Comparing resorts... Are Mods really worth $100 more a night?

[DisneyWishes14]

If you enjoyed Pop, I would say it's not worth spending an extra $100 on a mod.

 

[Disneylovingmomof2]

This has peaked my interest and I'm going to do some research! Thank you!

Not sure if you're aware but there's currently construction going on at CSR. Some reviews are saying it wasn't disruptive but with the extent of what they're doing you're definitely taking a chance.

 

[CharissaOKC]

Not sure if you're aware but there's currently construction going on at CSR. Some reviews are saying it wasn't disruptive but with the extent of what they're doing you're definitely taking a chance.

Yes! That will be part of my research! I'm not opposed to construction but it would depend on how much we would be directly affected. Noise doesn't bother us but interruption of restaurants or pool would. Thanks for warning me!

 

[ChasingLeslie]

Yes! That will be part of my research! I'm not opposed to construction but it would depend on how much we would be directly affected. Noise doesn't bother us but interruption of restaurants or pool would. Thanks for warning me!

Amenities are not affected (and *shouldn't be* in the future). We stayed in July and it was just some outdoor noise and visual...we couldn't hear anything in our room, at the main pool, or at El Centro/Pepper Market.

 

[gillep]

Personally, I absolutely think that the mods are worth it. There is a pretty big jump from Value to Moderate in my opinion. POR is absolutely beautiful and POFQ is the smallest resort on property. I like them both over any of the values. The walk between the resorts is easy and lovely. It's nice to be able to use either pool and food court, though I am very partial to the POR food court. And, speaking of those food courts, at their busiest, I never found them to be as hectic as the value food courts. The rooms themselves are larger and more comfortable, in my opinion. The sheets are a higher quality and the walls are thicker which provide for a better night's sleep for me.

Now, all that said, the values aren't terrible at all. I just think that the mods are easily worth the higher price.

This is how I feel as well. For us, the price is definitely worth it. Our favorite moderate resorts are POR (DH prefers) and CSR (my preference), POFQ is also nice, neither of us prefer CBR but would likely stay there over a value if for longer than a night or two.

 

[Pmlocke]

I think you answered your own question when you stated you stayed at POP and you loved it. Now the next question for you shouldn't be is the Mod worth $100 more, you should be asking am I willing and able to spend $100 a night more, even though I loved where I had stayed previously. I love my stay at AS Music. Been going there every year since 2009. I can afford better but you know what, I work hard for my money and I can think of a lot of better ways to spend my money on things other than a nights sleep. If you're happy with POP, why change? If you wish to try different things and the money is not a factor, go for it. yes you get more amenities at the Mod but are you going to be there to enjoy them? I am a park person. We only get back to the hotel when we are ready to go to bed. The extras have never been something I was really interested in. Now, this is my opinion. I know others like the bigger pools wioth a slide and the spa treatment and I have no problem with that. I go with what serves my wife and I best and with what we are happiest with and you should also. What ever you choose, you're at Disney World, have fun.

 

[Belleofthehouse]

We are resort people and really do not enjoy the value resorts, so, yes mods are worth the extra $$ IMHO. My fav mod is CSR. I love the grounds, food options and rooms.

 

[nkereina]

IMO, the jump from value to moderate is an easier pill to swallow than the jump from moderate to deluxe. The size of the moderate resorts, along with multiple bus stops at some of them, makes the resort feel less busy to me. We also love the quiet pools, and it's convenient to have a not so popular TS restaurant right at the resort for times when we're too tired to leave or the weather is poor.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Right now, I think all of Disney's resort are ridiculously overpriced at rack rate.

There was a time when I felt you could get value out of staying at a Disney resort between the Magical Express, the Dining Plan and Extra Magic Hours. No more.

With Uber and UberX, the Magical Express isn't as important as it used to be.

Don't get me started on how overpriced that I think the Dining Plan is now.

Extra Magic Hours? Well, I never had any interest in the morning ones and evening ones have been cut to ribbons. None at the Studios, only Pandora with 2 rides at Animal Kingdom. All PM EMH used to be 3 hours. Now it's 2 at MK and Epcot.

I have grown very attached to the Swan and Dolphin. I can find a rate lower than any moderate and still have full use of Disney's transportation system during my stay. There are also the Bonnet Creek resorts.

I predict the WDW resort on the whole is going to suffer from the maniacal greed of its current management after it rides its golden parachute out of there.

 

[Disneylovingmomof2]

Right now, I think all of Disney's resort are ridiculously overpriced at rack rate.

There was a time when I felt you could get value out of staying at a Disney resort between the Magical Express, the Dining Plan and Extra Magic Hours. No more.

With Uber and UberX, the Magical Express isn't as important as it used to be.

Don't get me started on how overpriced that I think the Dining Plan is now.

