AoA, CSR, CBR, or POFQ?

[HopperFan]

With 4 adults, I would choose CSR.

Here's why:
Great pool and hot tub
lots of adult oriented amenities (salon, fitness centre, hammocks on beach)
Good dining options
beautiful grounds, three distinct areas
queen beds
4 bus stops mean that you aren't far from one, but not a lot of stops
centralized location
Love the theming there, more adult atmosphere

CBR cons:
nice too, but the themed pool seems better suited to small children to me
more bus stops
not sure if the gondola is a pro or con yet

POFQ cons
our least favourite theme/moderate
fewer amenities
no TS restaurant

AoA LM cons
full beds
guaranteed 'long' walk
unlikely to get a discount
no slide at pool
no TS restaurant
lots of children

^^^ THIS

That's true, but I'm looking for any/all input to help form our decision. We are a family of 4 adults for one room. We spend most of our time in the parks, but love going back to the resort for a midday swim. Walking is not an issue. We use the buses to/from parks.

We are all adult family and CSR is their favorite resort of any resorts. Once at AKL pool DH actually said "where is the pyramid?" ... ugh, could have saved me some money if you mentioned that sooner.

AoA ... unless they renovate those all of a sudden and quickly, those rooms are full beds ... I would pass on that right off the bat.

 

[fairygagamother]

Port Orleans has my vote. The setting is lovely & there are several pools to use, including the ones at Riverside. And Boatwright’s is a very good sit down restaurant there. And your adult kids would probably like Yahoo Bob!

 

[nkereina]

Does anyone know when the tower opens?

It opens in July. So if you aren't traveling until 2020, you'll have some time to read reviews after the tower opens and see how its impacting people's stay. You could make two reservations once available - one for CSR, and one for your "backup" resort, and then just cancel one after reviews start coming out once the tower opens.

 

[KathyTbell]

This is all great information! Thank you to all who have taken the time to reply! Good point @ being able to read reviews re the tower opening at CSR. I didn't know you could reserve two different locations.

On a side note, my DH and I decided to take an impromptu trip to WDW (first time for just the two of us) in early April and looking for resorts for that trip now. For that trip, we are thinking CBR since CSR construction will still be going on. We will only be purchasing 2-day tickets into the parks, so most of our stay will just be enjoying the pools, restaurants, and surroundings. First time ever for that type of trip - we normally spend every day in the parks! I'm excited!! We're looking to book our hotel this weekend - so any last minute advice would be welcome. Thanks!!

 

[nkereina]

I didn't know you could reserve two different locations.

You'd just have to make two separate reservations, and then cancel one. It also means you'd have to front two separate deposits, but some people are ok doing this to ensure they can have their choice. The deposit is fully refundable as long as you cancel by the deadline.

For that trip, we are thinking CBR since CSR construction will still be going on.

We're interested in trying CBR on a future trip as well. But just to mention this, the ongoing construction at CSR is not intrusive. Its an eye sore, but not bothersome. Particularly if you book a preferred room. By April, I would think most of the exterior work would be done anyhow with a July opening. Mentioning this because it may be a good option to stay at CSR now, when you know what to expect, rather than in 2020 when it remains to be seen how the new tower impacts the resort.

 

[KathyTbell]

Thank you, nkereina! I think we might give CSR a try for our spring trip after all.

 

[Always Dream]

I stayed at Coronado Springs within the last year and found it to be very busy. The thing is that they cater to business travelers as well, and while it may up a few of the standards at the hotel it does remind you of work at your resort. I didn't like it, although the resort is beautiful. I stayed in one of the buildings close to the main check in hall, and found that there were people up and about walking in halls and walkways at all hours of the day. If you're looking for a place to "get away from it all", this isn't it.

 

[KathyTbell]

Thank you, Always Dream! I think my DH and I are going to give it a try this April, but still deciding between resorts for our family trip in 2020 and will take that into account.

