Atmosphere at Values???

[dvczerfs]

we stayed at all star in 99. at 2am , three bus's full of kids (a hs band) pull up. i realize you cant keep 200 kids quit, and they were cranked up like i get when i get there but wow. alot of kids. double beds. i love my wife but, i like our king. that trip cost $30,000 . next thing i knew, im in van heading for boardwalk villas. and signing papers for dvc. best $30,000 i ever spent! im not getting paid for this, but i thought i would tell you about my "low budget" vacation.

 

[sunnyday123]

I've stayed at the Contemporary ( ok, I was 4..but still ) the Boardwalk,the cabin-thingys in the campground place ( omg I forgot the name how very un-Disney of me!) and AS Movies. They all had their own unique wonderfullness because face it, your at in Disney. The theming is way more Disney, you will feel like you neve left the park. I'm just wondering if your kids will think it's too baby-ish? ( see how I make up my own words? ) There is definitely a few more families with kids than say solo travelers but there isn't barbed wire around the resort to keep the beer cans and paper bags contained. (THERE IS NO CLASS RANKING IN DISNEY!!!) You can seperate the resorts from one another, and if this is what will keep you in budget, then go for it. You and your family need some together time and Disney is truly the happiest place on earth. Now go be happy!!!

 

[ktink]

We stayed at Pop on our first visit and we loved it. We've stayed at CSR and also loved it but the kids prefer the values. We are planning on taking advantage of free dining and the kids asked to stay at a value. I've struggled in the past because I really want to stay at Poly, YC, AKL, WL, etc but I'll be very honest I REFUSE to pay those prices for the type of room you receive.

This will be our 3rd vacation of 2008 and we stayed in a luxury log cabin when DH and I went to the Mtns. We will be staying at a very nice condo resort while in Florida, it's rated 5 stars and has fantastic bells & whistles. But I've made up my mind as far as WDW goes and we will keep the rooms as cheap as possible and pay for accomodations elsewhere that we will be able to enjoy more.

 

[LadyDulcinea1]

Look at my Disney resorts below.......POP (3x so far) has been our quietest and most relaxing resort. I've never seen anything chaotic even when the Daisy pool is full. I have a child who has severe anxiety and panic issues triggered mostly by human sound and crowds............he loves POP.

On the grounds we barely pass other folks and we have been in May and 2x during free dining. The computer and bowling pin pools have virtually been empty. We have never NOT found a table in food court, the food lines are fast and all food cooked to order.

In our room (and we do alot of room time because son is disabled and needs time to relax) we have never heard our neighbors talk or tv. We hear the occasional turbo toilet. Most trips we never even pass anyone on walkways but mousekeeping and rarely shared an elevator. Sometimes I would wonder where these people are ???

We find the footprint so small that even being by lake (once 70's, and twice 50's) it is less than a 5 minutes to bus from the elevator....and we walk slow because of DS. I would rather pay standard, have a quiet lake view and walk a couple extra minutes to the main hub.

In terms of the low budget crowd comment.........I can stay at deluxe.......just choose not to so we can add Discovery Cove, Universal and go more often (3 per year).........I know plenty of folks who stay deluxe and act "low budget" so..........no guarantees anywhere on your hotel mates Manners know no boundaries.

And just a quick word....if you can't afford a higher priced resort, like a Deluxe, THAT also doesn't mean you're low class. I hate labels. I'm working toward getting my Masters degree, with plans to go for my Ph.D. in two years, so I'm pretty broke. But low class, I think not.

I think its all a matter of personal taste though in regards to the relaxability of the Values

 

[luvdzny]

Thanks to everyone for their honest replies!

HOPPERFAN ~ thanks for the great pictures of POP, it was your pictures that won me over and I have booked 2 rooms at POP. With all the medical bills we have had this year I did not think we could afford to get away, but this offer really helped. When the kids were young we stayed at POFQ a lot, looking at the outside of the rooms reminds me of that. I am sure we will have a great time no matter what. Thanks again.

 

[Goofy4]

We just got back from Music, and loved it.

The bus loads of kids can be a problem, but we have not experienced that on our value stays (we've seen the buses however).

For some reason we've skipped the mods and have either stayed in the villas or values. Perhaps we're anti-mod-snobs ;-)

 

[M 'n C]

Thanks to everyone for their honest replies!

HOPPERFAN ~ thanks for the great pictures of POP, it was your pictures that won me over and I have booked 2 rooms at POP. With all the medical bills we have had this year I did not think we could afford to get away, but this offer really helped. When the kids were young we stayed at POFQ a lot, looking at the outside of the rooms reminds me of that. I am sure we will have a great time no matter what. Thanks again.

