Worried I'll be disappointed with a Moderate after staying at a Deluxe

[Anemily]

Two years ago, in March 2018, I stayed at the Wilderness Lodge for four nights. It was my first trip to DW, as well as my mom's. It was amazing and we loved it, and I really want to go back March 2021. Unfortunately, I was looking at the price increases and I just can't justify staying at the WL again. Since we agreed we wanted to stay an extra night, the price increases bump the trip up by almost $1,000 dollars (we also do the dining plan). This just won't be possible.

I was looking at the moderates, and while prices for next year aren't out yet staying at POR should still be close to what we paid in 2018. However...I'm worried about staying at a moderate, as snobbish as that may sound. The reviews are good, but I'm tense about how big the resort is and the bus transportation in particular since my mom has several health problems that can make walking long distances difficult. What do you guys think? Will I like POR? Will I be disappointed after staying at WL? Am I way overthinking this, considering we only spend one day at the resort and the big attraction is the parks anyway?

Have you considered renting DVC points for your trip? It could save you some money...

If not, I've heard wonderful things about POR and POFQ. I have stayed at Coronado Springs and really liked it (although it is VERY large and could involve a lot of walking depending on where your room is located).

 

[Octoberbaby]

Was I just the number of bus stops, or was it something else that made you disappointed?

The number of stops the bus has to take before leaving the resort or dropping off is awful. It isn't so bad early in the day, but at night when you are tired it is not fun at all. Also, the size of the resort can be a pain when you are coming back to your room from a long day in the parks or just going to the food area to eat. If you can, get a preferred room so you will be closer to the front. Also, if you can use an Uber instead of the busses it will make things easier as well. Other than that, POR is a beautiful place to stay and the boat to DS is nice! I'm kinda spoiled by the Deluxe resorts though, and have gotten used to the amenities and transportation that they offer over the moderate resorts.

 

[YawningDodo]

The number of stops the bus has to take before leaving the resort or dropping off is awful. It isn't so bad early in the day, but at night when you are tired it is not fun at all. Also, the size of the resort can be a pain when you are coming back to your room from a long day in the parks or just going to the food area to eat. If you can, get a preferred room so you will be closer to the front. Also, if you can use an Uber instead of the busses it will make things easier as well. Other than that, POR is a beautiful place to stay and the boat to DS is nice! I'm kinda spoiled by the Deluxe resorts though, and have gotten used to the amenities and transportation that they offer over the moderate resorts.

Honestly, I feel like even the values are better for buses than the moderates, with the exception of POFQ. Hated the multiple stops at Coronado Springs.

 

[Disneyhanna]

The number of stops the bus has to take before leaving the resort or dropping off is awful. It isn't so bad early in the day, but at night when you are tired it is not fun at all. Also, the size of the resort can be a pain when you are coming back to your room from a long day in the parks or just going to the food area to eat. If you can, get a preferred room so you will be closer to the front. Also, if you can use an Uber instead of the busses it will make things easier as well. Other than that, POR is a beautiful place to stay and the boat to DS is nice! I'm kinda spoiled by the Deluxe resorts though, and have gotten used to the amenities and transportation that they offer over the moderate resorts.

We stayed at POR last year and CSR this year, at the same time of year (post-Thanksgiving and crowds were comparable). We definitely preferred CSR even though they are similar sizes. Though POR was more beautiful, we thought it was a lot busier for buses and didn't realize we should have been hopping on the POFQ bus until later in the trip. CSR seemed like hardly anyone was there even though it was supposedly booked up! We never waited for a 2nd bus and though the number of stops gets old, at least we were often sitting (when we never got a seat at POR). CSR is also more centrally located and we liked that the resort is right off the road so Ubers seemed to get to us way faster. I think it's one of the closest moderates/values (if not the closest) to MK which was a plus for us. That being said we'd still stay at POR if the price is right, especially now that they got a soft goods refurb (old TVs were SO small).

 

[MsKrueger]

Have you considered renting DVC points for your trip? It could save you some money...

If not, I've heard wonderful things about POR and POFQ. I have stayed at Coronado Springs and really liked it (although it is VERY large and could involve a lot of walking depending on where your room is located).

I've thought about renting points, but ultimately I decided I wasn't comfortable with someone else being in control of my reservation. I know it's very unlikely for something to go wrong if I use a broker, but that "what if..." Would nag at me too much.

