Blog Redesign & Resort Ponderings

The blog has been redesigned. Although it's a completely different template, the overall layout is pretty much the same as it was. Two new features on the sidebar are a summary of the current vacation plan, and a blog search.



After writing my previous post on Disney's Pop Century, I started to look at the possibility of perhaps staying at a moderate resort. Moderates have several nice advantages over value resorts, such as a more elaborate pool, a hot tub, slightly larger rooms, tiny refrigerators in each room, and at least one table-service restaurant.



The cost to upgrade from a value to a moderate resort is quite significant however -- almost twice the price -- and I ultimately don't think that the trade-off is worth it (in either cost or a shorter vacation). Now that I've dashed hopes, I'll tell you why I think we're still better off staying at a value resort.

1. Value resort pools are still very nice pools. The theming isn't elaborate and they don't have water slides, however Disney's two water parks are amazing (one of them contains the world's largest wave pool). Visiting them daily isn't practical, but they'll be a nice change from the resort pools.
2. The refrigerators in moderate resort rooms are very tiny. There's a definite advantage to having one, but they're so small that it's not going to make much of a difference. Ice machines are available at all resorts, so it's still possible to keep a carton of milk or juice chilled, for example.
3. Not having a table-service restaurant isn't a big deal. The truth is, I wouldn't otherwise make reservations at any of the moderate resorts' table-service restaurants; they're not among Disney World's best. We'll still have access to an all-day/evening food court (and don't think school cafeteria food court; these are quite nice and have a great selection of food).
4. The cost savings of $67/night mean we can afford a longer stay, and to me, that's worth slightly-less-luxurious digs. Assuming we would stay 10-nights either way, we're looking at a cost-savings of $670 just by staying at a value instead of a moderate resort. 'Nuff said.

If anyone has any questions or concerns, as always, feel free to post on the message board on the top-left corner of the blog.