Down graded our resort deluxe to moderate - ended up at Pop

[MagicalMawMaw]

Last December we downgraded from Animal Kingdom Lodge to All Stars. I totally disliked my whole trip.

Here’s why: we have gone every year for about the last 15 + years. We are in our 50’s & aren’t stay in the park all day & ride everything people. I like to ropedrop & do the things we enjoy & then go back to the room & relax in the balcony. I love balcony time at AKL. Then in the evening we dine out at a nice restaurant.

We didn’t realize how much a value resort isn’t set up for our way of doing the parks. Relaxing in a value room just wasn’t my type of touring. The room was great for a person that uses it to sleep & go, go, go but for a person that wants down time at the resort it didn’t work for us.

This year we are skipping Disney completely. I disliked my trip enough that I wanted to go somewhere else in December & we are going to Jackson Hole & doing winter tours instead.

Everyone is different & we thought it’d work for us to do a value but it just didn’t work for us at all.

 

[SG131]

Honestly, it can be a bit disappointing, but you’re still at Disney so as long as you look at it with that mindset you’ll be fine. I bought DVC because I wanted to be able to continue staying in deluxe resorts. I’ve stayed at all levels of resort and I actually like POP better than some of the moderates. It’s definitely a different feel which is good and bad. It feels busier to me, the food court is crazy sometimes, but their food court is better than the deluxes if you have picky eaters with you. The theming is better too, it really screams Disney to see all these larger than life character statues. At the end of the day, I’d rather be at Disney no matter where I have to stay, even if it’s in a tent (and if you knew me that’s saying a LOT).

 

[sydneysmom]

Do you feel a let down when you always stayed Deluxe - then booked a moderate, POFQ, because of current prices and my lack of a corporate job
Now with the furlough - we have moved to POP next May 2021

Do you think we will still enjoy a week in WDW staying at Pop Century ?

I think it depends how much time you’re planning to spend at the resort. If you’re going to be in the parks 90% of the time, then who cares where you lay your head? I know it seems disappointing, but given all the circumstances, you’re still able to go to Disney. So that is awesome! If you’re really wo, you could put it off an extra year and budget each pay for vacation, and then go back to the resort you do want.

Vacations are what you make it, so the better question is do you feel you’ll be disappointed. If yes, maybe wait....if no, you’re just excited to go, then give it 100% and don’t compare it to previous trips....make it a brand new experience. Go have an awesome time!

 

[mommy2mrb]

Have stayed at all levels but mostly value. POP works for us. We don’t spend much time at resort when it’s just my DD and I. If we go with friends we will usually go up to moderate for better pools as we tend to take more breaks.
Way I look at it less $ for room. More $ for a fun event or shopping.

 

[hsmamato2]

I feel like all of the Disney hotels are nice,and fun,and also completely overpriced. If I was worried about a budget, and still going to Disney onsite,I'd just enjoy whatever I was doing. Honestly it's a disney trip. It'll be fun.

 

[DisLiss]

I never splurge on hotels at Disney -- no desire to do so. We spend most of our time in the parks, so I don't see the point in splurging on a fancy /expensive room, given that we won't be in it except to sleep and shower!

This is my husband's thoughts as well. He figures there is always something extra you can add to your trip with the money you'd spend on the deluxe resort. I, however, do love staying at the Epcot hotels for their proximity to my favorite park, but now with the skyliner, there are several other resorts with more ways than ever to get us to Epcot quickly.

 

[MrsPete]

This is my husband's thoughts as well. He figures there is always something extra you can add to your trip with the money you'd spend on the deluxe resort. I, however, do love staying at the Epcot hotels for their proximity to my favorite park, but now with the skyliner, there are several other resorts with more ways than ever to get us to Epcot quickly.

I see the value in enhanced transportation and food options, and -- yes -- I'd rather spend that "extra" on nicer meals and fun rather than a nicer room. At Disney. Other destinations are different.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

Are you a family that enjoys the resort amenities? We use to stay at the better hotels because the beds were better, after the renovation the beds were awesome at mods and they haf big screen tvs.. the only real difference we noticed was the lack of space in the room. but we only sleep there so it did not bother us. And it did not have a resort feel like a lobby etc.

