Would you pay $950 more for CSR over Music?

[Susie22]

I need help. I have six kids (or will have when we go). Their ages will be 13, 11, 8, 8, 2, and newborn. I've stayed at contemporary, ASMU, Poly and POFQ. Honestly my favorite resort of all of them was ASMU. I thought it was an excellent value, and everyone had a great time.

I'm reading a lot about CSR though and think I would like to try it. The cost is $950 more than Music. Would you pay $950 more for this resort? I was totally unimpressed by POFQ and didn't think it was worth the upgrade cost AT ALL.

 

[Amandaka78]

Personally I love CSR. I love the deluxe feel of it at a moderate price, how quiet it is, and the excellent bus service. My kids loved the pool and playground. I totally think it's worth the extra $950. I hate the look of all the other moderates and have never stayed at a value. For my next trip we are doing a villa at the AKL only because CSR is booked for when we are going. Give CSR a try and you won't be sorry. It will quickly become your favorite.

 

[minnie mum]

I assume that the huge difference is because you will require 2 rooms? I can understand that with that many young children you might be a little underwhelmed by POFQ. But CSR is a whole different kettle of fish. They have one of the best main pool/children's play areas of all the mods (I like CBRs better, but that's just personal preference). And I find their theming superior as well. However, I should tell you, in all fairness, that you couldn't pay me to stay at a value again. I'd rather wait a year to more easily afford a mod.

If you are financially comfortable with spending the extra money, then I would recommend the upgrade. However, if you will spend the whole vacation worrying that you aren't getting your money's worth, then stick with the values.

 

[Singinglizzie]

Music is also my favorite of the values. That being said, I always prefer to stay at one of the mods or deluxe, and like CSR and CBR the best of the moderates. They have a casual, relaxed feel which I prefer after a busy day at the parks. A nice feature about CSR is that they have queen beds. If you are planning to spend time at the resort, using the pool and facilities, it may be worth the extra $950, but if you are planning to spend the majority of time at the parks, then stick to the value and save $950. You can buy a lot of souveniers and dinners with $950. Enjoy your trip, whatever you decide.

 

[2DisPrincesses]

I wouldn't. The rooms at CSR were beautiful, but the resort we just not "Disney" enough for us. We stay in anything from values to deluxes, but we will not stay at CSR again- beautiful but just not for us.

 

[buzznina]

I would first have to ask what unimpressed you about POFQ? Were you there before or after the refurb?
We like all the Mods with the PO resorts being our fav just over CSR because of having the boat to DTD, family activities like renting bikes or boats and having family entertainment versus a night club. We do like CSR's pool area because the kids play area is also located there and we think CSR buses have been a little bit better than POs. CSR is a great resort but I don't think it's $950 greater, unless you spend a lot of time at the resort. Since your family loves ASMU I would stay there or maybe try ASMO, they just finished their refurb. That will be a little bit different and still save you $950.

 

[Susie22]

Thanks for all the advice! Yes, the price difference is because two rooms are required. I'm not sure when the refurb was for POFQ. I was there in May 2008, so it's been a while. I didn't hate it when I went, but it didn't seem all that much different from ASMU when we were there. We're generally park people though, and spend all our time in the parks and very little time in our rooms. The reason I'm considering a moderate again is that with a newborn, I think I may actually spend more time at the resort itself this time rather than at the parks. Maybe dh can take the older kids to the parks, and I may sit on the beach while the baby naps, etc.

 

[carolinagirl268]

I'd also think about how much you use the hotel food court. CSR resort is really nice. We enjoyed the pool and the room but the food court situation is a hassle. When we went to Cafe Rix (I think that's what the non sit down place was called) to get something to eat I felt like we were trying to buy our meal in a really nice gas station. The Pepper Market counts as a counter service restaurant for the dining plan but it's way more complicated than going to the food court at the values.

With kids your age I would think twice about the dining situation at CSR.

 

[Micca]

The one All Stars Resort we stayed at was Sports and we didn't care for it at all.
Therefore, I'd definitely spend the extra money to stay at CSR which is beautiful. OTOH, if you like ASMU, that makes it more difficult. In any case, have fun

 

[racefanof88]

We stayed at CSR last March and honestly the resort is very pretty, but as others have said "It doesn't really have that Disney feel". You have to take into account that it is Disney's convention resort. If there is a convention going on while you are there it may not be that good a choice. We did not have a table and chairs in the room either; it was a desk with one desk chair. It did have more of an upgraded feel, but when you spend most of the time at the park then do you really want to spend the extra? I don't remember seeing any chairs on the beach, but I could be wrong.

The food court is very confusing and the resort is very spread out. We paid for a preferred room and while we were pretty close to Pepper Market, we were on the third floor WAY away from an elevator and what seemed like miles away from parking, so lugging all our bags around was very annoying.

