I cannot decide where to stay!

[Makcarly]

My daughter (turning 14 the week we are at Disney) and I will be at Disney 4/22-4/29/12. I am booking next week so I really need to make up my mind! For the longest time I was certain we would stay at POP, mainly because of the price and the good reviews I've seen. Then I saw the rooms at Coronado Springs and fell in love with the way they look. But then I am not too sure I am sold on the resort itself because it is HUGE. I love the feel of the Boardwalk but I don't think I like the rooms very much. Last night I started looking at POFQ and added yet another resort to my list- the atmosphere just looks so peaceful and relaxing!

:

I think CS is still my top choice followed by BW then POFQ and then POP. I am thinking I should just eliminate POP and try to keep narrowing the list down. Which one would you pick out of my choices?

 

[6elginfans]

I would highly suggest trying PO. The setting is so beautiful. The pool is fun and the restaurants are great. One of my most favorite things to do is walk for coffee in the am along the river. It is so peaceful. Bus stops are close to the rooms, which have recently been re done.

 

[searlproudbottom]

I would consider renting points from a DVC member. You could probably stay in a deluxe resort for not much more if any than a value. There nothing like watching the fireworks atop the Bay lake Tower.

Searl

 

[pepe of ohio]

Value, moderate and deluxe.....alot of price variations....

We're deluxe people, but don't want the huge price tag that most have and secondary to us is location....WL wins hands down for us.....we're MK area fans, like being on the water and like the boat ride to the MK....

We've done one hurricane extension stay once at a value....good for that and won't ever plan on staying there for a vacation....just not us

Moderates, never stayed in one but seem to like POFQ if need be (again all moderates are motel settings) which we don't prefer in a Disney stay....would definitely take POFQ over CSR any day (did a spur of the moment trip to CSR and it is spread out all over....nice but not our cup of tea..

As for renting points, never got into that, doesn't seem something we would persue, based on not liking to rent from someone, no mousekeeping and don't feel it's any cheaper than the discounted prices we gotten over the years...only see the need if you have alot of people going in one room....did do a studio once at WLV, didn't care for room layout and sofa sleeper, regular rooms alot better.....

My bottom line is location to the park will visit the most, then the discount I can get on a room only stay.....never cared for the dining plan, no money saver to us....

 

[tink70]

cSR is honestly wonderful. Yes it's large but it did not bother us that much, and sometimes we were carrying kids! My favorite part is the fountains. I just loved walking past them after a long day.
What we did was walk the trek to the pepper market in the am, and hop a bus after breakfast. After returning, at night, simply get off at a bus stop closest to your building. You may miss the fountains but it is a shorter walk. They recently redid the rooms in the casitas, and they are so pretty. Check out buzz's page, he has great photos.
Oh- and the pool is a little bit of a walk but very worth it.there is also a huge hot tub.
So I guess my vote for you is CSR!
Good luck in your decision and if you do pick CSR request casitas. They have always come through for me!

 

[PanFan01]

We stayed for the first time at CS back in August. We really wanted to stay here after visiting it on a previous trip. We have stayed at the Contemporary, Pop and Fort Wilderness. My boys, 13 & 11, loved this resort the most and I have to admit - my husband and I loved it too. We had requested staying near El Centro, but we were placed in the Ranchos area - in the furthest building from El Centro. At first I was a little disappointed, but we ended up loving it. The walk from back there to El Centro is not as far as most people say. I have a breathing condition and I didn't have any problem making the 8 - 10 minute walk up there (and that was in record setting heat in August). Even though we were considered "far from everything" we were only 2 minutes to our car, 2 minutes to the bus stop, 2 minutes from the laundry and quiet pool and about 3 minutes from the large theme pool. We had been thinking about staying at the Contemporary again, but we always come back to staying at CS. We feel it is like staying at a deluxe with a moderate price.

 

[iloveeeyore]

It's so hard to choose a Disney resort, isn't it?! The great thing is that Disney offers so many choices at all different price points. The bad thing is...how does one choose?

