how do you choose?

[married2mm]

When booking onsite-

I'm guessing the easy bit for most people is which level of stay to book- but amongst the different levels,do you have a favourite?

Fave value and why?
Fave mod and why?
Fave deluxe and why?

 

[RedfromNL]

When booking onsite-

I'm guessing the easy bit for most people is which level of stay to book- but amongst the different levels,do you have a favourite?

Fave value and why?
Fave mod and why?
Fave deluxe and why?

values don't appeal to us.
Fave Mod is Port Orleans French Quarter.
Fave deluxe is Wilderness Lodge.

Both mostly because of the atmosphere. The way it looked, the theme, not too spread out.

Will be staying at the WL again in a few weeks
Yes it gets loud at times but that lobby!
The wood all over the place.


The first time you stay somewhere it would be based mostly on how it looks and what you can afford and of course what you want in a hotel (biggger pool, lots of space, foodcourt, whatever floats your holiday-boat).

But wheter or not you love a place is also based on little things that are hard to put into words. Logic has often little to do with that!

We love the lodge, simple as that.

 

[goofy4tink]

Each trip has it's different specifics. We own DVC so usually stay where we own....BWV or BLT.
BUT....I'm headed down in 2 months, with my dd, and we'll be at AllStar Music and AoA-LM!!! I love Pop, but AoA is right there with it as a favorite.
I love POR..it's my favorite moderate.

 

[mickeynut1]

When booking onsite-

I'm guessing the easy bit for most people is which level of stay to book- but amongst the different levels,do you have a favourite?

Fave value and why?
Fave mod and why?
Fave deluxe and why?

We choose our resort by which theme/decor we like.

We've never stayed at a value so I can't comment on those and we've only stayed at one mod, which was CBR. We loved the resort as the grounds were beautiful, the pool was fun, and the transportation was great .

For deluxes, we've stayed at AKL, WL, BC, Poly, and GF and the Poly is our favorite. We had great stays at all of them, but we love the Poly for the tropical atmosphere, the pool as it backs up to the beach with a view of the castle in the distance, the beach for watching the fireworks, it's relaxing walking around at night under the lit tiki torches, and Captain Cooks is great for quick CS meals/snacks .

 

[karenfb]

When booking onsite-

I'm guessing the easy bit for most people is which level of stay to book- but amongst the different levels,do you have a favourite?

Fave value and why?
Fave mod and why?
Fave deluxe and why?

I have stayed at every moderate. I have stayed at POFQ twice and was happy both times. Small resort, only 1 pool but that was fine because it is small. I stayed at CSR twice also. I had a preferred lagoon view the first time and it was great! I had a standard view the second time and it was not so great. It was so far away from everything. I didn't care for POR and had a preferred room location too. I had a standard room at CB and was a long way from the snack bar. I just didn't like it there. I have stayed at AKL and WL. Loved both equally but for different reasons. WL had a great location and AK had a great atmosphere. It's a toss up for me with those. I have only stayed at one value, all star sport. I hated it. Never again. There wasn't even a coffee pot in the room. Both elevators were broken and I had a daughter who was injured and had trouble with the steps and I had lots of luggage and the wheel broke lugging it down the steps. It was just a bad experience for me so I won't go back to another value. I have friends who stay at values an love them even after they stayed in a deluxe. I think my experience was just bad.

 

[pamkat1820]

When booking onsite-

I'm guessing the easy bit for most people is which level of stay to book- but amongst the different levels,do you have a favourite?

Fave value and why?
Fave mod and why?
Fave deluxe and why?

Can't comment on the value never stayed there.

Moderate - I would say that POR is my fav out of all the moderate resorts. It is large (the size was not my favorite) but out of them it would be the easiest to get around with the path across from the mansions to the pool area to the food court. Great food court! Pasta station awesome!

Deluxe is tough! I like them for different reasons. AKL was great for our first trip, we didn't know to much at the time about all the resorts. But it was great with the animals outside your window, food court had a variety of choices & the pool was nice but just nice.

BC/YC are my fav! Location location location! And the pool. This would be my fav for a summer pic. I would not stay here if it was during a winter month. I would choose WL for the decorations and cozy feel.

So many to pick from!good luck!

 

[RapunzelsGoodMom]

So fun - I love these kind of posts!

In the spirit of full disclosure, we now have two little kids so space typically trumps everything else. But we did lots of pre-children trips (and I stayed there quite a bit as a solo traveler for work) so here are my thoughts:

Best Value:
Pop - but I'd probably go AoA now. Haven't stayed there but I think the kids would love the theming. And they are pretty much all the same so pick the pool you like best.

