Moderate vs. Value

[stitchaholic]

ouhhhh,you will love CSR,have a daiquiry by the hot tub for me ,and a quiche from cafe rix!

[bruin1344]

1. theming
2. quieter
3. busses less crowded

[TheVBs]

The only thing I've ever been bothered by (and even "bothered" is a bit strong for it) is the mass of people at the cafe in the mornings. Just getting a few pastries, milk and some coffee can be a real trick. Is this less of a problem at a moderate?

[TheVBs]

Just thought of another question. Do mods have activities by the pool for the kids, like ASMu does?

[forever a child]

I will bump this so that perhaps someone will reply to your questions since I am unsure of the answer.

Great post though!

[KayDee]

The biggest reason for us to chose mod over value is the amount of time we spend in WDW usually 2 weeks. Mods do provide stuff to do at the resorts plus they are much less crowded.

[TheVBs]

Thanks for the bump!

At ASMu they have a poolside dance party every afternoon or evening, contests, games and a movie by the pool later in the evening. I'm just wondering if the mods have some really special kids activities like that?

[kat70]

If DH was a water person, I'd push to stay at a moderate for the themed pool and hot tubs. But he's definitely not... and also not a heat and sun person, so we don't use the pool much, if at all. He's 6' 4", so you'd think he'd prefer to ensure a larger bed, but we managed to sleep in one of what I thought were doubles at Pop Century in 2006, but he thought might be queens. (We do tend to snuggle, though, so he doesn't always stretch out. ) The cafeteria could be a zoo at times, but we always managed to find a quiet corner. We both enjoyed the fun theme of the hotel, and neither one mind the single sink and lack of fridge. So... if your needs are simple and you like a fun bargain, research the various value resorts to find a theme that makes you smile. If you need a bit more, I personally LOVED CBR! But, again... research and choose the look and amenties that fit your style and pocketbook. (I hate ending a trip feeling I've wasted or just spent too much... my New England/Scottish roots, I guess.)

Enjoy the decision-making process. Such fun to plan and anticipate! 74 days 'til we're back at Pop Century!

[jonahbear2006]

just returned for por and we visited pop century while we were there; our friends were staying there. Moderate is an overpriced value, if you ask us. We were very disappointed in the room size, the pop centurys bathrooms were bigger and more comfy. The POR bathrooms, the door wont shut if you are on the toilet, it will hit your knees. The rooms were not as up to date as I expected and there was absolutely no extra room. If we had brought an air matress, there wouldve been no place to put it. The pops room was brighter colored and looked newer. Wish we would've spent $100 more for the two week trip and gotten two rooms at the Pop. Our original reason for choosing it was to stay in one room, for 5, and bc we wanted the waterslide but heck, if you are 4 people you can buy waterpark option for cheaper.

[jwildflower1981]

Great thread! You have just helped me sell Mod to my DH!!! Now we just need to decide between POR or CSR! I'm so excited he finally agreed!!!

[thrillme]

I can't say anything really positive about CSR except maybe the queen beds. I liked the food court at POP a LOT LOT LOT LOT LOT (did I say LOT) better...We ate there a couple of times because everything else was closed. There was no tie dye cheese cake...no meatball subs..CSR the food we had was TERRIBLE. Maybe it was just because we were there late but... I'm glad we were on the free dining plan because I wouldn't have paid a $1 for that stuff.

I was also really annoyed that the bar by the pool closed early...the bar that was open was about a mile up the walk. UGH.

HOWEVER while we were at the pool (not drinking a fruity drink because the stupid bar was closed)...a couple of people highly recommended POR. That might be worth a try next time...My girlfriend stays at Carribean Beach and that place was REALLY nice.

[Ksmith75]

My DH and I have gone the past 3 years and are going next year. It is just us, so the values work out fine. This year was the first year we did value at the POP. It was noiser and the rooms are not as nice as the POR, but for the value you cant beat it..we always go for 9-10 days and next year we are going for 10 nights, so the POP just makes more sense in a value light. Plus, I love the food courts, the buses are great and the store is great too. We arent big swimmers, but we do sit out by the pool and pool bar and love it!

[Disney Doll]

Moderates are our choice. Here's where I think moderates are better:

nicer pools
bigger rooms
better food options
standard fridge
Beautifully landscaped grounds
quieter
more spread out

I know a lot of people gripe about being too far from this or that, but being slightly removed is one of the biggest draws of a moderate resort to me. When we stayed at Pop and ASMo there were people everywhere: kids running all over, lots of noise, and ridiculous congestion in the food courts and main building. Both times we went in early Feb when crowds are smaller. At moderates having the rooms more spread out means the crowds are more disbursed which makes for a much more relaxing environment. For some reason everything just seems less crowded.

[kat70]

We stayed at CBR in May 1997 (Aruba, 5461) and absolutely loved the resort, but didn't love the return transportation... it was shared with other resorts and often took quite a while to finally reach our stop. Plus, while we enjoyed the two food options, we didn't find the need to use the more upscale restaurant and wished the food court had more to offer. Still, I would definitely stay there again, just because it is such a pretty, peaceful resort. In October 2006, we were part of my DD's 10th anniversary celebration Grand Gathering, staying at POP (80's, 9405). We found that resort to be just right for us, especially the price, as we prefer to stay at least 10 days for any vacation. We love the happy theme, did not have any problem with noise (perhaps, just lucky), and while we agree the food court can be a zoo, we never had a problem finding a place to sit when we opted to use it - most often for breakfast, when it definitely wasn't crowded. We ate lunch and dinner at the parks, for the most part. Granted, on any given visit to ANY vacation property (or cruise ship) one person can have a vastly different experience from another, even if staying in the same room/cabin. It all depends on the mix of guests and staff at any given moment, really. So we go with an open mind, pack a large piece of patience, and look forward to spending time together at a place that makes us smile. We'll be back at POP 10 weeks from tomorrow! Our first visit to WDW was our first big family trip--in 1988 at what was the Sonesta Village, a really neat complex... our room had a kitchenette, which we used for breakfasts, and a convertible couch that our teenage daughter loved... she felt like she had her own room. Our younger teenage son slept in the other bed in our room. They also had wonderful hot tubs outside that felt marvelous at the end of the day, and a great pool that we took advantage of for mid-day breaks. Being off-resort worked well for that trip because it was more affordable, plus we also wanted to visit the space center and Sea World, so had a rental car. Still... nothing like staying on property! Can't wait to land in Orlando and see the bus waiting for us!!!

[CleveRocks]

We stayed at CBR in May 1997 (Aruba, 5461) and absolutely loved the resort, but didn't love the return transportation... it was shared with other resorts and often took quite a while to finally reach our stop.

I don't know about 1997, but when I stayed there in 1990 and again in 2005, CBR definitely did NOT share buses with other resorts. And it definitely does not share with other resorts at the present time.

[kat70]

I don't know about 1997, but when I stayed there in 1990 and again in 2005, CBR definitely did NOT share buses with other resorts. And it definitely does not share with other resorts at the present time.

You're absolutely right. I guess I didn't state that quite clearly enough. It was only the late-night return trips -- not CBR transportation in general, and DH just reminded me it was really only from Boardwalk that we'd have to wait for them to drop people off at other resorts before arriving at CBR. Because CBR is so large and spread out around the lake, there isn't just one drop-off spot, but several; and it seemed like we were always at the way-far end of the route on our return trips. It really wasn't all that bad, just seemed like a long ride by the time our tired bod's finally made it back to our room. And, compared to the overall experience, that was a minor inconvenience. I'd absolutely recommend CBR to anyone wanting a gorgeous resort that won't totally break the bank!