Elizabeth:
The closest resorts in each of those categories to Hollywood Studios are:
- Values: Pop Century
- Moderate: Caribbean Beach Resort
- Deluxe: Beach Club
If money is taken out of the equation, Beach Club gets my vote. It's a boat-ride from the Studios, or a 12-minute walk. Because Star Wars Weekends are in the summer, its pool is probably one of the best on property, with one of the most exciting slides, sandy bottoms to its pool and a zero entry sandbar/pool. The rooms are spacious, the resort has a Character Breakfast, the lights of the Boardwalk shine in the distance, and the resort offers a Disney movie each night outside while Illuminations at Epcot plays in the distance.
With all that said, if money
does enter your equation, the pirate rooms at Caribbean Beach Resort come in a close second, complete with ship beds and carpets that look like plank flooring. Its pool is the best-themed of the moderates (and beats a few deluxes) and sports a water-play area. You do have to take buses to every park and the buses have multiple stops at the resort, however, the cost difference (that could pay for transportation for your vacation probably) is worth consideration.
A compromise might be the Swan & Dolphin hotels located near the Beach Club and on the same boat route as BC. Although their pool isn't as themed as Caribbean Beach Resort's, my kids still remember it after visiting at the same age as your children. The rooms take a little longer to reach because these are such large hotels (the Dolphin is bigger than the Swan), so hassle could be relative. But its price may be closer to CBR.
If you stayed at any of these three, I think you and your kids would have a memorable Disney vacation!
Whitney