You will love POP! It is such a fun resort. I really enjoyed staying there last time and never feeling like I left the parks. It is in your face but its a fun in your face feeling. We were there in 2006 for Free dining and never really experienced an issue with crowds or noise levels.

This time we are trying ASMovies just for a change.

 

[HopperFan]

And just a quick word....if you can't afford a higher priced resort, like a Deluxe, THAT also doesn't mean you're low class. I hate labels. I'm working toward getting my Masters degree, with plans to go for my Ph.D. in two years, so I'm pretty broke. But low class, I think not.

I think its all a matter of personal taste though in regards to the relaxability of the Values

Completely and totally agree ! Money and class do NOT go hand in hand.

HOPPERFAN ~ thanks for the great pictures of POP

Welcome. I went to POP against my will and was very surprised and very impressed. I wanted you to see that your concern regarding the green space etc should not be a worry. Landscaping was very much addressed when they built this resort and I was quite impressed with it.

Have a wonderful, relaxing and magical trip with your family

 

[mickeymousemom]

I haven't read ony of the thread, but I'll give you my opinion....We visited POP a few years b/c we had a friend that worked there and we wanted to surprise her. Anyway, We ALWAYS stay at POR(a deluxe in moderate clothing) and I always thought I would never stay in a value.
Let me tell ya, we were very pleasantly surprised. POP looks like a blast of a resort. The huge icons are a hoot and the lobby area is very nice. My DD really liked it also. I think its a great resort if you have kids that are little up to tweens. I know people say the value are loud, and of course we were just visiting so I don't know...but I would definitely stay here if money was really tight or we needed to rent two rooms. It wouldn't be a second thought. As far as the All-Stars, I have no idea and have never seen them.

 

[Goofey Drool]

Say what you want about what class of people are where.. I dont care about any of that. I will say that I have yet to hear drunks around the pool at 3am, loud chearleaders, or rogue groups of teens towel whipping each other at a moderate. Generally large more unsupervised groups do not stay there. I just apply the law of averages. Common sense tells anyone that staying at a value does increase your chances of these groups.

 

[Princess Sara's Mom]

Look at my Disney resorts below.......POP (3x so far) has been our quietest and most relaxing resort. I've never seen anything chaotic even when the Daisy pool is full. I have a child who has severe anxiety and panic issues triggered mostly by human sound and crowds............he loves POP.

HopperFan: Just curious--do you ask for a particular location at POP b/c of your kid? Mine is also sensitive--just wondering. BTW, ***LOVED*** the photos. I've never stayed at POP so I'm looking forward to it!

 

[LadyDulcinea1]

Say what you want about what class of people are where.. I dont care about any of that. I will say that I have yet to hear drunks around the pool at 3am, loud chearleaders, or rogue groups of teens towel whipping each other at a moderate. Generally large more unsupervised groups do not stay there. I just apply the law of averages. Common sense tells anyone that staying at a value does increase your chances of these groups.

Obviously, larger groups have an easier time at the Values because they're less expensive.

That being said.....I've stayed at the Pop three times, and have yet to experience any of the disruptions you've mentioned above.

 

[minnie61650]

Obviously, larger groups have an easier time at the Values because they're less expensive.

That being said.....I've stayed at the Pop three times, and have yet to experience any of the disruptions you've mentioned above.

I agree.
I have stayed at the All Stars 7 times since 2001 and I have not experienced any of the type of behavior Goofey Drool mentioned in the above post.

 

[Goofey Drool]

It was only one night so I chalk it up to no supervision. I thought for the most part All Star Sports was great the rest of the time.

 

[LISAMWDW]

I stayed at POP a few years ago and 3 out of 5 nights I was woken up by someone banging on a door to be let in at 2am, running up and down the outdoor halls/corridors and "hooping and hollering" of people I'm assuming were returning to their rooms all in the middle of the night. It kept me very tired during my trip as I never got a good nights sleep. This was in August, prolly a normal busy time not one of the busiest times of the year. This was my first visit to POP or any value resort and will be my last. Perhaps this was just an isolated incident and happened just one time and while I was there. However, this is something I will always remember about that place and will never go back.

Also, I didn't like having to walk thru the Pool area/Food Court/Gift Shop to get to the bus stops and back to my room. Those areas were always so crowded and loud that I hated having to "dodge" people in those areas just to get around. I don't remember exactly the setup but it was a hastle.

I've stayed at all the mods and some deluxes and I'd have to say that the Poly and POR are my favorites. It's so hard to pick just one as I really enjoy them all except the Values and POFQ.

There really is not right or wrong or any reason to argue. Everyone is different, enjoys different things and has their own experiences/reasons for what they enjoy and what they don't. All we can do is offer someone who is asking who has had a rough time of late our honest opinions to help them make the best choice for their family. That should be the agenda here.

Luvdzny, I hope you have a very magical trip!

