Torn between refurbished room and saving money

[jamesg]

I've scoured the forums and read all the reviews of the different value resorts so I think I have a pretty good idea on the pros/cons of each. I've seen the refurbished rooms at POP and AS:Movies and until today I was excited to spend a bit extra to get a guaranteed newer room at POP for my upcoming trip.

However, after checking out the recently released special offers I see that a standard room at POP costs $250 more than a standard room at AS:Sports for my 9-day trip in January. Now I'm not so sure the premium price is worth it. I've never stayed at a value resort before so I have no personal experience to reference.

Can those who have stayed in a refurbished room (at either POP or AS:Movies) tell me how much better the experience is compared to the older rooms? I know this is a subjective question, but I think I've read through all the hard facts of each resort already so I could really use the opinions of people who have stayed in both types of room.

There are some features of the newer rooms that I've been looking forward to such as cleaner floors, better mattresses, more modern shower facilities, USB ports, and a bigger TV. I'll be traveling solo so bed size isn't really a factor, however I do tend to eat in my room for most meals which means I spend a bit more time in the room than some people. I guess I'm looking to get the most bang for my buck with my resort choice.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I've stayed in all the values.
POP is by far my favorite.
Stayed at POP a few weeks ago and staying again in December.
I enjoyed the counter/shelf space at the sink, the privacy door vs curtain, and the USB outlets but I will say that I was not a fan of the floor since I enjoy carpet under my tired feet. I also found the drawers too small and the closet area too small and short. It was difficult to hang my ponchos to dry.
I also hate that the murphy bed comes out farther than the regular bed when pulled down. IDK how many times I whacked a knee walking around the bed.
At first I thought I'd be bothered by the lack of a table when the bed was down but I found there was plenty of flat surfaces to toss all my stuff.

If I wanted to save quite a bit of money I would totally stay in AS Sports.
I never thought I'd like it there until I stayed once.
It would be my go to for All Stars.

But I will say that If you don't need to put the bed down and you tend to spend quite a bit of time in the resort then you will probably find it worth it to spend the extra money on POP.

 

[Disneylover99]

If money is an issue, stay in an old room. While we like the new room at Pop, we were just as content in an older room.

The experience itself wasn’t better or worse for us. Just to give some perspective, we are a family of four who stays for two weeks at a time and we spend lots of time in our room.

 

[Nohal]

I've stayed at all the values and really prefer ASMovies. Hoping for a refurb room next month but if not no big deal. You don't say how many are in your group. It is only less than $30 a night over 9 nights. Not that much of a savings. However, if its only 2 people the savings would pay for a QS a day.

I'm in the same boat we are going in January for 12 days. Torn between ASMovies in a preferred room with Stay, Play, and Dine. Or getting a room at ASsports with a Visa discount and pay as we go for food.

 

[ArielDreams]

We stayed in a POP refurbed room last year - it was great.

This year, we stayed in an old ASMo room and it was so musty, moldy and rundown I would not stay in it again. We were trying to make it the cheapest trip possible and the rate was $94 per night so we got what we paid for. We arrived at the hotel after midnight due to flight delays so we weren’t in the mood to complain, just wanted sleep, but I kind of wish we did. Are all old rooms bad? Probably not. I don’t know if I’d pay $200 more at a value though to guarantee a new one.

 

[supitscarrie]

I think it depends on how big your party is and what the needs are.

I've stayed at both ASSports and Pop, and i prefer Pop for a lot of reasons. But when it comes down to the rooms, I'd rather pay a little bit more in order to have the nicer and newer setup, especially due to the beds. It's just me and my husband (no kids) so being able to keep the murphy bed up makes the room feel a lot bigger and it doesn't have the cramped feel that I get from the un-renovated rooms. I also prefer having a queen sized bed!
I probably wouldn't consider staying at the all-stars again until they're all fully refurbished as well. But if you don't mind the older setup with smaller beds, saving the couple hundred bucks is probably the way to go.

 

[nkereina]

Pop is generally more well liked on here than Sports. I think this is large in part due to the food court and dedicated buses, while Sports tends to share buses. So those factors would be in consideration for me too. It adds to the value of the up-charge for Pop, in addition to the fact that you'd be getting a refurbished room. To me, $250 is not that much in the grand scheme of a Disney vacation, especially if it enhances your experience. I just spent more than that to upgrade to a preferred room at CSR just so we can be near the first bus stop for pick up and drop off, because I knew that would make taking the buses a better experience. So, my vote went for a refurbished room.

All of this said, if you're on a tight budget and $250 will make or break you, Sports is certainly fine. No hotel room on Disney property is going to be gross or in disrepair.

 

[HopperFan]

I've scoured the forums and read all the reviews of the different value resorts so I think I have a pretty good idea on the pros/cons of each. I've seen the refurbished rooms at POP and AS:Movies and until today I was excited to spend a bit extra to get a guaranteed newer room at POP for my upcoming trip.

However, after checking out the recently released special offers I see that a standard room at POP costs $250 more than a standard room at AS:Sports for my 9-day trip in January. Now I'm not so sure the premium price is worth it. I've never stayed at a value resort before so I have no personal experience to reference.

