Moderate resorts worth the $$...if so which one is best?

Steph9072

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 13, 2007
Messages
952
I know I should post this on the resort thread but I wanted the view of parents.


We are planning or trip for Fall...we are trying to decided between Pop Century and one of the moderate resorts. Are the moderate resort worth the extra $$?

If so which do you all like?
 
I have only stayed in a value once. I think mods are worth the money but that doesn't mean I wouldn't stay at a value. The rooms at a mod are bigger and they all have a fridge. I've only stayed at one mod so far. Coronado Springs. We like it. Love the cs restaurant there. The name is escaping me right now. Pepper Market or something like that?
 
We liked CSR. Loved having the queen beds (no other mod has them) fidge in the room, and covered bus stops ( multiple stops at the same resort) these are the things that sold us on CSR.
 
We have stayed at ASM and POP. We recently upgraded to Port Orleans French Quarter. It was wonderful, pool had a slide, room was bigger and had a fridge. It was a bit quieter and the grounds were beautiful. We think it was money well spent. Good luck:thumbsup2 with your plans.
 

I love CBR. Bus Stop at every village if you use the transportation, beautiful grounds, and brand new theme pool that looks amazing...I can't wait to see it!
 
We've only stayed in Mods, Port Orleans French Quarters. We loved it there so much, we stayed there again on our second trip. The resort is smaller and quieter. The grounds are beautiful and we liked the boat ride to DTD.
 
Yes! The atmosphere is more upscale than the values, and they're generally quieter. We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside several years ago and really liked it.
 
If the choice is between Pop and the moderates, I would save a few bucks and go with POP. We LOVE Port Orleans Riverside and have stayed several times, BUT for the money POP is now our new favorite! To me, it is just as much value as the moderates. We are a family of 4 (well, now 5!) and it suits our needs quite nicely. There are several themed pools and the lobby and food court are too die for!
 
If the choice is between Pop and the moderates, I would save a few bucks and go with POP. We LOVE Port Orleans Riverside and have stayed several times, BUT for the money POP is now our new favorite! To me, it is just as much value as the moderates. We are a family of 4 (well, now 5!) and it suits our needs quite nicely. There are several themed pools and the lobby and food court are too die for!

Once our new DS is over 3, we will go back to staying at Port Orleans Riverside since that is the only moderate that allows 5 people.
 
I think they are more worth it if you will be spending some time at your resort. If you're only going to be doing parks and not much time at the resort, do the Values. However, if you're building in some resting and/or swimming time, the Mods are great! The Mods also have paddle boats, etc for rent.
 
I have stayed at the CB and PO Riverside. I have loved them both. I loved being able to take the boat at Port Orleans to downtown disney. It was something to do that was nice relaxing. Granted I stayed here before having a child but we loved it.
I would also say are you going during 7 for 4 or with the Discounts they are having. it might not be as bad.
 
I would save your money and go with POP. The rooms aren't that much bigger, maybe 50 sq feet or so and most of the mods still have the double beds. If it were only a few dollars, I would go for it, but last time I checked they were $50 more a night and they aren't worth it for that.
 
I've stayed at CBR, POFQ, AS Sp, and we're going for Pop this time. To be really honest, I like the extra money in our pockets. If you're getting an extra super deal like the 40% and it's going to be a couple hundred dollars difference, I'd say go with a Mod, CBR is nice. If it's more than a couple hundred bucks, I'd say try Pop. I wouldn't say I'd do All Star Sports again, though, but we're not at all sports fans, it was the only hotel left that didn't cost an arm and a leg!
 
We stayed at the CBR years ago, and had no complaints. It was quiet, nice atmosphere, good pool and reasonable cafeteria. All in all, it was okay, but nothing to write home about. Having never stayed in a value resort, I may be wrong, but I don't know if I'd pay a big difference for an "okay" mod.
 
We just got back from Coronado Springs. The rooms were big and clean. We had a coffee maker and a fridge in the room too. The grounds are gorgeous and there is a huge pool with a water slide. Depending on the age of your kids, they have a big playground area as well. Check out my trip report for pictures or look in the resorts section for more info on CSR or all the resorts. You'll have fun with whatever you pick!!!!!!!!!:thumbsup2:thumbsup2

Tim
 
We stayed at Dixie Landings (then) in 98 and POP in 07. I did not enjoy POP at all. The atmosphere was nice, but it was loud and the rooms were cramped. I wasn't impressed. I remember the room from the 98 trip and was so disappointed. We are going in June and going to POR and I am looking forward to it. I remember the rooms being so quiet and bigger. I think we will enjoy it better. I told my hubby that I would rather spend the extra $$ and go to a Mod. Good luck.
 
We have stayed at all three levels (value, mod, deluxe) and rather like Goldilocks, we have found for our family that the mod level is just right.

While we greatly enjoyed the deluxe, we do not find them to be the best use of our funds (keep in mind we need two rooms for our family). We also liked the values, and if that us what we could afford to make the trip that is where we would stay.

For us the mods are the perfect compromise of cost and amenity. We have 4 children so over the last 10 years we have traveled with an infant or toddler most trip (plus my mom always travels with us) so we spend some time in the resorts.

Our fav moderate is probably CBR (especially after the current pool overhaul) but we also love POFQ (we like the theming less than CBR, but the size is really nice).

Happy trip planning!
 
OP, I have gone back and forth over this question for our next trip. We have stayed at Pop twice and CSR once. I really want to stay at POR, but I kept asking myself if the $450 was worth it (the difference for our 6 night stay). I have decided that yes, it is, and this is why:

1. DD2's first trip, so naps in the afternoon or evenings back at the hotel.
2. We do breakfast in the room, so the fridge is nice.
3. We are doing a carriage ride because she loves, loves, loves horses.
4. We are going to Bob's show at the lounge one night (kid friendly).
5. I hate going to DTD on a bus, so really looking forward to the boat.
6. I was pregnant last trip and missed the slide at CSR - totally looking forward to that this time.
7. We were planning a breakfast at Boatwright's, but they recently stopped serving it, so that is coming off our list. However, the point is the moderate's have a tableservice restaurant.

Anyways, my suggestion is to think about where you would want to stay if a moderate and then really just compare the pro's and con's.
 
Pop's rooms are about 260 sq ft. Mod's are 314, except for CB, which is 340.

Which is better? Depends on the size of your family, and whether you will spend a lot of time at the resort.

I like Pop for the value since I only care about the room for a place to sleep. We are a family of 4 with older teens, so we are getting 2 rooms. However, Wife wants a more "resort" type feel, so we are upgrading to the Mods. From what I remember (we've stayed at Pop and CBR) Pop was more like a motel with a them pool. CBR had a little more ambiance. We are staying at POR, PORFQ, or CSR this time.

Deluxe is nice for even more ambiance. I'm being drawn to the Epcot resorts because we tend to eat dinner there and watch the fireworks.
 
We stayed at Dixie Landings (then) in 98 and POP in 07. I did not enjoy POP at all. The atmosphere was nice, but it was loud and the rooms were cramped. I wasn't impressed. I remember the room from the 98 trip and was so disappointed. We are going in June and going to POR and I am looking forward to it. I remember the rooms being so quiet and bigger. I think we will enjoy it better. I told my hubby that I would rather spend the extra $$ and go to a Mod. Good luck.

I second POR, I stayed at Dixie Landings in 2000, and to this day it is still one of my favorite resorts!
 















Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE













DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter DIS Bluesky

Back
Top