Teenage Dilemma..

Depends on the resort.Pop century isn't very "kiddie" but ASM or AoA may well seem that way.It is also dependant on what their children are like.They might hate the Mods as too grown up.

To be honest I haven't met their children, but they both love swimming and I think the theme pools at the mods would be an added bonus..I can't remember too much about the CBR as we spent most of our time at the parks ( one week stay ) But POFQ did have plenty of kids as did PORS...

My DS and DD didn't seem to mind All-Star Sports or Music when we stayed there. There were lots of other teenagers and they'd usually get a touch-football game started at Sports. The arcades at the values seem to be better too.

We don't spend a whole lot of time at the resort. But, with one teen boy, I would never try and sleep all 4 of us in a room with full sized beds. The queen beds make life a whole lot easier.

Pop Century is good for all ages. Actually Pop Century was built with adults in mind. It's mostly the parents that appreciate Pop for what it is because they usually remember the most about the decades then the children do.

Hard to say because so many teens are still so unsure of themselves, clinging desperately to childhood with one hand and reaching out for the freedom and "sophistication" of adulthood with the other. I like AoA the best of the values for the common area theming, but it's probably the worst choice for teenagers. All Star Music is probably a good fit if they go value. Most teenagers that I know are very much into music, so if the value makes more financial sense for them, that might be a good option. As for moderates, my personal opinion is that Caribbean Beach is the weakest of the moderates, but the beachy theme might be the most fun for the teens. Of course, I don't think you can ever go wrong with a Port Orleans recommendation!!

Or...is that 40% off deal still going on for UK residents? Maybe they can grab the same opportunity you did to stay at a deluxe for less than a mod!

As far as I know that offer is up to the end of March... I did mention it to them...

Ah that's a bummer. I could see teens really loving AKL.

This is still February over here..LOL..The offer is still on..

Haha I totally misread your post.

I think personally, it depends on the resort and a person's own interests. I mean, being a sports fan in general, I enjoyed seeing AS Sports when I stayed there for the first time during my HS graduation trip back in 2009. But then again, someone who is not, may not exactly appreciate it so to speak. Every person has their own likes and interests so perhaps the smartest thing to do is to have a consultation of the potential hotels, have the teens take a look at pictures online or YouTube videos and then decide from there. I know these days money rules more often than not but sometimes, you just need to pay more because you feel you and/or the other members in your party will enjoy the experience much better.

I also think something else to consider is that if you're staying at a value resort, you're going to see a lot of families there. You'll see families everywhere no matter what but given the economy, there is a larger presence at the values and even the moderates compared to the deluxes. Not to mention the values are extremely popular with large groups in general, whether they are a school group or from South America. So if your teen craves and needs beauty sleep, a value may not be the best option because it can be noisy and not only that, the beds are not exactly fit for teens and believe me, teens do not want to share a bed at any cost! I know me and my siblings were that way on family vacations! (How did I sort that out on our HS trip? Well, rooming with 3 other people, we had one person in each bed and the rest slept on the floor. We didn't alternate nights because it was simply a matter of preference and we were not picky about the matter.)

We stayed at POP when I was 16 and my sister 13, and we totally loved it! We ran around the whole resort and made a Samantha Brown-type travel video
We thought all the different decades were really neat.
But, like others were saying, a teenage brother and sister would probably not appreciate sharing a bed of value size

Agreed. I think the Pop is fine for teens theming-wise, but I'd go with a mod if the smaller full size beds (or space in general) is an option. Plus, the incredible pools and slides at some of the mods are great. My rule of thumb space-wise is "never more than two people in a standard Value room."

Pretty much everyone I know my age or younger who has interest in staying at a moderate wants to stay at POFQ, because New Orleans.

And I think values would be fine for them theme-wise, but the beds are a definite issue.

There's always the option to buy two rooms in the reservation. My family did that a lot on family vacations as we got older but then again, on occasions, it was not ideal for me and my siblings because one of us had to share a bed. So if possible, my parents would request a rollaway bed or one of us would sleep on the floor or sofa bed. Not pleasant! Disney, from what I understand, does not allow rollaway beds in their resorts because it's a fire hazard. Although I took a look at the AS Music suites and they have 1 queen bed and 3 pull out beds from the furniture so perhaps they can consider that, as well. (Disney says it was meant for five, but four would work since every one has their own bed. )But again, like I said earlier, money rules more often than not so unfortunately, some are unable to pay for two rooms for their family.

What the room looks like with the beds folded back in the furniture:

The pull-out beds

The queen size bed:

My best friend and I just went to WDW and stayed at Pop Century. We are both 18. It was great for us. However, my biggest concern would be space. It was perfect for just us. I can't imagine stuffing anyone else into that room. If they do value, get two rooms.

The other thing about teens is that they do need a little bit of space every now and then on vacation from their parents. This prevents arguing and generally makes them happier (when I was 16, I specifically remember saying to my mother, "I need to get away from you." She was cool with me going off and we were both happier as a result.) Moderates have more to do and give teens the opportunity to get away from their parents for a bit while still being within walking distance of their parents. At that age, the 15 year old and 13 year old could go off by themselves to swim, walk around, and just separate from their parents for a bit.

DS2 found there were plenty of "girls" at the pool at Coronado. I swear he can find cute girls and a pool without opening his eyes.....

This trip, that he just hopped on with dear old M&D has a "friend" so he won't be doing the pool alone this time around if he wants to be keeping this gem of a girl.

My family stayed at one of the Value resorts when I was 16, and with the amount of time spent away from the resort I didn't really care much. And at that age, if there's a pool then there are girls in swim suits, so I'm sure the son won't really care where they stay once they get there. I also remember a lot of teenagers there, and we played a lot of basketball in the pool, and I think they had fooseball and table tennis next to the pools too.