Which Resort is the best resort for your money?

[MinnieMommy07]

I'd like to know which resort gives the best value for your money! For example some people think it's CSR because you get a "deluxe" room for the "moderate" price-some say Port Orleans for the riverboat to Downtown is much like a Deluxe amenity. I've heard some argue that Contemporary is the best value because it is one of the least expensive deluxe resorts, on a lake, the monorail line, and next to Magic Kingdom. And I've heard some people say to just use a "Value" because the rooms and food are very similar and that Magic Express does a great job getting you where you need to go anyways.... I'm having the hardest time choosing a resort to stay at! Everyone seems to be decided EQUALLY among Disney's resorts- ALL OF THEM!

Convince me to stay at your favorite resort!

 

[fla4fun]

The problem is, my favorite resort may not be your favorite resort - it's a very personal choice.

Make a list of what you would want out of your vacation hotel, regardless of whether it was Disney or not. Do you want queen beds, or will double beds be OK? Do you want room service? A pool slide? Hot tub? Is a sit down restaurant necessary, or are you OK with a food court? Do you want recreational facilities at your hotel, or are you OK with traveling a bit to rent a boat or bike? Do you prefer interior or exterior corridors?

Once you've narrowed down what your family needs in a resort, then it's much easier to narrow down the choices at Disney. For me, one of the biggest things is I love to be on the water. That's one reason why AKL doesn't appeal to me at all. I really missed being able to leave my room and take a boat somewhere, or rent a boat to explore on my own. But there are tons of people who love AKL, and it is a fine resort. It's just not a good fit for me.

My personal faves, in no particular order, are WL/VWL, CR, and any of the Epcot resorts.

 

[kapoof]

its all relative. for some you can't beat pop, on site with bus transportation to and fro the parks. some may like akl/wl because they are the cheapest deluxe. i happen to like the epcot resorts. for me, it is totally worth the extra $ being able to walk to 2 parks.

 

[tinkandpan]

It all depends on your needs. For us- we like the Polynesian, but we have two younger children and we only stay in one room. Their rooms are larger than the other deluxes (with the exception of the contemporary). We are big Magic Kingdom and Epcot fans so we request the building close to the TTA so we can walk and get either monorail eliminating the need for a rental car (we rarely use the Disney Busses). So you can see each need is totally different. I have one child still afraid to be nearby for fireworks, so watching from the beach is helpful to us, and we get our money out of the pool.

 

[jewelmicky]

Here is my take....I think the Mods are the most "bang for your buck"....When I was planning our trip, I looked to stay at the Boardwalk or Poly....but, they were 1k more then the POFQ, which was only 300 more then the All Stars. I could see paying the 300, but not the 1k. JMHO.

 

[dmaz]

It is truly a personal choice. I am extremely frugal, however for my disney vacation I have trouble staying anywhere but a deluxe. I will just try to find a code or package to make it work.
So far the best bang for our buck has been WL. It was very inexpensive with an AP rate in Jan and loved the boat to the MK.
With 3 young children we look at transportation to the parks as being most important. So this year we are staying at the Poly under 4/3. With $1000 off the room, I'd say that's a pretty good "bang for my buck"
I second the post on making a list of what's most important to your family.
Happy planning!

 

[magicaldisney]

If you're really looking for a bang for your buck, I would look at the moderate resorts. Within those resorts you would need to figure out what you are looking for out of the resort. Personally we love POR, though we would return to CSR because the bus service was sooo much better there. So, even when you have a favorite resort, there may be something you what to get out of it that makes you go somewhere else.

 

[Singinglizzie]

I agree with the poster that said make a "wish list" since chosing a resort can be daunting given the great choices. That being said, and your request for best bang for the buck, my advice would be to go with the best deal at the time. We went in January on the 4/3 deal and as a result were able to afford a stay at the Polynesian. Now I'm planning another trip to take advantage of free dining at will stay at Pop, since its least expensive and the only way I can afford a 2nd trip in the same year. If you can afford to upgrade from the Values, then that is probably a better "bang" since you will enjoy the extras that next category offers. I have yet to stay at Pop, but it seems that most of the resorts have a faithful following, so that says something. My guess is that its all Disney so its all good. Let us know what you decide. I think I switched our January resort like 50 times before finally sticking with the Poly (which my kids loved) so it may take you awhile to really choose - but hey, have fun with the planning!

 

[Lynne M]

You're going to get as many answers as there are resorts, because everyone defines "value" differently. It's like those "is it worth it?" questions, they're really kind of impossible to answer.

I'd say the resort that's the best value for your family will be the one that will have a comfortable amount of room, have amenities that you'll use, be in a location that's convenient for the parks/activities you'll be doing,and will have a rate that won't stress you so much financially that it takes the joy out of your vacation.

Because any resort that detracts from your vacation because it doesn't satisfy the above criteria, is kind of inherently a poor use of your money.

