Once you go Moderate/Deluxe, can you ever go back to a value?

[lilandvisma]

So, right now we are booked for a split stay in October...AKL/CSR (business class) and due to availability reasons at the time (and the fact that I'm a tightwad), the last 3 nights at POP(AP rate).

PROBLEM...After a recent road trip and 1 night stay at a less than stellar, popular hotel chain I have come to a conclusion. I need to change my reservation at POP.

I know it may sound ridiculous, but I just can't do it.

Multiple reasons as to why, but mostly due to their beds and really...shall I be so bold as to say "cheap" feel?

I love POP Century. Heck, Movies is adorable too. But I seriously don't think I can stay at those places anymore. At the ripe old age of 34, my body just about fell apart during our stay at POP Century last time we visited (used to be a dancer/ballerina, so comfort in my "retirement" means something to me lol). The beds, the chaotic food court, the noise level, the cleanliness of certain things. Since that stay last March, we have stayed at French Quarter, POR, Hilton Head Island Resort and Old Key West. Problem is, I am also very cheap with certain things. I used to be one of those people who had the whole mindset of not caring about what your room was like since you are never there. We have now been so many times that I do care about the room and we do spend time in it.

I kinda feel like a snob now! Does this happen to the best of us guys? I just need to get over the sticker shock for now I suppose. Just wondering if anyone has been in my shoes before I guess. IDK, maybe just venting as well.

 

[goofyintoronto]

So, right now we are booked for a split stay in October...AKL/CSR (business class) and due to availability reasons at the time (and the fact that I'm a tightwad), the last 3 nights at POP(AP rate).

PROBLEM...After a recent road trip and 1 night stay at a less than stellar, popular hotel chain I have come to a conclusion. I need to change my reservation at POP.

I know it may sound ridiculous, but I just can't do it.

Multiple reasons as to why, but mostly due to their beds and really...shall I be so bold as to say "cheap" feel?

I love POP Century. Heck, Movies is adorable too. But I seriously don't think I can stay at those places anymore. At the ripe old age of 34, my body just about fell apart during our stay at POP Century last time we visited (used to be a dancer/ballerina, so comfort in my "retirement" means something to me lol). The beds, the chaotic food court, the noise level, the cleanliness of certain things. Since that stay last March, we have stayed at French Quarter, POR, Hilton Head Island Resort and Old Key West. Problem is, I am also very cheap with certain things. I used to be one of those people who had the whole mindset of not caring about what your room was like since you are never there. We have now been so many times that I do care about the room and we do spend time in it.

I kinda feel like a snob now! Does this happen to the best of us guys? I just need to get over the sticker shock for now I suppose. Just wondering if anyone has been in my shoes before I guess. IDK, maybe just venting as well.

Im 40 years old, and I honestly enjoy staying at Pop and the values. Yes ive stayed at all of the moderates, but the way I vacation at Disney (I use my resort to sleep/shower) I cant justify paying more than what a value cost. I found Pop perfectly fine, didn't have an issue with cleanliness or the comfort of the mattress. The pillows are a different story though, they've been an issue at both moderate and value level. But in any case, if you don't enjoy pop, then that's your decision, your money. Change your reservation to a moderate if you want. We all have different tastes and such.

Call me a cheapo, but I cant justify spending that much money when im there to only sleep and shower. Not doing it. However, if I spent more time at my resort then yes, i'll definitely splurge for a moderate or deluxe. All depends on you. As I said, its your vacation and your money. We all have different style and taste. I think most adults prefer mod/deluxe resorts....im just a big kid. What can I say.

 

[jo-jo]

The reason we bought into DVC, was because we were getting to the age that we would hang around a resort more and more and sitting on the bed or a plastic "scoop" chair wasn't cutting it.

 

[Minnesota!]

Yep. We love AKL. But, Pop is where we go. The vibe is great, the CM's are great, the amenities are great. My kids are getting bigger and 2 doubles won't cut it for much longer...so I enjoy it while we can. I am sure the next time we go back (after this time), I will HAVE to pony up for a bigger room...or bring an air mattress.

 

[rwdavis2]

I know we won't. I booked us into All Star Music in 2013 and the wife and kids did not care for it at all. And neither did I.

 

[ChasingLeslie]

I've only ever stayed at the moderate resorts (so I don't want to diss the values), but a good night sleep is important to me and helps me better enjoy my park time. The beds at mods are queens, the mattresses (at CSR/CBR) are upgraded, and the rooms are quiet.

I would stay value if that was my only choice or if the deal was too good to pass up, but I prefer to budget for a mod.

 

[Disneylover99]

I've stayed at all resort levels at WDW. Pop is my favourite Disney resort and I do consider myself a bit of a resort snob outside the Disney bubble.

