Value vs Moderate

[csw531]

Traveling early May 2013 to Disney. Most likely using the newly announced 2013 Military discount since I doubt what ever Disney releases will be better than that, unless it is free dining.

So, I have only stayed at moderates (FQ & Riverside) in the 3 times I have been to Disney in the last few years Never have stayed in a value but we are thinking of it because of financial savings of doing so. Crunched the numbers and will save about $300.

Need to hear about the benefits of a value (all-stars or pop) vs the moderates other than the $$$$. Parents are joining us and father really wants to save $ and stay at a value. However it is just the two of them in a room, while my room with have myself, my dh, and two ds (age 5 and almost 2 by the time we go). Love the queen beds in the moderates and not so sure about the double beds in the values and loosing the extra square footage.

Fill me in on what you liked when stayed there, pool, food court, transportation etc.

In the end I am sure we will be fine but I really like FQ so passing it up this trip is going to be hard!!!!!!

Thanks for all the help!!!!!

 

[donaldude]

I've stayed at POP. It's great for young kids. Try to get a room close to a BS or the food court though. The resort is a little spread out.

 

[mjallemand]

I've never looked outside of Value because as far as I'm concerned I'm at WDW to be at the parks or other attractions, not in the room.

All the room needs to do is serve as a place to sleep and shower.

 

[WillowBelle]

I've never looked outside of Value because as far as I'm concerned I'm at WDW to be at the parks or other attractions, not in the room.

All the room needs to do is serve as a place to sleep and shower.

We do the same thing.

Looking at your DD's ages, they will fit just fine together in a double (vs. queen sized bed). The values now have the refrigerators like the moderates do. Pop is by far our favorite value, we like that we don't have to share busses and just the general overall feel.

We are going in 16 days and it will be myself, DH and DDs (12 & 14) staying a value. It will be a tighter squeeze than when DDs were physically smaller, but we'll manage just fine. Like I quoted earlier. The ONLY time we're in the room is dragging back HOURS after the parks have closed (I'm one of those who lags behind taking empty park pictures all the way out) only staying in the room until about 1.5 hours BEFORE parks open (because we are also a rope drop family).

 

[Butterflygirl35]

While the kids are okay in double beds.... It is hard as an adult.

For me that is a deal-breaker, especially after a long day in the Park.

I stayed at POP a year ago and found it very hard and uncomfortable to sleep... Not to mention tiny pillows....They were horrrible... To me that alone is worth an upgrade or else mommy turns into grumpy

Plus better amenities on site.... never hurts

 

[collegeprogram01]

Traveling early May 2013 to Disney. Most likely using the newly announced 2013 Military discount since I doubt what ever Disney releases will be better than that, unless it is free dining.

So, I have only stayed at moderates (FQ & Riverside) in the 3 times I have been to Disney in the last few years Never have stayed in a value but we are thinking of it because of financial savings of doing so. Crunched the numbers and will save about $300.

Need to hear about the benefits of a value (all-stars or pop) vs the moderates other than the $$$$. Parents are joining us and father really wants to save $ and stay at a value. However it is just the two of them in a room, while my room with have myself, my dh, and two ds (age 5 and almost 2 by the time we go). Love the queen beds in the moderates and not so sure about the double beds in the values and loosing the extra square footage.

Fill me in on what you liked when stayed there, pool, food court, transportation etc.

In the end I am sure we will be fine but I really like FQ so passing it up this trip is going to be hard!!!!!!

Thanks for all the help!!!!!

We are in the same situation. Stayed at CBR a bunch and for the savings we are looking at pop. We don't have kids but for the amount of time we are in our room I thinks it's worth the savings! I have heard good things about pop!

 

[jenrose66]

Traveling early May 2013 to Disney. Most likely using the newly announced 2013 Military discount since I doubt what ever Disney releases will be better than that, unless it is free dining.

So, I have only stayed at moderates (FQ & Riverside) in the 3 times I have been to Disney in the last few years Never have stayed in a value but we are thinking of it because of financial savings of doing so. Crunched the numbers and will save about $300.

Need to hear about the benefits of a value (all-stars or pop) vs the moderates other than the $$$$. Parents are joining us and father really wants to save $ and stay at a value. However it is just the two of them in a room, while my room with have myself, my dh, and two ds (age 5 and almost 2 by the time we go). Love the queen beds in the moderates and not so sure about the double beds in the values and loosing the extra square footage.

