CBR vs CSR vs ...?

[anpeck112913]

Looking for some advice! DH, DS(3) and I are going to WDW from 5/12-5/17. Admittedly, we are spoiled from staying at the BC/YC for the past 4 trips but we are looking to do this trip on a stricter budget since we are going back in September and November. I’m trying to decide between CBR and CSR. I’ve never stayed at CBR, and I’m terrified of its size and what it’s like with all of the construction. I stayed at CSR once but it’s been about 8 years. I wasn’t terribly impressed but it wasn’t awful either (just not a fan of the southwestern theme). I’d even consider a value resort if I knew we could get a king bed but those seem few and far between. My son loves the pool and going down the little slide at the BC/YC so if either pool is better for small kids that would be a big factor for us.

So, thoughts on either resort? Buses, food choices, pools, stages of construction, etc? TIA!!

 

[Tink0812]

First off, you picked an excellent time to go! That week is always our favorite because the weather is always nice and the crowds are low as no one wants to pull their kids out of school at the end of the school year. I have stayed at both CBR and CSR although I must admit that while I stayed at CSR in 2013, it has been many years since I have stayed at CBR (I think it was maybe 2006?). Comparing the two, I tend to favor CBR. The theming is just better IMO. I also liked the food choices better and felt like we had better bus service. I had an unfortunate bad experience with CSR and don't have too many good things to say about it. Sorry that I wasn't of much help!

 

[maxiesmom]

I'd stay away from both choices until construction is done. POFQ and POR are both nice moderate resorts that have nice slides. I'd probably go with POFQ as it is much smaller than any other moderate and has a fairly new children's water play area. And a cool dragon slide.

If you are stuck going to either CSR or CBR my choice would be CSR. The construction at CBR is much more invasive to the guest than the construction at CSR. And CSR has a very nice pool and slide.

 

[coolbrook]

I have stayed at both of these, and while I like the theming and the pool at CBR, I would probably avoid it right now due to the extensive construction. The entire main building is closed and the "food court" is in a tent. CSR didn't impress me many years ago when we first stayed there, but recently I like it better. They are doing a very nice room rehab right now with a cleaner look. The pool area, which I didn't visit on my first trip is very nice with a nice little playground, a pretty good snack bar/ pool bar, a big hot tub, and game room, the campfire, evening movies, and sand volleyball all right in the same location. Of the two right now I would choose Coronado. I really like Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter though. French Quarter recently added a water spray ground for little kids which looks fun and the resort is very compact making it easy to get around. I also like the boat to Disney Springs, but then I just like boat rides. You could have a fun trip at any of these places!

 

[PollyannaMom]

I've stayed at CBR and loved it, but it was pre-construction. I didn't mind the size, because the quiet was nice after the busy parks.

I've never stayed at CSR, but it's been on our short list a couple of times, and I've heard the pool is good for little ones.

I have stayed at POR (and visited POFQ) and I agree with @maxiesmom and @coolbrook if you can swing it. We loved it!

As for values, the only one I've stayed at is Pop Century, but I really enjoyed the theme! (I don't know about getting a king, though.)

 

[ChasingLeslie]

I’ve stayed at CBR, POR, and CSR. Coronado is my hands down favorite. Your son will LOVE the pool and slide, plus you can get drinks and food right at the pool area. As a BC/YC person, you’ll appreciate that CSR has more dining options than any other mod. The resort is peaceful and the beds are so comfortable! Plus, because CSR has a central location, the busing tends to be better and the rides to parks shorter.

 

[anpeck112913]

First off, you picked an excellent time to go! That week is always our favorite because the weather is always nice and the crowds are low as no one wants to pull their kids out of school at the end of the school year. I have stayed at both CBR and CSR although I must admit that while I stayed at CSR in 2013, it has been many years since I have stayed at CBR (I think it was maybe 2006?). Comparing the two, I tend to favor CBR. The theming is just better IMO. I also liked the food choices better and felt like we had better bus service. I had an unfortunate bad experience with CSR and don't have too many good things to say about it. Sorry that I wasn't of much help!

We went last year the same week and had a great time! I remember it wasn’t terribly busy and it was our first time at the flower and garden festival which we really enjoyed. Thank you for your input!

 

[anpeck112913]

I'd stay away from both choices until construction is done. POFQ and POR are both nice moderate resorts that have nice slides. I'd probably go with POFQ as it is much smaller than any other moderate and has a fairly new children's water play area. And a cool dragon slide.

If you are stuck going to either CSR or CBR my choice would be CSR. The construction at CBR is much more invasive to the guest than the construction at CSR. And CSR has a very nice pool and slide.

I’d love to go to POFQ, I stayed there once before and really enjoyed it because of its small size. Unfortunately the difference in price is a little more than we wanted to spend. The construction at CSR definitely seems more tolerable than what’s going on at CBR. I didn’t use the pool when I was at CSR the first time but I’ve seen pictures and it looks great, I definitely think my son would enjoy it!

 

[anpeck112913]

I have stayed at both of these, and while I like the theming and the pool at CBR, I would probably avoid it right now due to the extensive construction. The entire main building is closed and the "food court" is in a tent. CSR didn't impress me many years ago when we first stayed there, but recently I like it better. They are doing a very nice room rehab right now with a cleaner look. The pool area, which I didn't visit on my first trip is very nice with a nice little playground, a pretty good snack bar/ pool bar, a big hot tub, and game room, the campfire, evening movies, and sand volleyball all right in the same location. Of the two right now I would choose Coronado. I really like Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter though. French Quarter recently added a water spray ground for little kids which looks fun and the resort is very compact making it easy to get around. I also like the boat to Disney Springs, but then I just like boat rides. You could have a fun trip at any of these places!

