opinions on Value compared to Moderate

[garyh]

Hi

Just after opinions on whether or not the moderates are worth the extra money compared to Movies.

We stayed at Movies 18 months ago, and are looking to rebook for October 2010 for 3 weeks (4 Adults and 2 children 7 & 4 and 2 rooms). After pricing up, i am now in 2 minds whether to book ASM again or try POFQ or CBR instead.

The prices seem quite expensive for ASM compared to my last holiday, and while the 2 moderates are a bit more expensive the free dining appeals to us as does having a fridge and i assume a slightly larger room?

I know everyone has their own views on the resorts good and bad, but any opinions welcome please


Thanks
Gary

 

[orangetiggs]

we have stayed at all the all stars and pop in the value and last year we tried CSR

We loved pop and would go back but prefer pop to all stars

This year we are staying at pofq

They are slightly bigger rooms but not by a great deal we found, we booked for the free dining as this will save alot of money

I would book again for the free dining for next year as well if its only a little more as you are getting most of your food paid and a slightly better hotel

 

[wayneg]

Very difficult to advise on resorts as we all like different things.
We stayed in movies 9 years ago and didn't like it at all, in room we could have been sat in a travelodge room, you wouldn't know it was a Disney resort. Over grown characters around you can go see free, no need to stay there to see them, we would much prefer to stay offsite than value onsite again.
So our choice would be minimum of Moderate, looked at POFQ for this year but OKW with regular free dining cost similar amount so gone for that.
AKL we liked for 3 days but got Annual pass rate and a free upgrade to savannah room, full rate is crazy.

 

[maznorm]

You know, I am having exactly the same dilemma. I would stay deluxe (the boardwalk is my favourite resort in the World), however, I just don't have deluxe money.

My ds will be 4 yrs old and my dd will be 3 yrs old by the time we go. The values appeal to me because of the oversized icons and the fact that there will be plenty of other crazy kids there (my 2 are quite spirited, shall we say!!). That said, it will be our anniversary when we are there. We were married at Disney (Seabreeze Pointe) so obviously Disney is the place to be.

The moderates always give me the impression of lacking something. They don't have the fun factor that the values have and they don't have the comfort and amenities the deluxes have such as valet parking, proper room service, closeness to parks etc.

We stayed at All Star Movies, Coronado Springs and Boardwalk pn our wedding trip. I felt that as wonderful as Boardwalk was, we just wouldn't be able to stump up the kind of money required to stay there. I really enjoyed the fun factor of All Star Movies, however, I didn't like the plastic knives and forks in the food court or the distance from everything else on Disney property. Coronado Springs just didn't have any effect on me whatsoever. They put us in the quiet side so I don't know if that made the difference but it just seemed to be lacking any real personality. It just felt like it was trying to be a deluxe, thereby losing the fun factor, but just didn't have what it takes.

The only thing that is making me consider PORS is the Free Dining Plan, but is it worth it? For me, I am seriously considering staying in Pop and paying for the dining plan, but my kids ages and interests are a huge factor for me.

 

[wideeyes]

I have stayed at Por and then All Stars Music and was happy at both of them so I think if I could not afford to go deluxe I would go for a value as I don't think the difference between a mod and a value is that big. Saying that, the Mods do seem to have better surrounding and POR had a more laid back atmosphere so if you want somewhere quieter I would go with POFQ or POR.

 

[Shooby doo]

We haven't stayed at a value but I'm with Maznorm on the moderates just seem to lack something,well CBR anyway! I think that you would struggle to notice any difference in room size,CBR's rooms didn't seem any bigger than some of the off-site hotels we have stayed in. Also,& I think that this maybe because of the size of the resort,we could have been anywhere,yes the theming was good but really until you went to Port Royale it was no different to some of the suite sites we have stayed on. I also didn't really feel the "magic" but I could see how you might if you were in Pop,Sports or Movies with all the large Icons. We all agreed that we wouldn't stay at CBR again.
SD

 

[fizz13]

hhmm have stayed at all stars and stayed at CSR and POFQ. I think everyone is right that room size wise i didnt notice a lot of difference. Mods did have a curtain between the vanity area, which was nice that we could have the light on and it didnt disturb the kids when they were sleeping. Also the fridge was so handy for drinks and keeping those goofy candy treats cool, i think i will really resent paying $10 a night for a fridge if i do rent one at Pop. I think the grounds were themed nicer, in that the values all have the giant icons and the mods have their own character which isnt disney, POFQ was so compact and pretty, CSR has a more adult feel and distinct areas, both really nice. so a pro or con depending on how much you want to be immersed all the time. i enjoyed both value and mod.
as for food courts and shops, nope no difference i saw. bus service is no better at mods than value. and if its any indication, yes i could have stayed at POFQ again this august but have decided to go for Pop. i didnt feel like i needed to spend the extra money to be honest, i will be just as happy there i think.

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

I would thoroughly recommend POP Century, when you consider what you got for the cash. We were all very very pleased.

When we stayed at Carribbean Beach were very disapointed woth what we got compared to what it cost....

We have visited the deluxes and although they are great, we would ratrher spend the cash on other things, cause lets face it although they are great, your not in the rooms that much !

Having said that before I die I want to stay in the Contemporary but without the kids !

 

[~Piglet~]

We stayed at the Pop and would definitely stay again, we're planning for 2010 and are also considering whether to stay at a mod or back to the Pop. Because we are going for three weeks I am thinking of splitting the stay, just to have a change of scenery and was looking towards POFQ.

Would love to stay in a deluxe but as PP's have said - you don't spend that much room in your hotel - and I'd rather spend the extra money on something else. As long as the room is clean and there is a pool for cooling off - what more do you need?! just being at Disney cheers you up

If a fridge is an important factor in choosing a resort you can always join a Pop fridge swap

 

[Lizzybear]

Haven't stayed at a value but in 2007 I paid to upgrade to POFQ and though it was nice I think we would have been just as happy in a value (this was in the days of free dining at the values!) This year we're staying at CSR to get the free dining but if we'd been able to have it in a value we would have chosen Pop. We rarely use the pools or hang around at the resort so are quite happy with somewhere fairly (though not to!) basic.

 

[DISWolves]

This year we are staying at All Stars for our 4th time. With AAA discount, worked out cheaper that a lot of off site hotels, with the advantage of EMH and free parking at Disney parks. All we look for is somewhere clean and comfortable to sleep. We are out of the rooms most days by 8:00 (earlierr if we are doing EMH) and rarely return until late night - only to shower and change for evening meal. Dining plan is not much of an attraction since we tend to eat on the spur of the moment and then eat off site most of the time.

 

[garyh]

Think i'm swaying towards a value, and just paying for the free dining if the costs suggest it'll be worth it.

Thanks Everyone

Gary

 

[Lizzybear]

For our trip in October it worked out more expensive to get Pop with paid dining than CSR with free dining so i'd definitely compare the value vs. mod options. This was on the UK Disney site