Why so much hate for the value resorts?

[CrystalCastle]

I've gone 4 times in the past 3 years and stayed at ASMu every time. I don't see anything wrong with the values at all. I think they are fine especially if all you really need is a place to shower and sleep. That said, I am staying at BWI when I go back in Jan 2012. I want to know if I'll like the deluxe resorts that much better to justify the increase in price. Since I go alone and it's Jan, I end up spending more time at the resort so having one with more to do is appealing to me.

Now the one thing I will say about my last visit to ASMu, and this could apply to any of the resorts, is that it needs some upkeep done. My shower head fell off and I called maintenance to fix it. They didn't actually fix it, they just jammed it back on and it continued to fall off during the remainder of my stay. I think with the high turnover at the resorts, it would be nice if they could keep up with the little things better. But again I don't think that is a "value" issue at all.

 

[vacationclub]

Okay so maybe "hate" was the wrong work. I guess my original statement should have been "why the lack of love for" the values?

Thanks for all the replies, I love reading everyone's opinion.

I guess I can sum that up by saying there is less to love, that's all. If you stay at a moderate, or a Deluxe, or even DVC, then compare, you will know why there is a lack of love. It's directly proportional to the lack of....well...everything. Some people love Walmart, some won't even drive within a half mile of it. Same principal.

 

[maxiesmom]

However, I found the vibe at ASsports very exciting. Kids and young people were psyched and all over the place. The bus lines were long with young folks eager to get to the parks. There was a life and vibe at the sports that we don't feel at the Deluxes.

That is exactly what I love about the Value resorts. They have an energy about them you don't get when staying at a Moderate or Deluxe resort.

I guess I'm not fussy. I have stayed at many resorts, from the Sports to the Poly, and I love every level Disney has to offer. I like the fun feel of the Values. I like the more calm, laid-back feel of the Moderates. And I like the more lush feel of the Deluxe resorts. I just pick whichever one suits my needs for the trip at hand. They are all great to me.

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

Truthfully. You get what you pay for. We prefer the All Stars because they are smaller than Pop. We've also dealt with the rudest people it seems at Pop (other guests that is). We just don't get that vibe at the other hotels. Our Pop Century stay over Christmas one year is why we bought DVC. Loud kids in the pool outside our room at 3am... No thanks. I prefer more isolated and quieter resorts. I did just retry Pop recently, it wasn't that much better. I do like the bigger food court, but its also a busier food court.

We do values when we run out of points or is just a quick trip. But our big trips are never at the values, especially if DH is coming.

 

[Bilierka]

We love Pop. We are kicking around the idea of moving to a Mod next trip, just for the hottub, but are not sure that it is worth it for something that we may only use once--we spend almost all of our time in the parks, a room is for sleeping and showering.

Just came back from POP and loved it. I did not feel "lesser" in any way for staying at a value. It was a great trip and by staying at POP we kept the trip affordable. I also did not really miss a hot tub, only used it once at previous stays at mod or deluxe.

 

[melser13]

We've stayed at all levels, many times. While I don't mind staying at the Values, now with 3 kids I like more space and the fridge in the room. We seem to always drive lately so we like the fridge for our breakfast and snacks each morning. We also go back to the resort for 3 - 4 hours a day as down time. It is just our touring strategy since that is what works best for our family and the needs of our kids. Right now we prefer resorts that are close to a park due to our liking the convenience with a baby. We will stay at the Values again, in fact we are considering it for Spring Break because in our mind, value or no Disney - I vote Disney.
Another thing - we always used the money saved from not buying 4 plane tickets as our upgrade to the Mod or Deluxe level - our kids LOVE the slides at the Mods and Deluxes. It's just a matter of what the plan of the trip is, the longer the trip, the more of a resort I would like to stay at.

It is just one of those things...it kinda depends on our current needs.

 

[AJA]

You're never going to get an accurate or objective answer to that question. Some people just have different standards, that's all. People get used to what they've stayed at. We stayed at POR for years and loved it, but after getting DVC, only stayed there one time due to a last second trip that came up. We quickly realized that we could never go back. Also, for some, the level of resort is a huge factor, especially if you spend some time there. It then opens up a whole new world of enjoyment besides running out to parks all the time.

