We do NOT recommend the value resorts!

[sparky96]

We just returned and would highly recommend NOT staying at a value resort! They are bare bones and the customer service was horrible! We stayed at the All Star Movie Resort and while the outside of the hotel was cute (Toy Story characters, 101 Dalmations) the inside was nothing to write home about. The beds were made for the 7 dwarfs (neither my husband nor I could sleep comfortably due to the small size), you had to use your bath towels for the pool, the soap had a horrible smell my 4 year old refused to use it and the people there were rude and inconsiderate. When we complained to management about the noise and naked people running around the grounds we were told they were paying customers! The location is terrible also. Very far away from the parks. We had to take busses everywhere which were jammed with people, hot and often times the wait was longer than 25 minutes (in the hot sun, mind you, with no shade covering us). I tried to save money by staying here but learned my lesson the hard way. There was nothing luxurious about this hotel at all (it actually was like a motel...rooms are on the outside). I would definitely spend the extra money and go elsewhere. You definitely get for what you pay here!

 

[aleshad01]

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your stay at a value resort. We love Pop Century and have never had any problems.

 

[smitch425]

We just returned and would highly recommend NOT staying at a value resort! They are bare bones and the customer service was horrible! We stayed at the All Star Movie Resort and while the outside of the hotel was cute (Toy Story characters, 101 Dalmations) the inside was nothing to write home about. The beds were made for the 7 dwarfs (neither my husband nor I could sleep comfortably due to the small size), you had to use your bath towels for the pool, the soap had a horrible smell my 4 year old refused to use it and the people there were rude and inconsiderate. When we complained to management about the noise and naked people running around the grounds we were told they were paying customers! The location is terrible also. Very far away from the parks. We had to take busses everywhere which were jammed with people, hot and often times the wait was longer than 25 minutes (in the hot sun, mind you, with no shade covering us). I tried to save money by staying here but learned my lesson the hard way. There was nothing luxurious about this hotel at all (it actually was like a motel...rooms are on the outside). I would definitely spend the extra money and go elsewhere. You definitely get for what you pay here!

to Disboards.

Sorry you did not enjoy your stay, but the value resorts are just that-- a VALUE resort. They are not meant to be luxurious. They are meant to provide a clean, small room for sleeping and showering and that's about it. Did you actually see "naked" peolpe, or just people in swimsuits? As far as their location from the parks and the outside doors, something as simple as looking at a map and looking at their website would have alerted you to that fact. Values are not for everyone for sure, but MANY people love them. Yes, you do get what you pay for, but that's kind of how life works in general. Just chalk it up as a lesson learned for next time.

 

[Jenndoss]

to Disboards.

Sorry you did not enjoy your stay, but the value resorts are just that-- a VALUE resort. They are not meant to be luxurious. They are meant to provide a clean, small room for sleeping and showering and that's about it. Did you actually see "naked" peolpe, or just people in swimsuits? As far as their location from the parks and the outside doors, something as simple as looking at a map and looking at their website would have alerted you to that fact. Values are not for everyone for sure, but MANY people love them. Yes, you do get what you pay for, but that's kind of how life works in general. Just chalk it up to a lesson learned for next time.

You said you get what you pay for. But IMO, the hotels at DW are expensive even for the value resorts and as such I expect decent, not 5 star, but decent service. I have not stayed at that hotel so I don't know what it is usually like, but you stay at resorts to be closer to the parks and stay within "the magic". I hope our experience is better than the OP's . We will be at Pop though. I do understand however that in comparison to the cost of the other on site hotels the value ones are the least expensive of the bunch, but we still expect to have a good time regardless.

 

[DizzDoll]

Sorry you had a bad time at a Value. We LOVE Pop Century and are going back for our 4th time. We've also stayed at the deluxes as well as moderates, but as far as Pop being a value, it's an excellent, fun and clean resort. Before you totally write off the values, try Pop as a split stay during your next visit. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[smitch425]

You said you get what you pay for. But IMO, the hotels at DW are expensive even for the value resorts and as such I expect decent, not 5 star, but decent service. I have not stayed at that hotel so I don't know what it is usually like, but you stay at resorts to be closer to the parks and stay within "the magic". I hope our experience is better than the OP's . We will be at Pop though. I do understand however that in comparison to the cost of the other on site hotels the value ones are the least expensive of the bunch, but we still expect to have a good time regardless.