 

[Anemily]

I've thought about renting points, but ultimately I decided I wasn't comfortable with someone else being in control of my reservation. I know it's very unlikely for something to go wrong if I use a broker, but that "what if..." Would nag at me too much.

Makes sense!

 

[Disneyhanna]

Also to be more on topic - we stayed at CSR and AKL on the same trip, and loved both! Our walk to the lobby was similar at both, it was just nicer at AKL since it was indoors. We won't have any trouble going back to moderates (can't stay that about values though, as great as POP is I just slept so terribly there). I'm sure we will splurge for a deluxe again some time but we just don't spend enough time at the resort to make it worth it right now. The non-AKL deluxes are usually $200+/night more and so over the course of a trip I can't say I'd get $1000+ value out of a nicer pool, etc. With little kids I can definitely see my view changing, and that's when things like being close to MK can be huge benefits for the price.

I agree with many that POFQ would be a good choice is size is an issue, the bus line there is always so short and it's easy to get around for those with mobility issues. I think the royal rooms at POR are the only ones that have not been refurbished, so not sure it's still worth the extra price to stay at those.

The tower at CSR could definitely be an option, it honestly looks/feels like a deluxe inside and is an upgrade over the standard non-tower rooms. If you can find a standard tower room the price is very good too, but the availability seems pretty limited.

 

[Octoberbaby]

Honestly, I feel like even the values are better for buses than the moderates, with the exception of POFQ. Hated the multiple stops at Coronado Springs.

We stayed at Coronado a couple of weeks ago and learned to use an Uber quick! The tower is beautiful though, and I plan on trying it out soon!

 

[starousse]

WL and Poly are our true favorites. Last Feb, we wanted to get away but didn't want to spend rack rate deluxe prices. We stayed at POR which was about $1000 less for the week, but were very concerned about how we'd enjoy it. Although there was a notable difference in staying deluxe vs moderate, we really enjoyed it. The room was refurbished, clean and had an adorable theming. The grounds were nice, as was the pool and the bus transportation was probably the best we've had anywhere. The only difference for me, was the outside corridors, carrying my luggage up stairs and the long walk to the main building. Other than that, it was great. If this is what is in your price point, I would definitely not hesitate booking it. Spend $1000 less and just go the WL to eat.

 

[Octoberbaby]

We stayed at POR last year and CSR this year, at the same time of year (post-Thanksgiving and crowds were comparable). We definitely preferred CSR even though they are similar sizes. Though POR was more beautiful, we thought it was a lot busier for buses and didn't realize we should have been hopping on the POFQ bus until later in the trip. CSR seemed like hardly anyone was there even though it was supposedly booked up! We never waited for a 2nd bus and though the number of stops gets old, at least we were often sitting (when we never got a seat at POR). CSR is also more centrally located and we liked that the resort is right off the road so Ubers seemed to get to us way faster. I think it's one of the closest moderates/values (if not the closest) to MK which was a plus for us. That being said we'd still stay at POR if the price is right, especially now that they got a soft goods refurb (old TVs were SO small).

We stayed at Coronado a couple of weeks ago, and the new tower is beautiful. I want to try it soon! But we will definitely being taking an Uber instead of using the busses.

 

[Sue M]

If you do a Royal Room with a River View, all of those are in buildings 90 and 95 and are pretty darn close to the lobby. The preferred rooms are still closer.

I have stayed in Oak Manor royal room and thought Magnolia Terrace was closer.

 

[kylenne]

I’m gonna be a voice of dissent here and say I didn’t enjoy my first Mod stay nearly as much as Deluxes. I’ve only ever stayed Deluxe or Swan/Dolphin until last August when I stayed solo at POFQ. I tried to keep an open mind and temper expectations but it just wasn’t for me. Don’t get me wrong, it was a beautiful resort and the cast was amazing, but from a practical standpoint i had a lot of issues with that resort. I saw no advantage at all with 1 bus stop because literally every single time I was ready to go back to a park after my midday break we were going to every POR stop first, and it got old fast. Coming home, bus lines were always awful at the end of the night because of the number of POR guests. The vaunted boat to DS was down more often than not due to weather. As a result I ended up relying very heavily on Lyft on that trip, much more so than on my Poly and Dolphin stays.

