Which Resort (Mod/Value) for 2 adults?

[ThisIsJason]

My wife and I are planning a late first anniversary to WDW. She has never been before and I haven't been inside a park in 10 years.

We are trying to decide between a Moderate or Value. I would like to stay in a Value because we would be able to extend our trip by a day or two. She is against a Value because she thinks we would be out of place seeing we do not have any children.

Any advice on a Moderate or Value Resorts? Which would be the best?

Thanks!
Jason

 

[AnOtHeRdIsNeYfReAk]

My boyfriend and I often stay at the values. His favorite is the All Star Sports, while I prefer Pop Century. Neither of us has ever felt out of place, though honestly we are only there to sleep, shower, nap and sometimes swim. I have seen so many childless couples/singles there that no one would ever look twice.

 

[sharonmickey]

Think about how much time you will spend at the resort. If you are going to be in the parks all day, save the money and stay at a value resort. If you decide you want to relax at the resort for part of the day you may prefer a moderate. Both values and moderates are great IMHO. However, moderates seem more spread out, therefore (at least in my mind) more relaxing since the buildings are further apart.

 

[Stormin'theCastle]

Personally, I think you should go for a Moderate. Specifically, POR. The Values are okay, but for a nice anniversary stay it would be worth the $$ to have a more relaxed atmosphere, pretty room & surroundings, and great food options.

You mentioned a shorter stay if you go Moderate. If it's going to reduce your stay to fewer than 5 days, go Value, because you will need that many days to see all 4 parks without completely exhausting yourselves.

To address your wife's concerns, you would not at all feel out of place at a Value. There are couples, families, and everything else in between, all over WDW.

Good luck!

 

[disneylovinsenior]

Always upgrade given the choice. More room, choice of restaurants, bigger rooms. What little time you are going to be in your room should be comfortable.

My wife and I are planning a late first anniversary to WDW. She has never been before and I haven't been inside a park in 10 years.

We are trying to decide between a Moderate or Value. I would like to stay in a Value because we would be able to extend our trip by a day or two. She is against a Value because she thinks we would be out of place seeing we do not have any children.

Any advice on a Moderate or Value Resorts? Which would be the best?

Thanks!
Jason

 

[skier_pete]

I agree with PP that it depends on how much time you plan on being at the resort, if you want to spend all day at the parks, go value. More time at the resort = moderates. (personally, if it means a longer trip - I'd definitely go value.)

The truth is...ALL hotels are going to have lots and lots of kids...but I would recommend POFQ. It's a very small resort, and to me doesn't feel like as many kids running around as the larger resorts. The values are fine - just the food courts and bus stops are very crowded.

 

[Missytara]

Definately do the mod; and definately do POR.

Take a surrey bike ride or carriage ride on the night of your anniversery, and then take the water taxi over to DTD and have dinner at Paradiso 37 for a very special evening.

Enjoy!

 

[thej]

If you are really worried about the number of kids, the Corranado Springs Resort might be your best choice. It is the only moderate convention hotel on property, and seems to have a larger adult population. That said, there were still plenty of kids there on our last visit.

That said, I'd say if the value buys you a couple of more days, go for it. Plenty of people love them for couples. You can get a King bed, and a quiet room if you ask for one further out on the property. There are going to be kids everywhere you go anyway, so you might as well enjoy some extra time away

 

[KatMark]

Personally, DH and I will not do a value (we skip a trip if we can't stay at a moderate) and it has nothing to do with the fact that there are too many kids or our kids don't travel with us. We just don't care for the values -- we find them extremely noisy, crowded and chaotic. We prefer the more spread out moderate resort where we aren't having Disney in our face 24/7 and it is more peaceful and serene. We've only stayed at one of the four moderates, the CSR (we've stayed eight times now) and we love everything about it and it fits our needs perfectly. It has queen beds (the only moderate to have them), a great main pool with pool bar, the largest hot tub of all the moderates, a fitness center/spa/salon (I always get a massage) and three quiet pools. If we couldn't get CSR, the only other one we would stay at is the POR-Riverside.

***Also the CSR has a new lounge, the Rix, where there is a DJ on the weekends, a beautiful atmosphere and no children are allowed after 9 p.m.

 

[ElizabethB]

For a couples trip, I would definitely book a moderate. Why? Because you can book a king-bedded room. At the value resorts, it is only a request that may or may not be honored.

Of the moderate resorts, we like Coronado Springs resort. It is absolutely gorgeous at night. Very romantic. Dh and I think it is so romantic at night that we often drive over just to walk around the lake in the evening, even when we're not staying there. There is a new bar called Rix, which seemed like a nice adult spot -- rather hip and sexy actually. We are not crazy about the dining options at CSR, but none of the moderates have dining options that excite us.

Ask for a room in either the Casitas section or the Ranchos and you'll likely not be surrounded by as many families. Families like the Cabanas section because it's convenient to the main building and the pool. We were in Casitas five, but I'd probably ask for Casitas four, which is, I think, the one that has a quiet pool. The Casitas are gorgeous at night. The Ranchos have a "Palm Springs-desert" feel that we like as well, with several quiet pools dotted throughout that section.

CSR is also very nicely situated vis-a-vis the parks and other resorts so we found it very convenient and easy to get to MK, Epcot and Animal Kingdom Lodge (for Jiko). We rented a car and wouldn't do a WDW stay without one. We were able to park the car near our room, jump in easily and hop to other resorts for nice dinners as well as to the parks.