While the values may be more expensive than a hotel of the same type elsewhere, you have to remember to factor the benefits in such as free transportation, food on-site, extra park hours, etc. POP is GREAT! We will be there again in October. We have the money to stay elsewhere, but why pay more when you are never in the room except to sleep and shower? Have a great trip! We will be at POP in 78 days...not that I'm counting or anything

 

[Goofypop]

I'm sorry your experience was bad but I just don't understand why a CM would have told you "they're paying customers" for if there were nude people running around. They would have gone and done something about it. We have stayed at CBR, ASSports, ASMusic, and Pop Century and so far we have no experienced ANY of that stuff. I am 6'5" tall and I fit on the Value beds just fine. (They are the same beds in ALL of the Values) We had two kids running past our room door one night and we called the front desk and they sent two CM's out to stop them. And all they were doing was running past the door loudly over and over.

I'm sorry, but I disagree with you here. I highly reccommend the Value Resorts to anyone and everyone.

Just a couple of curious questions here.... where do you normally stay? The Ritz? (That was a serious question too. Not sarcastic) And What did you think the resort was? It's a Value Resort. Did you plan the trip or was it a spur-of-the-moment trip and you just made a call?

 

[willowsnn3]

We absolutely love POP!!! Have stayed at a deluxe & a couple of mods too, but our 'go to' is usually POP. We did stay at ASMU once & did not care for it only because of our room location. Other than that, no problem.

 

[Disney_Jill]

I really like Pop Century and have stayed there 3 times. I have also stayed at a few DVC deluxes and one moderate. This past May we stayed at Movies because we were going with friends and her son LOVES Herbie. It was pretty bad and I am not a complainer. The rooms really need to be refurbished (which there are, buildings 1-2 were finished, they were working on 3) and our A/C didn't work very well. It was working it was just really weak. I had to set it at 55 to make it bearable. My friend had a VERY bad experience at check in and both the supervisor and manager were VERY rude. The next day I mentioned it to a different manager on duty and she understood and knew exactly who we were talking about. I did online check in and I was fine. My friend did not and I was just shocked at the treatment they gave her.
The food court was pretty good, though I prefer Pop. The other guests were fine and I met some really interesting people, so I have no complaints there. I just was so shocked at that evil supervisor (she helped after the CM, then I made them get the manager on duty) and manager. As many times as I have been to WDW I have never anything like that.
I wouldn't swear off Values forever, maybe try Pop or just play it safe and go for a Moderate. Values are much better when its not the busy season, such as summer or Christmas.

 

[trekker93]

Since it is refurbished, the rooms are really nice! The theming is great and the food court fun. In 6 trips there, we have not had a major problem.

 

[Cin]

That's too bad. Hopefully the rest of your trip was wonderful and you had a magical time in the parks and the rest of the "world". We had a wonderful experience at All Star Music. Yes, I agree it is farther from the parks and the bus stops are not shaded and I too was uncomfortable standing in the sun baking. The resort theming was really cute, I had a nice clean room, the hot water was actually hot and I never ran out of it, the air-conditioning was quiet and worked well, the furniture and room quality were fine and while not luxurious by any standards they were not in need of attention or repair. The beds were small at a full size but comfortable and I had a decent night's sleep. I also saved $500 over what a moderate resort would have cost. The moderates are beautiful and all, but I just don't know that they are worth the cost for the theming, a queen bed, and a covered bus stop. As a result, I am considering another value resort stay my next trip too as we had a great experience.

 

[KELLY]

We have had 2 awesome stays at pop after a couple of not so clean rooms at POFQ. We are headed there for our 3rd stay in a few weeks. I will also be booking there again next year.

 

[PrincessAli]

We as well also like the Value Resorts and have stayed at every resort except THE GRAND and BOARDWALK since we began coming to WDW many years ago. Last year at THE MOVIES we were somewhat disappointed with the size of the room --because we had just spent a few nights at THE HARD ROCK HOTEL in their Club Level room . Didn't take us long to readjust and enjoy the value as much as ever. Our stay this year will include, POP, PO RIVERSIDE and SHADES OF GREEN.

 

[Aisling]

When we complained to management about the noise and naked people running around the grounds we were told they were paying customers!

For some reason I can't imagine someone calling the front desk saying there are naked people running around the grounds and the CM saying "they're paying customers." I don't believe that for one second.

 

[Pikezh638]

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your stay at a value resort. We love Pop Century and have never had any problems.

This x2...

I never really see the reason to stay in the higher up rooms. My summer vacation of 2010, we got back to the room around 1 a.m. every night and we were up and on the move by 7 a.m. every morning.

I have never had a bad experience at All Star Movies, All Star Sports, or Pop Century.

 

[Disney-Chick]

We just booked our trip yesterday for beginning of Dec @ POP. This is our favorite place. We did stay at the AKL in January and it was beautiful but I didn't like the restuarant food very much and everything was so far away. We only stayed there for our Wedding since DH always wanted to.

