First Time Value Resort Trip, Will I regret it?

[fla4fun]

I have stayed at all levels of Disney resort, and had great trips at all of them. From a noise standpoint, I have had deluxe stays as noisy, or noisier, that value stays. That always depends entirely on the people staying in the rooms around you. Asking for a non connecting room also helps with noise at any hotel. I have had better luck with buses at the values, but the deluxes often have some sort of alternate transportation to at least some of the parks. So long as you keep your expectations realistic and don’t spend your whole trip comparing the two, or focusing on what it doesn’t have, you will be fine. I would suggest checking rates at Pop or Movies, since those have been refurbished. I stayed at Pop prior to the refurbishment as well, but I like it so much more now.

 

[Disneypro1]

The values are great resorts! Absolutely nothing wrong with them. They are perfect for our family of 4.
We like Music or POP.

 

[mamamelody2]

I stayed at All Star Sports last September with DH and our boys (15 and 12). We really enjoyed it a lot! Pool was nice, never crowded. We were there 9 nights in a first floor room, and literally heard someone talking as they walked past our room (not late at night) one time and that's ALL we heard the whole time. We ate dinner in the food court a few times and it was not crowded at all. Now, come 10 or 11 PM after the parks closed, WOW, it was much busier. Bus service was great. Waited 20 minutes once. Otherwise, more like 5. That said, we have never stayed deluxe so can't compare to that. We have stayed at POR a couple times and like it, but bus service was not as good and the walk to the food court/bus stop was WAY longer.

 

[Pmlocke]

Hard to say. Not sure what expectations you have regarding service, rooms, amenities, etc. I personally have stayed at AS Music every year since 2009, except for one year at POP. I love Music. It serves my needs and I have always found it to be clean and the staff are always wonderful. I read one person note that POP has the option of another place to eat as they are close to AOA. Music is in between Sports and Movies so you have two additional places to eat and an extra 4 pools to choose from. I also like the option of going to another of those resorts if I don't like the movie that is showing at Music. This is not the Ritz. If you are like me, I am exhausted at the end of the day so i usually fall face first into bed and go right to sleep. I must warn you, if you are one who requires a lot of extras like a spa, fine dining restaurant, extra room, fine linens, etc. go back to the Deluxe. The all stars are a nice place to stay but they are not for everyone.

 

[wdwlver]

I’m a “deluxe” girl and I just don’t care for the Value Resorts for all of the reasons that you listed. They’re fine for a single night when I get better airfare for the day before a DVC stay but I just would not stay for longer. That’s not because I haven’t tried. I have. They were not pleasurable stays. If you’re someone who likes your resort time instead of just a bed and a bath, you will probably be disappointed.

Could have written this myself.

 

[DLgal]

It really depends on how adaptable you are in general. I think some people are just more "go with the flow, whatever is fine" types who would be happy anywhere. Then there are those who know what they like and aren't happy deviating from that.

I have stayed at all levels, and at almost every hotel onsite. I'd have a REALLY hard time staying at a value again. Last time was 2016 and it was just 3 nights so I sucked it up, but I really don't like them anymore. They are just too much of everything. Too crowded. Too loud. Too bright. Too basic. Too chaotic. When I travel now, I want comfort, some level of "this is better than what I have at home." On vacation, I don't want my sleep disturbed by landscapers with their leaf blowers (happens at the values every time) or by people standing outside my door, talking loudly for hours on end because there is no balcony, so they make the walkway their own version of such. I don't want to hear my neighbor's toilet flushing. I don't want to wait in line 4 times at 4 different food stalls, for 4 different meals,then have to wait in line AGAIN to pay, etc. I don't want to have to brave the elements during a downpour just to get some food. I don't want to stand in a line just to get on a bus at my hotel. I want bell service to deliver my bags. These are just some of my issues with values. For my money, the values are no longer really a "value" at all. When they were in the neighborhood of $79/night, I could overlook all those issues. At the price point now, not so much.

