Value Resorts Vs Moderates?

[Dulcee]

My family has done Disney many times in the past and we're in the process of planning this summer's trip. We've always done moderates or deluxes and several members of my family have been totally against going to a value but with money being tight this year I've been pushing for the value resort and a full week instead of cutting down on the time we can spend at disney.

So I was curious just how different are the value resorts from the moderates? As a family of four, pretty much all adults, one of the biggest concerns is that the rooms will just be uncomfortably small. We have a car so bus lines and such aren't an issue but any other comments/suggestions on the noticeable differences between the two would be great.

thanks all! :mickey:

[Johnno52]

We always have done a value linked with our DVC. The Values are as you know a place to sleep and get cleaned up. The Moderates or Deluxe have all that plus atmosphere. We've stayed at Riverside and loved walking around and taking the boats to downtown. The rooms in moderates are not noticeably any bigger, just different decor. Many of the moderates have a theme which you may like one over the others. If you spend all your time at the parks then save your money and stay extra days or treat yourselves.

[Brainiak5]

Thats exactly what goes into my thought process when choosing a value over a moderate. With 2 younger kids (6 &3) most of our time is spent at the parks. They would like the pools if they were just regular rectangles and the rooms are primarily just for sleeping and dressing. When the kids are grown and on their own, I can see my wife an myself upgrading as we can take advantage of all of the amenities as the money being spent would balance out with 2 fewer tickets and mouths to feed. Right now I'd rather maximize time spent on property so value is the choice for us. Either way its a pleasant choice to have- kind of like trying to choose a favorite flavor of ice cream. Have fun! :mickey:

[GrmGrninGost]

We've stayed at all the values and moderates and a couple of the deluxe resorts. In my opinion, there is a noticeable difference when you step up from one level to the next. However, for me, it's not enough to shorten my vacation just to stay at a more expensive resort. The values are exactly what they say. An inexpensive (sort of) place to stay and play. They are clean, well themed and fun! The food courts are actually better at the values (IMHO). I think this is because they don't have TS restaurants. The pools do not have water slides, but they are nice pools. All in all, the resorts are just a place to rest so we can hit the parks the next day! For us, more time in the World is the most important thing! :mickey:

[IloveDisney71]

I've stayed at values more often than moderates and deluxes. I didn't notice much of a difference in the actual room size of the value and moderates. The beds are the same size too. I really do NOT mind staying at the values at all. Some people say they are louder than moderates but that doesn't seem to effect us since we are rarely in our rooms. We usually close the parks down so by the time we get back to the rooms most of the resort has settled down so noise has never been an issue for us.

[Mickey91]

Well, the rooms are a bit smaller and the space to store your stuff isn't as big. But, if you basically sleep and shower there, I can't imagine it making enough of a difference to shorten your trip.

We love to be able to go to a moderate or deluxe. But not enough to sacrifice days!

[elmjimmlm]

Our 1st year was at a value...I dont know if it was the time of year or what but I think every large group was staying there too...It was so congested...It felt like we were in a park all the time...At least with a moderate you have breathing room...But as far as extending your time, its not that bad...After all, you are at Disney World...:mickey3::minnie:

[kathiep]

We've always stayed at the moderates and been very happy.

Last year, we wound up being able to get down there a day earlier than planned. However, CSR couldn't add a day.

Rather than stay offsite, I decided to give a value a try and get the magic started as soon as possible. So we did a one night, room only at Pop.

Given the choice, I don't think I'd want to go back. I thought the food court was crowded and noisy. Maybe it was just a bad day; after all, 1 day is not really enough to base a fair judgement of Pop.

But, that being said, if it came deciding between a moderate and cutting the stay short or a value with a full trip, - we'd definately be at the Value!!!

[#1donaldfan]

As you can see from my signature we're a mod resort type of fam....but if money is tight I'd stay at a value, with no problem....

...they are just, from what I can gather, very busy and very much "park like".....lines, lines, lines for everything....

....the rooms may be somewhat smaller, but it's only a place to shower, change clothes and lay your head for a couple of hours....no extended amount of time spent in the rooms, so why do they need to be huge????

you'll be at Disney for a week....go with the value and I'm sure you'll love your trip !!!!!

[Buttercup]

Honestly? I don't see a difference between the Values and the Moderates. Not a major one anyway.
The Values are themed very "cartoony", so there are lots of bright colours everywhere, whereas the Mods are more "adult" themed and subdued.
Oh, and the Mods come with a fridge in the room.
That's about it. There's still a food court, there are still neat pools at the Values, there's still a gift shop. :D
I'd say go with the Values and save some money. You're not spending all day in the room anyway.

[LandFan]

We stay at Pop all of the time - I always try to bump up to the moderates but I just can't bring myself to shorten the trip to justify the cost of the moderates. So we always end up staying 3 or 4 days longer at Pop instead!!

