Best moderate for kids?

[soexcited]

We are considering our 1st trip to WDW Easter 2007. Last year we took our first all-inclusive trip to the Riviera Maya and we loved it! Unfortunately, can't afford 2 years in a row. Any recommendations on a moderate resort best suited for an 8 and 5 year old? I do not ride many rides and our 5 year old will probably get tired quickly so a place that would be fun to hang out during the day would be ideal. Thinking we would probably do EMH in a.m. head back to resort to relax and swim and then maybe back later for fireworks. Any ideas would be really appreciated!

 

[ktink]

I would probably say POFQ. It's a small resort and looks very kid friendly. It's the resort that my 5yo dd wanted to stay at this trip. Here's a pic of the pool from www.allearsnet.com

 

[Buzz2001]

CSR is a large resort that doesn't share services with other resorts and offers some deluxe amenities because it's a convention resort.

CSR offers a salon, spa, workout facility, full menu room service, a courtesy coach to assist in getting to and from the main building, and is the only moderate to offer suites.

If you're on the dining plan, you won't find a better CS spot than the Pepper Market. Huge portions, great choices and tasty food. Lunch/Dinner Menu

CSR is situated around a 15 acre lake and CBR is situated around a 45 acre lake. Great place for a romantic walk around the Lago Dorado, across the lighted bridge to the hammocks on the white sandy beach.

CSR has terrific transportation. It doesn't share with any other resort (like POR / POFQ) and it only has 4 bus stops within the resort (vs 7 at CBR). And since CSR is centrally located, you'll have a quick ride to all the parks.

And being a convention resort, the buses seem less crowded because guests are busy with their conventions.

CSR is the most central to the 3 parks. See the map below.

Photo by Ducky4Disney

CSR has the best pool of the mods and probably the second best on WDW property.

Best mod pool. It offers a great slide (123 ft long), an arcade, a sand volleyball court, and a playground at the main pool area.

Review from mousesavers.com!!

Coronado Springs is my Best Value choice in the Moderate category. It has several advantages compared with the other Moderate resorts. It is newer, so there has been less wear-and-tear on everything. Also, Coronado Springs is a convention hotel, so it has a few extra amenities not offered at the other Moderates, including a salon, a health club and a more upscale food court.

The theming is radically different in the three areas of Coronado Springs. You can request a specific area when booking but there is no guarantee you'll get your request.

• The Spanish-style Casitas at Coronado Springs are very peaceful, with courtyards featuring tiled fountains. Casitas Buildings 1, 3 and 2 (in that order) are the closest to the restaurants and services. Casitas Building 4 contains the salon and health club, if those are important to you.
  
• The Cabanas at Coronado Springs have a beachy Caribbean feeling. Cabanas Building 8A is very close to the feature pool, which may be a blessing (convenience) or a curse (noise, light). Cabanas Building 9B is closest to the marina and relatively convenient to the restaurants and services.
  
• The Ranchos at Coronado Springs feel quiet and secluded -- some would say isolated -- and feature desert landscaping and pueblo-style architecture. They look closest to the main pool on a map, but in actuality they are separated from the rest of the property by a swamp, so it can be a fairly long walk from these buildings to the pool, and a very long walk to the restaurants.

 

[Jrabbit910]

I think all the moderates are great and you cant go wrong w/ any, but IMO, I vote for POR or POFQ.. I think the the poosl are great, especially the dragon in POFQ. I think the fishing pond at POR is wonderful as well. The themes for both are fantastic. You cant go wrong.... or you can have the kids look at all the moderates and have them choose?

 

[juligrl]

I vote POFQ or POR. FQ because it's small and walkable (the kids won't wear out before they even get to the parks) or Riverside because the swimming holes are neat.

 

[Badllamamama]

CSR!! Best bus service, best pool of the mods!! You won't be dissappointed.

 

[dcg0317]

Another vote for CSR DS 13 loves it there.

 

[Letsbgoofy]

Where did you stay in Mexico? We leave for the Riviera Maya in 10 days! We are staying at the Barcelo all inclusive.

Our favorite was always POR. We like the quiet pools all around the resort for times when the main pool is packed. Each quiet pool also has a laundry room. The food court is great. We stayed in the AB section all but our first time. The trundle is nice when your kids don't want to sleep in the same bed. My son liked the fishing hole. The landscaping is beautiful; it's very peaceful after a long day at the parks.

We are trying CSR in August. As many great things as I have heard about CSR, I'm still tempted to change my reservation to POR! I promised my husband something different for a change or I would. I didn't care for POFQ - small, didn't like the food court compared to POR, no boat rentals, and only one pool.

 

[cruiserkaren]

We stayed at POFQ with a 2.5 year old and a 6 year old. Both loved the pool area, the playground and the courtyards with the fountains. They liked to chase each other around and around and around the fountains. We loved that it was so small. Very easy to get around. We had no issues at all with the bus service there.

 

[soexcited]

We stayed at the Iberostar Del Mar. I really wish we could go back. I really enjoyed lounging around the pool while the kids swam. I love the idea of a laid back vacation. I wish I could afford to go back next year. I sure hope our family will enjoy Disney. Your family will love Mexico!

 

[lovealldisney]

Add one more vote for POFQ my kids loved it! So much that they didn't even want to go use the pool at PORS!!

 

[Ella's Mom]

I would suggest POR or POFQ. I've also stayed at CBR. My DH and I stayed at POR once and we thought kids would love it. We enjoyed taking the boat to DTD.

I stayed at Barceo Maya Tropical in February and loved it.

 

[Lilolvr]

Another vote for CSR!!

 

[dolphin01]

CSR!!

 

[Buzz'sBetterHalf]

CSR rocks! Best pool, best transportation!!

 

[Spartan]

Heh! We had a trip to the Del Mar all booked a couple of years ago, but had to end up cancelling, as I misjudged my schedule (I was still in grad school, and thought my spring break was 1 week later than it really was). That one week was some sort of cutoff on the seasonal prices, so by moving it, the trip jumped up in price by about $750 or something like that. We ended up going back to Disney. By the time you figure in food, park tickets, etc., I'm not so sure it was any cheaper to do Disney than what we were paying for Mexico. We still need to figure out a year to make it there, as it looked amazing.

That being said, my vote is POR for the mod. During the day when most are in the parks, you can do quite a bit of peacefull lounging, especially at the quiet pools.