Is a Moderate worth $350 more?

[txmomto1]

Here's a little background. DH,DS,DM and I are booked at POP for free dining, 9/12-9/17. We have ADR's, and will only eat at the food court on our last morning. We stayed at ASMovies in January, and thought it was fine. I loved the outdoors, theme etc, just found the rooms a little worn out.

My concerns about POP are:

Will it be crazy crowded in September during free dining?
Will the buses take a tremendous amount of time?
Will it be too crowded with 3 adults, and one child?

Would it be worth it to stay at a MOD? It will be about $350 more. It would be ok to spend the money, but is it worth it? Are the rooms that much nicer then POP? is bus service better? And we spend hardly no time in our room. We are out by 8AM, and home around 9PM.

TIA for your opinions.

 

[skifast22]

I went in September last year during free dining and stayed at ASMo. Thinking back to bus lines at the end of the day, ASMo, CB, and Port Orleans all had HUGE lines. One night I actually rode the bus back to ASMu and then walked to ASMo from there.

To me it sounds like your not really sold on a moderate yourself, so why not save the money and stay at the value? This year I'm splurging and staying at the CR, but if I wasn't doing that, I probaly would have stayed at ASMu just because it seemed the least crowded of the value resorts.

 

[monami7]

Will it be crazy crowded in September during free dining? YES

Will the buses take a tremendous amount of time? Depends on what time you are going to the parks and returning.

Will it be too crowded with 3 adults, and one child? Depends on you. The rooms are the same as AS's

Would it be worth it to stay at a MOD? IMHO Yes. We are staying at a Mod because we are on vacation and want some down time. nothing about the Values says down time to me. If you and your family are never at the resort then this might not matter to you.

 

[skipperkim]

There are 4 advantages to staying at a moderate over a value.

1.) The rooms are a bit bigger.

2.) There are 2 sinks, unless you are at CSR.

3.) You'll have a fridge in your room, for free.

4.) There will be a hot tub. The values do not have one.

It all depends on what you think you might use of the above 4. I've stayed at a value and won't go back. I prefer the 2 sinks at the moderate.

 

[Kevin355]

Also, there are more pools at the MOD resorts. I know Caribbean Beach Resort has a pool at each area...I believe 6 pools in all. I have also heard great review about Port Orleans but never stayed there. The $350 is more than worth it.

 

[lulugirl]

If it won't kill your budget, then I definitely think it's worth it to upgrade.
I think the moderate resorts are much nicer and offer excellent value.

 

[txmomto1]

Thanks for all your responses. OK, here are more questions for you. What Moderate resort? I read that CSR has the shortest bus times. Which has the nicest rooms?

We won't be doing pools, or really anything in the resorts. We don't need the fridge. This is our pure, see all that we can see vacation. It's our training for trips to Europe when DS is older. HA!

So the most important thing is efficency, and cleanliness. So I guess that's my biggest concern, are the rooms that much more luxurious. I just see it as $350 is almost two tickets back to WDW!!! So I really want to be wowed by the room.

 

[iluveeyore]

We stayed at CSR and POP - we all preferred POP - at the Mods there are more buildings, and most take forever to walk up to the main lobby if you want to eat/visit gift shop, etc. At POP we were never far from main lobby/eatery, close to buses, and there are three pools to choose from. We like to stay in the 50's/60's buildings (Lady and the Tramp), and get a room on the lake side - very pretty and peaceful walking path, and just 60 second walk to pool and 2 min. walk to eatery. Also, POP has its own buses, doesn't share with any other resort like the All-Stars. At mods, there are at least four or five bus stops within each resort, and you have to stop at all of them - we always seemed to be the last stop!
So if you're not in your room much, stay with POP - you'll really like it, it never seems that crazy, not any more than the others anyhow, it has great theming for young and old alike, and the buses are definitely better. Save your money for souvenirs, or just plain save it!
Have a great trip!

 

[MichelleVW]

We've stayed in value, mod and deluxe and honestly, I'll stick with the values. We stayed at the AKL and although it was nice seeing the animals, I don't think it was worth the price.

My kids love the pools/food court theming of the values and I'd rather spend dthe extra 350 on something else. The rooms at the Mods are a little bit bigger, but they still only have double beds.

We went over a weekend in January and although some of the value busses were really busy, thanks to TGM we weren't on those crowded busses!

 

[nbodyhome]

I don't expect the resorts to be crazy-crowded with free dining, it is still a slow time of year. I'm staying at the Pop Century for at least 10 nights (I think I'm booked currently for 11).

You will have 2 double beds at either the Pop or a moderate (unless you had a trundle bed at POR). So the sleeping arrangements would likely be the same.

I have never been "wowed" by a moderate room at Disney. The grounds, yes - I love walking around POR/POF especially. The grounds are grand, like the mansions - beautiful! So it seems weird to me to walk into a room after that. The rooms ARE nice, they aren't any more "wow" to me than POP. I did have a couple of friends (who prefer deluxe resorts) say "wow" from the new All Star Music rooms, though!

 

[minnie61650]

....... I did have a couple of friends (who prefer deluxe resorts) say "wow" from the new All Star Music rooms, though!

We (DH & I ) loved the new look of our refubished room when we stayed at All Star Music last September.

The resort was not very busy and the wait for the rides during the week were only 5 to 10 minutes--even Soarin.

The waits were a longer on the weekend but not long at all. maybe 20-25 minutes for Soarin.

All Star Music is undergoing a refurbishment of all of the rooms and is slated to be completed by June 2007.

The Calypso and Jazz buildings are completed and the last I heard they are working on the Broadway Buildings.

DH and I stayed a refurbished room last Sept. (2006)

They were newly painted,new carpet, new funiture ,new bedding , new curved shower rod and curtains. We loved the new look!

