Thinking of switching moderate resorts...

[newfiegirl]

We are booked for Coronado Springs, however, my husband just spent the last hour reading online reviews and they are quite terrible. While there were many things that are concerning (ie., dingy rooms, small eating areas, very far walk to main building) the main concerning point is the buses. Long waits and not enough (many times reading about the 75 minute wait times). Anyway, now I think we will switch over to Caribbean Beach. How does this one fare in everyone's opinion here. I do realize we go down to smaller beds in the rooms, but I am more interested in the walk to buses, the distance to main building, and if wait times are as horrible as I am thinking the CSR is. I really need suggestions of what to do. The PORiverside and French Quarter are higher in price for our dates, so that's why I am ruling those out. I am also considering going back to a value resort. Oh what to do?????

 

[Princess Mckenna]

I love Coronado springs! We stayed last summer and had a great time. Rooms are great and MUCH nicer the carribean was always our favorite, but they are in need of serious remodeling. Both resorts are about the same in size. We were at Rancho in csr which must people hate because they think it is so far. We didnt think that at all. There is also an amazing breakfast Buffett that is considered a quick service credit! Highly recommend coronado springs!

 

[Fiveisaparty]

I haven't stayed there personally but my sil stayed there and liked it fine. Maybe try AoA? I have heard nothing but great things about it from my friends.

 

[Yellosno]

If close to everything is a priority I think it would be worth it to stay at POFQ. It is a really small resort that is well worth the price. I have only stayed at POP out of the ones in your poll and enjoyed it but we were put in the 90's and was a bit of a walk. My cousin just got back from CSR and she really enjoyed her stay, but she did say it was a really big resort. Hope this helped!

 

[Dis703]

I agree with pp if close to everything is your goal POFQ is probably your best option. As for buses honestly I've read horror stories about buses for every single resort at Disney. There seems to be such a wide variation in what people experience. When we went we shared a bus with POR and they were pretty slow, but then I'd read others who went and they never shared a bus with POR and thought the buses were awesome. It seems like almost a 50/50 split.

I think most if not all of these resorts have preferred room options though which are usually close to the food and buses.

 

[Julie711]

I have stayed at CBR 4x before and obviously love the resort! It is a large resort but love that because it doesn't fill full. Love the caribbean feel, music, landscaping, main pool area, gift shop & food court. We have stayed in the pirate rooms before which are the futherest from the main area and still walked it within a 6-8 min walk. We have never had any issue with bus system, longest we waited was maybe 15 minutes.

 

[katelyn321]

We've stayed at Coronado Springs two times. First time was in Casitas building 1, second time was in Cabanas building 8A. We LOVED Cabanas 8A. Not far from main pool or a quiet pool and we were very close to a bus stop. We never had long waits for the bus, bus service was outstanding both times we stayed there. We also stayed at POFQ three times. We like POFQ but would prefer Coronado if we had to choose again. We've never stayed at Pop or any of the values. Our last two trips were at Boardwalk. I'd have to say that Boardwalk had the worst bus service we have experienced anywhere yet but love being able to walk to Epcot and HS

 

[mara61]

Your going to get a lot of different preferences on this question.

We have stayed at all 4 resorts. In order of our preference.

1. POFQ
2. Coronado tie with PORS
3. CB

You couldn't pay us to stay at CB. Our stay there was that bad, but...it was when the cheer leaders were there. But it was dirty, the food court was horrible and the buses OH MY GOSH! We've also been to Jamaica and I think that also jaded us. Yes I know it's not the "real" thing, but..

If your husband is worried about busing, why would you do a value resort? As a disclaimer, no I have never stayed. We really enjoy the more subtle Disney decor of the mods and deluxe. After a day at the parks, not only we but our kids need to be able to not be bombarded with over the top Disney. They have also never asked to stay.

In regards to walking...How far does your husband feels is an acceptable distance to walk to catch a bus or go eat? Wait times? The wait times will depend on the season you go.