 

[summerlvr]

I know what you mean about the less than stellar popular hotel chains. I had one booked for a road trip I took last fall, and when I got there and checked in, I took one look at the room and turned around and walked out. No way was I going to stay in that room! I called my husband practically hysterical and told him I couldn't stay there. He told me to just use some of his Hilton Hhonors points to book a room somewhere else, so I used the Hhonors app on my phone and booked a room at a nearby Hilton Garden Inn. When I got to the HGI, I felt like getting down on my knees and kissing the ground! I was that traumatized by the first place (not a Hilton property).
At Disney, I have stayed deluxe and moderate (BC, BCV, WL, CR, CBR, & CSR), and while they are nice, they in no way compare to a truly deluxe hotel such as Waldorf Astoria or Ritz Carlton, yet they are way more expensive. Have you considered staying at Swan/Dolphin or an off-site Hilton or Marriott? Maybe that would be nicer to the pocket book and a better option than POP.
FWIW, I have also stayed numerous times at POP and Sports, and have no problem going back to them after my traumatic road trip last year, LOL. POP is my favorite value because I feel like their food court has more options. As a matter of fact, I have an upcoming POP/AKL/POP split stay coming up next month.
Whatever you decide, I hope you have a magical time!

 

[svecchitto]

I've never stayed at a value, only deluxe and mods and offsite, but I know how you feel. I looked at values and I just a can't bring myself to do it!! I mean obviously I will look heavily each trip I plan, but I budget for the nicer hotel because it feels right for me.

 

[Pats Dragon]

I would be considered elderly and I love staying in 4 star hotels, in fact I insist on them, except at Disney World. We have stayed at all the deluxes, and moderates, but love pop too. We sometimes have a tighter budget and pop has great transportation. I like the food court because I only eat there before 7am. Never noisy!! Being at DW is a treat so getting check in at pop brings back memories of wonderful trips. We don't stay in the room much since we prefer to hang out the pool/pool bar when we are there. I have no complaints with the bed. If pop room were in New York or at the beach I might think differently though.

 

[Bellhop97]

I've stayed in Value, moderate, and deluxe.. they all have their charm... I usually hunt for the best deal..

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I have stayed at all levels of resorts. At the ripe old age of 52 I enjoy the mods and deluxes more for all their various charms and amenities. Having said that, I have no problem with going back to Pop if the deal is really good. Mostly I like the queen beds at the mods/deluxes if all four in my family are traveling together. It's been a while since I have stayed at an All Star resort because my more recent impression was that they were not aging well.

 

[iheartglaciers]

Funny you should bring this up, I've been trying to make a similar decision for my upcoming trip. I always stayed in values since I'm a rope drop to park close person, but last year I stayed at AKL because I have some relatives who are DVC members. I loved it--the extra detail in the theming, the nicer rooms and resort, etc.

For my upcoming trip, I'll be joining my relatives at WL through DVC, but I'm arriving a couple days earlier and have 3 nights booked at Pop (which I've stayed at before and like). But I'm really wondering if I should stay at a nicer hotel that has better park proximity. I have a friend who gets discount rates at Swan/Dolphin, but it would still be $100/night more expensive than Pop. In the end, I think I'm going to save the money and use it towards stuff on the trip (food, gifts, Christmas Party tickets, etc.) But it was a hard decision!

 

[dlavender]

This became our problem as well! We always stayed value, but we let ourselves have one trip at Caribbean, and now we always look to book a mod first. To be fair, we also expanded our family since our earlier stays, so 5 people in a value, even though one is 2, really changes the game. We like the Value theming, and only experienced bad bus service when leaving MK after Wishes, but the two double beds just brings them down. For $90/night, we still entertain the idea of staying in one, but we never do.

 

[married2mm]

I don't know how you can describe yourself as a tightwad when at akl/csr business class level?!
Why not downgrade these options and then stay at the cheapest mod?

 

[buzznina]

We have found that the Mods give us everything we need without breaking the bank. We really like the value resorts but the biggest reason is queen beds vs the full beds at the values. Going from a king bed at home down to a full bed at the values is always an eye opener for us and we just do not sleep as well on them.

 

[bookgirl]

I bounce around the resort levels all the time. Doesn't bother me at all. To switch it up.

However:

I'm realistic about what to expect at each level and book the level based on the trip (commando, relaxing, budget, number of people in the room, itinerary, etc).

I'm not a pool person nor do I use the gym on vacation.

I won't die if there's not a coffee maker.

It's Disney and I don't compare them to RL hotels/resorts.

I actually like the food court concept and tend to eat at a different place every meal anyway so a TS restaurant at my 'home' is not required.

My favorite is the mods as for me it's the best cost/use for me, but that's just me. If the above is important to someone then it might be hard to float around on the level of stay.

 

[Sinderelly]

We did a split stay BC Club Level/Pop. We actually prefer Pop. Call us crazy. The walk to get to anything was much more inconvenient at the BC. The lack of QS choices, the sandy bottom pool felt "dirty" and the lifeguards had to keep closing it to clean "something out" yuck lol.

You think Pop food court is crazy? Try the CL breakfast. Like calling the hogs to be fed!

The only thing that was better was the comfort of the mattresses and linens.

 

[kdisser]

We have done Contemporary and are staying Coronado in a couple short weeks, but we have also done values. There is a noticeable difference among them (of course). But when it comes down to pricing and being able to go to Disney, any day at Disney is a great day, even if that means staying value. Our next future trip has to be done with a value resort (budget reasons) and that is just fine with me, because at least I am at Disney. Of course I would love to stay mod/deluxe every time, but that is not ideal, so when we do get to stay mod/deluxe it is that much more magical!!!

 

[lustergirl]

Have no problem staying a value resort whatsoever. Taking a solo trip this coming November. They way some of you describe the values, they sounds like 2nd class hotels- geez. And that is why they have various levels of every resort at disney, to please everyone.