CBR vs. POR

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

I'm putting together plans for a Dec. 2009 trip to WDW. I thought I would give Caribbean Beach Resort another try, while the temps. are cooler and thought we'd find it more enjoyable than the heat and humidity of late August.

Anyway, DD has already protested. She'd like to stay somewhere different next time. We've already stayed at All Star Movies and Pop Century, and a deluxe resort is out of our price range.

I think I like the Port Orleans Riverside resort. The "mansion" guest rooms and buildings look lovely. I would like to request the Oak Manor building, but are those rooms "preferred"? (I haven't gotten around to looking that up yet) The Alligator Bayou rooms are okay, just more of a rustic feel that doesn't appeal to me right now.

How do the rooms and amenities at POR compare to those at CBR?
What about transportation around the resort and to/from the parks? Is it as bad a CBR?

 

[REL1203]

POR has 4 or 5 bus stops, but also shares witht he tiny resort POFQ, so busses can get crowded. I am staying at POR in Early June for the first time

 

[KELSTER]

The mansions aren't preferred, only the water views are.

We love POR and POFQ and can't wait to go again in Sept.

 

[hogwartsdropout]

We love POR, it is a beautiful resort. The mansions are our favourites too.

 

[BamaFan121s]

I really like both resorts. But there are a few differences to consider:

--The biggest difference I have noticed in the rooms is there is more storage space at CBR then at POR: At CBR, you have a bench with a big drawer to store things in. You just have a bench, no drawer at POR. Also, you have pedestal sinks at POR--very little room for bathroom items compared to CBR where you have a counter and area underneath the sinks. Not that it matters to everyone, but we can tell a difference.

--I like CBR's bus system better--more bus stops so you are closer to them.

--POR has a much cooler main pool! (Not sure how it will compare after the CBR refurb.

--I like the fact that you can take a boat to DTD from POR. I LOATHE the buses to DTD. They take forever and you have to stop at TL in between. Plus, the boat ride is nice. (As long as it isn't packed and hot.)

 

[Dallas_Lady]

I haved stayed at both, and I like POR better, but you can't really go wrong at either. We stayed in the mansions at POR, and it was very nice. Very elegant feeling, I really liked it a lot. I loved being able to take the boat to DTD, it was a fun change of paces from the buses.

A lot of people complain about POR and POFQ sharing buses, but I really didn't think it was a big deal. POR has 4 bus stops and POFQ has 1. We also found that at park closings the two resorts did not share buses. One night we took the POFQ bus and walked to our room because their line was shorter.

CBR has 6 bus stops. We stayed in Jamaica (the first stop to be picked up) and I felt like it took forever to get out of the resort each morning. Though on the flip side, we were the first dropped off each night.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I enjoy both resorts. POR has the river, CBR has the lake. What I don't like about POR is the bus sharing situation. POFQ has about 1000 rooms, POR has 2048. CBR has a total of 2112 rooms. So you can see that when the two Port Orleans resorts share busses (which is a lot) you are going to have over 1000 more rooms worth of people using those busses. I will not stay at POR again unless I have a car. I also prefer the quiet pools at CBR more but think the POR food court is better. So really they are about even. It just comes down to a difference in theming and both resorts excel in theming, its just what you prefer.

The bus sharing thing is not a deal breaker but I know that when we stayed at POFQ during Christmas week, we shared all the time. Including a few nights. Which really surprised me. And why I won't stay at Riverside again without a car, is that many times that week we were at FQ, the bus had to drive right by the last POR stop as it was too full to load anymore passengers. I felt very sorry for those people. The time we stayed at Riverside we only used the busses to go to MK and only once did we not get to board the bus. After that, we walked over to the first bus stop to avoid that problem! If you have a car or go in knowing to allow plenty of time for bus issues, POR has no drawbacks that I can think of.

I always think trying a new resort is fun! But I have to say, we wanted the mansions section and got Alligator Bayou. We ended up loving our location and the theme of the room and buildings so it wasn't a problem. But if you have your heart set on mansions, you may be disappointed.

You can't make a bad choice!

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

I really like both resorts. But there are a few differences to consider:

--The biggest difference I have noticed in the rooms is there is more storage space at CBR then at POR: At CBR, you have a bench with a big drawer to store things in. You just have a bench, no drawer at POR. Also, you have pedestal sinks at POR--very little room for bathroom items compared to CBR where you have a counter and area underneath the sinks. Not that it matters to everyone, but we can tell a difference.

--I like CBR's bus system better--more bus stops so you are closer to them.

--POR has a much cooler main pool! (Not sure how it will compare after the CBR refurb.

--I like the fact that you can take a boat to DTD from POR. I LOATHE the buses to DTD. They take forever and you have to stop at TL in between. Plus, the boat ride is nice. (As long as it isn't packed and hot.)

In response to the bolded text quoted:

I noticed that about the sink area. I did like all of the space at CBR. At least there is a shelf above the pedestals at POR.

We stayed in Aruba. I guess we were in the middle of the route, so it felt like we were always on a bus.

