better hotel room or more money for parks?????

[cra-z-4-dizney]

Please help me decide which to do?? Would you rather stay at a moderate/value resort and have more money in the parks, or would you rather stay at a deluxe resort and have less for the parks?? ANd if you can tell me some of the perks of a Deluxe resort too that would be great!!!

 

[experiment626mom]

I think it really depends on how much time you are actually going to spend at the hotel. If it's for a quick dip in the pool and a place to lay your head at night then definitely go for a value resort. But if you're looking for an oasis from the hustle and bustle and want a place to settle in and relax, than a moderate is wonderful. Port Orlean River comes to mind.

 

[Chuck S]

I agree with exp626mom, I really depends on how you will use your room and the resort. Some of the moderates have sit down restaurant, which can be relaxing...the slightly larger room may be more comfortable for you.

Deluxe resorts have even larger rooms, and larger beds, and usually have several choices of restaurants.

Values, of course, have a food court. I stay at POP on night last month. WHile I usually am not a fod court type person, I found the one at POP (and presumably the ones at All Stas as well) to be very nice, reasonable (by Disney standard), and it had a very nice selection of items. The beds were comfy. The room was clean. I found POP to be very nice resort, nothing "overly fancy" but certainly comfortable.

You really have to look at what you expect from your resort, and the amenities (is a pool slide important to you, a sit-down restaurant, etc) to make an informed decision about where to stay.

 

[Yardbird]

We don't spend every day in the parks. I love having days to just shop a little, hang out at the hotel, swim, and eat at the hotel restaurant. For me, the Wilderness Lodge fits the bill!

I guess it all depends on what's most important to you and your family.

 

[jtdl]

I'm with the others on this one - it all depends on your preferences and how much time you plan to spend at the resort. I wouldn't even consider staying in a deluxe, for my family it would be a complete waste of money as we would not be in the room or at the resort enough to justify spending that much money. For this trip I had initially planned to get a moderate, but when the time came to book, I couldn't even justify that. We booked at Pop, which has swimming pools and a playground and a place to eat. That's what matters most to us.

I see that you've had many stays at the value resorts, so if that were me I may try a moderate just once for a change of "scenery" and then I'd really know whether it was worth the extra money or not.

 

[Belle1997]

My DH and I have done both. What we found was that we did not take advantage of what the resort had to offer becuase we spent most of our time in the parks or Downtown Disney. The only real thing I missed about staying in the value was not having the whirlpool and that was about it. So it is really up to you on what to are looking for. Relaxation or Parks, Parks and More Parks.

 

[Gagebre]

The difference in price between the two is sixty dollars per night (I could only get the waterview at mod). Wow, after doing the math and typing this I think I've already made my decision!! We could do alot with an extra $60 per day! I am going during spring break and am worried about the value being more crowded (pool, foodcourt, bus, etc.) I went to ASMu once and the pool was so crowded we couldn't even go swimming .

 

[yusinskas]

For me, it's got to be a deluxe. I never spend alot of money on the junk they sell in the parks. So for me, I'd rather stay in the best hotel room, and skip the dust-collectors. :>

 

[Brina]

For us, we have gone the deluxe route - we don't spend a lot of money at the parks - the kids are limited to one thing a day - usually a pin, and due to ds's allergies we carry snacks. I like to come back to some pampering - a roomy bed, a nice bath and a great pool.

 

[Kira'sMom]

I think that it really depends on the family. We decided to stay off-site last year so that we could stay longer in FL, eat at whatever resturant we wanted and by as many "junk" souveniers as we wanted. The only time we were in our room was to sleep. We didn't even go swimming there (We could have stayed at a value resort but for me I can't justify spending the money on a value on-site vs. an off-site hotel like Sheraton World or Doubletree Suites.) It was a great experience for us. We had a nice hotel AND we got a chance to do what we wanted. Now this year we're staying at POR and doing the dining plan so that we can experience the on-site "magic". This means that we will only stay 6 nights. I look forward to the pool, fishing and biking. And we only plan on buying 4 days worth of park passes.We'll probably spend the same on food, but I will be more mindful of our spending in the parks. I think that if this is a first trip and you'll be spending most of your time in the parks, DTD, TL or BB you should go with the value resort. IF it's a return trip and you'll be spending time at the resort go for the hotel. Just my 2cents.

 

[ptrbryant]

For us, our WDW trip is our one and only BIG vacation of the year...other smaller trips are to visit family. So, we try to combine the fun and excitement of the parks along with the better quality and relaxation of the deluxes. We've always gotten a code, so our room rate at WL has been around $119 - $135 per night---not hugely extravagant. We could never afford the $300+ at some of the other deluxes. Down-time in a beautiful room and time in the pool, etc. is really important to our family to not feel totally over-stimulated by all the park activity.

Karla B.

 

[lclark0621]

Well sure it all depends on your priorities.

We have done all 3 levels of hotels.

While we prefer the deluxe ones, for the most part we stay at the moderates. It gives us a nice level of hotel, for a pretty resonable price.

DH is saying this will be our last moderate trip & we are doing the deluxe from now on. Of course he says that every year, until I show him the price difference...LOL!