How would you "plus" your vacation?

[kbmartin]

My DH and I really have no problem with Pop. We have stayed there the past two years and are staying there for one night before we have Free Dining at CSR (we would have stayed at Pop again, no question, if we wouldn't have had to pay to upgrade to the standard dining plan, but I'm looking forward to trying something new!). I suggest sending in a faxed request for a renovated room (it would have a queen bed) or a king room, since you are a couple (make sure to have a CM note your request over the phone, too). We have had our request fulfilled every time we have done that. We don't mind staying there because we are rarely in the room and prefer to spend our time outside of the resort anyway. If you're going to have a lot of resort time and see going to a "fancier" pool as important, you could look elsewhere. For us, it doesn't matter. Pop also has a really efficient bus system, which we really appreciate. I would recommend Pop to just about anyone.

I do suggest table-service meals, like many others have said. Get all dressed up and go to a signature restaurant at least once if you can. My suggestion would be Narcoossee's at the Grand Floridian. If you time your reservation well, you can listen to the Grand Floridian orchestra (in the lobby) before your meal, and later on watch the Electrical Water Pageant and the MK fireworks from the restaurant's deck. It can be very romantic!

 

[MommaBerd]

Though I have never stayed at Pop, I wouldn't have because the beds were only doubles and I *heard* they were uncomfortable. I have stayed at POR and would have recommended the upgrade. But note - all of that is past tense.

Pop is undergoing a refurb which, to me, looks fabulous! There are now queen size beds, but one of them is a Murphy bed, which you will not need. So, I think you might find those rooms more spacious than a moderate because of that.

I love my park hoppers, but I'm willing to concede that for you, it's probably not the best "plus."

So, like many others, I'd recommend one or two TS meals. But, I'd also like to suggest a dessert party. DH does not like having to camp out for nighttime entertainment, and he'd rather just not see the fireworks, etc. than fight the crowds. Dessert parties are "worth it" to me to have a more relaxed evening and a guaranteed great view of the entertainment.

 

[partigus]

I'd upgrade the resort....hard to say since I never stayed at a value- just moderates and deluxe- but they are fantastic. Depending on how you eat- you can get some table service experiences without breaking the bank- for instance (i think they may have changed the menu since) we once went to the Brown Derby in HS for lunch- had appetizer cobb salads and split an appetizer- wasn't but a few bucks more than CS...Use the online menus to look for opportunities. One note here- whenever we eat and just get apps or deserts etc to get the experience for less $- we always (well, depending on service) WAY over tip....the server shouldn't loose income cause I'm looking to get "their" table for less $

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Add a waterpark. They are awesome.

 

[Nancyg56]

If you are planning long park days I would not plus a trip by upgrading the resort. You are spending money on amenities you will not be using. Personally, I would add in a few TS restaurants, and enjoy relaxing over dinner. I woudl look at restaurants that are an "experience" rather than just "good food." For instance, I would book Tiffins in DAK, plan on spending some time there checking out the artwork in that restaurant. I also like the atmoshere in Nomads Lounge.
If this is your first visit to WDW, I would think long and hard about adding a tour in. This is one huge resort, so seeing the parks is time consuming, but since you are looking at a tour, book one that is unique to WDW, suck ad teh Trek in DAK. We are looking at that one when my nieces join us in December 2018.

I woudl not add park hoppers. You are not going to take a mid day break so I woudl nto spend the money to spend the time it takes to get from one park to another. Even with the express transportation option this can be time consuming.

 

[Accidental Magpie]

Perhaps a few TS that are just drinks and an appetizer. We are doing that in Mexico an hour before the fireworks. You get to sit, it's air conditioned, a nice break.

 

[ulcards99]

I would keep pop and request a refurbished room. You get the queen sized beds and it's brand new. You get moderate type rooms at value resort prices. You don't have as nice of Pools etc but if you don't plan on staying at the resort much, I wouldn't pay to stay at a more expensive resort just to sleep and shower.

Definitely do some table service meals. My husband and I go to WDW ourselves and love the food experiences.

I saw someone suggested upgrading to an annual pass. I would NOT upgrade to an annual pass just to get the hotel and food discounts. The hotel discounts are VERY slim and you might not even get anything if you don't book the day they come out. There's no guarantee. We have APs and I don't think we will be renewing next year. We had a terrible experience this year getting room discounts.

I highly recommend the Keys to the Kingdom Tour. We did it back in May and it was a wonderful experience. We are going to do more tours the next couple times we go this year.

 

[shh]

Second the skimpy AP discounts - did anyone notice that POP has been creeping up quite a bit, compared to other value resorts? It always was a tiny bit more, but the gap is getting much wider. It's creeping close to mod range. If you're getting a renovated room, it may be worth it for some of the amenities. But the price doesn't seem worth it for the older rooms.

 

[disney144]

Thanks for all the feedback. We did notice that pop was more than all stars, but it was only an extra $90 for the week, which seemed worth it.

As we are from California, we are not used to cold weather. I see about a 5% chance of us getting in the pool during our trip, if that.

We've decided definitely against hoppers. We may not be at the parks open to close, but I don't think we'd take a break during the day. We may get a late start or leave early and head to Disney springs.

I'm going to really consider adding a few table service. If it feels too restrictive we can cancel a few days before. May also be nice to check out bars and lounges.

I'm still considering possibly upgrading our resort. We stayed at the shanghai Disneyland hotel in April for our honeymoon and really enjoyed the beautiful grounds, lovely bathroom, and areas around the hotel to hang out. But this isn't a honeymoon, and that was quite pricey! We'll have to see.

