Basing decision on reviews?

[Forensicmom]

How many of you pick your resort based on the reviews you read on-line?

We read a lot of good things on a few sites about CSR and were going to book there. It wasn't DH's first choice so we started reading tons of reviews on about 5 different sites. Most gave CSR more negative reviews, especially about housekeeping. I also read on at least 5 different reviews that it was for older people and often had drunk people at the pool.

I know that some people have a bad exerience, no matter where they stay and are going to write those negative reviews but how do you know when they are telling the truth?

Last year we read a lot of negative reviews about WL but we stayed there anyway and we absolutely loved it. After reading many reviews and lookings at the ammenities, we have now decided to go with the POFQ for a bunch of reasons and are happy but I still can't help but wonder about the negative reviews you read about every resort.

 

[Mousemommy1]

How many of you pick your resort based on the reviews you read on-line?

We read a lot of good things on a few sites about CSR and were going to book there. It wasn't DH's first choice so we started reading tons of reviews on about 5 different sites. Most gave CSR more negative reviews, especially about housekeeping. I also read on at least 5 different reviews that it was for older people and often had drunk people at the pool.

I know that some people have a bad exerience, no matter where they stay and are going to write those negative reviews but how do you know when they are telling the truth?

Last year we read a lot of negative reviews about WL but we stayed there anyway and we absolutely loved it. After reading many reviews and lookings at the ammenities, we have now decided to go with the POFQ for a bunch of reasons and are happy but I still can't help but wonder about the negative reviews you read about every resort.

Whether one has a positive or negative experience is purely subjective, and based solely on that individual.

I do look at reviews, but also understand that people are more likely to post negative reviews against the positive. I also look specifically at what people didn't like, and see if it's something that would bother ME. Like, some people complain because transportation at a resort is all busses and give a horrible review...I don't mind the busses, so I would set that negative review aside because it doesn't affect me. In the end, I go with the resort that has the most qualities that I feel I want, and go with it! Good luck deciding!

 

[latexscooter]

You have to really go with your gut on this. All reviews are subjective and it is very possible things may be embellished too. I think overall Disney resorts are quality establishments that are clean, safe and focused on customer service. Sure there are occasional exceptions but overall I think they are wonderful. So I've decided to make my decisions based off what appeals to me. Once I've decided then I focus on the opportunities at a resort (activities, food, things not to miss) that you usually find on the individual resort fan boards. It's a good way to look at the positive and get excited.

When I first started staying on site I listened too much to others and not enough to what appeals to me and ended up staying at places I didn't love. Now that I've figured it out I'm finding I'm enjoying my selections more.

 

[Forensicmom]

Great advice. We weren't really sure what Moderate we wanted to stay and couldn't decide, which is why we started reading the reviews.

We did read A LOT of reviews about lack of housekeeping at CSR, so it wasn't just one more two. It seemed to be the biggest negative review.

At POFQ, the only negatives reviews we read were about the buses but most were saying that it was better at FQ then the POR. They also commented that there was no TS restaurant at the hotel, which is fine with us. We will plan to take a ferry to DTD to a new restaurant anyway.

 

[dansdad]

Even the highest rated hotel in the world can make mistakes, forget to clean a room, have a light bulb out, have a broken shower curtain, etc. And any one of those could result in a bad review. As others have posted, people in general are more apt to write a about a bad experience than a good/great one.

If we solely based our resort decision on online reviews, we would have scrapped the whole WDW idea. Each and every resort has it's good points and bad points. That's what truly makes WDW so special. There's something for every budget and taste.

The best advice I could give would be to check out the official resort threads for the resorts you want to stay at. There will be more pictures, descriptions and actual experiences of people to see/read. Then base your decision on what theme and amenities suit your needs.

And I will just like to post this regarding bus transportation. IMHO, it is also a terrible idea to base your resort decision on the buses. It's the WDW bus system. Other than the internal resort buses, there is no answer to "how are the buses at xxx resort?" I always refer to this post by CleveRocks as it is the best summary of the bus system I have seen.

The bus service is pretty much the same at all resorts; buses to each destination are supposed to run on average about every 20 minutes. So why do so many people insist it's bad one place and good at another? Human nature, or at least two aspects of human nature. One is a phenomenon you can call the "grass is always greener" effect (everyone else's experience seems better than our own), and the other is the mistaken assumption that what happens to us once is the way it usually is for most people at most times.

"The grass is always greener ...." For EVERY resort, you can find posts from people saying something like this: "We waited forever at closing time at Magic Kingdom for a bus to (our resort) while we watched 4 buses from (another resort) drive on by." Seriously, there's not a resort this hasn't been written about.

The second point is perhaps the more important point. Just because you have a not-so-great experience with buses at a resort doesn't mean the bus service stinks. It could mean they were having a rough day or two. But more likely it means that you were just unlucky with timing.

