Resort with the biggest bang for your buck?

[Sue M]

BC has the best pool on property, and walking distance to Epcot and DHS. Hurricane Hannas by the pool is a good CS, plus you have The Marketplace, which has CS options, and Beaches & Cream, not tec. as CS, but good burgers and ice cream

You already know about Poly.

For moderates, POR, Riverside gives you the best bang. Lots of extras with the Boat to DTD, Horse & Carriage rides, Fishing Hole, Evening entertainment in the lounge. Good food court, the Make Your Own Pasta is yummy. Even if I don't stay there, I make a trip just for that!

I think MK is the only park I wouldn't drive to. WDW transp. to MK is way easier, IMO. Having to park at TTC, take a tram, then take the monorail or cattle boat, took more time & hassle then taking a bus from our resort straight to MK.

 

[megs1313]

We settled on CSR for now. It's not available for our whole stay, though, so we'll likely do a split stay or move to POR for the whole stay. The main reason I chose CSR over POR is because of the double vs. queen beds. I really need space when I sleep. Thanks for all the replies! this place is awesome!

 

[exit30]

In our opinion, WL is the biggest bang for your buck, with POR coming in second.

 

[dzneelvr]

because we need "bang for the buck" to do WDW annually, it's the Values, specifically the ASMo that I recommend! If you could stay at the Poly, even with 30% off, your budget is way larger than mine, so maybe this answer is for other families who WANT to go, but can't do a deluxe or even a moderate, in the near future. Honestly, we love the resort, the pool, the new decor with queen beds, the food court with awesome choices and THE COST. Thank you Disney for giving us so many choices that no one goes away unhappy

 

[Lumiere Lover]

I believe POR and POFQ are the best bang for your buck. The free boat between the resorts and to DTD is a nice perk. I think either of these resorts would work for you. Both have nice pools, and since they are sister resorts you can use either pool. The grounds at POFQ are beautiful. There are a lot of opportunites at POR for the kids-biking, boating, carriage rides.

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

Definitely CSR!!! I just finished 10 days at POP and it was great value - and I had plenty of room but if I were to have four people for a long stay - definitely CSR - a more deluxe feel and I really like the food options at CSR - enjoy having silverware - china plates for my meals.

 

[HiHoOffWeGo]

If you want BFB try AKL on what it offers for the dollar but real BFB can not be a Deluxe. Twice and more of a Mid. AKL is best BFB in Deluxe though.

A value does not offer as much for the dollar with aminities as a Mid. You stay at a value for just that and you are overpaying compaired to a Mid.

There Is only one BFB at WDW. POR!!!! In this thread are all the reasons plus you get two resorts in one. No other resort offers as much for the buck and some things I have read here is only peoples favorites but when you do the research for what you pay and get it is POR.

Ask yourself why POR thread has more pages since Jan.. Ask why so many rate POR as one of their favorites. Bang for Buck.

 

[saskdw]

The POR army has invaded this thread!!

 

[Day-Day]

Moderate resort; either Port Orleans or CSR.

There is a big jump in quality and amenities from value to mods with a decent jump in price. There is very little if any jump from mods to lesser deluxes but a fairly high price increase. There is a significant jump from mods to deluxes like Poly but the price increase is huge. So biggest bang for your buck is the mods.

 

[saskdw]

Moderate resort; either Port Orleans or CSR.

There is a big jump in quality and amenities from value to mods with a decent jump in price. There is very little if any jump from mods to lesser deluxes but a fairly high price increase. There is a significant jump from mods to deluxes like Poly but the price increase is huge. So biggest bang for your buck is the mods.

Agreed, in general the Mods are the best bang for your buck. CSR does technically offer more than the other mods. Spa, Fitness Center, night club style lounge, 2 outdoor lounges, bigger pool, longer water slide , bigger hot tub, etc

I know the POR army wants everyone to stay there, but technically CSR offers the most of the mods.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

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.

Since you mentioned that Hollywood Studios is your favorite park and you like to walk there then I would recommend the Boardwalk Inn. It's the closest among the Epcot Resorts to there and the walk to there takes about 10 - 15 minutes.

Now they don't have the same set up as Captain Cook's with tables inside, however the Boardwalk does have a lot of Quick Service locations which are as follows. Boardwalk Bakery, Boardwalk To Go, Boardwalk Pizza Window, Boardwalk Joes, Seahsore Sweets, Tasty Sensations and Belle Vue Lounge. Plus there are tables located on the Boardwalk to sit down at or you can eat in your room.

As for rooms that have a view of the fireworks you would need to reserve a Standard View and request a Garden view since those rooms also come with a view of the France Pavilion and you can see Illuminations. However you can also watch it from the bridge between the Boardwalk and International Gateway entrance.

Finally I personally think their Luna Park Pool has a great theme.

 

[saskdw]

Since you mentioned that Hollywood Studios is your favorite park and you like to walk there then I would recommend the Boardwalk Inn. It's the closest among the Epcot Resorts to there and the walk to there takes about 10 - 15 minutes.

Now they don't have the same set up as Captain Cook's with tables inside, however the Boardwalk does have a lot of Quick Service locations which are as follows. Boardwalk Bakery, Boardwalk To Go, Boardwalk Pizza Window, Boardwalk Joes, Seahsore Sweets, Tasty Sensations and Belle Vue Lounge. Plus there are tables located on the Boardwalk to sit down at or you can eat in your room.

As for rooms that have a view of the fireworks you would need to reserve a Standard View and request a Garden view since those rooms also come with a view of the France Pavilion and you can see Illuminations. However you can also watch it from the bridge between the Boardwalk and International Gateway entrance.

