Possible moderate resort change in order to take advantage of new promo

[mickeystoontown]

Okay, listen up all you CSR and POR fans out there. We are Caribbean Beach fans through and through. For several years now, we've pondered moving to another moderate but always end up back at the CBR because we like it so much.

I was able to add the Disney Visa promo to our May, 2013 vacation and saved $637. My mother and daughter's reservations need to be changed now that the promo has been made public. I've called twice this morning to try and modify the reservations and each time the process starts, the computers go down and they aren't able to make the change. Others over on the Discount and Codes threads have been able to modify their reservations. My fear is that all rooms at the CBR will be taken by the time I am able to get through.

If I have to change moderates, I'll have to chose between Port Orleans Riverside and Coronado Springs because the percentage off at Port Orleans French Quarter is just 5%.

So, I went over to the CSR page to reconfirm (we already knew about it) that there is a convention there for two of our nights. I'm thinking that since the convention ends on a Thursday some conventioners will be bringing along their families and will stay through the weekend. I went to the company's website to see how many attendees they had planned for and found this:

Fusion is the IFO's (Institute of Financial Operations) flagship event, with over 2,000 attendees and five days of breakout sessions, thought-leader sessions, keynotes, and networking opportunities covering the full spectrum of financial operations, including AP, AR, automation, and procure-to-pay and BPM.

According to the convention schedule, it looks like most events will be ending at around 4:00 or so.

There's also one evening that they are going to have a block party and someone posted that it would require the beach being blocked off for the evening.

The over 2,000 part scares the bejeezers out of us. I'm wondering how many of those attendees will be staying at the CSR and how much of an impact it would make on a stay there. I figure a large number of those folks will bring their families along too and that will add to the crowd there.

BUT, since there are only a certain number of rooms blocked off for the convention would it really matter? Do the convention goers (even those not staying at the CSR) have full use of the resort while there?

Now, over to the POR questions. We are from Louisiana and I'm not quite sure that we would appreciate the "vibe" of the resort since it's something we see every day.

If we were to get put in an Alligator Bayou room, I know that we wouldn't have enough storage room. I would absolutely not want to be put in one of those rooms.

However, we do like to go to Downtown Disney and it'd be nice to take the boat over.

I've heard that the two Port Orleans resorts sometimes share bus transportation. Have any of you been mid to late May who can share their experiences?


Thanks in advance!

 

[Sue M]

I would get out of Dodge and switch resorts. That is one big convention sounds like.
I understand about you being from Louisiana and going to POR, but we are from the Pacific NW, and love WL. It's a resort, so different, IMO.

POR mansion section is our fav resort. Have had 3 stays there, in Aug and January. I think the busses run well 99% of the time. No mater what resort, you may have the occas. Glitch.

You can put in a room request for the mansion section. Either Acadian House or Magnolia Terrace near the bridge to Old Man Island are great locations, and we like the bus stops behind these buildings. Depending on what park you go to, they can be the last pick up, and you go straight to the park.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I would get out of Dodge and switch resorts. That is one big convention sounds like.
I understand about you being from Louisiana and going to POR, but we are from the Pacific NW, and love WL. It's a resort, so different, IMO.

POR mansion section is our fav resort. Have had 3 stays there, in Aug and January. I think the busses run well 99% of the time. No mater what resort, you may have the occas. Glitch.

You can put in a room request for the mansion section. Either Acadian House or Magnolia Terrace near the bridge to Old Man Island are great locations, and we like the bus stops behind these buildings. Depending on what park you go to, they can be the last pick up, and you go straight to the park.

The number of conventioners is what scares me so badly. I've heard that most conventioners are busy during the day so it doesn't have much of an impact but I can't seem to wrap my head around that.

I tried calling Disney Travel at lunch and held for almost 30 minutes before I had to give up.

 

[grimley1968]

We stayed at CSR during a convention. It's not an experience I wish to repeat. It didn't affect the bus transportation at all, and only affected pool usage slightly (during the daylight hours), but it was a NIGHTMARE trying to get something to eat at the quick service buffet restaurant.

I'd check with POR. The pool isn't as spectacular there as at CSR, but it's still nice. It also has a very nice relaxed atmosphere. Yes, it shares bus transportation with POFQ, but POFQ only has one stop, so it's not a big deal usually. That boat ride over to DtD is awesome. Very relaxing and convenient.

