Which Hotel... Please Help!

[Poster_SF]

Hi Everyone,

I am a faithful Disneyland Fan that will be making my first trip to DW Spring '06. I would love help finding a hotel for me and my boyfriend. About us:

27 years old, we like to swim, like the nightlife, favorite park will most likely be the Magic Kingdom, not looking to spend an arm & a leg. (Cheap- Moderate pricing)

Any suggestions?

Thanks!!

Mary

[Andrew]

We liked the Pop Century a lot, and the prices were reasonable. All-Star Music & Movies are also all right, but I'd stay away from Sports. We've only stayed at Value resorts onsite.

[danyoung]

The Disney World hotels are divided into 3 distinct categories - value, moderate and premium.

The value resorts would be the All Star Sports, All Star Movies, and the newer Pop Century resorts. These will give you a clean, basic room, pretty good theming, and a food court.

The moderates include Port Orleans French Quarter, Port Orleans Riverside, Coronado Springs, and Caribbean Beach Resorts. These will give you a nicer, somewhat larger room, nicer and more immersive theming, and a sit down restaurant to go with the food court. Some properties also feature boat and bike rentals.

Then the premiums include the big signature properties, like the Contemporary, the Polynesian, the Grand Floridian, the Yacht & Beach Club, the Boardwalk and the Animal Kingdom Lodge. These are truly top notch resort destinations, with multiple restaurants and lounges, recreational activities, and world class theming.

There are some other properties, like the different vacation villas and time shares. And there's an excellent campground if you want to pull up in your travel trailer, or they have fully furnished cabins for rent.

My personal choice is the moderates. I get the feeling that I'm in a nice resort without having to pay top dollar for a room. While every one you ask will have a different opinion, my fav of the moderates is the Coronado Springs. It's southwest themed, with the rooms surrounding a beautiful 15 acre lagoon. The food court is excellent, and you can rent boats and bikes. It's billed as a convention property, but the convention facilities are in another part of the hotel, and usually don't impact the average Disney guest.

Keep the questions coming!

[Sislers]

What's a good website for the "Moderate" hotels to browse?

[mayanlily]

I think that if you llike the nightlife, you may like Port Orleans Riverside. We stayed in one of the "mansions" last December with a AAA discount. You will like the boat to Downtown Disney. Read up on it first as the Alligator Bayou section is a bit out of the way for me.

[Drince88]

What's a good website for the "Moderate" hotels to browse?

www.mouseplanet.com - go to the Trip Planning guides (in the top menu - or you can go there right from this page, right under the big "MousePlanet" logo ) and then the second choice for WDW. For the most part, the Moderate information is up-to-date, with the possible exception of the rates. Also, the Vacation Planning DVD you can get from Disney gives a little flavor of each of the resorts.

[aalexander]

Check out Allearsnet.com for great resort slideshows. (Use the links on the lefthand side).

Here are the Moderates:
Carribean Beach
Coronado Springs
PO-French Quarters
PO-Riverside

All resort slideshows: here

I've only stayed at Port Orleans-Riverside and loved it (we stayed in the Mansion section). It's a beautiful resort with the best theming by far! We've also stayed at the All Stars Music several times and it serves the basic purpose of providing a place to sleep. It can be very crowd.

Hope this helps

[SummerinFL]

I think that if you llike the nightlife, you may like Port Orleans Riverside. We stayed in one of the "mansions" last December with a AAA discount. You will like the boat to Downtown Disney. Read up on it first as the Alligator Bayou section is a bit out of the way for me.

This depends on your taste in decor, I personally like the Port Orleans French Quarter better because I like the New Orleans theme that they offer more than the country feel of Riverside.

Either way I would recommend either because you can take a boat to DTD which is a plus IMHO, they offer nightly horse drawn carriage rides (for a fee) and the pool is great although some people would call it small but my kids and I love the dragon slide.

Here is some pictures from our May 04 trip last year. I also took some of Riverside when we took the boat because it stops at both places.

Port Orleans French Quarter

Have a great time in the World. I hope you will share with all of us your experience when you return.

[aalexander]

I justed wanted to add, most of the resorts closest to the Magic Kingdom are deluxe. Of the moderates, they are closest to the following:

Port Orleans-Riverside and French Quarters (closest to Downtown Disney)
Coronado Springs-Animal Kingdom
Carribean Beach-EPCOT

Of the Magic Kingdom resorts, keep in mind that although Wilderness Lodge is offically listed as Deluxe, it's pricing falls somewhere in between Moderate and deluxe (a Modeluxe if you will!). Also, if discounted pricing is offered for room only, I have found that the Wilderness is usually included.

Another option might be one of the Downtown Disney hotels (not offical Disney hotels) The Doubletree comes to mind. These hotels usually have shuttles that run to the parks regularly, and they pricing often gives more "bang for your buck". There's also Hotel Royal Plaza that you might want to check out.

Check out this map for more information on location. It's a little out of date (for example Dixie Landings is now PO-Riverside and Port Orleans is now French Quarters), but should give you a general idea.

