Value vs. Moderate = Grey Hair decison

[twokids0204]

Here's my dilemma...

I booked CSR for August of this year.

Why?
1) I got a 35% room discount
2) Queen Size beds
3) Wanted something a little nicer then the Values

Why not?
1) We are hardly at the resort
2) I have a 6 and 8 year old that loved POP last year
3) If I book free dining (if and when it's offered) - I have to pay rack rate anyways - so there goes the 35%

We are going for 8 nights, resort pricing (rack rate)
- $775 for Value
- $1420 for Moderate

$1420 - $775 = $645
(and even if I only got free QS dining, and upgraded it would cost approx $200, so I am still paying $445 more)

Tell me why I should stay at Moderate if all I will be doing is sleeping.

 

[The V Gang]

I'm in the same boat....we leave in April and i'm stuck between GF & POR. The difference is alot of $$$ - $1700. We spend the day at the resort and go to the parks at night.

If all your doing is sleeping - go for value. If you will be spending time by the pool, I would go for the moderate.

 

[2BOYMOM]

No reason I can think of whatsoever. Especially since your kids are smaller. We love POP, but now my boys are 20 and17, we just don't fit so well anymore.

 

[2poohbears]

I have that same conversation with myself every trip. I always end up at Value resorts. Our kids are still small (6 y/o twins), and we are only in the hotel to sleep and shower, so it makes no sense to pay more money to stay elsewhere. We live in Louisiana, so it's not like we can't swim here almost any time of year...I suppose if I were from a colder climate and knew i would use the pools (thus, be in the hotel for longer periods), then i might be able to convince myself to spend the extra $.

 

[Tink415]

Ceiling fan? Queen beds? Fridge? Pool slide?

I really appreciate ceiling fans when its really hot out

 

[rosiep]

The fridge, the covered bus stops, and the quite pools all weigh in favor of the Mods for me. But I know how hard it is to justify spending the extra money. I alway s think "Well, that could be my meals, or plane ticket etc..."

Ugh.

Still...I haven't stayed at a Value yet.

 

[kehlyrsmom]

We had originally booked our trip for this fall at a moderate I was having an issue paying the price difference just for the slightly larger room, fridge and slide at the pool.

Then my husband and I started talking this Jan about taking a trip just the two of us in May for our anniversary and we decided that if we dropped our fall trip down to a value we could apply the $600 dollars that we would save from our Sept trip to our adults only trip in May.

I felt a lot better about his as we usually just use the room to sleep and shower in. Plus this year we decided we would try the water parks in the fall with the kids so I really don't see us spending much time at the resorts pool.

For our May anniversary trip we decided to take the room discount and book POFQ since it only cost a couple hundred more to stay at POFQ vs POP with this discount. Also I thought for just the two of us and since it is our anniversary we might enjoy POFQ more.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I was in the same boat for our upcoming trip next month. The price difference for our ten nights between CSR and Pop was $800. I love CSR, its my favorite mod and I have stayed at all of them. But I also enjoy the values, Pop and Music in particular. In the end, as you can see by my sig, we chose Pop. Since I made that choice, I've had no regrets. Sure I would love to stay at CSR. But that $800 is a huge amount for my family right now!

We actually spend a lot of time at our resort, even when we do stay value. We have had many a wonderful and pleasant afternoon spent at the value pools. I miss some of the landscaping and I do think the mod pools are awesome. But in the end, we still find the value pools and grounds to feel like a vacation and we don't ever feel jipped when we stay at one. And for that matter, I have never seen children or adults at a value pool complaining or weeping to be someplace else!

The size difference between a double and queen is something like six inches. If you are tall and really need that longer bed to be comfortable, CSR is a good idea. For us, even though we are used to a queen bed at home, the doubles at the values and all the mods but CSR has never been an issue.

As for the rooms, I do like the double sinks (or long counter at CSR) and the privacy curtains (which some rooms at Music and Sports to have but only some) and the ceiling fan. But we make do. I pack heavy, we take a twin sized airbed and we still do okay at a value. As for the ceiling fan, I take a small buzz fan to circulate the air because I do think any room needs some air moving even with the ac going!

