IBelieveInTheMagic
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2009
Just wanted to offer our experience to those that follow along as I had read a few posts before our recent trip. We were there 12/18-12/21 then embarked on the Disney Dream 12/21 so I added this portion when free dining was released awhile ago. We had never stayed at CSR but I knew others had and really liked it. We've stayed at POP, ASMo, POFQ, and AKL in October. In a nutshell my DH said CSR was his favorite by far, even over AKL. 
When I booked the WDW portion, I requested Casitas 4 area and we were not granted this. I totally understands it's just a request so I'm just mentioning it since I know this is often discussed here. I actually received our room ready email before we even left for the airport and we were in Ranchos 6B about as far away as you could be. I'm all about "things happen for a reason" so we kept it and didn't even go to the front desk. After arriving, we settled in, loved the quiet area and then headed to get some food at Pepper Market. We made newbies mistake and walked the outside perimeter instead of the trail through the middle and I think honestly, that's my biggest "complaint" with most WDW resorts they are so dark at night so we didn't see any signs to direct us to the front but I knew the layout of the area so just assumed walking the outside track was the safest bet. My DH especially loved the layout of the food courts especially over AKL. POP has a good food court we think although almost always very busy. The first night was long for us and I had been feeling "off" and honestly didn't think I could handle the long walk back to the room so a nice CM took us in the golf cart to the room and by doing this, we saw the way he went and learned it the next day. I appreciated this extra touch and noticed through our brief stay they would transport people around if requested or needed. All the CM's we encountered were friendly and nice to deal with.
The bus service was great and we never waited longer than 10 minutes I believe. We often got off at stop 1 so I could go to guest services and apply gift cards to our account so it added several more minutes but wasn't too bad.
Ranchos 6B was very quiet and in all we felt the resort was serene and beautiful and relaxing as many have stated. I have no regrets about choosing CSR and our family of 3 really enjoyed it.
Hope this helps someone else
Heather
When I booked the WDW portion, I requested Casitas 4 area and we were not granted this. I totally understands it's just a request so I'm just mentioning it since I know this is often discussed here. I actually received our room ready email before we even left for the airport and we were in Ranchos 6B about as far away as you could be. I'm all about "things happen for a reason" so we kept it and didn't even go to the front desk. After arriving, we settled in, loved the quiet area and then headed to get some food at Pepper Market. We made newbies mistake and walked the outside perimeter instead of the trail through the middle and I think honestly, that's my biggest "complaint" with most WDW resorts they are so dark at night so we didn't see any signs to direct us to the front but I knew the layout of the area so just assumed walking the outside track was the safest bet. My DH especially loved the layout of the food courts especially over AKL. POP has a good food court we think although almost always very busy. The first night was long for us and I had been feeling "off" and honestly didn't think I could handle the long walk back to the room so a nice CM took us in the golf cart to the room and by doing this, we saw the way he went and learned it the next day. I appreciated this extra touch and noticed through our brief stay they would transport people around if requested or needed. All the CM's we encountered were friendly and nice to deal with.
The bus service was great and we never waited longer than 10 minutes I believe. We often got off at stop 1 so I could go to guest services and apply gift cards to our account so it added several more minutes but wasn't too bad.
Ranchos 6B was very quiet and in all we felt the resort was serene and beautiful and relaxing as many have stated. I have no regrets about choosing CSR and our family of 3 really enjoyed it.
Hope this helps someone else
Heather