 

[minnie61650]

Noisy neighbors can happen at any resort.
My stay at the CR was the noisiest.
There were young people (teens or pretenns posibliy) talking loud,laughing, running up and down he hall late at night and knocking on the doors several nights. I think they were 2 or 3 families staying in different rooms on the same upper tower floor we were on.

 

[mickaholic4077]

The values are fine if that's what you like and choose to afford.
IMO though, it is not the ideal place to relax by the pool.
Younger children though, seem to thrive on that atmosphere.
Lack of money does not mean lack of class.
However there were a very few people who were purposely annoying.
(and while that can happen anywhere, I found it more prevalent here)

These resorts are more crowded and louder than the others.
They are nicely themed, and fine if this is what you like.
I am just saying that for what this nice family wants, they may
wish to explore other venues.

I did not wish to offend, simply state MY OPINION.

You may not have wanted to sound snobbish,or to offend,but that's exactly how you came across!!

 

[Kimi313]

I totally agree with the above post. Things like this can happen anywhere. Last summer we stayed at the Poly and the family next to us got into a huge fight, the dad against the mom and teenage son. You could hear them screaming at each other and then after about 15 minutes it got really loud and I was just about to call the front desk because I got scared the dad, who was threatening, was going to hurt someone. But just as I picked up the phone he slammed the sliding glass door and left. They checked out the next morning, planned or not planned I don't know. Also in the Cont we also had the teenagers running up and down the hall yelling at each other. Then when we stayed at the GF there was a family reunion there and they were all at the pool that night. Besides the fact they were all trying to fit in the hot tub with open bottles there language wasn't very nice.

Anyway getting back to the original post, I am so sorry for the year you have had and my thoughts and prayers are with you . I think you are more than ready for a magical experience at Disney. We LOVE the ASMo. It has became our new favorite. The large Disney Icons make it feel more disney. Last year my 20 year old nephew was with us and he got soo excited that we were staying in the Mighty Ducks building and this year my DD was like request Toy Story, these are the movies our kids grew up with so I think your will like the theming. They have a great food court with lots of stuff to choose from, it looks congested but we went spring break last year and never waited more than 2 minutes to check out and always found table and we had 10 with us. Sometimes when I destress I like to people watch and the pool is great for that and watching families with younger children always helps me remember when mine was younger, DD is 17 now and doesn't need mom as much.

So go and have a great time I know you will and I believe the place you pick will be exactly the place you need to be at!

 

[lustergirl]

Why do some people seem to think that only those who lack money would stay at a value resort?

My hubby owns a multi million dollar company.
We pay more per year in personal income tax then most families make in a year.

Does that make our family any better than other families who visit Disney whether they stay DVC, Deluxe,mod, value or offsite?
NO!

More fortuate than some but not better.




We have stayed at all levels of Disney resorts (with the exception of DVC)and I found the atmosphere and the service to be much better at All Star Music than it was at the Contemporary Resort.

Sometimes we choose to stay at the Swan/Dolphin resorts ( which are true 4 star resorts and they have stellar customer service not to mention the most heavely beds and bedding) but when I choose to stay at a Disney owned resort I will choose an All Star any time.

JMHO

Linda, you are absolutely right. I wasn't going to respond this ridiculous thread but madness got the best of me- ha!! I choose to stay at AS Sports sometimes. Does that make me a second class citizen- heck no!! I probably make more money then several others on these boards and I stay where I want to stay. It is unfortunate that the OP had such a bad stay but this can happen anywhere regardless of the level of resort they stay at. I think sometimes people notice things more at one of the value resorts because they are more crowded and crazy things stand out more. My husband and I stayed at CSR this past december and I didn't really care for it. Do I come on these boards and rant and rave about it no- I am not that type of person. I preferr AS Sports over CSR but that is my opinion. Shame on all of you that assume that all people who stay at value resorts meaning that is all they can afford and assuming once again that they are second class citizens. I served my country for 12 years and am a gulf war veteran and could stay at Shades of Green but choose not to. I would never look down upon anyone who chooses to stay wherever. I have stayed at the Polynesian Resort several times and consider myself fortunate enough to do so not a snob like others!!

Get real people- there are others things to worry about in life, such as the rising gas prices, world hunger, poverty, war, etc etc...

 

[MickeyNicki]

We stayed at the POP and ASMu and it was fine but super busy, packed buses, packed pool area and packed dining area. It was in the beginning of our lets stay on site phase so that was all we could afford. The themeing at both resorts is adorable and the food courts at both resorts had great food.

Would we go back, sure for a weekend but for longer trips where we want to relax we prefer a deluxe.

Oh and PS, we stayed at the POLY in Oct 07 for 4 days and it was so much louder and crazier than any value resort. The pools were slammed with kids.