Should we stay at POP or upgrade to a moderate?

[Sarah Matheson]

Last year we stayed in a 2 bedroom villa at SSR. This year we booked a room at Pop and opted for the DDP. I am starting to wonder if a mod might be worth it. I can't function without my morning coffee and I didnt realize Pop didnt have coffee makers in the room. I suppose I could always bring my own? But that might be a giant pain. Would you switch to a mod? How does Pop compare to other values?

Keep in mind we rent a car, so transportation is a non-issue. I do not rely on Disney transportation. The thought of taking a bus anywhere sounds like anything but a vacation to me, and the $200/week to get my own groceries and be on my own time is totally worth it for us.

Anyone have any experiences at values and mods? I would love to stay at Poly or GF...but that would mean giving up the DDP....

Thanks and sorry for my indecisiveness!

 

[Disneylover99]

If you're on the ddp, you will get a mug and you can fill up on coffee at the food court.

 

[Minnie368]

We've stayed at both values and mods and had great experiences at both. Our last 4 trips have been at mods for 2 reasons. First, we went during the free dining promotion and it was worth the extra $ to get the regular DP for free versus the QS plan. Second, we have two full grown teenagers so we need the queen size beds. Without those two reasons, we would save money at stay at a value. We don't spend a lot of time in our rooms.

 

[SweetMissy]

I don't have much experience with anything but the values. We stayed at AKL a few years ago and actually missed the values. IMO it's not worth spending more money just for coffee. You could go to the food court and get coffee there.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I am in the same boat. We're thinking of staying at POP next time to save money (and because I like the theme) but have stayed in moderates three times before, and I'm concerned that it won't feel the same.

I'm not worried about coffee, as I am fine running to the food court, but are the beds still comfortable? (My DS made a comment the other day about remembering soft pillows in Disney. - Who knew that detail would even strike a kid as noticeable?!)

Anyway, there are only three of us, so I'm not worried about floor space. DS has a full bed at home, so he'll be fine with that. DH and I are used to bigger, but I sleep like a rock pretty much anywhere, so I don't know if queens are really a deal-breaker to us either.

I think I have the debate down to POP or POFQ. (We've stayed at POR twice and CBR once, and liked both.)

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Things you get with Mods that you won't get with Value....
-Better pools (water slides, kiddie pools, hot tubs)
-Queen beds
-Sit down restaurants

*I realize there may be some exceptions, this is generally speaking

 

[Dis703]

Personally, when we are able we always prefer at least mod. In having to meet a budget that allows me more frequent smaller trips, we've stayed at Pop several times now and AS Sports once, but there is a significant difference to me from values to mods.

Mods have much more of a vacation feel to me. In addition to a slightly larger room, double sinks, coffee maker, queen beds (that are much more comfortable IMO, nicer pool w/slide, and a sit down restaurant, the mods just have a much more relaxing feel to them. We love CBR in particular and the resort itself just feels like a vacation. Quiet rooms with peaceful beautiful grounds. Little beaches where you can relax in a hammock and read a book. It's spread out so it never feels crowded. I barely ever notice people around us unless we are at the bus stop or in the food court and even then it never gets as crowded and chaotic as the values do. Even the décor at the values seems loud to me.

That said if your only concern is coffee I'd be hard pressed to spend $200 just for that, lol. I'd bring my own. But if you have it in your budget I think it's absolutely worth upgrading to a mod.

 

[Dis703]

I am in the same boat. We're thinking of staying at POP next time to save money (and because I like the theme) but have stayed in moderates three times before, and I'm concerned that it won't feel the same.

I'm not worried about coffee, as I am fine running to the food court, but are the beds still comfortable? (My DS made a comment the other day about remembering soft pillows in Disney. - Who knew that detail would even strike a kid as noticeable?!)

Anyway, there are only three of us, so I'm not worried about floor space. DS has a full bed at home, so he'll be fine with that. DH and I are used to bigger, but I sleep like a rock pretty much anywhere, so I don't know if queens are really a deal-breaker to us either.

I think I have the debate down to PO or POFQ. (We've stayed at POR twice and CBR once, and liked both.)

FWIW, it doesn't feel the same. But you are still at Disney and will still have a great time. We love CBR and had stayed at a couple deluxe resorts before staying value. It's mostly just a hotel room to me with a little bit of Disney magic mixed in (mainly when we interact with the CMs). At the mods and deluxes I tend to feel more immersed in the magic because of the beauty and tranquility around me. It's more relaxing.

The beds are okay but I do think the CBR beds are more comfortable. Pop is getting a refurb though and I believe new beds are part of it. Not sure when that is happening.

