Moderate advice, please. :)

[QTMichele]

I'm starting to plan for next year's Disney vacation. We stayed at the Caribbean Beach last year, but would like to try something new in the moderate category for next year.

Although we enjoyed the Caribbean Beach resort, our room needed some TLC (it wasn't in bad shape, but it showed several signs of wear and tear). We enjoyed the pool, but thought the pool was too small for the resort (we went in off season and the pool was crowded). I understand the pool is being redone this year. Also, the resort was HUGE - lots of walking, which we don't mind, but we'd also like more convenience since we'll have a baby, a 5 year old and a 9 year old. (Preferred buildings are okay with us to get convenience.)

Now that you have a little of our background with moderate resorts, which mod do you recommend? Which has the best pool (themed and size)? Grounds? Restaurants (counter service and sit down)? Etc. Anything you can contribute to help us decide is APPRECIATED!!! Thanks in advance.

 

[maciemouse]

We love POR Riverside. This is a big resort but we have always been lucky to get something close to the main area. It has a great pool, place to fish, a big food court, and a restaurant. We stayed there in April and our room was in mint condition. There is also POFQ, which is a smaller resort. We have stayed at both but we like the more southern feel of POR Riverside. We also like the food court and gift shop at riverside better. It just has more to offer in my opinion. There is also a boat that takes you to DTD! Good luck deciding.

 

[maciemouse]

We love POR Riverside. This is a big resort but we have always been lucky to get something close to the main area. I am not sure if it is as big as Caribean Beach. It has a great pool, place to fish, a big food court, and a restaurant. We stayed there in April and our room was in mint condition. There is also POFQ, which is a smaller resort. We have stayed at both but we like the more southern feel of POR Riverside. We also like the food court and gift shop at riverside better. It just has more to offer in my opinion. There is also a boat that takes you to DTD! Good luck deciding.

 

[litlpixie2]

Actually, CBR is the only mod. I havent stayed at. I loved all the others, especially CSR!! IMHO, it is the most beautiful of the mods and its got a great food court with alot of variety! POR & FQ do have the boat transportation to DTD, however......Yuor decision will depend on your preference of theming, I guess. Good Luck with decided

 

[KimK2006]

Our favorite is POFQ. It is much smaller than the other moderates. No matter where your room is, you are close to the main building. (This was my main problem with CSR. WAY too big!! We had to drive if we wanted to go to the main building.) We love that you can take the boat to DTD. My kids like the pool. (CSR did have a better pool!) The grounds are beautiful. A lot of large trees. It has a very "relaxing" feed.

 

[kelleigh1]

Port Orleans French Quarter!!

Hubby and I stayed at CBR last year and at POFQ in 2006. We definitely prefer POFQ. But not for the reasons most people think.

Most people think CBR is too spread out. We didn't mind the size. But POFQ is definitely a lot smaller. We felt that the service at POFQ was much better. And I don't know how to explain it, but we just felt more comfortable at POFQ.

I think we liked the river and the option of taking the boat to DTD. It felt quieter and more removed from the hustle and bustle. And while we never did journey to POR, it's nice to know that we could take a walk down there if we wanted and could enjoy their amenties as well.

We've yet to stay at Coronado Springs or POR, and while I'd like to experience all the Mods, hubby really prefers to just make POFQ our resort of choice for future visits.

 

[QTMichele]

Wow! Speedy replies! Thanks so much.

Maciemouse - thanks for the size comparison between the 2 resorts.

litlpixie2 - Feel free to elaborate on your CSR experience. We considered that for our last trip, but decided to try the Caribbean themeing the CBR offered. We LOVE the beach and the islands.

kimk2006 & kelleigh1 - thanks for your insight on the POFQ. I admit, I'm a little worried about what the smaller resort has to offer, but your positive thoughts and experiences make me feel better.

