Do you like staying at the moderate and value resorts at Walt Disney World? These readers do, and wrote in response to Steve Russo‘s take on the subject in his article, “Where to Stay? Part One: The Value and Moderate Resorts” (March 25, 2010).
A. D. J. writes:
This was a great column. I’ve been staying on Disney property since 1993 when my family stayed at the Grand Floridian on Disney’s Jolly Holidays package a few weeks before Christmas (it was the only way we could afford it). I’ve stayed in a variety of resorts since then, but this last December I made a new discovery: Port Orleans Riverside.
I was leery of staying at a moderate because my only prior experience was Caribbean Beach. Caribbean Beach Resort was okay… but to me, it looked and felt like a large, brightly painted chain motel. Port Orleans Riverside, on the other hand, looked and felt like a gracious, vibrant resort. It’s almost as if the designers started out to build a deluxe, and then changed their minds and made it moderate instead.
I’m not sure what makes the difference, possibly having the buildings closer together, or the huge magnolia trees covering the sidewalks to lend a feeling of warmth and comfort. I was truly amazed, and I would not hesitate to go back – nor would I hesitate to bring my very picky southern belle mom, who loves the Grand Floridian! So you might want to mention to your readers that even within the classes of resorts, there is huge variety. If they don’t like one, they might like another.
Thanks so much. Personally, I really like the Caribbean Beach Resort and would rate it slight above Riverside – but that’s what makes the World go around. We each have our favorites, likes and dislikes. Thanks for sharing yours.
William T. writes:
Thank you for your article on the Value and Moderate Resorts at Walt Disney World. My wife and I have been twice in the 15 years since we have been married and will be returning in 2012. The first time (’96) it was just my wife and I. We drove and stayed in the All Star Sports. We live in West Tennessee so it was a 14 hour drive. The second time (’06) we took our then 6-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son. Again we drove and this time stayed in All Star Movies.
Our thought both times was this: for us a hotel was just a place to sleep, eat breakfast and maybe swim. All our fun was to be had in the parks so why pay for an expensive room we weren’t going to spend much time in? I have been researching our trip in 2012 (as much as one can without that year’s prices which are certain to be more than current). We WANTED to stay at either the Caribbean Beach, Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge. We also decided that neither of us want another 14 hour drive so we will fly this trip. For monetary reasons we can not do both. The desire to fly is greater than the desire for upgrading our accommodations so we will be staying in either All Star Music (possibly a family suite) or Pop Century.
After all, it’s STILL just a place to sleep and my body (not to mention my nerves) will thank me for not being in the car on the road for 14 hours. Who knows, maybe instead of the (free) Magic Express, I’ll surprise them and have us shuttled to and from the airport by a limo.
You’re welcome and thanks for your insights. As I mentioned in the article, each of us is operating within a budget of some kind and we all try to choose where we’ll spend our money. I can’t disagree with your choices.
Bobby writes:
Obviously a lot of it has to do with your budget and some other variables. For my family it’s the way we do the parks. We are at the parks all day and into the night. Sure we take our breaks to eat and sit to relax for a while. We stay at the value resorts for that very reason. I just don’t see the sense in paying extra for a room when you are only there to sleep. Maybe when my kids are on their own my wife and I can experience some different things but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. We are okay with that though.
Thanks for the kind words. I certainly appreciate your touring style with kids and we both know you’re not alone there. My personal experience has been that, as I’ve gotten older (and so have our “kids”), we tend to spend a bit more time at the resorts and the amenities have become more important. That may be down the road for you.
Mark K. writes:
It may seem like a trivial detail, but each moderate resort’s main pool has a slide while the value resort pools do not. With a 7 year old and a 9 year old in tow – and swim times factored into our stays – this is one of the reasons we choose the moderate resorts over the value resorts. Perhaps it’s not a minor detail though, as the Contemporary and Polynesian resorts have added pool slides and each new deluxe resort seems to make their slides bigger and better; Saratoga Springs is redoing their pool and adding a large slide. I would never have considered staying there again until I heard this. Also, every moderate resort offers a sit down restaurant in addition to a food court. It may not seem a valid reason for choosing a moderate resort, but, then again, neither does a slide.
Great points and those details are trivial only if you find them as such. Many of us view slides, sit-down restaurants, location, theming, etc. as the reasons we prefer one resort over another. Absolutely valid reasons! Thanks for sharing.
Glenn writes:
Just wanted to say that you MUST try a stay at Pop Century. It has the advantage over the other value resorts of having it’s own dedicated bus that goes directly to (and nowhere else) the Pop Century. The theming is classic Disney and it’s just a bit newer and less run down than the All star resorts. Although I understand the All Stars are getting updates. I’m eager for the new resort to open across the lake.
PS. Ask to stay in the buildings that reflect your age when growing up. It seems to add a little nostalgia, and in the lobby are glass cases with various items from days gone by. It’s very cool.
Yes, I hear you… and several other Pop Century fans that have written in. Pop Century is on my list but it may be a while yet. As a DVC member, I’m not often looking to stay for cash but it does happen.
Laurie writes:
As always, I loved your article! I am one of those “crazy” people who want to try ALL the Disney resorts! So far, we have tried Beach Club, All Star Movies, All Star Music, and Port Orleans French Quarter. We are going in July of this year and I had really talked myself into staying off-site since my youngest will be four and we are now “officially” a family of five and Walt Disney World really limits your choices as where to stay. I liked your statement where you said sometimes where you stay boils down to “how much you are willing to spend.”
