We generally stay deluxe every stay when we are "on-site". Although we have never stayed at a value resort , we have visited the values, and we just dont care for the "over the top" Disney themed Motel 6 look of them. Rooms are small, and they always seem way more crowded that they probably are. If we have to stay on a budget........we will stay off site in a condo or a house close by.
Lately though we find ourselves really interested in the Moderates OVER the Deluxes. The large food courts at POR Riverside, and CBR are something the deluxe resorts cant compete with. We feel like we can save a bit of money and still have a deluxe experience with moderates. The one thing we do miss with mods, are room balconies. But we can do with out it for a trade off of a nice convienient food court area.
We visited CBR on our last trip, and fell in LOVEwith it. More so than the deluxes we have stayed at. SO, our next trip will be to CBR.
To us..........the Deluxes have lost some of there "glimmer" they used to have. Either that or we have just gotten used to them ! lol
Syndrome
One of the CMs that I have become friendly with has previously been in charge of concierge at the Grand Floridian, but has also been in management at CBR and at POP. I believe he was also in mgt at POR/POFQ. I know he told me he worked at many of the hotels and several at management level. But the one fact that he shared with me will keep me from staying at CBR. I asked him if he had ever seen any snakes at POP to which he replied 'No, but he saw them all the time when he worked at CBR!' Way MORE than he ever wanted to in his lifetime. They also saw one that they had to call in 'pest control' I believe is the dept because it was an endangered variety and it had to be captured and relocated!!!
After his stories, I think I will definitely steer clear of CBR!!
Exactly. I've stayed at 2 values, all 4 moderates, and 3 deluxe resorts. In my opinion there is nothing that makes a deluxe really worth an additional $300 a night over a value. The beds are not that much nicer, I bring my own shampoo and soap anyway.
Also in general I have found the value resorts have much better bus service than the value resorts. Sure you can walk someplace from the deluxe resorts, but the stinky bus service makes up for that.
YUP!! Amazing that a value like POP or AoA has it's own bus but people staying at the GF, CR, or Poly who are paying top $$$ are sharing a bus to various places??!!! That just AMAZES me!!! LOL!!! They pay more but get crappier bus service IMO!
Now if I was staying at The GF, I would definitely use the H2O plus spa products they provide there!!! I LOVE that stuff! I can't wait until my cruise in Oct! I use almost all H2O products now except shampoo & conditioner. they haven't had a good sale on that in awhile... So looking forward to that on the cruise!
Our first family Disney vacay was at the Poly so we set the bar pretty high. I don't mind a moderate but after one night at a value, I won't do it again. Totally disliked everything about it. We are just not fans of a "value" style hotel regardless of whether it is at Disney, NYC, the beach, etc. We are DVC now, so it is deluxe all the time!
to each his or her own but I don't like DVC because you have to take out your own trash, make your own bed, you don't get fresh towels daily, you only get maid service every 4th day unless you want to pay a ridiculous price for it....
So value with our daily maid service works for us!
And my Daughter was a CM at Saratoga Springs...those units weren't that big...for the price, IMO. but again to each his/her own!
We just did a split stay at AoA (Little Mermaid room) and AKL. The bed was much more comfortable at AoA, but the towels were better at AKL. The maid service was better at AoA, and she left us extra towels, though.
We preferred the bus lines at AoA. It seemed like chaos at the buses at AKL. It didn't matter who had been waiting longer. Everyone rushed the bus as soon as it pulled up.
We liked the extra dressing space with the curtain at AoA.
AKL was much noisier with the inside hallways and children running all hours of the night. We also heard the people above us and those in the connecting room at AKL. We really didn't hear any outside noise or noise from other rooms at AoA.
My daughter is now an "extra adult" in the room. That was $10/night at AoA, and $25/night at AKL.
We enjoyed our balcony at AKL.
It was nicer in the rain that things were either inside or under cover at AKL.
Overall, we decided we'd rather stay longer at a value. If we had to do a short stay and had the money, though, we'd pick one of the Epcot deluxe resorts.
bolding is mine...
just because people are staying deluxe doesn't mean they have manners! We encountered that too! That is truly the advantage to having the queue! There is NO doubt as to who was there first. They have them for every hotel at a park....
We agree w/ you about AKL. DD has worked there as a CM and absolutely hated it. Fortunately, it was only a temporary deployment. Of all the hotels she has worked at (she has worked at Saratoga Springs, Tree House Villas, Old Key West, AKL, Boardwalk Inn, Beach Club, Contemporary, Bay Lake Tower, I think that is all of them...lol) she hated AKL the most!!! We have 0% interest in staying there. Honestly, it would have to pretty much be free for us to be willing to stay there, we just do NOT like it at all!
And I do not understand why it is $10 vs $25?? It's not like you can use that much more water when you shower or that much more product!!
We have stayed deluxe only and next trip we will be at the bwi. We like being close to the parks and with the Epcot resorts, walking to and fro two parks is very appealing. I have pulled into pop and was appalled at how undisney it felt. To be fair I didn't go inside of the resort, just at the bus stop. I think the allstars would appeal more for the disney icons, but the btg scare me from ever trying them.
we will stick with deluxes, we love them and they are a huge part of our vacation.
All Star Movies might for icons, but in all Honesty, All Star Sports and Music are way more
NON Disney than POP!!! You should go in and check POP out! POP has a good bit of Disney Icons like Lady and the Tramp, Mowgli and Baloo, Mr & Mrs. Potato Head. Those are a few that come to mind immediately. Yes, there are some non-Disney icons featured, but it is a wonderful blend of the two!!! Especially in the rooms in the artwork on the wall and the bedspread, they brought the theme together very well!!
Sports & Music really don't have any good tie in to Disney IMO in their iconic work...I have stayed at both previously. Now Movies is all about the Disney icon!