Its a tough call. For me, its all about the money. If that sum of money used to upgrade is not a biggie, doesn't mean you have to put it on a credit card, doesn't mean you have to sacrifice other things you want to do at Disney or at home, then go for it. The mods are wonderful and I think do a great job with their theming and the pools and grounds are great at all four. On the other hand, if that upgrade is going to stress you out even just in your head, don't do it! You have stayed at Pop and enjoyed it.

I respect that not all people feel as I do but I have to say, it always takes me back a bit when I hear people say they won't go to WDW at all if they have to stay at a value. I guess to each their own but having stayed at all the values, all the mods, a few DVC one and two bedrooms and the Poly, I just can't say that applies to me at all. We are so excited to be at Pop in just a few weeks!

 

[sweetdana]

If you like the hot tub (not one at Values) and you are renting a fridge anyway (values 10$ a night), and/or your boyrs are large and cannot share a full size bed. ... go moderate.


If you will not rent a fridge, and wouldn't stop by hot tub and 2 boys don't punch each other in the arm.. .. go value.

 

[twokids0204]

A lot to think about...

Thanks folks...

 

[Shreggor]

I just returned from a split between POP and CSR.

POP - cheap, clean, mostly quiet at night. It's a motel. You'll hear your neighbors and hear toilets flush but as long as you don't have obnoxious neighbors, you'll be fine.

CSR - It's bigger and pretty, but it's a big convention hotel. Drunk, scary drunk, drunk adults partying in the room next to us BOTH rooms we were moved to + a domestic dispute of some kind. We moved hotels in the middle of the night. And we're just two adults. There is NO WAY I would expose children to what we were exposed to. *shudder* It was horrific. It was so bad, for the first time in my entire life I wrote a letter (and actual letter) and sent it, registered, to the president of WDW resorts. And Disney compensated me well, because they agreed it was horrific. I don't know, people seem to love this place, but you couldn't get me to stay there again if you paid me.

 

[The Tabasco Kid]

Why pay extra to sleep? We always choose value resorts and have never been sorry. We've visited the moderate and deluxe resorts and cannot imagine paying the rates for stuff we'll pass by maybe a dozen times and for a room that we'll see for maybe 2 hours a day.

 

[tzolkin]

I just returned from a split between POP and CSR.

POP - cheap, clean, mostly quiet at night. It's a motel. You'll hear your neighbors and hear toilets flush but as long as you don't have obnoxious neighbors, you'll be fine.

CSR - It's bigger and pretty, but it's a big convention hotel. Drunk, scary drunk, drunk adults partying in the room next to us BOTH rooms we were moved to + a domestic dispute of some kind. We moved hotels in the middle of the night. And we're just two adults. There is NO WAY I would expose children to what we were exposed to. *shudder* It was horrific. It was so bad, for the first time in my entire life I wrote a letter (and actual letter) and sent it, registered, to the president of WDW resorts. And Disney compensated me well, because they agreed it was horrific. I don't know, people seem to love this place, but you couldn't get me to stay there again if you paid me.

That sounds like a horrible experience, but it seems that your issues with CSR were with the guests, not the resort.


We also did a split stay our last trip between Pop and CSR.

We have stayed at Pop before and enjoyed it, but we loved CSR.
For us, aside from all the little benefits (larger beds, fridge, pool slide, etc) there was just a completely different atmosphere. Even the kids noticed immediately how much more relaxed it was. After our first day, they told me that they would rather do a shorter trip to stay at a moderate. And DH has agreed to a trip with my parents to stay at CSR again.

 

[bobbie68]

Hi,

I am torn about a future trip. I love CSR it is my favorite resort and we will be staying there in Sept. but I want to go to Disney after Thanksgiving and I am thinking about Pop. We usually spend a lot of time at the resort in the warm weather, but do to the cooler weather and the holiday we will probably be at our resort less. It is hard to justify spending extra money just to sleep somewhere. I feel it comes down to room amenities,(size, coffee maker, fridge, ceiling fan and queen beds.) You will make the right choice for your family.