 

[tzolkin]

I think it depends how much time you’re planning to spend at the resort. If you’re going to be in the parks 90% of the time, then who cares where you lay your head?

Yes, our last trip we really felt like we didn't get the value for the cost of the deluxes. We did a split say Poly & AKL (2br villa). We decided that the next time we do deluxe, we don't want to go to the parks at all so we can have the time to actually relax and enjoy the resorts. We never made it to Trader Sam's that trip, we never used the pools, etc.

The second half of the trip we did significantly cut down on our park time (I think two days we didn't even go at all), but when you've spent nearly $4000 on tickets (7 people) you feel like you have to get your money's worth out of them.

Our trip before that was a short one with just our two teens (oldest was away at college) and we stayed at All-Stars for the first time. It's not the same atmosphere as a deluxe or mod, but we were just planning to sleep there and be in the parks until late at night. It was also winter so we weren't planning to use the pools. We had a great time.

 

[RamblingMad]

Yes, our last trip we really felt like we didn't get the value for the cost of the deluxes. We did a split say Poly & AKL (2br villa). We decided that the next time we do deluxe, we don't want to go to the parks at all so we can have the time to actually relax and enjoy the resorts. We never made it to Trader Sam's that trip, we never used the pools, etc.

The second half of the trip we did significantly cut down on our park time (I think two days we didn't even go at all), but when you've spent nearly $4000 on tickets (7 people) you feel like you have to get your money's worth out of them.

Our trip before that was a short one with just our two teens (oldest was away at college) and we stayed at All-Stars for the first time. It's not the same atmosphere as a deluxe or mod, but we were just planning to sleep there and be in the parks until late at night. It was also winter so we weren't planning to use the pools. We had a great time.

If you don’t use the pool, then you can take in the resort simply by booking evening ADRs. This is what we did at the Poly. We were able to watch the fireworks and explore the resort without staying there. And we didn’t even go to Disney on that trip. It was strictly Universal, but that doesn’t mean you can’t dine at Disney. There are ways to cut corners and explore.

 

[WDWTRAVELLER]

Dont ever feel bad about down grading, you are at least going on a trip. We have stayed at pop for the last 2 years for 2 weeks before moving to a moderate or deluxe for 1 week. We enjoyed POP and now with the skyliner there its even better. The food is not the greatest but just walk over to AoA and eat a few times to break it up.

 

[Yardbird]

If you spend most of the time while at WDW in the parks, Pop might suffice. Personally, the resort is 50% of the experience for me. I have stayed at Pop many times and do like it but for me, I am much happier at a Moderate or Deluxe.

 

[kathy884]

Strangely enough for me no, but here is the scoop on that.

-- We did a trip where we stayed in a Tower View room at the Contemporary (loved that view and balcony) heavenly -- very helpful that DH has a conference at that hotel, so four nights of the five night stay were paid by his company and the fifth night we paid for was a company rate.

-- I was really concerned that after doing deluxe I would be really disappointed doing value on our next stay. Our next stay was going to be All Star Movie resort (just a quick two night with a day a Disney Hollywood Studios) before heading to West Palm Beach for a beach week in a condo. We picked this value due to our five year old being a huge Herbie the Love Bug fan and having found out about this place in extra footage at the end of one of the old Herbie movies and asking us if we could stay there. Of course, we requested the Herbie themed section of the hotel and made sure DS was with us at check in wearing his Herbie sweatshirt and carrying a diecast Herbie car (wanted to increase the odds of getting the section requested). This resort was more like a 1950s Holiday Inn with larger than life icons, but it had great Herbie theming. Our son's enthusiasm for the theming really made the trip, and it was a joy to stay there.

Fast forward some years where with the budget I had, I gave DS the choice again of where to stay (We could do onsite value or offsite (a few choices), and this time DS picked the Marriott Residence Inn SeaWorld (was willing to forgo 60 day fastpasses, etc. for a nicer hotel that didn't have what DS considered tackier theming). Do note that we were doing SeaWorld and Busch Gardens on this trip too, so this other was super convenient for SeaWorld (gave us fastpasses) and super convenient for the bus we would be talking for our Busch Gardens day also. We were though also doing three Disney Parks and a day at Disney Springs.

