value vs. moderate with 2 small kids

[cdaallen]

Hello Everyone,
This is my first post and I have a question about what resort we should stay at. We are going to Disney World Dec. 15-19 (only 38 days away). We currently have reservations at All-Star Movies and I have read several negative reviews about room cleanliness and upkeep while people stay there. My question is do I try to change my reservation to stay at Pop Centrury or change to moderate resort worth a little extra money. We have 4 and 2 year old sons, so we will be returning to the room each day for nap time. What are your thoughts??

[anniedg]

Hi cdaallen!

Here's my 2 cents worth. If money isn't too much of an issue we love POR and would choose it. It's the only moderate we've stayed at (would love to try CS though!) but we found it great for kids. If your kids like to swim the main pool is fantastic, and we also enjoyed the small "quiet" pools. I also really like the food court at POR. The whole atmosphere is so nice and the rooms are a bit bigger than the values which is nice if you're spending some extra time in the room. The AB room also have a trundle bed which is nice if your kids do better not sharing a bed (as mine used to :p)

Having said that, if money is an issue (which it often is for us), we stayed at Pop Century last summer and were really pleased with it. It's the only value we've stayed at and chose it cause it's so highly recommended here. We weren't disappointed, had no issues with cleanliness or noise.

If you can't change my guess is you'll be fine at ASMo too. The main advice people give here is that if there is a problem, be sure to bring it to the resort's attention right away and keep at it until it's resolved.

Have a great trip, it's right around the corner!

[GusMan]

Welcome to the boards!

The rooms at the moderates are going to be larger for sure. If you think space is going to be a desired feature, then that is something to consider for sure.

Here is a thread (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=82829) that talks about some of the moderate resorts.

As for how clean the rooms are, I think feedback varies. Some have reported in that the value resorts are fine and some say that mousekeeping is spotty. Some say the rooms are fine while some say that they are way too cramped and noisy. Like what Annie said above... If you have any issues, give the front desk a call and make sure they know about it.

Personally, I would go with a moderate, especially if you are going to spend some extra time there during the day. (And my favorite is POR.) However, being that you are rather close to your trip, you may have a hard time making changes to your reservation. But you know what - that may be just fine as well because at least you have a reservation and you are going! :)

[deanglin]

Hello Everyone,
This is my first post and I have a question about what resort we should stay at. We are going to Disney World Dec. 15-19 (only 38 days away). We currently have reservations at All-Star Movies and I have read several negative reviews about room cleanliness and upkeep while people stay there. My question is do I try to change my reservation to stay at Pop Centrury or change to moderate resort worth a little extra money. We have 4 and 2 year old sons, so we will be returning to the room each day for nap time. What are your thoughts??

I have a coworker that stayed at the ASM this summer, the kids loved it!
His children are 5 & 7, the room worked well for them. He & his wife are hooked. I think that you will happy at any of the resorts. We loved our stay at CSR last year, DS was 13 & the dressing area was great. I feel that staying in a Disney Resort adds to the magic, it will the pure Disney fun 24 hours a day. Have A Great & Safe Trip!

[MinnieSummer]

My first reaction was to say go Mod, particularly CSR, as I absolutely hate the AS's. But after I read the ages of your children I thought a little further and decided that most kids really love the value resorts so I would recommend switching to POP. If you can switch to a moderate, I've found that kids as little as your really love the pool at POFQ.

My reasons for not staying at AS's include the cleanliness thing, the lack of decent service, crowds, sharing busses, etc. POP seems to have a better quality level than the AS's so I can stay there although not for long trips as the rooms are really small and there is no ceiling fan.

[pixar]

maybe this doesn't matter, but did anyone else notice that the lines to take the buses back to their resorts were way longer for the all-star resorts? I'm talking about 5x longer for those resorts compared to the moderates, and at least 10x longer than where we stayed at. after getting out of the park, I think another line is the last thing I want to get in. :)

[cdaallen]

I don't know how to make the quote function work correctly yet so I jsut copied and pasted part of Pixar's last reply

"maybe this doesn't matter, but did anyone else notice that the lines to take the buses back to their resorts were way longer for the all-star resorts?"

Does that include POP? I read somewhere they have their own bus. Is that line a long one as well. I just don't know how waiting in a long line with a tired 2 and 4 yr. old will work. Probably not very well. I would like to avoid as many "melt downs" as possible.;) How about the lines for PO and POFQ?

