please help me choose my resort

[mlbrv]

Hi-

Last year my family went to Disney for the 1st time and had such a blast we MUST go again!

We did a split stay at the Contemporary & the Beach Club and both were great but pricey!

I'd like to stay at a moderate resort this time and would love your opinions on which hotels you like (or don't like) and why.

I'm thinking about:
Coronado Springs
Port Orleans- either one
Beach Resort

Thanks for your advice!

 

[GPC0321]

I've only stayed at the Coronado on our one and only on-property stay 17 years ago. We're going back to Coronado again when we go in March. We loved it, and it was such a quick trip we didn't really get to enjoy it as much as we wanted It was mid-January, cold, no swimming, and we were only there 2-3 nights, I can't remember. Still, it was beautiful, clean, and had fantastic bus service to the parks.

I've seen people say the Coronado is the closest to a deluxe you can get in the moderate price range. It's a convention resort, so at times there might be people there who aren't vacationing, and some people say it isn't "Disney" enough, whatever that means.

I like that it has two table service restaurants, a pretty decent quick service food court, plus the pool cantina serves hot breakfast and lunch. And there are two lounges, and Cafe Rix which is another quick service and grab-n-go option. Plenty to eat, and a lot of Mexican food which I love. The Maya Grill is owned by the same company that owns the restaurants in the Mexico pavilion in Epcot.

Anyway, all I can do is recommend the only resort I've been to. I'm sure the others are great too though!

 

[Belle83]

I've stayed at all of the moderates and I would probably stay at whichever was most recently refurbished or which one has theming that appeals the most to you. They are all pretty comparable, with my favorite probably going to Port Orleans Riverside The last time I stayed at CBR it was overdue for a remodel, and it showed. We even had to change rooms because of a mildew smell. When I stayed at Port Orleans Riverside, it had just been refurbished, so the room had a fresh new feel to it. Our stay at Coronado Springs was fine and the resort is nice, but we didn't get a great room location so we hardly saw the main area of the resort. CBR and CSR probably have the best pools. POFQ is a great size and, like POR, is near Magic Kingdom. I think CBR has the best food court.

 

[Deborah LeSueur]

Coronado Springs has been our least favorite. We found the resort too large and although I requested a room closer to the main building (I know it's a request and can't always be accommodated) we ended up pretty far out..think it was Ranchos 6B. You can take a bus to the front of the resort, but we also had terrible luck there and would just hike to the main building. Unfortunately, one night on the way to dinner..we got caught in a down pour about 1/2 way...NOT FUN!

We stayed at POR on our first trip and it was great. The kids loved that we could use pools at both resorts and that we could ride the boat to DD.

 

[Baklava]

We chose POR after determining that we could not afford the length of stay we wanted at the deluxes. We are looking forward to it.

 

[ChasingLeslie]

I've stayed at CBR, POR, and CSR and enjoyed them all. We are choosing to return to CSR for our next trip.

You didn't give any info about your family or what you are looking for, so I'll just throw out my observations...

CSR:
- most central location for mod
- very quiet
- excellent bus service
- extra amenities (gym, spa)
- multiple eateries
- Business class available
- fantastic pool, slide, hot tub
- upgraded mattresses
- currently under renovations

POR:
- boat to DTD
- excellent food court
- Yeehaw Bob
- Royal rooms available
- fishing and biking available
- sister resort/walking to FQ
- shares some busses with FQ
- lots of families, can be loud

CBR:
- upgraded rooms/mattresses
- pirate rooms available
- zero entry pool & splash pad
- quiet pools in every section
- seven bus stops are a con

 

[TeamSy]

I agree that CSR has the amenities that are most similar to deluxe (such as fitness center/salon and room service), however POR does have the boat to Disney Springs, and after coming from CR and BC, the thing I'd miss most is the ease of getting places. With the mods (and this is what I don't miss about them, because honestly, we thought they were pretty nice!) is that you're not getting the ease of transportation to the parks (there's no walking, boats, monorail, etc). So at least with POR you can get somewhere via boat!!

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

I really enjoy POFQ. The small size makes everything very convenient, and I love the boat option for getting to DTD.

 

[Maxpowers]

I've stay at CSR & POR and liked them both.

