When planning a Disney trip, staying at a Value Resort is not
always our first option. We love the convenience of the resorts that are within
walking distance of Magic Kingdom and Epcot, and during race weekends we prefer
the resorts that have larger rooms (runners have a lot of stuff). This doesn’t mean that we’ve never stayed at
a “Value” resort though. We’ve done a
few quick trips where a night or two at a value resort was just right for the
budget. If you are considering a Value resort for your next trip, don’t
despair. There are actually a lot of positives.
1.
Price- Obviously these resorts are the least
expensive of the “On Property” resorts.
2.
Location- The Value resorts are smaller than the
other resorts, therefore none of the buildings are really in a “bad” location
and they all are just a short walk to the main building, cafeteria, and bus
stop.
3. Theming- The theming and colors at the Value
Resorts are top notch. It makes one feel as if they are in the center of one of
Disney’s animated films. Kids will love it.
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| This photo op is a must if you stay at All Star Movies during race weekend. |
4. Photo Ops- From the giant dinosaur in the Toy
Story area to the Winner’s Circle ( All Star Movies), I think the Disney themed
photos ops at these value resorts are the best.
5. The Food Court- Each value resort has its own
food court and although it is the only restaurant on the property, I’ve always
found it to be quite adequate and offer plenty of selection. Just because the
food is served on a paper plate, doesn’t mean the quality or taste is any less
than one of the sit down restaurants. For example: During marathon weekend, All Star Movies (and
other All Star resorts) offered a “Marathoner’s Special”. You got your choice
of pasta, sauce, a salad, and breadstick for only $9.99. I know this same dinner would have cost much more
at one of the moderate or deluxe resorts.
Now of course, there plenty of advantages
to staying at moderate or deluxe resort, but if you find yourself needing to
cut your budget short just know that staying at a value is not all that bad. Do you have a favorite thing about staying at a value resort?
We normally stay at the moderate resorts, but I stayed at an All-Star resort once. It was actually my first time staying on Disney property and I loved it! To me, there is just nothing better than physically being at Disney during your entire stay.
ReplyDeleteReally, anywhere on Disney property is great, no? As long as you are at Disney, it's all good!
DeleteWhen I ran the WDW half, we stayed at the Polynesian, which was amazing...but I had a friend stay at one of the value resorts and had an equally amazing time!
ReplyDeleteWe really enjoy the Polynesian too and have stayed there the past few years during Princess half marathon weekend.
DeleteYea, there are so many perks for staying on property. It's the only way to go!
ReplyDeleteI've never stayed at a Disney Value resort so this is definitely good information! I've always splurged a bit but if I keep going down for races that may not continue to be possible :)
ReplyDeleteThey are definitely a good value if you plan to visit wdw several times per year!
DeleteWhile I don't think there is a "bad" resort at Disney I just don't like the value ones very much personally. To me they always seem so crowded, perhaps because our experiences before involved some sort of huge Brazillian school group with several hundred loud students or the massive cheer squads that take over. With 3 small kids we typically spend the most time at Magic Kingdom. I like staying close to it and not having to take buses. We did buses before we had kids and while they are pretty efficient it's not as easy as walking or taking the monorail with strollers (IMO only!) Hands down the most magical time was staying in the Contemporary on the Concierge floor!
ReplyDeleteWe stayed at the Contemporary for the first time in several years during marathon weekend and I agree it was very magical and slowly becoming one of our favorite resorts. We don't ever "prefer" value resorts but they are a good option when we want a quick inexpensive trip!
DeleteI have only ever stayed at a Value Resort! When I ran Wine and Dine last year, we stayed at All Star Sports. I completely agree with all of the points you brought up, especially regarding the food court. Although, I fully admit that it is my dream to someday stay in one of the top-notch resorts like the Grand Floridian. Sigh!
ReplyDeleteGrand Floridian is probably one of my favorites but I have found many redeeming qualities of the Contemporary and Polynesian. Being on that monorail line is SO convenient!
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ReplyDeleteI love that they each have their own food court! That is so cool! I've never stayed at one before....but that seems so convenient!
ReplyDeleteI have stayed mostly at Values for race weekends because they are so cheap with AP rates. For Dopey, we stayed at pop century for under 100 dollars a night including all taxes and fees! and the one thing I love about Pop is it is so close to the Expo. We were able to take a cab over to the Expo for Dopey because we wanted to be there before the buses were running and we paid i think 8 dollars including tip. also pop has my favorite breakfast item, the cheesy potato casserole haha.
ReplyDeleteif you have never been, check out the art of animation food court. It is seriously top notch.
We've stayed at both ends of the spectrum. When the kids were younger, one of our favorites was Wilderness Lodge. They had bunk beds and the kids didn't have to sleep together. In all of the resorts we've stayed in, the rooms feel quite small. But, we don't spend time in the room so it doesn't matter anyway.
ReplyDeleteI would stay at a value resort as long as it meant staying on Disney property :)
ReplyDeleteDo they still offer the service for the value resorts of having your purchases delivered to your rooms?
They absolutely do! And they offer free shuttle service from the Orlando airport too!
DeleteI've stayed at Art of Animation twice and it's great. The food courts are awesome, too, because there's usually something for everyone and usually you don't have to wait too long for your food.
ReplyDeleteWe haven not stayed there yet but it looks fabulous!
DeleteI've only stayed on property twice, but I used to live 30 minutes away, so we just always drove back and forth to the parks. Now we are farther away and I think we are going to stay on property for our next Disney vaca. I'd love to stay just about anywhere. Especially now with the kiddos being so into the characters.
ReplyDeleteThat would be my dream to live close enough to just drive there when I wanted. 30 minutes sounds great but heck I'd even be happy with 3 hours!
DeleteI've never stayed at the All Stars, but we really enjoy staying at Pop Century and it's nice not to have to pay an arm and a leg while still enjoying being on property.
ReplyDeleteThat is for sure. I bet Eli liked staying at Pop!
DeleteWe were so happy with the All Star Music resort during Princess weekend that we will probably be staying there for Wine and Dine this fall!
ReplyDeleteThat's great! I hope you have just as good of a time there!
DeleteI've never stayed at any of the Value Resorts. It's sounds like I've been missing out on a lot.
ReplyDeleteI certainly don't think there is anything wrong with the Value resorts but there are others I would prefer to stay at for sure!
DeleteWe didn't stay on resort when we went to Disney and we still had just as much fun.
ReplyDeleteWe stayed off property only one time at Bonnet Creek and it was beautiful. We only stayed there for half our trip and we had a car so it made it easier.
DeleteI've stayed at a few moderates, but for the most part, I ALWAYS stay at the value resorts. Honestly, I am always the last person to leave the parks, so it seems silly to spend a lot of money on a room when I'm only there to shower and sleep! :)
ReplyDeleteThat certainly makes sense! Park time is more fun then being in the room anyway, right?
DeleteI actually love staying at either Art of Animation or Pop century for marathon weekends...the path around the lake is perfect for a shakeout run and it's right out your door!
ReplyDeleteWe've never been to AOA yet. I'd like to check it out soon!
DeleteI haven't stayed at a value resort yet, but I'm considering staying at one (Paradise Pier) at our next Disneyland visit. We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel the last time and, while the room was nice, it wasn't worth the high price tag. From what I've heard, we could have had just as good a Disney experience at Paradise Pier, and for significantly less money.
ReplyDeleteOh no, sorry to hear that. We will be staying at the Disneyland Hotel on our next stay. I hope it's worth it!
DeleteI loved All Star Music. It was a long way to find the room after checking in, but it was quiet and I liked looking out the window to see all the music notes on the buildings.
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