Best Moderate:
I'm lukewarm on all of them. Really wish they'd but the doors on the INSIDE of the hallway for each and I'm crazy about a balcony. So I have trouble paying more than value for any of these but I would say:
Adult only trip - POR or POFQ
With Kids - Edge to CBR for the pool if kids are younger, CSR for older kids (better restaurants and grounds)

For Deluxe...hmmmm....this is where it gets interesting!
With BABIES (which is me right now) - CR or BLT. The location is priceless.
With little kids - Poly or Wilderness Lodge
In any case, a lazy trip with less commando park time - WL or AKL. LOTS of great resort activities so fun to stay in at these places. Doing AKL this trip for a lazy trip and because the kids pool is amazing and my DD3 will love the animal activities.
For teenagers or no kids - the Epcot area resorts. I love the YC/BC but the BWI has also been great (just more dependent on the room). The walkability of these resorts to the parks you'll spend most of your time in...and the great evening activity is great.
Note I never mentioned GF - didn't feel the value from the theming for my $$....but that's just me.

 

[Murray29]

We have only stayed value (although doing our 1st deluxe stay at YC in August) and have never had a problem with any of them. Our favorite is POP. We love the theming & also like that it doesn't share a bus like the All Star Resorts do. Have fun deciding!

 

[spiceycat]

value - Pop
moderate - POR
deluxe - BC or BW
deluxe villa - BLT

you can go on what you can afford - or which you like the best if you can afford them all.

why
Pop it is a fun place. Has a good food court, gift shop, pool bar and arcade. Plus it is the only value (besides AOA) that has a lake. have not stayed in AOA so my favorite may change

POR - had stayed at CBR prior - did not like it - but POR changed my mind about moderate = loved the food court, atmosphere, pools, arcade, boat and bike rentals - just love it.

BC - love the pool, and it is the closes to Epcot. so if you are doing Flower/Garden or Food/Wine this is on the best. It has a long list of activities to do.

BW - for walking to both Epcot and Studios this is probably the best if you like these 2 parks
. really hate it main pool - but love the community pool and hall.

BLT - hey you can walk to the MK - you are connected to CR - so can use its restaurants, gift shops, arcade and monorails - not to mention pools. plus you have at least a kitchennette in a studio

 

[tinkerbellybutton]

For us the decision of where to stay often depends on the trip, time of year, holidays.

In summer we like a tropical resort or a nice pool. In summer we look to book at CBR for a moderate or BC/YC or poly for a deluxe resort. In the cooler months, especially around the holidays, we tend to go with WL.

If we are celebrating a birthday we let the birthday person pick the resort.

Otherwise we either try to stay in a resort we haven't yet tried or an old favorite that we miss. And most times we do split stays because we just can't decide on only one resort!

 

[DisneyRunner2009]

My family has never stayed at a deluxe resorts, so I can't comment on that. The favorite resort is Port Orleans. It doesn't matter which one, we use the amenities of both. When Disney says, "Welcome Home", that's the feeling my family gets at this resort. Last summer we stayed at POR, but this year we are staying at ASSp. ASMu or ASSp are our pics for value resorts. That feeling, I mentioned, isn't there with POP. After visiting AoA, my DH wants nothing to do with that resort. As a family, we are happy being able to go to Disney and it doesn't matter where we stay. We try to make the money go as far as possible, that is most important. It will always be an onsite resort, booked with a discount when available.

 

[pepe of ohio]

values don't appeal to us.
Fave Mod is Port Orleans French Quarter.
Fave deluxe is Wilderness Lodge.

Both mostly because of the atmosphere. The way it looked, the theme, not too spread out.

Will be staying at the WL again in a few weeks
Yes it gets loud at times but that lobby!
The wood all over the place.

The first time you stay somewhere it would be based mostly on how it looks and what you can afford and of course what you want in a hotel (biggger pool, lots of space, foodcourt, whatever floats your holiday-boat).

But wheter or not you love a place is also based on little things that are hard to put into words. Logic has often little to do with that!

We love the lodge, simple as that.

Sounds like my thoughts exactly.... We're big fans of WL, over 10 stays there... We've stayed at almost all the deluxes except BWI, and have ruled most out for one thing or another...

For us, it's convenience and location plus cost... WL wins in all categories .... Second place for us is POFQ... and values we have no wish or desire to stay at!

 

[Heather1979]

In the past (pre-kids) DH & I really liked Pop Century. We chose that one because for some reason when it was time to book it was cheaper than the other All Stars hotels. And that trip was when we learned Pop had its own bus to and from the parks, so if I were to book a value in the future that would be where we would stay.

Then last year we book AKL. We loved it. We stayed in a villa, loved the theming, the space, everything was awesome about it. This year we opted to rent DVC and got BLT so we will see how we like that resort- we picked it based on proximity to MK since that's the park we will go to the most.

The moderates... well I'd be hard pressed to try the moderates now, especially with our experience renting DVC points, because if we needed to make our trip cheaper we could rent a different DVC property (like saratoga or OKW or AKL standard view) for about the same money as a moderate.

