Hotel opinions needed

[Tink3815]

Planning to visit early Jan for a solo trip to escape the winter cold and explore the parks more. We visited at Thanksgiving, and I bought the seasonal AP pass for hotel discounts. Going through the shops this visit is a lot more important to me than rides. (My husband was on a scooter, and it made it hard last time).
Thinking of The Endless Summer Resorts as the AP rate is fantastic. How are the pools, food courts and buses? We stayed at Sapphire Falls and loved the water taxi, but I am trying to keep this a budget trip.
Any opinions would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[wdwrule]

We stayed at Dockside for one night before transferring to a different resort this past August. We really have no complaints. The bus service was fantastic including at park close when we walked right onto a bus with plenty of seating. The food court had many options and there was a ton of available seating. The room itself was very nice and clean. It was also one of the most quietest rooms compared to many other resorts we’ve stayed at. We had requested high floor if that made a difference. Two separate stays at Royal Pacific was very loud but it could’ve just been our luck. There was sometimes a line for the elevators but we never waited long at all.

The only reason we don’t stay there too often is because we love to have the convenience of walking to the parks and having our own little security check point. Other than that, it’s wonderful and staff was friendly! The pool looked great but we rarely use the pools when we visit UO.

ETA: I agree, AP rates are awesome for what you get at Endless Summer! We paid only $129 for the night for our family of four in a beautiful, bright 2 bedroom suite where the second bedroom was closed off. It was very spacious! I’ve seen standard rooms as low as $84 or so. One of my favorite things about the rooms are the humongous windows which makes everything feel huge and open.

 

[AJA]

We are trying Dockside for the first time this winter too. We’ve stayed at every resort except Aventura. Many of the resorts several times. The other resort (if available) around the same price point that I would recommend would be Cabana Bay. Only because it has such a fun vibe. You can easily walk (there is a bridge to cross over the street) to Sapphire Falls and use the boat or eat at the full service restaurant.

If it were me on a first time solo solo trip I would choose Cabana Bay over Endless Summer just because of the proximity to SF.

Dockside looks amazing though for the value. We are switching from Cabana Bay because our last three stays have been there and we want to try something new but still have the value of the family suite.

 

[cfoxga]

We've been to both ESS and CB, but not Aventura or SF. If I had to pick between ES and CB, I'd pick ES since it is newer. But it seems like Aventura might be worth considering...

 

[Nabas]

Thinking of The Endless Summer Resorts as the AP rate is fantastic. How are the pools, food courts and buses? We stayed at Sapphire Falls and loved the water taxi, but I am trying to keep this a budget trip.

The Endless Summer resorts are roughly comparable to Disney's Value Resorts.

The hotels are completely indoors, meaning they are like a typical hotel. (This compared to Disney's Value or Moderate Resorts, where the rooms are spread across multiple building.)

The Endless Summer lobbies, stores, and food courts are all good, at least as good as Disney's Value Resorts.

The pools are a small step down. They are simple and surrounded on three sides by the tall Endless Summer buildings, meaning they don't get as much sun as I'd like, especially in the winter months.

Bus service was much better than Disney. My son just stayed there for a week and never waited longer than 10 minutes for a bus.

 

[Kristin0713]

We are finishing up a stay at Dockside and are very pleased. The suite was perfect for our family of four (although an extra bathroom would have been helpful) and a great price for a grand new, clean, spacious room. Transportation was quick and easy. The food court gad great options and the staff was friendly. Starbucks had a long line sometimes. I’d definitely stay here again.

 

[Pooh's World]

The Endless Summer resorts are roughly comparable to Disney's Value Resorts.

The hotels are completely indoors, meaning they are like a typical hotel. (This compared to Disney's Value or Moderate Resorts, where the rooms are spread across multiple building.)

The Endless Summer lobbies, stores, and food courts are all good, at least as good as Disney's Value Resorts.

The pools are a small step down. They are simple and surrounded on three sides by the tall Endless Summer buildings, meaning they don't get as much sun as I'd like, especially in the winter months.

Bus service was much better than Disney. My son just stayed there for a week and never waited longer than 10 minutes for a bus.

I would say they are much better than Disney Value motels. If you look at the Disney Values the doors all face towards the outside (which is like the lowest rung of motels and also makes them more susceptible to insects and animals)

I was really impressed with Endless Summer. And great location right next to all the shops and restaurants.

 

[Nabas]

I would say they are much better than Disney Value motels. If you look at the Disney Values the doors all face towards the outside (which is like the lowest rung of motels and also makes them more susceptible to insects and animals)

I was really impressed with Endless Summer. And great location right next to all the shops and restaurants.

I generally agree.

The bedrooms themselves at Endless Summer are better than Disney’s Value Resorts. In many cases, they are decades newer and feel it.

Sound proofing is only so-so at Endless Summer. (However, we normally stay at Universal’s Deluxe Resorts so we might be biased about this.) At Disney’s Value Resorts, sound proofing to outdoor noise is terrible but “room next door” sound proofing is ok. The poor outdoor noise sound proofing is the primary reason we rarely stay at Disney Value Resorts anymore.

The 2 Endless Summer hotels have better lobbies. They are more spacious and modern than the Disney Value Resort lobbies.

I would give a slight edge to the Disney Value Resort stores. The Disney stores are larger and have more merchandise.

The food courts are a toss-up. IMO, Disney Value Resorts have wider selections (pre Covid) but the Endless Summers have better quality.

Disney’s Value Resorts have better pools. They are larger, with more seating, and are more open to the sky. The Endless Summer pools are surrounded by the tall Endless Summer buildings, which block a lot of sun in the mornings and evenings.

Price-wise, the Endless Summer hotels offer a far better value than any Disney hotel.

 

[Pooh's World]

I generally agree.

The bedrooms themselves at Endless Summer are better than Disney’s Value Resorts. In many cases, they are decades newer and feel it.

Sound proofing is only so-so at Endless Summer. (However, we normally stay at Universal’s Deluxe Resorts so we might be biased about this.) At Disney’s Value Resorts, sound proofing to outdoor noise is terrible but “room next door” sound proofing is ok. The poor outdoor noise sound proofing is the primary reason we rarely stay at Disney Value Resorts anymore.

The 2 Endless Summer hotels have better lobbies. They are more spacious and modern than the Disney Value Resort lobbies.

I would give a slight edge to the Disney Value Resort stores. The Disney stores are larger and have more merchandise.

The food courts are a toss-up. IMO, Disney Value Resorts have wider selections (pre Covid) but the Endless Summers have better quality.

Disney’s Value Resorts have better pools. They are larger, with more seating, and are more open to the sky. The Endless Summer pools are surrounded by the tall Endless Summer buildings, which block a lot of sun in the mornings and evenings.

Price-wise, the Endless Summer hotels offer a far better value than any Disney hotel.

Yeah, I think I paid $69 at Endless Summer with AP rate and then they upgraded me to a suite.
You couldn't even get that price for normal hotels at that time. The only thing cheaper or as cheap are those roach/drug motels like the Quality Inn down the street.