I agree with this.

We've always stayed at moderates as a family when going to Disney. However after this last experience at CBR we decided location and amenities are the most important thing for us so we'll be staying deluxe next time. When we travel outside of Orlando we usually spring for nicer resorts (it's very hard for us to get away and when we do we like to treat ourselves). When I was young (ok, it's been a while ) we stayed at "motel 6" type places and LOVED it. It's all what you get used to and what you want to get out of a vacation. We spend half or more time at the resort so the amenities are important. If we were commando in the parks then I could see us being happy at a value.

 

[wdw4rfam]

It totally agree, and wondered the same. We have stayed value all but twice, and love them. We are now bound to POR because we have 5, and not a fan of the family suites. But we love ASMO, and POP. everyone always says how loud/crazy they are... ITS DISNEY!!!! I have never been kept awake by noise, and to me, thats all that counts. People complain about busing, and we have personally seen deluxes worse. Took poly bus to AK after b-fast, and it stopped at 2 other resorts after we waited 30 minutes!! The only advantage is now the staggered free dining with the value/mod. I know it is darn close to the same price to upgrading to reg dining- so it would be a no brainer to go moderate. But I personally can't see how ANY Disney resort could be worth 3,4 or 5X the price. I guess I will never know because even last year when I had the money to do deluxe, I just couldn't pay that. We went to POFQ for 11 days and it was half the price of CR for 6. I personally would much rather stay longer than have a nicer room. But I guess different people have different opinions.

 

[wcpamotm]

Has someone actually said that? I'd love to see them in the real projects

I don't ever remember saying it online, but yes I admit I have been known to refer to the values as the Disney Housing Projects. All in good fun though. I certainly realize that the values resemble real housing projects even less than OKW resembles a real retirement village!

FWIW, DP always stays at All Star Music when on solo trips, so I certainly do not look down on anyone who does enjoy staying there.

They simply do not offer as much of what I am looking for from a Disney Resort as do the moderates and deluxes. But truth be told, if I were stuck with having to stay at my least favorite resort (a value not to be named here), I would still have a glorious time.

 

[RedfromNL]

I don't hate them. I reserver hatred for other things like onions, sprouts, rude people etc. We stayed at POFQ in May (LOVED it there!) and in Januari we will be going to the WL.

Values didn't appeal to me, too massive. All resorts are rather large but values are just a bit too much for me.
I also like my comforts and the look/feel of a resort is an important part of the stay for me.

I always just look at which hotels I like best where-ever I am going and than see which fit my budget best (yes, in that order)

And as many have already said: To each their own, just because it doesn't appeal to me doesn't mean it can't be right for you.

 

[fla4fun]

I have stayed at all levels of resort - from value to DVC. I've never had a bad stay at any of them, but I do book my resort based on what I want out of that particular trip.

If my trip is for a specific event, or if it's a park intensive trip, I'm more likely to book value because I'll be there mostly to shower and sleep.

If I want a trip that's a little longer, but less than a week, with a medium amount of park time (and the budget allows ) I'll typically select a moderate.

If the trip is longer than a week, then I typically spend a lot of time relaxing at my resort, and will chose a deluxe or DVC specifically for location and amenities.

For example, if I go for Night of Joy weekend, where I'll be out late and not feel like driving home afterwards, I might pick a value. At the other end of the spectrum, I'll be spending 10 days at BWV in December, to enjoy CP at Epcot, and the Osborne Lights at DHS, and just soak in the holiday atmosphere. Both trips are equally enjoyable, but for different reasons, and the resort choice is a part of that.

Having stayed at a value resort, and having stayed at some low end off property motels, my opinion is that the value resorts are definitely a cut above what I would consider a "Walmart" motel. But any Disney resort, regardless of level, is overpriced just due to location, location, location - not to mention all the "free" things like ME that have to be subsidized through the room rates.