Here is a website with photos of the newly refurbished rooms at All Star Music.

Look at the Jazz Inn section with new posted:

http://allearsnet.com/acc/g_asmu.htm

Have fun at Disney!

 

[nbodyhome]

If I didn't like the Pop so much, the Music was my next choice. I love the music and theming at the Pop, it feels like home to me.

My friends were completely thrilled with the new Music rooms, and they aren't into the value resorts. I'm going to check out their room in September, though.

 

[cfknight]

We are going to do the oposite as you, we have always stayed at moderates, this time were going to a value. At all I have stayed at it is hard to spend the money for as little as we are in the rooms. I could be wrong but all that money just to sleep (basicly)

 

[KingdomHearts]

I always book my trips depending on what type of vacation we are going down for. If we are going down to just relax a little more then normal and are going to spend some time at the hotel then I will book a deluxe resort. But if we are going down to go to the parks all day, from opening to closing then I book a value resort. I think of it like this, I feel that if we are going down to run around to the parks then the hotel is just a room for us to sleep at night and that is it. For the extra $350 you can book the value resort for two more nights. Or have more money for extra shopping! Hope this helps!

 

[nbodyhome]

For the extra $350 you can book the value resort for two more nights. Or have more money for extra shopping! Hope this helps!

Actually, for about 4 more nights, including the free dining plan!

 

[SqueakyMouse]

If money is an issue, no a mod is not worth the additional expense. The values at WDW are great. The rooms at the mods (and the deluxes for that matter) are only slightly larger -- all are smallish by "real world" (translation=outside of WDW) standards. We have stayed at all levels of WDW resorts and have enjoyed every single one of our visits as much as any other. The nice thing about saving on your room is that you won't feel guilty about spending that money on souvenirs or whatever. Also, if you are like me, you really won't spend much time in your room or even at your resort. I always have good intentions of taking advantage of the boats, exercise rooms, etc.; but I never actually follow through.

 

[nsalz]

I personally think that mods are worth the extra $$. We have stayed at the value, mods and deluxe. If we need a room for one or two nights before we check into a mod or deluxe, we will stay at the value to save a little money. I don't think I could take a week in a value resort however. I love the theming and the resorts themselves, but I cannot stand the beds. I find them highly uncomfortable. I also have had the experience, when the room next door uses there bathroom, you can hear the shower and everytime they flush. Just my opinion. Of course, it also depends on how strict your budget is.

 

[nbodyhome]

I actually like the Pop Century beds, I remember moving from SOG after 2 nights and finding them more comfy. And I have heard a lot of flushing at resorts like the AKL - not just at the Pop and other values.

It isn't so much just due to budget, I am cheap - I could afford to do a moderate, but I can save that money over 10 nights this September and do other things (i.e. - like buy a plane ticket to Europe). But everybody is different, and there times I like a night or two in a deluxe as well.

 

[SeaSpray]

Would it be worth it to stay at a MOD? It will be about $350 more. It would be ok to spend the money, but is it worth it? Are the rooms that much nicer then POP? is bus service better? And we spend hardly no time in our room. We are out by 8AM, and home around 9PM.

TIA for your opinions.

I can't give you a straight answer as to whether or not you'd think a moderate resort is worth $350 more, but I can share an experience of mine...

When DH and I went on our first cruise we were booked in an inside cabin; no window, nothing. Basically it was a closet with a bed and a bathroom. lol We spent NO time in the cabin; we'd get back late at night, wash up and get into bed. The next morning we'd shower, get dressed, and leave the cabin. We'd only stop back at the cabin during the day to change clothes or freshen up.

On our next cruise we had our teen sons with us so decided to pay more for a cabin with a balcony because we figured it'd give us a little more physical space (which it did). However, we LOVED waking up the ocean right outside our door, being able to eat room service breakfast out there, able to step out and see where we were heading, where we were docked, we saw fish, dolphin, etc, each night we spent at least a few minutes out there looking at the stars, watching the lightning shows way off in the distance, etc. We LOVED having a balcony and now we only book balcony cabins.

What's the point of that story? The point is if there is no reason to enjoy a cabin (or the case of Disney World, a resort and the room), then you tend to spend ALL of your time away from the resort. If there are nice pools, balconies, beautiful grounds to explore, etc, then that often times is motivation and reason to not rush off in the mornings, to want to take breaks at your resort in the afternoon and swim or relax, and to enjoy unwinding a little at your resort at the end of the day. In this case, the $350 difference would be worth it.

All of these things appeal to myself and my family, and that's why we enjoy mainly the deluxe resorts but also the moderate resorts as well.

If you and your family TRULY will not spend any time at the resort other than to shower and sleep, even if there was a nice pool area and nice grounds to explore, and water options such as boats, watermice, etc, then you probably would not appreciate any amenities that a different resort would offer to you, and the $350 difference would not be worth it.


Only you can really decide whether additional cost would be worth it to you, in terms of enjoyment and use of the resort.

Have a GREAT time at WDW, wherever you decide to stay!

 

[mickeymedic]

Let me start by saying that I LOVE POR! I try to talk everyone I meet into staying there. However, since you do not plan to spend any "quality time" at your resort, you will sleep just as well at a value as you would at a moderate. It might be worth it to you to spend a little extra money to stay in a "preferred" location at the value resort. That way you'll be close to the food court and the busses. The risk you take staying at a moderate is that you might have quite a walk to get anywhere. DH and I love POR because the grounds are beautiful, we love walking along the river, we love the boat ride to DTD, the pool is awesome and the lounge is hopping in the evening (thanks to piano man Bob.) But, if you plan to spend all your time in the parks and just sleep at your resort, go with the cheap rooms.