Resort with the biggest bang for your buck?

[megs1313]

In your opinion, which resort gives the biggest bang for your buck? I know this will vary from person to person, but I'm interested in hearing everyone's perspective on this.

We've only stayed on site once at the Poly (and we had a 30% pin), so I don't have enough experience to say one way or the other. I need to decide how best to spend my $$ this next go 'round. Thoughts? TIA!

ETA: I'll add our specific wants/needs since several of you asked. I would love to get advice on our specific situation.

-We're planning to do 10 days/9 nights in the middle of june this year. So far there are no codes out or deals. I hear that may change in May, but right now we have to assume we're paying rack rate. It's four of us: two adults, two kids.

-we're driving and actually liked driving to each park last time, so we're not very concerned about transportation.

-because we will be there so long, we can take our time touring the parks (we couldn't last time!) so I expect we'll spend a significant amount of time in the pool at our home resort. So we'd like a pretty good pool. it will be hot out, so this is key.

-our favorite park is DHS. we would not mind being able to walk there. that could be fun. our second favorite park is MK.

-I would love something with good QS food options. The poly had great food, but VERY limited seating at Captain Cook's.

-it would be a bonus to be able to see the fireworks. My kids don't like to be outside for them (too noisy), so in the room view would be cool.

 

[Sheepdog23]

I think it depends on what you like during your vacation. We are swimmers who prefer to lounge around the hotel so Beach Club is our fave for that, but we own at Wilderness Lodge and love it. The kids also like Animal Kingdom because of the animals and we like it because it is quiet. If you do a lot of parks, then of course epcot resorts give you close proximity to two, but very few quick service meals that are at the hotels. If you like to relax but still kind of be in the midst of things, then I say WL. It is close to the monorail, you can sometimes see the fireworks, just a boat ride from MK and you can bike and run all over the place. good luck. it is a hard decision to make.

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

I agree w/PP, it depends on what you like to do. Which Parks do you want to go to? Do you want time to lounge by the pool? Do you want to be on the monorail? Do you want to be able to walk to a Park(s)? Do you want a kitchen? There are MANY choices.

 

[saskdw]

I've always felt CSR was the best bang for the buck on Disney property. Its very close to a deluxe resort at Mod pricing. It has the most modern looking rooms IMO, deluxe type amenities like Spa, Fitness Center, Lounge. One of the best pools on property. Largest hot tub on property. Great scenery and great bus service. We have stayed there the last 2 trips, including 14 nights last Christmas.

 

[saskdw]

I think it depends on what you like during your vacation. We are swimmers who prefer to lounge around the hotel so Beach Club is our fave for that, but we own at Wilderness Lodge and love it. The kids also like Animal Kingdom because of the animals and we like it because it is quiet. If you do a lot of parks, then of course epcot resorts give you close proximity to two, but very few quick service meals that are at the hotels. If you like to relax but still kind of be in the midst of things, then I say WL. It is close to the monorail, you can sometimes see the fireworks, just a boat ride from MK and you can bike and run all over the place. good luck. it is a hard decision to make.

I think the OP wants to know what is the best value for what you pay, not what is your favorite resort. These are not necessarily the same thing. I'd rather stay at the BC too, but CSR is a better value for what you pay IMO.

 

[babyrich]

In your opinion, which resort gives the biggest bang for your buck? I know this will vary from person to person, but I'm interested in hearing everyone's perspective on this.

We've only stayed on site once at the Poly (and we had a 30% pin), so I don't have enough experience to say one way or the other. I need to decide how best to spend my $$ this next go 'round. Thoughts? TIA!

We stayed at BC last year. We go during F&W and spend most of our time at Epcot so we felt this was great because we spent to much less time on a bus. So we got more park time. You can also walk to DHS. It also is within walking distance to Yacht Club, Boardwalk, Swan & Dolphin. So you can make dining choices there and easily walk to them. There is a great ice cream parlor at BC.

CSR is also awesome, the pool was great, there were so many food choices. A spa. I dont know if we every saved money by choosing a resort. But we haved saved time and effort with the above 2 choices.

Like a PP said, you have to decide when you are going, what parks do you plan to spend more time in, what restaurants, if any, in the resorts looks more appealing? Will you spend time at the pool?

