Value vs. Moderate??

[Jennyfer]

After weeks of "discussion", I think I have finally conviced DH to upgrade from POP to a moderate!! However, now that he is willing, I'm second guessing the decision. We will be there for 6 nights, and the upgrade would cost about $400. Is there really that big of a difference?

There are four of us. DH(37), me(37), DS(10), and DD(6).

So, do you think it's worth it to upgrade?

If so, which moderate would you choose?

Please help!!!

Thanks!

 

[kendzee94]

We love POFQ (although we haven't stayed there in 4 years because we now own DVC) We love the quaintness of the resort ( 7 bldgs vs the larger resorts) Love to take the boat to DTD. We stayed at ASMusic in 01 and found it to be too crowded for the four of us.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

In my opinion, there are certain extras that make it worth staying at a Mod. I've stayed at ASMo 2x and CBR 2x. This past trip we were going to be staying at ASMu, then decided to move to CBR. We are park people -- we don't spend very much time at the resort, but found that there are a few things that make a difference. Of course, I can only speak about ASMo and CBR.

Pluses for Mods (CBR):

All of the bus stops at CBR are covered and have fans. All bus stops at ASMo are uncovered.

The rooms at CBR are bigger (260 sq ft vs 340 sq ft) and every foot of space makes a difference.

At mods the refrigerator is included in the price, so take that into consideration if you were going to be paying for one at POP.

Mods have two sinks, AS's and POP have one.

Mods have a curtain that separates sink area from rest of room, which makes multiple people getting ready at once more convenient.

CBR is centrally located. We were 3-5 minutes from DHS, 7-10 minutes from Epcot, 15 minutes from MK and AK and 20 minutes from DTD.

CBR has it's own buses -- doesn't share with other resorts.

Benefits of AS's and POP:

Bus stops are closer at most parks.

Food court is better than CBR.

Hope this helps.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

We have stayed at 2 mods. (POFQ & CSR). We stayed at POP for the first time this past June. Honestly, I would never spend the extra money for a moderate again. For us (our kids are 6 & 7) we are in the room to sleep and shower or a swim in the pool. Other than that we are in the parks! The value works best for our family (and wallet) for now. We also LOVE Deluxes. They are definately worth the extra money if your kids are little and need naps every day and/or if you spend a lot of time enjoying your resort. So in the future it will either be POP for a budget trip or Deluxe when we want to splurge.

 

[portocall]

We have stayed at All-Star Music twice. We loved it, however for this trip we decided to stay at a moderate. Granted for us it was the least expensive option, however I am really looking forward to the more subtle themeing as opposed to the bright and "in your face" themeing of the values. Truthfully though, for $400... I would probably stay at the value just because I would think about the difference.

 

[danceintherain]

If I was going to stay at a Mod with a group of four I would stay at CSR, because they recently replaced the Doubles with Queen Sized beds. Another option would be Port Orleans-Riverside and request an Alligator Bayou room with the trundle for the 6 y.o (though I've heard the trundle is small)
I just like my elbow room when I sleep...

How did you convince your husband to upgrade? Maybe you need to remind yourself of those reasons.

As of now, Moderates don't really appeal to me. It's just me and DH, so we would want a King Sized bed, which costs more at the Moderates. At the Values and the Deluxes it's just a request, so not guaranteed, but I still prefer it.

Really it is completely based on preference.

 

[discorsner]

My thoughts are complicated about whether a mod or value is better. It really depends. I like the themeing of the mods better but the themeing of the values can be fun and festive and not all that bad if you are in the right mood.

The best thing that my family likes about the mod resorts over the value is the waterslides for the pools. My kids like to have a waterslide. The pool at the CSR is so nice.

The thing that I hate about the moderates is how spread out they are. After feet are tired from doing parks, walking at the resort to get to room and then possibly back out for an after-park swim in the pool doesn't appeal to me.

We have done the values and requested a preferred room location. We have really liked this. The only thing that I ever miss is a pool waterslide.

We have recommended the value resorts to several friends without any reservation. We feel like they are a great "value" for the money.