[Sislers]

These were good website to see what the hotels looked like and what they offered, but none of them gave prices?

[danyoung]

The Disney website will give you book rates. You can also go on Expedia.com and see the rates. It may benefit you to purchase at least one annual pass for your trip. Even if you don't plan on coming back in the next year, the discounts for AP holders can make up for the price of the ticket.

[zimaaaaah]

To throw in my 2 cents worth -
I have found the moderate resorts to be worth the extra money. I think that Port Orleans is a good "first visit" choice. We stayed there before we had kids and were very happy with everything at the resort. The cast members were all helpful and friendly and went the extra mile to take care of any request. We have also stayed at the Carribbean Beach but found the layout too spread out, didn't have good luck with housekeeping, and were disappointed with it all the way around. Just our experience!
Happy planning!

[Drince88]

These were good website to see what the hotels looked like and what they offered, but none of them gave prices?

I'd recommend www.mousesavers.com for rack rates. Specifically here for 2006 rack rates.

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Personally, I regard a hotel as a place to sleep, read, keep my stuff, and do the paperwork involved with my checkbook and my budget. As well as maybe to get a simple, no-nonsense breakfast.

If that's all you need, then the All Stars should be plenty. They're all that, as well as a far more "Disney-immersive" experience than any non-Disney or even quasi-Disney hotel can provide for any amount of money.

[mzloolue]

I like to compare the prices.

Sometimes the value resorts are really well priced.

It seems like the Moderate Resorts are higher than they had been. I would pay up to $30 difference per day for a moderate over a value, if the budget allows.

[danyoung]

Personally, I regard a hotel as a place to sleep, read, keep my stuff...If that's all you need, then the All Stars should be plenty.

I more or less feel the same way, but I just have a problem with the value resorts. Here I am, enjoying a well earned vacation, and staying in the cheapest hotel on property. While they're really pretty nice, and definitely better than the average Super 8 or Day's Inn, I just can't shake the feeling that I'm cheaping out on my vacation. I find that the moderates work really well for me. They're not that much more than the values, but I have a feeling of really staying in a destination resort and not just a cheap room. YMMV!

[Biscuit]

I'd recommend www.mousesavers.com for rack rates. Specifically here for 2006 rack rates.

Yes, I was going to recommend mousesavers.com too.

I also recommend "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World". As well as being a guide book to the parks, it has an extensive section on hotels - Disney and non-Disney. It was very useful for cross referencing reviews and pricing structures ie: mousesavers review/price plus "Unofficial Guide" review gave us the confidence to book over the net.

[TowerofTerror]

The Bates Motel The rates are cheap there .Oops my bad no such thing as one that you go there in Flordia

[hbquikcomjamesl]

I more or less feel the same way, but I just have a problem with the value resorts. Here I am, enjoying a well earned vacation, and staying in the cheapest hotel on property. . . . I just can't shake the feeling that I'm cheaping out on my vacation.

Now why should you guilt-trip yourself, because the "value" hotels are cheap, if they provide everything you want? What's the destination? The hotel, or WDW as a whole?

I've stayed in three high-end hotels in my life. The first time was on a vacation to San Francisco: issues at the office kept me from booking my trip until less than a month in advance, and the Columbus Motor Inn was all booked up for the first two days. So was almost everything else, that was convenient to the MUNI. The Hyatt Regency Embarcadero Center was the only place that could give me a room for those first two nights. It was at least $60-100 per night more than what the Columbus charges (my boss, convinced that he was responsible for my late booking, insisted on paying the difference), for a room that wasn't any nicer than the Columbus (and indeed, the view wasn't nearly as nice).

The second time I stayed in an expensive hotel was my first trip to Chicago, in 2001. Neither I nor my travel agent knew much about Chicago; with nothing to go on but a budget and a requirement that the hotel be in the Loop District, she booked me into the W Hotel, a Starwood chain targeted at yuppies with more money than taste. For the most I'd ever paid for a hotel, I was given what the hotel called a "cozy" room ("dinky" is more like it!) that had less usable space than the family room on an Amtrak Superliner sleeping car, and they tried to (1) charge me $200 more than the agreed-upon rate, and (2) bill me for "goodie basket" stuff I'd never used. If I ever have to stay at an establishment with a one-letter name, I'm staying at the "Y"!

The third time was in 2002, when the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships were in Los Angeles, and my best friend had the video concession. First they told us they were comping us into the Omni. Then they said they were getting us a heavily discounted rate. I think we ended up paying rack, or close to it. Had we been given a straight story from the beginning, we would have found our own lodgings, or we would have commuted.

If you actually use the amenities at an expensive hotel, and they're actually worth the extra money, go for it. But if you're like me, and the only amenities you want are of a purely practical nature (e.g., on-site or nearby coin laundry, on-site or nearby internet access, and either a continental breakfast, or an on-site [or nearby] coffee shop or food court), then it's silly to pay extra for things you don't want, don't need, and aren't planning to use.

[danyoung]

Now why should you guilt-trip yourself, because the "value" hotels are cheap, if they provide everything you want? What's the destination? The hotel, or WDW as a whole?