Fill me in on what you liked when stayed there, pool, food court, transportation etc.

In the end I am sure we will be fine but I really like FQ so passing it up this trip is going to be hard!!!!!!

Thanks for all the help!!!!!

POFQ was always my resort of choice too. After we started having kids, staying there just wasn't in the budget. We started staying at values about 5 years ago and never looked back.

In the future, if we decide to move up from a value we will either rent points for DVC or try a deluxe. I think the mods are nice, but not that much nicer than the values.

 

[MinnieSummer]

If the big issue is money I would say stay at a value and make it POP. OR get a family suite at ASMusic (or Movie I can never remember which one it is) for your family and let your parents stay in a regular room. There is much more space, two bathrooms and a kitchenette which also helps with the cost. You can all eat breakfast in your room. My concern with the AS is that you very frequently end up with packed busses and occasionally they share with the other AS resorts. The foodcourts are very loud and busy and, unfortunately there are a lot of kids running around unattended -- but you also get this at the mods, with the exception of CSR which seats you so you avoid the issue of kids trying to grab tables while the parents are getting the food. I also have issues with the cleanliness of the AS common areas. The restrooms have always been filthy when we stayed there (something we avoid doing unless it is an overnight trip). If you plan on spending any time at the resort I really recommend one of the mods. Better dining options, better pools, better kids activities and larger rooms. Resorts in both levels are very large and depending on where your room is, can require a lot of walking so that shouldn't factor into your decision. I hope that helped. But in end, you have to remember that you will be at WDW and it will be fun regardless of where you stay. It is what you make it.

 

[Letsbgoofy]

We stayed at POR many times, as well as Pop many times. Here's how I would compare them:

transportation:I prefer the bus system at Pop. POR has multiple stops and I don't like to wait while other people get on/off. Yes, I'm impatient!

food court: I like both food courts. The seating area at POR is nicer/quieter, but both have good choices. If I had to pick for food alone, it would be Pop that wins because I love their Mediterranean chicken flatbread.

room: I haven't been in the remodeled rooms at POR. I do like that they have 2 queen beds rather than the doubles at Pop. The big difference to me was always the curtain that gives you some privacy for changing that the mods. have, but now Pop has them too. Values have a fridge now too (at least Pop does). Size-wise they are so close that I have never really noticed the difference.

resort grounds: In that area POR wins hands down for me. Pop is much more fun/in your face Disney. POR is very beautiful and relaxing. POR has a water slide and Pop doesn't, and I love their quiet pools. Pop is easier to get around, all the rooms are pretty close to the food court and bus stop.

When we used to take longer trips, we stayed at the mods. or deluxes because we spent a lot of time at the resort. Now I'm usually there for shorter, just going to the parks trips and I always stay at Pop. Saving money is always good

 

[goofyintoronto]

I've never looked outside of Value because as far as I'm concerned I'm at WDW to be at the parks or other attractions, not in the room.

All the room needs to do is serve as a place to sleep and shower.

I agree. This is how we feel too.

While the kids are okay in double beds.... It is hard as an adult.

For me that is a deal-breaker, especially after a long day in the Park.

I stayed at POP a year ago and found it very hard and uncomfortable to sleep... Not to mention tiny pillows....They were horrrible... To me that alone is worth an upgrade or else mommy turns into grumpy

Plus better amenities on site.... never hurts

If one adult sleeps with a child in a bed (vs two adults in one bed and two kids in another), then you should have plenty of room to sleep.

I've been to pop & all stars, and to be honest, i found the beds quite comfy. Two years in a row we've stayed at pop and never had an problem with the mattresses or pillows. We slept like babies! We love pop! Very fun resort. The kids will love it!

Its true that mods have better amenities and bigger beds and gorgeous landscaping/grounds etc. I'd rather stay with the rest of the party at a value/Pop rather than be separated and book a mod. Although i hear what youre saying....only $300 to upgrade to a mod is hard to pass up! ....im not much help am i? LOL!

 

[KELLY]

I gave my girls the option mod with a pool slide or add the WP&F option and stay at pop again. The girls picked pop. They really like it there. Dh and I like it also. We go for 11 days so the savings for us was around 550.00 after add the WP option to our tickets. Now that we have kids my wallet prefers a value.

I think your DS's would really enjoy it. They have the same activites that they have at the moderates now. My girls like the nightly movies and also like the fact that there is a cool arcade and lots of ice cream choices. We aren't rope drop to closing people either.

