Moderate VS. Value???? Need help please!

[blewits]

We are going to WDW in December (10-17th). WOOO HOOO!!!!

I thought we were going to camp at FW (in a pop-up w/heat) but I'm a little worried about the weather being too cool. So I got some prices on resorts and I am torn between 3:

Pop Movies $64 a nite
POFQ $99 a nite
or CSR $99 a nite

I've never stayed at a Value Resort before. What really are the differences between them and say the moderates?

I have stayed at PO-Riverside before and loved the quietness of it. THe floor plans for moderates and values look identical - both have 2 dbls (not queens). We are taking our kids ages 3 and 6 as a suprise for Christmas. I know some people aren't crazy about CSR but I have looked at the photos of it and I really like the look of it. I also happen to really like resorts that are peaceful - another reason we like FW.

What would you do? Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wendy

 

[AJKMOM]

If you can afford it, you should go for the moderates. Pools have a slide, room square footage is larger. The sinks are outside of the toilet-tub area. Coronado springs is a convention resort, so some say the pools aren't as crowded during the day. They have a nice water slide there, although your kids might be too young for it. POFQ has wonderful theming, but may be too subtle for young children. They have the dragon water slide.

One thing about Florida, you never know what the weather will be like. Now it's bad because of the hurricane, but in December, it may be in the 70's during the day. Depending on where you're from, that could be like summer and you may want to swim, the pools are heated.

 

[Goofy4WDW1964]

If you like quiet, then spring for a moderate. They are much more peaceful than the values. The moderate rooms are bigger and they have two sinks, (1 sink for CSR) seperate from the bathroom. There is also a curtain that you can pull shut that seperates the sink area from the rest of the room. This is nice if someone is getting ready while others still asleep. The moderates also have mini fridges in the rooms.

POR, CBR and CSR all have main theme pools. But, they also have private, less crowded and usually quieter pools.

Also, even though we have never used the feature, you get a sit down restaurant in addition to a food court.

You really can't go wrong with any of the moderates.

 

[Letsbgoofy]

I personally don't think there is enough difference between the rooms (mod. vs. value) to have that be a decision maker. The moderates have more activities (bike and boat rentals, walking trails) and sit down restaurants. If you don't need these things, why pay the extra money?

We split our stay between Dixie Landings/Riverside and a deluxe for years. Now we usually stay at the ASMusic and spend our extra money elsewhere. I haven't stayed at POP, and probably won't as we no longer travel with young kids. The All Stars have good food courts, great theming, and good bus service.

You just have to ask yourself if it's worth the extra $280 give or take. CSR is very nice, but it's huge and spread out. They have a great food court, and we loved the Maya Grill in August.

I personally don't like POFQ only because they only have the one pool, versus the 6 pools (and all the laundry rooms) at Riverside.

Whatever you decide, I'm jealous. That is a beautiful time of year with all the Christmas decorations. We have been twice that week and didn't really get to swim much due to the weather (which was warm but just not swimming warm). The pools are heated, but it's soooooo cold when you get out! Have fun!

 

[Buzz2001]

CSR is a great resort! Check out my CSR website below.

THE PROS
No sharing bus service with other resorts
Centrally located with short rides to the parks
Largest hot tub on WDW property
Awesome main pool area with bar, snack bar, playground and kiddie pool
3 quiet pools
New shuttle service eliminates long walks to any of the villages
High speed internet service
WiFi available too
Free use of the gym
Spa
Fridge in the room
Coffeemaker in the room
Iron and ironing board
full room service menu
2 arcades
beautifully landscaped
central air, not a noisey wall unit

THE CONS
Full size beds (kings size beds are available)
one sink

IN THE MIDDLE
The Pepper Market is either a love it or hate it place. We love it but some folks just don't care for it.

Convention resort - some guests don't like seeing other guests at work. Doesn't bother us and helps keep the buses empty. GF, Cont, BW, Y & B Club are also convention resorts.

Check out my website below

Photo by Ducky4Disney

 

[nyfn1]

how and where did you get those rates??

 

[dixiedizfan]

... how and where did you get those rates?? ...

I have to ask the same thing ... where did you get a $99 rate for a moderate?

 

[minnie61650]

how and where did you get those rates??

Yes! Those are good rates.
Actually I don't really the mods as being any better than the Values.
I personaly did not for care for CBR resort because it so largeand had & bus stops within the resort.
am 55 years 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 favorite.It is quieter because more couples stay there. I love staying at the Clypso building. 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.
All Star Movies has pop up fountains now also.
The buses are wonderful.

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

All Star Buses-CBR buses---POPbuses--PO buses--- Contemporary
MK 20 min---- 20 min-----25 min------10 min---20 min(mono)
Epcot 10 min-- 15 min-----20 min------10 min---15 min
MGM 10 min----12 min-----15 min------15 min---20min
AK 10 min------20min-------15 min----15 min---20 min
DTD 15 min----20 min------20 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.

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 5 visits have been at The All Stars and this fall when we took dd,dsil, and our grandson age 3 for 8 nights we stayed 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!
I know we did!

 

[cobbler]

I too would spring for a moderate. We stayed at moderates a lot and thought for the heck of it stay at value so we could stay longer. This was last year.