 

[Disneylvr1971]

We stayed Broadway section of ASMu last Dec. Super quiet, the food court wasn't overly busy. (We had longer waits at POR) Last stay at AKV, we had a baby next door that screamed (yes screamed) day and night for a week. So you never know what you will get no matter where you are at. Busses at night can look intimidating especially at MK, but we found that they would load up a bus and another was waiting to load. Some of the Deluxes were having longer waits. It is what you make of it. If you know you are going into it being a Value vs a Moderate, it will be fine. Have a wonderful vacation!

 

[Miffy]

Hello folks, would like some honest feedback. We are annual pass-holders, typically visit 4 plus times for year and have always stayed at either a moderate or deluxe resort. With 2 kids in college, we are trying to be a bit more frugal as of late, and booked All Star Music for our next trip in October( will be myself, my wife, and our 13 year old). Thing is, we are a bit nervous about staying at a Value, we have heard stories about paper thin walls, noisy/ chaotic dinning facilities, and crazy bus lines at the end of the day when heading back to the resort. Will it be a hard transition for us going from a deluxe/moderate to a value, or am I just worrying too much? I am tempted to switch over to our old favorite the POR, but the price at All Star Music is sooooo cheap in comparison. Any thoughts? Thank you kindly.

I can't tell you if you'd be disappointed, but I can tell that after one stay at All Star Music, I knew I would never stay at a Value resort again. Ever. As a PP pointed out, all the things you're worried about are true.

For me, the paper-thin walls were the absolute killer. Five sleepless nights at WDW made for a very unpleasant stay. And in case you think I live in a remote location with no neighbors so that my viewpoint is skewed, in fact I've lived in an apartment in NYC for decades and am very used to neighbors and street noise, etc. But ASMu was in another league altogether. I could hear every single word the people in the next room said to each other, plus their baby, plus the noises accompanying creating a new baby, not to mention the sound of every single rolling suitcase rolling by the room. And I am not a light sleeper. At all.

But I'm also not a park commando, and I like using the resort as a resort.

Also, something else that's never said--and it may not be this way anymore--but during my ASMu stay, I desperately wanted to talk to someone at the front desk to see if we could move rooms (it never occurred to me to move resorts, which I wish I'd thought of, but didn't), however, the line for the front desk services was so incredibly long every single time I went to the lobby, that I just gave up. I hardly wanted to wait in line for over an hour.

Have you considered staying at POR and cutting your stay short by one night if that would help with the budget?

As much as I love WDW--which is a lot--if staying at ASMu was my only way of being onsite, I'd stay off-site.

But, as you can see from the replies here, this isn't everyone's experience. YMMV.

 

[tlmadden73]

I would say if you are USED to staying in deluxe and moderates, then staying at a Value will be a bit of a shock.

The rooms are smaller, not as quiet, and there is simply a LOT of people at these hotels.

Depends what you are looking for in your hotel really.

I stayed at All star Movies in November and enjoyed it and styaing in All Star Music in a few days. As we are with little kids, the accomodations are fine .. especially for a short trip.

To me . the hotel is where you lay your head down at night so I want a cheap place .. but still a fun place to get that Disney vibe. The excitement around the values is fun ... for me.

 

[Dug720]

I have no issues with Values. But you need to go into it with the right mindset - “we are on vacation and are going to have a great time” as opposed to “we are moderate or deluxe people and are slimming”.

I found more often than not at the end of the night they use the extended buses for the Values so the lines move pretty fast.

I stayed at Music in July when a couple (at least) SATGs were there - one even in my building all but my room and a couple more - and had no noise issues.

IF the food court is super busy, I grab my food to go and eat in my room. No fuss, no muss.

With the right attitude it can be an awesome vacation!

