We stayed 3-3 through 3-10. I will start with the cons so that I can end with the pros. Con: Bell Services. We had driven 12 hours with 2 young kids and a woman who's 6 months preggo (me) so we were TIRED. We had a lot of stuff and really wanted help with it (or at least a cart to use). We were told to go to our room and someone would meet us there. After 45 minutes of waiting and a dinner reservation to get to we gave up and decided to try again later in the evening. Well, 10:30 p.m. rolled around and we called again. We were told someone would be by shortly. No one ever came so we unloaded it all ourselves at midnight. The party we were traveling with flew and used ME. They didn't get their luggage until 1 am. Needless to say, we didn't make it to RD the next dayCON: Dining locations on property. The food was good, but the resort simply does not have restaurants large enough to support the amount of guests. Cafe Rix was mass chaos in the morning. There were always long lines and people filling their mugs had to push through the crowd to get to the drink station. It was not a good way to start the day. We're prepared to stand in lines at the parks, but would like our resort to be our chill zone where we can relax. PM's buffet was great, but there was always a line to be seated. I guess if you get there right when they open it might be better. The Laguna Bar also had problems. It wasn't an issue for me because I couldn't drink (preggo), but my hubbie wanted to have a couple drinks one evening by the lake and there were so many conventioners that he had to wait 30 mins to get one beer. They only had 1 bartender during a peak time! Also, the bartender at the pool bar was rude - not the Disney attitude at all. CON: Preferred room, REALLY? We paid for a preferred room to be close to El Centro. I can see where Casitas 1 and 3 are preferred, but charging for building 2 is quite a stretch. It was certainly walkable, but still took a while (and I'm a quick walker,even pregnant). We did NOT get our money's worth for this upgrade. CON: I guess I should have put this under the dining comments that I already made, but I forgot. The snack bar at the pool was also lacking in the service area. I went to get my mug refilled and stood there while members of management were milling around writing down what supplies need to be ordered and talking to the girl who was supposed to be waiting on guests. She finally came to the window, but filled my mug with the wrong thing and then disappeared again. I couldn't believe how much I was ignored. CON: Bus service. The only day that we committed to making it to RD we got to our stop at 7:45 for an opening at 9. There were 2 AK buses, 2 epcot buses and a HS bus that stopped before we got an MK bus. That was at 8:15. We did make it to RD,but only with minutes to spare. Most mornings were a little better than that, but at night they were so packed and uncomfortable and we had to wait at least 20 mins every time.
Ok, so now that I've bummed you out a little, I will end on a high note with my Pros. PRO: Overall beauty of the resort. It was maintained and decorated with the same attention to detail and poshness as that of a deluxe resort. All of the facilities were very clean and kept up. PRO: Mousekeeping. Our Mousekeeper did a fantastic job all week. Several times she made special scenes on the bed with our kids' toys. One was a boat made out of towels with Donald and Jake as captains and named it S.S. Disney. This was so special. She always responded to requests for more shampoo or coffee (you do need to request these though, I think it's a policy not to automatically refill). PRO: The dig site. The theming, water slide and playground were all beautiful; even better than some deluxe resorts. The DJ added a great atmosphere to the already fun pool area. The free life vests were a definite plus too. PRO: The rooms. The room was very spacious. The seperate vanity area was a great idea. The beds were big and comfy. We liked our room here much better than our room at WL. PRO: Food. The food at PM was great. The pastries and egg sandwiches at Cafe Rix were good. The food at the pool snack bar was also very good.
Overall, I would give CSR a C+. Beautiful resort who's services need to be expanded to accommodate its occupancy. Would I stay here again? Maybe, when my kids are older and if the price is right. **My advice to families with young children: Even if you have to wait a little longer to save up money, stay on the MR or at a resort that has direct access to at least one park. The bus experience is really hard at night with a stroller and sleeping kids (especially if it's standing room only).**
We've had 2 long 14 night stays at CSR the last 2 Christmas which is the busiest time of year. Both times the Bell service was excellent. Last Dec. we literally had people tripping over themselves to help us. They didn't initially have us in the section we asked for, but imediately switched us. Very pleased with the whole check-in process, we were treated like VIP's the whole time.
The key to PM and Cafe Rix is the time you go there. We always head down there at "off" times and never have any problems, but I can see at the peak times it can get quite crowded at any of the resort food courts. Never used the pool service so I can't comment on that. At Christmas time there are no conventions at CSR so conventioneers weren't an issue. Convention could be a problem at certain times, but we always go at Christmas so we have never experienced any problems. I preferred to grab a 6-pack at Panchitos and have a drink by the quiet pool at night anyway.
Have never experienced any problems with the bus service to/from the parks. Has always been adequate IMO.
Descriptive, right? You should be able to find them at Target or Wal-Mart but I would suggest Bed, Bath and Beyond if you have one near you for a better selection of more gourmet coffees.
So as to not take anyone's time asking questions,. I will probably go to the regular check-in line.
