Moderate Resort or DXDDP?

[Trina7020]

I got a little bit of unexpected money!

Thinking about maybe upgrading our Vacation...

This is our first trip to Disney. DH and I are taking our 2 and 3 year old boys. We are currently staying at Pop Century with the DDP... which I hear alot of people love!

So would you upgrade the resort to a moderate (recommendations?), the Dining Plan, or neither and just take the cash with us? (Adding.. we do have a chunk of money set aside to take with us already... like $1000... so spending money is not a issue really)

Thanks! Isn't it fun to pretend to spend someone else's money?

 

[TJA]

Well I'm not sure how much higher you want to go and what your budget is, but if you want something convenient for your family (having a 2 & 3 yr old), you should consider trying WL. It has a boat to MK and you can roll your strollers right on and off the boat without having to unload and fold them up. A standard room at WL (and AKL) will be the least expensive deluxe resorts. I do not know much about moderate resorts, so hopefully others will answer in that regard.

Now.....if money is really not an issue, then I'd consider a monorail resort. There are 3 of them -- CR, Poly, GF. We have stayed at both CR and Poly and like both of them. You can take a monorail from these resorts to MK and Epcot. So just roll your strollers right on and off the monorail, very easy and convenient with young kids possibly sleeping.

There are also the Epcot resorts. Personally, we love BC the best. It is very child and family-oriented, has a character breakfast too. There is an entire section of the pool that has a sandy bottom and is very shallow water, so perfect for the young kids. There are also mounds of sand to play in. My kids stay busy in this pool for hours.

Just some thoughts for you to ponder. Take a look at some pictures and get some quotes. We have found the above resorts have made our Disney trips extremely relaxing because of the ease of getting back and forth to parks.

Oh, and I don't know much about the dining plan so I cannot comment on that. We are annual passholders, so we get a dining card that gets us 20% off our meals.

 

[Perditamarie]

I would save the $$ for your next trip, because you will want to plan it immediately upon returning home!!

Pop is a lot of fun, especially for kids-- there is a great kiddy pool and splashground, a lot of fun icons decorating the resort and a lot of choices for particular eaters in the food court. Stay put...you will have a blast!

I would also stick w/the basic dining plan (the 2 yr old doesn't need to be included in dining plan or need park tix), otherwise you will spend your entire vacation in a restaurant watching Disney through a window -- all the little kids I know won't tolerate that for long!!

Happy planning!

 

[bellebud]

With the ages of your boys, I'd probably stay at the value... I think they'll enjoy the themes more (although I've never been there, but have seen pics). The only way I'd upgrade is to a deluxe, and that's more for you than the boys. I'd just keep the cash and toss it in savings and forget I had it (let it earn some interest for your next trip!)

 

[tanyaandallie]

I would upgrade resorts way before I went with the Deluxe Dining Plan. IMO, it's just way too much food. Too much time spent eating. You will constantly be worrying about your next meal b/c you won't want to waste the $$ you spent on the meals. With 2 young children I would not want to spend that much time sitting down at table service restaurants.

Depending on how much $$, I'd either upgrade to the WL if possible or save the $$ and use it for spending.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Well, we like pop too much to pay the difference for a moderate BUT if there is enough to upgrade to a deluxe then I would go for it. A monorail resort or WL would be idea with too little ones. We really like WL! I agree that the Deluxe dinning plan would be way too much with two little ones. Extra money could go to a couple other Character meals or just a little spoiling yourselves.

 

[Aliceacc]

If I could really afford it, I would upgrade to Garden View, Garden Wing at the Contemporary (with the AAA discount.)

There is nothing that can compare with being able to WALK a cranky child back from the Magic Kingdom!!!!

Just for the sake of argument, price it out and see what you get!!

 

[Trina7020]

How do you qualify for a AAA discount?

 

[Aliceacc]

You join AAA

That's pretty much it. There are some limits to the number of rooms per resort that can get the discount at any given time. But with a little luck and flexibility, it can save you some really decent money, especially at the more expensive resorts!

This came from www.mousesavers.com:

American Automobile Association (AAA) and Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) members qualify for "room only" discounts almost year-round, though there are a limited number of rooms available for each date. You can generally save about 10-20% at the Disney resort hotels, depending on the season.

In general, the discounts run as follows:

During Value Season you can get up to 15% off at the Disney Deluxe and Disney Vacation Club resorts, or 20% off at the Value and Moderate resorts and the Ft. Wilderness campsites.

During Regular Season you can usually get up to 10% off at the Disney Deluxe and Disney Vacation Club resorts, or 15% off at the Value and Moderate resorts and the Ft. Wilderness campsites.

During Peak Season and Summer Season you can usually get up to 10% off at the Disney Deluxe and Disney Vacation Club resorts, or 15% off at the Value and Moderate resorts.

The only time AAA/CAA discounts don't usually apply is Holiday Season (around Christmas) at the Value and Moderate resorts.

You don't have to book AAA/CAA rates through the Auto Club. Room-only reservations with an AAA discount can be booked directly through the Disney Reservation Center at (407) W-DISNEY or a travel agent who specializes in Disney travel. Just ask if there is an AAA or CAA discount for your dates and resort. "

 

[Trina7020]

So with the AAA room only discount you cannot book a package?

 

[Aliceacc]

NO, you can. You just need an AAA agent to book it for you. If you want room only, you can book it yourself.

(And, as someone else mentioned, look into the Wilderness Lodge as well. The AP at my school was there last summer with his kids and he RAVED about it!!)

gotta put my girls into bed; I'll check back later!

 

[Trina7020]

THanks for your help! I will check it out!

 

[Rylee]

This wasn't one of your choices, but I would bank it for the next trip.

