What perks do the resort hotels have that the value resorts don't?

[Disneyland1084]

I'm a Disneyland veteran. I've never been to WDW, but plan to in a few years. I'm starting to do research on hotels and such and was wondering what the big difference between the resort and value hotels is? Besides $$$$$$ that is.

 

[honeydiane1953]

Monorails either running through resort or right out the front door. Convenience not only to parks but luxuries right next to you. As in mod. or value you sometimes have to walk a mile to even get to a bus. sheeesh Extra touches to know only form but function.

 

[Alesia]

Monorails either running through resort or right out the front door. Convenience not only to parks but luxuries right next to you. As in mod. or value you sometimes have to walk a mile to even get to a bus. sheeesh Extra touches to know only form but function.

That's a pretty major exaggeration.

 

[chalee94]

it's not a short answer:

Value, Moderate, Deluxe, Villa: What’s the Difference Between Disney World Resort Categories?

 

[Sphinx610]

That's a pretty major exaggeration.

Yeah, I agree... And no it's not a short answer, it is also tough to answer bc so many different opinions. I have stayed at all tiers of resorts. I have never had a "bad" experience. Here's my attempt at accurately over simplifying
Values
The values are like your regular motel room, small & clean, BUT with fabulous larger than life theming, nice food court, nice pools... They are not that big overall. We just stayed at ASMov and our room (buzz lightyear building) happened to be like a two minute walk to the bus and we found a short cut around the building. So... I'd stay there again. Yeah we waited a little longer for the busses but that could've been bc it was Thanksgivng week. But it WAS Thanksgiving week and it was full, but not uncomfortable. Our room was quiet. Zero problems.

Mods
A big step up, bigger rooms, nice touches, more subtle theming, great pools, decent food options, more comfy beds... I don't know how to explain it but the grounds have more lush surroundings. Since the theming is a little more subtle, they feel less like you are being beat in the head w the fact that you are at a "DISNEY" resort lol
My friend just stayed in one of the Royal Rooms at port Orleans and I thought it was fabulously redone.
the way they do the busses is different too. It's more like a bus stop than a ride line. There are a few per resort rather than one per resort.

Deluxe...
Omg.. Deluxe is like you've died and gone to heaven lol Honestly, the only deluxe I have stayed at was Grand Floridian. but boy was that a phenomenal experience. Seriously the most beautiful resort i have ever been. and im not that young. lol The conveniences, the balcony from which you could see Wishes, the electric water parade... Luxury bedding, comfortable beds, immaculately clean, on site spa, great restaurants ... I love love love the monorail- so the convenience of the monorail is just top notch IMHO. Just a nice perk, but not something I'd break my bank trying to afford. There is really no comparing a deluxe to anything else. I'm looking at my first Boardwalk visit for our next trip, so I will be able to comment on two deluxes after that, but frm my experience, there is a lot to be gained by upgrading resort tiers.

And like I said, this is an oversimplification. I'm sure I missed some major points, but basically I think that's a quick overview. I enjoyed all stays I have ever had at any Disney resort. Wherever you go there is something for you.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

I'm a Disneyland veteran. I've never been to WDW, but plan to in a few years. I'm starting to do research on hotels and such and was wondering what the big difference between the resort and value hotels is? Besides $$$$$$ that is.

All the Disney hotels on WDW property are referred to as resorts. I think you're asking about the differences among the three categories of resorts: deluxe; moderate; and value. You may want to ask this question in the resorts forum. Each resort has a super-thread of its own there.

 

[orangefan15]

Some of the major differences...

Distance to parks- Deluxe resorts will be close to at least a park (CR, Poly, GF, WL- MK; BC, YC, BWI- Epcot, DHS; AKL-AK)

Transportation- Deluxe resorts (except for AKL) offer a transportation alternative (boat, monorail, walk) besides bus to at least a park

Hallways-Deluxe have interior hallways while Value and Moderates have exterior hallways except for the suites at AoA (think about this carefully, with exterior walkways, it means your room's window is directly on the walkway whereas with interior walkways you have a window on the opposite side of the room and potentially a balcony or patio)

Restaurants- Mods and Deluxe have table service and quick service restaurants available, while Values have quick service only

Room Service- Can get room service at Deluxe resorts

Bar/Lounge- Mods and Deluxe have, Values don't (other than pool bars)

Amenities- I've found the towels to be better at the Deluxes vs. the Mods and Values

Themeing- Values have over the top, cartoonish themeing that tends to appeal to young children, Mods and Deluxes have more nuanced themeing

Bed Size- Values have doubles, Mods have queens (POR, POFQ, CSR) or doubles (CBR), Deluxes have queens

Room Size- Generally speaking, Values smaller than Mods smaller than Deluxes, but even within a category room sizes can vary (for example, with Deluxes, AKL and WL rooms are smaller than CR, Poly and GF rooms)

Pools- Available at all resorts, but Mods and Deluxes have a slide, while the Values don't

Hot Tubs- Available at Mods and Deluxes (other than Poly)

Fitness Centers- Available at Deluxes only (exception is that there is one at CSR which is a Mod)

 

[triplejen]

Orangefan15's post was very comprehensive. I'd only add:

Values don't have towels at he pools. You ned to bring the towels form your room and then request new ones from mousekeeping later. Mods and Deluxes have towels at the pools.