 

[loves to dive]

I agree with above poster, it's not worth it just for coffee but I'm not a fan of the values and would spend the extra for a moderate. The values seem overly crowded, loud and busy to me. Think any motel off the interstate for the room. I get flamed when I say they remind me of a Motel 8 but the rooms just do, yes they have Disney theming in them but the basic layout and amenities are about the same. Even the moderates have a motel feel to me since they don't have inside hallways but they do have little bigger rooms, nicer feel in the rooms. The food courts in the mods can get loud and busy as well.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Last year we stayed in a 2 bedroom villa at SSR. This year we booked a room at Pop and opted for the DDP. I am starting to wonder if a mod might be worth it. I can't function without my morning coffee and I didnt realize Pop didnt have coffee makers in the room. I suppose I could always bring my own? But that might be a giant pain. Would you switch to a mod? How does Pop compare to other values?

Keep in mind we rent a car, so transportation is a non-issue. I do not rely on Disney transportation. The thought of taking a bus anywhere sounds like anything but a vacation to me, and the $200/week to get my own groceries and be on my own time is totally worth it for us.

Anyone have any experiences at values and mods? I would love to stay at Poly or GF...but that would mean giving up the DDP....

Thanks and sorry for my indecisiveness!

I like my coffee first thing, too. And we always get a car, as well. If you didn't have the DDP, I'd say just run to WalMart and get a $20 coffee maker once you get there. But since you have the DDP and it comes with a refillable mug, then I'd forget the coffee maker and just run to the food court for coffee. It might be worth getting a preferred room for that reason. If I switched to a Moderate, it would only be because I wanted more amenities, and not the coffee issue. (Although it is nice to have a coffee maker right in the room.) Good luck with your decision. I have the feeling whether you stay at a Value or a Mod, it's going to be a little disappointing either way after staying in a 2BR Villa at SSR last time, so brace yourself, lol.

 

[Lori77]

I have experience with both and I think it really depends on the feel that you want. At POP, it is bright, cheerful, and all about Disney. At CBR, it is more tropical and spread out. I didn't find anything really different about their food courts, but yes, the mods have a sit-down restaurant, larger pools, and some have water activities.

My kids have enjoyed both, but while they are smaller, I will stick to POP to save money while I can. We will need larger beds and more space in the future.

 

[happymommy]

I must have my coffee in my nightgown, so I totally understand your point on wanting a coffee maker in the room.

I have this one that I use at Pop: https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-DECKER...1&keywords=black+&+decker+travel+coffee+maker

It packs up very nicely for travel, and I order good espresso ground coffee to make coffee in the room. I also don't like the coffee at Disney, so use my mug very little but for lemonade or maybe one or two sodas.

We find the bus works fine for Pop, and if I've had any adult beverages I don't have to worry about driving. To me, driving is work, so unless I'm staying off site, I won't drive at Disney.

It really depends on how many you have in the room, and if you're okay with a double bed. For me and DD, Pop is fine! We did two nights with her, my DS and me, so she & I shared a double bed. It was doable for the 2 nights, but I couldn't do it any longer (it was originally just going to be her and me but then we added him).

I personally don't see a huge diff between value and moderates, other than theming (moderates look more serene), a pool slide (I don't use), a hot tub, and queen beds. Neither has a balcony. To me, it's just a room to sleep in for the most part. I'm totally done with the deluxe resorts; the pricing is just so not worth it to me any longer.

 

[SweetMissy]

Things you get with Mods that you won't get with Value....
-Better pools (water slides, kiddie pools, hot tubs)
-Queen beds
-Sit down restaurants

*I realize there may be some exceptions, this is generally speaking

I have always found the beds at the values to be super comfy. We actually prefer QS over TS....simply because we have 4 kids and don't do sit down restaurants very often, Disney isn't an exception. This is one of the things we didn't like about AKL. There's 2 sit down restaurants there, so because of that we found that the QS options were lacking. Their food court doesn't even compare to the values...so it left us bored with meals that we ate at the resort. I'm sure the TS places are nice and we have done a few over the years but not worth the stress it brings when sitting down with 4 young kids.

 

[ChasingLeslie]

I've always stayed at the moderate hotels. Queen size beds are pretty much a must, and the upgraded mattress at CSR/CBR are so comfortable!

 

[bashuck]

I had a very short stay at AS Sports(not certain what the official acronym is here but not my first guess) and while arriving late at night I liked the vibe as it seemed fun and people were having a good time playing ping pong outside but when I was in the actual room I was quite certain it wasn't as nice as CBR or VWL. Not that that is a revelation, and clearly people don't NEED the nicer accommodations but it is nice to have. At the same time, if over a year I had the time and could spend 11 days at Disney if staying value or 6 at Deluxe, I'd probably go value.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I am in the same boat. We're thinking of staying at POP next time to save money (and because I like the theme) but have stayed in moderates three times before, and I'm concerned that it won't feel the same.

