Is it worth the extra money for a Moderate Resort?

[FSUMARCHIEF]

Here's the background - until we got married we had never stayed in the park. We stayed at the Contemporary on our honeymoon and have been hooked every since.

Here's our delimna. We have stayed at the value resorts several times now (ASMovies and POP). Each time has been just average at best. The size of the room, the noise coming from surrounding rooms, etc., make the stay feel like just an average stay in an average hotel. Our first trip to the ASMovies, we were taking our son who was only 18 months old. We read that you could request a crib, so we didn't take our portacrib with us. We arrived around midnight and then had to wait 45 minutes or more while they brought us the crib, even though we had requested it up front. Another time, we were trying to get our son in bed for an early rise the next morning. But the tub wouldn't drain and we knew we had to use it in the morning for showering. We called maintenance, and it took good hour to get someone there to fix the tub, keeping our son up longer than we had hoped. Another trip found the resort the dirtiest I'd ever seen at Disney. There was a pair of men's underwear in one of the staircases the entire 4 days we were there. We were appalled!

We were there this past weekend and stayed at the Boardwalk. I was there for Disney Institute training, and that's where the convention was held. What was in the closet? A baby crib. No waiting there. There was a problem with the tub in this room too, but it took no time for someone to come up and fix it. It was much quieter, and a much better experience, and a really enjoyable stay.

On our trip home, we discussed how we just can't justify spending $400 bucks a night for a room at one of the deluxes, when we could spend $77 for a night at the All-stars. But, after all the negatives at the value resorts, we're beginning to think that perhaps 50 more bucks for a moderate would be better. We've never stayed at a moderate resort. Anybody got an opinion about this? We're not cheapskates by any means, but we don't have a lot of extra money to just go spend $1000 for a hotel room on vacation. I know you get what you pay for - even at Disney, but are the moderates that much better than the values?

Thanks

 

[DisneyMomx7]

If you watch and codes come out I've seen moderates for $79-$84 a night and I remember seeing WL and I think AK for $109-$119 for standard views. Then you get the benefits of the mods or deluxes for less than $50 more than you were paying for the AS.

 

[goofy4tink]

I've stayed at all the resort levels at this point. I will say that the noisiest stay we have had to date was at the Polynesian. Quietest? AllStarMusic. Well, at least until we stayed in BWV's. But, those are a whole different catagory. So, are the moderate's worth the extra money? Sure, especially if you get a terrific code. Sometimes you can book them at $70 a night. Can't beat that. The theming is terrific. The pools are nicer and have water slides. The food courts tend to be a little smaller but you do have sit-down table
restuarant service also. The rooms are a wee bit bigger and the vanity areas are larger. They now have complimentary refridgerators in them.

I would watch for a good code to come out and you might be able to snag WL or AKL for a terrific rate. They can sometimes be almost as inexpensive as the moderates!!! The rooms are similar in size as are the beds but the amenities can be nicer.

 

[HANDYMOM]

We love the moderates! We did get a great discounted rate ($79 Disney Visa code May 2004) but I would have paid more and still found it worth it.

 

[Ergens2]

I would have to say yes, a mod is much better than a value. The bus trans seems better (b/c you are closer, maybe?) the rooms are a little bigger, and you do get a fridge now which is great to store juice boxes and fruit and things for snacks. And the dining options are better, IMO. *the pools have slides! * (that seems to be a big thing with kids, my husband too! ) Take a look at some of the resort reviews at www.allearsnet.com . Deb has compiled some great info and she has pic. of the resorts too!

 

[leahvonleah]

Where do you find these codes? Are they for disney visa customers and AP holders?

 

[Buzz2001]

mousesavers.com

 

[vettechick99]

In simple words, yes there is a difference from value to mod and then from mod to deluxe and the money is worth that difference. I've stayed at all levels and won't stay at value anymore. Not a snob, it'd just rather cut my stay and pay more per night than deal with the big crowds, thin walls and far away location.

I paid $110 last year for POFQ in the regular season, so if you can go during Value season, you will do even better than that! But we normally rent points and plan to again this year so we can stay at a deluxe/HAFH. A studio at BCV is $120 which is a great deal. I love being so close to Epcot and within walking distance of BW and MGM.

 

[ciera321]

I definately feel the moderates are well worth the extra!!! The room size and set up, the grounds and themeing, the pools and slides all make it soooo worth the extra. We stayed at WL at Christmas 04 and felt like the rooms were only a tiny bet larger than the moderates, ans then it was only the hallway that made it seem bigger. Love the mods!!!

 

[leighe]

I definitely think so. However, I do have to say that we have only spent 1 night at a value - AsSp before checking in to AKL - but we (DH and I) didn't care for it at all. We loved CBR and are going to try POR for our short little spring break jaunt. I think the moderates' landscaping and theming is just beautiful and the rooms are nicer. We liked the outdoor corridors at CBR - it added to the private, secluded feeling we had while staying there. The quiet pools were fabulous. We also weren't terribly concerned about how far our room was from the food court or main pool - however, we weren't travelling with children.

I've thought about trying Pop a few times but always chicken out!

 

[PrinceJohn]

yes. mods are a whole different world.

 

[ZZUB]

It really depends on how much you enjoy hearing other people flush the toilet.

We've stayed at all levels and obviously we enjoyed deluxe the best. But, like you, we don't relish spending $$$$ for a room we won't be in very long each day. Frankly, we enjoyed our stays at POR and CBR almost as much as at the Poly. If you don't enjoy the values resorts very much then it is probably worth it to spend a few bucks more to stay at a mod. For a a little more you'll get a larger room, a refrigerator, a better pool and a slide.

You just won't be able to hear anyone around flush their toilets. Can you live with that?!

 

[dawgfan]

We stayed at All Star Music twice and decided that we wanted to move up to a mod on our next trip. On our second trip it was just me and my wife. We decided to check out the resorts we thought would appeal to us on that trip. So, we went around on one day looking. We went to POR and immediately "got the difference". It is hard to define the complete difference in the resorts on mod level. They are quite different in feel from the budget resorts. I have not had a bad experience at All Stars and would not balk at staying there again if that was the only way we would get to go. But, I would say that the resorts at mod level are that much better. I was thinking the other night about our last stay which was at POFQ. My memories of ASMu were of bold styling in Disney theme. They were bigger than life icons that in any other setting they would be tacky but they are forgiven at Disney as part of the magic. They are perfect for a small child wanting to emerse in Disney theme. The moderates are much smoother at the theme. They almost sneak up on you. They are extremely comfortable and cool in their feel. I worried about what the children would get out of the resort and if they would like it as well. My description almost seems adult oriented when I read back to myself as if children would not relate. Boy was I wrong to worry. The kids absolutely loved the difference. The pool at POFQ alone was a real plus and much different than an All Star. My wife will now not stay at a Budget again I am afraid.

I am a Georgia Methodist. If you have any further questions of the "flock" let me know.

 

[FSUMARCHIEF]

Dawgfan, you're a Georgia Methodist, huh? I guess I can like you cause you're a Methodist - and a Disney fan, but we gotta work on that Dawg thing, alright? And thanks for the info. This past trip we spent one night at ASMo and then went to the Boardwalk for the Disney Institute Training. Oh my gosh. What an unbelievable difference! We'll probably shoot for a Mod on our next trip. But I gotta say, this is the first time in a while that we don't have a countdown in our signatures. Kinda sad to see it empty down there!

Go Noles!
Mark

 

[*Fantasia*]

bump!