We have gone in January, February, May, September, October and November. The longest we have ever waited is 20 minutes at any resort. We have waited much longer at DTD.

My husband and I look at those walk times as time to chat about the plans for the day, or to chat about what we did for the day. We have two kids, even when they were in strollers it was never a hassle. Honestly I don't think our walk has taken even close to 10 minutes EVER.

Personally I hope you can come up with the difference to stay at POFQ because I am of that camp

 

[newfiegirl]

We really cannot stay at French Quarter because of price. We are at the top of out budget with CSR, but seriously thinking of going back to ASM because of the bussing situation and size or resort.

 

[mara61]

When are you going? I'm guessing you are still online, lol

 

[Dixiemom]

Have been to CSR and loved it. Hubby had to have a fitness center so that was one of the main reasons we booked it. The kids LOVED the pool! Pepper Market was great and so was the Maya Grill. Yes it is a large resort, but the walk around the lake was beautiful. We actually had a preferred location room but just liked walking We had our car so didn't take the buses with the exception of Magic Kingdom and had no problems. This trip was in 2010.

 

[Disneylover99]

We are booked for Coronado Springs, however, my husband just spent the last hour reading online reviews and they are quite terrible. While there were many things that are concerning (ie., dingy rooms, small eating areas, very far walk to main building) the main concerning point is the buses. Long waits and not enough (many times reading about the 75 minute wait times). Anyway, now I think we will switch over to Caribbean Beach. How does this one fare in everyone's opinion here. I do realize we go down to smaller beds in the rooms, but I am more interested in the walk to buses, the distance to main building, and if wait times are as horrible as I am thinking the CSR is. I really need suggestions of what to do. The PORiverside and French Quarter are higher in price for our dates, so that's why I am ruling those out. I am also considering going back to a value resort. Oh what to do?????

I personally wouldn't stay at CBR or CSR without paying for a preferred room because of the walking distance. At POFQ you would not need to pay for a preferred room because you would be close to everything. So before you rule out POFQ because of the price, I would compare the prices of preferred rooms at CBR and CSR to just a standard room at POFQ.

 

[newfiegirl]

staying at this resort June 25-July 3.

 

[mara61]

Do you have a discount, because unless I'm missing something POFQ is the same price as CB (standard view at $220/night). Riverside is a smidge more as is Corando.


A standard room at a couple DVC's are less than $200/night with renting points.

 

[dminnie]

We are booked for Coronado Springs, however, my husband just spent the last hour reading online reviews and they are quite terrible. While there were many things that are concerning (ie., dingy rooms, small eating areas, very far walk to main building) the main concerning point is the buses. Long waits and not enough (many times reading about the 75 minute wait times). Anyway, now I think we will switch over to Caribbean Beach. How does this one fare in everyone's opinion here. I do realize we go down to smaller beds in the rooms, but I am more interested in the walk to buses, the distance to main building, and if wait times are as horrible as I am thinking the CSR is. I really need suggestions of what to do. The PORiverside and French Quarter are higher in price for our dates, so that's why I am ruling those out. I am also considering going back to a value resort. Oh what to do?????

I think you've had a couple of other threads about your choice of CSR in the last few days. In answer of "what to do???", I'd say relax!!!! Wherever you choose to stay, you'll have a great time.

We stayed in Casitas 5 and were very close to the first bus stop(bus stop #2). This was close to the health club which was important to us and about 1/2 way from the main pool and El Centro. Many people really like Cabanas 8A. It's near the 3rd bus stop(stop #4) and a close walk to the pool and El Centro.

