I'm not sure what to do now. I like the idea of being close to El Centro and being on the first stop with the buses, but I'm sure my son would be happier being closer to the Dig site. If I switched to standard, do you think the request for Cabanas would be honored? Ugh, this is a tough one. Although I'm sure we'll be very happy wherever we are. I can't wait to try out CSR!
Unless your 10 year old has mobility issues, it probably doesn't make that much difference. It's not that long of a trek, and the walk is nice with plenty of things to look at. My younger DD (now 9, but started at CSR when she was 6) skipped along the entire resort several times after being in the parks all day - she loved to look at the turtles and bunnies and search for the alligator in the lake.
There is a quiet pool in the casitas (and the other sections as well), but I'm betting your DS is going to want to be on the slide at the Dig Site.
The cabanas are very popular with families, so honoring your request depends how full the resort is on your check-in day. We always request cabanas with the kids and were placed in casita 2 once, but we switched at check in to cabana 9A.
The closest buildings to the Dig Site are cabana 8A (our favorite), cabana 8B, and rancho 7B. You could either request cabanas, which puts you in between El Centro and the Dig Site, or just request "close to Dig Site".
We don't pay for preferred rooms at CSR since our personal preferred location is not where the preferred rooms are.
Non-preferred rooms are casitas 4 and 5 (still close to El Centro, 5-7 minutes to Dig Site), all of the cabanas (between Dig Site and El Centro), and the Ranchos (very close to reasonably close to Dig Site depending on building, but can be a LONG walk to El Centro). If you end up in Ranchos 6A, you'll have a 10-15 minute walk to the main building, although you could hop on any park bus and ride it around. Downtown Disney buses start at El Centro and pick up the cabanas last, so don't try that with a DTD bus.