For us, we like to take several mini-vacations a year so spending $400 a night at the Grand Floridian is not what we are willing to do. Also, I know we could divide up in two rooms at the values, but my husband and I still like each other and like to spend our vacation together so that is not an option for us either. However, we received one of those mysterious Disney e-mails with a special discount code (by mistake), but Disney is still honoring it along with the discount we already had on our room so guess what… back to on-site for us! Yipee! We are staying one night at the Beach Club (so we can enjoy Stormalong Bay) and four nights at Port Orleans Riverside (with free dining)! Thanks for all your great articles! Keep them coming! If you ever decide to “hire” a field reporter, keep me in mind!
Thanks very much. You scored big time with the discount card and Beach Club and Port Orleans are two of my favorite resorts. That should be a great trip.
Field reporter? I’ll keep you in mind. Thanks for writing.
Ray K. writes:
One thing I would have definitely mentioned in your review of the value and moderate resorts is the fact that the value resorts do NOT have any hot tubs. Also, when you do the deluxe resorts, the Polynesian also does not have a hot tub. They only have a bubbling bench area on the south side of the main pool (same water as the rest of the pool).
If hot tubs are a must, the value resorts are not for you. Great points. Thanks for reminding me.
Daniel P. writes:
I have been in the process of planning a trip to Disney World in November of this year. During my planning process I came across your articles and have since read all of them. I have quite enjoyed the information available and have used a lot of it during the planning process. For the next stay we decided to rent some Disney Vacation Club points and try out the Animal Kingdom Villas. I live in Alberta, Canada so it’s a challenge but I usually manage to make it to the world once a year.
I thought I would let you know on the topic of your latest article that I stayed in the Coronado Springs Resort in November 2009. When I went to book a resort with a cast member over the phone I was told that the Coronado was the only moderate resort to feature queen size beds instead of double beds. This was an important feature to me and my fiancee as we both like a little more space while sleeping. But when I read your article about the Caribbean Beach Resort having the largest room sizes I was curious as to whether or not the cast member was correct.
First let me say that you should love Animal Kingdom Villas – I did. I don’t know if you managed to snare a Savanna view but there’s nothing like stepping on to your balcony and seeing giraffe, zebra, Ankoli cattle, etc.
The Caribbean Beach Resort does boast the largest rooms among the Moderates. In my experience, the majority of the rooms have two full-size beds. However, there are a few exceptions that offer king-size beds. I have stayed in one (with our daughters in a connecting room with two full-size) so I can verify that. At Coronado Springs, I believe only the Business Club Level rooms will have two queen-size beds or one king-size bed – the rest are full-size. I would call Disney again to verify this information, then make your choice. You may be able to grab a king-size bed at either.
Barbara G. writes:
I do enjoy your articles. I have had the privilege of staying at a number of the value resorts and absolutely will return to Pop Century. I have also stayed at many of the deluxe resorts over the years. Now that our children are adults and we are traveling as two middle aged adults, we have discovered that Pop Century meets our needs beautifully. The money we save on a location to sleep is spent on wonderful meals at deluxe restaurants and other adventures. If we wish to skip the busses we take a taxi and still are saving money. The food court at Pop Century meets our needs for breakfast or late night.
Your philosophy of saving money on rooms and putting it elsewhere is an excellent one. Thank you for sharing.
Michelle B. writes:
I loved your article and look forward to the next logical step of having an article on the Deluxe hotels. One item that I think your readers may find interesting is that the Pop Century is a little less expensive than the All-Stars, even at the same rate. Why? It is in a different county and therefore has a lower tax. Maybe that will entice you to stay there now! Also my niece and nephew preferred Pop over French Quarter. So I think you now have to give Pop a try!
Pop Century has always intrigued me and I’ve heard many, many good things about it. As a DVC member, I don’t spend many nights in non-DVC resorts – just a few when we’re looking to save some points on the first Saturday night of a stay. Those nights have typically been in a moderate, mainly because I really like Port Orleans – French Quarter, but… I promise that the next time I need a “first night” outside of DVC, I’ll give Pop a try. Thanks for writing.
Kelly Z. writes:
Great article for those who have never stayed on-property; as well as for those who have, but never stayed at a value or a moderate resort. We stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort for my very first Walt Disney World vacation. I wholeheartedly ditto your sentiments about the early morning walk around the water, with the steel drum music in the background. This place will always hold a special place in my heart! We LOVED it there. In regards to the size of the resort, yes, it can be a bit overwhelming. I think our being set in Martinique made it less so — nice walk to the pool, sundries shop and food court.
Honeymoon stay was at Coronado Springs — i think it was only 6 months old at the time. Again — LOVED it. I appreciated the rather romantic walk over the Lago Dorago bridge to the Pepper Market, especially at night with the lights and stars dancing off the water. We were in the Cabanas and the bus stop was practically right outside our door. Still quiet, but very convenient. Even today, if we don’t stay at Coronado, we will go there for breakfast or dinner from time to time because we really like the uniqueness and variety (especially that the plates are made to order) at the Pepper Market.
I did stay once at the Contemporary — which I didn’t like at all. Traveling from Connecticut, I want to see palm trees and color — yet we were surrounded by cement and gray. And I didn’t like exiting my room into a hallway; I want to be outside immediately. The monorail is great if you want to take the quick mid-day break, which we never do, but otherwise the only park you’ve got a short travel distance to is Magic Kingdom.
Now, with our children in tow, we opt for the Value Resorts, as we’re all-day-parkgoers, and all we really do is shower and sleep there, with an occasional swim. I feel the only drawback at Value Resorts is the quality of the food at the food courts. Try the scrambled eggs there — then try them at the Pepper Market at Coronado Springs.
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I appreciate it, especially your thoughts on Coronado Springs, where I’ve not yet stayed. Thanks for writing.