My example is my stay at Polynesian a couple years ago. We noticed by our second or third day that we never, and I mean NEVER, waited more than about 2 minutes for whatever bus we wanted, whether going from resort to park or park to resort. So we started to joke about it as we walked up to the Poly bus stop in the morning or to a park bus stop when leaving a park, but it always worked that way for that entire week.

So, should we conclude from that that Polynesian has the best bus service ever? Absolutely NOT. It just means our timing was very lucky. Imagine another family that did everything exactly like we did, only they always did it exactly 2 minutes later than we did. They would've had a dreadful bus experience, as they would've waited almost 20 minutes for every single bus for an entire week. Does their bad experience mean Poly has bad bus service? Of course not, just like my great experience doesn't mean it has the best bus service.

In the same way, my great bus service at Caribbean Beach Resort in 2005 and my so-so bus service at Port Orleans French Quarter in 2006 DOESN'T mean that CBR's bus service is better than POFQ's, it just means that my individual experiences on those exact days was better at CBR than at POFQ.

And that's why we read such mixed reviews of bus service at various resorts. Just because someone had a lot of wait time doesn't mean the bus service stinks.

I strongly advise you to pick a Moderate resort based on the theme, as well as the small ways they differ in amenities.

Enjoy whatever you decide!

 

[mickeynut1]

As the others have said, all resorts get good and bad reviews, with everything being subjective to what that individual thinks. From the time we started going to Disney, the Poly was always a dream resort of ours. When I finally booked it, I started reading all kinds of negative things about it (dirty resort/rooms, bad housekeeping, etc) and I started to panic and thought about changing resorts. After giving it alot of thought, I decided to stick with it to see what WE thought about it as the only way to know if it was something to our liking was to try it for ourselves. I am so glad I stuck with it because that trip was one of the best trips we've had (and all of them have been great ). But my point is if I would have switched resorts, we would have missed out on an awesome resort and I would still be wondering today what it was like and what I missed. My advice is to take the bad/negative reviews with a grain of salt because people tend to post about bad experiences more often than good ones. If CSR is a resort you've been wanting to try, I say go with it as you will never know if it's for you unless you stay there yourself. Good luck .

 

[KatMark]

I have found more people like to complain tan write about what is good. If I had followed the reviews, we would have never stayed at CSR. We've stayed there 9 if our last 12 visits. You can have bad mouse keeping at any resort (just read a horrid review of mouse keeping at The Beach Club), bad behavior at any resort (our own experiences were the drunk mother at POR, the woman smoking outside the food court at POFQ and the Brazilian tourists. Go with what appeals to you.

 

[Couchy]

Everywhere has negative reviews. People are way more likely to take the time to write a negative review than a positive review. Choose the place that. Oat appeals to you and go

 

[Forensicmom]

I'm glad to read all of this. I'm really happy with the decision to go with POR now. It was my first choice anyway and then I started re-thinking things. I am pretty sure that we would have enjoyed any of the 3 moderates on our list (CSR, POR, and POFQ).

I absoutely love the looks of the Royal Rooms at POR and I know my youngest DD (our princess) will love it even more.

 

[JennyDrake]

I think you have to step back and look at the reviews as a whole. If the majority complain about for example the pool, then probably there is an issue there; but if you don't care about swimming, it is irrelevant. I have stayed at each moderate several times (except PORFQ, which was just once--hard to book it) and I have liked each and every one of them. each has its positives and its negatives, but each has also been an ejoyable experience. I'm sure you will like POR--the food court is great!

 

[pigletto]

I'll lend more weight to a review here than on a place like Trip Advisor for a Disney hotel. The people here are mostly Disney enthusiasts or at very least people who took time to carefully research for their trip. Someone who went to CSR for a convention one time, and is used to a totally different type of hotel and experience isn't going to give me the review I am looking for.
I will rethink things if I see a negative point over and over, but even then, you have to take into consideration that we may have far different expectations for our trips. Maybe you like only the deluxe amenities and find the outside walkways at mods unacceptable, whereas I could care less about that. Or maybe I am pulled to one resort for the quiet and calmness and you want all action all the time.
I try to read a variety of reviews for the resort I am considering and pay careful attention to the things I am looking for. That being said, I have stayed in 10 different Disney properties and can only think of one time that I found something negative enough that I should warn people about it. Even then it wouldn't stop me from going there again, I would just avoid the particular issue we encountered.

 

[Hooked On The Mouse]

I don't put too much stock in negative reviews. I do read them, and agree with others that I then consider whether the common complaints are things that would bother me personally. When we stayed at CSR we liked it very much and never noticed any drunk people, large groups of conventioneers, or problems with housekeeping. Reviews are very subjective. I do think most Disney resorts are pretty good and you will probably have a good time wherever you choose.

 

[minnie mum]

I never like to base any decision on reviews- they're just too subjective. What irritates one person is fine for another. Or negative occurrances could have been a one time thing. And while I don't think many reviews could be called outright lies, I do think that some things get exaggerated. This holds true for both resort and dining reviews. I read them, but more for entertainment than fact finding.

