What do you think of the Value resort, truthfully?

[bethie]

I have stayed both deluxe and moderate, but was considering staying at one of the value resorts for a quickie trip in January. What do you think? I love the WL and ideally is my first choice.

Thanks!

Beth

 

[waughzee]

I think they are a fantastic value for the money. If it were me, and it came to staying offsite, or staying at a Value Resort, I would pick the Value Resort every time!

 

[Michelemouse]

We absolutely love the All-Stars and stay in them about as often as we stay in the deluxes. They are a great value for the money!

 

[claudia]

I was in a similar situation as I wanted to make an extra trip, just me and my son, as we had AP's. We had always stayed at BC or BW and I was a little nervous about the All Stars. Well...we picked the ASMovies and I can not tell you how much we LOVED staying there. We loved the pool, the rooms, the food court, bus service....just about everything....it had such a great atmosphere!!! We loved it so much, that when it is just me and my son (hubby loves the BC too much to give it up LOL) that is our first choice.

 

[Allie322]

If you don't spend much time at the resort, then I think that the All-Stars are ok. For us the resort is an integral part of our vacation and ASMu (the only one we've stayed in) didn't really appeal to us. We like interior hallways, balconies, and the option of walking or taking a boat to a park rather than having to depend solely on buses. JMHO

 

[bethie]

Thank you! I am spoiled by the deluxes myself. It may be hard to believe, but this is a tough decision for me.

Have a great day!
Beth

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

One thing you should be aware of -- the Value resorts do not have the same amenities that a Moderate or a Deluxe might have.

 

[BCVNovember]

If I had to stay at the All Stars again, I probably would not go. My SIL picked the AS and I won't let her do the planning any more..

I felt like I was staying at a cheap Howard Johnsons. We were put in the back end of the Herbie the Love Bug building at the ASMo 3 years ago. That building is the furthest you can get from the main buildings. For the first 3 days, everytime we went to the room the door was covered with actual "love bugs" that flew in to the room when the door was opened. My daughters hated them. The pool was not big enough for all the guests there. The food court was ok but overpriced in my estimation. We would be packed on the busses like sardines most evenings after fireworks at MK, EPCOT, etc.

My daughters are dreaming of going back to WDW (I'm surprising them with the trip in November) but whenever they bring it up... they ask to please stay somewhere else besides the bug place (and we are).

If you're used to the deluxes, the values might not be the best choice.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by BCVNovember
For the first 3 days, everytime we went to the room the door was covered with actual "love bugs" that flew in to the room when the door was opened. My daughters hated them.

Just so you know, although rather ironic, the Love Bugs are property wide. Love Bug season happens twice a year, once in the spring, and we just had the 2nd season just last week. I agree, they are horrible, but there's not much that can be done about them. But they are property wide, and can be found at Deluxes and Moderates. (as well as on the front end and windshield of every vehicle on the road)

 

[Doc and Family]

We like the value resorts.
They are the most kid friendly, by far.
They have the best bus service, easily.
Our kids love them (6 and 4).
We have been spoiled by the DVC, but will still occassionally stay on cash instead of points.
Rooms are a little tight, but adequate.
I don't think you will be disappointed.
If you have APs, and can get an AP rate (like the $49 rate over Christmas), it is definitely a fantastic value for the money.

 

[KdawnLily's Mom]

As I was reading this I was thinking- ' if I were more familiar with the deluxes and all the amenities they offer would I appreciate the atmosphere that the All Stars create and would I really be able to enjoy myself?" SO I asked my daughter. She has stayed at deluxe resorts and value resorts- which does she like? The Value. It has a feel about it that none of the others do- she loves the excitement and the go-go feel of the ASR's. It really is a personal choice- do you want to relax by a pool all day and enjoy the resort and all it has to offer or would you rather spend most of the day at the Parks or out and about to come back to resort to sleep and get up to do it all again?
She said that if she were to stay at a WDW Deluxe resort again she probably would do a weeks stay without passes to the parks- treat it as a WDW Resort Vacation rather than a WDW Vacation. She felt that with passes to the parks, staying at a deluxe she didn't have nearly enough time to enjoy the amenities she paid for- just the beds- which she said were just as comfortable at the ASMu.
I have read the other posts here and most of them are positive views of the resort(one poster that did have a negative experience, affected more by the love bugs than the resort itself- and truthfully, that could have happened in any of the WDW Resorts).
We were there in a slower season (yeah right, it was the Cheerleading competitions in Feb. of this year- extremely busy) and the transportation wasn't bad at all. Only one evening coming from MK did we feel that it was too crowded. But they put extra busses on. There were people waiting for Moderate (CS)resorts asking to be taken to their resorts by the ASR buses; they had been waiting so long and it didn't look like they would be picked up anytime soon.
The food courts are just as reasonably priced as any other WDW counter service restaurant is. The food we had was good- some was even very good. A plus at staying at the Music or Movies resort is you can hop from one food court to another with very little travel time(a walk across the parking lot in some buildings) and get more of a variety of themes. And if you desire something better- nothing can stop you from going to the Grand Floridian or the WL for a bite to eat.
Hopefully we have made your decision an easier one.

