Help! Moderate or Value when only been Deluxe?

[mkymouse0206]

I need help from all of you "experts" at Intercot. We have been to wdw twice and both times we have stayed at WL. LOVE IT!!! I mean whats not to love. We are planning our next trip for next July which means I will be booking as soon as package prices come out late this summer. We had planned on staying at WL again, but with gas prices soaring and the economy in the shape it is money is not easy to come by. Now we are re-thinking our lodging. We can still stay at WL but we will really have to be disciplined in saving every penny between now and then. Or we can down size to a moderate and save approx. $850 or a value and save approx. $1,400. That is a lot of savings. We are a little nervous about the transportation being that both mod and value are all buses and we had the boat to MK from WL. We do love the boat. We also had the boat to the Contemporary for the monorail.
Besides the transportation we know we will be in more of a motel environment compared to a hotel. We know there will be huge differences in down sizing but...will these differences make us have an unhappy trip? I know in my heart and in the big picture we are still at the most magical place on earth.
Also, which would you choose to down size to...moderate or value and why. Give me the pros and cons of both. I need your favorite moderate and your favorite value and why. I need so much help and I know you guys are the ones with the answers.

[Kairi_7378]

Can you tell us a little more about the size of your family? That will help us make recommendations better. Plus, can you tell us a little more about what kind of touring you do? Are you park commandos? Lounge by the park types?

[mkymouse0206]

Sorry...we are a family of four, dd will be 10, ds will be 14, and myself and dh. We are park people. Always buy the park hopper and the dp. We spend more time at the park than the resort but that being said we do love to come back to our resort. The one thing we loved about the WL was the feeling that we were secluded from all the rest of the world while we were there. The kids love the pool and wateslide but I think they would love any pool and we do get the waterpark option.

[MarkC]

With kids those ages and you in the parks most of the time, I would recommend you go ahead and stay at a moderate. That is just too much money for someplace you'll hardly be. I would recommend Port Orleans-Riverside. We stayed there 5 times and the grounds are awesome. Your kids will really enjoy the pool and they have one of the best (if not the best) food courts on property. Plus, the money you save can be put toward your next trip. Good luck. Mark

[Gator]

POR will look somewhat like WL, though it's my least favorite of the Mods. CS has great theming in the Rancho area, and CB has beautiful theming throughout. It won't be as nice as WL (all room doors lead to the outside, not a lobby), but you'll get a new experience that you will enjoy.

[tinksmom02]

I agree with MarkC I think you should stay at a mod. I have nothing against the Values, but then again I've never stayed at one. POR is a great resort, but we're more partial to POFQ...it's smaller and feels more secluded. Staying at either one will allow you to use the amenities at the other, as they are sister resorts, and there is a boat that goes between them, and from them to DTD. You can walk from POR to POFQ, though, it only take about fifteen minutes.

I think the Mod rooms are slightly bigger than the Values, and that might be a plus for you, considering the ages of your children.

BUT, regardless of where you stay at WDW, you're AT WDW! LOL

[dfamasb]

I would recommend a moderate too. Downgrading from a deluxe to a value you would be losing a decent amount of space. The moderates have more landscaping and feel more secluded than the values I think. I have only stayed once at CBR back in 2004 but we enjoyed it then. It is very large and spread out though. Seems like the Port Orleans resorts both come recommended by those that stay there. In 2006 we stayed at POP and enjoyed it as well though we felt more crowded and the grounds are not as nice.

[sainter]

The WL rooms are 344 square feet, mod (POR) 314, and value 260. So with a value you will lose the space (square feet) of a very small bedroom and lose a sink. With a mod you will lose the space (square feet) of a bathroom. Does that help?
I vote for POR too, could you guess?

[Flower]

My vote is for a mod and I would recommend Coronado Springs first, followed by POR.

CS offers some deluxe amenities that the other mods don't - they have a health club & spa, the restaurants are the nicest of the mods, and the rooms are fantastic. We have stayed in the casitas & cabanas section and loved them both, the cabanas were my favorite though. The Ranchos look beautiful too.

POR is nice, the landscaping is beautiful, but I personally hate the food courts at the mods. In January we stayed at POR and I found that when we went to FQ to eat there was hardly anyone ever in the restaurant.

[Blast822]

I vote for POR also. I love staying there. Also, something else is POR has trundle beds in Alligator Bayou, which means you have an extra bed!! I liked the transportation, didn't have trouble waiting for buses. I also liked the food court last time, but I understand it's changed this time. I think you'll have a great time there!

[sisterdisco]

We are a family of 4, and had only stayed in a FW Cabin until a few years ago, when an impromptu trip happened and the only availability was a value. We stayed at Pop Century. I have to say that I loved it, even though the rooms were small. The only bad points, which really weren't bad, were:
1) the pools are very basic
2) when MK closed after the fireworks, all 3000 rooms of people were in line for the bus!!

