CAN'T DECIDE!!!! value/mod/deluxe

[canadianmom2three]

I absolutely cannot decide.....value is so cheap and affordable, I think ASmovies looks really cute, but I know moderate is nicer, and maybe is worth the $600 difference? And then really for just $700 more we could have deluxe, I would LOVE AKL safari view with bunks, but now we are talking upwards of $3500 instead of less than $2000 for the value, so really, I guess what I want to know is it REALLY worth it for the deluxe? We are a family of five, travelling with my parents, who will room with one of our kids. We will by paying our 5 portion, and the dining plan too. My parents are more well off, so they have no budget concerns, they say whatever we book will be fine with them. My parents have never been since I was a kid, and I want it to be memorable ( and theyu really liked the sound of the safari room) , as they likely won't be back, but at the same time, we are not on an unlimited budget by any means, I have $1000 saved, but still need to come up with the rest of the $$. And that isn't even taking into account airfare! In case it matters, we have been onlyt one time, last year, and stayed at CSR during free dining--we are now officially addicted to disney, what we thought would be a once in a lifetime trip has gone to how quickly can we afford to go back to disney. HELP!!!!!! I am not really considering moderate, I figure either go cheap, or go all out...so between ASMovies, and AKL safari (I thought of one room safari view and one room standard view, the CM seemed to think I could get two rooms across the hall from one another easily) any input would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

 

[buzz1fan]

I am in the same situation as you. How was the CSR last year? I am aiming that way now. We will have a 1 and 4yr old boys with us. We stayed at the POP once, and currently have a reservation at the Poly, but it is so high in price.

 

[canadianmom2three]

The CSR was deluxe to me, that's why I can't imagine what the real deluxe will really be like, but then it was our first time at disney, and we don't usually stay in really fancy hotels, so maybe I am easily impressed. The pool is huge and actually the funny thing is, we didn't go to any of the waterparks, but when my DS (11) brought home his school portfolio, and I read his journal entry about disney, he wrote about his two favourite things at disney, big splash mountain, and "this cool waterpark we went to called the dig site" What more can I say, when your hotel pool is the highlight of your child's trip that speaks for itself. It is rather large and spaced out though, so walking to the food area/main building may be a bit long for young kids, but the grounds were beautiful and we were very pleased. My inlaws had booked the whole trip for us, so I wasn't part of the decision, which was probably good, becase now that I actually have to decide (and pay!) I am useless....

 

[Nicole786]

I think Deluxe is worth it if you can swing it. I love the inside hallways, and the extra amenities, I also like passing through the lobby to get to your room, especially since all of them are so nice!

 

[cheerforchelsea]

AKL was wonderful - but for the difference in price it is hard for me personally to justify spending the extra $$. (Maybe you will get a discount code. ) I am addicted to the moderate resorts simply because I love the extra space and quiet ...... The value rooms are small but if your children are young then the size should not matter that much. Just have a wonderful trip!!!

 

[disneydreamin247]

I tried to downgrade to a value, then figured for a few hundred more I'd go to moderate. And now I'm back in a deluxe. For some people a value or moderate is fine. I plan on spending downtime at the resort daily so a deluxe is worth it for me.

 

[greenpea89]

To be perfectly honest, I think you already answered your question. If you have saved $1000- and will need to come up with the balance plus airfare for a family of five (probably not less than an additional $1000-), unless you are a year or more out from your holiday dates with plenty of time to save, IMO you should go with All Star Music. You will be so much more comfortable from a financial perspective and, I agree with you 100%, ASMo looks super cute. Since, you were at WDW last year maybe you can look at it as an opportunity to stay somewhere different - you may LOVE it. Lots of people do!
If you get a great code or want to experience a deluxe with your parents then you might want to consider a split stay with the majority of your nights at ASMo and the last night or two at AKL. Personally, if you can afford to do this then that's what I would suggest - it's super easy to change resorts/split stay and it may be easier on your budget while satisfying your desire to try a deluxe.
Yes, there is a difference between a Deluxe and a Value - no question - but it sounds like you might have the opportunity to do a Deluxe later or combine it with a Value or Mod so, personally, I would do what's comfortable financially for my family. Is it worth it? That depends entirely on your family and their travel style, your financial situation, how important the hotel is to your holiday, whether you plan to return, and your goals for this trip. I know people say it all the time but it really it true - you are going to have a GREAT time regardless of where you stay. Have fun!

 

[Buzz2001]

CSR is a great resort for the money. You get the best of both worlds with the expense.

 

[Lilolvr]

Definitely a mod and CSR!

 

[luvmylittleboy2003]

We are also in a similar boat as you . Three are 3 of us and I want to keep our trip, with airfare, around the 2000 mark, staying at the PoP - which I have done , but, I also like the thought of being on a monorail and not dealing w/the buses. We are spending most of our time in MK and Epcot this year and a resort that has great transportation to those parks would be wonderful!! We are also spending more time at the resort this year (another reason why transpiration is important, so we can have rest days, and not spend all of our time on the buses going back and forth). I'm hoping for a code so I can upgrade, although I'm not holding my breath on that one . Good luck w/your decision and have a wonderful trip!!