What I do find helpful are the resort specific threads. You get great photos of the individual resorts so that you can have a pretty good feel for the esthetics of the public areas and the rooms. All of the hard facts are right there, and if you need specific information you can get it from veteran guests of those resorts. Once I've checked out these threads I just trust my gut and go with what looks good at the time. Haven't regretted a choice yet.

ETA; I take that back. I once made a reservation at very short notice without doing any advance research. Took the least expensive room available. BOY, did we regret that. Ever since then I've been very careful about researching all our choices.

 

[POOHsie]

I think there is lots of consistency in Disney resorts. Buses are consistent, resort maintenance, mousekeeping, food courts, gift shops. A Disney veteran would struggle to say one resort is better or worse because of items listed above. Non-veterans, I think, might be more critical.

The way I would choose a resort is what the resort caters to. CSR is a convention resort. Lots of business people, with their wife and kids. Family goes to the parks. The conventioneers stick around the resort and, yes, some get drunk. Not news.

CBR caters to kids, and there's tons of them running around, making noise and having fun. Kids do that. Not news. Not my idea of a vacation resort, though.

POR and POFQ. I group them together because they are close neighbors and share amenities. If you stay at one, you stay at both. The shady landscaping is gorgeous. The two food courts give you twice the choices. The horse-drawn carriage is so nice to watch. Surrey bikes. Watercraft rentals. The boat to DTD is a fun excursion, and DTD opens up new eating and shopping opportunities you might not have considered if you had to take the bus there. Both resorts have live entertainment Weds-Sat nite.

You can guess what moderates I think are the best. You chose POFQ and I hope you love it. Take the time to walk or boat to POR and look around, use their pools, walk the shady paths. Have a great stay.

 

[vettegirl]

I never listen to the reviews as every single place on the planet gets bad ones. With that being said I have stayed at CSR 4 times returning for visit #5 in a couple of months and each visit has been perfection

 

[Mariep26]

Similar to what others have posted.. I read reviews to find any glaring issues that seem to be reported and unresolved over and over. Only I can determine what the criteria for a perfect vacation is for my family. Our March trip was all about the kids.. I personally would have loved to have stayed at POFQ or BLT but we chose ASMo because we wanted a certain experience for the kids... we certainly got it and we were thrilled with most every aspect of the trip. Some folks wouldn't touch a value with a ten foot pole regardless of the reason. Luckily as someone else pointed out, the folks that are posting here are going to be more Disney savvy than you will get elsewhere.

 

[tallen429]

I have a lot of friends who have been to WDW and I tend to give their opinions more weight than strangers I guess.
There are several resorts I have no interest in ever staying in and while a bit of that comes from reviews, more of it comes from our family type and vacationing style.
So I guess overall I base more on descriptions/photos/amenities than I do on reviewsd.

 

[*Fantasia*]

I don't want to base my decision on reviews because what if everyone here has all positive reviews on CBR, and CBR is not my favorite theme? I first based my decision on the theme of the resort, and then the amenities. CSR has the health club, but it's not my priority, and it doesn't matter if others call it "deluxe lite".. because those extras doesn't apply to me. I love POFQ because of the theme. I love New Orleans- Mardi Gras theme. Luckily most of the reviews I have read on POFQ are positive. I have been to POFQ 3x and they were all positive. I've read some negatives on CBR, and both of my stays there were negative.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I base my decisions on which resort has the location, price, transportation options, and theme that I most want on my trip. And all those variables can change from trip to trip. On my trips in 2008 and 2010, I went with deluxe MK area resorts (WL and Poly, respectively). This past trip, I (or really my DD ) chose CSR.

Every resort on WDW property has gotten bad reviews. As PPs have mentioned, it's rather subjective. When I went on a solo trip in December 2010, I stayed at CSR and had a horrible experience with the buses. But this past trip we had a much better experience. I've heard reports of poor housekeeping at pretty much every resort. I've stayed at all 4 moderates, plus the WL and the Poly, and have never had a bad housekeeping experience. That's not to say people who are complaining about bad housekeeping are exaggerating or making it up, but rather that experiences can vary widely.

ETA: I reread your OP and see that you are now booking at POFQ. I will say that POFQ is my favorite moderate due to the small size of the resort and the theme. We stayed there in 2007 and loved it.

I was very happy with my last trip to CSR and think you will enjoy it there. My DD8 loved it and has named it her favorite resort so it's not just for adults either.

 

[WDGPCFR]

Lots of good advice. We have stayed at POR and it was very nice. My wife loved it. My neighbors have stayed a CSR and that is thier favorite resort, it will be our hotel next after this trip. I book based on what I want and what the deals are. I don't think there is a bad Disney hotel. If worst comes to worst and you hate it I'm sure they will let you transfer. Disney is one of the last places where the customer is valued. POP in 33 days