That's just my IMO, and I know it didn't really answer your question.

 

[MelanieC]

It definately is a personal choice. For what we pay for 18 nights, I could probably stay at a Deluxe for a long weekend (not sure about a week). I choose to stay at a value and go for longer. Plus - I've stayed at CR, but my kids didn't like it as much as POP or Movies.

Once we are older and the kids are out of the house, I still bet we choose more days over a nicer resort, although I'd like to do it once.

 

[DisneyWisher]

It definately is a personal choice. For what we pay for 18 nights, I could probably stay at a Deluxe for a long weekend (not sure about a week). I choose to stay at a value and go for longer. Plus - I've stayed at CR, but my kids didn't like it as much as POP or Movies.

Once we are older and the kids are out of the house, I still bet we choose more days over a nicer resort, although I'd like to do it once.

My Daughters agree. Back in 2001 I got POR for $99 a night so I booked it. The girls did not like it at all. The lobby was too far away in their opinion.

To the OP - check out a website called allearsnet. They have great photos and info about all the resorts. Personally for me I would never stay at a Moderate again. Its Value or Deluxe. For Deluxes I wait for good deals. Got WL for $119 a night about 5 years ago with an upgrade to Concierge for another $70. But more often we stay at the Values. As the quote says we can stay for more nights or go more often since I am less than 3 hours away. But it depends on what you are looking for. Mods don't work for us because they are too spread out.

 

[Coconuts]

I think the best value is the mods; good food options, nicer rooms, good pools/entertainment, and more options than values for less money than deluxes. Of course, I would always love to stay at deluxes, but you can't always afford that(at least I can't). We stayed at POR on our last trip and loved it. DH wants to stay there from now on.

 

[MickeyNicki]

I think it all depends on what you want to do...when we go for a long span of time (over a week) we prefer a quiet resort like YC and BWI, same resorts we choose for F&W because of the location.

For a weekend we prefer a monorail resort

For the holidays it would have to be GF or WL.

 

[TJA]

Personally, the best value for OUR money is the Beach Club. We've tried most other resorts in disney and we still say we'd gladly pay the extra money to stay at BC. We are much happier/relaxed there being that we can walk to 2 parks and enjoy the boardwalk area too.

 

[mmmears]

For me it would have to be AKL. I like to stay in nice hotels, so I would pick a deluxe for me. We've stayed at AKL, YC, GF, and Poly. AKL's theming is amazing, the ambiance is fantastic, the animals are great... and it's about 1/2 the price of the monorail resorts! To me, it's a winner.

BTW, the busses weren't bad, either, since they were direct and we didn't share them with another resort.

Value is all relative. For my family, having bigger room and a private balcony matters more than some other things. I think the best value is staying in a house in Orlando for the price of a value!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I agree with those who are saying the best bang for your buck would be the moderates. Less than half the cost of a deluxe (I'm not saying that we won't try a deluxe sometime!), but not too much more than a value.

With that being said, our favorite moderate is CBR! We feel it is a great value because of it's relaxing tropical atmosphere, the larger rooms, the central location & excellent bus service, and the new pool looks like it belongs at a deluxe resort!

But like others have said - it's all in what your preferences are and what you want out of your vacation. Pick something that is in your price range with the theme that appeals to you the most and hope for the best!

 

[KatMark]

For us personally, it is the Coronado (CSR). We've stayed at two deluxes and a value. For our money, the CSR offers everything we need in a resort--queen beds, nice theme, surroundings, friendly CM's, great mousekeeping, pools (4 in all), spa, sit down dining, food court, etc. We love having an outside door to step out into the Florida sunshine. Does this mean we would not stay at a deluxe? No, we would if we had the extra money to spe4nd. But for the money we are willing to spend, the CSR fits the bill for us.

 

[MinnieMommy07]

AWESOME RESPONSES! I wanted to write this thread for EVERYONE not just me! It is so great to hear about the different amenities EVERY resort has that may not be mentioned in advertisments and publicity shots. I don't care where I stay- thats my problem! I'll sleep in a box on I-4 if it meant being at Disney! It is really nice to have real testimonials instead of the same pictures and resort info from every website!
I know that every resort has a price and I want to be able (and everyone else, too) to get that "extra mile" for the price!

 

[MinnieMommy07]

P.S. Does anyone know if you can view Illuminations from Caribbean Beach Resort or the Swan/ Dolphin Resorts? Any specific room or beach area?

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

P.S. Does anyone know if you can view Illuminations from Caribbean Beach Resort or the Swan/ Dolphin Resorts? Any specific room or beach area?

Yes, another thing we love about CBR!! We have watched IllumiNations from our corner room in Jamaica, the Jamaica Beach, Aruba, the bridge to OPR, and at OPR. I have heard others mention other spots they have seen it from too!