Value vs. Moderate vs. Deluxe

[krb2g]

When we go as a family (used to be 5, now 6 and at this point all adults) we have always stayed at deluxes (I don't think there were value options when we started going!). At a certain point, we ended up in a club level room b/c that was what was available when we were booking. Now we stay club level b/c we love the excuse to go back and enjoy the hotel mid-day before dinner and b/c of the convenience of having a light breakfast (all we want to eat while touring) so close. We're also big on the Epcot resort area--so nice to be able to walk to 2 of the 4 parks without waiting on anything but your own feet/party. It doesn't hurt that Epcot is our favorite park to spend time in (we'll hit RD at all four parks, but in the evenings, a lot of the time we hop to WS to have a drink and soak in the atmosphere). We don't go every year, and we'd rather save up and stay deluxe when we go.

However, I did stay at All-Star Music recently with a friend over a long weekend. The room was fine for 2 people, but even with 4, I could see it maybe getting cramped. The theming was fine--I thought some areas looked better than others. We didn't get in the pool, but we did lounge by it one afternoon, so we didn't miss the slide. We were able to use the food court for quick breakfasts, and I didn't really miss having restaurants in the resort, because we were staying at the parks from RD till closing (or until we went home, at least!). I would stay at a value resort again for short trips where we're trying to hit as much as possible, but if I was planning on a more leisurely trip, I'd try to swing the deluxe.

Obviously, your mileage will vary depending on your family, etc.

 

[Hitchhiking Ghost]

Thank you. This has been very interesting to me. I am still going back and forth but it is great to hear the differences and others opinions about them. I think transportation is going to be the biggest issue for us because we like the parks and that is why we are there. Spending time at the hotel just isn't a top priority. Unfortunately the deluxe resorts that are really close are way out of our budget considering our 6 people factor. So that really only leaves AKL and WL for deluxe and neither of those are really close. Doesn't seem like the Mods or Values are that close either? Is there a spot that shows you time for travel from each resort? I am wondering if hubby and I should try to meet in the middle with a Moderate? Hmm....

I'm not sure how you'd compromise with a moderate as if I understand you correctly you will be a family of 6, and I think the only moderate that can accommodate more than 4 is POR-AB and I think that is capped at 5, unless one of your kids is 2 or younger. If you are looking at two moderate rooms then you might as well stay deluxe.

As far as transportation, are you going to have a vehicle available or relying on Disney transportation? If you have car, location is basically irrelevant, and you can park for free as a resort guest. If you are relying on the bus system, I don't know that one moderate really is better or worse than the next. I might lean towards POR or POFQ just because of the additional boats to DTD.

From WL you can take either the bus system or the Friendship boats over to the MK in relatively short time. From there you can take the monorail to the TTC and over to Epcot. From Epcot you can take another Friendship boat to DHS. So from WL you can reach all the parks except for AK by boat/monorail and avoid the buses, yet pay less than the Poly, BC, YC, CR or BW.

 

[autismgoesdisney]

It truly does depend on your specific family.

Our first few trips we stayed at a value. We had a blast, but we were hardly EVER at our resort. We literally showered and slept there and were at the parks.

Last August we stayed at a moderate. We had a pool day at our resort, and walked around a bit more than at the values. The kids LOVE the slide. They have since said they want to stay at a place with a slide since.

This August we are staying moderate again (We are a family of five so POR-AB is the cheapest for us!).

Who knows what our future holds with hotels, but I did start working in hopes we can stay deluxe. If we do, then that will be even more hotel, and less parks

 

[el_tigre]

Is there a spot that shows you time for travel from each resort?

Try this link.

 

[saskdw]

Try this link.

Most of these times aren't very accurate. I punched in CSR to DHS and it spit out 13 mins. Its literally 4-5 mins from CSR to DHS.

 

[el_tigre]

Most of these times aren't very accurate. I punched in CSR to DHS and it spit out 13 mins. Its literally 4-5 mins from CSR to DHS.

True, but I have always used this as a tool to figure out the total time to take a trip, including waiting for the bus. If you figure the average wait for the bus is probably 5-10 minutes, you're right there.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

It sounds like this is your first trip. Is your husband excited about going to WDW or is he just looking forward to vacation. I ask, because my DH isn't a big Disney fan. I get him to vacation there by staying in a nice hotel & eating at the nicer restaurants. If your DH isn't that into the parks & doesn't enjoy the hotel experience, you may not be able to talk him into returning. I'm usually thrifty myself, but my DH said he would never return, if he had to deal with the noise at a value. We had kids knocking on & kicking our door all hours of the night. The food court can be a jungle. At the time, we had a small child ourselves, but the chaos eventually got to him anyway. He didn't like the mods much better, because he prefers a less spread out hotel, with interior hallways & fine dining. I'm going with my sister's family this year, & we're staying at a value. I'm excited about it, because I love Disney in general. My DH isn't interested in coming over for even a couple nights.