Now nothing against values or anything but they are definatly not our cup of tea! It was fun but something we decided we wouldn't do again unless it is for one night before we check into DVC or something.

The moderates just have a nicer feel and are also a little bigger. We were pretty cramped in our room with the 4 of us. Of course I am surronded by boys that feel the need to just let things lie on the floor where ever they drop.

 

[goofy4tink]

I have stayed at Music, Pop and POR as far as value and mods go. I love the value resorts. I find that the difference in sq. footage isn't all that much. It didn't make much difference to me. I also think the tub area in the value is a tad larger than the mods. But, the mods do have that double sink vanity (except for CSR) and the curtain that pulls across the vanity area. That is a nice touch. I really liked that when dd and I were at POR in June. The pools are nicer but if a pool slide isn't a big must for you or the kids then the value pools will be fine.
I like being able to have a table service meal if I want one, but I do tend to eat in the food court more often than not. And as someone already mentioned there are a few more activities for the kids at a mod...biking, boat rentals.
If it were me, I would spend less and stay at Movies. Use the money for some nice dining.

 

[blewits]

Wow! What great insights - just what I was looking for. Thanks guys.

Buzz2001 - thanks for the info. It was actually your site that inspired me to look at the resort (CSR) in the first place. I had never even considered it before.

As far as pools and activities go, that's probably not going to be too much of a priority on this trip. My thinking is that even w/heated pools, it will be too cold to swim.

Those rates were given to me over the phone thru WDW Resv. About a month ago, WDW sent me an email with a PIN number on it. Maybe because we havent been since 2002 and they wanted some more of my money and offered me a "deal I couldn't refuse". It worked. I was very pleased w/the rates. Little do they know, I wasn't going to let one more year go buy without a trip to THE WORLD!

I would be happy to give you guys the PIN code but as I have read on other threads, it seems to only be for the people it's given to. I dont think it will transfer. If I am incorrect however, I'd be happy to give it to you. Just PM me as I dont know if I can post it on the board.

 

[Lizzybee]

This year I have stayed at POR and ASMo and really enjoyed both. They are different but we loved them both. I'd have to say POR is our favorite, but we stayed there because my parents took us and so we were a group of five. When I took the two kids in August on a surprise trip, I did it because it was so cheap to do (cheap flights, free dining). As a single parent, I can barely justify a trip to WDW let alone spending extra for the room. There were many things we loved about POR: breakfast at Boatwrights, boat to DTD, two main theme pools to use (legal pool hopping to POFQ), Bob Jackson the all ages piano man, and just the sheer beauty and peacefulness of the resort. Did I miss this stuff when I took the kids and stayed at a value, nope not really. My kids got a kick out of having Mickey in the Fantasia Pool and the 3 story tall Dalmations and other icons. We stood under Sorcerer Mickey's hat! What can I say, we're easily impressed.
I guess what I'm really saying is I don't think you can go wrong as long as you are at WDW. Have a BLAST!

 

[Mamu]

While I have never tried the value they get great right-up here on these boards. I have stayed moderates, I find them to be to large and overcrowded. Moderate verses Value, I think I'd save a few dollars and selectivity pick a value.

Most people seem to love POP Century.

 

[funshipm174]

CSR is a great resort! Check out my CSR website below.

THE PROS
No sharing bus service with other resorts
Centrally located with short rides to the parks
Largest hot tub on WDW property
Awesome main pool area with bar, snack bar, playground and kiddie pool
3 quiet pools
New shuttle service eliminates long walks to any of the villages
High speed internet service
WiFi available too
Free use of the gym
Spa
Fridge in the room
Coffeemaker in the room
Iron and ironing board
full room service menu
2 arcades
beautifully landscaped
central air, not a noisey wall unit

THE CONS
Full size beds (kings size beds are available)
one sink

IN THE MIDDLE
The Pepper Market is either a love it or hate it place. We love it but some folks just don't care for it.

Convention resort - some guests don't like seeing other guests at work. Doesn't bother us and helps keep the buses empty. GF, Cont, BW, Y & B Club are also convention resorts.

Check out my website below

Photo by Ducky4Disney

I LOVE those PICS Buzz! Great website! I'll be at CSR next week!

 

[arizonacolbys]

We have stayed at AS Movies 2 times & POP Century 3 times (and a couple deluxes, too!) We loved AS Movies when we stayed there, but now think that POP is even better. It's new & clean & much more centrally located. This resort never shares a bus with another resort - which is a huge benefit - bus rides as I remember them:

MGM:6 minutes
Epcot: 8 minutes
AK: 10 minutes
MK: 20 minutes

It seems closer to everything than the All Stars & we enjoy the food court options more.

It seems that every trip we consider this same question, but always end up back at POP - usually the difference in the room price per night is enough for a nice dinner for the 2 of us, or more money for souvenirs!!

Someday, I'm sure we may try CSR or CBR, but for now I'd just rather spend my money on other things - we aren't going to use the extra ammenities that a Moderate has over a Value. We are also somewhat turned off by the multiple bus-stops within most Mod Resorts & the larger distances to walk to refill our mugs at night.

You'll have fun whatever you decide - you'll be at the Mouse House!!