Can those who have stayed in a refurbished room (at either POP or AS:Movies) tell me how much better the experience is compared to the older rooms? I know this is a subjective question, but I think I've read through all the hard facts of each resort already so I could really use the opinions of people who have stayed in both types of room.

There are some features of the newer rooms that I've been looking forward to such as cleaner floors, better mattresses, more modern shower facilities, USB ports, and a bigger TV. I'll be traveling solo so bed size isn't really a factor, however I do tend to eat in my room for most meals which means I spend a bit more time in the room than some people. I guess I'm looking to get the most bang for my buck with my resort choice.

I've been looking forward to such as:
- cleaner floors
- better mattresses
- more modern shower facilities
- USB ports
- bigger TV.

Regarding your points -
- cleaner floors is questionable. My 5-6 stays in renovated rooms resulted in dirty floors, turn your socks black dirty. The vinyl is hard to clean and I am sure housekeeping doesn't take the time daily to do much more than sweep.
- better mattresses. We love the new beds in POP, what great sleep we have had there. I haven't stayed at Sports in about 18 mos but they were your average firm value bed.
- more modern facilities. Works great for me because I have to shower a disabled DS, so the removable was great. But as far as I was concerned for myself, while the new shower is much prettier ... it's not really any different in showering experience.
- USB ports. Always a plus but what we have found consistently is they powered quite slow. I ended up still plugging my adapter in to regular plugs. The plus is way more plugs in great locations.
- bigger TV. Nice. Necessary, no.

Value rooms are not large. As a solo at POP you can leave the murphy bed up making the room feel bigger, and your table/chair have a view of TV. At Sports you will still have a real table/chair set up. I love the new rooms, but it has it's downside too compared to the old value rooms.

9 days would be a long trip for me at an AllStar resort, I'm thinking I would likely pick POP for a few reasons. BUT if you pick Sports, it is my favorite of the AllStars and I think it would be fine if the extra pocket money is important.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

We have been to Disney 6 times and have only stayed at Pop and ASMusic. This past June we spent 7 nights at Music and I was shocked at how run-down our room was. Stains and tears on the carpet, walls and door. The wallpaper border was peeling off at some places. Our room door was very scratched on the inside and out. They have let the rooms go because they are next to be refurbished after ASMovies. That being said I would probably save the $$$ and stay at Sports. I stay at the values for the price and not the decor. I paid $125/night at ASMusic and that is a very fair price for being onsite and all the perks that it entails especially when you see what they are charging for deluxe and moderates. Yes, there are very few amenities and they are usually very crowded etc. but then the price reflects that.

 

[toonaspie]

We managed to get a renovated room at ASMovies at a discount. We booked a standard and they were offering preferred room upgrades to guests for an additional $5 a night. We took the offer and the preferred room we got was refurbished. I think in your case, since you do plan to spend time in your room the renovated room would be more valuable. But I guess it's all subjective. A shorter walk to the main building ended up being a bigger value for us.

 

[Wild4Walt]

The refurb room wouldn't make a difference for me but I spend most of my day out and about. I'd note, Pop is a bit more centrally located over All Stars. If you are taking Disney transportation, then that may be another consideration for you.

Where have you stayed in the past?

 

[DCLPrincess]

I've stated at POP and AoA and love both. 2 weeks ago I had an unexpected stay at AS Sports and was surprised by how much I liked it. The room didn't look runned down, there was plenty of space and the bed was super comfy. I chose it based on price. For reference I've also stayed at deluxes and was staying at Boardwalk prior to moving to AS Sports. I actually booked AS Music for spring due to the price. It all depends what's most important to you. If saving money is most important that's fine. If a refurbished room is most important that's fine too.

 

[gharter]

The easy answer is how much time do you plan to spend in the room? That's not being funny. Some people spend a lot of time at the resort, with down time during the day. Others leave the room in the morning and never return until late at night. That makes a huge difference on whether a more expensive room is worth it or not.

 

[fla4fun]

I agree that it depends a lot on the size of your travel party and how much time you spend in the room. Having queen beds instead of doubles makes a HUGE difference when there's more than one person per bed. Having a coffee maker may be a plus for you (it's not for me, but YMMV). I like the pocket/barn doors for the bathroom, since you can close the barn door and leave the bathroom door open and it feels like a normal residential size bathroom instead of a tiny closet bathroom.

There wasn't anything terrible about the old rooms - I stayed a Pop before the renovation and had a good time. But I enjoy all the little upgrades because I do spend time in my room relaxing and as a solo most of the time, I appreciate the extra floor space when the Murphy is up. But if you're going solo, or with one other adult, the old rooms are fine and saving money is never a bad thing at Disney.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Do the new room. Put a jar on the counter and add change, the money you would have spent on ordering pizza but ate a frozen one instead, skipping a Starbucks (or whatever) until you get that $250.

 

[SaintsManiac]

To me the bed is the most important factor in all of this. We won't stay in a room with double beds. The new beds at POP are extremely comfortable. I need that after a long day in the parks.