 

[Magical2017]

The only way to know is to try it, unfortunately. We have stayed at Pop when our kids were younger and had a great time. That was before the recent refurbishments. It really depends on your expectations for hotels. Do you stay at similar hotels offsite, and if so, how do you feel about those vacations? Do your kids need slides, and if so, is the price difference worth it for a slide? Do you enjoy food courts? We stayed in a pool view room near the Computer pool. It was less noisy than the Hippy Dippy pool. They did enjoy the Hippy Dippy Pool, though.

 

[LizGirl]

We've enjoyed all levels of resort at WDW. We are drawn to the value resorts due to price - I prefer more days at Disney over a luxurious room that I'm in only for sleep. I had one frustrating stay at Music because of day time noise when I was trying to nap during one of the 24 hour events. As a result, I now request a room on a high floor and away from the path that the little laundry carts use. This has helped a lot. We also prefer Pop or AoA because they seems to be less overrun with school groups.

 

[tlmadden73]

I started with a Value hotel (pop century) as my first Disney hotel (with kids) (I stayed at the Grand Floridian a while ago (when it was much much more affordable) and we liked it so much for the price that we've gone back to Values several times. The only time I have done a moderate was because my sister wanted to try out POFQ.

I've had worse stays at higher priced "moderate" "off-the-freeway" hotels -- Hampton Inns, Comfort Inn and Suites, La Quinta, Baymont, etc. etc. You can get noisy neighbors, thin walls, anywhere.
For as heavily used as Disney rooms are .. and being "door to the outside" the values are great for what you pay for. .. because of all the amenities and theming. They keep them up well and are convenient and have great service.

I am at a Disney hotel to sleep and rest and hit a pool a bit. That's it. If I want a "relaxing" vacation .. there are other destinations.

 

[wdw4rfam]

Hello folks, would like some honest feedback. We are annual pass-holders, typically visit 4 plus times for year and have always stayed at either a moderate or deluxe resort. With 2 kids in college, we are trying to be a bit more frugal as of late, and booked All Star Music for our next trip in October( will be myself, my wife, and our 13 year old). Thing is, we are a bit nervous about staying at a Value, we have heard stories about paper thin walls, noisy/ chaotic dinning facilities, and crazy bus lines at the end of the day when heading back to the resort. Will it be a hard transition for us going from a deluxe/moderate to a value, or am I just worrying too much? I am tempted to switch over to our old favorite the POR, but the price at All Star Music is sooooo cheap in comparison. Any thoughts? Thank you kindly.

We used to stay at value but have moved us way up and eventually bought DVC. So now got used to deluxe. We love our deluxes. But last September we pulled a last second trip to join my sister so the cousins could finally do disney together- they were at music. We had just did a huge trip so it was honestly the only way we could afford to go, and we would all be together. So we did it. I went in with low expectations and it far exceeded them. We honestly thought it was quieter than the Polynesian for room to room noise. The food court had so much selection. Don’t get me wrong, I am heading to AKL last week and way happier about that one, but I’d do it again in a second if I had to save money.

 

[wdw4rfam]

I have stayed at all levels of Disney resort, and had great trips at all of them. From a noise standpoint, I have had deluxe stays as noisy, or noisier, that value stays. That always depends entirely on the people staying in the rooms around you. Asking for a non connecting room also helps with noise at any hotel. I have had better luck with buses at the values, but the deluxes often have some sort of alternate transportation to at least some of the parks. So long as you keep your expectations realistic and don’t spend your whole trip comparing the two, or focusing on what it doesn’t have, you will be fine. I would suggest checking rates at Pop or Movies, since those have been refurbished. I stayed at Pop prior to the refurbishment as well, but I like it so much more now.

I agree with the noise thing. The noisiest room to room neighbor noise we ever had was at the Polynesian. I would have swore that horrid toddler was IN my room. Every time we stay there I can literally hear the entire conversations of the people next door if our tv is off.

 

[DLgal]

I agree with the noise thing. The noisiest room to room neighbor noise we ever had was at the Polynesian. I would have swore that horrid toddler was IN my room. Every time we stay there I can literally hear the entire conversations of the people next door if our tv is off.