 

[EPCOTLADY]

My husband and I are use mostly to mods but have stayed at the BC and are fixing to stay at the AK. Last trip, however, we tried to stay at one of the values and when we walked in it was very very crowded and then the rooms were small and ours was still dirty, we even found receipts with the previous tenents name and cc# on it! We called the front and ask (begged) to see if they could have our res transfered to the CB and pay the difference,which they did and boy did I sigh with relief! We left right then and never to look back!!! Now, I am not saying this resort is not for anybody, obviously from other post it is, but definately is not for someone who likes the space of mod to deluxe. I guess you can just call me spoiled.

 

[jdads2]

We have stayed in the deluxes with our kids and are going to be at POR this December. My DW and I spent a WDW vacation without the kids at ASMu and had a great time. We didn't spend alot of time at the resort but when we were there we enjoyed it. We'll probably take another trip without the kids this February or March and spend it at one of the AS resorts. Makes for a nice cheap trip. If you figure we don't have to rent a car and we get the AP rate on the resort it's ussually within a couple of $$ of staying off site without the hastle of driving anywhere.

 

[Growin'upDisney]

I think that if you are planning to spend most-to-all of your time in the parks or DTD then stay at the value resorts. But if you plan to spend any length of time in your room or resort, then go moderate or deluxe.

On my first trip 3 years ago we stayed at AS Sports and I thought it was great. But that's probably because I didn't know any different. But now that we are going back and I have done some research I cannot ever imagine staying at an All-Star again. The mods and deluxes just seem to offer such a broader option of activities, amenities, and dining options. JMHO.

The main key is to enjoy the trip no matter where you stay!

 

[CamColt]

I started out in Deluxe...love the Poly! Then we went to a moderate, DxL and I liked it. No real complaints except that the layout is very big and confusing. It was a nice hotel though. Then we went to ASMO and I fell in love with it. Its just soooo Disney! I would have a hard time going back to a moderate over a value again. The money is just an added bonus.

 

[dawgfan]

I love them. They are lively and clean. They are small in rom size but this was not a real problem.

 

[Micca]

We have stayed at many WDW resorts from Grand Floridian to All Stars. There are advantages to all of them. I can't tell you that All Stars compares favorably to the deluxe resorts. Compared with off site hotels in the price range, I think All Stars is a great choice. I would echo those who suggest that it depends on what your use of the room is.

 

[Lewisc]

I like the themed pools and location of the deluxe hotels. Nothing like being able to walk to EPCOT and MGM from BC/YC or take the monorail or ferry from POLY to MK. If I was looking to save money I'd look at some of the discounts available at Swan/Dolphin.

I'm in a minority but I'd go offsite before I'd stay at a value (and probably even a moderate). I find driving to the parks (except maybe MK) is easier than the bus. Offsite you can get a suite hotel with a mini-kitchen, a hotel with some type of breakfast or even (through PL) a deluxe for less than a Disney moderate.

A few years ago (near Easter) I was quoted 180 for a moderate. I stayed in Caribe Royale for about $115. At the time it included a hot breakfast, had a refrigerator, interior corridors and a great pool.

 

[crystalb]

Not a complaint -- just compliments.

 

[girlsx2]

Just to add my two cents...if it ment staying off property or staying at the AS, I'd stay at the AS resorts. I have only stayed at the WL so I really can't comment on anything else. However, we are staying our first night in Orlando at the Pop Century Resort when we return in Feb. We usually stay off site for the first night then go to the WL on Sunday afternoon. But with all the hoopla going on with Pop Century, we are going to try it out. I am a little concerned with the room size as we have three girls (11, 7, 2), but we don't spend a lot of time in our room anyway.


Sherri