 

[JennyDrake]

I would definitely get a moderate.
POFQ WONDERFUL, compact resort and (within walking distance) POR has the best food court on WDW property and lovely boat ride to DTD.
CBR has larger rooms and excellent new food choices; it also has multiple, quiet pools.

 

[luvdmouse]

Funny, but I have been pondering the same thing only I have 3 adult kids...2 rooms. Since we are going over Christmas, we decided to book the new tower at CSR. With the new restaurants, health club, sports bar and pools, we felt it would be a better fit than the other moderates... more like a deluxe stay.

 

[KathyTbell]

luvdmouse, I'm so curious about the tower. I can't wait to hear about it once it opens!

 

[luvdmouse]

luvdmouse, I'm so curious about the tower. I can't wait to hear about it once it opens!

I completely agree. Hope I made the right decision

 

[glocon]

We just made reservations for a tower room- I’m so excited!
It looks quite deluxe, and for $200 a night I feel lucky to stay there. I can’t wait to see the new restaurants!

 

[hammie59]

I’ve stayed at all of those listed except for CBR, which I think is too spread out. My vote is for POR. It’s the best moderate IMO. Can’t beat the theming and the boats to DS.

*edit-oops, just saw that you said POFQ not POR. I still vote for POR or POFQ.*

 

[KathyTbell]

Thanks! We do love POR and stayed there for our last visit. That's why I put POFQ on my list of resorts to try next!

 

[glocon]

We have reservations at CSR for a tower room- and excited about that. But the 6-7 bus stops has me concerned. We stayed at pop last year and the bus situation was ideal. I’m thinking the answer to that may be to Uber to Parks and bus it back?
That could fix that sticky situation. And there will be the new 3 Bridges counter service also at CSR.

 

[mdsouth]

I can't thank you all enough for your advice and expertise. Thanks to your advice, I have taken AoA out of the running. We'll try to stay there someday, but not for this trip. We have stayed at PO Riverside before and walked through FQ areas; loving everything about it. It's only the lack of discount possibilities that may take that one out of the running. So - between CSR and CBR.... We had booked CSR a few years ago and I was getting super excited about it until we heard about all of the construction taking place. We ended up switching to PO Riverside that year. Now my only worry about it is the impact the tower/more guests will have on the resort/pool/restaurant areas. For CBR, we stayed there many years ago (my kids barely remember it). I know that in recent years they had gotten some poor reviews, but it sounds like the latest updates have fixed a lot of those issues. We won't know what kind of impact the gondola will have on that resort until it opens. All that said, I have it "narrowed" down to 3 now...haha. Before reading these last comments, I was leaning towards CBR, but I'll be looking more into CSR and POFQ. Thank you!

I, am in the initial planning stages and looking at the moderates as well. So, I will be following this thread closely. I have stayed at CBR, CSR and PORFQ and loved all three for different reasons.

Between these two with a stay in 2020, I'd choose CBR. The tower and additional rooms at CSR have more of a potential to negatively impact the resort than the gondolas at CBR will. I'm not saying both things are a negative, but we just don't know what to expect yet. CBR will still be the same size with the gondolas, so not much should change when it comes to amenities, capacity, etc. CBR used to be my least favorite resort because I hated the 7 bus stops and the fact that Custom House was so far away. The resort has since remedied both, with centralizing check-in with the quick service and store in the former Old Port Royale area, which makes for a much better layout IMO. The new restaurant and outdoor bar are appealing as well. And the bus system is now set-up so that the same buses don't service all 7 stops. That means if you get on at stop 1, you may only go through 3 more stops rather than 6 more like it used to be.

Thanks for the information! Like everyone here, I expect the pool and other areas at CSR to be more crowded than in the past when the new tower opens. I can't believe that the construction plans did not include at least one more pool for all those people. I am looking forward to reading reviews from others to get a better idea of the impact on CSR.