CSR or POR

[LeeLee'sMom]

PLEASE HELP I am determined to book our August 2012 vacation tonight. We can't decide or shall I say I just can't decide between CSR or POR. My DD who is 6 today will love anywhere with a pool slide, obviously both resorts have that. We have stayed at the other mods CBR & POFQ. We liked both but didn't love them. Not afraid of the size of CSR either...any info to deter or influence me to choose one over the other will be helpful..thanks so much

 

[ciera321]

We've stayed at all the mods and our favorite is CSR. We have our 4th stay planned for June. The pool area and slide are great fun, Pepper Market has lots of variety and a neat atmosphere, the grounds are beautiful, buses run very efficiently and we've enjoyed all 3 areas we've stayed in. We like to walk all around the resort at night and see the lighted fountains. I really can't think of one thing I don't like about CSR. Have a great trip whichever place you choose!

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

Thank you so much for your help...we all are leaning towards CSR...it just looks beautiful.

 

[judaloo]

There was a recent thread on this. You may want to dig a little under this resort thread as it had alot of pros and cons. Hands down, the overwhelming majority picked CSR. We stayed at POR last time (and don't get me wrong..it has ALOT of fans!), but this trip there will only be four of us, so I'm glad we had the option of CSR. For me, the downside to POR was the busses. We had to stand most of the time, and honestly, it always had the longest line of folks at park closing. From what I understand, the busses at CSR are some of the best on property. Also, again, while many people like the counter service at POR, I found it to be so busy that our food got cold waiting on everyone to get things from the different stations. I know Pepper Market is now a buffet for breakfast and lunch, but it seems to be getting good reviews. An acquaintance of mine is a travel agent and has stayed at many on property resorts. Her feeling was that the resort feels more like a deluxe...I was sold!

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

THanks so much for the info. I have to agree I did not like the buses that much at POFQ which were often shared with the numerous stops at POR..I read about both resorts and you are correct both had a huge following...but something keeps bringing us back to CSR...just going to do it. Watch I will go book tonight with the military discount and there probably won't be any rooms available.. I hope I am wrong. Thanks again.

 

[litlpixie]

Having stayed at both resorts more than once, I figured I'd chime in- Im a HUGE POR fan. I have stayed there 5X, and not once had a problem with the busses. Actually the only times I've had problems with the busses is a few occasions while staying at a deluxeconfused3) We love the boat to downtown and when the kids were little we'd walk down to FQ to swim at the pool there and get a snack. That being said-you gotta go w/ your gut. Sometimes certain places just call to you

 

[partypa]

We have stayed at both more times than I can count and have to give the edge to CSR, it is just Lovely

 

[buzznina]

We like them both but for us the edge goes to POR, because when we have our 'resort day' POR offers more for our family to do there then just swimming and a playground. Sometimes we like to rent a boat or bike, take the boat to DTD and Yehaa Bob puts on a great family entertainment show. So when the PO resorts are not available we do not hesitate and stay at CSR. I would give the bus edge to CSR but I have had some bad bus days there as well. Have a great time.

 

[jujube]

We love CSR but POR has princess rooms. Would your little girl like that better?

 

[deanie]

Leelee's Mom, I am exactly in the same predicament. I have only stayed at POR (four times) and I love it. The food court is very good and as I have RA, and with a doctor's note, I have been given a room close to the main building. I love the setting with the river and the trees. We always request AB.

But this year, I am heading down at the end of Nov. with two of my sisters. I have heard about the big groups from POP Warner that often stay at POR. I don't know how much they impact the buses, the pool area (if it is warm enough to swim) and the food court. So, with that in mind, I have booked CSR. I guess my biggest concern is the Pepper Market as one sister does not like Mexican food and the other has to really watch her pennies and it is more costly.

Can anyone put my fears to rest? Should I just flip a coin - LOL?

 

[camsmama]

We have stayed at both Port Orleans and CSR numerous times and hands down, we think CSR is way better! Don't worry about the dining; the Pepper Market has a lot more than just Mexican food. They have sandwiches, salads, chicken, to name a few. CSR is a much better looking property and we like their pools much better than PO.

 

[DizDaD7]

Let it be known that both times I went to these were during Jersey weeks in Nov.

CSR- Resort Grounds: The theming here is really nice. All 3 areas are unique to its section and very well maintained. A nice walk around the whole resort is roughly 15-20 minutes or so.

POR- Resort Grounds: The theming here is also very nice. Just a little different. Southern feel. Both gorgeous grounds though. I'd say just a tad longer to walk around the grounds, but a pleasant stroll again.

CSR- Rooms: Stayed in Casitas 4 which had renovated rooms & was a perfect location. Queen Size beds too.

POR- Rooms: Stayed in Magnolia Mansions. Also Beautifully redone, w/ queen size beds as well.

CSR- Pool The main Pool is awesome. Really nice slide. Plenty of lifeguards on duty. Never Ever,ever crowded. I think the most amount of people there while we stayed was maybe 20. The quieter pools are very nice too.

POR- Pool: This Pool Is very nice as well. Slide is just a tad smaller than CSR but equally nice. the pool always had plenty of people around , but never felt like overcrowded. You always had plenty of chaise loungers to sit at. a lot more kids it seemed too. quieter pools were just that very quiet..

