Big Decision- Please help

[timandlesley]

Hello! We have a trip planned for June 5-11th (soooo excited). We booked using the summer BBY code at Pop Century and have a preferred room for 84 per night. QUESTION- Should we spend the extra 10 bucks a night to upgrade to a moderate resort? I think the only one's available are the Port Orleans Riverside and POFQ. I would love to hear feedback on all moderates and what you think I should do.
Here's our situation- we will be traveling with a 3 1/2 year old and an 8 month old. We chose pop century due to the bright colors big wheel nostalgia, etc. and the newness of the resort. We also have a preferred room there so we will be close to the food court, buses, etc. HELP please!
Lesley

 

[trola2]

For us, we liked the theming of the pop century, but found it very very loud and we never could seem to get away from the noise!! We enjoyed one night there but would not want an entire week...but that is our opinion and certainly not the norm on the boards!! (We've always enjoyed the all stars, btw)

But for only $10, I would definitely bump to a moderate. I think you'll find yourself more relaxed at the end of the trip with a little less hustle and bustle from a value resort. And with young kids, you certainly need a little relaxation, too!!

Happy travels!

 

[leighe]

I would definitely move up to a moderate for only $10 more. We spent one night at ASSp before checking into AKL. I didn't care for it at all. It was loud and the room was really small. However, I've never stayed at Pop so it may be completely different.

I would suggest CBR - the rooms are the biggest of any moderate. Your kids would love the pool. It's themed like a pirate fort. There are also quiet pools that we found to be very quiet and relaxing. The food court is very good also. The only downside is that the resort is very spread out. There are preferred rooms there but I don't know how much extra they would cost.

You are going to have a great time whatever you choose!

 

[Katmat75]

I booked for 6 nights with the Dream Maker Package. Now they have the 5 for 7. I can't stay the extra 7th night but the rate is still cheaper then the 6 nights I booked. Is it possible to book the 5 for 7 special and leave one night sooner?

I had already booked my air fare and it will cost me 500.00 to change. That's why I can't stay the extra 7th night. But if I change to the 5 for 7 it will save me 321.00.

I just don't know if I can leave a night earlier.

Does anyone know?

Sorry so long.

 

[megan926]

YES! Definitely upgrade. The differences in the resorts is great. I would go for the upgrade!

 

[MELSMICE]

Originally posted by Katmat75
I booked for 6 nights with the Dream Maker Package. Now they have the 5 for 7. I can't stay the extra 7th night but the rate is still cheaper then the 6 nights I booked. Is it possible to book the 5 for 7 special and leave one night sooner?

I had already booked my air fare and it will cost me 500.00 to change. That's why I can't stay the extra 7th night. But if I change to the 5 for 7 it will save me 321.00.

I just don't know if I can leave a night earlier.

Does anyone know?

Sorry so long.

To save the $321, I would book the 5 for 7 & leave a day early. Just go to the front & ask for your bill the night before or morning you leave. Or just check out the day earlier by going to the front desk & explain that you need to check out early.

Go figure - you'd book for a longer stay, it would cost you less, but you can't use it!!!

To the OP: I'd definitely book a moderate for $10 more a night - no question in my mind!

 

[timandlesley]

O.K., thanks guys. So what are the major differences between the value and moderate resorts?
Lesley

 

[Minky]

I think you said Port Orleans Riverside was an option for you? I would DEFINETELY go there have stayed at most Deluxes and POR is my favorite right now. Here is what you get that you dont get at a Value.

Larger rooms, pool slides, sit down restaraunt, quiter more spaced out atmosphere...little extras...for example at POR or POFQ you can take a boat ride to Downtown Disney (Beautiful in the evening) or take a horse drawn carriage ride around the resorts. Boat rentals are avaialable at the moderates....each building has its own Quiet Pool in addition to the main pools so that is great to relax at. I personally think that POP looks AWESOME, but I hear it is always VERY loud and the rooms are small. Sure thats not always the case but whatever you choose you will have a GREAT time!

Minky

 

[firefawnkimmy]

I have not been to the Pop Century Resort (have no desire to, gigantic big wheels and playdo don't do it for me.) but have been to 2 of the All Stars and 3 of the Moderates. All numerous times.

Basically both have rooms that are entered from the outdoors, and not from an inside corridor. I have to be honest and say that I like that a LOT better than entering the hotel from an inside corridor. I LOVE walking to and from places in the sunshine and not in a hallway while on vacation, but thats just me.

Both have great food courts, but the All Stars seem to have the most spread out of the food courts in terms of sitting room.

Other than that I can only say that the theme is different. A lot of people don't agree with me on this, but I think that the higher up you go on the resort theme, the more the theme is a part of the resort. For instance, the All Star Music has a room that says music all over it, but the Polynesian makes you FEEL like you are in Hawaii, and not just in a place themed around the tropics. I hope that makes sense?

Also, the pools at each resort seem to get better as you move up in resorts. Like the All Stars just have pools that are shaped like a surf board or baseball diamond, whereas the Caribbean had a pool themed like a pirate ship, and the old Port Orleans has a waterslide that looks like a dragon.

So basically, price and theme are the main differences. If you want to know more about the All Stars or the Caribbean (or the old Dixie Landings or Port Orleans) I would be glad to tell you more (ecspecially once I get those darn new names straightened out! lol) about a specific one.

 

[Antonia]

Would you be bumping up to a moderate using the BBY code? Since the code is no longer available, can you still make changes to your reservation such as switching resorts and use the BBY code? These are just questions I thought of when reading your post. I certainly don't know the answers.