Thanks for the info on CSR! I didn’t know they had a playground so that’s a bonus. I enjoyed my stays at POR and POFQ but unfortunately we were looking to spend less than what it would cost to stay at either. I forgot about the boat to Disney Springs though, I love the boat rides as well! Thanks for giving me a little more to think about!

 

[anpeck112913]

I've stayed at CBR and loved it, but it was pre-construction. I didn't mind the size, because the quiet was nice after the busy parks.

I've never stayed at CSR, but it's been on our short list a couple of times, and I've heard the pool is good for little ones.

I have stayed at POR (and visited POFQ) and I agree with @maxiesmom and @coolbrook if you can swing it. We loved it!

As for values, the only one I've stayed at is Pop Century, but I really enjoyed the theme! (I don't know about getting a king, though.)

I think Pop might be the only one that listed King as a possibility so it’s definitely not out of the running! Would you mind giving me your thoughts on it? Like how the buses are, the food court, noise, pools, etc?

 

[anpeck112913]

I’ve stayed at CBR, POR, and CSR. Coronado is my hands down favorite. Your son will LOVE the pool and slide, plus you can get drinks and food right at the pool area. As a BC/YC person, you’ll appreciate that CSR has more dining options than any other mod. The resort is peaceful and the beds are so comfortable! Plus, because CSR has a central location, the busing tends to be better and the rides to parks shorter.

Thanks for your reply! I’m gonna need to look up pictures of the pool cause I’m hearing great things about it. I’m glad to hear the beds are comfortable, I am definitely spoiled because I haven’t stayed at anything other than a Deluxe in the last 6 trips. When I went 8 years ago to CSR (my first trip to WDW ever!) the room was nice but we had horrible fruit flies in the bathroom. I think the buses were pretty busy but I’m also thinking we went down around Presidents Day which I now know is a big no no lol.

 

[bigbabyblues]

I don't think you can get a King room with 3 people, if the youngest is 3 or older.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I think Pop might be the only one that listed King as a possibility so it’s definitely not out of the running! Would you mind giving me your thoughts on it? Like how the buses are, the food court, noise, pools, etc?

Buses - never had a problem catching one at the resort or parks. Only drawback was walking a little further at the parks from the gate to the pick-up spot.

Food court - surprisingly very good. I was a little nervous, as I'd only stayed mod before, but we liked the selection, it wasn't too crowded, and the staff was super nice!

Noise - no issues. We did specifically request "60s, lake view" though. (60s because I had heard that large group events are normally booked in 80s and 90s, and the lake side because I wanted to be able to see a bit of fireworks - but that also put us away from any pool noise.)

Pools - it was a short trip, so I think we only used the pool once. (There are actually a few pools, I think.) They don't have slides like the mods, but the kids I saw seemed to be having fun. There were ping pong tables and stuff too.

"Etc." -

I loved the theming, and had always wanted to stay there just for that! I'm photography buff, and I love "pop culture history" so I enjoyed walking around and taking pictures of the big statues. I think it would be really fun for a little kid.

There was one area of rooms I wouldn't have wanted to be in - kind of a dark (actually too shaded) courtyard in the 50s section.

The desk staff was great, the gift shop was fun, and the "little things" (like a post box) were easy to find. There was also a fun photo booth thing with props.

There were elevators, but also fun stairs (ours were inside a big yoyo, others were bowling pins, Rubik's cubes, etc.) that your DS would probably get a kick out of.

The room was smaller than a mod, but we spent so little time in it (trying to cram a lot into a short trip) that I never felt claustrophobic or anything. DH and DS didn't think the beds were as comfortable, but I had no issues (and I know those were being upgraded in the remodeling anyway). The sink is outside the bathroom door, which I like for trying to get three people ready at the same time.

I was able to catch a bit of fireworks from the walkway outside our room (Epcot and HS). This is a big plus for me because I love fireworks, but DH doesn't like to stay in the parks for them. - Of course it's not like the views I imagine you get at the CR or anything! - But it was enough to satisfy my itch to see "some".

Here are a few pics:


(The pouty face on DS is because we were leaving, not anything to do with the room!)

 

[loves to dive]

I've stayed at CBR, CSR, POR and Pop. As far as moderates go, I tend to stay in whichever one is less, the last three trips that has been CSR (yes it was even less than CBR). I'm not a fan of the value resorts, I did stay in a renovated room at Pop for one night which did make it more tolerable for me but the crowded noisy food courts, pools and common areas are just not for me. The moderate resorts also have quiet pools, which as an adult are a bonus for me but I know wouldn't matter to you. It really would depend on how much time you are going to be spending at the resort and what your check book can handle. CBR has no food court at the moment, it's a tent and food trucks and from the reviews I've read the food at those isn't that great. We rarely use the food courts except at breakfast, I'm just not a fan of food courts so that wouldn't be a problem for me. CSR does have construction going on but we had no problems with it. The bulk of it is close to the Cabanas area so if you think the noise would bother you, just request Ranchos or Casitas. There are some rooms that have already been renovated but we were there in December and were in a regular room in Casitas 5 and it was fine. My only problem with the resort is you have to take a bus everywhere, we normally do split stays with a night or two at a moderate then move to and Epcot resort. The trip in December I couldn't find an Epcot resort for less than $500 a night so we ended up staying the entire trip at CSR (only 4 nights) and I really missed being able to walk to two parks. POR is a beautiful resort, it's just beautiful and peaceful, I really enjoyed staying there and was actually kind of sad when I had to move over to the deluxe resort, which on that trip was OKW.

 

[anpeck112913]

I don't think you can get a King room with 3 people, if the youngest is 3 or older.

I wasn’t aware of that, thank you! That narrows down our choices a bit more.