The kids I saw in the JW pool were having a great time. (they belonged to one of my boss's so... I don't think the fact that Mickey wasn't at the hotel really bothered them LOL!) They seemed to be having a "kid experience" to me. There were kid games etc going on at the JW. They seemed to be motivated to entertain the kids I saw.
If you are going to recommend Disney hotels IMHO you have to give the disclaimer. You are paying for "cute", "location" and MAYBE some of the benefits mentioned above. (However, the "card from the character" is not standard and may very well NOT happen so don't get excited about that) As I said, that's fine, but I find lots of folks very disappointed when they pay "Ritz" prices and get "Fairfield" quality.