[LauraF]

I always stay at Moderates rather than values because of the amenties and theming. I also have very sensitive ears (I stick my fingers in my ears at a lot of rides for that reason) and reports from friends and family have told me the rooms have little sound baffling. I would be unable to sleep if there was a lot of noise. :(

[PetefromRI]

My wife and I usually stay at the Pop during the cooler value season months.We really like it but I think that it could get alittle crazy during peak times.There's a real nice pool bar and we think that the palm trees around the pool at the Pop are beautiful.I say give it a go,you'll be pleasantly surprised.

[lightyearfan]

you should have no issues with any of the values. i say this from experience, we've stayed at both moderate and values and there really isn't that big of a difference. the room size is about the same, and if your concerned with themeing than the values will make you happy as each part of the resort is themed differently with oversized props. me and dw have had absoultely no problems with the values, and don't forget you get the same Disney ammenities that you would if staying at a moderate, don't let it shorten your trip stay at a value and enjoy a full week of Disney Fun!

Victor

[Taja]

Value Resort room size = 260 sq. ft. (about 65% the size of average 2-car garage).
Moderate Resort room size = 314 sq. ft. (just over 3/4 size of average 2-car garage).

That may vary slightly resort-to-resort, but should be pretty accurate.

Moderate resorts have both QS (food court) and TS dining. More elaborate theming and main pools with slides. I believe they also have hot tubs.

Value resorts have QS (food court) dining only.

Quite honestly, unless the group of four adults is very friendly and courteous, I would think four people in either a value or moderate room would be uncomfortable for more than a night or two. A bit less so in a moderate than value, but still a bit cozy.

And remember, whatever category of resort, they is an additional fee for each adult guest in the room.

[JoDisney]

Our family likes POR. It is always a favorite when we go to a moderate. We love the grounds, the food court, the pool/hot tub, and the boat to DD. We love POLY, BC, WL and AKL when we want to splurge! The value that we do go to when we know we are there in the months when we are consistently in the parks is POP. POP is nice resort. Their food court is good. Their pool is okay, but their is no hot tub or slide. It is just the basic pool, but it is fine. Their grounds are not as pretty as a moderate or deluxe, but they are fine. We use them to walk for additional exercise in the a.m. I like POP! It is a nice value resort. It even has a nice pool bar area.

[CleveRocks]

Moderate rooms are 314 sq. ft. (except CBR rooms are 340).
Value rooms are 260 sq. ft.
The 54 square feet difference is about the size of two double beds.

Moderate rooms have a ceiling fan.
Value rooms don't.

Moderate rooms have a fridge.
Value rooms don't (or you'll pay $10/day to rent).

Moderate rooms have 2 sinks (except CSR's have 1).
Value rooms have 1 sink.

Moderates have a pool slide and a hot tub.
Values have neither.

Moderates' bus stops are covered (think protection from rain and hot sun).
Values' bus stops are not covered.

Moderates have lush landscaping.
Values have more "hardscaping."

Moderates have a food court AND a table-service restaurant (except POFQ ... food court only).
Values have only a food court.

Moderates have some sort of recreational activity (e.g., boat rentals, bike rentals).
Values don't have that type of recreational activity.

Moderates have a bar/lounge for adult beverages (CBR's is outdoor but covered, as befits the theme of the resort).
Values don't have a bar or lounge.

At Moderates, the maximum room charge limit is $1,000.
At Values, it's $500.

EXTRA CREDIT:

POFQ and POR have boat service to Downtown Disney.
CSR has full room service, and a gym.
Values are much more "kid-themed" and whimsical-looking than the Moderates.

[WonderlandsMostWanted]

Actually, the Values have pool bars for adult beverages, and Pop Century also has an indoor bar as well, (too the far, far left of the food court.) But, they do not have louges like the mods do.

[LarryBoy]

We have stayed at 3 of 4 values, all the All-Stars, and 3 of 4 moderates, all but CS, and we like both options. My biggest pluses for the mods are the better pools, and the trundle beds at POR. These are both big for us, and can be great if traveling with kids. My son, six at the time, loved the slide at the POR pool, and the trundle bed allowed everybody to have their own bed and get a really good nights sleep. Another plus to the moderates is that they seem to be "less crowded". Part of that is some of them are smaller, but it mostly the themeing makes it more peaceful, and there tend to be fewer large tour groups staying at the moderates.
Now if it means staying more nights, I would still do the value resorts. The price difference sometimes is really not that much however. You might even get lucky and get a better deal on the moderates, like we did last summer. We had planned to stay at AS Movies but Wendy at MJ got us a room at POR for less money than the value resort. Sometimes they will offer upsells if the values are a lot more booked than the moderates. If you're looking to get the best deal, I recommend using Magical Journeys (http://www.yourmagicaljourneys.com/).
Good luck.:thumbsup: