Best Moderate for Kids and Question about Cancellation

[brandyleeann]

Hi everyone!

We are doing a split stay in December. We already have Beach Club booked with rented points for Jan 1 - 6, 2018 and recently decided to add on a few extra days to take advantage of a much better flight (5 hours direct vs. 12.5 hours starting at 1:00 am). We have a request in to rent points at AKL, which we have stayed at before and LOVED, and so far no points are available to rent

I thought that I might try and secure a reservation directly through Disney. Here is my first question. I understand I would pay one night's deposit now. Is it refundable if I can get rented points and want to cancel? I thought that if it was refundable this would mean I would at least have something reserved in case I never get points.

That leads to my next question. I haven't stayed at a moderate as we rent points and enjoy the amenities (pools, dining options) of the deluxe category, but the cost for deluxe in our time frame is quite high, and I can't rationalize +$600 USD a night. So, of the moderate resorts, which is your favourite for kids? We will be in late on December 30, but do not plan to leave the resort on December 31 so great amenities, room theming and an awesome pool are important to us. I was thinking of one of the pirate themed rooms at CBR or maybe the special themed rooms at Port Orleans (I am not sure which one FQ or River has these). We will be eating all our meals there also. You can see why I am really hoping to get into AKL, right?!? Sigh.

Thanks for your help with this. I welcome your opinions.

Brandy

 

[Chip_Dale]

No help on resorts. Room only reservations cancellation is 24 hours.

 

[HopperFan]

DO NOT book the Pirate rooms at CBR, I would highly suggest the Royal Room at POR.

CBR is going through major construction, ALL dining is set up in temporary locations and will be when you go. Major construction right next to main pool. Pirate rooms are farthest away, full beds and more like bunk mattresses since "boats". All who booked by now are even getting $75 back each night in gift card due to the major inconveniences, but not future bookings so you would be paying way more than others.

PORiverside has zero construction and many are moving there so book now while there is room. Pool is nice (just had a renovation) and you can use pool at POFQ next door. Also quiet pools. Boat to Disney Springs. Good food court and table service. Love the Royal rooms (Riverside) and all the special touches, kids will love the details.

 

[Marionnette]

No help on resorts. Room only reservations cancellation is 24 hours.

Unless both Mousesavers and wdwinfo are wrong, the cancellation without penalty policy is 5 days for room-only reservations.

 

[focusondisney]

There will be construction going on at Coronado Springs & MAJOR construction at Caribbean Beach resort. As in, several buildings being demolished, a tower being constructed & very drastic changes to the food service. At this point, construction is to start May 1. Disney has announced that the food court & sit down restaurant will be closed (& apparently demolished). They have said there will be a buffet for breakfast & dinner plus food trucks & grab & go options at several locations thru out the property. But since construction hasn't started yet, there are obviously no first hand reports. Price & location info of buffets has not been released by Disney yet. So if you are planning lots of resort time & looking for resort amenities, this info may help your decision. There are a few threads about all this if you need more info.

As for PO French Quarter vs Riverside: that is really a personal decision. They are both beautiful resorts & as sister resorts, you can stay at 1 & use the amenities at both. That means you can book at FQ & use the pools at Riverside. The themed Royal rooms are at Riverside. Many people like FQ for the smaller, more compact grounds. Both are serviced by the boat to Disney Springs if you choose to go there. There are horse drawn carriage rides in the evenings from FQ, boat rentals from RIverside. Arcades at both. Sit down restaurant is at POR. There is a nice walkway between both resorts, takes about 5 minutes to walk between the 2 resorts. The rooms are the same size but have different decor.

I would check out how the rooms look, prices & what is available & just book that way. If you choose which room you like best, remember you can enjoy the grounds & amenities of the other resort too with no problems.

Edit: Hooperfan: we think alike! I'm a little slower with my typing!

 

[Marionnette]

Hi everyone!

We are doing a split stay in December. We already have Beach Club booked with rented points for Jan 1 - 6, 2018 and recently decided to add on a few extra days to take advantage of a much better flight (5 hours direct vs. 12.5 hours starting at 1:00 am). We have a request in to rent points at AKL, which we have stayed at before and LOVED, and so far no points are available to rent

I thought that I might try and secure a reservation directly through Disney. Here is my first question. I understand I would pay one night's deposit now. Is it refundable if I can get rented points and want to cancel? I thought that if it was refundable this would mean I would at least have something reserved in case I never get points.

That leads to my next question. I haven't stayed at a moderate as we rent points and enjoy the amenities (pools, dining options) of the deluxe category, but the cost for deluxe in our time frame is quite high, and I can't rationalize +$600 USD a night. So, of the moderate resorts, which is your favourite for kids? We will be in late on December 30, but do not plan to leave the resort on December 31 so great amenities, room theming and an awesome pool are important to us. I was thinking of one of the pirate themed rooms at CBR or maybe the special themed rooms at Port Orleans (I am not sure which one FQ or River has these). We will be eating all our meals there also. You can see why I am really hoping to get into AKL, right?!? Sigh.

Thanks for your help with this. I welcome your opinions.

Brandy

You're probably not able to rent an AKV stay right now because only AKV owners can book it. Now that some rental companies have added AKV to their "premium" level at 11-7 months, you may see more owners jumping on the early renting bandwagon. However, Marathon Weekend goes thru Jan. 7 and you may find it difficult to find any availability even if there are owners who are willing to rent.

As far as moderates, I would avoid both CBR and CSR because of the major construction projects at those resorts. If TS dining is important, pick POR over POFQ. But both are very convenient to Disney Springs where you will find a lot of dining options.

 

[Marthasor]

No help on resorts. Room only reservations cancellation is 24 hours.

This isn't correct. With a room-only reservation, you can cancel up to 5 days prior to your check-in date to get a full refund. If you want a themed room, I would suggest a POR royal room. They are really beautifully themed and we love POR and POFQ. If a royal room is out of your budget, I would still book another category at either POR or POFQ as they are both lovely resorts. I would avoid CBR and CSR at all costs due to construction.

 

[Minnesota!]

We have stayed at 3/4, and visited the fourth, and my kids prefer POR over the others.

 

[Babsy]

Hi everyone!

We are doing a split stay in December. We already have Beach Club booked with rented points for Jan 1 - 6, 2018 and recently decided to add on a few extra days to take advantage of a much better flight (5 hours direct vs. 12.5 hours starting at 1:00 am). We have a request in to rent points at AKL, which we have stayed at before and LOVED, and so far no points are available to rent

I thought that I might try and secure a reservation directly through Disney. Here is my first question. I understand I would pay one night's deposit now. Is it refundable if I can get rented points and want to cancel? I thought that if it was refundable this would mean I would at least have something reserved in case I never get points.

That leads to my next question. I haven't stayed at a moderate as we rent points and enjoy the amenities (pools, dining options) of the deluxe category, but the cost for deluxe in our time frame is quite high, and I can't rationalize +$600 USD a night. So, of the moderate resorts, which is your favourite for kids? We will be in late on December 30, but do not plan to leave the resort on December 31 so great amenities, room theming and an awesome pool are important to us. I was thinking of one of the pirate themed rooms at CBR or maybe the special themed rooms at Port Orleans (I am not sure which one FQ or River has these). We will be eating all our meals there also. You can see why I am really hoping to get into AKL, right?!? Sigh.

Thanks for your help with this. I welcome your opinions.

Brandy

Yes, you can cancel any room only up to 5 days prior to arrival. The one night's deposit must be paid at booking and the balance is due on check in. How old are the kids? For very young children the pool and splash pad at POFQ is nice, if kids are older, then the POR pool is a better choice. there are also several other non themed pools scattered throughout POR that are very nice, IMO. One such pool is located between the two buildings that house the RRs. The themed rooms at POR are called Royal Rooms (RR) and are located in the mansions section in either Oak Manor or in Parterre Place. The theming here is awesome! The rooms are quite comfortable and the PO resorts are really nice places to stay. Room size is only slightly smaller than rooms at AKL.

The advantage of the boat to Disney Springs from POR or POFQ is very nice for a resort entered stay. It adds quite a lot of dining and entertainment to your stay at PO.

POR is much larger than POFQ and has the lion's share of amenities. For that reason, we prefer to stay at POR to POFQ. The primary advantage of staying at POFQ is the small size (not an issue if you are planning to stay in preferred or RR at POR) and single bus stop (not an issue if you plan to stay at the resort). POR has a TS restaurant and a large food court. POFQ only has a food court. If you book pool view RR you will be close to the foot bridge to go to the dining and lobby areas of the resort.

You can walk between the two resorts (POR and POFQ) via a path along the river and use the amenities at both resorts (including pools).

As PP's have said, CBR and CSR will be undergoing construction, so I wouldn't opt to stay at either of those. Regardless, I NEVER recommend the pirate rooms at CBR. Too far away and too uncomfortable and can be scary for some small kids.

Check out the price of staying in AKL Standard view vs POR RR. It's probably quite a bit more for AKL during your time frame and your dates are unlikely to have a discount, BUT in the past I have occasionally found the prices to not be very different between these two options. However, I believe that i may have had a really good discount at AKL at the time. (It never hurts to look, though.)

Don't worry about staying in a moderate. we frequently mix deluxe and moderate stays and enjoy both very much.

Both PO resorts are wonderful!! Enjoy!

 

[brandyleeann]

Thanks so much for your feedback everyone!

I happily booked POR and was able to secure the Royal Room - River View under the cost of rented points at AKL. I think my family will really love it!

 

[Allison]

Good choice. It is a great resort.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Thanks so much for your feedback everyone!

I happily booked POR and was able to secure the Royal Room - River View under the cost of rented points at AKL. I think my family will really love it!

I agree that POR is your next best choice to AKL. Great resort, and the boat to Disney Springs could be a great way to spend a couple of hours on your resort day. We stayed in a Royal Room a few years ago and loved it.

That being said, if you were able to find availability at AKL before your stay, I'd go with that. Both are great resorts, but AKL is worth paying a little extra.

 

[AllieBoo]

My kid's favorite mod was POFQ. We liked the pool, the food court and being able to also use the amenities at POR. We have also stayed in a Royal Room at POR and it was really nice. I don't think you can go wrong with picking POFQ or POR.