First Moderate Stay

[BebopBaloo]

..in about 14 years... Obviously, a lot has changed in that amount of time. I'm planning ahead for fall 2010. I've read a lot of FAQ threads and other resort vs resort threads, and I think I've narrowed it down to two mods. However, before I say which, and why..I'd LOVE to hear what your FAVORITE mod is and why.

I want to know:

Rooms - Why?

Food Court - Why?

CMs - Why?

Bus routine (lay out and how many stops)

Resort Grounds/Theme - Why?


Give me the good,the bad, the magic that made it fantastic.

 

[bobbie68]

Our Favorite is CSR. We stayed there this September and are going back in Sept. 2010.

The resort grounds are beautiful, it is very clean and lots of variety. I like that it is in a circle along the lake. It may seem big but it really is not and you can see one side of the resort while on another.

The bus transportation is great, we waited minimal time and there are plenty of bus stops to choose from.

The CM's were nice and did their job. We enjoyed the Pepper Market (food court.) The food is good and they are accommodating for food allergies.

The rooms are great. They have just been renovated and have queen beds.

The pool area is awesome. The pool and the hot tub are huge and they have the best water slide on the properties.

I hope this helps good luck deciding.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

We have stayed at all of them and our favorite is CBR, followed closely by POR.

CBR has the largest rooms and the most storage area in the bathroom and is the only moderate with Disney themed rooms. The new pools are the best! The CM's are very nice and helpful. Bus service has been excellent and the food court is big and has lots of choices. We love the spacious beautiful grounds and the relaxing tropical feel. We love being able to watch IllumiNations from a hammock on the white sand beach by the lake.

POR is great too. The CM's are great and the pool is a lot of fun. The bus service was very good. The food court is great with lots of choices. Piano Bob is a blast!

POFQ was very nice, but just not for us. We prefer a more spread out resort with more elaborate theming.

We did not have a good experience with CSR and didn't find it very family friendly.

Good luck!

 

[KatMark]

We've only stayed at one and that is the Coronado (eight times). The POFQ used to be on our list as the "only other moderate" we would choose, but I think after visiting the POFQ in September and seeing how small the pool and hot tub were (and no quiet pools), that POR would probably be our second choice.

We love (as did our kids when they were young and traveled with us) everything about the Coronado (CSR). We've had outstanding CM's on every visit, love the new queen beds/decor of the rooms, the Dig Site Pool with the Jaguar Slide (at ages 50+ DH and I often go down the slide), the sand volleyball court, three quiet pools, largest hot tub of all the moderates, the fitness center/spa, the lush landscaping, walking around the lake at night or through the courtyards of the Casitas. Yes, it is a "convention" resort and people tend to think it is not "family oriented" but as I said our kids loved it and there are several recent reviews of people with young kids who have stayed and it has now become their home as well. And being a convention resort, it often leaves the pool and buses emptier because the convention people are in meetings.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of them, but CSR is our "home away from home" (we love it more than the Poly).

 

[puffkin]

I have stayed at all 4 and rank them in this order:

POFQ
POR (Alligator Bayou side, I don't like the mansions)
CSR
CBR

POFQ- Liked the small size of the resort and overall theming. Food court was small but close and adequate. Pool was perfect size for my toddler. Liked being the first bus stop. Boat to Downtown Disney was really nice. Beignets (need I say more).

POR- Like the overall theming of the resort. Best food court of the mods. Never had a problem with busses here. Liked the quiet pools and the main pool. Bob Jackson is great. Enjoy the boat. Really great resort gift shop.

CSR- Loved the larger rooms and queen beds. No problems with transportation. Thought the resort was too big and not as family oriented. HATED the Pepper Market and how expensive it is. Just not a convenient resort.

CBR- Resort is HUGE and spread out. Hate the whole check in process there (in a separate building from the rest of the resort). We thought the busses here took forever. HATED the food court. I love the tropical theme (Poly is my favorite) but just didn't like this resort. It felt to Florida generic (similar to so many of the condo complexes offsite).

 

[BebopBaloo]

The responses have been great so far! Keep'em coming! Thanks everyone!

 

[Sue M]

We have stayed at CBR (Jamaica) and POR (Mansions- Mag. Terrace)
I liked both very much.
I liked having quiet pools, for that quick dip, my dds are older and don't really need to go to maim pool every time.
I love the theming, and landscapping at both resorts.

CBR:
Jamaica- great location without paying preferred, close to quiet pool, bus stop, and bridge to main pool, food etc.
Loved the beaches and esp the hammocks. We like to come back to resort for mid day break.
Food court, bus service, CMs, mousekeeping were all good. No complaints about this resort!

