First Time Value Resort Trip, Will I regret it?

[Shellbells]

In May we stayed at POP, POFQ and ASMu. I wouldn't stay at the Allstars again unless we had to financially. Smaller beds, less amenities, the guests were ruder, it was chaotic and the food court wasn't good. I wasn't a fan.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I don’t think Music has been refurbished. If going value, I would want a refurbished hotel. I believe Movies is done. I have done multiple stays at Pop which has been refurbished plus you have Skyliner access, separate buses and 2 food court access since you can walk over to AoA.

I agree with this, i'd pick a resort thats been refurbished. Pop or Movies.

I personally don’t like the layout of Music. I’d pick Pop. But I think you should give a value a try, you might love it! We alternate between value, moderate and deluxe all the time, but stay the bulk of our nights at Pop for the savings.

I honestly dont like the layout of Music either. Its long and narrow, making it seem like a longer walk to your room. I prefer Movies, Sports, or Pop. Esp pop now that it has the skyliner.

 

[WelshMorgan92]

I have stayed in a few onsite hotels.. had more noise issues at the moderates (specifically CB) than I have at Pop.

stayed at Sports and Music when I was younger and would say that POP is the go to value resort by far, the renovated rooms are much nicer and the gondolas are a plus..

Also if you are in a rush to get back to the resort you can always jump on either Pop or AoA busses back.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Hello folks, would like some honest feedback. We are annual pass-holders, typically visit 4 plus times for year and have always stayed at either a moderate or deluxe resort. With 2 kids in college, we are trying to be a bit more frugal as of late, and booked All Star Music for our next trip in October( will be myself, my wife, and our 13 year old). Thing is, we are a bit nervous about staying at a Value, we have heard stories about paper thin walls, noisy/ chaotic dinning facilities, and crazy bus lines at the end of the day when heading back to the resort. Will it be a hard transition for us going from a deluxe/moderate to a value, or am I just worrying too much? I am tempted to switch over to our old favorite the POR, but the price at All Star Music is sooooo cheap in comparison. Any thoughts? Thank you kindly.

I hear you on the college budget adjustments! Ours are just beginning as well.

We're every-other-year Disney people, and have stayed at all three levels. I believe they are all great in their own way!

I've only had one nightmare bus wait, and that was at the end of the night from Disney Springs. (I don't even remember which resort we were at that year.) And I like all the food courts I've tried.

If you're spending most of your time in the parks, you won't miss deluxe amenities, and - as someone mentioned above - I think the values actually have more "Disney-ness" to their themes.

The only thing I would worry about is big school/sports groups. We haven't had a problem with them, but maybe check your dates? I don't know if there is a master calendar of events or something.

 

[magrudersmakes3]

We have stayed at all levels and if you go into it with realistic expectations, you will enjoy your vacation. I wouldn't do a value resort if we were doing just a resort stay as the amenities are not the same, but for a total park stay, I would definitely stay at a value again.

 

[shocker]

I've stayed at all levels of WDW resort & about the only thing I 'miss' from deluxe are the one's I can walk to a park from...and that's it...really. I can & do still visit them for dining.

I just finished my multiple trip AP year last month.

To the OP, when the reason you've chosen to go to a value over mod/deluxe outweighs the reason to choose a mod/deluxe over a value is when you will be just fine. When you have complete understanding that you're a party of 3 now & not 5 (less space & bathroom time needed). When you realize you still want to visit 4 times a year and not drop to 1-2 visits a year with your AP. Then you will be just fine.

Once you try it, if you decide its not for you, then you can try off site. We've had a few off site 2-bedroom/2 bath rooms with free breakfast & some with dinner, full kitchens, all for less than the price of a mod. You might find it preferable to stay off site & get more room for your buck.

As far as your specific concerns. I've had just as noisy of neighbors at the deluxe level as I have at the value level and I've had stone quiet neighbors at a value. Put a white noise app on your phone & turn it up at night to sleep. Keep your a/c fan on all night.

I don't tend to eat in the food courts, but you can certainly avoid the busiest times or take the food to go & eat elsewhere. Its usually not busy when I'm in there. I tend to eat my own food in my room or stop to eat it at food court, again, not a problem.