When I think about spending extra $ to get to a moderate level then I end up wanted to spend even more and go deluxe. My recommendations are if you can afford deluxe do it in a heartbeat. If that is out of the question then I would probably pick value.

 

[KellyNY]

I stayed at both CBR and CSR, love both as well as PopCentury. If your kids will use water slide go with moderate. If you plan to spend lot of time at resort, go with moderate as well. If not, save your money for something else.

 

[Heard02]

The moderates give more choices in dining and multiple bus stops for transportation.
I would go with Coronado Springs. It is the newest and the rooms are super nice. They have all been recently redone and are amazing inside! The Coronado also offers queen beds where the other moderates only have doubles. Coronado also has sliding privacy doors where the others only have curtains.
Anyway....just my 2 cents.

 

[caroline1851]

I've only stayed at CSR and we LOVE it. I even asked my ds7 if he would rather go to WDW sooner but stay at a value or wait an extra year and stay at CSR and he opted to wait longer. And that's coming from a 7 year old....

I showed him all the pics on line.

I love the large size of CSR. I like the food options. The landscaping is great and pool is awesome.

 

[Shleedogg]

Having stayed at both a value (ASSp) and a moderate (POR) this year my opinion is that there really isn't much of a difference.

IMHO, the only difference is that the moderates have nicer themeing outside and are really well landscaped. Truly, the grounds at POR are beautiful! The insides, other than not being as loud decoration wise, are the same; although mods do have a mini-fridge.

The beds felt the same, the towels were the same, small and threadbare. Also, with the exception of POFQ, the resorts are HUGE. I would never stay at a mod (maybe POFQ) again. It took about 10 min to get to the main building from our room (we were the furthest away in the mansion section, on the 2nd floor). It doesn't seem like a big deal, but in 95 degree heat, it is; especially if you're just going for a mug refill.

I told DH after our July trip to POR that I will never stay in a mod again. We'll either go deluxe or value. I simply don't see the advantages to mod. Luckily for me, DH gave in and we bought DVC that trip!

With kids, I'd stay at a value and spend the $400 on great souvenirs and character meals. If you're just sleeping there and won't be touring the grounds, I don't think there's much advantage to the mod. I know people talk about the pools too, at mods there are water slides. It's my bet that if the kids don't know they're missing out on them, they won't miss them . If you don't care about the sports theme (I don't care for sports, but sucked it up), ASSp is usually cheaper than all the others, so maybe you can save a little more.

Ok, ending the book now. Good luck with your decision!

 

[Tracy041500]

Here's what I think, the kids would probably enjoy one of the values- I liked Movies the best. You & your husband would probably enjoy Coronado Springs the best.
So if it were up to me I think I would stay Value, and have some extra spending $.

 

[SheenaXena21]

This is my experience at Pop. We stayed there in 2005 for 5 nights. We were in the preferred section beside the kiddy pool. Starting at 8 a.m. we heard the CM start pressure washing. And at 7 a.m. we heard the neighbors wake-up call every morning. I even heard the guy COUGH!!! We still had fun. The resort is fun, and the food court is GREAT. But I like my sleep and vowed never to stay at a value resort again.
The larger than life icons are fun too.

I've stayed at BWV, OKW twice, POFQ, and SSR. I have never had problems with hearing the neighbors, just at OKW we heard the buses because we were against the road. But we bought a fan and that drowned out most of the noise.

POFQ was BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!! The rooms are much bigger. The pool has a slide. The rooms have double sinks, which is a plus when getting ready. It has a refrigerator. As an adult, I appreciate the mods better. And we booked POR this year. Even though it costs more, IMO, it's worth it.

 

[SheenaXena21]

Double post. My bad!!!

 

[whitfamily]

After weeks of "discussion", I think I have finally conviced DH to upgrade from POP to a moderate!! However, now that he is willing, I'm second guessing the decision. We will be there for 6 nights, and the upgrade would cost about $400. Is there really that big of a difference?

There are four of us. DH(37), me(37), DS(10), and DD(6).

So, do you think it's worth it to upgrade?

If so, which moderate would you choose?

Please help!!!

Thanks!