We have stayed at CBR, POR and CSR. CSR and POR are tied with us. CBR came in last. The biggest issue with CSR is how spread out it is, but you can just request a room near the things that are important to you. CSR really had a more deluxe feel to it and I liked that, especially since I can't see us justifying the cost of a deluxe hotel. Things that I thought really distinguished CSR from POR and CBR: duvet covers on beds, sliding door on bathroom for more privacy, nicer toiletries, more food choices(snack bar at pool, Pepper Market, Cafe Rix, Maya Grill), the main pool was great and it had the longest slide of any moderate, a very large hot tub, ping pong tables, volleyball nets, hammocks(CBR has them too), the only mod. with a fitness center(free), sauna (free) and spa services available(for a fee).
As far as the buses, we never waited more than 20 minutes and a couple of times we knew we had just missed our bus when we got there. I actually saw a bald eagle one day when I was waiting for the bus(that was WAY cool). We had zero issues with the bus. The resort is pretty much centrally located between AK, Epcot and DHS, so it wasn’t a very long ride either. One great thing about the buses there…at the parks, when you’re heading back to your resort at night, CSR is one of the VERY first ones(if not the first) buses you come to. It was a really nice touch at the end of a long day not to have to walk so far for the bus. I think they put it right up front to help cater to the business travelers. BTW, the conventioneers did not take away from the vacation feel of our stay in the least.

Many reviews of Disney hotels on-line are negative. I think you have to take them with a grain of salt. Many people forget that you do pay more for Disney hotels than many other chains…because of the location. They tend to write their review based on a hotel of the same cost somewhere else. CBR is on the bottom of our list of mods. right now, but we’ll move it up when they renovate the rooms. POR was just renovated last year, CSR and POFQ both had renovations recently. I didn’t think it was dingy at all(especially with the duvet covers instead of icky bedspreads).

 

[Chipmunklove]

My teenage daughter and I stayed at Coronado Springs last year during Spring Break. Bus waits were not a problem at all. Dining was AMAZING. Probably our favorite because of the quick service buffet. The room was quite large and I believe it is the only moderate with queen size beds. Walking around the resort didn't take long at all. We loved it and couldn't give you a single negative. I have stayed at Port Orleans as well. I prefer Coronado.
I would tell your husband not to read the reviews. People tend to report the negative way more than the positive. And everyone is different in what they find acceptable.

 

[Robbi]

We've stayed at CSR numerous times and never had long waits for buses. The walks are not bad and so beautiful! I would request Cabanas 8A or 8B because they're close to both the Dig Site pool and the shortcut bridge to EL Centro.

There are tons of bad reviews about every resort. In the past month, there were reports of lots of roaches at one, bed bugs at another, long waits, poor service, etc. Look at the resort pictures and go with your heart. It's the best way for us to decide. When we haven't done this, we second guess ourselves during the trip. All the resorts either deluxe, mod, or value are not perfect. Go to your resort with a positive attitude and all will be fine.

 

[Orreed]

CBR is a great resort! You can ask for a room close to the food court, and they will try to grant it. The location is nice, very close to EPOCT and Hollywood Studios. You can see and hear fireworks at night The grounds were lovely and the food court had a great variety and was never too crowded when I went. There was cheerleaders but they were in a different village and never bothered us and never were in huge masses at the food court. We never waited long for a bus and the theming is lovely.

 

[mara61]

I just realized, because of the time of year you are going I think your wait for anything will be longer and dining will be busier. But planning the right resort that works best for your family will help.

Between the two polls you have posted, POFQ is the most popular choice.

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

Coronado Springs is a lovely resort---the rooms and bedding were wonderful and the resort feels very deluxe...that trip was just my husband and I, and were in Casitas 3 and loved it...however if we were at the far end of the resort I'm not sure I would have liked it quite as much as this resort is huge and very spread out around a lake. We didnt ride the buses so can't comment. I found the quick serve food place to be crowded and congested in the morning, and all we did was get coffee in our refillable mugs.

For our stay this year we are at POFQ as we are traveling with two familes with young children and think the size will be better suited for us. We will be riding the buses and using the boat to Downtown Disney which to us is a plus to POFQ and POR. We didn't consider CBR as double beds are too small, and reviews said that resort was huge as well.