 

[skriegerjr]

I've never looked outside of Value because as far as I'm concerned I'm at WDW to be at the parks or other attractions, not in the room.

All the room needs to do is serve as a place to sleep and shower.

This is true if you ignore the amenities a mod offers, like bigger room/beds, ceiling fan, access to TS restaurant on site(except for FQ,) slide for the pool (admittedly more of a draw for younger kids)

We started at Pop, loved it, but once we started at POFQ, we couldn't go back...staying at POR for FD in 11 days! Can't wait to see the rooms post renovation!

Sent from my HTC HERO CM7.1 using the DISBoards App

 

[Butterflygirl35]

I agree. This is how we feel too.

If one adult sleeps with a child in a bed (vs two adults in one bed and two kids in another), then you should have plenty of room to sleep.

I've been to pop & all stars, and to be honest, i found the beds quite comfy. Two years in a row we've stayed at pop and never had an problem with the mattresses or pillows. We slept like babies! We love pop! Very fun resort. The kids will love it!

Its true that mods have better amenities and bigger beds and gorgeous landscaping/grounds etc. I'd rather stay with the rest of the party at a value/Pop rather than be separated and book a mod. Although i hear what youre saying....only $300 to upgrade to a mod is hard to pass up! ....im not much help am i? LOL!

I would agree with the above if my kids did not practice karate in their sleep... I ended up with feet in my face...

I loved POP other than the bed situation. I just felt very cramped and the miniature pillows did not help in that situation.

I think that since OP is using to staying at a different level, there could be a dissapointment and discomfort in staying at a value... Just my 2 cents.

I totally agree that a room is a place to sleep and shower, but I dont like to sleep in discomfort...

 

[csw531]

I gave my girls the option mod with a pool slide or add the WP&F option and stay at pop again. The girls picked pop. They really like it there. Dh and I like it also. We go for 11 days so the savings for us was around 550.00 after add the WP option to our tickets. Now that we have kids my wallet prefers a value.

I think your DS's would really enjoy it. They have the same activites that they have at the moderates now. My girls like the nightly movies and also like the fact that there is a cool arcade and lots of ice cream choices. We aren't rope drop to closing people either.

I know in the end the kids will be happy no matter where we stay.

However, it is just a $300 difference and need to convince my Dad to just loosen up and spend that $300 to stay at FQ. My parents went on their own and stayed at an All Star but paid for the prefered room. He doesn't get that by the time you do that you are only about $150 or so away from a standard at FQ. He thinks that it is great that he was so close to the pool, busses etc. but dosen't get that in the end he paid for that! My poor mother!

Will have to do more research on POP. Altough my heart will always belong to FQ!

 

[Butterflygirl35]

Either way you are in Disney World!! and thats what really matters...

Everyones needs and comfort levels are different...

Hopefully your trip will be filled with

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I know in the end the kids will be happy no matter where we stay.

However, it is just a $300 difference and need to convince my Dad to just loosen up and spend that $300 to stay at FQ. My parents went on their own and stayed at an All Star but paid for the prefered room. He doesn't get that by the time you do that you are only about $150 or so away from a standard at FQ. He thinks that it is great that he was so close to the pool, busses etc. but dosen't get that in the end he paid for that! My poor mother!

Will have to do more research on POP. Altough my heart will always belong to FQ!

Pop is going to be huge and overwhelming compared to POFQ. DH and I love Pop, but it's just the 2 of us and most of the time, they put us in a room with a King Bed.

POFQ is much smaller and not nearly as full of wild rambunctuous kids as Pop will be.

 

[Johnson1220]

Hey CSW531 --- I know it's you (lol) !!!!
Hope it all works out for you guys.

 

[csw531]

Either way you are in Disney World!! and thats what really matters...

Everyones needs and comfort levels are different...

Hopefully your trip will be filled with

Exactly!

Thank you for reminding me!!!!!

 

[csw531]

Hey CSW531 --- I know it's you (lol) !!!!
Hope it all works out for you guys.

Love that we are both here!!!! I hope so too!!!!

 

[WDW Obsessed]

I always stay moderate over value. I have stayed at every value resort and the best thing about them are the food courts. They have the best selection for sure, however I like many other stay moderate due to the fact it just "feels" better. When we do plan a value our family ALWAYS says "why did we choose this?" Also last I knew the value pools are not heated if it matters. I also wanted to remind you that you will get what you pay for!! Just my thoughts. My vote is for Poly.