We all liked the food court better, the way it's laid out and the plentiful options. Our DS really likes the main feature pool at CBR over POR. We like that every village has its own quiet pool and bus stop so you are never far from one. Plus that cuts down on the amount of people at each bus stop. All of our stays at CBR have been during
free dining and when the resort is at capacity and it never felt like it. We always joke that we're the only people in our building even though we know we're not. You definitely don't feel like you're on top of people. It just has this laid back relaxed atmosphere that is such a nice change from the craziness of the parks.
Something that I have seen other people list as a con to CBR we actually see as a pretty big pro. We really like that the check in/check out is in a completely separate building, not right next to/connected to the food court, arcade and gift shop. This really cuts down on congestion in those areas. We too thought it was going to be an issue, but loved it. There is a Concierge Desk in OPR, where the food court, etc are located that can do everything the front desk can do except check you in or out. And when we check out, we always have Bell Services come pick us and our luggage up so no big deal.
We like being able to grab a drink, grab a couple hammocks and watch the higher fireworks from Illuminations to end an evening. The tropical music playing throughout the resort is so calming.
Now POR is a very lovely resort. And if CBR was excluded from a discount but POR was not, we would have no problems going back to POR. But with all things equal, we will chose CBR every time.
We refuse to pay extra $$ for a preferred room or a certain view, unless we stay deluxe then we don't mind paying more for a nice view. As far as the view is concerned, with no balcony to sit on if you are to enjoy the view at all from your room you have to have the blinds wide open. With exterior walkways, you will have people walking by (and looking in, it's human nature to look) your windows. If we want to enjoy a view, we can step outside our room and walk maybe 15-20 feet and have a lovely view. At CBR 80% of the non-preferred room are a 7 minute or less walk to OPR and the main pool. With most of those being under 4 minutes. Other than the Pirate rooms, the longest walk you would possibly have is 8-9 minutes. And I will say, it's a beautiful walk. Our favorite location is Jamaica 45 and then Aruba 51 after that. They both are about a 4 minute stroll across the bridge to OPR and the Main Pool. We prefer Jamaica over Aruba just because we love the bright Yellow of the Jamaica buildings.
We def want a more relaxed trip this year, and plan on spending more time at the resort so a great food court is a must 