$400 is a lot of money. But think about how much you are going to spend on this vacation overall. We have stayed at Value, Moderate and Deluxe resorts. We had our honeymoon at CBR and really enjoyed it. It was quiet and beautiful. Although with children you definitely want to keep the size of the resort in mind...it was a long walk to the main pool and food! I have never stayed at PO but it is on my "want" list!! Our DS9 LOVES the moderate pools too -- so much better!

We stayed at Pop last January and I can tell you we will avoid staying in a value again if at all possible! It was loud, extremely small (and our kids are DS9, DS2), crowded, the beds were awful and I just didn't care for the theme so much. We also found that a lot of school groups and foreign tour groups stayed at the value resorts which added to the chaos!

I can say at the minimum, it is worth trying out a moderate. The experience is very different.

Good luck with your decision process!!

 

[Collette]

We have stayed at Pop, POFQ and WL. I love them all!! We really should always stay at Pop, but sometimes it's right to splurge a little. I had a similar thought as the previous post - $400 is a lot of money. Yet when you consider what these WDW vacations cost overall, it isn't an over the top amount to spend to upgrade to what I personally feel may be right for your family.

Our kids were teens in the early years of our trips and young adults on our last trip together. We reserved two rooms for our stays. I'm thinking that even with kids the age of yours and even if you don't spend much time in the room that Pop may feel a little tight in one room for that many days. What I do like better about Pop is the variety in their food court and the busses are for that resort only. My son and I love it there. Husband and daughter - not so much.

POFQ is a charming resort!! It's quieter and smaller, too. A wonderful, relaxing place to come "home" to at the end of a busy day in the parks. The rooms are bigger than Pop. It's great to have two sinks, a refrigerator, and the privacy curtain. Love the boat ride to Downtown Disney. We didn't use the pool, but I thought the slide looked cute for the kids.

I think the upgrade is definitely worth it! I always think I can make up the difference in other ways if I need to do so. As my kids will agree, where Mom stays is very important to the enjoyment of everyone's trip In my defense, I have been very happy staying at Pop, too. I love the fun and energy at that resort. Sometimes though quiet and more space is better.

What fun ages to be going with your kids!!!

 

[KELLY]

We stayed at a value once in 2003. My Dh didn't care for it. This trip I was trying to talk myself into trying them again. But I'm sticking with the moderates. My kids love the slides. And when DD saw they had a nemo room at CBR that was it. We were going to stay at the AKL but I couldn't get myself to pay the extra 1000.00.

 

[♥♥LittleSeaRose♥♥]

There are so many differences and so many similarities regarding Value vs. Mod vs. Deluxe. It really depends on what you want from your resort overall. The Mods are for some, as affordable deluxe style resorts and for some a glorified motel ! Find out the facts of each resort and make a side by side comparison and find your own list of pros and cons for each one! Keep in mind what is important to your family- are you looking for more space in the room? Are you taking the buses or driving? Are you planning on using the food courts and the pools? How much time will be spent at the resort and are you looking for resort mediated activities? Do you like it upbeat with a lot of people or do you want something spread out and quiet? Do you want a theme that screams at you that you're in Disneyworld or merely subtle reminders? When you are finished with your list, I'm sure you'll know which one is right for you!

 

[clanmcculloch]

Your travel ticker shows 2 months until your vacation. Are you sure upgrading is even an option? Is there availability?

With the value resort, is your price with free QSDP and the moderate has free basic DDP? When I looked up prices for your approximate dates, the only way I could come up with that big of a difference is if you didn't originally upgrade from QSDP to basic DDP. Do you want the basic DDP or the QSDP? Do you already have ADRs for several TS restaurants? You might want to keep the level of dining plan that you want as part of your decision. At this late date, you might have trouble getting the ADRs that you want.

 

[DISNEYNY]

To me it depends on how much time you will be at the resort. If you will only be there to sleep & shower I would stick with the value. If you plan on alot of down time & swimming at the resort you might like the mod better. We stayed at CBR in Aug for 3 nights of room only before our free dining package started...got a great room only price. It was worth it because we really had time to enjoy the resort. We then switched over to AS Sports. We were never in the room once we had our park tickets. I couldn't justify the price difference...for us I think it was $82 vs $159 for 9 nights.