I didn't care for POR - would CBR be better?

[hereforthechurros]

We stayed in a royal room this weekend and there was a door on the bathroom. It locked and everything We were upgraded but I wouldn’t pay more for the royal room having stayed there. And we love POR! It’s not the Poly or anything but it’s so calm and quiet.

 

[tgarre06]

We've mostly stayed at deluxes at off times when we could get good discounts, but we stayed at POR about a year ago in a Royal Room, and I was just kind of disappointed. This is what I did not like: the room felt really cramped and felt like it could use a bit of a refresh/update, I hated that the bathroom was not a separate room but rather just a curtained off part of the main room (as the sole female in our family, I like some real privacy when getting ready in the morning), the windows had bars on them and looked out on a walkway so there was no "view" despite the rooms having advertised view categories, and worst of all, the transportation drove me nuts. The buses passed us full each morning without an opportunity to get on, and on the way back we had to stop at EVERY internal stop at the resort before getting dropped at the main building at night.

It made me want to write off moderates, but the cost savings is so nice especially since hotel, ticket, and dining prices seem to get higher and higher each trip. I was thinking about CBR based on the fact that it looks from pictures that the bathrooms actually have sliding doors now, and the rooms do seem updated. Can anyone weigh in on whether the internal transportation at those resorts is a little less painful than at POR (we'd be staying before the gondolas open, so I'm not factoring that in)? And are there any rooms that actually have a view or is it all external hallways again? And how is the room size on the rooms that sleep 5; is it any larger than the POR royal rooms or did they just stuff a pull down bed in the same size room?

Or should I just cough of the money for deluxe?

I understand your issues. We’ve always stayed deluxe, stayed once for a short trip in a POR Royal Room and it wasn’t for us. Now we rent DVC points, which gives us the deluxe hotel but at a lower cost. You might want to consider it as well.

 

[Joe Brig]

It is hard to go down a class. I usually stay at POR, love the grounds and pool, but tried All Star Movie for one night and Yikes! Won't be doing that again.

 

[Babsy]

We've mostly stayed at deluxes at off times when we could get good discounts, but we stayed at POR about a year ago in a Royal Room, and I was just kind of disappointed. This is what I did not like: the room felt really cramped and felt like it could use a bit of a refresh/update, I hated that the bathroom was not a separate room but rather just a curtained off part of the main room (as the sole female in our family, I like some real privacy when getting ready in the morning), the windows had bars on them and looked out on a walkway so there was no "view" despite the rooms having advertised view categories, and worst of all, the transportation drove me nuts. The buses passed us full each morning without an opportunity to get on, and on the way back we had to stop at EVERY internal stop at the resort before getting dropped at the main building at night.

It made me want to write off moderates, but the cost savings is so nice especially since hotel, ticket, and dining prices seem to get higher and higher each trip. I was thinking about CBR based on the fact that it looks from pictures that the bathrooms actually have sliding doors now, and the rooms do seem updated. Can anyone weigh in on whether the internal transportation at those resorts is a little less painful than at POR (we'd be staying before the gondolas open, so I'm not factoring that in)? And are there any rooms that actually have a view or is it all external hallways again? And how is the room size on the rooms that sleep 5; is it any larger than the POR royal rooms or did they just stuff a pull down bed in the same size room?

Or should I just cough of the money for deluxe?

I would continue to stay deluxe if these are your issues. Moving to CBR probably won't help.


"rooms felt cramped"

Rooms are the same size at moderates (except cabins in FW)


"bathroom layout"

sinks are outside the toilet /tub area (with door) in the same configuration in all moderates; sliding barrier instead of curtains at CBR/CSR


"view"

No 'view' any better than what you had at POR - all moderates have exterior walkways


"Bus transportation"

7 bus stops at CBR, 4 bus stops at POR, 4 bus stops at CSR and only 1 bus stop at POFQ



As others have suggested looking at the Swan/ Dolphin or renting DVC might be an option to consider. Either may potentially reduce the cost of staying deluxe. AKL and WL are also less expensive deluxe options, especially in standard view rooms.

 

[dansdad]

I would continue to stay deluxe if these are your issues. Moving to CBR probably won't help.

Agreed.

"rooms felt cramped"

Rooms are the same size at moderates (except cabins in FW).

Actually, rooms at CBR are larger than POR, POFQ and CSR. CBR = 340 sq. ft POR, POFQ and CSR = 314 sq ft.