 

[DisneyWorldOct08]

Personally, I think I enjoy my trips more when I am in a deluxe. I like to hang out at the resort though. I think the idea of bunk beds for the kids would be worth the extra $$ alone. They'll love it and mom & dad will have a much more comfy/big bed than at the mods/values. To me, getting a good nights rest is super important at WDW because of all the walking. So being in a comfy bed at night is something I like about the deluxes. The mods and values are comfy, but small beds.

 

[fakereadhed]

I am usually a Values girl, but I think the one deluxe that was worth it to me was AKL. There is something really cool about sitting on your balcony watching a giraffe that is SO worth it. You can get other hotel experiences similar to the other deluxes with nicer rooms for that kind of money elsewhere on other vacations, but nothing like the AKL is out there. Go for it!!!

 

[lmillercrew]

Did you know that you can make payments on your room? So, if you must stay in a Deluxe, maybe it would be easier on the checkbook if you paid for your room a little at a time. That's how we pay for our room when we do the world. It's easier to spread out the dollars than dish them out at once.
My dh and I stayed at ALS in Oct 07 and we enjoyed it very much. If you don't plan on spending a lot of time at your resort, who really cares about the room as long as it's clean. We've also stayed at POR and love that resort. We are looking at dishing out the dough for the Beach Club for our next visit, but we'll definately be taking advantage of the payment plan.

 

[tinkerbeth]

What about a split stay? You could do 4 nights in ASMo and then 3 in AKL? By the last few days we're more ready to hang out at the pool so you'd have the cool AKL pool to hang out by at that point.

Just m .02.

 

[simonkodousek]

For the $700 price difference, I would go for a deluxe. I'm assuming you are talking about WL or AKL. We stayed in the Wilderness Lodge in 2004 and absolutely loved it. It is really fun!

If you don't want to pay the price of a deluxe, I would go with a moderate, probably CSR or POR. I think both are great resorts, and you would have a good time anywhere you stay.

 

[MagicalEars]

I think that if you can swing it, deluxe stays are SO worth it. The theming and amount of things offered at the deluxes, for you to do when taking a break from the parks, is well worth it. For example, a buddy of mine from work was planning a trip for him and his family. Originally they we going to stay at an All Star resort since he was going to "go all out and spend all their time at the parks". Well, I convinced him that they'll enjoy their vacation much more if they realize they can't see everything in one trip no matter how much they "gun-ho" it, and would be better off upgrading to at least a mod and spending time there relaxing. He ended up at POR and really enjoyed himself. He said that there was so much to see and do at the resort, that he truely felt like he was on vacation.

For us, we like to spend at least half of our time at the resorts relaxing and taking advantage of all they have to offer. You'd be surprised how enjoyable a relaxing stay at the Disney resorts can be.

 

[canadianmom2three]

Thanks for all the input....I priced it out again last night, and came up with a $1000 difference to go from the value to the deluxe with savannah room....I didn't know about the monthly payments, that might work out great! I have just paid my credit card down to $0 and I used to put $200 a month towards that which came out automatically. I would never miss that if it went towards the AKL savannah room, and since I have 4 months, at $200 a month, that would be $800 saved, and would put me at roughly 1/2 the vacation saved before we leave, which would be fine. OTOH, that would put me at almost 100% of the value vacation saved before we leave, which would be even better I guess.....geesh I still can't decide.
Last time at CSR we spent not that much time at the resort, swam every day I guess, but didn't hang out in the room at all except to sleep. We were only there 5days/4 nights, and really only 3 full days at that, since 2 were our travel in and out days...so this time we are there longer, 7 days, which might make a difference in how rushed we feel I hope, with more time to relax at the resort.

 

[java]

location location location. That is what you are paying for. Personally I wouldn't pay up that much for the AK lodge since the only park you are close to is AK(which is why it is one of the more affordable deluxes along with WL)
With small children we have stayed near Magic Kingdom in either the GF or the Poly and the WL once when we were trying to save money. For us it is worth the $$ to save travel time between hotel and park. It is easier to jump back for a shower and dinner and then back to the parks if you are close by. Watching fireworks from your room is FANTASTIC!!

So I'm spending even more of your money. I say upgrade to one of the monorail hotels!!
CSR was not our cup of tea. It seemed very dark(because of the window location) and dreary to us. The pool was nice- but that's about it.

Everyone is different though - the big deciding factors for us are - Location and ease of transportation from that hotel. This time we are staying Boardwalk- so we can walk to both MGM and EPCOT and only have to worry about the bus to AK. We can even walk through Epcot and hop a monorail over to MK- after a transfer.

 

[RustManFan]

I have stayed at a moderate about 11 times (CBR and POR) with one night at WL.

I cannot justify the cost of a deluxe.....We spend all our time at the parks or at Downtown Disney and this makes the resort for sleeping and breakfast. Sometimes a swim but the POR quiet pools are fantastic for this!

I have NEVER been disappointed in my choice. AKL would be a nice treat but are you guaranteed that you will see much from a room? Don't believe so!!

I'd go with a moderate everytime and we ADORE our stays at Alligator Bayou at POR.

 

[nikki'smom]

Moderate would be my choice! CSR is our favorite!