Finally I personally think their Luna Park Pool has a great theme.

There's no doubt BW is great. But they are looking at spending an extra $2k over 10 days compared to a Mod resort.

 

[sharadoc]

I didn't read everything, but Port Orleans French Quarter is lovely, has a great pool, and nice food court with beignets! You can share with Riverside, and they have a great pool, another different menu food court and a sit-down restaurant. There is a boat to DTD which offers a ton of QS options. Overall, a nice atmosphere.

Or there's the cabins at Fort Wilderness. The resort is a ton of fun, lots to do, and there are QS take-outs at both Trail's End and the Meadows Pool. The buffet at Trail's End is great for breakfast and dinner and very reasonably priced.

You can go to the beach every night to watch Wishes and the Electrical Water Pageant. Driving is convenient to all the parks from there and you can take a boat to MK, plus there's also a boat to the Contemporary (with more eating options at all monorail resorts and access to the monorail to both MK and Epcot) or over to Wilderness Lodge. Plus your room is separate, no one above, below or alongside you so it's quiet.

 

[DanPadavona]

I still think the biggest bang for the buck is Swan and Dolphin. You get a Deluxe resort, sans private balconies, in a perfect location for essentially a moderate resort price (if you wait for special rates).

It doesn't have the same feel as the other Disney Deluxe resorts - it's a bit more of a corporate feel and theme. But it's gorgeous, the staff is great, and you are in the middle of everything.

 

[HiHoOffWeGo]

I must agree that PO resorts and FW cabins come down to the BFB. Even though my personal choice would be POR the cabins might just edge PO because it offers amenities you asked for with you car parked at cabin etc...
SASKDW - CSR is a fantastic resort but its limitations for their need outway the workout center, spa etc...
Now for the S&D. Not a lot what they ask for and you pay for parking and no diner plan. May be a nice place but where is BFB?

You know they have not built a BFB resort yet so we have to find close. What you or I like may be comfortable for our tastes but we must put that aside to find the best bang for our buck.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

If OP is willing to forgo the dining plan and has a AAA membership, Swan & Dolphin are a great deal IMO. While my family would prefer CSR--due to theming--Swalphin offers alot for the OP. It is within walking distance/boat ride to DHS and Epcot, has beautiful pools, lots of dining options, and you can see some of the fireworks from Illuminations from the hotel grounds. With AAA, you can get a discount on the room and dining here. When we stayed at YC, we ate several meals here and thought the food was fantastic.

On the negative, of course, is feels more like a "hotel" than a "resort" if you KWIM but I do not know if that is important to OP. R/E dining plan, for our family, paying OOP is more economical unless it is during free dining promotion period. We tend not to eat as much when at WDW because we are busy and it is hot. Typically a nice breakfast, a small lunch(usually splitting FFs, etc) and a big dinner are the norm and we only do TS maybe 3 or 4 times.

 

[saskdw]

I still think the biggest bang for the buck is Swan and Dolphin. You get a Deluxe resort, sans private balconies, in a perfect location for essentially a moderate resort price (if you wait for special rates).

It doesn't have the same feel as the other Disney Deluxe resorts - it's a bit more of a corporate feel and theme. But it's gorgeous, the staff is great, and you are in the middle of everything.

The Swan and Dolphin is a good choice as well. Fantastic location and nice hotel with good amenities. As far as bang for the buck it depends on the current Disney promos. With Disney at rack rate the S & D is a good bang for your buck. However with a 35% off promo or FD I would prefer an actual Disney resort. Alot of this discussion depends on your families vacation priorities and style. We usually go for a full 14 nights. Last Christmas we ate $2500 worth of food on FD. That deal is pretty hard to beat for our family. We would have loved to stay at the BW or BC, but as stated in an earlier post it would have been over $3k more. We just couldn't find $3k more of enjoyment. Things being equal we would've picked BW, but we really like CSR so for $3k we stayed there. I guess the shorter the trip the smaller the difference, but we come from 2500 miles away so shorter trips don't make sense for us.

 

[jujube]

I still think the biggest bang for the buck is Swan and Dolphin. You get a Deluxe resort, sans private balconies, in a perfect location for essentially a moderate resort price (if you wait for special rates).

It doesn't have the same feel as the other Disney Deluxe resorts - it's a bit more of a corporate feel and theme. But it's gorgeous, the staff is great, and you are in the middle of everything.

I almost posted about the S/D but I thought the OP just wanted Disney owned.
You are 100% right though. A deluxe for about the same amount as a mod with a bunch of fantastic restaurants, gorgeous pool area, very nice rooms, Heavenly beds, great staff, plus the location. It cannot be beat as a best bang for the buck!
You can join Starwood Preferred and your request for a balcony is usually granted.

 

[darioster]

Hands down the Dolphin hotel is your best bet . Deluxe hotel at moderate prices plus walking distance to both epcot and hollywood studios . Get the Epcot firework view with a balcony and you will be set

 

[tarin24u]

Depending on what your family dynamic is at the time of your trip I would say BC or Dolphin. Location is wonderful, food choices are varied and plentiful, amenities are awesome.... I think they both offer lots for people who want to hang out at the resort and for people who want to do parks. My kids loved the activities at the pool in the afternoon at BC. We loved the character breakfast at Cape May. Beaches is just so cool. Boardwalk has great food choices. Walking to DHS and Epcot is priceless - actually walking back after Fantasmic and Illuminations is priceless