Our thrifty nature rears it's head, when it comes to souvenirs. We rarely buy anything, except a Christmas ornament. Our vacation budget is all spent on the resort & food. It helps that we're FL residents & can get a good rate on APs. We've also started staying at Swan, Dolphin, Hilton Bonnet Creek, & next trip we're probably staying at Waldorf Astoria. These resorts feel more deluxe to us than most of WDW's deluxe resorts we've stayed at. They're also much more reasonable, which is always nice for thrifty people. I don't know if this would work for a family of your size or not. It's at least something to consider.

 

[magicbob]

We enjoyed staying at the All-Star Music. It was cute and festive. really loved the fun theme. But we probably will not go back to a value simply because after staying at CBR and POR, we really felt it was more relaxing at the moderates. Since we started staying onsite, we are spending more time at the resort (to include All-Star when we stayed there) rather than squeezing every second out of the parks and than going back to a hotel room just to crash for the night. The beautiful landscaping and theming made it worth upgrading to moderate for us. We'll be trying deluxe for the first time (not including my stays at Poly and CR as a kid) next week at AKL. For us, this stay is all about enjoying watching the animals. I'm sure we will love it, but I'll know for sure after next week whether that atmosphere and experience (savannah view) is worth the additional cost. We may decide that moderate is actually our favorite. They are kind of the best of both worlds. Nice rooms and atmosphere without the really high cost.

 

[gwynne]

Thank you. This has been very interesting to me. I am still going back and forth but it is great to hear the differences and others opinions about them. I think transportation is going to be the biggest issue for us because we like the parks and that is why we are there. Spending time at the hotel just isn't a top priority. Unfortunately the deluxe resorts that are really close are way out of our budget considering our 6 people factor. So that really only leaves AKL and WL for deluxe and neither of those are really close. Doesn't seem like the Mods or Values are that close either? Is there a spot that shows you time for travel from each resort? I am wondering if hubby and I should try to meet in the middle with a Moderate? Hmm....

Sometimes we stay at a value, sometimes a mod, sometimes a deluxe. I don't think one size fits all for every stay.
Having said that, there is one exception , during Food and Wine in the fall we will choose an Epcot resort, hands down.
For a group of 6 I'd also consider POFQ. It's fun, compact, easy to get to the bus stop. (And it's nice to start your day with beignets and coffee.) Great pool, too!

Your other options of AKL and WL are fabulous resorts!! I love their pools, theme, the interaction with the cast members. I think your group would have a blast at either one.
My next trip I'll be at Pop, with one night at AKL. Had to. Couldn't miss spending a bit of time there. It's magical!

There are ways to splurge, and ways to save even at deluxes. You can always book a standard room. That's what I did for my AKL stay coming up.
The parks are fun, no doubt about it. But it's also so special to have amazing experiences at your resort. It doubles the enjoyment of our vacation.

 

[MagicalMawMaw]

Values Resort:

We have only stayed at one value &that was POP. We have however, toured the other properties.

We enjoyed Pop. They had awesome bus service. I liked the disney feel of this resort. It is however..a lively resort & very busy...just like the parks are.

We decided to try a Moderate as we wanted a room with a king bed. When we switched from a value this was the only reason we did so. The values only have handicap King rooms & we didn't like those.

Moderates:

We decided to try POR & it was love at first sight. No joke. We loved the relaxing quiet feel of the resort. It is more suited to us as a couple that wanted some down time at the resort.

We enjoyed having a King room & also have a TS restaurant at the resort. Also, the perk of the boat to DTD is awesome. The boat ride itself is so pretty to take. And we loved walking along the river to POFQ also. The only thing we didn't like was the bus service is not as good as POP & the check-in was sometimes a pain.

Last year we tried CSR. We loved it....totally loved it! Beautiful grounds & such a relaxing resort. People say it is all spread out...but we loved walking around the lake & everything about this resort. Also, their bus service was great. We booked here again for this coming December.

Deluxe:

The biggest advantage to the deluxes would be location. Like the Yachtclub as it is on the Broadwalk & you can walk to HS & to Epcot from here. Also, the restaurants. We have found that whenever we visit a resort to eat supper the bus services are usually much poorer than at the moderates or values.

Values: Moderates: Deluxes:

We have decided for us a Moderate is worth the extra $. We are willing to pay more for the luxury of a King room, TS dining on site & mostly for the relaxing resort grounds...the moderates are beautiful & you feel you are in a different place ..we love that.