Rooms - CSR wins for me (but I went to POR prior to refurb, so that's a big factor)
Food Court - POR I think slightly edged CSR, but on a side note Maya Grill was very delicious.
Theme/Property overall - CSR slightly edges out POR IMO, but just barely.
Buses - CSR wins for # and, but I did like the more organized lines at POR
Bar - CSR wins in my book.

One minor thing for me at CSR was running into the business people sort of took me out of the zone...just imagining myself as one of them and knowing exactly what it's like to be at some sort of business convention and having to be "on".

But I think you'd be happy at any of these.

 

[Figmentmommy]

Hi-

Last year my family went to Disney for the 1st time and had such a blast we MUST go again!

We did a split stay at the Contemporary & the Beach Club and both were great but pricey!

I'd like to stay at a moderate resort this time and would love your opinions on which hotels you like (or don't like) and why.

I'm thinking about:
Coronado Springs
Port Orleans- either one
Beach Resort

Thanks for your advice!

We've stayed at all the moderates many times over the years. Our favorite is Port Orleans Riverside, but we recently stayed at Coronado Springs 2 years in a row and loved it. Port Orleans French Quarter is the most compact as far as size and Caribbean Beach was recently renovated. You really can't go wrong with any of the moderate resorts. I would suggest you look up photos/videos of the resorts online and see which theming appeals to you most. If mobility is an issue for anyone in your party then I would recommend POFQ because there's less distance between the different areas of the resort. Happy planning!

 

[librarymom2007]

POR. I believe it is usually rated the best of the moderates. We stayed there 3 years in a row.

 

[Babsy]

Hi-

Last year my family went to Disney for the 1st time and had such a blast we MUST go again!

We did a split stay at the Contemporary & the Beach Club and both were great but pricey!

I'd like to stay at a moderate resort this time and would love your opinions on which hotels you like (or don't like) and why.

I'm thinking about:
Coronado Springs
Port Orleans- either one
Beach Resort

Thanks for your advice!

WE have stayed at all four and enjoyed staying at all of them. Each one has its own special 'flavour' which is 'delicious' in its own way. For example, it is kinda like:
It is difficult for me to choose a favourite between chocolate and vanilla ice cream. Some days I want chocolate, but I always want vanilla with my apple pie!

Different groups fit well in different resorts. However every group should be able to enjoy any of these reasonably well.

In general, we like CSR when travelling with older children or just adults. The fitness centre, spa, extra lounges and dining options, for example, are all amenities that work well with 'older families', IMO. The amazing pool and large hot tub are also very nice. We enjoy the three different themed areas and like taking pictures in the different areas of the resort. We believe that it is the most romantic of the moderates, especially in the evening. We had great experiences with the buses here, too.

CBR has a very relaxing tropical theme. WE enjoy this resort with younger children or as a couple. The main pool and play area is great for young kids. However, there is also a nice quiet pool in each 'island' section of the resort. Again, a lovely resort to enjoy a romantic stroll and perhaps catch a glimpse of some of the high fireworks from Illuminations. Your cares will just melt away during a stay here. Lots of people dislike the multiple bus stops here. We actually liked the multiple stops because it means that there is always one close by. Once we are on the bus we are happily on our way, regardless!

POR is a lovely resort with lots of foliage and two distinctly themed areas: Alligator Bayou and the mansions. It is hard to pick a favourite between these. It has the advantage of the boat to DTD and the access to POFQ. This resort is good for families of all ages. It is perhaps the most universally appealing of the moderate resorts. I kind of think that the POR is to moderates as the Poly is to deluxe resorts. You just can't go wrong choosing this one.

POFQ is wildly popular because of its much smaller size. If you want to be conveniently close to everything and not want to book a preferred room, this is a good choice. There is only one bus stop, so if you want to get aboard and immediately head to the parks, this is the choice for you. If you enjoy an urban setting, then this is a good choice. It is very quaint. The pool is the least compelling of all the pools among the moderates, IMO. Take a look at online photos if the pool i important to you in order to decide if this one would work for you. The POFQ only has the one food court for dining, although you can walk to POR or take the boat to DTD for more options.

If you book CBR, CSR or POR I would strongly recommend a preferred room. We enjoy walking around the resorts for fun, but prefer to be conveniently close for when we want to just get to what we want.

Good luck choosing!