Is it worth it?

[ccathcart]

Hi everyone!! This is my first trip the WDW with the family. We have already put a payment down for our trip in September. We currently are booked for the Pop Movie Value Report. Because this was our first time I really didnt want to opt to go to the better resorts since we didnt know too much. In giving us the quote for the Pop Movie they also quoted us on the Moderate resorts such as the Carribean Beach. It was a difference of about 200.00 for the 4 nights between the Movie and the Carribean resort. Now I am thinking of maybe upgrading.

Bottom line, is it worth the extra 200.00 to go to the Carribean or even Coronado Springs?



Thanks!!!

Chris

 

[Jchance]

How many are in your family?

 

[ccathcart]

Myself, My Wife, 5 Year Old Daughter and 1 Year Old Daughter (who will be 2 at the time of travel).

 

[BarleyJack]

Just wanting to clarify...are you staying at Pop Century or All Star Movies? They are two different places

 

[goofy4tink]

Which are you being quoted for...POP Century or All Star Movies? These are different resorts. I prefer POP. But, they are pretty much the same.
As someone just asked..how many in your group?
I'm assuming there are 4 and maybe one under 3. Should you upgrade? Only you can make that choice. Here are the differences..
slightly bigger rooms at a moderate.
more recreational options at a moderate.
table service restaurant.
slide at the pool.
moderates have a privacy curtain between vanity area and sleep area.
moderates have a fridge in the room.
theming at moderates is more 'adult' vs big, in your face theming at values.

But the moderates can be spread out, with several bus stops within the resort. At POP you don't share a bus with any other resorts. All Star Movies shares a bus, at times, with Music and Sports. Sometimes they do not share, especially at the busier times of day.

So, as you can see...there are differences. It's up to you to decide what works best for your family.

 

[goofy4tink]

Myself, My Wife, 5 Year Old Daughter and 1 Year Old Daughter (who will be 2 at the time of travel).

I would be very tempted to stay at a value with those ages. They would love POP Century or Movies.

 

[BarleyJack]

I would be very tempted to stay at a value with those ages. They would love POP Century or Movies.

I agree with this, and hopefully its POP that you have booked for the above mentioned reasons as well!

 

[ccathcart]

It is the All Star Movies, sorry to be confusing. So you all think I should stay then? I just didnt want to miss out on the extra's. I see boat rides, slides for the pools and things like that in pictures. I just didnt know.

Thanks.

 

[BarleyJack]

With kids that age not sure it would matter much. You won't be missing a whole lot (cept maybe a waterslide which are only at the waterparks and mod/deluxe resorts). It all depends on what is more important to your family, you know them best. Personally I'd save a stay at a mod/deluxe until the kids are older, and better able to appreciate the amenities there. Like I said tho, thats just me.

 

[schoen]

I like moderates for the queen sized beds. I am not a fan of a double bed for my husband and myself.

 

[BarleyJack]

I like moderates for the queen sized beds. I am not a fan of a double bed for my husband and myself.

Moderates don't have queen sized beds. At least POR didn't last week when we were there. Two fulls or one King.

 

[GovieMom]

I like moderates for the queen sized beds. I am not a fan of a double bed for my husband and myself.

No queen-size beds at the moderates; only the deluxes have them.

 

[ave&audsmom]

We stayed at Pop two years ago for our first family trip with DD ages 3 & 5 & loved it. I've read that ASM is very entertaining too. Later that year, we stayed at POR since we were meeting my sister & her family (of 5). My kids kept asking when we could go back to the other hotel (meaning Pop).

We're going again in May & will be staying at Pop once again.

 

[Kira G.]

I like moderates for the queen sized beds. I am not a fan of a double bed for my husband and myself.

Moderates have the same size bed as the values - they're all doubles.

With kids that age, and for your first trip, I think you can't go wrong with either Pop or Movies. My kids loved both of them - I preferred Movies slightly but I am in the minority. And you will likely spend most of your time in the parks, so you may not use the extra amenities at the moderate resorts.

My husband and I on the other hand much prefer the Moderates for the calmer atmosphere and beautiful landscaping. But much of that is lost on my kids!

Have a great trip!

 

[ajleone]

We are also a family of 4 and love the Moderates(POFQ to especially). The rooms are just enough bigger than the values so you don't feel like you're tripping over each other and the theming is beautiful!

 

[figment fan21]

I stayed at ASSp last sept. and their main pool was being rehabbed, so me and DBF walked over to ASMu and used their pool and it was pretty cool! No water slide (but we'd look funny at 21yrs old going down a water slide anyway) but it was cute! The kids that we saw there loved the pool because the three cabeneros are in the middle squirting water in the middle. With kids the ages you have they'll love the pool there... i say stay and save the 200 bucks and maybe put it towards a disney character breakfast... kids of all ages (like myself) love those character breakfasts!

 

[goofy4tink]

Okay...so it's All Star Movies. That should be a fun spot with your kids. The difference in room size is a non-issue, really. You're talking about an extra foot or so..not a big deal.
Here's my take...if it's between a value and a moderate resort, I usually go with the value resort. Why? I don't need that extra foot of space, and my dd is no longer thrilled by the slides at the moderate pools, we don't really eat table service at our resort. We don't really use the extra recreational offerings (bikes, canoes, etc). And I seldom, if ever, use a hot tub (spa) at WDW.....way too many people in there with me.

So..if you can make do without a pool slide (and your kids seem young enough for that to be a non-issue) and you can make do with just a food court (which I love by the way), then go with the value resort.

 

[NeverlandPixie]

It is the All Star Movies, sorry to be confusing. So you all think I should stay then? I just didnt want to miss out on the extra's. I see boat rides, slides for the pools and things like that in pictures. I just didnt know.

Thanks.

Just to clarify, there are no boat rides or pool slides at ANY of the value resorts. You would have to stay at one the moderate resorts for these.

 

[unbroken chain]

I agree, at 5 and 1 your kids won't know the difference. But you and your wife will. Take a look at some of the pictures of the resorts and rooms, and see if you think the rooms are worth it. Maybe the rooms and resort style is important to you or maybe you figure you will just sleep there anyway and don't care that much (at least not $200 worth).

There are lots of resort photos on wdwinfo.com and more pictures of the rooms themselves on allearsnet.com. I would say the theming at the values is more child-oriented and at the moderates more adult-oriented. Take a look at the photos to see.

 

[slug]

I think you're going to spend a significant amount of time at the resort - especially with a 5 and 2 yo. They're going to need naps every day and time to just relax. So you may want to consider a resort with better theming.

The first time my wife and I went alone we stayed at an All Star b/c we planned on being away from the room most of the time. So that was perfect.

But when we went with dd, we opted for the CR because we wanted a resort with a bit more to do. And the CR also offerred the convienience of location.

I've also stayed at the CBR and I think if I were you, and if you do go with a moderate, I'd try the CSR.