Value Resorts - Your Thoughts...

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PGFamily

Member
We are SSR DVC members but save our points for an every-other-year family trip (grandparents, etc.). ; This "off" year, I am planning on taking one of my kids myself and staying in a value resort under a regular package. ; I've only ever stayed offsite or in a 2-bdrm DVC villa, so the value resort will be new for me. ; Any tips for staying at the value resorts? ; Which one would you recommend and why? ; Any advance requests I should make for room locations? ; Is the extra money worth going up to a moderate resort (which I priced at another $500 or so)? ; My son is only 6, so I think the "little extras" I enjoy are probably lost on him...

Thanks in advance! ; :)
 
We love POP! ; Easy bus ride to all parks. ; Great Arcade and pool area.

Does he like Pirates? ; Might be worth the extra $$$ to book at CBR and get a priate room! ; The pool area is also themed as a Priate Ship!
 
I would also recommend Pop Century. ; We've used it a couple times for inexpensive trips when the Dining Plan was included. ; I found it less crowded than the All Stars, but it can be very crowded in the food court area when it is a busy time of year. ; The disadvantage would be not having a themed pool area, and not having the 'kitchen' area that you get in the DVC studio. ; For me if we are planning most of our time in the parks, the value resorts are good, you just need somewhere to sleep at night. ; I found the bus service no different than staying at Deluxe resorts. ;
 
We also have DVC and stay at value resorts to take advantage of free dining or park deals. When we use the value resorts we typically never spend the day just hanging out we're usually on the move.

We've stayed in different value resorts three times

Aug 2005 Pop Century. Love it.

Aug 2006 All Star Music. Resort was fine buses were being shared between the 3 All Star resorts and sometimes you need to wait for several buses prior to getting one you could board due to them being full.

Aug 2009 All Star Movies. Looks like the building we were in hand be refurbed in the last few years. Buses were great.

No matter where you stay they'll be plused and minuses
 
I really appreciate all of this advice! ;

Once more quick question - do we have to wait until the promos (i.e. free dining, etc.) become available or will they retroactively apply them if we are booked in the same package? ; Somewhere on the internet, I read they would apply them to a pre-existing package; when I e-mailed Disney directly, they said no. ; One would think it would be easier for them to just apply the promotion than go through the paperwork of me cancelling and then re-booking the same thing but with the promo... ; I wish I could just wait until the last minute and get the best deals, but I'm a spreadsheet girl!

Thanks!
 
"PGFamily" said:
I really appreciate all of this advice! ;

Once more quick question - do we have to wait until the promos (i.e. free dining, etc.) become available or will they retroactively apply them if we are booked in the same package? ;Somewhere on the internet, I read they would apply them to a pre-existing package; when I e-mailed Disney directly, they said no. ;One would think it would be easier for them to just apply the promotion than go through the paperwork of me cancelling and then re-booking the same thing but with the promo... ;I wish I could just wait until the last minute and get the best deals, but I'm a spreadsheet girl!

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I usually am a control freak and like to book everything myself ... ;;) ... however, I have found the Disney CMs on the phone to be less knowledgable than myself on most regards and I don't really trust them handling my vacations. So, for Disney trips I highly recommend using a Disney Travel Agent. Yes, they will apply any new discounts to your existing reservations. They will also take care of all the details such as dining reservations. There is no extra charge for using an agent versus booking with Disney directly.

I highly recommend using Fairytale Destinations:
http://fairytaledestinations.ca/

They are Canadian, and Head Honcho Christine is amazing! ;:)
 
Hi - I always try first to book my Disney clients through Walt Disney World Travel co, rather than through a tour operator that acts as a middleman to wrap the Disney vacation package with their air, etc. ; Sometimes, it's better to go the latter route (esp. if CDN dollar tanking against US), but most times, it's just so easy to book thru WDW Travel. The reason being that you only need to put $200 USD down to hold the reservation, balance is due 45 days before you arrive, cancellation/ upgrade issues are a breeze compared to other tour operators, AND, the biggest plus - if a special comes on after you've booked, I can call and check whether there is availability under the special at your location. ; Most times it works. Sometimes, we smight have to switch resorts (e.g., All Star Music to All Star Sports). ; Obviously, if I can apply a special to a client's reservation, I do - I LOVE saving my clients money - why not use those hard earned vacation dollars you save with the special to add a meal plan, upgrade your room category, take in a special event while there, or just pocket it to spend while you're there.

I can only speak for my services (and perhaps there are other travel agents here to speak up for what they do for clients). ; I, personally, do itinerary planning, customized excel spreadsheets, and make dining reservations for clients too. I don't charge additional fees - I'm paid commissions by Disney, so you pay the same as if you book through Disney. ; But you get the extra tips, knowledge, and assistance of someone who's been there 17 times with her own family (trip 18 is now in the planning).

Use a travel agent, folks - we're there to help!
 
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