bus and food court. I hated it and will never do value again. It reminded me of a not so well kept up Holiday Inn. It was musty smelling, which being in Florida wasn't surprising but just felt not so clean. The room was small and just meh. The food court was crowded but I only went for breakfast. The values and the moderates have outside corridors (I think there may be some inside ones at AOA not sure). The rooms are a step up at the moderates, a little bigger and other than POFQ the grounds can be a little spread out. I love POR and would stay there again if doing a split stay for a longer time so I could save a few bucks. I tend to spend most of my time at Epcot and HS so the resorts close to them are almost always my choice, I'm not a huge fan of riding the buses either. If you don't spend all your times in the park and want to relax at the resort and can afford it, I'd say go moderate or deluxe. If you plan on spending all day at the parks and just want a place to sleep, go with a value.

 

[ChasingLeslie]

I just can't stomach the cost of the deluxe resorts, but I love the moderates.

 

[Hootch]

We have done all three levels also. When our kids were little, especially with my wife pregnant with our daughter, the Contemporary was ideal. No worries about transportation issues to or from the MK which was a focus for us. We stayed at All Star Movies one trip. It was spread out and somewhat drab for us. This was before Pop or AOA which are supposed to be an improvement.

Since that stay we have been staying at POFQ. It's small with great landscaping. The absence of a sit down restaurant does not bother us. When the Spring deals came out this year, we could have stayed at BC for about 10% more than POFQ. Since our son is 15 and seeking some independence, we decided to stick with POFQ. The better pool area would have been nice, but he knows the resort so well.

 

[cherice95403]

I am planning my first trip to WDW and struggled with this questions for WEEKS. Ultimately, I decided on AKL because they have bunk beds and I have two kids. For me, the sleep space was the tipping point. Once you decide what most important to you (money, space, proximity to a favorite park) the decision becomes easier.