 

[nklooz]

I enjoyed reading this entire thread. I have never stayed at value. We've stayed Moderate and our staying Deluxe for our upcoming trip. I really think it comes down to the type of vacation you want, and, based on the research I've done, it has never appeared that the Values would offer us both of the things we want out of our vaca (relaxation and fun/excitement). I've no doubt we'd get the second one, but I don't think we'd get the relaxation based on the reviews I've read about crowds, noise, tight room size, no hot tub/slide, etc.. For some, they are only looking for one of these aspects. For us, we want both and so I don't believe the values fit our needs.

 

[kohlby]

I have never stayed at a value, but we're planning our first Disney on-site trip now. I have stayed at Dolphin several times, so though not technically Disney, it's not in the value catagory is. (Though we stay there for free with credit card points, so even better than the value price). The reason why I'll never stay at a value is because I don't feel it's making the most use of my money. If I'm going to pay the value rate, then I'm going to stay off-site and get more. The values don't appear special enough to me to warrent staying at them while I can get a much bigger room off-site. However, we did decide to stay at AKL this next trip. It's costing $165 a night, so a lot more than our normal free! We're splurging because AKL is very unique and we want to experience it once before our 5th person in our family hits 3 years old. We don't feel it's worth the money to spend on a villa, but some do.

Everyone doesn't have the same vacationing style. Everyone doesn't have the same priorities. Everyone doesn't spend their money on the exact same things. For us, a value isn't worth the cost when we look at the off-site options. But splurging on AKL this trip with the 40% off code was. Not everyone would agree with our choice - $165 a night still isn't cheap. (Though far from the $300 a night one poster thought). But it's worth it to us.

 

[Hooked On The Mouse]

I also have never noticed "hate" for the values on these boards. A lot of people seem to love them the best. And while I have never stayed at a value, I have a secret hankering to experience them just once. But DH won't even try it for the first or last night of our vacation because he is 6'4" and the double beds are just too short for him. And now we are a family of 5, I would never talk him into spending the money for a family suite.

 

[Bnearing]

The values look like lots of fun and very "Disney". The reason we don't stay there is because the theming just isn't our style. We also wouldn't choose to stay at the Contemporary or at the Boardwalk for the same reason. Also while we love being around lots of young kids in the parks, we like to come back to a quiet resort during our "down" time now that our kids are a bit older.

 

[kaligal]

The rooms are too small.

The place is too garish. That Pop Century food court practically gives me a headache. Colors and angles and shapes...ugh.

No bellmen. No valet parking. No room service that isn't crappy pizza.

No fridge.

After a long day of running around theme parks, I want to come back, drop the car off at the door and enter a place that is relaxing. This is something the Value resorts just don't offer.

And they aren't cheap. They're the cheapest for Disney, but for that same cost, you can get soooo much more elsewhere.

 

[Mrs.Prince]

OMG...did someone seriously say that values are Disney housing projects?????...SMH....Then you are basically upgrading everyone who do live in housing projects, cause they sure don't look like anything at Disney. Hopefully that statement wasn't mean to look down upon people who do live in housing project, because that is wrong on so many levels.

 

[Marionnette]

No hate for the values from me. But I have a definite preference to stay elsewhere. I'm in the crowd that would rather stay home and save a little longer than spend my vacation week at any of them. That's not passing judgement on the people who do choose the values for whatever their reasons might be. The values are just not how I want to spend my vacation time or money.

 

[amzking]

I see just the opposite, so many people love Pop in this community, it just amazes me.

I don't stay value unless maybe its just me and my kids for a "commando" style one or two night stay. I like my hot tub, my covered bus stops, and my queen beds too much. I like having a fridge and a coffeepot in the room and I hate super crowded food courts. To me, those things are essential if I am going to stay any time at the resort.

But a lot of people see it differently, and want to spend their money on other things. Different strokes for different folks, its nice that there are a variety of options unlike say US where all the resorts are deluxe.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I haven't stayed in any of the Value Resorts, however one time when I was at WDW I once spoke someone staying at All Star Sports and I asked how did they like staying there? Basically I remember being told for them it was just a place where they can sleep and eat. I have also seen that same comment written on various threads so I guess it must be the way other people feel about staying at the Value Resorts, however I don't see it as being negative or hate for them.