 

[runskyhy]

Any advice on a Moderate or Value Resorts? Which would be the best?

When are you going? Can you take advantage of a special offer or PIN to make up the difference? Disney is offering 25% off Values and 30% off Mods through August 14th. For example, looking at two adults staying for Aug. 5-8, 2010 (3-nights):

If you choose Standard Room at a Value, such as Disney's All-Star Music or Movie Resort :

Regular 'Rack' Rates for Summer July 5 - Aug 14 (not including tax):
Thu, Aug 05 $ 119.00
Fri, Aug 06 $ 134.00
Sat, Aug 07 $ 134.00

But Rate per Night with 25% offer (not including tax):
Thu, Aug 05 $ 89.25
Fri, Aug 06 $ 100.00
Sat, Aug 07 $ 100.00

If you choose Standard Room at a Moderate, such as Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside or French Quarter:

Regular 'Rack' Rates for Summer July 5 - Aug 14 (not including tax):
Thu, Aug 05 $185.00
Fri, Aug 06 $200.00
Sat, Aug 07 $200.00

But Rate per Night with 25% offer (not including tax):
Thu, Aug 05 $ 129.50
Fri, Aug 06 $ 140.00
Sat, Aug 07 $ 140.00

The extra 5% off a Mod would bring you almost to the original cost of a Value resort (but not to the cost of the Value with the special offer, of course.) This is obviously just a quick example, and if this offer doesn't work for your travel dates, definitely call Disney to see if they have a PIN code listed for you.

If that doesn't help, then all the PPs made good recommendations. We consider transportation to/from parks and how much time spent at resort important for us.

 

[sbprincess]

My husband and I stayed at a Value for our Honeymoon. (I know, some would say we were crazy!) Honestly, it didn't bother me or him at all. We were on a budget, so we didn't have much of a choice, but still - we thought it was fine. Personally, if it's going to give me more time on vacation, I'll probably always choose the better option for my budget. That being said, I haven't stayed at or even visited any of the Moderates. I do see what you mean though about atmosphere. I would definitely say you should look at the Resort pages that have pictures, reviews, etc. to see which style suites you best. Some people really don't like the atmosphere of the Values and couldn't be payed enough to stay there for that simple fact.

I will say too, though, I think you're going to experience kids no matter where you stay. Value doesn't always equal family with young kids just as Deluxe doesn't always mean people who have a lot of money and don't have kids. I think you'll find all kinds of families no matter where you go.

 

[gillep]

I would also go with POR, DH and I found it to be very romantic and relaxing. We also found that since it was just the two of us we were able to tour the parks much faster than most people even while taking pictures of everything (we have 6,000 pictures from our 6 night trip). This meant that even though we thought we were going to be at the parks all day we actually had afternoons pretty free and enjoyed the more relaxed resort to hang out in, if it had been over 40 degrees we would have even gone swimming, but alas that was not to be!!

I do agree that if staying at a moderate cuts your time to anything less than 4 full days for the parks I would go value and add more days.

 

[CLR4321]

I personally would rather stay the extra days or spend the money on something else extra (for example for us the dining plan is a must-have!). My fave value is Pop Century. The theme has a little bit of everything, and I am a fan of the nostalgic style of the resort. I have never stayed at any of the All-Stars, but really won't bother, since I liked Pop and all reviews say that Pop is better. I suppose it is a matter of personal opinion though, some people like the All-Stars better. I will say though that there are more adults without children that opt for Pop Vs the All-Stars. When we were there, there were actually quite a few adults without kids.
Some people prefer the moderates for the more upscale amenities and theme and also because the rooms have a fridge and the pools are more elaborately themed. They also have hot tubs. Of the mods, I have stayed at POR and CBR. I loved the location of CBR, but preferred the theme of POR. Next time we try a mod, we're going to check out POFQ. Having the boat to DTD is nice, and all of the gardens are really pretty. POR has a very romantic atmosphere and you can rent boats, surrey bikes, and take carriage rides there. We didn't try the TS place, but the food court is by far the best of the 3 resorts I have stayed at. They have the wonderfully magical Magic Bars there, so sweet they make your teeth hurt, but they are SO yummy! They are my fave Disney CS dessert by far. I will also add....if staying at a more expensive resort will prevent you from being able to afford the dining plan...take the dining plan route. It is SO convenient, and you don't have to worry about the price on your meal. You just order what you want and that is that. I have heard that CSR is also a great resort....I will try that one after I try POFQ. I have heard that it is a quiet resort as it is a conference resort that is not as heavily booked as the others are.
I would really just suggest reading up on the different resorts and toss around the options as far as what you can do financially, and take it from there. Happy planning!

 

[ThisIsJason]

Thanks for the responses everyone! Still not really sure what we will do yet. Though we have gotten it down to three choices: Movie, Pop for the value and POFQ for the moderate.

 

[IDoBelieveinFairies!]

I always thought for couples the French Quarter is the way to go! It seems to be more adult and a bit quieter. We loved it, had the whole family packed in their.

My Mom liked Riverside better, I think because food service was so close.

Either way, Your GOING TO DISNEY!! You'll have a blast!

 

[Sue M]

Another vote for a mod. POR in the mansion section is our fav. We prefer POR over POFQ because it has a better food court, love Bob Jacksons show at night in River Roost, and has quiet pools. My daughters are 20 & 24, and sometimes prefer the quiet pools for a quick dip rather then the main pool.
Strolling along the river is so peaceful and beautiful. You won't get that at the values!
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