Hi all! Super excited to say that after years of talking about the parks, my father has finally caved in and agreed to go on a trip with me! It will be our first time together at WDW in almost a decade. Plans are to spend 3 park days in late February (EC, AK, HS)
For the first time for either of us, we may stay at a Disney Resort. I see the Value ones at around $130-$150/night. We are really budget people, and that falls right in at what we would be comfortable paying. So TP community:
(1) What Value resort would y’all say? Or, some other option that is similar financially.
(2) Are meal plans worth it if staying at a resort?
A lot of people, including myself, like to stay at Pop. DH and I like it because the Skyliner makes it very easy (and fun!) to get to HS and the IG entrance at EP. The only downside is it closes during lightning or high winds. Then you have to use a bus. Ever since the Value resort beds all got changed from double/full to queen size, we are happy to stay there.
I would stay at Pop if it is in your budget. If not, I would choose All-Star Music Preferred. If you really just want the very cheapest room, Standard at All-Star Movies or All-Star Sports are good options.
I would avoid Art of Animation as it is overpriced. I would only recommend that for families where the theming is an essential draw.
The layout of Music makes it more likely you will be farther from the bus than similar rooms at either Sports or Movies. That’s why I recommend staying in a Preferred (i.e., closer to the lobby / bus stop) room at Music, whereas Standard is acceptable for Movies / Sports.
Sports is also more likely to have groups of high school students, so be aware of large events (like Cheerleading competitions, etc.) during the time you are traveling.
Still very high – this is the type of pricing I use to justify my DVC purchase. I am getting a 2-bedroom ocean view suite at Aulani next week for about $700 / night based on my lifetime cost per point (up-front + dues).
I’m sure I’ll never visit with my whole family again, but my budget for rental houses was $100 a night for years for 4-bedroom. My head hurts from “new math.”
I don’t think my father and I really have a themeing preference, so it really comes down to is Movies or Music worth $20/night extra? And is riding the skyliner worth the +$60/night? ~$240 for trip total.
This is so true. We were a eleventy gazillion miles from the food court etc area when we stayed at Music.
The one trip in decades we didn’t drive.
If we were driving, Music would likely be ok.
It was a number of years ago, but I stayed at Sports twice and had a great trip both times. I haven’t stayed at the others so can’t give you a comparison, but I would be happy to stay at Sports again. The likely answer is that you will have an amazing trip at any of the three.
The Skyliner is nice, but definitely not required. The buses work just as well. So if you are trying to save some bucks, don’t bother with Pop. Otherwise the Pop rooms are pretty much identical to the All Star resorts.
I would recommend Sports at that price. Personally I would go for Pop — to me $60/night is worth Skyliner access — but if budget is your primary concern, there’s not much reason to pay $20 more for Music / Movies.