I wouldn't worry too much about the theming being too familiar to you already. I live next to the Daniel Boone National Forest, see more trees on my commute than probably 95% of the U.S. population, yet we love Wilderness Lodge, and a lot of that is due specifically to the theming. Go figure.

 

[mickeystoontown]

We stayed at CSR during a convention. It's not an experience I wish to repeat. It didn't affect the bus transportation at all, and only affected pool usage slightly (during the daylight hours), but it was a NIGHTMARE trying to get something to eat at the quick service buffet restaurant.

I'd check with POR. The pool isn't as spectacular there as at CSR, but it's still nice. It also has a very nice relaxed atmosphere. Yes, it shares bus transportation with POFQ, but POFQ only has one stop, so it's not a big deal usually. That boat ride over to DtD is awesome. Very relaxing and convenient.

I wouldn't worry too much about the theming being too familiar to you already. I live next to the Daniel Boone National Forest, see more trees on my commute than probably 95% of the U.S. population, yet we love Wilderness Lodge, and a lot of that is due specifically to the theming. Go figure.

My 79 year old mother will be spending a good bit of time at the resort and will eat in the food court more than the rest of the family. I'd hate for her to have to stand in line forever even with the new menu change.

I always thought that I'd love the theming of the Wilderness Lodge and even booked a stay there which we ended up canceling and rebooking at the CBR. We have since visited the Lodge several times and the theming doesn't "wow" me like I thought it would. Could be because we live in a log home.

 

[grimley1968]

My 79 year old mother will be spending a good bit of time at the resort and will eat in the food court more than the rest of the family. I'd hate for her to have to stand in line forever even with the new menu change.

To me, that makes POR even more attractive. It is the only moderate resort that has a full service restaurant in addition to the food court, or she could easily go over to POFQ (by boat or walking) to their food court. Lots of options there, not to mention DtD's food options.

 

[EpcotBill]

To me, that makes POR even more attractive. It is the only moderate resort that has a full service restaurant in addition to the food court, or she could easily go over to POFQ (by boat or walking) to their food court. Lots of options there, not to mention DtD's food options.

CBR has a full service restaurant and a food court. CSR has a full service restaurant and the Pepper Market. POFQ is the only Mod that doesn't have a full service restaurant.

 

[mickeystoontown]

To me, that makes POR even more attractive. It is the only moderate resort that has a full service restaurant in addition to the food court, or she could easily go over to POFQ (by boat or walking) to their food court. Lots of options there, not to mention DtD's food options.

CBR has a full service restaurant and a food court. CSR has a full service restaurant and the Pepper Market. POFQ is the only Mod that doesn't have a full service restaurant.

The full service restaurant isn't a big draw for us. In all of our 8 stays at the CBR, we have never eaten at Shutter's. But, a good food court is pretty important.

Am I remembering correctly that someone on the Port Orleans board posted pictures of a few hammocks being installed recently? My mother likes little out of the way sitting areas.

 

[EpcotBill]

The full service restaurant isn't a big draw for us. In all of our 8 stays at the CBR, we have never eaten at Shutter's. But, a good food court is pretty important.

Am I remembering correctly that someone on the Port Orleans board posted pictures of a few hammocks being installed recently? My mother likes little out of the way sitting areas.

Yes, POR has added some hammocks.

ETA: go to http://www.portorleans.org/news.php. Scroll down about 1/4 page for info and a picture of one of the hammocks.

 

[MADnNOLA]

Okay, listen up all you CSR and POR fans out there. We are Caribbean Beach fans through and through. For several years now, we've pondered moving to another moderate but always end up back at the CBR because we like it so much.

I was able to add the Disney Visa promo to our May, 2013 vacation and saved $637. My mother and daughter's reservations need to be changed now that the promo has been made public. I've called twice this morning to try and modify the reservations and each time the process starts, the computers go down and they aren't able to make the change. Others over on the Discount and Codes threads have been able to modify their reservations. My fear is that all rooms at the CBR will be taken by the time I am able to get through.

If I have to change moderates, I'll have to chose between Port Orleans Riverside and Coronado Springs because the percentage off at Port Orleans French Quarter is just 5%.

So, I went over to the CSR page to reconfirm (we already knew about it) that there is a convention there for two of our nights. I'm thinking that since the convention ends on a Thursday some conventioners will be bringing along their families and will stay through the weekend. I went to the company's website to see how many attendees they had planned for and found this:

Fusion is the IFO's (Institute of Financial Operations) flagship event, with over 2,000 attendees and five days of breakout sessions, thought-leader sessions, keynotes, and networking opportunities covering the full spectrum of financial operations, including AP, AR, automation, and procure-to-pay and BPM.

