Hi Barbara!
That's a tough question! Personally, I do think its worth the extra money to upgrade from a value resort to a moderate resort for a couple of main reasons:
- The moderate resorts include a refrigerator in the room as part of room package. At a value resort, there is a extra daily fee for a refrigerator rental if you'd like one.
- Pool Slides! My kids LOVE the water slides at the Disney moderate and deluxe resorts. We can spend hours at the pools enjoying the water and slides!
- Some of the moderates also have queen beds - a great bonus if you have to share your bed with a child (or even a hubby who likes to steal the covers)!
As for resort choices, in the value resort category, my recommendation is Pop Century. All of
the Disney resorts are great, but we enjoy Pop Century's theme and
layout. It also does not share buses with other value resorts as the All
Star resorts sometimes do.
My favorite resort in the moderate category is Port
Orleans French
Quarter. Our family really prefers the smaller size of this resort.
After a long park day, its nice to know that everything you need is just
a short walk away at your resort.
A couple of other great bonuses for Port
Orleans French Quarter are the boat transportation over to Downtown
Disney (great for meals, shopping, or even a trip to DisneyQuest) and
the ability to use the pool and amenities at Port Orleans Riverside.
Having this option might be fun - if you're planning a day or two
of downtime at your resort.
Port Orleans French Quarter recently went through a complete
refurbishment too (Queen beds too!).
Plus, don't forget to sample some of the beignets at Port Orleans French Quarter - YUM!
Hope this helps!