Has Anyone Downgraded?

[Disney=Love]

I don't know when my next trip is, so there's no urgency here. It's just that I've only been to WDW twice and have stayed in WL and AKL. Of course, those were both on my parents money. Me and my cousins want to go to Disney as soon as possible, but we'll probably be on our own physically and financially. So, a deluxe hotel definitely isn't in our price range. Depending on when we go, value will probably be best for us. Do you think it will be a big deal? Anyone else downgraded hotels?

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

The hotel is all about what you make it. I've never stayed in deluxe, but in DVC resort and have switched back to values and mods. The values are really nicely themed and have a tone of the magic feel. This whole trip sounds like a new experience for you (going alone w/out the parental units) and you will have a blast. Check out the values and decide which theme u like best and go w/ it. As far as ammenities they are all pretty much the same, its all about which theme you prefer.

 

[vassar36]

I think you are going to have a great time no matter where you stay. We've stayed in both the WL & POP (and Cont years ago). Although the WL & Contemp. is special, we had just as much fun at POP b/c its still disney. AKL has buses & WL has mostly buses too, so its not going to be that different transportation wise for you.

I am sure if this is your 1st trip on your own it will be a different & fun experince for you and your cousins no matter where you stay.

 

[Atotty]

We've stayed at all three levels: DLX, MOD, and Value.....they're each different, but we enjoy them all. And the staff all treat you very well no matter what level hotel. JMHO.

 

[micmacmissy]

I will let you know...our last trip was in a 2 bedroom concierge suite at the GF.

Our upcoming trip, regular room at SOG. The entire week at SOG is costing us less than one night in the suite.

How can you beat that?

You're not in the room much....we spend the day in the park, so I'm hoping our downgrade won't be a bummer. We will miss the monorail, though!

 

[princess jackie]

We just got back from our trip and we down graded from POR to POP. I think it was a very wise move. We were never at the resort. Why pay the extra money just to have somewhere to sleep. All I wanted was a clean room and thats what we got. If we stayed at POR it would have cost us double. Instead I got to talk DH into AP's because we had "extra" money!!

 

[Pakey]

Before buying DVC, we had only stayed at Deluxes. For the heck of it, we decided to try POFQ one time just to see what a mod was like. Did we enjoy the room/hotel experience as much as a deluxe? Nope. Did we enjoy our vacation as much. Yes. If I had to vacation on a budget, I know without a doubt that I would have just as much fun staying at POP as I did at GF.

 

[klofan]

I was in the same situation as you. We stayed at the WL and the AKL both on my parents money, but when I went on my own I stayed at an All-Star my next two trips. It was very weird because it was a different experience, but only reason I stayed at the All Stars was because of my friends budgets, I still could of afforded it. So next trip I'm putting out the difference and going to the AKL again. My friends think we're staying at Pop, but Im surprising them when we get there. All I'm saying is, if you can go do deluxe, do it. The All-stars just aren't great IMHO.

 

[Samsma]

As you can see from my signature, we've stayed at many of the deluxes. Last Feb. it was just me and the kids, so I thought we'd try POP. We loved it. So cute, and we had so much fun! It was only for 4 days, but I really didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did. The kids didn't mind not having a slide and I didn't mind not having a hot tub. You will probably be spending a lot of time in the parks anyway! By the way, the busses were very good when we were there.

 

[cristbaby]

We bought DVC so we wouldn't have to downgrade. Maybe you should look into it.

 

[cheerforchelsea]

I have stayed in most of the resorts and to be perfectly honest I prefer a moderate resort my favorite is CBR - reminds me of Nassau - heck I have no problem with a value resort other than I find them to be a bit on the noisy side. You will have FUN no matter where you stay!!!

 

[rie'smom]

We used to just stay at the deluxes until we tried CSR and loved it. Now that we own at BWV, we also love the Swan and Dolphin which some regard as a downgrade.

 

[corgi_monster]

We stayed at AKL for our first trip and then "downgraded" to Pop Century. We spend 30-45 minutes in the room in the morning before heading to the parks and another hour in the room when we return from the parks. (Besides the hours we spend sleeping of course.)

For us, it's not worth spending an extra $200/night for a room in which we would be conscious for less than 2 hours.

I was really worried about downgrading to Pop Cenutry, but I actually thought it was better than a deluxe in some ways:

1. We had no trouble finding a parking spot.
2. Pop Century food court and store had a better selection of food and merchandise.
3. We saved enought money by staying at Pop that we can go again in December. It's like getting 2 vacations for the price of 1!
4. The walk from our car to our room at Pop Century was less than half as long as the walk from our car to our AKL room. After day in the parks, every step counts!

We always rent a car and drive everywhere, so I can't comment on how the transportation at Pop Century compares to other resorts.

If we were taking a relaxing vacation that involved a lot of downtime in the room, however, I wouldn't stay at Pop because the beds seemed smaller and the room is quite small.