"Bus transportation

7 bus stops at CBR, 4 bus stops at POR, 4 bus stops at CSR and only 1 bus stop at POFQ.

There are 6 stops at CBR.

 

[Momto8]

Actually the rooms at CBR are a little larger than the other moderates. It's the oldest moderate and they built those rooms larger. They are 340 sq. ft. and the other moderates are all 314 sq. ft. I agree that it's not worth it to pay for a view since they have exterior corridors. There are 6 bus stops (they used to have 7), and the resort is quite large, so you could be far from the food court and main pool but they do have an internal bus sytem as well. If you want to be near Old Port Royale (food court, main pool), you can pay for a preferred room. All rooms were renovated a couple of years ago.

 

[rosiebean]

Cough up and go deluxe... for all the reasons already stated.
I thought the Royal room a “ free” upgrade for us was Awful location.. which was the disney marketers by brainchild of an idea to give the furthest least sellable room a “ perk” and charge more.
I happen to LOve POR but only stay in preferred area .. if we stay moderate

Do deluxe n be happy, it’s Vacation!

Many of the RRs at POR have awesome locations (almost as good as preferred rooms but with nicer IMO decor). They are not all in the nether regions of the resort. It’s not accurate to say they are the “furthest least sellable rooms”. Several buildings in the Acadian section get that honor despite the fact that some Acadian buildings are preferred.

That said, the OP will find that the issues they had with their POR room will be standard across all mods, and they should really just pay for a deluxe room instead.

 

[buzznina]

Many of the RRs at POR have awesome locations (almost as good as preferred rooms but with nicer IMO decor). They are not all in the nether regions of the resort. It’s not accurate to say they are the “furthest least sellable rooms”. Several buildings in the Acadian section get that honor despite the fact that some Acadian buildings are preferred.

That said, the OP will find that the issues they had with their POR room will be standard across all mods, and they should really just pay for a deluxe room instead.

Stayed RR and we were 5 minutes or less from everything. Of course like MOST resorts you will have rooms that are farther (i.e. back corner of Parterre Place) but it is no different then if your are at the end of the "green mile" hallway at some of the deluxes.
OP - Like PP's, none of the Mods fit your criteria and you just prefer the bigger deluxe rooms, which are nice. But not all deluxes have the same layouts. We found that the room layout at AKL made it feel smaller then a Mod. But, we really liked the openness of the GF rooms. All deluxe bathrooms are also not the same, not all of them have a totally closed off bathroom area, which our family would not like, because then only one person can get ready at a time. For us, we fine the Mods to be the best fit without draining my wallet and we just did not like staying at a DVC studio (only 1 bed), but we will be trying one again though. As for buses, we have had issues at all 3 levels, transportation is hit and miss everywhere. We are also a family that do not need a lot of room and actually will be staying at POP on our next trip.
I do have a question, I have never had a room with "bars" on the windows.

 

[MomOTwins]

Thanks to everyone! These are really useful replies. Sadly, DVC point rental (or membership for that matter) does not work for us because I have a job that does not permit me to plan vacations more than a couple of months in advance. I do like the suggestion of the Dolphin—I had not realized they had rooms for five. I also am contemplating preferred rooms at CSR and CBR since the idea of being the first bus stop might lessen some of the pain of buses going by full/long ride home with sleepy kids. Realistically I may cave and go with deluxe, but it does make the trip sooo expensive...

I do have a question, I have never had a room with "bars" on the windows.

We were on the ground floor of parterre place—if you google it you can see there is a grid of white bars on the outside of the windows. Might not bother some, but it irked me because I was one of the suckers that selected the upgraded view.

 

[kiford]

And are there any rooms that actually have a view or is it all external hallways again?

Only deluxes have interior hallways (possibly barring any new construction).

sinks are outside the toilet /tub area (with door) in the same configuration in all moderates

This is also true of most deluxes. They all have sinks outside the toilet/tub room but are typically separated from the main part of the room by a wall.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We have stayed at CBR and CSR, and there are no bars on the windows at either. I can't imagine that POR would have them?

Other than that, the things you didn't like at POR are likely to be at CBR.

 

[Samantha Morgan]

Only deluxes have interior hallways (possibly barring any new construction).

The Destino Tower at CSR has inside hallways, but like you said it's new construction--There aren't even official room photos out yet, just artist renderings. The planned opening for that is July 9. I don't know when OP is going.

 

[BebopBaloo]

Instead of bars, you mean the wood trim on the windows that sections the window pane into squares? I think most of us were picturing cold metal bars, which was causing some confusion. A lot of homes in the eastern and south eastern U.S. have windows like that. It's decorative and thus their purpose within the theme at POR.

