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Presently we are booked at All-Star Sports
On Basic dining Plan.
we were thinking of upgrading to the Deluxe dining plan until people suggested maybe upgrade your resort instead.
Is it worth it to upgrade?
how much is it usually?
Its not like we will be in our rooms much anyways....help!!!
Ok so... let me start out by saying I am a HUGE fan of the value resorts. I absolutely love All Star Movies and Pop Century. Next let me tell you that on our latest trip we decided to upgrade to Moderate and stay at the Caribbean Beach Resort. If you are looking for a bigger room... don't bother going moderate. The rooms are really not all that much bigger than the value resorts. I mean we're talking just a couple feet and it's honestly barely noticeable. Plus as you said, you aren't going to be in your rooms much anyways.
Personally, I think your current vacation package is just perfect. We go vaue and we go with the basic dining... and it's not just to save money. We could've afforded bigger and better in most cases but we fell in love with ASMo and have decided that unless it's to go Deluxe, we won't be upgrading our resorts again.
Either way, you'll have a blast. No matter where you stay, if it's on Disney Property, it's worth it!
I've stayed at two values and one moderate. The moderate was on my last trip. I think from here on out that I will be staying at moderates. The moderate didn't feel as there were tons of people as I felt like at the all stars. I liked the overall feel a lot better as well.
Value resort rates: MouseSavers.com - 2008 Value Resort Room Rates & Season DatesQuote:
Originally Posted by karters*mom
Moderate resort rates: MouseSavers.com - 2008 Moderate Resort Room Rates & Season Dates
The difference in price could be anywhere from $67/night (standard room, value season, Sunday-Thursday) to $89/night (preferred room, holiday season, Friday & Saturday).
If you're not going to be in your room for much more than sleeping and showering, I don't see any reason to upgrade your resort. That's the main reason I stay at a Value resort every trip.
I also can't imagine buying the Deluxe Dining Plan. That's just an insane amount of food for an insane amount of money. You're far better off either paying for everything out of pocket or maybe buying the basic plan and paying for the occasional extra (like an appetizer or additional table service meal) out of pocket. The only way I could see the Deluxe Dining Plan (which is about $70/person/night) being financially worth it is if you book three table service meals each and every day.
oh and as for the deluxe plan...think about how you like to eat.
Are you ok with grab and go or do you like to sit down every meal? If you like a sit down for every meal and be waited on deluxe would be the way to go. If not stick with the other.
I stayed at All Star and Music before and had reservations for Pop Century on my mini vacation in Jan. It was really crowded last time I went. But after hearing about all the trouble the value had with the noise at night as well as unruly kids and PARENTS..I decided to upgrade to Caribbean. It was 50.00 more a night but I will NEVER go back to a value unless I can't get in to a moderate or a deluxe.
I've stayed at both values and mods and have loved both. If you are going with kids, I would suggest the value, esp. since you said that for you guys it is just a place to sleep. The values are very kid friendly and a lot of fun. I play basketball, and we stayed at All Star Sports in the basketball section when I was a lot younger, and, to me, that was just the coolest thing. If you have kids into sports coming along, try to see if you can request a certain section that they may enjoy...it's a lot of fun. I agree with BamaJenn, I think your package sounds awesome as is!
If you are really unsure about whether to go w/ the moderate or value, you can always split your stay between two resorts if time allows. My family has done this on our last 3 Disney trips just because we always have such a hard time just picking one resort...it isn't a hassle for us at all, Disney takes care of all of it for us. Just another idea I thought I would throw out there.
I agree with Thumper that the values have a lot to offer for a family - especially if you are traveling with young kids. However, I do enjoy the moderates a lot more. I like how you can stay at a place like French Quarter and feel like you are in a quaint, New Orleans town along the river. The pool is great and has a slide (as do the other moderate resort pools). The pace of moderates just seem a bit less hectic and more relaxed. Three of the four moderates (the Riverside, Caribbean and Coronado Springs) have full-service restaurants which can be nice if you are there in the afternoon for a break and don't want to rush out to have dinner in a park.
Another fun item is being able to take the boat from Riverside or French Quarter to the Downtown Disney area. :-)
But, as you can see from the thoughts above - a lot of it really depends on how much time you may be at your resort (we generally take an afternoon break, so we like being at the resort for a while each day), and if some of their qualities are worth it to you.
As for the deluxe dining - you can also use it toward your benefit if you were planning on dining at some of the spacitaly (2 table service credit) restaurants or taking in dinner shows along with character breakfasts and whatnot. :)
Depends what you want really. Have stayed at both value and moderate resorts and found the mods less crowded and quieter. Of the resorts, POFQ was our favourite, as it had a quiet, calm atmosphere.
I've stayed at Pop Century a couple of times and I loved it. My only complaint was that I was able to open the door without even getting completely out of bed. On my last trip, we stayed at the Coronado Springs, and it is by far my favorite resort. It's not too much more expensive, and I think it had an overall nicer feel. Also, the room was larger and had a refrigerator, which to me is a huge plus, and there is a curtain that goes across the entire bathroom/sink/closet area so you can actually get dressed and shower without cramping into the bathroom and without anyone seeing you.
If you are like us and spend most of your time in the parks (even when we're at the hotel, we're at the pool), then I'm all for values. They are plenty adequate and the beds at Pop are quite cozy.
I couldn't imagine upgrading the dining plan. I had the basic last time I was in disney and I felt stuffed all day every day on just a snack, counter service, and a table service.