DH parents stayed at the CB & we loved the restaurant & the rooms. We are thinking about trying that one year. We have been to some of the other value resorts to visit (not in the rooms) and the restaurant area I didn't like and I think more so because im used to POP.

Im sorry you did not have the best experience with both the resort & CM's. I know we have run into a few (not many) that have been snippy or cranky. I just move on knowing that the majority are very friendly.

Disney is refurbishing the rooms and they are much better. I especially love the privacy curtain. I use that all the time. Im sure if you stay at POP you will love it as much as everyone else above does. Please do not stick your nose up at value resorts.

 

[PoohMom68]

We stayed at All Star Music and we were really happy with it . My 6 year old daughter loved it. It wasn't fancy but it was clean and there was always something fun going on at the pool for the kids. The only thing I was not thrilled with was the bus situation - crowed at times and no covering on the bus stops. We love the Wilderness lodge and try to stay there when we can But would definietly recommand the music resort. Would love to try the new Animation resort in the future. The value resorts are what they say - VALUE

 

[eliza61]

We just returned and would highly recommend NOT staying at a value resort! They are bare bones and the customer service was horrible! We stayed at the All Star Movie Resort and while the outside of the hotel was cute (Toy Story characters, 101 Dalmations) the inside was nothing to write home about. The beds were made for the 7 dwarfs (neither my husband nor I could sleep comfortably due to the small size), you had to use your bath towels for the pool, the soap had a horrible smell my 4 year old refused to use it and the people there were rude and inconsiderate. When we complained to management about the noise and naked people running around the grounds we were told they were paying customers! The location is terrible also. Very far away from the parks. We had to take busses everywhere which were jammed with people, hot and often times the wait was longer than 25 minutes (in the hot sun, mind you, with no shade covering us). I tried to save money by staying here but learned my lesson the hard way. There was nothing luxurious about this hotel at all (it actually was like a motel...rooms are on the outside). I would definitely spend the extra money and go elsewhere. You definitely get for what you pay here!

Sorry you didn't like your resort, that is definitely a bummer. I had to laugh at the naked people reference. Unfortunately I was a chaperone on a senior trip one year when my "future presidents" decide to go skinny dipping also. Needless to say it was an interesting trip.

Anyway the only exception I had was to the luxurious part of your post. the values are not known or marketed to be as luxurious so I'm afraid that's got to be chalked up to not getting information.

Disney is wonderful in that they offer some thing for every one. I too don't like the values, they simply are not what I want out of a hotel stay but they are a great option for people on a budget or folks who don't want todrop a ton on a room as the room is not an important part of their overall vacation.

hope your next stay is a bit more magical.

 

[Lewisc]

The beds in the value resorts are the same size as Disney traditionally offered in the moderate resorts. Disney has replaced the beds in CSR with queen size beds and is rumored to be upgrading the beds in the other moderate resorts.

Isn't there a notice somewhere that tells you to call housekeeping for pool towels?

You need to upgrade to a deluxe hotel to get the kind of experience you're looking for.

Disney doesn't market the value, or even moderate, resorts as luxurious.

We just returned and would highly recommend NOT staying at a value resort! They are bare bones and the customer service was horrible! We stayed at the All Star Movie Resort and while the outside of the hotel was cute (Toy Story characters, 101 Dalmations) the inside was nothing to write home about. The beds were made for the 7 dwarfs (neither my husband nor I could sleep comfortably due to the small size), you had to use your bath towels for the pool, the soap had a horrible smell my 4 year old refused to use it and the people there were rude and inconsiderate. When we complained to management about the noise and naked people running around the grounds we were told they were paying customers! The location is terrible also. Very far away from the parks. We had to take busses everywhere which were jammed with people, hot and often times the wait was longer than 25 minutes (in the hot sun, mind you, with no shade covering us). I tried to save money by staying here but learned my lesson the hard way. There was nothing luxurious about this hotel at all (it actually was like a motel...rooms are on the outside). I would definitely spend the extra money and go elsewhere. You definitely get for what you pay here!

 

[tyniknate]

I, too, am sorry you found the values to be unacceptable. There are a great many of us though who would disagree. They are clean confortable rooms for those of us who would rather spend time in the parks than in our hotel room. Might I suggest you do your homework a little better next time so you know exactly what you are getting? It's a lot of money to spend (even at a "value") and it's no secret that these are VALUE resorts and do not include the incidentals that those of us who stay there find to be unnecessary. Hope your next vacation to WDW is all you dream of, but remember.....it is what you make of your trip. You could be staying in a five-star hotel and find something to be miserable about. This is the happiest place on earth, keep that in mind.