The bus wait line for a value is no better or worse than a deluxe/mod. You could use some of your resort savings to purchase uber/lyft or if it really bothered you, you could leave the park an hour before closing. But, I'm a park closer so I choose the bus wait I know I'm going to have...can't really complain there was one when I chose it.

I say try the value, don't sweat it, you know its a savings & you know why you need that savings. If you don't love it, you can readjust. When you're an AP & making many trips, one trip isn't a make or break event.

 

[WDW_Michael]

I don't think you will regret it at all. Ive stayed at value, moderate and deluxe and I wouldn't hesitate to go back to any of them. There's a certain charm to the values that I enjoy. I like the larger food courts, oversized loud Disney theming and the compactness of the resorts. I feel like the value resorts have more of a Disney feel to them, which I enjoy. I really don't think you can go wrong staying at any of the on-site properties.

 

[Maggie Gallagher]

Hello folks, would like some honest feedback. We are annual pass-holders, typically visit 4 plus times for year and have always stayed at either a moderate or deluxe resort. With 2 kids in college, we are trying to be a bit more frugal as of late, and booked All Star Music for our next trip in October( will be myself, my wife, and our 13 year old). Thing is, we are a bit nervous about staying at a Value, we have heard stories about paper thin walls, noisy/ chaotic dinning facilities, and crazy bus lines at the end of the day when heading back to the resort. Will it be a hard transition for us going from a deluxe/moderate to a value, or am I just worrying too much? I am tempted to switch over to our old favorite the POR, but the price at All Star Music is sooooo cheap in comparison. Any thoughts? Thank you kindly.

We stayed at a moderate on our first trip, then value. We hated the moderate, and actually liked the value better. So we had no trouble going from moderate to value.

Since then, we have only stayed deluxe... I don't think there is going back from deluxe. We are also older and spend much more time at the resort, and only mornings at the parks. We require a lot more of our resort than we used to.

 

[TangledHairDon'tCare]

I can’t share a double bed with DH, so values are out for us. We stayed at AS2 once when it was just the two of us and we each got our own bed. They were just so uncomfortable!

 

[focusondisney]

I can’t share a double bed with DH, so values are out for us. We stayed at AS2 once when it was just the two of us and we each got our own bed. They were just so uncomfortable!

Just an FYI, as the values are getting renovated, they are changing to queen beds. There is a queen plus a queen Murphy bed. Pop is done, Movies almost done and I think I have read Sports is starting next.

 

[TangledHairDon'tCare]

Just an FYI, as the values are getting renovated, they are changing to queen beds. There is a queen plus a queen Murphy bed. Pop is done, Movies almost done and I think I have read Sports is starting next.

From what I’ve read though, they’re not anymore comfortable!

 

[scionchigirl]

Our first trip as a family in 2005 was to Pop...we scrimped and saved! (I stayed as a 19ish year old at GF)We then stayed at POFQ,ASMO,Paradise Pier at DL,ASMO again,WL,POR and are going to ASMo in November.

We do commando style,so deluxe is not worth it for us...plus I CANNOT pay $600 a night for one when I can stay at a TOP hotel in NY/LA/Chicago for $450-500 a night. We stay at luxury hotels or Vrbo rentals for our non-WDW trips,but the deluxes just arent worth it.

ASMo is fine...we crash at night,always had good service and no problems with busses.Yes, it WAS amazing to see the boat parade and watch "Wishes" from our balconey at WL,but not for what I paid....yes,nice lobby, but I spent 15 seconds walking through it each morning to transportation.

Now, when its the 50th anni of wdw, we are staying in POLY but thats for nostalgia sake!

 

[focusondisney]

From what I’ve read though, they’re not anymore comfortable!

Huh. I have relatives who stay at values every trip. They have never said the beds were uncomfortable. My kids stayed at Pop a few months ago & thought the new rooms were very nice & said the bed was fine. We are staying at Movies this weekend for the AP preview, so I’ll get to check it out for myself. We almost always stay deluxe, club level, but this was a last minute unplanned for trip, so decided to give a value a try.