Extra Magic Hours? Well, I never had any interest in the morning ones and evening ones have been cut to ribbons. None at the Studios, only Pandora with 2 rides at Animal Kingdom. All PM EMH used to be 3 hours. Now it's 2 at MK and Epcot.

I have grown very attached to the Swan and Dolphin. I can find a rate lower than any moderate and still have full use of Disney's transportation system during my stay. There are also the Bonnet Creek resorts.

I predict the WDW resort on the whole is going to suffer from the maniacal greed of its current management after it rides its golden parachute out of there.

Just out of curiosity do you think the discounts they offer make them a better deal? I will say I currently have a room at the Contemporary booked for an upcoming trip but am keeping my fingers crossed that a discount will become available. I don't think that without the discount the room is worth the rack rate (and I'm even booked during an "off" week).

 

[JerseyJanice]

Just out of curiosity do you think the discounts they offer make them a better deal? I will say I currently have a room at the Contemporary booked for an upcoming trip but am keeping my fingers crossed that a discount will become available. I don't think that without the discount the room is worth the rack rate (and I'm even booked during an "off" week).

TBH I have never paid rack rate. I'm cheap like that. LOL.

I always felt that Disney priced the deluxe resorts so that they could discount them. Kinda like Macy's original prices.

But the hike in prices for all resort categories is hard to justify because when they put an offer out, it's usually stepped down so 35% off deluxe, 20% off mid and 10% value.

 

[loves to dive]

For me, yes it's worth it, for my son no (grown). I will get flamed but to me, the values look and feel like an overly themed Motel 6. There is nothing wrong with Motel 6 and I've stayed in my share of them but if I plan on spending any time at the resort, it's not for me. The moderates seem less hectic, although the food courts can be. I like the quiet pools, I like the bigger rooms, I actually like the fact that the grounds are a little bigger. I do split stays between moderates and Epcot resorts. Will I stay in a value, you bet. My son and stayed in ASSp for one night earlier this month before we moved over to Dolphin and I'll be staying at POP for one night in September before moving over to Dolphin. I get there around 2 and it doesn't make sense for me to pay $200 per night for that short night at Dolphin when I can pay a little over $100 at POP. Would I stay for longer than 1 night, nope.

Swan/Dolphin can be as low if not lower than a moderate if you shop around and keep a few things in mind. The original price you see will not be what you pay, they add a "resort fee" on so you have to factor that in. If you see one for $169 per night, it really is $189. If you drive, you will have to pay an additional $20 per night to park so that has to be factored in so your $189 is $209. Certainly less than an Epcot deluxe but not always less than a moderate. You will not get MDE if you fly so you have to factor in some way to get to and from the airport. You can not charge back to your room and can not use Disney gift cards there. You can use Disney buses and boats, you can send your packages back to your room. You will get a room key and you will not get a MB so if you want one, yep pay for that. Having said all that, I do stay there, heck I was there the beginning of this month and despite a less than stellar stay, will be back at Dolphin in Sept. I'm going for F&W and you can't beat being able to walk to Epcot.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

We've stayed at Pop (2014) and most recently, (8/12/17)- we stayed at POR- I say YES for us..... the moderate is worth the money. Our family is me, DH and two DD ages 8 & 10. We don't spend a lot of time at the resort since we're at parks all day but we do like to do a break every once in a while and either swim or hang out at the resort. For me, POR was much more a "break" from the parks. It never felt overly crowded and not near as chaotic as POP. We did the river view royal guest room at POR -loved it!!! And the grounds are just beautiful. Not sure why but POP is a louder resort. We heard more people coming and going than at POR from our room. To me, the bathroom privacy curtain is necessary esp when I get up earlier than everyone else. I can get ready and not wake up the rest of my family. The slides and pool options (I think 6 or 7 pools) at POR are great. The pool at POP is nice but overly crowded. We didn't dine at POR on this last trip since I heard that Boatwright's wasn't great, but we saw the restaurant and it's nicer than POP. POP to me is chaos. You have the lobby, arcade, dining halls and gift shops all crammed into one building. DISLIKED that a lot. Also not sure if there is more space or it seems that way but the room at POR seemed larger. We did the buses to all the parks from both resorts and to the TTC and never had issues. I know POR gets a bad wrap for busses always being full. Yes it is a very large resort but it all went well. You just have to weigh out what you feel you all would like and decide from there.

 

[stinkpickle]

I don't think it's worth the price difference, but my wife does....and what she says goes.

 

[Tigger's ally]

I don't think it's worth the price difference, but my wife does....and what she says goes.

Good for her, cause after all she does have to live with stinkpickle!

PM me the origin of that handle will ya, Love to hear it.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

We love POR. We don't even consider price and never feel ripped off.