I would not upgrade to the Deluxe DP. The DP is plenty of food and even the most well-behaved 2 & 3 year olds would probably not be happy spending that much time sitting at tables. If there is a special TS restaurant you are considering, perhaps you could splurge and add it.

I don't think I'd upgrade the resort, either... not to a moderate, anyway. The Values are fun, bright, lively and shout Disney! Perfect for children that age. (I would pay for a perferred room, if you don't already have one booked.) On the other hand, if you originally only booked Pop because of budget limitations or have other concerns about your stay at Pop,, then you might want to upgrade to your first resort choice.

I don't know if they are currently offering "Bounce-back" promotions, but if they are, you could use some of the money to secure your next trip!

I WOULD use some of the money to extend the length of stay, if this is a possibility. You can never spend enough time at Disney.

 

[Trina7020]

Thank all of you for the info!

I do already have a preferred room at Pop. 7 day base tickets and Basic Dining. (I actually have a few more ADRs (mostly for characters breakfasts b/c that is the only meal my children eat well) than I have credits for on DDP, but it is cheaper to pay for those than upgrade to DxDDP)

I booked Pop because I love the look of it for little ones and I have heard great things about. My biggest fear with Pop is the travel time on buses. (And my never ending debate of bringing our double stroller or renting... )


I am not sure I could even use the AAA thing b/c I am not sure I can cancel my package I already have because it included nonrefundable air. I am not sure how that would work out.


I could add Hopper passes... but I am not sure we would use them. That is the only other thing I can think ok. Oh and I could preorder a photopass CD. I wanted it before but didn't want to spend $100. Or the Princess and Pirate Party, but I really felt it was too late and my kids were too little to enjoy it.

Then I could save the rest... for something.

 

[Aliceacc]

I originally had booked room only using my AAA discount. When I chose to go AAA, the agent took over the reservation. He just had me fax a letter giving him responsibility for the reservation.

Why not call them and see what they can do? You have nothing to lose; if they can't beat your current price you say no thanks.

 

[PA Princess]

I agree with the others, and with the ages of your kids I would not upgrade to the deluxe dining plan...too much time in restaurants.

However, I would in a heartbeat upgrade to a moderate. Let's face it, do you really need to pick a hotel for the kids? Won't they be thrilled no matter the accomodations? There will be so much character type fun in the parks, you will hardly need more at the resort. We tried the values, but we found they were too busy for our tastes and we did not like feeling as if we were still in the parks while at our resort.

We really enjoy a nice and relaxing place to stay...helps calm the kids and the parents after a busy day in the parks (or for an afternoon nap). I would highly recommend POFQ...it is small and quiet and quaint. Every amenity is within an easy distcance, the bus transportation is less hectic than the values, and the boat ride to DTD is a real plus.

Also, the mods include a hot tub...you and your dh can take turns getting a night cap and dipping in the hot tub while the kids slumber. That is the way to end a day at WDW - at least for me I highly vote upgrade to a mod!

 

[karajeboo]

I would save the $$ for your next trip, because you will want to plan it immediately upon returning home!!

Pop is a lot of fun, especially for kids-- there is a great kiddy pool and splashground, a lot of fun icons decorating the resort and a lot of choices for particular eaters in the food court. Stay put...you will have a blast!

I would also stick w/the basic dining plan (the 2 yr old doesn't need to be included in dining plan or need park tix), otherwise you will spend your entire vacation in a restaurant watching Disney through a window -- all the little kids I know won't tolerate that for long!!

Happy planning!

I 100% agree! We stayed at Pop in 2006 withour DD who was then 5. We just got back from a quick weekend at POR. She is 6 now and definitely liked Pop better. The theming at the moderates is definitely geared more to the adult crowd. Yes, it was nice, and DH liked it a lot. But if it wasn't for the FL resident special we got, we would see no reason to upgrade from a value resort. I totally agree to put that money into a special Disney savings account for your next trip and maybe upgrade then, if you want to try something different.

Also, stick with the DDP - don't "waste" that time at table service meals with young children. Again, SAVE it for next time, because I'm willing to bet you'll have your next trip booked within a month of returning!

 

[PrincessNoelle'sMom]

I agree with the other posters who voted for keeping your reservations exactly the sme. Values are GREAT for little ones. We "upgraded" to a mod at the last minute for our vacation in October - what a mistake. We would have had more fun and a cleaner room at a value, plus my kids were SOOO dissapointed with the pool not being a piano, etc and there wasn't as much fun and action at the mods. Plus, since it is your first trip, you will have no other reosrts to comapre the values to. This is the best time to stay at a value. While you are there you can do some resort hopping and decide if you want to stay at a mod or even a deluxe during your next stay.

Regarding having too many TS meals vs. credits - you should probably pick just enough for one each day. Charachters meals can be similar and most are buffets and can be time consuming. It is hard for kids to sit for long periods of time at a restaurant when there is so much going on around them to see and do. Also, if you have TS's planned for the end of your days, the kids maybe too tired to enjoy them. Just a thought. I have been to WDW with my kids at least 1-2 times a year since they are born. We now only choose 2-3 special TS's per trip. There is so much to see and do that they get antsy at longer meals.

Don't change a thing - put that money in an high interest account and start planning your next vacation! You will definitely want to go back - it's an addiction!

 

[Dallas_Lady]

I wouldn't do the Deluxe Dining Plan even if money were no object. We did just the regular dining plan and I felt like we spent the whole vacation in restaurants (or waiting to get into restaurants). I felt like we were eating for the sake of eating and really lost a lot of touring time.

I would upgrade to a moderate (because I love the moderates!) or save the money for later. But I'd definitely pass on the Deluxe Dining Plan, especially with little kids.