 

[AngiTN]

Thanks to everyone! These are really useful replies. Sadly, DVC point rental (or membership for that matter) does not work for us because I have a job that does not permit me to plan vacations more than a couple of months in advance. I do like the suggestion of the Dolphin—I had not realized they had rooms for five. I also am contemplating preferred rooms at CSR and CBR since the idea of being the first bus stop might lessen some of the pain of buses going by full/long ride home with sleepy kids. Realistically I may cave and go with deluxe, but it does make the trip sooo expensive...



We were on the ground floor of parterre place—if you google it you can see there is a grid of white bars on the outside of the windows. Might not bother some, but it irked me because I was one of the suckers that selected the upgraded view.

I wouldn't discount POFQ totally. It does have a single bus stop, small footprint and decently sized rooms. It won't hit every check mark of your wants but it gets rid of a few dislikes. Maybe try it for a short trip, or a single night before moving to a Deluxe. Then you'll know for the next longer trip if you like it or hate it.

You are talking about grid panes on the window? That obstructed your view? They aren't so close together you can't see out or anything

 

[buzznina]

We have stayed at CBR and CSR, and there are no bars on the windows at either. I can't imagine that POR would have them?

Other than that, the things you didn't like at POR are likely to be at CBR.

They are talking about the frame that is added to make the window look like it has multiple panes. Never obstructed our view at any of the resorts that has these and we enjoy looking out at the view from our windows.



OP - FYI; CSR also has panes and I think CBR does not. What about a split stay to save some $$?

 

[Captain Kittens]

I mean...what you are describing is a moderate resort. Were you expecting the rooms to be the same size and quality of a deluxe? There is a reason there are different tiers of hotels...

As for the royal room, I greatly enjoyed it but it was just me and my wife.

 

[Babsy]

Thanks to everyone! These are really useful replies. Sadly, DVC point rental (or membership for that matter) does not work for us because I have a job that does not permit me to plan vacations more than a couple of months in advance. I do like the suggestion of the Dolphin—I had not realized they had rooms for five. I also am contemplating preferred rooms at CSR and CBR since the idea of being the first bus stop might lessen some of the pain of buses going by full/long ride home with sleepy kids. Realistically I may cave and go with deluxe, but it does make the trip sooo expensive...

We were on the ground floor of parterre place—if you google it you can see there is a grid of white bars on the outside of the windows. Might not bother some, but it irked me because I was one of the suckers that selected the upgraded view.

Hmmm, I think that most Dolphin rooms sleep four ( 2 full beds in all that we have stayed in, at least). However, we have a family alcove suite booked at the Dolphin which has two doubles (or a King) and a sitting area, connecting to another room with 2 more double (full) beds. I understand that you can get the King connecting to two queens configuration at the Swan. This is quite a bit less $ than two regular rooms and would give you access to booking the extra CL FP+, at least the way it is set up right now. We are paying $359 per night (plus taxes and resort fees) with our Senior discount. We are pleased with the value for that rate.
Upgraded views at mods only really impact what you are looking at when you leave the room - not really worth the extra $$, IMO. Pool view in RR at POR will put you in a nice location near the footbridge across the river, though. So location has been a reason for booking a certain 'view' for us.

Actually, rooms at CBR are larger than POR, POFQ and CSR. CBR = 340 sq. ft POR, POFQ and CSR = 314 sq ft.

Yes, I used to say that CBR was 340 as that was what I had read and believed. I think that you are right. However, I have never measured the rooms and couldn't say for sure so I just left it at "all rooms are the same size" which is not perhaps exactly right but the difference is small, IMO. And many people here have claimed that the room sizes are the same. I couldn't refute that based on personal knowledge. If I remember to bring a measuring tape next time we stay at CBR I may just measure it up so that I will know for myself.

 

[maxiesmom]

Hmmm, I think that most Dolphin rooms sleep four ( 2 full beds in all that we have stayed in, at least). However, we have a family alcove suite booked at the Dolphin which has two doubles (or a King) and a sitting area, connecting to another room with 2 more double (full) beds.

The Dolphin does have roll-away beds that brings up the room occupancy to 5.

 

[Babsy]

The Dolphin does have roll-away beds that brings up the room occupancy to 5.

Ahh, that makes sense then. In that case, you can get the Alcove room for only $259 and add the rollaway. It is larger than most other regular rooms, I understand.