 

[bookgirl]

Thank you. This has been very interesting to me. I am still going back and forth but it is great to hear the differences and others opinions about them. I think transportation is going to be the biggest issue for us because we like the parks and that is why we are there. Spending time at the hotel just isn't a top priority. Unfortunately the deluxe resorts that are really close are way out of our budget considering our 6 people factor. So that really only leaves AKL and WL for deluxe and neither of those are really close. Doesn't seem like the Mods or Values are that close either? Is there a spot that shows you time for travel from each resort? I am wondering if hubby and I should try to meet in the middle with a Moderate? Hmm....

POFQ is pretty short ride to just about anyplace. (except MK which is not close to anything except the Monorail resorts, still it was easy to get to). PLUS POR and POFQ have a boat to DTD. Which is really nice. The time to travel back and forth is so much shorter then the buses and the ride is through the woods and is an adventure all in it's own.

I've done one resort in each catagory. I liked all three of my resorts. But POFQ was so nice and it fit my budget better so I'm going back there again. There is a really nice thread for the PO resorts (POR and POFQ are sister resorts so you can use the pools at both and there is a nice resturant at POR plus some other fun stuff.) at portorleans.org that is run by a poster on the actual disboard POFQ thread.

Oh and two rooms at the mods will often run you less than the deluxes and there are connecting rooms.

 

[wallawallakids]

Ok. Got Hubby to agree to come down a bit on the price and change rooms. He won't do a value but he is considering a moderate. So we have it narrowed down to thee places: CSR, POR in the royal rooms, or SSR 2 bedroom villa. What do you think?
SSR is still expensive in my book....$1000 more than POR but it is $1000 less than WL. It has a kitchen, so if push came to shove, I could cook and try to save some money that way....but unlikely hubby will want that. (He likes to eat out). Online it gets knocked for bus service and is far from everything.
POR also gets knocked for crowded buses and it isn't really close to the parks either. DD would like the princess rooms though. Pools seem great and there seems to be a lot to do. Both have ways to get to DTD which is nice, but not a priority for us.
CSR makes me a little more nervous than POR because there are 2 conventions during the time we are there. I wonder if that means it will be crazy crowded on the bus and at the pool? Also, I am not a big fan of the menus at the restaurants they have there so we would always have to leave to eat. I've read it is hard to get around there too.
What would you do, 2 rooms at POR, CSR, or 2 bedroom villa at SSR? Thank you for helping us decide. It is so hard not seeing these places and trying to judge by photos online!

 

[Fantasmiss]

I prefer the values! All we do in the room is sleep, and When in WDW I want everything to be as fun and Disney-ey as possible and the values are the best for that! I actually find the bus service better there too, whenever we take buses from more expensive resorts it always takes aaaages.

Saying that, I do love Animal Kingdom Lodge, but there isn't much point in staying there for us, we'd hardly spend any time there anyway.

We'd rather spend the money on better and more interesting food, shopping and most importantly longer holidays than more expensive resorts.

 

[auntie]

For us..we enjoy the Deluxe's because we use and enjoy the resort amenities. Having been to Disney many times, we aren't in the parks all day. Rather we see the things we enjoy and whatever may be new. Additionally, having a balcony is especially enjoyable.
That being said..I also wouldn't pay full rack rate for any of the resorts, be they value or deluxe. Always have visited with some type of discount.
We have also stayed many times in the moderates..but honestly it was when we traveled with young children and we were more on the go, and didn't spend that much time at the resort or in the room. Our favorite moderate is the Caribbean Beach. Rooms are just a little bit larger than some of the other moderates and we enjoy the food court and pool area.
Enjoy your trip!

 

[iheartmickey1111]

Everyone will have their own opinion, but here is mine:
We stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge (deluxe) and Pop the second time (value) and are staying at Corronado Springs in a few weeks (moderate).

I think you definitely get what you pay for, AKL was SOOOO nice! Even fancier little soaps in the bathroom. And the internal hallways. As far as food, the quick service food was pretty much the same as what Pop Century had. However, I have NOTHING bad to say about Pop Century! It was a great resort, tons of fun!

For us, the big determining factor is how much time we will actually spend in the room. The first time it was a "Go Big" vacation as we were newlyweds and hadn't had a proper honeymoon yet, so we wanted to spend more time in the hotel. Now, on solo trips, I prefer the Value, because I am literally only in my room for 5 hours each day to sleep, so I couldnt see spending any more money on it. When we go in a few weeks, we are taking my toddler, so we will be in the room a bit more, but don't want to spend a ton on the hotel so we can do plenty of character dining and such, so we are doing the moderate resort.