We stayed at FW last year, and this year, have the same concerns about money that you have.
We decided to go moderate.......
1) we were hardly ever in our room.
2) a pool w/ a waterslide is a pool w/ a waterslide.
3) we really didn't use all the ammenities of the "deluxe".

The only thing I will miss is a Queen sized bed vs. a Double sized bed. I just can't justify the extra $850 or so just for that.

I DON'T THINK YOU CAN GO WRONG--YOU WILL BE AT THE MOST MAGICAL PLACE ON EARTH!!

[mkymouse0206]

We stayed at FW last year, and this year, have the same concerns about money that you have.
We decided to go moderate.......
:

Just out of curiosity, which moderate did you choose?

[sisterdisco]

We chose POFQ due to it's smaller size, and the pool/waterslide.
Our neighbors stayed there 3 years ago and thought it was great.
Other friends w/ teens stayed at CB last Aug, and loved it.
Co-worker stayed at POR last Aug and loved it.
I don't think there is a bad choice......

I actually had friends say that their busing was better/faster at POR and CB than we experienced at WL last year.

Good luck w/ your choice!!

[Mousemates]

We have stayed at resorts of varying cost levels and have found things we like and dislike at them all...our only major dislike of the mod/value levels has to do with bedsize...our teenagers, 13 and 15, tend to have turf wars on the smaller beds...so to settle the issue when we travel to a small bed resort, we now take a body length pillow to form a boundary and a "late night kick" buffer between them...this pretty much solves our biggest problem with the non-deluxe rooms.

[bruin1344]

moderates are fine, the only con is using the bus more than the monorail, walking, or boat

[disneymom2000]

My first two trips I stayed at the Beach Club. I think you always feel so much better staying at your original on-property resort because you always try and get that first time feeling each time you go. So it was really hard for me to try and choose a moderate after staying at a deluxe. I chose the POR because of the ambiance of the overall resort. I felt like POFQ wasn't for me because of the way it was set up. We were close to a pool and to a bus stop. The downside was that we had to share a bus with two or three other resorts which were sometimes so crowded by the time they got to us we would have to wait for a second bus. We were able to catch the boat to DTD and it delivered us almost directly in front of the mansion we stayed in so there wasn't much walking to get to our room at the end of the day when we were so pooped. It is the only moderate I have stayed at but as far as the size of the room compared to my deluxe rooms, I really couldn't tell any difference.

[Crow]

Ive stayed at all levels. I also love WL but cant afford it except a day or 2 at a time. Of course some of it depends on the view, which i didnt have a great one last time.
As others say, a mod would be not a big of a drop. But the kids may also like the values.
It all depends on how much you want to budget & how much time in the rooms.
my mod tops are CSR & POFQ.
value is POP
FQ has a boat to DD.

[bkfree]

We are having the same thoughts as your for our next trip. Our last few trips we have stayed at Yacht Club which is our most fav resort and location.
Our next trip, the kids have expressed the desire to go to Sea World and Universal and to skip AK. We also hav decided that we will not really need PH tickets either. Because we want to fly again and the added expense of the other non Disney activities we are considering going Moderate this time.
I think we have decided on Coronada Springs after much research. My kiddos are excited about the theming and I am excited about the savings. I know we will have a great time because we will be staying at a new place and doing some new things. I also know that my attitude about the change will be the one that influences my family the most.
Dear Dad will be happy about the big chunk of money saved.

[DakotaDisney]

I would vote for a MOD as well over a Value.

I have not stayed at a MOD, but I did stay at a Value for the first time on my trip that just ended on May 24. I have only stayed at AKL on my other trips.

POP was nice, but I would prefer not to stay there or another Value again, unless it was the only way I could go to DW.

AKL or WL is an oasis from the hustle and bustle of the crowds. Transportation is also better at the Deluxe and the Mods I think as well. Transportation for POP was always busy, longer lines and took longer than AKL. I had to walk farther at POP for the room etc. and it wasn't a place to relax. Although for a family with kids, I think it would be a good place, especially if you are not going to spend any time there.

I would think the Mods would be similar to the Deluxes for the things I like about them, just cheaper. If your experience is like mine, going from a deluxe to a value, is quite a change and not as enjoyable. Going from a deluxe to a mod would be more enjoyable and not as quite a big change. If I need to safe money on my next trip I will try a MOD.

[KronkHere]

Having been to both Deluxe and Moderate...I highly suggest the moderate and highly suggest the POR (Riverside). The property is awesome and my kids (8 & 6) LOVE the pool, waterslide, food court, as well as the boat ride to Downtown Disney. Bus transportation is like anywhere else... crowded at the main stop, not so crowded at the secondary stops.

Have fun!!!