POR:
I prefer the theming of mansion section. Another great location in Magnolia Terrace- next to quiet pool, bus, bridge over to main buildings.
Loved the boat to DTD, evening entertainment in River Roost Lounge. Bob Jackson puts on a great show. I think the food court was nicer here although nothing wrong with CBR food court.
Again, food court, bus service, CMs and mousekeeping were all good here to.

I actually like the multiple bus stops at moderates because there is always a bus stop close by! I like the spread out buildings because it doesn't give you that crowded feeling, and is very peaceful.

So IMHO, although I like both these resorts, I feel POR gives you a tad extra with DTD boat Carriage Rides, and entertainment.

I didn't choose POFQ, because no quiet pools! And smaller food court. CSR theme doesn't appeal to me.

Good luck with your planning.

 

[figmentfan0724]

we have stayed at POR and CBR. We love POR and if we weren't DVC members would probably be staying there more often.


POR- overall beautiful resort, amazing food court, probably the best on property in my opinion. never had an issue with buses at all. CM are amazing very friendly!

CBR- I agree this resort is HUGE. It is very beautiful and we loved the nemo themed room when we stayed there. didn't care for the food court or how diffucult it was to get there if you weren't in a prime room lacation.

 

[MissBritt]

We stayed at POR for the first time last week and loved it! The grounds and buildings were beautiful, room was very nice, food court had tons of options, and the buses ran frequently. Buses stop at POFQ first, then pick up at the 4 POR depots, S, W, N, E.

We walked through POFQ and ate breakfast in the food court, but were not impressed. I don't see us staying there. The other 2 we have not set foot on, but I have a coworker who will only stay CBR.

 

[BebopBaloo]

I appreciate all of the feedback that has been given. I'd love to hear more! Hype up your favorite mod!

(Or...tell me why All Star Music would be better...that's another one I'm considering, as we have enjoyed stays at AS Sports and AS Movies.)

 

[abubu919]

..in about 14 years... Obviously, a lot has changed in that amount of time. I'm planning ahead for fall 2010. I've read a lot of FAQ threads and other resort vs resort threads, and I think I've narrowed it down to two mods. However, before I say which, and why..I'd LOVE to hear what your FAVORITE mod is and why.

I want to know:

Rooms - Why?

Food Court - Why?

CMs - Why?

Bus routine (lay out and how many stops)

Resort Grounds/Theme - Why?


Give me the good,the bad, the magic that made it fantastic.

I love POFQ! Rooms are wonderful, usually about the same as any other moderate except CSR because of the Queen beds there. Food court is wonderful, mainly because of selection and because I love the beignets CM every time I am there are wonderful. Very quaint resort and small in size along with transportation to DTD, you can't go wrong. Everyone is willing to help and everytime we stay there our rooms are cleaned spotless. Bus routine is not bad, POFQ is the first stop then usually off to POR to those stops. Although I have been on buses where they haven't stopped at POR so it depends. I just love the theme of New Orleans, pool is wonderful and I used to stay there all the time when I was little so that is probably why I am a little biased to this resort Good luck with decision

 

[yaddo121]

Well my favorite is POFQ with POR a close second.

Rooms - Why? -- Our family is small (3 people) so basically any resort room feels 'roomy' to us ;-) When DS was younger I appreciated the privacy curtain because there was enough room for us to put the pack n' play behind the curtain and not disturb DS by watching TV or having the lights on. Our rooms have always been clean and pleasant. On the POR side I do prefer the 'Mansions' decor to the Alligator Bayou interiors but either way we've always been comfortable.

Food Court - Why? -- I know the one thing Dh prefers about the POFQ is that they have biscuits and gravy lol! The nice thing with POFQ/POR is that if you don't like what they have at one food court you can simply walk to the other food court and eat there instead. We tend to eat at off-times (we are not a rope drop family lol!) so we've never really experienced a crowd at the food court.

CMs - Why? -- Every CM we've talked to or interacted with was polite, friendly, and helpful. Mousekeeping has always done a great job and even when we have left the privacy tab in the door they brought us more towels, soap, shampoo, etc. (FTR, this has been the case at any Disney resort we have stayed at, not just the mods).

Bus routine (lay out and how many stops) -- POFQ has one bus stop and as I'm sure people have pointed out or you've read about how the theme park buses stop there first. POFQ and POR each have their own MK buses and the last time I was there (October) the Hollywood Studios buses were also split (meaning the POFQ bus only went to the one resort stop and then to the park). I don't know if that was something they were just trying out....it was the first time that I noticed that. There's also the boat to Downtown Disney which is always a nice break.

