Cindyfan,
We were in cabanas 8A. The location was good. It is close to the Dig Site and not too far away from El Centro. I would find the Casitas too far away from El Centro and would not stay there.
The hotel is really beautiful. Our room was clean, bright and pretty. The carpet was spotless, as were the drapes and bedspreads. This was our first experience with a parking lot side room at Disney. ( FYI- we have stayed at POR, Swan, Poly, Hilton Downtown) We had no trouble, no excess noise. Perhaps because the lots were empty? We did find the noise of the toilet flushes above us a bit disconcerting when we first arrived. Then we got used to it and made jokes about small bombs going off above us.
The Pepper Market was OK- I was not overly impressed. It is hard to pay ten percent for service when you stand on line for fajitas for fifteen minutes. We ate dinner there once. We ate breakfast there once. Both checks were large for what we had and there were waits to get the food. On the grill line the night we were there for dinner, there were sixteen people ahead of me. Not good! Breakfast was quicker . However, by the time you get OJ or fruit salad, an entree and coffee, you might as well go to the Maya Grill.
There is a convention presence. The good news about that is that conventioneers are not at the pool during the day. The pool area is just great. My daughter was thrilled with it.
I am still impressed with the disney bus service. We have never had a problem and have never waited more than fifteen minutes for any bus. We have visited Disney for around fifty days over the last three years and only rented a car for one of those days. They do a good job.
Thanks for responding everyone.
Gina