First Time At a anew Resort Help

[HWY20RIDE4MYSON]

Our last 3 trips have been to DWL we love staying at this resort for several reasons but the 2 forms of transportation are the biggest. This year because of the drastic cost difference we may do a value resort. Sports or Movie I was just wondering are there big noticeable differences between those and Wilderness. Do they still come with
A small fridge? Is the food much different at the resort? Also how big is the difference in wait times and commutes to the parks? We will have PH option on tickets but most evenings will end at MK..
Thanks

 

[Turn the Page]

Whew. I think you will notice a large difference between WL and the value resorts.

I have never stayed at WL but I have visited the resorts multiple times albeit many years ago.

The value resorts only have a single food court, no sit down restaurants like WL has.

When I stayed at ASMu the pool did not have a water slide while the WL pool is spectacular.

The rooms are quite a bit smaller at the value resorts than the deluxe. The square footage of a standard room at WL is about 344 sq ft while at 260 sq ft the value resorts are almost 100 sq ft smaller. Also, I believe the bathrooms and beds are smaller at the values.

I think the values have a mini fridge but I could be wrong about that.

Transportation may be the biggest difference. The value resorts are quite large and spread out and only have one bus stop each and I think the value resorts typically share buses. This means if your room is along the periphery of the resort you could be in for quite a hike back to your room after a long day in the parks. I don't believe any of the value resorts have any transportation options other than the bus.

The value resorts are perfectly adequate and many people love them but if you have gotten used to the WL the values may be quite a shock.

 

[minnie mum]

This will no doubt be moved to the resorts board where it belongs, but in the mean time....

Yes of course there is a difference between the resorts. Big ones. Value resort rooms are much smaller and have only double beds in the regular rooms. You will have a fridge, but no coffee maker. Your room opens to the exterior, not an interior corridor. The theming is overtly cartoonish and "energetic". The pools are basic without slides or hot tubs. There are no TS restaurants, but the food court offers better selections (or at least more variety) than the deluxe CS usually offer. Your only Disney transportation option is the bus, but they come regularly. Your travel time to MK will be a little longer than that from WL by boat but not much.

You might want to spend time on the individual value resort threads on the Resorts board, looking at the photos and reading up on the amenities offered there. They are perfectly adequate for a family on a budget, especially if most of your time will be spent in the parks.

 

[Magpie]

Actually, if transportation is very important, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised by the Value resorts.

Have you considered staying at the Pop Century? It's similarly priced to the All Stars, and is generally considered to have excellent bus service. The resort isn't terribly large, and the walks aren't far to the bus stop, except from the 90's. The busses come every 10 to 20 minutes, and it's a VERY short ride to the four parks. Animal Kingdom is about 10 minutes away by bus, and the Magic Kingdom is 25 minutes away.

And, if you don't mind a little bit of a walk over the bridge connecting the two resorts, you have the option of catching either a Pop OR an Art of Animation bus home from the parks, whichever comes first. Being able to use both bus systems was awesome, when we were tired and just wanted to get back quickly. If you plan to do this, I recommend requesting a standard room in the 60's, lagoon view. No guarantee you'll get it, but if you do, you'll be very close to both resorts' bus stops.

The All Stars have similarly efficient bus service, and most of the time there's dedicated busses for each resort. It's only during the slowest period (and even then, usually only during midday) that the All Stars have to share busses.

Value resorts also have queued bus stops, so there's no scrum to get on the way there can be at Moderates and Deluxes.

In general, I find the Values have excellent bus service.

There IS a mini-fridge in the room, but there's no coffee maker. And I don't remember there being a microwave, either. You don't get separate shampoos and conditioners either, you get a two-in-one product.

The rooms open onto an outside walkway, which generally means they're quieter than Deluxe rooms that open into interior hallways. Also, be sure to bring some window decorations! :-D Decorating your window can be a lot of fun. There's movies by the pool in the evening, and fun activities in the pool during the day.

In general, I've found the wait times the same or shorter, and the commutes to the parks much quicker. I'm sure you'll miss the boat back from the Magic Kingdom, however. We really like ending our evenings in Epcot, which is much closer to the Pop Century.