I am this close to booking my return to the mouse, and whilst my oven cleaner was working its magic (and by that I don’t mean James but the stuff I put on it to clean it) I was busy pricing up a multitude of different holiday options. I tried different departure dates, different length of stay, different resorts; don’t get me wrong I adore Port Orleans French Quarter and would go back there in a heartbeat but by changing to a value we could save £500 on the holiday or upgrading to a deluxe resort is only £90 more each I am now in a dilemma about what to do!?!?!? 😬 Part of me would be very interested to read some reviews of each resort but then again as we don’t all like the same things how can they be relevant so what I thought I would do instead was look at what the differences were between value, moderate and deluxe in Disney’s eyes; get me being all practical (this doesn’t take into account some of Disney’s DVC resorts or the Swan and Dolphin which are located on property but run by other businesses) So what are the differences……. Value is the cheapest of Disney’s categories (you’d never have guessed) and there are 5 value resorts which all have larger than life theming, there is no sit down dining at the values but there is a food court offering a variety of quick service options. Their pools are good but unlike a moderate or deluxe you won’t find a water slide, value resorts can have in excess of 2500 rooms, so at times can feel very busy

Theming at Art of Animation (value)

There are 5 moderate resorts (this category includes Fort Wilderness Campground and Cabins) the rooms are slightly larger than those found at a value (as are the beds at the value you have double and at the moderates they are queen beds; are you listening James – THE BEDS ARE BIGGER!). Some but not all will have a table service restaurant as well as a food court; their pools will have slides and a big difference is the theming which isn’t so in your face Disney. As for location, they are invariably closer to the theme parks than a value would be

Walkway to the pool at French Quarter (moderate)

And then there are the 8 deluxe resorts, these all have a theme park location; there are 4 Magic Kingdom ones, 3 Epcot and ! Animal Kingdom; and with the exception of Animal Kingdom Lodge either have boat, monorail transport to their respective closest park or are within easy walking distance. The average room at a deluxe will normally be about 400q feet, so if you like your space this is a great selling point. There are multiple dining locations including table service, quick service and grab and go and their pools will have slides and probably a water play area; the Yacht and Beach Club share a pool which has its own lazy river!!! (But just in case you were thinking of popping over you have to present your resort magic band to enter the fenced pool area)

The Contemporary (Deluxe)

So, has this helped me make my decision? Nope, as with everything there are pros and cons – value resorts offer a great price and amazing theming but can be busy, moderates have a more understated theming and can seem less hectic and then deluxe…..well who knows as I have never stayed in one yet!!!! (But maybe I should, purely for research purposes) Until next week xxxx

I supposedly have a grand plan – as we all know I left my job last week and I wanted to take some time out to get my head in the right place before starting my search for a new job and this is my excuse for the fact that I have spent most of this week playing on my Wii, walking and catching up on my podcasts and generally not thinking about much and I can honestly say I have thoroughly enjoyed it (although I could have done with a lot more sleep than I have managed!)

There just seems to be one flaw in the plan…..hmmmm now what could that be???? Is it that I just fancy being a lady of leisure; tempting but no I think I would drive not only myself mad but James as well (well madder than we both already are). Its more to the point that I would rather be planning a holiday than persuading myself that someone would want to employ me!

The thing is I did start looking for a job this week (this wasn’t in the plan) and actually applied for one and now the recruitment company I used keep sending me emails; todays one was interview questions you shouldn’t be scared of. Number 3, tell about your interests – this would be when I start to panic; how do I tell them about my love for Disney without sounding like a complete nerd? Ok, so I am a Disney nerd and in my head I think everyone else should feel that same way that I do but I know that’s not the case (what is wrong with these people, what is there not to love?)

Nerds Rock! Especially Disney Nerds

But anyway back to the thought about planning a holiday, we have talked about this quite a lot after all doesn’t it seem rude to go applying for a job and then be like oh by the way I have holiday booked but having worked in HR and done recruitment I know that it is normally standard (although not a given) that a new employer would honour this

And then we go back to previous posts where I have said we wouldn’t be going back this year but I feel myself missing it more nearly every day; yes I know I am not helping myself by having WDW on my Facebook and Twitter feeds or listening to podcasts about Disney but it makes me smile so I’m going to do it

The other thing I have done this week is go through the photos on my computer as I now have a shiny new one and wanted to make sure I kept everything – oh my goodness how many pictures of Cinderella’s castle is too many? I also found some amazing pictures that we have taken including this one across World Showcase Lagoon at Sunset when we were staking out our spot for Illuminations (must have been at least an hour and a half before it started but we had a seat and a properly unobstructed view)

I’m off to look through my pictures and then maybe – just maybe as tomorrow is a new day I will find my dream job or my dream holiday! xxx