Last year we had ADRs for Boma at 9:20pm during the first week of free dining. We had to take the bus to DTD in order to get back to CBR since all the parks were now closed. It was the worst wait for a bus I'd ever experienced with the stops for CBR, Pop and All Stars piling up on each other. We left AK around 10:30 and didn't get to our room until 12:30. The boat ride sounds so much better.

 

[kaffinito]

I've only stayed at POR, but I have a few observations - It looks like the rooms at CBR are larger than the ones at POR, and so would be a better fit for three or four people. It is also looks (like a previous poster said) that there is better storage in a CBR room.

Personally, I would have stayed at CBR both last year and this year because of the room size and the storage, but since I'm out of the room more than I'm in it, I booked POR and now POFQ. Lush green views and gorgeous scenery are important to me when I'm on vacation, and from the resort photos POR looks a lot more lush and well landscaped than CBR. Is this a fair observation?

Karen

 

[Amy&Dan]

I've only stayed at POR, but I have a few observations - It looks like the rooms at CBR are larger than the ones at POR, and so would be a better fit for three or four people. It is also looks (like a previous poster said) that there is better storage in a CBR room.

Personally, I would have stayed at CBR both last year and this year because of the room size and the storage, but since I'm out of the room more than I'm in it, I booked POR and now POFQ. Lush green views and gorgeous scenery are important to me when I'm on vacation, and from the resort photos POR looks a lot more lush and well landscaped than CBR. Is this a fair observation?

Karen

CBR rooms are just a bit bigger and somewhow that extra space did feel better for my family of four. Not in a huge way, but we take an airbed with us (have a boy and girl that can't sleep together) and that fit much nicer in our CBR room than in our POFQ room.

I think CBR is very lushley landscaped. Its tropical so there are tons of trees, grass, flowers and it feels like you are in your own little world away from everything else. I cannot say its better landscaped than POR since its a different type of landscaping however, its as lush and well done as POR imho. CSR is more a desert southwest theme, so that one didn't feel as lush. Although CSR's grounds are also lovely.

 

[kaffinito]

CBR rooms are just a bit bigger and somewhow that extra space did feel better for my family of four. Not in a huge way, but we take an airbed with us (have a boy and girl that can't sleep together) and that fit much nicer in our CBR room than in our POFQ room.

I think CBR is very lushley landscaped. Its tropical so there are tons of trees, grass, flowers and it feels like you are in your own little world away from everything else. I cannot say its better landscaped than POR since its a different type of landscaping however, its as lush and well done as POR imho. CSR is more a desert southwest theme, so that one didn't feel as lush. Although CSR's grounds are also lovely.

Wow! Thank you! Unfortunately though that may mean I have to switch resorts (again) I have a 16 year old and an 8 year old who can't sleep together either, and we have to go the air mattress route too.

Karen

 

[Amy&Dan]

Wow! Thank you! Unfortunately though that may mean I have to switch resorts (again) I have a 16 year old and an 8 year old who can't sleep together either, and we have to go the air mattress route too.

Karen

Don't change just because of that! I have used my twin sized airbed at the all the values and all the mods. It will fit at POR/POFQ just fine. It just fit a tad bit easier in the CBR room, that extra few square feet was probably the reason why!

 

[andrewilley]

Don't change just because of that! I have used my twin sized airbed at the all the values and all the mods. It will fit at POR/POFQ just fine. It just fit a tad bit easier in the CBR room, that extra few square feet was probably the reason why!

I wonder why it seems that way, as both resorts (and all the moderates, come to that) have the same quoted room square footage - 314 sq ft. I took a tape measure and measured our room at POR last time, but like an idiot I've lost the piece of paper now I come to look for it.

I'd agree that there should be no problem at all with fitting an airbed in at POR though - after all, you get a complete tundle bed provided in the Alligator Bayou section, and if that fits then an airbed certainly will.

Andre

 

[BamaFan121s]

I wonder why it seems that way, as both resorts (and all the moderates, come to that) have the same quoted room square footage - 314 sq ft.

I thought the CBR rooms were slightly bigger...?

 

[Dallas_Lady]

I thought the CBR rooms were slightly bigger...?

They are... but some sites you go to will say they are the same. CBR is 345, the other mods are 314. IMO, it was not a really noticeable difference.

 

[Jrabbit910]

My favorite mod (as of right now) is POR.. We stayed there for my DH birthday in the middle of November and the hotel was being decorated for Christmas (had somethings up but not all), it was just beautiful. We stayed at Parterre Place (room 9555) it was on the first floor and it was wonderful. There were fountains along the pathway & the walk to the main building wasnt more then 5 minutes. My DH had a quiet pool to himself almost all the time & I enjoyed walking from our hotel to POFQ... We never had any problem w/ the buses. They do get crowded at night but we expected it. I really cant say a bad thing about the place.

I really just think it comes down to what kind of decor you prefer.... The mansion style rooms are beautiful and I personally love them but I have seen some pics of the AB rooms and they are rustic and sweet as well.