Best moderate Disney hotel?

[OP95]

Hi everyone,

After recently coming back from a Disney trip I have unfortunately caught the Disney bug and currently looking at my next trip, I’m hoping I’m not alone on this.. Anyway I am looking to go around November time next year or the year after. I stayed at the dolphin hotel which was pretty disappointing to me for the price I paid ( will try not to rant) but the location and transportation options were perfect. I was wondering If there were any options near the broadwalk that have good transport like the dolphin and around the same price for two weeks? As that’s really my main concern as well as having good pool too!

TIA

 

[Marthasor]

I can't really comment on the pools, but if you want a mod, somewhere near the Boardwalk with good transportation options, I would consider Caribbean Beach. You would need to bus to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, but CB is the hub for the Skyliner so you can catch it there to take you to Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

I'm not sure what happened at the Dolphin, but if you are willing to try the location, again, we much prefer the Swan - perhaps consider that as an option.

 

[OP95]

I can't really comment on the pools, but if you want a mod, somewhere near the Boardwalk with good transportation options, I would consider Caribbean Beach. You would need to bus to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, but CB is the hub for the Skyliner so you can catch it there to take you to Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

I'm not sure what happened at the Dolphin, but if you are willing to try the location, again, we much prefer the Swan - perhaps consider that as an option.

Hi there, thank you for the advice I will have a look at both suggested.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

It doesn't fit your preferences in terms of transportation options since it's bus only everywhere, but I personally think the 'best' moderate is Coronado Springs. It's more compact and easier to get around than some of the others (although still a larger resort), has a variety of walkable dining options, good pool, beautiful grounds, nice rooms. We have friends from England who stay two weeks every year or so and seem to really enjoy it there.

Nothing wrong with CBR it's just not my favorite in terms of how spread out it is and I think CSR wins from an overall amenity perspective.

Tough one though as there are so many pros/cons of every Disney resort and none really outright win over others.

Happy planning!

 

[OP95]

It doesn't fit your preferences in terms of transportation options since it's bus only everywhere, but I personally think the 'best' moderate is Coronado Springs. It's more compact and easier to get around than some of the others (although still a larger resort), has a variety of walkable dining options, good pool, beautiful grounds, nice rooms. We have friends from England who stay two weeks every year or so and seem to really enjoy it there.

Nothing wrong with CBR it's just not my favorite in terms of how spread out it is and I think CSR wins from an overall amenity perspective.

Tough one though as there are so many pros/cons of every Disney resort and none really outright win over others.

Happy planning!

Hi, thanks for the reply. I don’t mind if it’s bus everywhere as it was only Epcot and DHS that I could walk to. Coronado springs was going to be my first choice for my last trip. Are there any extra stops for the bus service at all?

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

If you're open to it, also consider renting points. I have done so twice to stay at Boardwalk as it was the cheapest way for my family of 5 to stay on site. We paid less to be at Boardwalk than we would have for POR or CBR (the two 5-sleeper moderates) and we were in a deluxe with corresponding benefits and location.

If your dates are firm and you can get over the "ick" factor of paying a good amount of money to a stranger on the Internet, you can really save. Many renters in these forums have been doing so for years and can offer references to support their legitimacy before any money is exchanged.

 

[Marthasor]

Hi, thanks for the reply. I don’t mind if it’s bus everywhere as it was only Epcot and DHS that I could walk to. Coronado springs was going to be my first choice for my last trip. Are there any extra stops for the bus service at all?

I agree with PP regarding CSR - it's the deluxe of the mods, IMHO, particularly the Tower - it's beautiful and has easy access to food options and the Tower bus stop. The issue with the bus service is it stops at various points around the resort, making bus travel a bit long. When we stayed there, we utilized lyft a lot to circumvent the buses. It cost a bit more, but it did make travel to the parks more convenient. It may come down to what is most important to you - if you want a nicer resort experience, I would do CSR-Tower. For more convenient transportation, I would do CBR.

 

[Specter]

Coronado is the go to resort for our family when staying moderate. We really like the grounds and while it is not a small resort, it is also not the biggest so it never feels too hard to get around. The dining options were ok, nothing amazing but definitely good for what they were before, but after they added the tower and some of the new restaurants the options really feel stepped up to me.

We were going to stay at one of the Port Orleans resorts once for the first two nights of a split stay but we got upgraded, and every time we have gone back to Disney since we just don't really consider it. I know that part of that is familiarity...we know that staying in the older rooms exactly where to request our room so that we are closest to the first bus stop but not too far from the lobby either (though that is lower priority for us). We also really want to stay in the tower on a future trip, but our next time going in November we will be at a deluxe since we are going with family for whom it is likely a one and done trip, and we will probably take a Disney break for a few years ourselves as it is just getting so expensive.