 

[unrequited23]

If you are waiting for a discount to book your trip the difference between a value and a moderate will be less than it is now. Values are typically discounted at a lower rate (10-15%) than moderates (15-20%) are discounted. For example, if Pop was $100/night plus a 10% discount it would be $90, while POR would be $200/night plus a 15% discount for $170 resulting in a theoretical $70 difference between the two.

 

[persimmondeb]

For me, yes it's worth it, for my son no (grown). I will get flamed but to me, the values look and feel like an overly themed Motel 6. There is nothing wrong with Motel 6 and I've stayed in my share of them but if I plan on spending any time at the resort, it's not for me. The moderates seem less hectic, although the food courts can be. I like the quiet pools, I like the bigger rooms, I actually like the fact that the grounds are a little bigger. I do split stays between moderates and Epcot resorts. Will I stay in a value, you bet. My son and stayed in ASSp for one night earlier this month before we moved over to Dolphin and I'll be staying at POP for one night in September before moving over to Dolphin. I get there around 2 and it doesn't make sense for me to pay $200 per night for that short night at Dolphin when I can pay a little over $100 at POP. Would I stay for longer than 1 night, nope.

Swan/Dolphin can be as low if not lower than a moderate if you shop around and keep a few things in mind. The original price you see will not be what you pay, they add a "resort fee" on so you have to factor that in. If you see one for $169 per night, it really is $189. If you drive, you will have to pay an additional $20 per night to park so that has to be factored in so your $189 is $209. Certainly less than an Epcot deluxe but not always less than a moderate. You will not get MDE if you fly so you have to factor in some way to get to and from the airport. You can not charge back to your room and can not use Disney gift cards there. You can use Disney buses and boats, you can send your packages back to your room. You will get a room key and you will not get a MB so if you want one, yep pay for that. Having said all that, I do stay there, heck I was there the beginning of this month and despite a less than stellar stay, will be back at Dolphin in Sept. I'm going for F&W and you can't beat being able to walk to Epcot.

Yes! I've had the same thought! Values are like really, really well run, fun, Motel 6's. Definitely nothing wrong with them, but we'll stay at a moderate or deluxe if we can manage it, even if we're not necessarily spending a huge amount of time there.

 

[Yarbogash]

For me, yes it's worth it, for my son no (grown). I will get flamed but to me, the values look and feel like an overly themed Motel 6. There is nothing wrong with Motel 6 and I've stayed in my share of them but if I plan on spending any time at the resort, it's not for me. The moderates seem less hectic, although the food courts can be. I like the quiet pools, I like the bigger rooms, I actually like the fact that the grounds are a little bigger. I do split stays between moderates and Epcot resorts. Will I stay in a value, you bet. My son and stayed in ASSp for one night earlier this month before we moved over to Dolphin and I'll be staying at POP for one night in September before moving over to Dolphin. I get there around 2 and it doesn't make sense for me to pay $200 per night for that short night at Dolphin when I can pay a little over $100 at POP. Would I stay for longer than 1 night, nope.

Swan/Dolphin can be as low if not lower than a moderate if you shop around and keep a few things in mind. The original price you see will not be what you pay, they add a "resort fee" on so you have to factor that in. If you see one for $169 per night, it really is $189. If you drive, you will have to pay an additional $20 per night to park so that has to be factored in so your $189 is $209. Certainly less than an Epcot deluxe but not always less than a moderate. You will not get MDE if you fly so you have to factor in some way to get to and from the airport. You can not charge back to your room and can not use Disney gift cards there. You can use Disney buses and boats, you can send your packages back to your room. You will get a room key and you will not get a MB so if you want one, yep pay for that. Having said all that, I do stay there, heck I was there the beginning of this month and despite a less than stellar stay, will be back at Dolphin in Sept. I'm going for F&W and you can't beat being able to walk to Epcot.

To me that's the biggest difference; values can be a total zoo (and thats not always bad, sometimes a zoo is fun). Mods are usually much quieter and more relaxed.

 

[DiaryofaDisneyKid]

Right now, I think all of Disney's resort are ridiculously overpriced at rack rate.

There was a time when I felt you could get value out of staying at a Disney resort between the Magical Express, the Dining Plan and Extra Magic Hours. No more.

With Uber and UberX, the Magical Express isn't as important as it used to be.

Don't get me started on how overpriced that I think the Dining Plan is now.

Extra Magic Hours? Well, I never had any interest in the morning ones and evening ones have been cut to ribbons. None at the Studios, only Pandora with 2 rides at Animal Kingdom. All PM EMH used to be 3 hours. Now it's 2 at MK and Epcot.

I have grown very attached to the Swan and Dolphin. I can find a rate lower than any moderate and still have full use of Disney's transportation system during my stay. There are also the Bonnet Creek resorts.

I predict the WDW resort on the whole is going to suffer from the maniacal greed of its current management after it rides its golden parachute out of there.

My parents are considering the Swan and Dolphin next year. Does it still have a bus that takes guests to the off site outlet malls?