 

[Disneyhenry]

for 1st visit I wouldn't add park hopper, just enjoy the parks and explore as much as possible. Now down to the other two, if I had to choose between Mod or a couple TS I would choose a couple TS, why?! Because the food at WDW is sooooo much better then DLR, really it is! Have fun

 

[JerseyJanice]

You're on the right track. IMO, if you find a good offer, you may consider moving to a moderate, but really, if you think you won't spend any time relaxing at the pool, it's probably not worth it.

Definitely plan some table service meals. You'll get the most enjoyment out of that.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

I also wouldn't change resorts and stick with Pop if you're planning on spending a lot of time in the parks. Based on our recent stay there it seems like it's a popular choice for adults traveling without kids. The refurbished rooms have queen size beds and coffee makers now; and Pop is a quick bus ride to DHS, Epcot, and Disney Springs. I would definitely add in some must do TS meals. Book a couple signatures or places you wouldn't ordinarily eat at during trips with the kids .

 

[skuttle]

I would upgrade the resort, or at least do a split stay for sure. We don't care for the values.

I would add a few TS meals for sure.

I'd try to check out Trader Sams at the Poly. We did it during our kid-free trip and had lots of fun! There are also several lounges that offer great food and drinks. We loved the one at Brown Derby.

I wouldn't pay the extra for the park hopper. It's your first trip and there will be plenty enough to keep you busy all day at each park. And, if you need a break, you can always leave and then go back to the same park later in the day.

I also wouldn't bother with with the wild africa trek on your first visit. Too many other things to do/see that won't cost you extra.

 

[toodycat]

I would upgrade the resort, but that is because I prefer the larger beds and smaller occupancy of the mods or deluxes. If those features are not important to you, stay where you are.Definitely book a few table service meals, maybe a dinner and a lunch. I like to get a little break from the Florida midday sun by having a TS lunch. Some of our favorites are The Liberty Tree Tavern, Be Our Guest, 50s Prime Time Cafe and Chefs de France. Another nice option is to take the monorail over to the GF and eat at one of the restaurants on property there. They are all great! Hope this helps...

 

[Tigger's ally]

I saw someone suggested upgrading to an annual pass. I would NOT upgrade to an annual pass just to get the hotel and food discounts. The hotel discounts are VERY slim and you might not even get anything if you don't book the day they come out. There's no guarantee. We have APs and I don't think we will be renewing next year. We had a terrible experience this year getting room discounts.

How do you know they are slim? They aren't even out yet? Look historically at the time frame the OP is going (January). They have always been very good in January! We got $80 off a night in May. For 6 nights that is quite a savings plus adding 20% food and free picture downloads ($180 value). All for $300 more.

I do recognize that they aren't that good when it is real busy, but the OP is going then and that is why I suggested it.

 

[noblemaidenfair]

One important thing to consider about the hotels is the bed size. I believe values have full beds while moderates and deluxe are queen (or king). You may want to consider renting DVC points also. We just saved a ton of money doing that and they have kitchenettes in the studios.

Also, I personally like the park hopper option. I like having the flexibility of going wherever I want to go whenever I want, and you can get between parks pretty quickly using the bus service, monorail (MK to/from EP) or boats (HS to/from EP).

 

[Shellyb84]

We are currently booked for Pop for a week in late January. We are planning on 6 day tickets, and will be packing snacks and eating CS in the parks. It is just 2 adults and our first WDW trip, although we have been disneyland regulars for years. We let our DL passes expire to help pay for this trip. This will likely be our only kid free trip. How would you "plus" it? (Obviously, it would be great to do all of these, but our budget is limited).

- upgrade to a moderate (CBR or CSR) for the week. Or do a split stay with pop and POR or POFQ (I'm not anticipating good discounts coming out for port orleans this year, and it's priced higher than the others)
- add a few TS restaurants
- wild Africa trek
- add discounted QS dining if SPD is released. This would allow us to order a few alcoholic drinks with meals, extra snacks, and snacking around world showcase during the art festival. We also wouldn't be worried about spending too much
-add park hopper passes (are these necessary with shorter hours? I would think we would go to one park and stay all day. No midday breaks)

What are your thoughts?

I would add some TS meals or Wild Africa Trek. Doesn't sound like you'll be spending much time at the resort so I don't see a need to upgrade, and Pop is great. I think 7 days is too short of a trip to do a split stay, and it sounds like you don't need park hoppers with your touring style.

 

[stsomewhere]

Spend the extra money on food. Whether it be a few table service or snacks around Epcot. My daughter and I ate at almost every pavilion at EPcot and snack shack at FLower festival. Usually we just shared everything because we were too full.

 

[jessiegirl1982]

Ok, so I have always wanted to stay at POR, but we always end up at Pop because of the huge difference in price. I would rather stay longer at Pop. Most of the resort will be renovated by January, so there is a free "plus". I would definitely keep the PH, and upgrade to express transportation. Do a couple of TS, and drink around the world at Epcot.. That's how I would "plus" it!!

 

[ulcards99]

How do you know they are slim? They aren't even out yet? Look historically at the time frame the OP is going (January). They have always been very good in January! We got $80 off a night in May. For 6 nights that is quite a savings plus adding 20% food and free picture downloads ($180 value). All for $300 more.

I do recognize that they aren't that good when it is real busy, but the OP is going then and that is why I suggested it.

The last few AP discounts have been slim. I have been very disappointed with my ability to get discounts on my rooms. We have gone 3 times since late last year so all different times of the year. I have been lucky enough to get guest services to give me the discount even though there wasn't availability at the time. I just wouldn't count on it. Discounts of any kind are getting slimmer and slimmer. Historical "down" times are no longer down.

I'm not renewing my AP next year because it's been stressful and a pain to get the AP discounts. I'm never even notified when they come out.