I don't disagree with you in theory. In fact, most of the time when I'm driving to visit family or a Disney park I'll stay in a Super 8 and be very happy with it. I'm in no way a room snob, although in my professional career I've stayed in some pretty nice hotels all around the world. I wish I could rise above what seems to be a petty thing, but then I'll just wonder why I'm trying so hard to convince myself of something when I'm on vacation. As long as I don't have some wacky need to stay in the best place possible and look down my nose at all the other tourists, the moderates suit me nicely.

[hbquikcomjamesl]

On my Spring 2004 vacation (Boston), I stayed in the Charlesmark, a small hotel that happened to be convenient to a Green Line subway station. The room was actually smaller than that postage-stamp the Chicago W gave me, but it was so efficiently designed, and so free of wasted space (and so free of bovine scat "features" designed to separate guests from their money) that it *felt* bigger than it really was. And the price was very reasonable, and included a free (albeit not as extensive in selection as that of many places I've stayed) continental breakfast, and free internet access in the lobby.

On my Fall 2004 vacation, I stayed at the Pelham in New Orleans (beautiful rooms, convenient to both the Quarter and the St. Charles trolley line; no continental breakfast or free internet access, but nice nonetheless, and very reasonable rates). Then, at WDW, it was the All Star Music. Then, in Williamsburg, I stayed at the cheapest of the CWF hotels, the Governor's Inn (excellent free continental breakfast, its own dedicated shuttle bus, and access to the coin laundry at the Wilderness Lodge), then splurged on my last night for a room in a Colonial House.

In Chicago, I stayed at the Best Western Grant Park Hotel. Not nearly as nice as the Comfort Inn, where I'd stayed the previous year, but much nicer than the W. Then it was back to the Pelham in New Orleans, for one night before catching my flight back home.

This past Spring, in San Francisco, I stayed at my favorite San Francisco hotel, the Columbus Motor Inn. No continental breakfast, internet access, or on-site laundry, but really nice rooms, very conveniently located. Then, in Sacramento, I was at another favorite, the Vagabond, right across the street from the train station on one side, and the Downtown Plaza Shopping Mall on the other, and within walking distance of Old Sac and the RT Metro trolley line. Excellent continental breakfast, and 3 -count 'em- 3 free guest computers in an alcove off the lobby. Then, in Seattle, it was the Best Western Pioneer Square Hotel (originally the historic Hotel Yesler), also with very comfortable rooms, great rates, free internet whenever the conference room is available, and a superb continental breakfast.

On my Alaska cruise (leaving the day I left Seattle), I chose the cheapest passenger billet on the whole ship, and the cruise was just as nice as if I'd spent four times as much on a "verandah suite."

Once I got to Anchorage, I stayed at the Comfort Inn Ship Creek. Nice location (within walking distance of the train station), huge room, excellent continental breakfast, free internet, and a free airport shuttle (which was good, because I was running out of cash, and had walked away from my only Visa card in Seattle!), all for a great rate.

This Fall, in Hawaii, I'm staying at the Ohana Waikiki West in Honolulu, the Maui Beach Hotel (recommended by the local transit authority) in Kahalui, and the Volcano House in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

In my experience, I've never found expensive hotels to be cheaper than mid-priced ones, only greedier. And to tie this back to the topic of the thread, I normally actually go for more expensive hotels on vacations than on business trips, at least when I'm picking the hotel. And I think that, unless you're a salesman, and planning to entertain clients in your hotel, that's the way it should be. But we're talking about Disney hotels here, and even the cheapest Disney hotel is going to be closer to, say, a Vagabond, than to a Motel 6 (or to some of the dumps I've stayed in while working video crews). And the rooms at the All Stars certainly aren't as small as the one I had at the Charlesmark, nor are they any shorter on useful space than that postage-stamp room in the Chicago W.

[WDW heart]

How about the Carribean Beach Resort. It is moderate pricing and you will feel like you and your boyfriend are on the islands!

[borcham]

I spent a couple of hours last night with the Unofficial Guide to WDW and a computer researching hotels for an impromptu four-day stay next week.

I'm a firm believer in finding good value while traveling and hotels are no exception. While systematically paring down options I found a hotel that suited my needs perfectly.

While there's plenty of *** rated hotels, as this one is, what struck me was the number of rave reviews from actual guests. As I cross-referenced on Expedia and subsequently tripadvisor.com I found that user ratings averaged a whopping 4.6! Even the Wyndham Palace, Grosvenor, and Hilton couldn't measure up.

By taking the time to shop, you'll find what you need. My advice is take the time to assess what your needs actually are, and be as detailed as you can, so that when you read of a properties' amenities you'll instantly know if it's worth the price you'll pay.

In the end, I'm paying $67 per night in a five year-old, suite-only hotel with a substantial breakfast and free high speed Internet included.

[danyoung]

So quit being selfish - WHAT'S THE NAME OF THE HOTEL???

[SummerinFL]

So quit being selfish - WHAT'S THE NAME OF THE HOTEL???

What he said! LOL