 

[timandlesley]

Yes, I would be changing to the moderate using the BBY code. They allow you to upgrade to a moderate or downgrade from a moderate to a value when you have booked with the BBY code, even after the code has expired. I was pleasantly surprised. We have decided we really want to upgrade to Carribbean beach, so far only a king sized bed room available which isn't allowed with our family, so I'll keep calling. POR is available, but we aren't sure about that one. I'd love to hear oppinions from those of you who have stayed there, kid friendly?
Lesley

 

[Antonia]

Timandlesley - I, too, was pleasantly surprised today that they let me keep my five nights with the BBY code and move my whole vacation over by one day. Instead of arriving June 13th, we are now arriving June 14th and getting to keep the BBY code rate. Still staying 5 nights as originally planned so they said we are just modifying so we get to keep the rate! Hope a room comes through for you.

 

[justhat]

Originally posted by firefawnkimmy
Basically both have rooms that are entered from the outdoors, and not from an inside corridor. I have to be honest and say that I like that a LOT better than entering the hotel from an inside corridor. I LOVE walking to and from places in the sunshine and not in a hallway while on vacation, but thats just me.

Yeah, sunshine is great on vacation. But what about when it rains for days?

 

[decker96]

We stayed at POR and liked it a lot. Our kids were 5 and 2 at the time. The rooms are decent sized and there are two sinks outside the bathroom which was great when getting everyone ready in the morning. The resort itself is very pretty. The pool was okay, my kids liked it, but you could also use the POFQ pool which I've heard is pretty cool (we never made it over there).
The food court was good although we only ate breakfast there except for one late night snack. There is also a sit-down restuarant. There are four different bus stops, so even though it is a big resort, you are always pretty close to one of them. You can request a room close to the food court, etc. too.
There is a boat to DTD although when we were there it was only running after 4:00. It was value season though, so I don't know if that makes a difference.
Overall, it was a very nice resort, quiet and relaxing. I would definintely stay there again.

 

[crazyforgoofy]

I don't think you'll go wrong with any of the mods. I love them all for different reasons.

I like CSR's food choices and the Dig Site. It has a bit of a "convention" feel but the landscaping is great, the feel is relaxing. I didn't use the busses from there so can't comment.

I like PO-R 's restaurant and carriage rides, the atmosphere is charming and very laid back. I don't like how spread out it is though, it seemed I walked forever to get anywhere on my last stay there. The pools are great fun.

I like Caribbean Beach for its carefree sun bleached island feel and the size of the rooms. I don't like the pools as much though, I think the main pool needs some work (those cannons that pee on your head are a pain, either really squirt water or don't but stop the peeing, already.) The baby pool is great though except its really sunny a lot of the day. It can also be a loooonnnng walk with little ones to find food and the bus ride takes a while due to all the stops.

My favorite is PO-FQ. For my family its the perfect place, compact but big enough to have everything we need. The food court is good, the pool is fantastic for kids and fine for adults too. I always request a room in the buildings closest to the food court/bar and the busses but none of the buildings are far, IMO. The atmosphere is calm but still very New Orleans. And then there's those beignets..............

Have great fun on your trip. We'll be there until the 8th, maybe we'll bump into you. Don't forget your lime green.

 

[Karl C]

It all depends on kids and a budget.
The older the kids, the farther away you can roam away from the room for a longer length of time. Younger kids don't get caught up in the Big Picture as much as adults do. They will enjoy a room ware ever it is, as long as it has food and a pool along with a picture of Mickey himself. It doesn't have to be in that order either. They can be pretty easy to please.
As far as money spent on a upgrade, that gets back to the classic question: How much time will actually be spent at the resort. Are you going to use it as a place to just sleep and eat breakfast? or will allot of time be spent "Hanging out at the pool?"
The older the family is, the more time is spent trying to figure were to go next and for how long.
Catch AK in the morning when it's cool out, ride Pirates in the afternoon and then take in Fantasmic that night. Not much time spent at the room that way.
In my opinion, Pay for a nice room if your going to be there to enjoy it but if your going to be gone from Sunrise to Sunset? What's the since. 10 buck's will get you another pin.

But then again, If you have more money than you know what to do with, what the heck go for the upgrade.

 

[disneyfreakjackie]

Port Orleans Riverside!! WONDERFUL!! My girls LOVE it and have no desire to stay anywhere else!! Rooms are nice, the whole atmosphere is GREAT, food court is GREAT!! We stay in building 18, LOVE it!! (Just for the record, I still like the name "Dixie Landings"!!! Anyone know why they changed it??

 

[timandlesley]

Thanks everyone for the advice I really appreciate it. I love this board. I have to ask, what do you mean "don't forget the lime green?"
Lesley

 

[Micca]

Welcome to the Dis Timandlesley When Dis-ers are at the parks, many of us wear something lime green in color (maybe a little bit of ribbon) so that other Dis-ers might identify us.

I have had only one random encounter with a Dis-er, and oddly enough, neither of us had any lime green.

 

[colleen costello]

If your kids are into swimming, the moderates are worth it because the pools are more fun, with water slides and waterfall-type things. Each moderate has a great pool with a slide and an adjacent pool bar (yum pina coladas). We have stayed at all the moderates and they each have their merits. Riverside is probably our all-time favorite, but Coronado is lovely and this summer we're headed to Carribean Beach.

I think the moderates are a great compromise between amenities and value. You get a lot for what you pay, especially when there is a "deal" like 7/5 or an AP rate. Go for it! Why not for so little extra money per night?