Ask Magically Speaking

In each issue we like to answer questions from you. What are your questions? Are you wondering about a certain attraction? Are you curious about a resort or cruise? Do you have some nagging little trivia question that you are just dying to know the answer to? If so, please send them to us. We have a great team of Disney experts and sleuths that would love to answer your questions! If you have a question, send it to us at magicallyspeaking@themouseforless.com.

Ask Magically Speaking is a regular feature in the Magically Speaking newsletter. The following Ask Magically Speaking was published in the April 23, 2007 issue
of Magically Speaking ISSN: 1556-3863

Q. I am starting to plan our first vacation to the Magic Kingdom. We want to pick a great Disney hotel. There are so many it is overwhelming! The Polynesian and Animal Lodge are out of our budget. Could you tell me something about the mid-range and low-range hotels? (Submitted by Valerie K)

A. Hi Valerie. I totally get that overwhelmed feeling. Understandable, as Walt Disney World has over 24,000 rooms at eighteen different resorts, though you do narrow it down to eight resorts by eliminating the Deluxe accommodations and Fort Wilderness. How to choose?

Let's start with the Values. The All Star Resorts (Movies, Music and Sports) and Pop Century have very similar amenities. These are the smallest rooms on property, but they have all you need for a comfortable night's sleep. The people that swear by the Values point out that with all there is to do at WDW, all you really need in a room is a place to lay your head down. Also, the theming of the Value resorts is over-the-top Disney. Kids love the huge icons decorating the Value landscape- all four Value resorts are eye-candy, if your taste tends toward colorful and fun. Just know that the Value rooms don't come with a coffee maker, and if you want a refrigerator it will cost you $10 a day. Pop Century is newer than the All-Stars, and does not share a bus. Besides that, picking between the Values is mostly a matter of taste. Which theme do you like best: Disney movies, sports, music, or nostalgia-through-the-decades.

Another Value option is the newer Family Suites at All Star Music accommodate six people, plus a child under three in a crib, and run between $179-$285 a night, making them slightly more expensive than a room at a Moderate resort, but with more living space. Click here for a look at the Family Suites.

There are also four Moderate resorts: Caribbean Beach Resort (CBR), Port Orleans French Quarter (POFQ), Port Orleans Riverside (POR), and the Coronado Springs Resort (CSR). The Moderates have more amenities than the Values: slightly larger rooms, bigger tables, a coffee maker and fridge and privacy curtains between the main room area and the bathroom area. All but the CSR rooms have two sinks in the vanity area. The pools at the Mods all have slides and hot tubs. All Moderate resorts except POFQ have a table service restaurant. Marina access and surrey bike rentals are further plusses of the Mods.

In my mind, each Moderate has its pull. POFQ is small and intimate, plus it's the first bus stop on the POFQ-POR circuit. POR is the best option for families of five, with their trundle-bed rooms in the Alligator Bayou section. CSR has the advantage of a fitness facility as well as a upgraded food court, the Pepper Market. CBR, well, honestly, as much as I love CBR's island theming, it's usually the one that gets short shrift of the Mods, because of its large size and status as the oldest of the four resorts.

It might help to read two past Magically Speaking articles on the Disney Moderate resorts, authored by Linda Norton, a travel agent with The Magic for Less. Here's where you'll find them:
Disney's Moderate Resorts- Part One
Disney’s Moderate Resorts- Part Two

If you've got a little free time, there are lots of current resort reviews on the TheMouseForLess resort review page. Check them out here.

Q. I will be staying at the Beach Club Villas for ten nights as a DVC renter. My five year old son and I will be there the whole ten nights, but my other two guests will switch in the middle of the week. I have a studio and can only have four people at a time. I want to purchase the dining plan for the whole ten nights. Would there be a problem using it for the other two guests once they switch? I know the plan will be on my card, but are their names attached or will it just be for whoever is there? Thanks in advance for your help. (Submitted by Donna N)

A. Donna, if I read your question correctly, you have one set of four people in your BCV studio for the first half of your vacation, and mid-way through two of the people are leaving, and two new ones are taking their place. I must say that officially, this is not allowed, unless you have two separate reservations. While that's a pain in the you-know-what, it's the only way to operate within the letter of the Disney law. Two reservations, of course, mean that you will lose your mid-vacation cleaning, plus you run the risk of having to pack up and switch studios. Unofficially, you may have a different experience, but as official answerers of Ask questions, we are obliged to tell you that the names on your keys should match the names of the key-carriers, and as such you should book two reservations. Have a great visit, Donna!