 

[KatMark]

I vote for the CSR. Although a large, spread out resort like the Caribbean, it is not quite so big. We will be staying for the 7th time in September and absolutely love it. We love the three different "sections", although we always stay in Casitas because we like being near the quiet pool and the Spa/Fitness Center. We usually ask for Casitas 4 or 5 and it is about a ten minute walk to the main pool and a five minute walk to the main building. We love the landscaping, the "peacefulness" of the resort and the beauty at night when the sun has gone down and the lights are reflecting off the lake or the fountains in the Casitas is stunning. Our boys, now ages 22 and 20 and in college, do not travel with us anymore. But when they did, the CSR was ALWAYS their favorite resort. They loved the Dig Site pool, the volleyball court, playground and arcade. We love the Pepper Market and Maya Grill and we love the gift shop. We hagve always had terrific CM's and mousekeeping has always been great. Do not hestitate to pm me if you have any specific questions--I'll be happy to try to answer them.

 

[KimK2006]

Someone, please correct me if I am wrong, but POFQ is mainly smaller in the size of the resort. The buildings are closer together than the other resorts. I believe the food court and gift shop are comparable in size to the others.

When we stayed at CSR, we were as far away as you could get to the main building. It was annoying having to drive to breakfast that was at the resort you were staying at! I also didn't care for their food court set-up. I didn't like having to pay the "tip" (or whatever it was called) for someone to bring me food court food. I would prefer to carry it myself and save the $$. (But others love the food court, so everyone has different tastes.) We haven't stayed at CBR in years. We really liked it when we did stay there. I actually tried to book our trip a few weeks ago there, but decided not to since the pool was being refurbished.

You will enjoy any one that you pick!

 

[Lilolvr]

It's all about personal preference. I like having the extra amenities that CSR offers. My kids love the main pool area and the slide. The playground is a nice option too. It's also located at the main pool along with an arcade.

CSR has good bus service that isn't shared.

I prefer the food at CSR. The options at the Pepper Market are fabulous. You can get a rib eye steak, grilled chicken and many other entrees and it's only a CS credit on the DDP.

I think the grounds at CSR are gorgeous, especially at night.

 

[maciemouse]

I have stayed at CSR too! We stayed one night. We did have great bus service there. Our kids liked the pool there too. POFQ gift shop and food court is much smaller that POR. That might not matter to you. I love to shop at the resorts and I was quite disappointed in the gift shop at POFQ but it was a cute resort. It might come down to theming. CSR is more southwest. POR is more southern and POFQ is mardi gra. Take a look at the pictures and it might help you decide. One more tid bit-CSR is a convention resort so it is big. We never saw conventioners while we were there. We only used the amenities during the day though. CSR was beautiful at night. POR main area is great. I love getting breakfast and sitting outside by the mill. We saw lots of ducks and rabbits during our last stay. Also, the apple tarts are a must if you stay POR. I had one every night I was there. Good luck with your choices.

 

[Tommys Mommy]

Hi Michele!

We just returned from a wonderful time at POFQ; we were there June 1 -7, and this was actually our third stay at this resort. My children are DS7 & DD5 and they loved the food court choices & thought the pool with the serpent slide was fantastic. One night we had rain so we ventured to the arcade room which was fun.

We definitely like the smaller size of this resort and appreciated the short walk to the bus stop. The entire time we were there, only twice did our bus go to POR to pick-up people on the way to the parks. We did have a few more times (late at night) when the bus would stop at POR to drop people off at the end of the day, but we had a seat in an air conditioned place, so we didn't mind. Most days, our wait for a bus was about 10-15 minutes.

Our room was very clean, nothing needed repaired, the mousekeeping kept everything very nice and tidy & even left us a towel "animal" one day.

Our check-in was fast, efficient & they answered all of our questions.

Overall, we loved everything about our most recent stay at POFQ; I can honestly not think of one thing that bothered me or left a negative impression.

Consider POFQ - I bet you'll love it!!

 

[Mickey23]

Now that you have a little of our background with moderate resorts, which mod do you recommend? Which has the best pool (themed and size)? Grounds? Restaurants (counter service and sit down)? Etc. Anything you can contribute to help us decide is APPRECIATED!!! Thanks in advance.