I'm not worried about coffee, as I am fine running to the food court, but are the beds still comfortable? (My DS made a comment the other day about remembering soft pillows in Disney. - Who knew that detail would even strike a kid as noticeable?!)

Anyway, there are only three of us, so I'm not worried about floor space. DS has a full bed at home, so he'll be fine with that. DH and I are used to bigger, but I sleep like a rock pretty much anywhere, so I don't know if queens are really a deal-breaker to us either.

I think I have the debate down to PO or POFQ. (We've stayed at POR twice and CBR once, and liked both.)

We are a family that started out value, then bought DVC, then sold DVC and primarily stayed at moderates (which we love and have stayed at all of them multiple times).
Fast forward to now when airfare and resort pricing has jumped at all levels, and we have two kids in college. So we did Pop and All Star Music the three of our ladt five trips. We had stayed at both before and both stays were great! But Pop was by far our preference.

We found the room size very similar to a mod room. The double bed was fine (we have a King at home). The first night I felt a little tight, but got quickly used to it. And in all honesty even a queen bed feels like that given that we sleep in a king at home.

The bathroom area with its one sink is definitely smaller but nothing we couldn't work around.

Busses were equal to the mods.

Food courts were equal.

What dh and I LOVED about Pop was the central location and the lake. We walked every day of our last trip and it was just so nice. We have asked and gotten a lake facing room in the 50's our last two stays at Pop and we loved it. Its quiet, pretty and we could walk out are door and see Wishes and Illuminations. We also could easily take the AoA bus back to our resort if the Pop stop was mobbed.

It seems to save us around $100 a night to stay value over moderate and for us it is well worth it (our trips are generally 7 to 10 nights). We really enjoy all the Disney resorts and regardless of what level we stay, we spend a lot of time at our resort. The values are great for us and we never feel jipped or sad to not be staying at a higher level.

 

[PollyannaMom]

We are a family that started out value, then bought DVC, then sold DVC and primarily stayed at moderates (which we love and have stayed at all of them multiple times).
Fast forward to now when airfare and resort pricing has jumped at all levels, and we have two kids in college. So we did Pop and All Star Music the three of our ladt five trips. We had stayed at both before and both stays were great! But Pop was by far our preference.

We found the room size very similar to a mod room. The double bed was fine (we have a King at home). The first night I felt a little tight, but got quickly used to it. And in all honesty even a queen bed feels like that given that we sleep in a king at home.

The bathroom area with its one sink is definitely smaller but nothing we couldn't work around.

Busses were equal to the mods.

Food courts were equal.

What dh and I LOVED about Pop was the central location and the lake. We walked every day of our last trip and it was just so nice. We have asked and gotten a lake facing room in the 50's our last two stays at Pop and we loved it. Its quiet, pretty and we could walk out are door and see Wishes and Illuminations. We also could easily take the AoA bus back to our resort if the Pop stop was mobbed.

It seems to save us around $100 a night to stay value over moderate and for us it is well worth it (our trips are generally 7 to 10 nights). We really enjoy all the Disney resorts and regardless of what level we stay, we spend a lot of time at our resort. The values are great for us and we never feel jipped or sad to not be staying at a higher level.

Thank you so much for the details!

 

[kwdw]

I have a little 4 cup coffee maker I bring when I travel to Disney and stay at a value. It has a metal pot - so I don't have to worry about that breaking in my suitcase. I think it's a Mr. Coffee branded one. I also figure that if I ever buy TOO many trinkets to take home - I can leave the coffeemaker behind. I paid like $18 for it - and it's about to head on it's 5th trip to Disney. I love having my coffee while getting ready in the morning - no walking to the food court required!

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I agree with the other posters who said it's not worth it just for coffee. I also agree with the ones who said that they are not fans of the values. The person who said they remind her of Motel 8 is spot-on.In my opinion there is a much larger leap from the values to the moderates then from moderates to the deluxes. I would choose a moderate over a value any day.

 

[Sugart]

I think it's important on when you are going. If it's pop warner, cheerleaders, or South American tour groups, Pop centuries food court can be a mad house at peak eating hours. We were there in Feb 14 and made the mistake of trying to get breakfast at the food court. It was so crowded. Other than that I would stay there again.

Have you looked into renting points? This is what we do now and stay deluxe for only a little bit more than moderate. Example. 1/29-2/5 Preferred Boardwalkd studio for 1688. Mods were about 14-1500 for the same time frame.