IMHO if you head on vacation with a positive attitude I think most of the time you will like your choice. After all, it's a Disney World vacation

 

[boscov]

When booking onsite-

I'm guessing the easy bit for most people is which level of stay to book- but amongst the different levels,do you have a favourite?

Fave value and why?
Fave mod and why?
Fave deluxe and why?

My rule of thumb (which is obviously different for everyone) is the shorter the trip, I try to stay at a deluxe. This way, I am closer to the parks, have more available transportation and can get in as much park time as possible. Budget doesn't always allow or that, but that's my usual preference.

Fave value - The values don't appeal to me. I can't squeeze into a double bed with my wife and the over the top theming isn't my thing.
Fave mod - Hands down POR is my fave mod. This place just feels like home to me. I love the food court, Yeehaa Bob in the lounge, good pool, boat to DTD and the relaxed theming are my reasons.
Fave deluxe - BC is my fave, but I really want to stay at Poly. I love the BC for the pool, the easy walk to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, Beaches and Cream and Cape May are awesome too.

 

[lmhall2000]

Asthma dictated it for us..we could have no resorts that opened to the outdoors..so limited us to Deluxe...we chose Poly or Contemporary based on best price...we also have five so would rather have a room that fits five than two rooms...

Now, asthma is much better and we choose based on value and trying something new...can't bring myself to try value...just do not like the idea of sleeping on couches that make into beds, the fifth bed in deluxes feels like a real bed...so we go with Deluxe..considering Fort Wilderness cabins because there is a murphy bed not couch bed...so those are all we'll do.

 

[married2mm]

All interesting stuff guys.

 

[clapton]

Have stayed at value years ago and don't really have a favorite.
Stayed at mods a few years ago.Favorite is POR , for the atmosphere and we like the food court.
Stayed at most of the deluxes over the years. My favorite is BC and WL.
Now we own DVC and can't wait to stay at GF DVC when that opens up!
ALways liked the CR and BLT too!

 

[bookgirl]

When booking onsite-

I'm guessing the easy bit for most people is which level of stay to book- but amongst the different levels,do you have a favourite?

Fave value and why?
Allstar Music. It's the least in your face of the values (I was not a fan of AoA). If the values share a resort then Music is the 2nd stop. Most of the families seem to like Sports and Movies and Pop so while there are lots of kids (it is Disney after all) it still seems the most adult. I like the music motifs. When I choose a value it's usually to save money so while I would stay at AoA again if I needed a suite, for a standard room I'd choose Muisc

Fave mod and why?

I've only stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter. When looking at all the mods this was the most compact so size is a big motivator. I love the boat to DTD and PO Riverside (like the way POR looks but still don't know if I want to stay there I think it's a bit large and if by myself maybe not so much of an issue but with family I'd prefer small, which is why I have no desire to try any other mods). I find the themeing and atmosphere really relaxing and very lush, it 'feels' like a real resort to me. I like the food court offerings. Pretty familiar food but not just fastfood eat it with your hands type of offerings.


Fave deluxe and why?

I stayed at the BC and loved it. I really like the east coast beach resort theme, but mainly I LOVE the convience to Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios. Had a blast riding the boat between the two parks. Loved walking over to Epcot. Really loved the Captain's Grille for a sit down resturant. Loved the quiet pool. Everyone always wanted to head to SAB, so the quiet pool was a great place to relax, do laundry, or sit in the hottub.

I'm looking at other resorts and I have a few I'd try out but I really do seem to keep returning to POFQ and I've returned to ASMu as well.

 

[bigbabyblues]

When booking onsite-

I'm guessing the easy bit for most people is which level of stay to book- but amongst the different levels,do you have a favourite?

Fave value and why?
ASMu We've stayed at ASMo, Pop, and ASMu, but Mu always seems quieter to us. We've never had any problems at any of the values we've stayed at though.

Fave mod and why?
CBR-the only one we've stayed in, and really the only one that appeals to us at this point. We love the feel of the resort, the colors, everything.

Fave deluxe and why?

Haven't had a chance to stay deluxe, but Beach Club would be the one I'd want to try first because of the location. Second choice would be WL. Nine of the monorail resorts appeal to me.

Fun question!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

We've only stayed at the deluxes (travel as a family of 5).

Here are our favorites in order:

1. Beach Club
2. Yacht Club
3. Polynesian
4. Grand Floridian

Beach Club is our favorite for the atmosphere, SAB and great CMs. We love being able to walk or take the boat to EPCOT and DHS. When the kids were little we loved the convenience of the monorial so we stayed at the GF or the Poly. All four resorts are fantastic and I would stay at any of them.

Favorite mod - I would just go be themeing and pick Carribean Beach.

Favorite value - I would pick AOA, because Little Mermaid is a sentimental favorite for us.