Yes, you can be cursed with loud neighbors everywhere. The noise that bothers me the most at the Values is the absolute cacophony of the food courts, the landscaping noises, the rolling suitcase wheels, the literal toilets flushing all around you, etc.

I am a very light sleeper (I have used earplugs every night for 15 years) and suffer from migraines and I once laid awake until 3am with a migraine at Pop and it was the worst following 24 hours of my life because no matter where I went, I could not escape the noise. On top of the noise, the bed was the most uncomfortable thing ever. It felt like a sheet on top of a trampoline: hard and bouncy.

I have never stayed at Poly, but have stayed at every other deluxe and have never had the types of noise issues that plague the values. I have stayed value a total of 7 times, at all except AS Sports. They are all equally bad in that regard.

 

[Hi Pluto]

After 20-something deluxe stays, no moderates, as a child, teen, and young adult, I was quite spoiled in luxury. When my husband and I started our own family, our Disney budget shrank way down. We returned to Disney after a seven year break and stayed with DS4 at ASMu. I was so just so happy that we were bringing DS to WDW that I was in happy tears the whole time. And it was fine, there were a lot of things we liked about the resort. But there were things that made it feel very value to us. We had the second to last room in the last building on the second floor. And that walk was LONG. Especially with an exhausted kid who couldn't walk another step. Or when all you wanted was a soda refill or breakfast back in the room. The buses always seemed to be the furthest walk at the parks. We made the comment to each other that we definitely felt the "value". But again, I was just so happy to be there. To watch my DS swim for hours using the life vests, enjoy the pool-side games, play in the arcade, have a selection of food court items, etc. We agreed though that value might not be for us.

After a few more moderate and deluxe stays, I returned with my DS and a very large group of my students. We stayed at Pop Century. The rooms were now renovated, our room was not "17 miles" from the main building. The teens loved it. I loved it. DS loved it. Much, MUCH better. It was still value, but our experience was definitely upgraded. Next trip is CSR, but we added one night at Pop so DH can experience it and because it's DS's favorite. I think we'll try to keep mixing it up and return to our beloved BC on the next trip, but a "budget trip" now and then just builds on the Disney experience.

Since you go about 4 times a year, it won't hurt to try a value. I will suggest Pop over ASMu, but that's your call. And you can always go back to moderate if you realize it's just not your thing.

 

[DisDude0521]

I have personally stayed at Pop Century and All-Star Movies for the majority of my Walt Disney World trips. As a child, I made so many of my Disney World memories in these resorts deeming them very special to me personally.

They have all of the amenities that you could ever need for a wonderful stay. The only thing that you are really lacking are spas and table service dining experiences, but considering that there are so many of those options that are just a bus ride away, I do not think they will be greatly missed. Whenever I am in Disney World, we do not intend to spend much time in our actual room. Being in the parks, or by the pool, or even at the water parks are our main goals.

Overall, the value resorts are amazing if you do not plan on spending an excessive amount of time in your room. They are cost effective, have the same amenities as the moderate and deluxe, and to me personally, the values have that little touch of Disney that the deluxe resorts do not have. Pop century has drawings on the walls of the concept art from some of our favorite Disney films. The Movies has amazing theming to every block of rooms in accordance to different movies. Don't get me wrong, the Deluxe resorts are absolutely flawless and it is a dream of mine to stay in one, if not all of them some day but to me the values just have a little hint of Disney Magic that always draws me back to them, even after all of these years.

 

[rwdavis2]

Make fewer visits and still stay deluxe? We stayed at All Star Movies and didn't care for it. Long walks everywhere and the family didn't like the outside access to the rooms.

 

[tguz]

We loved the POP (again). We just got back a week ago. The new rooms are quite nice and it was very quiet all week. We do want to try Riverside next time but Movies in 17 and POP in 18 and 19 were both great.