Theming of Moderates and Kids- WWYD?

[Patience]

I am pretty sure we have decided to stay at AoA this September in a Little Mermaid room even though we will probably be excluded from any discounts. I know our 6 year old daughter will love the theming at AoA and since we are going during a value season anyway, the price of our package is within our budget.

However, I love discounts and the idea of going with a discount is . If free dining is offered, we are going to at least consider switching to a moderate but here's the problem: none of the moderates seem to have theming that would appeal all that much to our daughter. The deluxes seem to. I know, for example, that AKL would appeal to our daughter as would WL and perhaps the Poly too. I don't think either of the Port Orleans resorts have all that much kid appeal other than pools and neither does Coronado Springs. I'm not sure about CBR but if I'm paying for double beds, I'll just stay at AoA. If we do switch to moderate, my husband prefers CSR because of the gym and we've stayed there before a long time ago. The moderates seem to be geared more to adults and if it were just my husband and I, that would be fine, we would definitely choose a moderate, but we are all about our daughter this trip and want to stay somewhere she'll love.

We're only going to be at WDW for 5 nights, 6 days so we don't want to do a split stay and we do want a dining plan even though I know it doesn't really save money. We will be doing character meals and my husband is just so much more relaxed when using the dining plan so we're getting a table service dining plan whether we stay at AoA or a moderate. We've stayed at Pop and had a nice time but our younger daughter who was 4 at the time didn't really get some of the theming (rubix cube, etc.) and, honestly, I would prefer something a bit nicer for this trip. Our stay at Pop was fine, the room was basic but clean and we had a good mousekeeper but we plan to hit the resort midday this trip and spend more time in the pools than we did last time. The newness of AoA appeals to me over Pop or the All Stars because I don't really like staying in hotels all that much and feel better in hotels that are new, even if the room is smaller. We don't mind walking to bus stops and have a car if we want to drive to the parks instead and we will probably not use the food court much if at all because we plan to do one CS meal in the parks each day and one TS. We prefer eating in the parks (well, maybe not HS counter service) to eating in the food courts and that's what we did when we stayed at Pop.

Sorry for the long post. So now I'll get to the point- lol. Which moderate has the best theming for kiddos in your opinion? Do you agree that the theming is not as appealing to younger kids as the theming at values or deluxes? Based upon our preferences as stated above, would you stay at AoA with no discount or would you take advantage of the rumored upcoming late summer discounts (free dining?) and stay moderate? Our stay at AoA will cost $2000 for 5 nights, 6 days with non parkhopper tickets and table service dining plan and including 5% off by using Disney cards purchased at Target and we want to stay around that price or less. Or would you save a lot of money and just stay at one of the AllStars?

 

[boscov]

Well where to start. For me, the values theming is a turn off. Funny thing is, my 6 yo isn't a big fan of them either. I've showed her all the pictures and she doesn't really like them. She happens to be an enormous fan of POR. For me, this is the best kids resort in the moderate class, and here is why. 1) They have a tremendous food court and my DD loves their food, as do I. 2) They have a good pool and lots of other quiet pools, so swimming is always an easy options. 3) They have Yeeha Bob in the lounge at night. Every kid, and adult LOVE Yeeha Bob. 4) The boat to DTD is just great, my DD loves riding the boat. 5) Royal rooms

I think any Disney resort appeals to kids and POR has a lot to offer. I think if you decide to upgrade, go for POR. I agree with what you said about CBR and for me, CSR was just lacking something.

 

[Patience]

Thank you for the feedback, boscov. I think POR may be my choice if we decide to upgrade as I do think my little one would enjoy the boat ride to Downtown Disney. I would love to do a princess room for her but that would be over the budget I think, even with free dining. My husband would choose CSR for the gym but he wants our daughter to be excited about the resort too so he says he doesn't mind giving that up. One concern I have about POR is that I would definitely NOT want to be in the Alligator section or whatever it is called. That theming definitely does not appeal to me. I guess I could request Mansions but that's not guaranteed, right?

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

My kids love CSR. The pool is fabulous and we all love the Jaguar slide. Every time we start talking about another Disney trip, my oldest asks if we can stay at CSR again. We've not stayed at POR so can't comment on how it compares. We rarely eat at the resort, but have enjoyed Pepper Market when we've eaten there. Cafe Rix is good for a quick bite, too.

My kids have enjoyed Pop when we've stayed there, too, but after our last stay there for a quick weekend trip my husband said he's done with double beds.

As far as the appeal to kids, I think all levels of resort have their own charm. We particularly like the spacious feel of CSR, the lake views and serenity of the property. It's a very different vibe from the bustling Value resorts where the food court is a zoo all the time. We also prefer the buses at CSR to Pop - we like the stops spread out around the resort and the covered waiting areas.

No matter what you choose, I'm sure you'll have a great vacation!

 

[iheartdisney]

Here's the thing about most kids- ANY hotel room is exiting. As the grown-ups, we tend to be the only ones stressing over the "magic" level at the resort.
Wherever you stay I'm sure your daughter will love it!
That said, as much I loved the theme at the Values I don't miss the chaos.

For our trip this summer, i did a Google image search of the resorts and the pools and let the kids pick- that is how we ended up booked for our first stay at POR this summer. Plus i figure at POR you are getting two pools for the price of one, since we can use the facilities at POFQ.

 

[MSSANDRA]

We , including our 6 year old, love CSR. We have done values, but we really prefer at least a moderate and even DS6 made a comment that CSR was a much nice place to stay .The pool and slide at CSR is VERY cool and their playground is one of the best on site. The lake is so peaceful to walk around and the bus service is GREAT. They have queen beds there, a must for us and I have stayed deluxe just to get them

 

[laceyinwonderland]

I've actually been pondering the same thing for the same reason! We've stayed at Pop twice and it was fine both times, but we are hoping for free dining in sept and will upgrade to the regular plan! We are not in the room much, as we dont nap mid day. DD seems to get a second wind on the bus ride back and ends up not resting. We have a pool at home so we dont spend alot of time swimming while at WDW either. I am still undecided as to what we will do! If my math is right, a preferred room at a value and upgrading to reg dining (assuming quick is free) is the same price as a moderate and getting reg for free1 what to do what to do?!?!

 

[boscov]

Thank you for the feedback, boscov. I think POR may be my choice if we decide to upgrade as I do think my little one would enjoy the boat ride to Downtown Disney. I would love to do a princess room for her but that would be over the budget I think, even with free dining. My husband would choose CSR for the gym but he wants our daughter to be excited about the resort too so he says he doesn't mind giving that up. One concern I have about POR is that I would definitely NOT want to be in the Alligator section or whatever it is called. That theming definitely does not appeal to me. I guess I could request Mansions but that's not guaranteed, right?

You are correct, you can request Magnolia Bend, but it's not a guarantee. The only way to guarantee the mansions is to book a royal room. Royal rooms, like pirate rooms, are $30 more per night per segment. I tend to agree with you on not liking the alligator bayou, but I do like what they've done with the rooms inside. CSR was a nice resort and it does have some extra amenities like a gym, but for me there was something lacking. Their pool is fantastic. I didn't care for their food court. But that's personal opinion.

 

[pamkat1820]

I never really liked the theming of the value resorts. It's to much slap u in the face for me. For us having a queen bed is a must so there goes the values & CBR. My daughter liked POR but for her, her excitement is at the park. She can care less where we sleep. Lol so from now on I pick a hotel for the adults, where I can relax and enjoy after a long day at a park