We have 2 teens, 18 and 15. We stayed at CSR last summer and we liked it fine. The problem is, we have stayed at some of the deluxes and we (kids included) noticed the difference. If you and your teen are most attracted to CSR, I'd say save the money and give it a try. Do not worry about the size of the resort. We were worried from all that we had read, but we felt that it was totally a non-issue. The walk from any building to the main lobby is no longer than 10 minutes on beautiful pathways...we enjoyed it! There are several bus stops, so every building is close to one. The centrally located main pool is fantastic. The bus service was outstanding in our experience. (This year the teens have requested going back to a monorail resort, our favorite is the Poly.)

Having said that, the BWI is soooo much nicer than CSR, IMO! The walk from your room to the lobby can still be long, but it will be in cool, dry interior hallways. It's hard the beat the BW location, with all the restaurants and entertainment within easy walking distance, and walking to EP and HS. BWI is also significantly more costly, and the bus transportation to MK and AK is not as efficient as the CSR transportation in our experience.

Whatever decision you make, you will be in WDW!!! YAY! Happy planning.

 

[Yellosno]

I was a big fan of POFQ I loved the themeing i really enjoyed my stay there

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Personally I would go with the Boardwalk Inn because in my opinion they have the best theme and atmosphere of any WDW Resort. Plus you will also be within walking distance of Epcot and Hollywood Studios or you can take Boats which also go to those parks.

 

[Hoosier Mom]

We had difficulty deciding also. We picked CSR because we heard they had new pillow top queen size beds, plus we heard we could request a rollaway for our 6 year old. So that means we all get our own bed if a rollaway is available.

Our absolute favorite resort is Wilderness Lodge, but it came down to a shorter stay there, or a longer stay at CSR. So we are giving CSR a try.

I know I will miss being able to take the elevator down to breakfast in Roaring Forks at WL. Sure wish CSR had a people mover to get me to breakfast! Ha!

 

[haPevraftr]

If you are considering BWI and CSR, I assuming the cost difference is not an issue for you (between a moderate and deluxe). That having been said I would decide which resort has the convenience of the things that you want to do outside of the resort. For a moderate, we like POR or POFQ because the resorts are great and have the boat shuttle to DTD which is the bonus that other moderates do not have.
For deluxes, BWI does offer you easy access to all of the activity along the Boardwalk and to Epcot and DHS.

 

[arielfan]

We love POFQ! They too now have queen size beds and the resort is wonderful. Cs did nothing for us, the 2nd night there we changed resorts to POFQ!

 

[jujube]

CSR is fabulous! It is our go to mod. My children are teenagers and prefer it to most of the deluxe resorts.
ETA, I saw BWI is a choice. That is their favorite deluxe. They enjoy walking around the Boardwalk and going to ESPN. Their favorite park is DHS and it is an easy walk or boat ride from BWI.

 

[catra121]

If I were you...I'd sit down and map out a budget for your trip. I don't know what other things you are planning for your trip but try to work within the budget you set to get the most out of your trip. I've stayed at moderates (CSR and POR) and Pop...and of those Pop and POR were my favorites. But when I stayed at Pop I upgraded to deluxe dining and had a marvelous experience that trip trying different TS restaurants and seeing Disney from a different perspective. If dining is no big deal to you then perhaps consider if you want to do any extras like a character meal, spa treatment, shopping spree, water parks, etc.

If any of the resorts fit into your budget then see what other extras you want, what you can do without, etc. If it ALL fits in your budget then go for the resort that excites you the most. You can have a great time at any Disney resort and I personally loved my stay at Pop and do not regret staying there. I loved that it was on the lake, the bus service was the best I have seen on property, and the customer service was excellent. If saving money by staying there and using any extra money to spend on other things (even if it's just LOTS of souveniers...lol) will allow you to have a care free and FUN trip with your daughter then go for it. If you guys spend a lot of time at the resort and at the pool and not so much with any extras or shopping then maybe go with a moderate or deluxe so you can take advantage of those extra ammenities. Really just depends on what sort of overall experience you want and what is important to YOU on vacation.