... that is, the fear I had that my children would love CSR too much and not want to stay anywhere else in the future! We were there for a short trip 6/27 - 6/30, with plans to spend most of our time at the resort. I'd requested Ranchos to be near the Dig Site, but also love the look of the Casitas, so I wasn't too disappointed to get Casitas 2. The fountains are so beautiful - my daytime favorite is the one near El Centro that looks like a village washing place, and at night the lion fountain is just gorgeous.
We were very well situated to get to the quiet pool and El Centro, but DGrandma didn't handle the walk to Bus Stop 2 well, and I was afraid she wouldn't make it back to our room after a visit to the Dig Site. However, DGM doesn't get around much normally, and the rest of us had no problems.
We had different Mousekeepers each day. The Mousekeeper on day 2 didn't clean very well, but also left the tip on the table (it was in a brightly printed envelope, clearly meant for her). Otherwise our room was always clean.
I thought the Pepper Market was OK. DD raved about it, especially the pizza. DS ate everything, so he must have liked it. I did not care for the soft taco, but enjoyed the marinara pasta and finally tried flan (verdict: good but rich). We had a wonderful breakfast at Maya Grill's buffet. The orange juice was especially fresh, and our server said that the oranges are harvested and squeezed locally. We also ate lunch at Siesta's at the Dig Site: while it's very basic fare, it was good. My burger was better than some I've had in my hometown. The refillable mugs definitely paid for themselves, as refills were free at Siesta's as well as at the Pepper Market.
We enjoyed the quiet pool, although I overheard a (poor, misinformed) woman grouse that it was actually "the Adult Pool" and someone should come kick the children out.
Actually, there were about 5 kids there, and all were behaving very well. The Dig Site pool was busy but not crowded, and there was a minimal wait to use the slide.
Overall, it was very enjoyable. We couldn't tell that it was high tourist season at all - very peaceful and uncrowded. I still like ASMu, but we all noticed different "upgrades" that Moderates offer. We also visited POR and the kids and DGM said that CSR felt more deluxe than POR. DD says she doesn't want to stay anywhere else, so we're compromising: if we plan to spend a lot of time in the parks and use the resort only for sleeping, then we stay at ASMu; if we plan to spend most of our time at the resort, then CSR it is (and of course, I still need to stay at Ranchos, so we'll have to go back anyway)!
Whoof, this turned out longer than I anticipated. Many thanks to Buzz and others who initially gave me feedback on CSR. While I'm far from expert, if anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to do my part in promoting this great resort!