Like I said, everyone has their own reasons, but I tend to base it on how much time I want to spend at the resort.

 

[KYfriedPanda]

I've never been to anything but value resorts because of money and my usual trip ethic of spending every waking moment in the parks. But this past trip I visited some deluxe resorts and I was blown away by Boardwalk. The atmosphere was awesome, I had a great time at Jellyrolls, and given that EPCOT (my personal favorite park) is just a quick walk away, I suddenly felt the "urge to splurge" and go with Boardwalk on my next trip.

That all being said, I have to agree with everyone that has said it's all about your own personal desires and how you plan to spend your time at WDW.

 

[Singinglizzie]

Ok. Got Hubby to agree to come down a bit on the price and change rooms. He won't do a value but he is considering a moderate. So we have it narrowed down to thee places: CSR, POR in the royal rooms, or SSR 2 bedroom villa. What do you think?
SSR is still expensive in my book....$1000 more than POR but it is $1000 less than WL. It has a kitchen, so if push came to shove, I could cook and try to save some money that way....but unlikely hubby will want that. (He likes to eat out). Online it gets knocked for bus service and is far from everything.
POR also gets knocked for crowded buses and it isn't really close to the parks either. DD would like the princess rooms though. Pools seem great and there seems to be a lot to do. Both have ways to get to DTD which is nice, but not a priority for us.
CSR makes me a little more nervous than POR because there are 2 conventions during the time we are there. I wonder if that means it will be crazy crowded on the bus and at the pool? Also, I am not a big fan of the menus at the restaurants they have there so we would always have to leave to eat. I've read it is hard to get around there too.
What would you do, 2 rooms at POR, CSR, or 2 bedroom villa at SSR? Thank you for helping us decide. It is so hard not seeing these places and trying to judge by photos online!

I'd go with the 2 rooms at POR since it has recently been refurbished and you will get new queen beds. Make sure you request connecting rooms - and note that Disney will try to accomodate you, but they cant guarantee connecting rooms. If this is a must, and you can eat the 1k, then go with SSR. BTW, CSR is also nice - so if POR is not available, the CSR will be a good choice as well. SSR is the only resort I haven't personally toured or stayed at.

 

[Natterjack9]

My family and I have stayed at all levels of resort, from All Star Movies and Pop Century, to the Poly. Each level of resort does have some definite differences, aside from the obvious themes. First, we stayed at the value resorts when our kids were small. The rooms are just what you would think for a value resort, on the smaller side. Kids were small, beds are smaller, but the room did what it was intended for. When they got older we moved to the moderate resorts, a little more space in the room, more room to get around. We then joined the DVC (an option I would HIGHLY recommend) and started staying at the deluxe villas and let me tell you it is worth it. We have stayed at SSR a few times (our home resort ), SSR in the THV section, and the Poly. This week we will be going home to the AKL Kidani village. Each level of resort depends on what you are looking for. I loved the values, but the rooms are smaller and the resort is a bit noisy (tons of kids as you would expect.) The moderates are fantastic, bigger rooms, quieter, and tons of stuff to do. Deluxe and DVC resorts are the best, multiple pools, tons to do, different dining options, and other amenities. Once you try some of the other resorts you will figure out your favorites. I suggest checking them out!

 

[THicks863]

Just chiming in with my opinion, and an option you might not have considered.

I've stayed at all three levels of resorts, and the biggest difference to me is the comfort level. The Values (and Moderates) share a lack of central air conditioning. When coming in from a long day of reveling at the parks, I don't want to lay down in sheets that actually feel wet because of the high humidity. The window air units are no match for the Florida weather for the better part of the year. Then there's the fact that the Deluxe resorts (with the exception of AKL, Saratoga Springs, and Old Key West) are really close to the parks! Don't discount the value of being able to walk or take a short boat ride to your resort instead of waiting in the hot, crowded bus lines. Our favorite park is Epcot, and the Boardwalk is a quick walk to the back entrance.

But who wants to pay that much money? Not me. My DW and I finally broke down and bought into the Dis Vacation Club. No regrets at all. But that isn't for everyone, either ... but there's something that you can do to get the best of both worlds.

Here on the DIS boards, you can "rent" the vacation club points of people who own the DVC time shares. Most of the time, the cost of renting the points is low enough to allow you to stay in a Deluxe resort for the cost of a Value. There are a couple of options from which to choose: some people just won't be able to utilize all of their points in a year and will allow you to "rent" their unused points. Others have already booked a trip and something changed that screws up their plans - so they will rent out their scheduled vacation time. DVC points can be used at all Deluxe resort properties.

All the things that others have said about the size of the rooms/beds, amenities, and transportation are true, but the improved creature comforts are my two bits. Good luck!