Resort Grounds/Theme - Why? -- I love the New Orleans-ish theme of POFQ and the resort is small enough that I don't feel like it's a trek to get anywhere. We've stayed in every building except 2 (it always eludes us lol!) and never had more than a 5 minute walk to get to the pool, lobby, food court, bus stop. DS is only 4 and not a very strong swimmer so the pool suits him just fine. Everything is centrally located so we appreciate that.

I don't think you can go wrong no matter which one you pick Good luck and I hope you have a wonderful trip no matter what resort you choose!

 

[MissBritt]

first. POFQ and POR each have their own MK buses and the last time I was there (October) the Hollywood Studios buses were also split (meaning the POFQ bus only went to the one resort stop and then to the park).

We stayed at POR last week and shared a bus with POFQ to and from every park, every time.

 

[Poohbug]

Every time I have stayed at POFQ we have shared buses also.

I will never stay at POR again-just personally did not like it at all. I did like POFQ tho.

 

[yaddo121]

We stayed at POR last week and shared a bus with POFQ to and from every park, every time.

Interesting. Maybe the holiday rush? More buses, more people so they combine resources? I've never shared a bus to MK with POR -- even last Christmas when we stayed there.

 

[KatMark]

Interesting. Maybe the holiday rush? More buses, more people so they combine resources? I've never shared a bus to MK with POR -- even last Christmas when we stayed there.

Or it could be the cutbacks as well.

 

[yaddo121]

Or it could be the cutbacks as well.

LOL...right after I posted I realized "Duh! More cutbacks" If the lights at Epcot couldn't even make the cut I could absolutely see them cutting back bus service as well.

 

[MissBritt]

Well the crowds were low and the buses empty until Friday when we went to MK. Bus came from POFQ already half full at 8 am, and another at 815 half full.

 

[Sweet Melissa]

Interesting. Maybe the holiday rush? More buses, more people so they combine resources? I've never shared a bus to MK with POR -- even last Christmas when we stayed there.

I've stayed at French Quarter once before, on a late October/early November trip in 2007, and we shared buses with Riverside the entire time, for every park. I've read others write that they did not share buses and assumed that the resorts got their own transportation during peak season only. That seems to no longer be the case if the resorts are sharing buses on Christmas week, though.

To answer the OP: I've only stayed at French Quarter and Caribbean Beach, and while the rooms at CBR are slightly larger, I wouldn't return there. The resort is far too spread out for my liking after I was spoiled by the intimacy of the grounds at POFQ. We're going back in two weeks for our second stay at French Quarter. It has all to do with the small size of the resort and the grounds. I also like that there is boat access to Downtown Disney from the Port Orleans resorts. Any alternative transportation to the buses is a bonus, IMO.

 

[Colleen27]

We've stayed at POR and CBR, and of the two, CBR is my hands-down favorite.

We had bus issues at POR and didn't care for how long the ride was once we did finally get on, particularly since we encountered a lot of standing-room-only buses by the time they got to our stop. For our stay, it was free dining and the resort was fully booked, but still sharing buses with POFQ which was ALWAYS the first stop. The bus service at CBR was really great during our stay; we never waited long and because the resort is more centrally located none of the rides are very long.

The pools at POR are smaller and not as much fun in my kids' opinion, and since we swim nearly every day even on winter trips, the pool complex at CBR is a HUGE plus. My kids weren't impressed with the slide at POR at 4 & 7, so I don't imagine they'd care much for it now at 8 & 11, and the kiddie pool there is pretty lame. The slides at CBR, on the other hand, are better for a range of ages - the splash pad area has slides our toddler enjoyed, our middle child liked the shorter of the slides in the main pool, and even our daredevil oldest had fun on the bigger slide in the main pool. Also, the beach entry is a big plus with a toddler, because she was able to sit in an area where she was comfortable, splash a little with me, and still keep an eye on the bigger kids.

The rooms at CBR are bigger as well, though I really don't think the pirate rooms feel it with the larger furniture. We were in a pirate room, which isn't something we'll do again because the theme isn't worth the bad location IMO, but my mom had a Nemo (standard) room and it felt a LOT bigger than ours.

I also like that at CBR, we can book a preferred room next time and know that we'll be close to the main building. At POR, it is just a matter of luck with room assignment.

I have no interest in going back to POR or staying at POFQ; the location and the pools just don't do it for me, especially now with Pleasure Island gone and us skipping Downtown Disney completely on most trips. I would like to try CSR eventually, but CBR will certainly be our moderate of choice at least until our youngest is bigger and the zero-entry pool and splash pad aren't such a big draw.