 

[fla4fun]

I'm assuming the OP is fairly young (late teens to early 20's) since they commented that this was the first non-parent trip. Believe me, you will have a great time at a value resort. It has all the amenities someone in your age group will possibly want (reasonable food, pool bar - if you're over 21 that is, pools) and the theming can be really fun.

The biggest difference room-wise between deluxe rooms and value rooms is that the value rooms are smaller, don't have a balcony, and have double beds instead of queen beds. You will also have to either rent a refrigerator if you want one, or bring a cooler (or check to see if a "fridge swap" is available during your trip). The biggest differences amenity wise are that the pools are more elaborate and have slides. Other than the pools (which are only for that specific resort's guests) you can use any of the other amenities at any resort. So if you want to go to CR or Poly or GF and rent boats at the marina, you can. If you want to go horseback riding or on a Segway tour at FW, you can. If you want to hang out on the Boardwalk and play games, you can. You can have the best of both worlds - saving money on the room, but enjoying all the recreational opportunities at any of the resorts (again, except for the pools).

 

[disneyholic family]

I don't know when my next trip is, so there's no urgency here. It's just that I've only been to WDW twice and have stayed in WL and AKL. Of course, those were both on my parents money. Me and my cousins want to go to Disney as soon as possible, but we'll probably be on our own physically and financially. So, a deluxe hotel definitely isn't in our price range. Depending on when we go, value will probably be best for us. Do you think it will be a big deal? Anyone else downgraded hotels?

we've stayed in every level of disney resort (as you can see from my signature) and enjoyed all of them..

my daugther and i might be going to WDW just for a week in a few weeks and i think we might stay at the pop century this time, just for fun (since it's just the two of us)...
the last time we stayed in a value was 12 years ago, but we enjoyed it then (the ASMu)....

staying at any WDW disney property is fun and magical....

 

[mollygirl13]

DH and I always stayed at a Deluxe. It was just what we preferred. Last year we went to a Disney wedding and decided to go about a month before. We got a special rate from the Bride but since it was late the only thing left was All Star Music. We hesitated but decided to just try it. Heck, we were only going to be there for 3 days and 2 of those days had wedding things to do so we would be super-busy. Well, I must say, DH and I now will ONLY stay at a value resort. IMHO, we had better bus service than at the WL! We loved having the food court and our rooms were great. The CM were super friendly and helpful. DH and I are going to WDW in 5 days and this time we chose POP. For 5 nights, we are paying less than what we would have paid for 1 night at the GF or Poly. That way, I can get 2 or even 3 trips to WDW!!!

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

Hmmmm, I've never thought of it as downgrading. To me every Disney resort has it's own thing to offer and whatever fits our needs and budget at the time is where we stay. In my sig too, you will see that we've stayed at all levels, including DVC.

So pick a resort with a theme that excites you, and that fits your budget, and STOP thinking about not being at a deluxe and just concentrate on the fun!

 

[CarolA]

I have downgraded and have no regrets. Disney's hotel prices are TOO high IMHO. I don't feel that I am being ripped off at a value or mod. It's hard not to at a Deluxe! I mean you are paying $300 a night for that? IMHO the room quality is comparable to your local Marriott which generally prices out MUCH lower.

 

[HotMama]

We downgraded from Beach Club to Pop and LOVED IT!!! I was worried, but the only thing we missed were the cute little towel animals. Some mousekeeping staff does them at Pop but the one we had that week didn't. Really no big deal. With the price we payed for Pop we can go on two Disney vacations compared to the price we payed for the Beach Club!!!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

WE've stayed at every level of Disney resort also. I totally agree that each is what you make of it. Beyond that, each resort has it's strengths and weaknesses. Just because a resort is in a lower category doen't mean that the theming won't appeal to you more. If you like the New Orleans look of POFQ, then maybe you'll find WL ugly, or GF stuffy. Lots of folks comment that only the All-Stars/Pop have actual Disney characters around the resort as decor, and that they feel the most Disney.

We recently had our first stay at Pop, and were impressed with the level of quality there. The service was very good, the CM's very nice, the food court was great, the room was very clean. Cleaner than some of theother resort roms we've had.
Some of the higher end resorts also don't have very good QS retaurants. I understand they are redoing the one at CF and have redone the one at the Poly (twice I think since the last time we ate there) - but they were nowhere near the quality of the mods and values. In the am, I want a quick breakfast so I can get to the parks quickly. The food courts offer that.

The bus service was very quick from Pop too. No looping around the whole resort or stopping at other resorts (Epcot Deluxes, moderates). Even the All-Stars were faster than many of the others.

The only things we really missed were the hot tub and the less full buses. At Pop, nearly every bus we took was packed full. On the other hand, the bus queues were orderly, unlike what we saw at POR.

We had a great view from our room - lake AND pool! WE may well stay there again. I'd rather be able to stay eight nights at Pop than just one at GF for the same price.