CSR has the best pool of the mods. The whole area is great. CSR has terrific bus service too! The restaurant has great options and is an awesome deal if you are on the the DDP. Check out buzz's site for loads of information on CSR.

 

[Minnie&Nana]

The thing about the mods is that all are quite large and spread out, except for FQ. CBR is the only one with the option to pay for a preferred room location, so it could be luck of the draw and a little PD for your room location

FQ is a very popular resort due to it's smaller size and quaint feeling. It is very pretty - have your checked out this link? It is a great resource for both POR and FQ. Being a family of 5 would give you a good chance of an AB room at POR - and with some dust for a bldg close to everything.

FQ has everything other mods have except no sit down restaurant and one pool (very kid friendly).

www.portorleans.org

Have fun deciding and happy planning (isn't planning half the fun!!)

 

[kelleigh1]

kimk2006 & kelleigh1 - thanks for your insight on the POFQ. I admit, I'm a little worried about what the smaller resort has to offer, but your positive thoughts and experiences make me feel better.

My husband is one of those "whatever you want" kind of people. He pretty much leaves everything up to me. But after our 2006 trip, he wouldn't hesitate to comment on how he'd be happy to stay at POFQ all the time.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Another vote for CSR. We like the spaciousness of the resort - I don't think it's all that huge. Yes, it's larger than POFQ (where we've also stayed) but I thought POFQ had a more cramped feeling than CSR. I like the lake and the recreation options there (bikes, boats). The pool is wonderful and there's a cute little playground that has several things to do - slides, swings, climbers. We like the Pepper Market and all the choices there (and if you don't want to pay the 10%, get your order To Go and sit by the lake).

Our older son loved CSR so much last year that he asked if we can have the exact same room when we go back this year!

 

[Buzz2001]

CSR!! Great pool, transportation and food options! Check out my CSR website for pics and info.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Well CSR has a great pool. However, the size and non preferred location rooms might be a problem with you. The spread out factor you didn't like at CBR are also issues at CSR and POR. They may not be quite as spread out but they can both have hikes to the main areas. POFQ is wonderful size wise but the pool is smaller and they only have one pool. However, if you go with FQ, you can use POR's pool. Its about a fifteen minute walk from FQ over to POR or you can drive. Since they are sister resorts its okay to pool hop between the two. POR is also a nice place to stay, and families of five can get in the Alligator Bayou section and those rooms have trundle beds which is great for five member families. They aren't any bigger, but they do have the extra bed.

If pool is your thing, go with CSR. Your kids would love it. But be prepared to do some walking, although each area has a quiet pool and bus stop nearby. They do have golf carts that circulate to take guests around but that can be hit or miss.


I love all the mods and don't think you can make a bad choice. I do have to say however, every moderate room I have had (and a few deluxe ones) have had some minor wear and tear issues. They have all been spotlessly clean but they house families and therefore you can have those type issues at any resort. Hopefully this time you'll get a room that is in better shape regardless of where you stay!

 

[nikki'smom]

CSR gets my vote for all the reasons already mentioned.

 

[QTMichele]

WOW! I'm overwhelmed by all of the responses. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I'm almost more confused than ever now. lol Fortunately, I have some time to plan - we won't be going back to Disney until next Fall - maybe during free dining, if offered.

What I'm learning about the moderates is that they are basically the same (room size, spread out - except for POFQ), but they each offer a unique theme. I haven't read too much about the different pools, but did read that CSR's pool is the biggest - is this correct? Actually, I'm not necessarily looking for the "biggest" pool, but it is important that the pool is FUN and has enough room to accomodate the guests (CBR was fun, just a little too crowded - again, I know this may change after the refurbishment).

I guess we'll need to make plans to stay at Disney MORE often to try ALL the great resort they have to offer!!!

OH... one more thing... we will be a family of 5, but I'm currently expecting our 3rd so our baby will be about a year old when we travel. This will allow us to stay in any of the resorts that sleep "4," correct?

THANKS again!!!