CSR- Food Court: aka. pepper market. I know not many people like the idea of being escorted to you seat, but literally u wait maybe 5 secs, honestly. Never is it packed, the market itself has a nice array of food too. A small gratuity ( maybe $5 ) should cover your server.

POR- Food Court: Although the food selections here are awesome, the way it's set up is like the values. And yes the seating area is bigger, It was always busy, no matter what time of day. Mornings are Chaotic though. Worse lines here than the darn parks...LoL

CSR- Bus Service: The best hands down: Although there are multiple stops, It seems most people grab it at the main one, to go to the parks. Never di we wait for more than 1 bus which were sooo frequent. NEVER did we have to come close to standing either, Going to the parks or returning..

POR- Bus Service: This one was just Eh. Imho. At least heading out to the parks in the morning. I think we waited for an extra bus 3 days going to parks. Coming back from DTD we waited for 3 buses, & forget coming back from Fantasmic. That was like 7 buses... But when we do return, the west stop ( i think) was very close to our mansion, which was nice.
Also POR, Has the Boat ride to DTD, which is a pleasant ride & convenient.

I didn't eat at either of the 2 TS restaurants here, but have heard very good things about both. Also POFQ is just a smaller version of POR, but the New Orleans theming & closer feel, just didn't do it for me. Also the pool is a lil on the kiddish side. CBR I'm just not a big fan of. Layout, Theming, buses. The pool is good though. If I want to get a tropical theme ,then I'll go to the islands, not here. Thats just my $.02. Sorry. Don't mean to offend all of the CBR lovers

My suggestion, ( although its a hard one ) would probably got to CSR. It's a convention hotel , so it's never too crowded.

Either one you pick I'm sure you won't be disappointed.. Have a fun time choosing and once again...Sorry for Rambling here. LoL

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

Thank you all so much for all the information. I will be calling in a few to book at.........CSR! Going to give it a try sounds terrific. As with any Disney Resort we never had a "bad" stay, just some better than others . I think each and every resort has it's pros and cons but the grounds at CSR just look tranquil & beautiful, and the pool area looks terrific as we do spend some time by the pool, especially as it will be the end of August..hot, hot,hot..but it beats the snow we are having at this very minute

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

It sounds like you have already made your decision, but here's another vote for CSR. We haven't stayed at POR and I wouldn't hesitate to try it, especially now that it has queen beds, but all of our stays at CSR have been great. The beds are very comfortable, the pool is awesome, and the buses are the best of any Disney resort at any level.

CSR is our moderate of choice for many reasons, but I would try POR if I couldn't get CSR.

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

Yeah we are booked at CSR from August 25 through September 1st!! so excited can't wait!!

 

[Sue M]

Our Fav is POR. Stunning landscapping, so lush. We love the mansion section, and with multiple bridges across the river, no location is very far from the main areas. Unlike CSR where you have to walk aroun d the lake.
POR has some extra too, like Boat to DTD, Horse & Carriage rides, evening Family entertainment in the lounge, movies on the lawn in the evening,a Marina (that is open all dates) and IMO good transportation. We always use either the East or North Depot, and it's never been crowded and have always got seats. We go in Aug too.

 

[deanie]

I have also just booked at CSR Nov 26 - Dec 7. It was such a hard choice between POR and CSR. What tipped the scales for CSR was that we would like to avoid the POP Warner crowds as much as possible. It does sound like we couldn't have gone wrong with either resort. Thanks for everyone's help!

 

[thumperjr9]

We have stayed at both and enjoy both. I'm on the fence about which I prefer but would be happy at either. However my DH and DS always prefer CSR. Like others have already said the bus service has been better for us at CSR. At POR the waits were longer and we had to stand many times. For me though, the boat to DTD from POR is a real plus. So.....anyway our next trip we will be staying at CSR for the 4th time.

 

[KEPE]

Great question and thanks for asking. We are torn between the two as well. Planning a trip for xmas/NY. We stayed at CSR and loved it. Bus service was great, food was good, rooms were really nice, staff was great, pool area was beautiful. No complaints. However..... POR has the princess room we would like to try and the one thing DH didn't like about CSR were the hours of the food court. The pepper market is not open all day and the other place (can't remember the name) was a very limited selection. So he wasn't thrilled with that. I also like the idea of the boat to DTD. For NYE, I would like to be able to hop on the boat and grab a bite and head back. I heard this past year they had a little NYE party and hoping they do it again (want to avoid the park on that day). Also, I know this is a CRAZY week so I'd like to be able to spend time at the resport when the parks get too much and from what I hear there is lots to do at the resort. So I'm leaning towards POR.


For sure you will have a great time at CSR. It is a wonderful resort and we for sure would stay there again!!

 

[DizDaD7]

Hope the prior posting I made helped out a bit. We recently became DVC members on our last trip,& we're also coming down late august to Sep. It says SSR, but I haven't changed the ticker. We actually have 11 nights at the BWV. But if we weren't staying in a Villa & paying either oop or w/ FD, I would be at either of these two. We actually may take a day and do the resort hop. So u never know, you may see me down there. It's easy to spot me, I'll be the Dad w/ the biggest smile on his face, and racing the kids from ride to ride...LoL have fun