Happy planning.

 

[2gr8DisneyKids]

We stayed at POFQ this time and think it is a great bang for the buck... we have done values and deluxe and villas and overall POFQ seemed like a great option for money spent and amenities...

One bus stop for all of the resort (only shared with POR for Epcot in the middle of the day) can share the pool and easily walk to the POR food court, boat to DTD. Also queen beds and nicer towels than the values. And a pool slide and short walk to anywhere in the resort.

When we go for a specific reason (like Star Wars Weekends) we have different criteria like walk to DHS, but for a general visit POFQ was great!

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

I have to agree with some PPs. CSR has the best bang for your buck. Updated rooms with quality furnishings, REAL doors seperating room from vanity/closet area, queen beds, central AC units, incredible detailed architecture and landscaping, one TS and 3 CS options, bar/lounge, outside bar next to the lake, 3 quiet pools, one gigantic main pool with waterslide, playground, hot tub, and poolside CS/bar option, great bus service with covered bus stops complete with some seating and vending, fitness room, and spa. All that for a moderate level resort is

 

[jujube]

I've always felt CSR was the best bang for the buck on Disney property. Its very close to a deluxe resort at Mod pricing. It has the most modern looking rooms IMO, deluxe type amenities like Spa, Fitness Center, Lounge. One of the best pools on property. Largest hot tub on property. Great scenery and great bus service. We have stayed there the last 2 trips, including 14 nights last Christmas.

I agree with CSR.
We are DVC members at BWV and love staying there or the BC because of the location. We also love GF RPC but those, at least in my opinion, do not really give the most bang for the buck.

 

[tosha27]

In my opinion, it would have to be the value resorts. We have stayed at a value and a moderate.
The amenities that most benefit our family (disney transp./food court/pool) were available at both locations. I guess the pool at CBR was better and the beds were bigger, and supposedly their rooms are larger, but in my opinion those things did not justify paying more. Ofcourse we are a family of 4 with children on a limited budget.

If my husband and I go to Disney alone (hopefully one day) we certainly hope to stay at the Poly, because what we consider the "bang" as a couple is different than the "bang" as a family. As a couple we will spend more time at the resort and be looking for a relaxing, romantic atmosphere with sit down restaurants, etc.

We chose POP this year because of the low price (92 per night vs. 300 at the poly), fun theme, and the bus system.

 

[saskdw]

I agree with CSR.
We are DVC members at BWV and love staying there or the BC because of the location. We also love GF RPC but those, at least in my opinion, do not really give the most bang for the buck.

We heavily debated staying at BW last time. Beautiful resort and unbeatable location. I really wanted to stay at a Boardwalk area resort, but just couldn't justify the price difference. For the 14 nights we stayed last December it was a difference of $3k. In the end CSR won out and we had a great time, but still would love to stay on the Boardwalk.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

We have stayed at 2 Values, 2 Mods, and 2 Deluxes. My take:

Best bang for your buck: If you plan of spending most of your time in the Parks - POP. Super clean rooms, very bright theming, excellent CM's, fun pools and fabulous food court/gift shop.

Best bang for your buck: If you want to relax and spend a lot of time enjoying your resort - AKL. The theming is beautiful, the pool is amazing, there are a ton of activities available..from crafts, storytelling and animal viewing.

Best bang for your buck: For convenience - The Poly. Beautiful, tropical feel, yummy food choices and monorial access.

 

[kathy884]

I'd have to say value resorts (very inexpensive). Onsite and bang for buck though seems a little bit like an oxymoron to me. Offsite you can stay in a beautiful two bedroom condo close to WDW for a little over the price of a value and less than the price of a moderate. But it's what premium you put on being onsite and if you want to stay onsite by all means stay onsite.

I have to say too, that I like the Deluxe resorts best and like being on the monerail. The prices, though, are really high and I have usually only stayed in monerail resorts when DH has had a seminar at Disney and acommodations were picked up by his company.

 

[padawans]

In your opinion, which resort gives the biggest bang for your buck? I know this will vary from person to person, but I'm interested in hearing everyone's perspective on this.

We've only stayed on site once at the Poly (and we had a 30% pin), so I don't have enough experience to say one way or the other. I need to decide how best to spend my $$ this next go 'round. Thoughts? TIA!