I did like the compactness of the resort especially being in building 4 but I’ll be honest, the food court felt claustrophobic in the morning, I missed having a quick coffee/pastry option like Kona Island, and more than once I was basically out of luck if I got back late from a park and wanted food (Villains AH was the worst). We are night owls and I deeply missed having a 24 hr option. In summary for the way we do Disney, it just wasn’t for me. Some folks go back and forth between levels without issues, but I didn’t realize how important Deluxe amenities were to me until I didn’t have access to them.

 

[bobgobblin15]

This is off topic, but I noticed you said your mom has health problems. Riverside does allow dogs in certain rooms so that may be something to consider. And I only mention it cause I noticed your a new member so you may not know. Of course you can always request to be in a room that doesn’t allow dogs or even close to a room that allows them. I say that because we went back to Art of Animation this past spring and we were next door to a room that had a dog. And we had to listen to whining and barking around 10 at night while trying to get my child to sleep. But even if I didn’t have my child, that’s not something I want to listen to. So we had to call down and let the front desk know. The POFQ does not allow dogs. FQ is such a lovely resort.

 

[MsKrueger]

This is off topic, but I noticed you said your mom has health problems. Riverside does allow dogs in certain rooms so that may be something to consider. And I only mention it cause I noticed your a new member so you may not know. Of course you can always request to be in a room that doesn’t allow dogs or even close to a room that allows them. I say that because we went back to Art of Animation this past spring and we were next door to a room that had a dog. And we had to listen to whining and barking around 10 at night while trying to get my child to sleep. But even if I didn’t have my child, that’s not something I want to listen to. So we had to call down and let the front desk know. The POFQ does not allow dogs. FQ is such a lovely resort.

Hmmm, before this thread I was pretty solid on my decision to do Riverside, but I'm going to have to give FQ a revisit.

Anyway, this thread has done a lot to calm down my fears that I won't like a moderate. It seems the only complaint people have are the buses, and that's 1. Mainly for Riverside, it's better at FQ and 2. Also a complaint I see frequently for the deluxes. So even if I went deluxe, that problem wouldn't automatically be solved.

Thanks guys! I appreciate all of the responses.

 

[bobgobblin15]

We never had a problem with buses at FQ. I’m a foodie. So I have to look at what food is offered at resorts before I stay. The food at FQ is delicious. And of course the small size of the hotel makes it better. Also one day if y’all are feeling up to it, y’all can wander over to Riverside for a evening dinner at their sit down restaurant. Or you could just go over there and look around.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I never had a problem with the buses at FQ. We never shared either. One morning we left AK around 9:45 am and we did stop at POR before being dropped off at POFQ. Other than that no sharing.

 

[bobgobblin15]

I never had a problem with the buses at FQ. We never shared either. One morning we left AK around 9:45 am and we did stop at POR before being dropped off at POFQ. Other than that no sharing.

Oh I never thought of that, but your right, while staying at FQ we never shared either. It was a straight trip to which ever park and a straight trip back to the hotel.

 

[Lisann]

If you have to stay at a moderate, then POR, to me at least, is the closest in 'feel' to Wilderness Lodge (if that's even possible). I have stayed at POR many times. The only thing that I miss between the two is having the porch or balcony to sit out on. I love sitting out there in the morning or evening when things have cooled down. But I hear ya on the $$$. We can barely afford the deluxes anymore!

 

[Kathy1628]

I love POR and I have stayed in all resort types including value to Yacht Club. Loved Yacht club, the pool is fabulous, but it's just not in the budget right now. I didn't care for French Quarter because it seemed like all we did at the resort was dodge golf carts being used by employees. I know the carts are used at Riverside as well but just not as obvious. Booked a Royal room once at Riverside but after one night asked to be moved to a mansion room because we found it to be dark and dingy, never again. Yes there is a lot of walking at Riverside but it has lovely landscaping and after all the noise of the parks, the quiet is welcome.

 

[Disneylvr1971]

Loved POFQ and we are DVC so used to deluxe. We did request a room close to transportation. We got a room where off our balcony could see busses and the food court. It is really a small compact resort. Also nice to be able to use the amenities at POR if you wish. You could put in a room request for close to transportation. Also we had great luck with transportation. Actually better than some deluxe resorts we stayed at.