Value vs. Moderate vs. Deluxe Ramblings

I've only stayed at Pop Century which I love. I'll be staying at AoA (LM rooms) next month.

I've only stayed at the Pop, which I loved. I'm definitely interested in staying in Moderates or Deluxes (especially Epcot area), but right now the room is simply there for me to sleep and take a shower in so it's not worth the extra money for me yet. I think I'm waiting on a permanent travel buddy (like a husband) before I start splurging on resorts!

We've always stayed at Values (except for our honeymoon we stayed Moderate). We never spent enough time in the room to make it worth the extra money. However, we just bought DVC so looks like it's Deluxe from here on out

When we travel to Orlando we do a timeshare exchange. That means deluxe if we stay at a Disney resort, or the equivalent if we stay off property. That's actually the most economical option for us, cheaper than even the value resorts. But if we ever pay out of pocket for a hotel room, it will probably be value or moderate.

Well a vacation to Florida for us is kinda special..It's always been a two week holiday due to the distance over the pond and our 5 stays have all been moderate,but if I was pushed by finance,then I'd book a value.However this year we were given a magical discount with 40% off AKL and WL, therefore it was cheaper to stay at WL than it was at PORS..So WL here we come..I always think it boils down to your needs..Have you got bairns with you.?..How long do you spend at your resort,etc...

We have only stayed at PORS onsite, but loved it and would happily stay moderate again, we got it at a great price with 40% off and free QSDP which worked out cheaper than staying at a value.

Normally at DLP we always stay value (still onsite as the perks are worth it) as like you say we are hardly ever in the room, as long as it's clean and quiet to sleep and shower in for 4nts then that's all we need.

However, like other UK visitors when coming from the UK we tend to do longer stays, and having 3 children means that apart from AoA we would need 2 rooms in a value, only deluxe do rooms for 5. We can't afford to stay onsite deluxe for the duration. We would have stayed at POR Alligator Bayou again if there had been a good deal on as Lucy would be small enough for the trundle bed or whatever it is they have there since the refurb. Our trip this year is the longest we will ever do and the last for many many years (aiming to do DL/DCA next and then got lots of other places to visit before hitting WDW again), so we are in Florida for 5wks 2days, half of it in a privately owned townhouse at Encantada for budget, then DCL (for luxury), then 4nts Beach Club which I booked with 40% off , then we finish at Floridays but our WDW tickets will have expired by then.

We're a family of 5. My only son towers over us, so there's no way he'll fit into a Murphy Bed.

Which narrows down our choices quite a bit.

Up to now, we've chosen to go Deluxe. We save like crazy for a year or two (or three or four), pray to the PIN/ Disney offer gods, and find a way to make it work. We've stayed at the Poly twice (and adored it!) then tried the Beach Club in 2012. We had such phenomenal service, LOVED the easy walk to Epcot.. we'll be returning to the Beach Club in July.

BUT... college is just 2 years away. I imagine that the next time we go, we'll consider the teacher discount at the Dolphin for a Deluxe Alcove room. It sleeps 6, and with the discount it's so much more affordable than rack rate at a Disney Deluxe. I actually had it booked in 2012, but then got a 30% PIN that made the Dolphin and the Beach Club pretty much the same price. In the absence of such a PIN, I imagine we'll try the Dolphin next time.

I LOVE the Deluxes. I love the locations, the magnificent pools. We're both teachers, so we go over the summer, and all 3 kids are total water rats. The pool is an important part of our consideration in choosing a resort. The only thing about Disney that drives me a little crazy is waiting for a bus at the end of a long night. So monorail access, or the abilty to walk back to our resort (even if it's not every night) is a huge perk for me. And I love the extra space that the larger Deluxe rooms afford my family.

I have stayed at all the values (except POP & AOA), all moderates (except CRS), and 1 deluxe (Boardwalk)

I will say that we've now decided to only stay deluxe. We loved being able to walk to EPCOT and DHS. It was wonderful. We love the theming and as KenJ stated, you avoid screaming tour groups of children. I feel like the service is also better at deluxe resorts. You are def. treated differently. The rooms are bigger, nicer, better beds, linens, etc.

The values are ALWAYS packed. Packed hotel, packed buses, and packed pools. The rooms are small.

The moderates are good and I don't remember ever having a bad experience at any of them. I dislike the many stops they have throughout the resorts and I am not a big fan of the room door opening to the outside.

I will say though, value is better than staying offsite in my opinion. I'd rather be in the Disney bubble.

I've only been able to afford the value resorts in my trips to the bubble. AS Sports twice and Pop Century. They're nice for the most part though some may say it's a glorified motel in a way. Food can be a hit or miss, buses can be crowded at times but can be avoided. (The chained lines are a plus because you don't have to fight arm and leg for a spot in line.) If you're someone who's constantly at the parks and doesn't spend that much time in a hotel room, the values are the best bet. They are small, I will say. For two or fewer, it's much easier to manage. With a family, however, that makes it tough. They are, however, very popular for large groups so it can get noisy at times and other than the pools, the poolside activities and the daily movie screenings, there's just not much to do.

The moderates turn me off. I guess it's because of too many internal stops for buses and above all, the layout is huge. It's a lot of walking either to the hotel restaurants or the bus stop. And the hotel food from what I heard, is pretty average generally speaking. Simply put, I'm not willing to pay a little bit more for those.

Deluxes, on a different note, are something I can only dream of. Everyone knows how much I sing the praises of AKL in spite of never staying there. But the deluxes offer better food and so much more just pools. You can go kayaking, water skiing, take a ride on a Sea Raycer, etc. There are also more varieties of rooms with the deluxes. Want a savannah view room at AKL? No problem. Want a theme park view at Poly? No big deal. Yes, the downside is paying more but for a lot of people, it's worth it.

It depends on what kind of trip we're taking. Our last trip we stayed moderate (CBR) because we were on a trip to celebrate our anniversary so wanted something a little nicer then value but knew we wouldn't spend enough time in our room to make a deluxe worth it. Our next trip we're taking my sisters which makes it a bit pricier of a trip for us and, again, we will not spend much time in the rooms so we're going value (Pop). Future trips with our DD we may spring for a Deluxe since it will be a slower, more relaxed trip with more daytime hours (naps) spent in the room. We are also planning on taking my in laws eventually and I know they would really love AKL.