Help Me Decide Which Moderate Resort

[slo]

Our next WDW trip is going to be NYE 2024 (12/27/24 - 01/01/25).

My DH wants to stay at Caribbean Beach.
My DD19 wants to stay at POFQ
I want to stay at Coronado Springs (tower)

Please tell me which one do you think is best. We have never stayed at any of them - we’ve stayed mostly at the monorail resorts. Now that my DD is older (she’ll be 21 next trip), we spend very little time in our room and at the resort, so we want to spend less $$ this trip.

Thanks for your vote in the poll and your opinions - both positive and negative

 

[carlyannek]

I'm a team Coronado person, but I'll provide a little bit of context. We rely exclusively on Disney transport, and stay in the summer. We avoid Carib because of the amount of rain when we go, and how it impacts the skyliner. I've never been interested in POFQ or Riverside. We also like to spend a lot of time at the resort. While to some, the bus only option is a con, but we actually prefer the predictability of it. The room renos, the amount of quiet pools... Coronado is a win for us.

However, at New Years I recall watching LR Dreaming's youtube vids of Carib for their New Years 2019-20 stay - they showed a lot of the benefits of that resort in a much less rainy season. They loved it!

 

[Genie+]

If you plan on more resort time then Gran Destino. More park time than anything- CBR.

 

[The Foolish Mortal]

Coronado gets my vote. I like GDT a lot and the resort overall. i really dislike CBR. Its one of the few Disney resorts I refuse to stay at.

Also, if you normally stay at mono resorts, Coronado is the closest to a deluxe resort of these three options. its definitely the way to go

 

[Marthasor]

I love CSR-Tower. It's fantastic, however, as PP noted, if you are going to any of the parks (particularly DHS/EP), I would do CBR. You are going at one of the busiest times of the year and having the Skyliner at your disposal will be very helpful.

 

[Jangles]

If you chose CBR, request the Aruba section, which is closest to the Riviera bus stop. Those buses are never crowded.

 

[nw6675]

I love CSR-Tower. It's fantastic, however, as PP noted, if you are going to any of the parks (particularly DHS/EP), I would do CBR. You are going at one of the busiest times of the year and having the Skyliner at your disposal will be very helpful.

I agree with this!

 

[JenMc]

We absolutely loved CBR last time, skyliner make air for us.

 

[snikki]

If you don’t plan on spending much time in the room or resort I would go with the cheapest option.

Out of those 3 Coronado is my favorite.

 

[RanDIZ]

(My pick) Caribbean Beach - best pool of the 3, skyliner, good food options.

POFQ - good pool and good food

Coronado - not a fan of tower hotels. Good food options though.

 

[gottalovepluto]

What is your priority here?

CSR Tower- I’m biased I love GDT nicest rooms, indoor hallways, indoor access to food. Closest in feel to a deluxe. Cannot use the sink or toilet if someone you want privacy from is in the shower. Lots of bus stops (4).

POFQ- easily navigable. If you want cheap and aren’t worried about time in the room, I’d stay here. Many like the boat to DS but I found it long & inconvenient where it drops so I switched to the bus (it was fast and barely anyone used it!). I found the rooms much louder than GDT with the racket from the AC and even being able to hear neighbors’ toilets flushing. But the sink is outside of the toilet/shower area.

CBR- yay Skyliner but oof on the spread of the place. I haven’t been able to bring myself to try it so I cannot compare it properly for you. CBR v Pop would be an interesting comparison if you’re looking to save the most money.

 

[Lisa_lvspplmvr]

After staying at both the tower and non tower rooms at Coronado I can’t do other moderates that aren’t remodeled . The tower rooms are beautiful! We love Coronado ! No comparison in my book .

 

[slo]

What is your priority here?

CSR Tower- I’m biased I love GDT nicest rooms, indoor hallways, indoor access to food. Closest in feel to a deluxe. Cannot use the sink or toilet if someone you want privacy from is in the shower. Lots of bus stops (4).

