Ding Ding! POFQ vs. Value

[SandmanGStefani24]

Ok, I had decided that I was going to try FQ this next trip, but now my second thoughts are comming back and I am wondering if I could just spend the cash elsewhere and go down to a value resort. I love the value resorts, and have nothing negative to say about them, really. I just am wondering how much better the mod resorts are for almost double the price. I know the rooms are similar, with just a little more room, but what do you all think?

Will it be worth it or should I just save the cash and get a few more gifts and souv? Any and all opinions are welcome!

[SBETigg]

I'm no expert on value or moderate. I prefer to spend the money on deluxe. It's worth it to me. But my advice for you would be to stick with Value. You seem to really enjoy them, and as you say, the extra money will come in handy. If you would have a better trip with more spending money vs spending it on the resort then definitely stick with values. It doesn't sound like you'll have any regrets.

[wendy*darling]

We've stayed at all levels Value, Mod, Deluxe and DVC. In my opinion, they all have great points.

I agree with the previous poster- if you would feel better having more spending money, stay with the values.
If it doesn't matter that much, you might want to branch out a little and try the POFQ (it's my favorite moderate by the way).

If you don't spend much time at the resort, it may not be worth the extra money.
In addition to the slightly larger room, you'll also get a fridge in your room. The grounds are more landscaped and the pools have more theming and a slide and a hot tub. Will any of this make your vacation better?

Most moderates also have a table service restaurant. Unfortunately POFQ does not. So the food court experience is similar to the values. You are a short walk away from PO Riverside, and they do have Boatwrights which is open for dinner only.

POFQ and POR also have the boat access to Downtown Disney- a wonderful perk in my opinion.

If you are a park commando- you probably won't even notice most of these upgrades.
But if you spend some time hanging around the resort- you may enjoy POFQ.

In the end- it's up to you. Everyone has a different opinion on what matters most in their vacation.

[LVT]

We did Riverside once and then POP. We have been to POP 5 times and only Mom would like to give some place else a shot. If it won't break the bank try it and report back. I can't help but think of the cliche about regretting the road not taken.

[wdwnomad]

I too really like the value resorts. Since you haven't stayed at POFQ I say go for it and try it. This way you can decide for yourself in the future if a moderate is worth it.

Personally, I think they are. POFQ is such a nice resort. It is very nicely themed and landscaped. If you are using the bus I thought the service there was much better than a value resort. They also have the boat ride to DD. The resort is very small so any room is a great location. The beingents at the food court are a nice treat. I also think the pace at POFQ is a lot more slower. It is a pretty quiet and low key place in a way. After being at the parks all day just that feeling of being able to take a breath is worth it.

[biodtl]

I have always loved the Values - I don't spend much time in the room, so they were always perfect (and more affordable).

That said, we stayed at POFQ last time and LOVED it. The extra room wasn't really a big deal, but the shaded, well-landscaped resort was really nice. Plus - the small size of POFQ was really a bonus. DH is more interested in having a place to relax and have a drink than I am, so he definitely enjoyed POFQ more than any Value.

We will probably stick with POFQ going forward, but if there was a budget concern, I would go back to a Value with no problem.

[Granny Jill A]

I've stayed at moderates and values, and while I love the little extras at the mods, they weren't enough to make me choose them over the values.

I am saving up to stay at a Deluxe, just once :)

[Mousemates]

truth be told...room wise...to me there is little difference between the values and the mods (with the exception of CSR and queen beds). The major differences are the theming of the resort and (especially) the pool.

If you are "go get em" park commandos, then there is really no need to fork over extra dough for a room that is pretty much just sleeping quarters...and thus I'd say stick with a value.

However, if you tend to take a day or two to hang around your resort...swim in the pool...meander about downtown disney....then I think you might be happier with a stay at POFQ.

[Tez]

We stayed at the the value resorts once but most of the time at the moderate.

Hands down I would stay at the moderate. Just little things make it nicer. The rooms are a bit bigger and with 4 adults staying for 10 days that makes a difference. Also the added sink outside the bathroom allows two people to get ready at the same time. The added food variety at the moderate is nice instead of counter service all the time.

Plus the time we stayed at the value resort it was the cheer contest stuff and it was noice and buzzing with big groups of kids. UGH!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

We feel that the differences are not worth the money, so I'd go with the values...however, now that CSR has queen sized beds we may reconsider that option.

[darthmacho]

It think the theming, recreational, and dining options are far superior in the moderates, so if you are going to take advantage of those ammenities, then I think it's worth the money. Personally, I'm a big fan of the moderates, but if a value resort is the only way to make a trip happen, I'd be more than happy to comprimise. I enjoyed ASMu a lot in 2003.

[andreallybadeggs]

How many days will you be at WDW?
You might do a split.
We've stayed at all levels and enjoyed all levels depending on the kind of trip we wanted and our situation at the time.
(More time in parks? More time at resort? Time of year? Discounts available? Family budget?)
Twice, we split our stay and that also worked for us. If you have time, why not try the mod for a couple of nights so you can experience it and judge for yourself without putting all your eggs in that proverbial basket.

[badkitty]

How many days will you be at WDW?
You might do a split.
We've stayed at all levels and enjoyed all levels depending on the kind of trip we wanted and our situation at the time.
(More time in parks? More time at resort? Time of year? Discounts available? Family budget?)
Twice, we split our stay and that also worked for us. If you have time, why not try the mod for a couple of nights so you can experience it and judge for yourself without putting all your eggs in that proverbial basket.

I agree if you have the time, try both resorts. My family split our stay and it worked out well. I personally would go to the value first and then end with the moderate.

[HoosierDisneyFan]

I have always stayed at Moderate Resorts and I especially love POFQ (boat to DTD!!). We generally spend a lot of time in the parks. The reason we have not tried the Value resorts was the number of "groups" that are generally at the Value resorts. Football teams, cheerleaders, HS bands, etc. Nothing wrong with these groups but it is not really something I want to deal with when waiting for a bus or at the CS resturant.

[gnomelady]

Just got back from 6 days at FQ love the resort. Last year we stayed at the POP loved it too. Moderate has a larger room, frig and double sink plus boat to DTD, liked all that. If I go back it would be hard to decide which resort to stay at again. Each has something spevial to offer, but if I wanted to save some money I would do POP unless FQ had a good deal.

[azcavalier]

For us, the fridge in the room is a huge perk, as we have the DDP, and we usually blow the meals on lunch and dinner. So we keep fruit, water, milk and other breakfast items in the fridge. The other plusses, we just think the food court (at POR anyway) is better than the options at the All-Stars. We have never stayed at Pop Century.

But the biggest differences? Better bus service (the bus stops were closer to the rooms and the busses less crowded) and no youth groups, so we didn't have gangs of teenagers running down by the rooms late at night thinking that it was wildly funny to knock on our doors to wake us up. We DID have that more than once at the All-Stars.