~~~Helping a friend book 1st trip ever! Help & opinions please!

[loveysbydesign]

I'm helping a friend book their 1st trip to WDW, from May 22/23 for 6-7 nights......it's her, her dh and 8 y.o. dd.
Trying to decide which value and or/moderate is best for them...they plan to use Disney transportation. I need to know which value and which moderate is the smallest and easiest resort to get around and to get to the busses.
The simpler the better!
Also which has the best food court.
They are leaning towards a moderate but due to cost may go with a value!
Any help's appreciated as I've only stayed off-site and at SSR once through a friend who owns DVC!
Also can anyone point me towards a link to the list of airlines who use ME?
Thanks so much!

 

[PoohsFan1]

I can't tell you anything about the Values but as for the Moderates, the best one would have to be POFQ. It is the smallest of all the mods. POFQ is very quiet and has a wonderful atmosphere. We spent quite a bit of time at this resort just eating, walking around, and shopping. We all fell in love with the resort, so much that we decided to stay there on our 2 trips that we have planned for this year. There is also a wonderful ferry that takes you to DTD and back....very relaxing. POFQ also shares amenities with POR therefore if they wanted to hop over to POR and use their pool they can do so. As for ME, any of the onsite Disney resorts (minus SOG) allows you to use ME. It is one of many wonderful perks that guests get while staying onsite.

 

[scraps4abc]

We have 3 kids, ages 11, 8 and 5. We really enjoy Port Orleans Riverside as a family for a moderate resort. (They were 9, 6 and 3 when we stayed there last.) We stayed in a building very close to a pool and enjoyed a swim each night. We enjoyed their food court very much and enjoyed the ferry transportation to DD and the buses weren't bad for the parks. (In fact, we were pretty darn close to the bus stop.)

Value resorts are always going to be the furthest bus stop away and it will always take longer to get back and forth between parks and room. If cost is a true issue and you go during the off season - fall/winter, it's not that bad, but if convenience is more important, I would say Port Orleans is good. I don't necessarily go by the room, per se, because you are in it such a minimal amount of time. The theming at the all stars is great for the kids with everything oversized. If they stay at Port Orleans, they can walk over to the French Quarter and see some of the theming from Fantasia near the pool and playground (I think) area. They are pretty cool, too.

Most importantly, I think, since cost is a factor is to suggest the dining plan. It's amazing how much money that can save you out of pocket. Snacks are easy enough to bring from home, however, it's not always easy to pack lunches and stick to eating them once you are in the Park and see the yummy foods served.

Obviously, everything above is just my opinion and I'm sure everyone else has great suggestions, too. Really, you can never go wrong with a Disney vacation! Have fun helping her plan. Wish we were going back even though we were just there in October! (lol)

 

[loveysbydesign]

I have a feeling my friend would really like POR or POFQ ...she's an artsy kind of gal! Thanks for the suppestions...I'm gonna look up some more info. about the resort

 

[browniemtb]

All I remember is when waiting for a bus back from MK to the resorts the All Star resort line was always packed. All Star falls in the value category I think.

 

[korrie leslie]

We have stayed at CSR and AS sports. The rooms, grounds, pools, and just about everything you can think of is different between the 2, with the MOD obviously on top, that being said its Disney either way, and therefore
fantastic!
My Dh and 4 kids loved the AS sports. The theming was great, the food court was great, and the pools were adequate. I would never stay at a value if I didnt have too, but if I did I would try to stay at Pop. The buses at All Star resorts were fine most of the time, but the one day we went to AK during Magic hours, Oh My GOD!! It was a nightmare, serves us right, we knew better than to go during Magic hours, but did it anyhow, only that once though! We never did it again and the bus service was fine, we would somtimes have to wait for the 2nd or third bus when leaving the parks, but they are always right behind. If the resort was the difference between going or not....I'd stay in a tent!! A huge moneysaver is the meal plan, we always get it and save a bunch in money. The food is really important to us and we go with the middle plan, but if your not into, or your kids are not into, sit down meals just get the CS plan it will save you money!!

 

[marcielm]

We stay at ASMu and love it. Never have any problems with the buses being to crazy, and we go during peak season. For a value your friend might like Pop Century, since it has it's own bus system that doesn't share with the All Star Resorts.

All the resorts use Magical Express, and it is free for all guests. Let us know if you have any other questions!

 

[alex9179]

I don't think you could go wrong with the POFQ/POR choice. POFQ doesn't seem to have the better discounts for room vs POR, so that may decide for them. Also, POR is VERY popular so you need to book when the discounts are first offered. They sell out pretty quickly.
I stayed in Acadian with my mom and our walk to the North Depot was short and pretty. The walk over to the main building was easy. POR has a very well reviewed QS and we enjoyed our meal at Boatwrights. POFQ isn't far and they can utilize the amenities between the resorts. We loved having the boat to what was DTD, now Disney Springs. So many dining options! The only bus we waited for one day was DHS, and we changed our minds on the fly when EPCOT showed up first.

I only stayed in AOA suites once, so I can't comment on that option. DH and I can sleep in a full just fine, but I do like a little extra room so the full beds aren't something I would pay to sleep in for vacation.

However, CBR has some great pricing and it looks gorgeous. I'd do that one in a heartbeat if budget was the priority.

 

[dansdad]

I don't think you could go wrong with the POFQ/POR choice. POFQ doesn't seem to have the better discounts for room vs POR, so that may decide for them. Also, POR is VERY popular so you need to book when the discounts are first offered. They sell out pretty quickly.
I stayed in Acadian with my mom and our walk to the North Depot was short and pretty. The walk over to the main building was easy. POR has a very well reviewed QS and we enjoyed our meal at Boatwrights. POFQ isn't far and they can utilize the amenities between the resorts. We loved having the boat to what was DTD, now Disney Springs. So many dining options! The only bus we waited for one day was DHS, and we changed our minds on the fly when EPCOT showed up first.

I only stayed in AOA suites once, so I can't comment on that option. DH and I can sleep in a full just fine, but I do like a little extra room so the full beds aren't something I would pay to sleep in for vacation.

However, CBR has some great pricing and it looks gorgeous. I'd do that one in a heartbeat if budget was the priority.

Holy Zombie Thread Batman.

 

[alex9179]

Crap! It was on the first dang page! I swear I didn't look for this. Dang it.

 

[dansdad]

Crap! It was on the first dang page! I swear I didn't look for this. Dang it.

I think we've all done it.

 

[buzznina]

If you want info on the 2 Port Orleans resorts here is a great thread.
http://www.portorleans.org/

As for buses, I can tell you that you can have good or bad transportation at any of the resorts.

 

[sam_rogers]

We've always stayed at all star sports and had a good trip. The resort isn't too big, the food court is good and the rooms are an OK size for 2-3 people. We didn't use the buses that much but they can be busy. The bonus of the sports is that if it's a shared bus for all of the all stars, sports get picked up first