Life after deluxe

[cstraub]

This is for all of those people out there that have done a value after staying at a deluxe. Has anyone been happy staying in a value after doing deluxe?

We are searching for a place to stay to add on a few days to our trip to SOG. We are thinking about a few different choices including POP. We have stayed at mostly deluxe except for once at CBR. Do you think we would like POP? I'm nervous about it.

 

[unixadm]

The Values are nice for the kids....my kids love the ASMo theming with the Toy Story Characters, etc. The Theming is even fun for the adults....probably more so with POP.

But, if you are used to deluxe accomodations, these are definately not it. The rooms are small, and are basically a Red Roof Inn type of room with Disney Styling.

There are two beds sharing a bedside table, a small table with 2 chairs for sitting, a TV sitting on a dresser and a separate vanity and bathroom. That is the entire room.

Here is a photo inside the room:

We are doing the ASMo again in September for 1 night, and Boardwalk Villas for 6 nights.

I think doing a mix of a deluxe, or villa with a value is great....we did it last trip and are doing it again this trip.....I guess the big question is how much time you expect to spend in the room, and how long your stay will be.

If you will be out at parks for most of the day and evenings, or spending time in the pools, etc, and only using the room for sleeping, then I see no problem staying in a value for several days or longer after a deluxe....but if you like relaxing in the room in the evenings, it will not be as comfortable as the deluxes, and no beautiful views like the deluxes, etc.

I would suggest doing the Value FIRST, then the deluxe.....that way you are upgrading your accomodations during the trip instead of downgrading.

 

[minnie61650]

That would be me

I am 55 year old and travel several times a year. I often stay at 4 star hotels.
So the deluxe resorts do not have anything special for me.
All Star is like being in the heart of the Magic and that is where I want to be.

All Star Music is my faveroite.It is quieter because more couples stay there. I love staying at the Clypso builing. It is closer to the pool,food court and bus stop.

Here is a site with a map of All Star Sports and All Star Music.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/allstarmap.htm
Scroll down.All Star Music is at the bottom of the page.
The Calypso buildings at All Star Music are #1 and #10 are nearest to the food court and bus stop.
They are the preferred buildings and cost about $12 extra per night.
The Calypso pool at ASMU has Donald Duck.

Here is the map of All Movies.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/allstarmovie.JPG
The Fantasia Buildings are the preferred buildings.
The All Star Movie Fantasia pool has Mickey.
It is a great place to stay .
preschoolers love it.
It is like being in the middle of a Disney Movie Fantasyland.

The buses are wonderful.

Bus rides are quite short from the ALL Stars according to PassPorter.com

All Star Buses-CBR buses---CSR buses--PO buses--- Contemporary
MK 20 min---- 20 min-----15 min------10 min---20 min(mono)
Epcot 10 min-- 15 min-----15 min------10 min---15 min
MGM 10 min----12 min-----15 min------15 min---20min
AK 10 min------20min-------10 min----15 min---20 min
DTD 15 min----20 min------35 min-----15 min---35 min

It only takes 10 minutes to get to Epcot,MGM and AK from All Stars.
MK is 20 min away. That's the same amount of time it takes on the monorail from the Contemporary.

The All Star resorts have 1960 rooms each.
Pop has 2,880rooms.
That means more people in the pools,food court and in line waiting for the bus at POP.
When phase 2 of POP is built it will be 2 bus stops at POP and the 2 POPs will have the same # of rooms as the 3 All Stars.

Also All Star is closer to the main road to get to parks and thats why bus rides are shorter from there than from POP.

A WORD ABOUT BUS SHARING:

It is usually just our stop and maybe one more on the way to the parks. On the way back sometimes its all 3 but often Sports and Music share and Movies has it's own bus back.

I guess some people who stay at POP see all 3 All Star names on the return sign of our bus stop when they head to the POP bus stop and think All Stars also has 3 stops on the way to the park.
(Even when we stop at another AS resort to load up it has not taken more than 5 minutes and we are on our way!)

I love the All Star Resorts --they can't be beat. I have visited WDW more than a dozen times with the 1st time in Oct. 1971. It was brand new. I've stayed at FW, Disney Inn, a few the of Hotels on hotel Blvd., CBR and the towers at the Contemporary. I got to see the MK from my balcony at the Contemporary and I'm happy I got to experience it once. I just prefer the All Star Resorts.
The theaming is pure Disney.
My last 4 visits have been at The All Stars and this fall when we take dd,dsil, and our grandson age 3 we are staying at the All Stars Music. I thought about AKL and even though we can well afford AKL I just wanted Alex to experience the Disney Magic at the All Stars on his first visit.
Where else can one find Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse at the pool?
Have a great time at Disney!
Linda
__________________

 

[cstraub]

WOW!! Thanks for the info!! I really do like to have that Disney feel and really haven't felt much except for the CR.