According to the convention schedule, it looks like most events will be ending at around 4:00 or so.

There's also one evening that they are going to have a block party and someone posted that it would require the beach being blocked off for the evening.

The over 2,000 part scares the bejeezers out of us. I'm wondering how many of those attendees will be staying at the CSR and how much of an impact it would make on a stay there. I figure a large number of those folks will bring their families along too and that will add to the crowd there.

BUT, since there are only a certain number of rooms blocked off for the convention would it really matter? Do the convention goers (even those not staying at the CSR) have full use of the resort while there?

Now, over to the POR questions. We are from Louisiana and I'm not quite sure that we would appreciate the "vibe" of the resort since it's something we see every day.

If we were to get put in an Alligator Bayou room, I know that we wouldn't have enough storage room. I would absolutely not want to be put in one of those rooms.

However, we do like to go to Downtown Disney and it'd be nice to take the boat over.

I've heard that the two Port Orleans resorts sometimes share bus transportation. Have any of you been mid to late May who can share their experiences?


Thanks in advance!

I can understand your reservations about staying at CSR. Like you, I shied away from POR/POFQ because of the "norm" I wanted to be away from. (Although I will admit they look like beautiful resorts!)

I was booked in ASMovies, but made the upgrade today to CSR because of the great discount offered. There are not any conventions during my stay dates in April, so I don't have the concerns.

2000 attendees is a large group, but knowing the hotel industry here in NOLA, many of those attending will not all be on the property. And the convention rooms are concentrated to the Casitas - close to the convention center.

That being said, and reading what I did above, the food court may be a mess during the evenings (I would think lunch might be provided at least some days in the convention).

I am not sure if you have checked out Buzz 2001 site, but it might give you a better feel for the property and how a convention is handled during higher vacationer's occupancy. If anything, call CSR directly and discuss your concerns. I am sure they would be willing to offer some advice.

Hopefully this helps some!

 

[mickeystoontown]

I can understand your reservations about staying at CSR. Like you, I shied away from POR/POFQ because of the "norm" I wanted to be away from. (Although I will admit they look like beautiful resorts!)

I was booked in ASMovies, but made the upgrade today to CSR because of the great discount offered. There are not any conventions during my stay dates in April, so I don't have the concerns.

2000 attendees is a large group, but knowing the hotel industry here in NOLA, many of those attending will not all be on the property. And the convention rooms are concentrated to the Casitas - close to the convention center.

That being said, and reading what I did above, the food court may be a mess during the evenings (I would think lunch might be provided at least some days in the convention).

I am not sure if you have checked out Buzz 2001 site, but it might give you a better feel for the property and how a convention is handled during higher vacationer's occupancy. If anything, call CSR directly and discuss your concerns. I am sure they would be willing to offer some advice.

Hopefully this helps some!

I actually asked some questions directly to that site and was told that they set up additional tables/stations at the Pepper Market to accommodate the extra crowd. Still, I don't know that that helps to calm my nerves. I hadn't thought about calling the CSR and talking with them. Thanks!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Yes, POR has added some hammocks.

It's good to know that I'm not completely losing my mind. I thought I remembered seeing pictures. Now, I just have to track them down.

 

[EpcotBill]

It's good to know that I'm not completely losing my mind. I thought I remembered seeing pictures. Now, I just have to track them down.

Lisa, I edited my previous post with a link to the hammock picture.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Lisa, I edited my previous post with a link to the hammock picture.

Thank you! Thank you! If I can ever get my boss outta here, I'll get back on the phone with Disney and make our final decision.

 

[grimley1968]

I actually asked some questions directly to that site and was told that they set up additional tables/stations at the Pepper Market to accommodate the extra crowd. Still, I don't know that that helps to calm my nerves. I hadn't thought about calling the CSR and talking with them. Thanks!

It may be that they put out extra tables to accommodate the crowds, but that wasn't really the problem for us when we stayed there during a convention. The problem was an incredible bottleneck just trying to get past a cashier and then going to get lunch. We saw plenty of empty tables, but after waiting 15 minutes one day and not budging in the line full of conventioneers, we decided to just grab lunch in the park that day. That's the last we tried Pepper Market.