[justchecking]

I am pretty sure I asked this question but I am down to 6 days till my kids first Disney vacation and want to make it a great experience. That being said would paying a little extra go a long way to enjoyment for the kids or is it just wasting money to upgrade to moderate?
Kids are young 5 and 2 1/2 and we are just in for 6 days but we want to make this a great trip. So would any of you upgrade assuming the money wont be a back breaker? And if so which moderate would be the best choice considering pool, bus transportation, etc? My kids are picky eater so sit down options are not important at al.
Also will the moderates also come with the refrig? Thanks for all of your wonderful repsonses and suggestions.

[DisneyTeacher]

I'm not a big fan of the values so I would upgrade if possible.

I like POFQ because of the size. I don't like the huge resorts where I have to walk half a mile just to refill my mug. Of all the moderate and value resorts French Quarter is the smallest and that goes a long way with me.

There should be a fridge in all the moderate rooms.

[mwalter]

I have to disagree with DisneyTeacher on this one. Your kids will love the theming at the value resorts and it's not really that far from any of the buildings to go to the food court. Save the difference and buy a few more souvenirs the kids will enjoy more than the room they are sleeping in.

[tonyksl]

The kids won't care and the bed sizes are the same. Use the money for more magic. The big difference is at the deluxe resorts. And even then, at your kids ages, unless it is the Savannah View from AKL or the MK view from the Contemporary, it isn't going to make that much of a difference.

[cinderbella]

Wait..are you leaving in 6 days? If so I'd just let everything go as planned and not stress about making big last minute changes.
Where are you staying? I'm a big fan of the deluxes and moderates BUT the values are great for kids..especially kids who are going for the first time. The larger than life icons are great and the values seem more "Disney" than any other resort. Especially All Star Movies. You would probably be more excited about the theming of the moderates and deluxes but I think your kids will remember the values for a longggggggggg time.

[llama]

With the ages your kids are, I think that the values will be just fine - they'll love the "over-the-top" themeing of the Values. I'd just stick with your plans. Maybe next trip try for a moderate (POFQ is our favourite).

[Daisee]

I too agree with sticking with the values for this trip. Your kids are the perfect age for the awesome themeing.

[requiem960]

Seriously, why all the love for POFQ? It's my least favorite of the moderates. I'd take Riverside or Coronado over the other two any day!

At 5 and 2 1/2, I'd agree with all the votes going to the value resorts. The moderate resorts will give you a few amenities you probably won't need; you'd get the waterslides at the pools and the hot tubs. ...you'd also get a slightly bigger room with two sinks instead of one. If those sound like extra amenities that would benefit your family, jump over to the moderate resorts.

But, taking a family of four with a 5 and a 2 1/2 year old, I'd spend the money else where. My two suggestions... If you don't have a good digital camera, spend the money there. Or, two buy a new high definition camcorder! Nothing beats being able to watch a good video taping of Wishes in HD! :)

[nitaworm]

I also totally agree to do the Value at this time, and use the time for more character dinners/lunches or sign the kids up for the Pirate Adventure, carriage rides or some other magical experience....

[justchecking]

Thank you everyone for all the feedback. Yes I think at this point we are going to stay with the value. Those few extra perks that moderate give us dont seem to be that important to us.
Kids are getting very excited and I am hoping they will have a GREAT time!!!! Thanks again for the feedback and input. I am sure it is going to help make this trip that much better.

[lisalovesmickey]

Originally Posted by DisneyTeacher

I'm not a big fan of the values so I would upgrade if possible.

I like POFQ because of the size. I don't like the huge resorts where I have to walk half a mile just to refill my mug. Of all the moderate and value resorts French Quarter is the smallest and that goes a long way with me.

There should be a fridge in all the moderate rooms.

I know you have made your decision but I agree with DisneyTeacher. I agree with everything above PLUS the moderates have nicer pools with waterslides. POFQ has a water slide that is in the shape of a dragon and you exit to the pool through his mouth.

Also, POFQ has not only the bus service but boat transportation to DtD. Its a nice change of pace.

I do believe that your kids will love the values though. I am sure you will have a magical vacation and I can't wait to hear about it.

Lisa

[chastmastr]

Your kids may enjoy the Values just as much, but you may like the Moderates more. I will say that from our experience the Moderates have been miles and miles better in terms of not only theming but also customer service than the All-Stars (Pop Century was good though). (On the other hand part of what we missed at the All-Stars was the pervasive theming of the Moderates, the sit-down restaurant food, the garden-y areas to explore, and so on, which if you're not looking to do on this trip, the All-Stars may be fine. We like to just wander around the resort hotel areas and explore at night. Coronado Springs can give just hours and hours of that with the massive, beautiful lake, etc. But that may be something they'll appreciate more when they're older...)

David

[iluvwdw]

Originally Posted by justchecking

Thank you everyone for all the feedback. Yes I think at this point we are going to stay with the value. Those few extra perks that moderate give us dont seem to be that important to us.
Kids are getting very excited and I am hoping they will have a GREAT time!!!! Thanks again for the feedback and input. I am sure it is going to help make this trip that much better.

Personally, I think you made a wise choice! We took our kids to POP Century last August for 10 days and they ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!! DS actually picked out the resort, so we decided to go with it...saved some money while we were at it!

We are going in November, but staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. The kids don't know about this trip, they think we're going next summer. Anyway, I told DS (he's 6 1/2) that we were staying at AKL and he got REALLY upset and said how much he loved POP Century and how he REALLY wanted to stay there!!!! I tried to explain to him how much he will love it, but he wasn't having any of it. It's POP or BUST for him! Oh, well...he'll get over it!

MY POINT HERE IS....your kids will LOVE the Value resorts. Which Value are you staying at?

[Jennatrz]

We just stayed at Pop and ds3 loved it also. I think your kids will love POP. So many fun things to look at. The rooms are nice. They are cozy but nice.

[iluvwdw]

Originally Posted by Jennatrz

We just stayed at Pop and ds3 loved it also. I think your kids will love POP. So many fun things to look at. The rooms are nice. They are cozy but nice.

Cozy is a great word to describe it! Especially with 2 kids. My kids were 5 1/2 and 2 1/2 when we went last August.

The key here is, unpack everything and put away your luggage (top shelves of the open closet)! It will make the room look MUCH more spacious. Believe it or not, we actually had a double stroller open at all times in the room and we were still fine! We were cozy, but fine!