I think you need to be a little more specific. You've already stayed at the second most expensive resort on property. What did you think? Was it worth it. Are you looking to downgrade. There is a big difference between Poly and a value or moderate. I'm guessing you're referring to price vs value. It's really hard to say not knowing what kind of discount you have. I personally don't think any of them are worth rack rate. The Poly would be my first choice with 35-40% off. I would not stay there with less than 30% off. I would choose an epcot resort in that case.

 

[Karabee]

We have stayed at 2 Values, 2 Mods, and 2 Deluxes. My take:

Best bang for your buck: If you plan of spending most of your time in the Parks - POP. Super clean rooms, very bright theming, excellent CM's, fun pools and fabulous food court/gift shop.

Best bang for your buck: If you want to relax and spend a lot of time enjoying your resort - AKL. The theming is beautiful, the pool is amazing, there are a ton of activities available..from crafts, storytelling and animal viewing.

Best bang for your buck: For convenience - The Poly. Beautiful, tropical feel, yummy food choices and monorial access.

Completely agree with this. I would easily pay the bit more for a lower end Deluxe instead of a moderate to get the biggest bang for your buck. There is something about AKL that really makes you feel like you are relaxed and somewhere totally out of the norm.

 

[CdnKayDee]

I have thought about this before and I believe POR gives the most bang for the buck. Of course POR has a mid price point but closer to value price then deluxe. Then of course POR has it all really. A good size store ,a large arcade, a large food court. A mid range restraunt and lounge. The best grounds at Disney along with a nice main pool and quiet pools spread out. Then of course a fishing hole, kids play area, boat and bike rentals.Horse carraige rides and a boat to DTD.Then you add Piano Bob and I think POR is dollar per dollar the best Disney resort.

 

[John Paul]

Coronado Springs Resort is the one I feel is closest to feeling that I get Deluxe rooms at a Moderate price! Love the grounds, pool is great, good kids areas, several dining options. In addition we drive so Transportation is not a priority for us

 

[Mousemom]

Our family feels that we get the most "bang for our buck" at POFQ. Even though it is a moderate resort there are several extras that our family enjoys. We also feel like the values, especially ASmovies, are a great "bang for our buck." They are clean with lots to do and affordable while still staying on Disney property. A few years ago we stayed at AKL w/a code and felt that we had a great experience without spending a huge amount of money. We have not seen the same deals in the last few years though. So we will continue to stay at the values and moderates with a big smile on our face knowing that we can still afford to go to WDW at least once a year.

 

[iloveeeyore]

Last summer we stayed at CSR with Free Dining. We are a family of 2 adults and 2 teens (considered adults for park tickets and dining plan). We paid around $2700 for 7 nights of dining, 8 days of park tickets, and a very nice, clean room. The grounds and the pool are beautiful. Transporation was stellar the whole week. That was the best bang for our buck we have gotten in a long time! If we had stayed in a value, it would have been a little less, but just a little, because we would have paid to upgrade from the Quick Service Dining Plan to the Regular Dining Plan. This would have been the cost of all the mods, we just favored CSR because of the pool, theme and what we had heard about the transportation, which turned out to be true.

When we can get a deep discount for the Poly, we snag it, because we think it can't be beat for atmosphere and location (we are mostly MK/Epcot folks). If we can get 35-40% off on the Poly, we think that is a great bang for the buck. We wouldn't be able to stay there at rack rate.

 

[JCornell]

I have thought about this before and I believe POR gives the most bang for the buck. Of course POR has a mid price point but closer to value price then deluxe. Then of course POR has it all really. A good size store ,a large arcade, a large food court. A mid range restraunt and lounge. The best grounds at Disney along with a nice main pool and quiet pools spread out. Then of course a fishing hole, kids play area, boat and bike rentals.Horse carraige rides and a boat to DTD.Then you add Piano Bob and I think POR is dollar per dollar the best Disney resort.

I agree with POR. They have a lot of things the Deluxes have at a Moderate price.
- Their own restaurant (which is actually very good)
- Transportation other than buses
- Pool with nice poolside bar
- Lounge area by restaurant
- Nightly entertainment
- Rooms now have queen beds
- Marina
- and now the new Royal Rooms