Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Thrifty Tips Tuesday!


Today I want to talk about resorts!

Since 2000, I have been to Walt Disney World 9 times. Only that first trip was off-property, and of the remaining eight, six were at Value resorts on Disney property, and two were at a Moderate resort. One of the best ways to save money at Disney world is to stay at Value resort.

I highly recommend staying on property versus off-property. For us, a family of four, it is just the best value. For larger families, not so much. But for small families like us, or couples, the perks of staying on property far outweigh the cons, especially if you fly in as opposed to driving. The free transportation is great!! A rental car for a week can cost you $200+.

With all the options for resorts on Disney property, we usually choose the Value resorts. They are bright and fun and the kids love them. The rooms are nice, though not huge. We spend very little time at the resort, so all we really need is a place to sleep and shower. The pools are fun and whimsical and the food courts are some of the best on property, including Moderate and Deluxe resort's offerings. The amenities are limited, but as I stated, we mostly just sleep and shower there. There have been trips, like in 08 for our 10th anniversary when our son was only nine months old, we upgraded to a mod, thinking we'd spend more down time at the resort. Nope. Not us...it's just not how we do Disney.

Everyone has their reasons for where they stay and why, but one of my Thrifty Tips is to stay Value. And if you can, travel in Value season and book a Disney promotion to save even more money!!

4 comments:

  1. Great tip! We are staying on property for the first time next year at Pop Century! I am excited :)

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  2. You'll love it!! And will probably never want to stay off property again!! At least, that's what happened for us!! Pop Century is a great resort!! That's where we're staying again in November!

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  3. What's a "value resort?" I Googled it and some resorts came up that appear to be on property, but I couldn't tell if it was value or not?

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  4. On Disney property there are three categories of resorts- value, moderate, and deluxe. The value resorts are All Star Music, All Star Movies, All Star Sports, and Pop Century. They are really fun and bright! The rooms are smaller than other resorts on property and the amenities are limited, but for guests who would rather spend the majority of their time at the parks, and save some cash, they're great!!

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