Just returned from our first stay at CSR (June 5 to June 13) and thought Id share our familys impressions. Warning: I tend to be overly wordy!
Back story: Last year we stayed at CBR in Barbados (near the quiet pool). We really enjoyed our stay there. I liked having double sinks in the bathroom, and the kids enjoyed the main pool (the kids pool was geared more toward the 5 and under set). We all enjoyed the theming, but the double beds were a bit tight (my husband is 6 foot 5 inches) and we stood on the buses quite frequently. Making all those internal stops in the resort at the end of a long day could sometimes be rough.
Being adventurous, we decided to try something new this year. It was hard to make the change at first because I really dont care for Southwestern/Mexican theming at all, but, from all the pictures on this thread, CSR seemed to be very pretty. Plus, my husband really wanted a queen bed. The resort seemed more adult than the other mods but didnt have that deluxe price tag. Decision made!
I like a beachy feel, so I hoped to stay in the Cabanas section of the resort. When we booked, only a water view was available. We requested a second floor room in Cabanas 8A or 8B or Ranchos 7B for proximity to Bus Stop 4, the Dig Site, and El Centro. I felt silly adding so many requests, but I figured what the heck! Theyre not guaranteed, but it doesnt hurt to ask. We didnt get our requests at CBR and had a perfectly wonderful time anyway. Four days before our departure, we faxed in our room request to CSR.
We arrived at CSR and found that we had been assigned a second floor room near the quiet pool in Cabanas 9B. It turned out to be a perfect location for us: midway between El Centro and the Dig Site and not far at all from Bus Stop 4! There was one small glitch when we arrived. The CM who helped us at check-in was extremely friendly, but she gave us the wrong room number! When our key cards wouldnt open the door, I had to go back to El Centro. Another CM found the problem and apologized, saying the first CM was still in training and had only been there 3 days. She gave me our correct room number and issued new key cards (once you use them in the wrong door, theyre deactivated!). I thanked her, and she thanked me for not being mad. In my mind, mistakes can happen. It was inconvenient, yes, but they did rectify the situation. If the second room number had been incorrect or something else had gone wrong, I would have been a little more upset.
The resort is truly beautiful! The landscaping is gorgeous, and we loved our little beach in the Cabanas area. When the rest of the family was napping, I snuck out to the hammocks to write postcards and enjoy the view. By the end of the week, I much preferred the Cabanas section to the CBR version of a beach resort. The theming didnt seem forced. Very natural. Unfortunately, with all the park touring we did, we did not have the time to explore the Casitas and Ranchos sections, but were hoping to do so on our next visit. Unfortunately, we missed Ally though!
Mousekeeping did a very good job. Our mousekeeper did not make any towel animals, but she DID keep the room clean, which is what really counts. No complaints at all about housekeeping! We also received extra towels and soaps as needed. Loved the H2O products in the bathroom! Our mousekeeper arranged our kids stuffed animals most days. We also started arranging them in funny ways for her, and it became a game.
The grout around the tiles in the bathroom was in need of some fixing, but the room condition was good overall. We missed the chairs and table available at CBR (hard to have 2 kids eat breakfast at a desk with one chair), but we managed. It wasnt a big deal. Didnt even miss the 2 sinks. LOVED having the queen beds.
The Dig Site was great. Loved the large size of the pool compared to CBRs main pool, and the Jaguar Slide was a huge hit with the whole family. The kids participated in the pool opening ceremony one morning, and really enjoyed that. Lifeguards were friendly and on top of things. Visited the Iguana arcade to use our voucher. It was okay. The kids enjoyed it more than we did, of course! Liked the hot tub and play areas for the kids. There seemed to be a lot for all ages to do at CSR. We never used the quiet pool outside our door. It was smaller and busier than the Dig Site in the morning and at night. Nice little pool, though. At CBR, we used our quiet pool more than the main pool because the main pool was SO crowded and smaller in size.
The Pepper Market was, well, interesting. We didnt mind getting our cards stamped and paying as we left. Once you get the hang of it, its not a problem. Having a server bring drinks seemed silly though, especially since you have to get your own food. And the prices are high. If youre not on the dining plan (we were), I dont think its a great deal. On the other hand, we found the food to taste better than what we had at CBRs food court. And there were more choices, which was nice. Was it the best food ever? No. Was it decent? Yes. We ate there twice. My husband had the steak burrito and chicken nachos. I had a fruit plate and chili-rubbed prime rib (a chefs special one day). The kids enjoyed their food.
Got grab-n-go items from Café Rix. There was a good selection of pastries, but I did prefer CBRs grab-n-go section to CSRs. Dining plan snack items werent marked (as I believe they were at CBR), so Id sometimes have to ask what was considered a snack. We were surprised that the bowls of grapes that you could get at CBR werent snacks at CSR. At CSR, you could get a fruit cup that was half the size. Overall, though, we preferred the Pepper Market/Café Rix combo at CSR to CBRs food options.
The CMs we encountered were either very pleasant and professional or just doing their jobs, which was pretty much what we experienced throughout the parks. No bad interactions. To those CMs who go the extra mile, THANK YOU!
Buses? GREAT! Yes, it is Disney transportation, and it can be a pain at times, but we were thrilled with the bus service at CSR. When we were at CBR, we had much longer waits at the resort and more crowded stops at the parks. We also stood more often when on CBRs buses. We only stood once on a CSR bus, and that was the morning we went to MGM (cant change!) for Star Wars Weekend. The wait was long that morning too (when the bus finally came, several people waiting with us said they had waited for an hour; we woke up later and got to the stop later than they did). Many times there were fewer than 10 people on the bus, and most of our waits were only 5 minutes long. Overall, the bus service was great.
Would we go back to CSR? Definitely! For us, the big draws of the resort are its beauty, the queen beds (better for my tall husband), and the bus service. We preferred CSR to CBR, but we also would not mind staying at CBR again if CSR was not available in the future. It depends what youre looking for in a resort, but for us CSR was a good fit!
Thank you to all who have contributed to this thread and helped in our trip planning. And thanks to KatMark for heading it! Youve created a great source of information!
Is this the longest post in the history of the DIS?
for the Food & Wine Festival!
--so we can visit the Wizarding World!, conference paid, ADP's complete). 