All three have buses. At the Values, the bus stops are uncovered and have chail link separating them. At the moderates the bus stops are covered, but only at the stop, not between the bus stops and your resort. At the Deluxes, there are covered walkways running from the bus stops to the resort, so if it's raining you stay dry the whole way

Only Deluxes have rooms that open inside a building. Values and mods open to the outside.

Oh - and the shampoo/conditioner/soap offerings in the room are different among the levels.

 

[Aliceacc]

OP, take a look at www.allears.net They have fact sheets and slide shows on each of the on site resorts.

To drastically oversimplify, it's a quesition of location and amenities. The Deluxe resorts have interior hallways, and tend to have better location. They also have some amazing pools. Lots of the time (though not always) your room will have a full balcony. And many of the Deluxes (with the exception of the Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge) will sleep 5 in a standard room. (That's very important to us!)

I've never stayed at a mod or value, so I'll let others discuss them.

 

[kaybird]

The toilet paper in the Deluxes is far superior. I'm not lying.

 

[jw50]

At the Deluxes, there are covered walkways running from the bus stops to the resort, so if it's raining you stay dry the whole way

This is not true at the Poly

 

[PeterPanic]

Absolutely nothing that is worth $400.00 per night.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I think, just like any real estate, it's location location location, at least for some of the deluxes, some are a bit farther out. In other words, proximity to the parks. That's really what you're paying for in some of them (monorail and Epcot especially). They just make the room and facilities a bit nicer to justify the higher price, but really the increased price is because of the location. You can get much nicer hotels offsite for cheaper, but they don't have the proximity. Conversely, if you moved a value and made it walking distance/monorail to a park, it wouldn't be priced the same anymore either.

 

[chartle]

One thing to add is that once outside your resort, except for some transportation issues, there are no other benefits to staying Deluxe like no extra FPs (yes I know about the FP+ rumour). If you walk up to a TS restaurant ,even in your resort, you are not going to get any better treatment than the family staying POP or the Super 8 off property.

In other words once inside a park a value guest has the same experience as a deluxe guest.

So the difference is just like any other comparison of hotels. What do they offer and how much do you have to spend to get it.

 

[goofy4tink]

Monorails either running through resort or right out the front door. Convenience not only to parks but luxuries right next to you. As in mod. or value you sometimes have to walk a mile to even get to a bus. sheeesh Extra touches to know only form but function.

Well, first of all, there are plenty of deluxe resorts at WDW that have nothing whatsoever to do with the monorail. The only resorts that would access the monorail would be the Polynesian, GF, CR/BLT. And I'm not sure that's a plus anymore with all the issues the monorail has been having. You can also use a boat between the MK and GF and Polynesian. You are able to walk to MK from the CR/BLT.
At BWI, YC/BC, you can walk to both Epcot and DHS, as well as use the boats.
AKL and WL are both considered lesser deluxes because there really isn't quick access to a park. At WL you can take a boat or a bus to MK. At AKL, you take a bus everywhere. But both these resorts are a bit lower priced than the other deluxe resorts.
Deluxe resorts have nicer linens, and yes, better toilet paper! They have larger rooms. They have nicer, more over the top pools/slides. The theming tends to be more 'grown-up'. The halls are all inside the resort, vs doors opening right to the outside as in moderates and values. And they have at least one table service restaurant.
Moderates are nicer than values,, but not quite as nice as the deluxes. They have exterior 'hall's' to get to the rooms. There are pool slides but they are smaller. There 'may' be table service but sometimes not. The rooms are smaller.
The values are bright and in your face. The rooms are a bit smaller than a moderate resort. The beds are doubles, not queens. There are no pool slides or hot tubs. No table service, just the food court. The theming is much more kid oriented.

Now, I love the deluxes..but I don't pay for them. I own DVC at both BWV and BLT. That is the only way I will stay at a deluxe. I just don't think they're worth the cost oop. The moderates are nice, but not nice enough to get me to stay there again. So, that leaves me at the values. I love both Pop and AoA. The one thing I don't like at AoA? The LM rooms are the only regular rooms..everything else is a family suite! There are seldom more than 2 or 3 of us..so no need for a suite!!!

Basically the big difference is location.

 

[BigAlsGal]

Also deluxe resorts have ALOT more foot traffic from outsiders. People love to tour the deluxes, eat at the restaurants, pool hop, sit on the beaches. Deluxes feel more touristy to me.

 

[chartle]

Also deluxe resorts have ALOT more foot traffic from outsiders. People love to tour the deluxes, eat at the restaurants, pool hop, sit on the beaches. Deluxes feel more touristy to me.

I have been one of those outsiders and when going by the pool everyone had arm bracelets and this was not just at Stormalong Bay but the pool at the Poly.

 

[Reddog1134]

Also deluxe resorts have ALOT more foot traffic from outsiders. People love to tour the deluxes, eat at the restaurants, pool hop, sit on the beaches. Deluxes feel more touristy to me.

I have been one of those outsiders and when going by the pool everyone had arm bracelets and this was not just at Stormalong Bay but the pool at the Poly.

The only people that can pool hop are DVCers and there are restrictions for them.

I'm sure there are others that do it but DVC members are the only ones that are authorized.

 

[BigAlsGal]

I have been one of those outsiders and when going by the pool everyone had arm bracelets and this was not just at Stormalong Bay but the pool at the Poly.

I was just saying it gets a lot more foot traffic. Had no intention of turning this into a pool hopping thread.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Disney Resorts forum.