I'll check out your links!!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We enjoyed Pop after several deluxe stays and two cruises. But then again I wouldn't care where I stayed as long as it was on property!

 

[tomerin]

this summer i stayed a POP for a few days with my DS#2 aged 15. since i was fotunate to get a few extra days added to my vacation i was able to get a room at POP for 2 days before joining my family who was arriving a few days later at SSR.

we did enjoy POP more then we thought we would. yes the rooms are smaller it is a bit more crowded and the food court is very busy and the buses are a bit more crowded but it was a nice place to stay. i really enjoyed just walking around seeing all of the oversized icons and loved the pools themes. fun place to stay.

we are dvc members, SSR, but if i had the choice of adding to my vacation and i could only stay at a value i really wouldnt mind it at all.

 

[lonegungirl]

I would agree with minnie61650--I've stayed in some nice hotels throughout the world, and although the Swan and Contemporary were very pleasant, I didn't really think the rooms were spectacular as far as size, decor, amenities, etc. I was a little nervous about my last trip to ASMu, but I had no problems whatsoever with my room or the noise or cleanliness. I actually thought the other 2 hotels were more generic in their theming.

I've never been there with more than 2 other people, so room size isn't usually a factor for me, and as far as the view is concerned, I spend most of my time in the parks, so I've never spent a great deal of time admiring what views I've had. I suspect it's more meaningful if you have a wonderful view of the castle or something, but even at the deluxes, I don't think I've ever had a view of anything grander than the lake, which is nice but expendable for me.

As I think more about it, one of the things I think I rather liked about ASMu was the central location of the pools and the children milling/splashing about. I wasn't in one of the rooms directly around there (and so wasn't bothered by the volume of their enthusiasm,) but it was somewhat "magical" to see all the enjoyment they were having as I walked by...versus the other hotels (particularly the Contemporary) where I hardly ever saw anyone at all, and could very well have been staying in a convention center...

 

[goofy4tink]

We own at BWV, so obviously I enjoy the deluxes. But, I love staying at the value resorts as well. Just back from a 4 night stay at Pop and can't say enough about it. But, I'm one of those people that doesn't do room service or use a health club or spa. I have no problem eating in the food court. If I want table service, then I know where to find it. The only thing we miss at the values are the slides in the pools. But, for a quick or last minute trip, I'm not going to worry about a lack of pool slide!!!
Loved AllStarMusic as well.

 

[milmore104]

We have stayed at every range of resort except for a Mod. We LOVE AKL but are staying at POP this time around (DD choice). We rather enjoyed the themeing and atmoshpere at Sports when we stayed there. We really don't care where we stay really just happy we're going.

 

[JPN4265]

Deluxe is my favorite, I would stay at mod., but never value.

 

[JennSaint]

We've stayed at POFQ after staying at a Deluxe and I loved the theming and atmosphere. My only complaint is the small beds. We really like to be comfortable and are much better off with queen beds. If the values and mods had queen beds I wouldn't hesitate to stay at any of them.

 

[TiggerPU88]

We have stayed in everyething -- value, moderate, deluxe, but got really spoiled by Poly concierge in 2003. When we stayed at Pop Century in 2004, we had a great trip... but it wasn't the same as the Poly. We really disliked the food court. We thought the food was over-priced and not so good. We used a rental car, which meant we didn't do much waiting for buses. We did like their kids pool, but found it harder to go back to the hotel in the middle of the day than we had at the Poly. So, we are heading back to the Poly for our next trip.

YMMV... have a great time regardless!

-- Adrienne : )

 

[MaryPA]

We have stayed at ASMu and ASMo, not at POP, yet. We like them. Have been to Moderate's and a couple of Deluxe's. We actually prefer the food courts at Value over the food court at Moderate. There is more to choose from and although we do like an occasional sit down dinner - we don't want to do it every day. We are there for the Parks - not so much the resort. Keep an open mind when you stay at Value and remember how much you are saving by staying there. Each class of resort has their own charm. Have a Good trip!

 

[lovesdumbo]

Just a few more days before I try a value for the first time. I'm really looking forward to it. I'll be going knowing that I'll be going to the Poly in Oct. I'm taking just my DS(4 1/2) with friends so I think the ASMo will be perfect for us. I'll be sure to post a review when I get back.

 

[lkneller]

We stayed at the BC many times and always loved it. We decided to try a less expensive resort. I was very worried that we would reqret that decision. BUT! We were very surprized how much we loved Dixie Landings. The resort is beautiful and peaceful. We have also stayed at WL, POLY, CB, & Disney Inn. We have loved every resort. They are all different and wonderful in their own way. We never stayed in any value resorts. Can't comment on them, but we were very happy with moderates after spening many vacations in deluxe.