[pixar]

I don't know how to make the quote function work correctly yet so I jsut copied and pasted part of Pixar's last reply

"maybe this doesn't matter, but did anyone else notice that the lines to take the buses back to their resorts were way longer for the all-star resorts?"

Does that include POP? I read somewhere they have their own bus. Is that line a long one as well. I just don't know how waiting in a long line with a tired 2 and 4 yr. old will work. Probably not very well. I would like to avoid as many "melt downs" as possible.;) How about the lines for PO and POFQ?

yes I believe you're correct that there is a seperate line for the pop century resort. unfortunately I don't remember how the lines were for those 2 other resorts, but I do know they did not stand out like the movies/music/sports! :)

[danyoung]

As someone who's stayed at all of the moderates, most of the premiums and most of the values, I'd say at least try to change to the Pop. It's much newer, and has a feel much closer to the moderates. Disney did much better with their layout, landscaping and food court than they did on the All Stars. And yes, the Pop has its own busses.

So now the question is whether to pay more for the moderates. My pick would be to go for 'em, if you can afford it. The moderates are really very nice, plush resorts, with very immersive theming and landscaping, and significantly larger rooms than the values. I almost always stay at a moderate when I visit, unless I'm particularly broke, in which case I'm more than fine staying at the Pop. You'll find that everyone has their favorite moderate. My personal favorite by far is the Coronado Springs Resort. I like the southwestern theming, with the room buildings positioned around the 15-acre lagoon. Great food court, too. It's a convention hotel, but the conventioneer have their own section on the far side of the central buildings, and don't really impact on the regular guest.

Good luck with your decision, and feel free to ask any more questions that come up!

[cdaallen]

Well, I guess my decision is made. When I got home this afternoon, I found our Magical Express luggage tags and info (everything was stamped All-Star Movies). I figure it might be more of a hassle to change everything, and since this is our first visit to Disney ever, we will see everything and then decide where we might stay next time. Thanks for all your input, it was really helpful, especially since I had the Disney # and our reservation # ready so that I could call as soon as I returned home.

[SuefromRI]

Well, I guess my decision is made. When I got home this afternoon, I found our Magical Express luggage tags and info (everything was stamped All-Star Movies). I figure it might be more of a hassle to change everything, and since this is our first visit to Disney ever, we will see everything and then decide where we might stay next time. Thanks for all your input, it was really helpful, especially since I had the Disney # and our reservation # ready so that I could call as soon as I returned home.

You'll be fine at the ASM. There is always that off chance for a problem at any hotel. Disney is very responsive if you let them know of a problem, which we have found is a rare occurance. Sometimes there may be a wait for a bus, but remember where you are and the volume of people and try to enjoy the overall experience.

[thumperrn5857]

My grandkids love Pop Century, while I prefer the Wilderness Lodge. I take each of them for their 6th birthday, so they get to make the choice. I will be going to Pop Century with my granddaughter in January and will be renting a car. Although it is wonderful to have access to everything by bus, I feel we waste far too much time on the buses. If you want to take your kids back to the room for naps, you will be wasting a lot of time each day. It would be better to stay at the Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness, or any of the resorts on the Monorail. If not, a car is the way to go. Have a ball. I've been there with my kids, and now my grandkids over 30 times. Nothing can beat the family feeling you get at WDW. My husband died 6 years ago and I am still carrying on the tradition. Wish I could pull our camper because Fort Wilderness is our absolute favorite!! (Hubby and I went to California - and Disneyland - on our honeymoon.)

[floridawannabe]

Well, I guess my decision is made. When I got home this afternoon, I found our Magical Express luggage tags and info (everything was stamped All-Star Movies). I figure it might be more of a hassle to change everything, and since this is our first visit to Disney ever, we will see everything and then decide where we might stay next time. Thanks for all your input, it was really helpful, especially since I had the Disney # and our reservation # ready so that I could call as soon as I returned home.

You'll be fine at the ASM, particularly if your kids are small (they'll take up less room!). The rooms are small but functional. When we stayed at ASM, we were in the LoveBug section. It was the farthest point from the lobby (4-5 minute walk if that) and it faced the parking lot, but it was quiet since it was so out of the way. That's what I'd look for in a room at that resort. Recently we spent two nights at the PopCentury and we had a pool view room. People were still in the pool and making noise at 0130-0200 in the morning. Probably won't have that in December though but the pool facing rooms may have a little more traffic noise.

BTW, if you return to WDW and are considering one of the moderates, I'd recommend PO-French Quarter. Have a good trip, in between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the best time to go in my opinion.