In my years of doing the parks, though, I've had a great time at Disney anyway I have done it: camping, value, bunking up in an offsite condo (have done this many times), offsite nice hotel, deluxe - you name it. Just manage your expectations and keep in mind the good deal you are getting on your accommodations when you have downgraded and how lucky you are to have the opportunity to go to these wonderful parks with your family and have a fun together. (As I have a bit of a bean counter personality I do get some satisfaction in doing a fun trip within a modest budget for sure too.)

 

[michellej47]

I love POP. Now, we are park people, so we don't spend a ton of time at the resort. But Pop works great for me! The rooms are clean. Small, but okay for us since we really just sleep and shower there. We book a preferred room and love the location...close to the pool, near the food court and a short walk to the bus stop. For our (hopeful) June trip, we considered doing a moderate, but just couldn't justify the cost when Pop works so well for us!

 

[SL6827]

Come May of next year there may be some great deals out and you might could just upgrade back up to a moderate if possible. You never know.

 

[lurkernj]

We happen to love Pop too (we are two 50ish adults). We have stayed at Values, Mods, and Deluxes. If we're not planning to spend too much time at the resort, Pop is great. We absolutely loved the Gondolas when we stayed last year. Surprisingly, we ended up spending a fair amount of time at the pool last September and had a blast playing cornhole and enjoying a few cocktails. Obviously not as nice as Beach/Yacht(our favorite resort), but 1/4 the price. Deluxe prices have gotten so high, I guess we'll be downgrading a bit more often ourselves. Just manage your expectations and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

[siren0119]

That's such an individual thing. Staying at deluxe vs staying at a "super value" (I don't really consider AoA and POP to be true Value resorts like the All Stars) are really two different experiences.

What I'd recommend is to make yourself a list of the things that are TRULY important to you when it comes to choosing a Deluxe resort. What is it about the Deluxe that you would consider a priority? Then look at what the comparison is to POP. Where it differs, is it something you can let go of and still have a great time? Or is it something that will actually have a negative impact on your experience?

For an example - I like a particular restaurant in my area that's got fantastic steak. Sometimes, I REALLY just want that steak, and I'm willing to wait extra time to be able to afford the more expensive restaurant to have it. But sometimes, as much as I'd like the steak, I'm totally fine grabbing a handmade burger from the local pub which is also delicious, but less expensive. Both are delicious dinners, just different experiences.

 

[CGB]

A few years ago we had to cancel a club-level Poly reservation due to a medical emergency (just two days prior to leaving). I quickly rescheduled to the only available military-discounted opening for Veterans' Day weekend, which was Pop Century. (I also had to reschedule a reservation at Universal, which ended up being a Thanksgiving trip). We had never stayed value... mainly deluxes, with several being club-level. I had no idea what to expect but we had little choice.

Now, granted we had our wake-up call and priorities straight after my husband's quadruple bypass that summer, but we loved Pop Century over that extended weekend. Our kids loved having their own room because of the affordability. The cleanliness and quality of the rooms and linens were the same standard. We actually liked the food court (better variety of food than the deluxes) and the organized boarding of the buses. There's a fun and campy vibe at Pop that we hadn't experienced before. Even with the offers of going back to the Poly or other deluxes, my family has chosen to go back to Pop since then. I'm glad the circumstances forced us to expand our views regarding Disney's resorts. I hope you'll feel that way too.

 

[buzznina]

Our family has stayed multiple times at a deluxe and can honestly say that even though we had a great time, it wasn't really much greater then our other trips, especially at Mods. And, our family spends time at a resort and not just do parks every day all day. Now that some of the values have remodeled and added queen beds, we have no issues staying there, especially POP or AOA with the skyliner.

 

[stace1214]

I wasn't thrilled when we decided to do a split stay value/deluxe a few years ago to save money, now we do it all the time. I really like Pop and wouldn't hesitate to stay there a full week. I honestly like Pop better than any moderate I've stayed at. I hope you have an awesome trip!!