Nicer Hotels or more spending money?

[Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Da Disney]

I am a big fan of the Caribbean Beach and Port Orleans Riverside hotels but I was considering changing to the All Star Movies Resort so we could more souvenir/spending money. We dont spend much time at our hotels except late after we leave the parks.

[BrerGnat]

Personally, I couldn't find that much to spend money on souvenir wise. I end up with a couple new t-shirts, maybe. I'd MUCH prefer to upgrade my accommodations. It makes my entire vacation more enjoyable when I have a nice place to come back to after the parks.

[buzznwoodysmom]

I would downgrade from a deluxe to a moderate if I needed/wanted to have more spending money. However, I don't think I'd downgrade to a value.

The values are OK, but we really prefer not to stay at them, at least not for an extended period of time. But then again we spend lots of time at our resort, so a comfortable resort is important to us. If it were just a place to sleep and shower then I'd probably go with a value.

[#1donaldfan]

I have stayed at POR many times and POP once. While I truly love POR, POP was not that bad....it was a bit busier, a little louder, but it was fine. If you want to save money and want to secure a value, I'd choose POP.....

[DizneyRox]

I agree, there isn't much worth spending money on merchandise wise. Stick with the 'better' hotel...

[Mickey'sGirl]

I don't think the Mods are necessarily "Better" hotels, they just have different offerings.

I can honestly tell you that we have enjoyed each and every one of our All Star stays (even after coming directly from a "Deluxe" hotel). Just be aware of what the differences are. No sit down restaurant, no fancy slides at the pools, slightly smaller rooms, and standard double beds rather than queen. If you know what you are getting, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Do the research and decide.

[Maleficent_vf]

We've only stayed at deluxe (Boardwalk area) because it puts us in walking distance of two parks (Epcot is our fav). Maybe I shouldn't even be responding because I wouldn't ever consider a value, but I have to agree with others that have posted - I don't find much worth buying in the souvenir department. You can only wear so many t-shirts, sweatshirts, etc. and most of the designs aren't appealing. While I'm a HUGE Disney fan, I have no desire the fill my house with Disney dishes, tape dispensers, towels, etc. My souvenirs are tons and tons of photos.

[joonyer]

We usually can't afford a deluxe resort anyway, but I have to agree with others that the "souvenirs" have rally dropped in quality, selection and value in the past 10 years. And the food ain't nothing to write home about either, although enjoyable meals can be found. It's almost impossible to find park or resort specific apparel, anymore. It's all Disney generic now, and much lower quality. If I had the extra money, I'd spend it on the accommodations.

[Dopey's Girl]

Once upon a time, I would have said more spending money, but there isn't much original stuff to spend money on anymore IMO.

Next trip for me is BC. It means most every breakfast in the room, and minimum spending on junk to lug home. I'm ok with it, because I get to spend a week at a resort I have always wanted to experience.

[AgentC]

If you don't spend time at the resort and you don't mind the full size beds and the more bustling atmosphere, you'll be fine.

Personally, the queen beds are really important to me and my kids love the water slides, so unless it was only for a night or two, I would go with the moderate.

[RBrooksC]

I would rather stay in a hotel like WL then "downgrade" to purchase more items.

To be honest, I get more use out of photos and videos than I do other items.

[mommy2maddi]

We are staying @ AoA in December. We spend such a small amount of time in our room that I can't justify the extra expense. Next time we might split a stay between a value and a deluxe, but our trips to WDW are about the parks, not about where we sleep at night.

[Mousemates]

When in full blown dawn to dusk park commando mode the resort is little more than a place to bunk for the night, rinse off the dust and sweat, and recharge your cell phone...and for that the bed, shower and outlets of a value are really all you need. In that situation I would consider the value over the mod....thou instead of making sure I spent all the money I saved on the now largely generic souvenir offerings, I'd likely just take a little more cash back home with me.

[MargaretMessler]

All the above posters make excellent points, about the souvenirs not being all that snazzy after multiples trips, roomier beds, on site table service, etc. But I would still downgrade the room and have the extra spending money AVAILABLE to me, whether or not I ended up using it. If I come home with extra, bonus! But that's just me. Even with a Disney vacation, I am a pretty budget minded person.

Aside from souvenirs, there are always special things you could spend money on. Whether it be "splurging" for that photo package from a ride/restaurant, or a character meal outside of the DDP, extra tour experience at one of the parks...

[forever a child]

I have gone back and forth on Value vs Moderate (since I can't afford deluxe) not so much for the souvenirs but for dinning and doing extra's that do cost $. I have found that I have been happy at both...so I really base it off of how much time I might spend in the room. In the summer...we will spend more time in parks...during the winter when the parks close earlier...I would like a nicer resort for our time in the room or around the resort. Just my personal preference. Also, I am looking forward to an AoA visit.

[goofygonewild]

I guess it just depends how much time you think you might be spending at the resort. For us, we are not there other than to sleep & shower so fancy accommodations are not as important to us. I would rather have the extra money available for other options such as dining, side excursions or anything we may want to do, see or purchase. It just comes down to what your priorities are. Everyone enjoys their vacations differently. Hope you have a fun and relaxing trip!

[chefmickey3]

I would not do a value compared to POR or CBR to save a little for souvenirs. If it meant more time or being able to go or not go, that is different. Stay with the moderate.

[disney obsessed]

I have stayed at all three levels and I have enjoyed each experience for what it is. My husband loves the AKL and always wants to stay there because he loves the pool and wants to hang out there while we visit the parks. It is wonderful and I am very happy to be there. We also stay at all stars or pop and spend most of our time in the parks but still don't have to worry about driving and get the Disney experience. I love the mods because they have larger beds/rooms and hot tubs. But if I am in park mode, I really don't care about those things. It all depends on what your family wants out of it's vacation. If the down time and amenities are important to you, stay at the mod. If not, save the money and do the value.
If I were you, I would stay at the value.

[Tinkerbella16]

Just like others have said, I would downgrade from a deluxe to a moderate for sure, but not moderate to a value. The price difference between the mods/deluxe is much more significant than the mods/values. I always say the moderates are the best bang for your buck.. like a mini deluxe resort without the bigger rooms and monorail or location, but still with great amenities and the grounds are just great at POR.

[Goofster]

Our souvenir purchases are t-shirts and pins for the kids. We generally stay at deluxes because we enjoy the amenities, the themeing, the pools and the balconies. I could see us downgrading to a moderate to save cash and stay in budget, but not to use that money to purchase souvenirs. We value the hotel over the souvenirs. And as another poster mentioned above, the photos and video at the resort are worth more to us than some of the plastic toys that seem to break before we even get home.