We did have an issue with housekeeping knocking on our door at 8:30am one morning to see if we wanted the room cleaned. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but MK had had EMH until 3:00am that morning so we weren't real happy!!

 

[KatMark]

We have stayed at CSR nine times with and without kids. We did a value once and will skip a trip before we would stay there again. CSR is not over the top "Disney themed" like the values, but then neither are most of the mods and deluxes. Yes, the CSR is a convention resort (as is the Contemporary, Boardwalk, etc.) but it often leaves the buses and pools emptier.

 

[goofyintoronto]

For this reason, i'd go for CSR. If your gonna spend more time at the resort I think its not a bad idea to pick a nicer resort with more amenities. The kids will thank you for it because the pool is gorgeous, and the slide is huge.

The reason I'm considering a moderate again is that with a newborn, I think I may actually spend more time at the resort itself this time rather than at the parks. Maybe dh can take the older kids to the parks, and I may sit on the beach while the baby naps, etc.

VERY good point here. I wouldnt mind a convention if it meant the pool & buses are emptier.

We have stayed at CSR nine times with and without kids. We did a value once and will skip a trip before we would stay there again. CSR is not over the top "Disney themed" like the values, but then neither are most of the mods and deluxes. Yes, the CSR is a convention resort (as is the Contemporary, Boardwalk, etc.) but it often leaves the buses and pools emptier.

I agree that none of the mods have that disney feel. You cannot convince me that POR or POFQ are more "disney" than CS. If you want a resort that has more of a 'disney' feel then maybe the values are a good choice. I personally would go for a mod.

BTW, the pepper market is now a buffet for both breakfast & lunch. And yes, its a QS credit. Great value!

 

[autismgoesdisney]

I need help. I have six kids (or will have when we go). Their ages will be 13, 11, 8, 8, 2, and newborn. I've stayed at contemporary, ASMU, Poly and POFQ. Honestly my favorite resort of all of them was ASMU. I thought it was an excellent value, and everyone had a great time.

I'm reading a lot about CSR though and think I would like to try it. The cost is $950 more than Music. Would you pay $950 more for this resort? I was totally unimpressed by POFQ and didn't think it was worth the upgrade cost AT ALL.

No I don't. The ONLY argument I can make for CBR is a much better pool, but $950 is A LOT of money and I just couldn't do it. We had a GREAT time at POP and AS Sports and I would never pay $950 MORE to stay at a mod!

 

[HaleyB]

I loved CSR for the pool but I wouldn't have if my kids were younger, mine were 12&14 at the time.

We were far from the pool, closer to the main building but that was pretty useless because my kids did not like the food court area, which was a pain. My kds LOVE getting their own drinks and making monster juice (mixing sodas together) and really missed this at CSR.

We were far away from the pool. Far as in we made jokes about it being in another zip code. It really isn't that far and it is a lovely walk but if I stayed back in the room and sent DH and kids to the pool, it was going to be a 30 min job to go tell them it was time for dinner.... 10 min there, 10 min getting them out after one more time down the slide, 10 min back to room.

If we had been close to the pool I might be more on the fence but between that and the food situation I'd say no, not worth the money.

 

[disnut1149]

Hi
I don't think I'd spend $950. more to stay at CSR. CSR is beautiful, but it seems more adult oriented. I think kids would like the values better, or maybe even CBR. They have a great pool with a play area just for small children. The main pool has two fun slides. You could buy a lot for your children with the $950. Also, CSR is very spread out and you might end up doing a lot of walking. (CBR is really large also) The food court at CSR is good with a lot of variety, but the people working there have never been overly friendly. The pool is really fun with a great slide. Have a great time!!

 

[momto2honeypots]

I am pretty sure CSR is going to be our next resort. So far, as far as the MODS , it seems to have most of what I am looking for . I have never stayed at a Value but I would say it was worth the extra money if you were planning to spend some time at the resort.

 

[KatMark]

To the OP, here is a review I often refer to people who are considering CSR who have young children:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2490217

 

[Quickbeam]

We love CSR. We have a 6 year old and she loves it too.
The rooms are very nice and while the resort is large, it is still managable. We also like the Pepper Market. We are about to book our 3rd trip there in November, this time taking my dad and brother with us

 

[thumperjr9]

We have stayed at CSR 3 times (just booked our 4th) and is a favorite of my DS12 and DH. I really enjoy it too, although I equally like POR. It's true that CSR (and POR) are not as "in your face" Disney as the values. Honestly, for us, that's why we like it. It just seems more relaxing and peaceful. However is it worth $950....not sure about that. I guess if we had 6 kids I would need that extra money to feed them. Keep in mind that you will get a little bigger room and queen beds. The main pool is awesome and we really enjoy the quiet pools as well.

 

[mendota]

We've only stayed on property once so far, and that was CSR in 2007 (on Thanksgiving!). We absolutely loved it, and loved the Pepper Market too. I almost booked us back there for this Nov but decided to try POR instead.