 

[DizzyDis]

I think it really depends on your mindset. I like being comfortable, so when we travel with our young kids we stay deluxe, or offsite at a condo with lots of space. I was doing a solo race weekend trip and wanted too stay onsite for transport, but couldn't justify the price of a moderate for just me. I stayed at ASMovies and loved the theming, but certainly noticed the different amenities. I brought a white noise machine to block out the neighbors, and had a great stay, but did miss the hot tub, did not enjoy the shampoo bottles locked up in the shower, and noticed how far the bus stops were.

I have no regrets about staying value, but it was right for me for that trip, but I wouldn't do it every time. And I reminded myself of how much I was saving when I was cranky. And then generally got another drink at food and wine!!

 

[DLgal]

Huh. I have relatives who stay at values every trip. They have never said the beds were uncomfortable. My kids stayed at Pop a few months ago & thought the new rooms were very nice & said the bed was fine. We are staying at Movies this weekend for the AP preview, so I’ll get to check it out for myself. We almost always stay deluxe, club level, but this was a last minute unplanned for trip, so decided to give a value a try.

Bed comfort is very subjective. Some people like firm mattresses. Some like soft. Some need a lot of support, some can sleep on a futon. Kids can usually be comfortable anywhere. They don't yet have the aches and pains of adulthood. Personally, I find the value beds intolerable. I have large hips and need a softer, pillow top style mattress when I travel or I will wake up every hour with an aching hip. At home, I have a Tempurpedic cloud supreme. To me, the only beds that I can sleep well in at Disney are the Deluxe ones.

 

[Momto2minniemice]

So we are DVC, but I do enjoy the value resorts a little more. I love they have dedicated buses, vs deluxe who share. I love the vibe, more later back and it seems like happier people. Yes you don’t have a fancy pool. We are ok with that. I think the food choices at a value is better than a deluxe also. We did not find the rooms noisy. I think the biggest thing I had to get use to was the door opening outside vs to a hallway. Parking is also closer to your room.

 

[Hi Pluto]

From what I’ve read though, they’re not anymore comfortable!

I thought the new queen beds at Pop were actually very comfortable. Much better than the doubles I remembered at ASMu.

 

[cakebaker]

I faced this question when I decided to tack on a few days to our next short trip to see the final Illuminations. We have the YC booked for the original 3 days and I wanted to add a few on to the front end. Other than the AOA suites, we always stay DVC or deluxe. But, I've been a lot this year (4 times- that's more than we've ever gone) and I wanted to watch the cost more. I'm using an AP discount so choices were limited at this late date. I almost pulled the trigger for ASMO, but in the end I just couldn't. We've stayed at values a few times for an arrival night or departure night and I don't like them for a host of reasons- the decor is a little out there, the noise and the chaotic feel as well as the tiny rooms. We like to take midday breaks and take advantage of what the resort has to offer. Frankly, values don't offer a lot outside of a bed to sleep in. The food courts are insane, the resorts are loud and chaotic. I did go with a moderate, POR royal room, because while I've never stayed there, it appears to be more relaxed and the pools look interesting. We'll see.

If I were going to do a value, POP would be the only one I'd seriously consider and it wasn't available with the AP. I can't say I would've chosen it in the end, but to me, outside of AOA suites, it's the best value.

 

[FSU Girl]

I don't like the values at all. If I'm not staying in a deluxe I look at offsite. The Disney Springs hotels or the Marriott down the road can be really cheap and are much nicer than the values. I do have a car though so it's easier for me to get around and not have to rely on their shuttle service.

 

[JonnaP]

We typically do moderate resorts because they don't feel quite as chaotic as the value resorts that we've stayed at (that's just our style..) But frankly, I don't stay at Boardwalk for the same reason, too.
So if we don't stay at moderates, we AirBnB and get full homes for the price (or just above) what we would have paid to be in a value resort room. We typically don't take bus transportation anyway (AP = free parking, and guaranteed seat in my car w/air on the way home) unless we're going to MK. Then we'll just park at Epcot and ride the monorail over to MK.