POFQ- easily navigable. If you want cheap and aren’t worried about time in the room, I’d stay here. Many like the boat to DS but I found it long & inconvenient where it drops so I switched to the bus (it was fast and barely anyone used it!). I found the rooms much louder than GDT with the racket from the AC and even being able to hear neighbors’ toilets flushing. But the sink is outside of the toilet/shower area.

CBR- yay Skyliner but oof on the spread of the place. I haven’t been able to bring myself to try it so I cannot compare it properly for you. CBR v Pop would be an interesting comparison if you’re looking to save the most money.

I honestly don’t have a priority - just wanting everyone’s opinion.

We drive everywhere, so transportation isn’t important. We like the Skyliner, but it’s not something we need unless we do something like we did this year, which was park at HS, take the Skyline to EPCOT and then back to HS (we had a ADR for RRBBQ).

I mentioned Pop Century, but my DH wasn't interested in that, he kept saying moderate

 

[Disneylover99]

I honestly don’t have a priority - just wanting everyone’s opinion.

We drive everywhere, so transportation isn’t important. We like the Skyliner, but it’s not something we need unless we do something like we did this year, which was park at HS, take the Skyline to EPCOT and then back to HS (we had a ADR for RRBBQ).

I mentioned Pop Century, but my DH wasn't interested in that, he kept saying moderate

I don’t advise driving anywhere those days if possible. Disney transportation is your best bet.

My vote is for POFQ. We’ve stayed there a few times over New Years Eve. We love the Christmas decor and jazzy Christmas music. It’s very quiet and relaxing after a busy day at the park.

My close second choice would be the tower at CSR. It will feel fancy if you’re used to deluxe, plus there are lots of eating options here.

 

[slo]

Thank you to EVERYONE that has replied to this thread
I will be showing my family the poll results, and your posts, very soon. I want us to make a final decision before my DD19 returns to college.

 

[loves to dive]

CSR is my favorite moderate but I don't stay in the tower. I just can't seem to pay extra for it when the Casitas are right next door. I'll be staying there in early December and got a preferred room. I thought about the Tower but the fact that it's the last bus stop and the upgrade in price didn't make it worth it. I would have to look on a map but it might be closer to Epcot and HS (even though it's listed as an AK area resort) then CB is.

CB is o.k. but not one I'd stay at unless I couldn't get into CSR or PORS. I'm not a fan of the sky liner so stay away from any resort that forces you to use it. I actually prefer the buses.

POFQ is on of the few resorts I've not stayed at. I have stayed at PORS and love it. FQ just looks too motel like for me, I'm not a fan of the style of the resort but then again, I'm not a fan of New Orleans. I do understand how some people prefer it over RS because of it's size though.

I voted for CSR but there wasn't a non-tower option.

 

[snikki]

When we stayed at CSR we did a standard room and got Ranchos. It was a great location for us. Very close to the pool and our bus stop. I believe we were the second bus stop coming and going.

I don’t know if I would splurge for the tower either. There were about 2-3 times in the morning that we completely skipped the tower stop because the bus was already full to capacity. There were also several times that not everyone at the tower stop could fit on the bus. That would frustrate me.

If you plan on driving to the parks this won’t matter.

 

[mumto3girls]

I voted for Caribbean Beach, but it’s the only one of the three I’ve stayed at (haven’t even visited the others) and that was back in 1997. It got my vote because I love the Skyliner. I could ride that all day and skip the parks.

 

[kymom99]

I stayed at POFQ and CBR pre skyliner. So my ideas are outdated. However, the stay at CBR was the best of all our trips. I loved the resort. POFQ is convenient to Disney springs as you know and is also a nice resort. Much smaller, so less walking.

 

[HopperFan]

I voted CSR because you are all adults, it's a beautiful resort that is the deluxe of the moderates.

CBR has the plus of the Skyliner and we just ate at Sebastians Bistro - EXCELLENT.

POFQ is the value of the moderates, full priced with a shortage of amenities. The pool is designed for very young children and the resort attracts young families. Not sure why your DD wants to stay there but I don't think I would find it appealing at her age. I love the NOLA design but overall it has been one of our biggest disappointments.