 

[stinkpickle]

POFQ is our favorite moderate.

 

[OP95]

Thanks everyone for the help so far, I will have a look at the options . I have also been thinking of doing a split stay at universal for one week and disney the Second part of the holiday. Has anyone done this before , is it worth doing ?

 

[Genie+]

Gran Destino Tower at Coronade Springs is a moderate. Lovely!

We used to book moderates until we worked up the courage to rent DVC, and haven’t looked back. Moderates are $300/night now and we’re renting DVC for $200-$300/night. We would’ve never paid the high cash rates for monorail and Epcot resorts but now that’s all we stay at.

If it wasn’t for the decent value we get out of DVC we would’ve dropped our WDW habit for all the other price increases. But deluxe makes trips alot more manageable and alot more fun.

 

[Specter]

Thanks everyone for the help so far, I will have a look at the options . I have also been thinking of doing a split stay at universal for one week and disney the Second part of the holiday. Has anyone done this before , is it worth doing ?

No first hand experience with this as our little one is only three and a half and can't do much at Universal, and certainly none of the things that you would actually be going for. However, my sister whose kids are older and able to do all of the rides at Universal has done this the last two times they've gone and loved it. I will say that I think they are of the opinion that you only need 3-4 days at Universal tops, but a bit longer at Disney just for the sheer number of rides and experiences. But on the other hand we rarely ever go for more than about 8 to maybe 9 total nights, depending on the exact time of year.

 

[Lisa_lvspplmvr]

We love Coronado! The rooms are updated , the grounds are beautiful and the hot tub is the biggest on property! The quiet pools open an hour early and are great to jump into after a day at the parks ! Three bridges has an amazing poke bowl , corn appetizer and churros ! In regards to the bus only , we made it to magic kingdom for rope drop and my son and husband were first family of the day at the Tomorrowland bridge ! They even got a certificate! It can be done . They opened more turnstiles and we got in the first spot . Coronado has the best rooms and is most updated . The rooms feel deluxe. You will love it !

 

[CynBeth]

Thanks everyone for the help so far, I will have a look at the options . I have also been thinking of doing a split stay at universal for one week and disney the Second part of the holiday. Has anyone done this before , is it worth doing ?

In November 2021 we spent 2 nights on Universal property at Portofino Bay on the Wednesday and Thursday prior to Thanksgiving Week and loved it! With the premier hotels you get the express pass and all onsite hotels offer early entry. We got 2 day park 2 park tickets. We do not go on roller coasters or anything with a drop but are huge motion simulators fans and really enjoyed them along with some of the shows and parade. There is not really much planning needed we could just go with the flow. We then spent 9 days at Disney at CBR taking one day for SW. We really liked that resort and POFQ and POR are favorite mods as well. We have never stayed at Coronado.

 

[wdw4rfam]

Since buying DVC we don’t stay moderate anymore. But that being said, we have stayed in every one of them and the only ones I would stay at are French quarter and Coronado (tower only)

 

[Marthasor]

Thanks everyone for the help so far, I will have a look at the options . I have also been thinking of doing a split stay at universal for one week and disney the Second part of the holiday. Has anyone done this before , is it worth doing ?

Yes, if we are visiting Universal, we always split the stay - it makes transportation much simpler.. I don't think I could do Uni for a whole week, however. The parks and resort, in general, are substantially smaller than WDW. Our ideal split is 3 days Uni (both parks plus Volcano Bay) and at least 5 full days in WDW if we can swing it.

 

[Gehrig1B]

CBR is our moderate choice now. It ticks all the boxes for us, especially transportation and amenities. Now that Riviera is basically on the same property you have access to all of its deluxe amenities (except the pool). So with a room at CBR you have access to Topolino's, Primo Piatto, Le Petit Café, and Bar Riva as well as what CBR has to offer...

 

[maxiesmom]

No moderate will come close to having the great location of the Dolphin. Maybe try the Swan next time? What didn't you like about the Dolphin? The Swan has larger beds, and larger bathrooms. And is a much smaller, easier to get around resort.

I love Coronado Springs but you have to bus to all 4 parks. CBR has the skyliner, but is my least favorite of the 10 Disney resorts (not counting the Swan and Dolphin) I have stayed at. CBR is huge, and the food offerings are meh.

 

[Gehrig1B]

CBR is huge, and the food offerings are meh.

Not when you consider Riviera is a 5-10 minute walk away. Great food options.

 

[maxiesmom]

Not when you consider Riviera is a 5-10 minute walk away. Great food options.

If you don't mind leaving your resort for food options. If you do, then that reaffirms my choice of the Swan. Multiple options at the Swan, Dolphin, the Boardwalk area, and all of the Disney resorts there.