On a side note to the pp who talked about the problem at CSR with drunk, fighting people, that could happen at any resort. I have stayed at 5 star hotels that are beautiful but have had obnoxious people. I am sorry that you let that situation jade your view on CSR, it is really a beautiful resort with a lot to offer.

 

[Shmily1]

I don't see a reason.... I would choose AS Music or Movies for the ages of your children. I think they would love the theming!!

I wouldn't choose CSR but that's just me because it is so big and I didn't like it. It's my second to least favorite resort of all.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

I think in August I would choose CBR over CSR b/c your kids would love the new pirate ship water area ( with small slides) and the bigger ones in the pool.

We stayed there (CBR) at Christmas, but it was too cold to swim. I wish we had stayed at POP instead. The resort was too big for us, but if the weather had been warmer, it would have been worth it.

 

[Gabes_mommy]

I think if your family is happy at the Values then stick with Pop. The Values are a great deal.

My family spends a lot of time at the resort so we choose Moderates, but if we were park commandos we would do the Values.

 

[Shreggor]

Hi,

On a side note to the pp who talked about the problem at CSR with drunk, fighting people, that could happen at any resort. I have stayed at 5 star hotels that are beautiful but have had obnoxious people. I am sorry that you let that situation jade your view on CSR, it is really a beautiful resort with a lot to offer.

No. Obnoxious people in the room next to you is one thing. You can always move rooms. But when you move rooms twice and the same thing happens in all of the rooms, it's not just obnoxious people, it's a problem.

CSR is an adult oriented, convention resort and when we booked it, we honestly did not expect 600+ rowdy, drunk 20 & 30 year olds to be partying in a WDW hotel. I will never stay at CSR OR CR because conventions = rowdy people who aren't even paying for their own trip.

Shame because it is pretty, the rooms are nice and the pool is so cool for kids. But there is no way I'd risk exposing kids to what we encountered.

The way CSR front desk managed the problem was horrible too. I'm sorry but when drunks are throwing glass beer bottles off the balcony, you remove them from the property. You don't tell them to stop and then walk away. They go right back to doing it.

Don't even start me on the front desk people. They kept telling us we were being moved to 1 resort and then dumped us at a different one that they never even mentioned, which was a DOWNGRADE, where we were told we'd have pay more to get a comprable bed size and CSR was not refunded.

CSR = bad times.

 

[disneyfan55]

I would just stay in the Value. I like ASMu the best, plus it was recently redone. I think POP is being redone based on one of the threads here. Have fun in whatever you pick! It kind of sounds between the lines you would rather save the money so why spend more just to sleep!!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Our family loves CSR, and we have had three great stays there with a fourth coming up in July. It is DD7's favorite resort. But my kids would also like to stay at Pop - the things that appeal to the grownups (queen beds, hot tubs) aren't necessary the things that appeal to the kids (giant icons, bright colors).

We have stayed in the Casitas (closer to the convention center) and the cabanas. I kind of want to stay in the Ranchos next time, but the cabanas are really convenient. We've never had any issues with rowdy guests, but we also don't hang out at the bar late at night. I'm not sure we even had neighbors on our last trip - we never heard a sound from our room.

OP, if you are going in August, do you think you will be coming back to the resort for afternoon breaks? We do not tour from opening to closing when we go in the summer, so we are looking forward to spending time at CSR's pool, which was completely uncrowded last May when we went (except for Saturday afternoon). My kids loved the slide at CSR, and it was hard to get DD10 to go back to the parks in the evening since she wanted to stay on the slide.

CSR gives you more space, a fridge, larger beds, a sliding door between the bedroom and sink area (which allowed me to get up, shower and dry my hair while the kids slept), a great playground, sand volleyball court, huge pool with a great slide, room service, and excellent bus service. But Pop is very popular too, and I'm sure you'll have a great trip no matter where you pick.