Moderates based on atmosphere and buses

[Lbg206]

This thread is making me super excited for our stay at CSR!!

This thread is seriously making me want to stay at CSR if we're able to change. LOL

 

[aubriee]

I've stayed at all four moderates and would go with CSR. They have the best bus service of any WDW resort I've ever stayed at. I've been there in Sept, Oct, Dec, and May and have always had great bus service. Also all the rooms were just refurbished last year. They are the only moderate to have queen size beds. They also have more dining options (Cafe Rix, Pepper Market, Maya Grill, and the pool bar). You can fill your mugs at the pool bar, Cafe Rix, or Pepper Market.

PORS is beautiful, but the rooms could do with refurbishment and buses are just OK. We do love the boat to DTD though.


CBR the rooms were also remodeled last year and are just a tad bigger than the other moderates. Buses were horrible though, no matter what time of the day. I have never stood on the buses as much as I did the week I was at CSR. This was in early Dec, so not a busy time. I currently have a ressie for CBR for Oct. I am only staying there though because I haven't been there in awhile, but am seriously considering switching to CSR just for the better bus service.

POFQ is the smallest of the moderates and I love it there (very close second to PORS), but you said it was not available.

 

[kaffinito]

For atmosphere and buses I would pick POR hands down. It has a great location too, and has a ferry boat to DTD. It's a lot better than trying to get to DTD on a resort bus.

 

[MMrules]

I picked CBR b/c it is the only moderate I have stayed at (4 times though). We are from New England I just love the tropical feel of the resort. I have heard good things about all of the resorts, so I guess I would just go through each resorts photos so you can decide which one appeals to you the most. I hope that helps.

 

[irishtigger]

I have stayed at both Coronado and CBR, I must tell you we really didnt like CBR at all. It is our least favorite resort even compared to All Star Sports. The amount of time it took on the buses to leave the resort to get to the parks was annoying and depending on when you are going you will probably never get a seat. Its just to big for its own good. I mean they even have a bus that has to take you to the building with the food court and shutters. Coronado springs is smaller there are only 4 or 5 bus stops and the resort is just nicer and more relaxing.

 

[Lbg206]

Well, it looks like we're going to end up at either Coronado or Caribbean. Thank you to all of you for taking the time to vote/comment. After all your wonderful recommendations I was really leaning toward trying Coronado, but my mom isn't sure. If it were just her and me she'd like it, but with my cousins ages 5 and 7 she's afraid it's not bright and colorful and entertaining enough for them. She thinks the Caribbean would be better for them with the beach area and brightly themed buildings, etc. We haven't committed to anything yet and our going to go over all the information tomorrow, but those are the two we seem to have it narrowed down to. I've stayed At the Caribbean back in 1995 and as I remember I really liked it, but I was 13 and don't remember too many specifics, but never to Coronado. She's never been to either. I'll keep everyone posted what the verdict ends up being. Thanks again everyone!!

 

[KatMark]

Well, it looks like we're going to end up at either Coronado or Caribbean. Thank you to all of you for taking the time to vote/comment. After all your wonderful recommendations I was really leaning toward trying Coronado, but my mom isn't sure. If it were just her and me she'd like it, but with my cousins ages 5 and 7 she's afraid it's not bright and colorful and entertaining enough for them. She thinks the Caribbean would be better for them with the beach area and brightly themed buildings, etc. We haven't committed to anything yet and our going to go over all the information tomorrow, but those are the two we seem to have it narrowed down to. I've stayed At the Caribbean back in 1995 and as I remember I really liked it, but I was 13 and don't remember too many specifics, but never to Coronado. She's never been to either. I'll keep everyone posted what the verdict ends up being. Thanks again everyone!!

Be sure to check out both resorts "unofficial threads" -- they have a wealth of information.

 

[TagsMissy]

I just have to say I have a soft spot on my heart for Port Orleans ((both Riverside and French Quarter)) So much so that hubby and I, despite being DVC members are considering taking on some cash reservations at POR on an upcoming trip for nostalgia

 

[Ana~n~Joseph]

I've stayed at three moderates and I recommend CSR. The grounds are beautiful, rooms just remodeled and with Queen beds!, bus service was great, the pool is great and I could go on and on. I highly recommend the Casitas section.

I stayed at CBR a few years ago for my honeymoon and did not enjoy it. I said I would never stay there again.

POR-Riverside is nice too but needs some upgrades and we had awful luck with the buses.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Amy&Dan]

I would have to give an even split between Port Orleans Riverside and CSR.

CSR has the newer rooms and the busses are great. But I have a soft spot for POR, its my favorite!

Still, CSR would offer you and your mom a lot when everyone else leaves. It has a spa and salon, so you could book a massage or manicure/pedicure and spend some some quiet adult time together! And I can vouch that CSR is a great resort for kids. Wonderful main pool, arcade, quiet pools, a playground and lots of stuff for kids to do.

On the other hand, CBR is very colorful and I love that resort too. It has the beach, playgrounds on the beach, a food court and arcade and the rooms are a tad bigger than the other moderates. The nemo theme in all the rooms but the pirate section (which costs more and are located the furtherst from the main area) is very cheerful and colorful.

POR has the River Roost lounge with the Bob Jackson show and it has the best food court of the mods in my opinion.

I have stayed at all four of them and honestly think any of them is great for any group dynamic. They all have things like pool bars, lush landscaping and quiet pools (except POFQ but you can use POR's quiet pools and you can't stay there anyway lol) for the adults and they all have plenty of things for kids too. Its Disney, so there is no resort in all of WDW that is not family friendly with plenty to keep any kid happy and excited to be there!

And as Kathy said, do check out the FAQ sections on both resorts and maybe go over to allearsnet.com and check out the slideshows.

 

[goofy4tink]

I realize there is a similar thread right now, but I have a question that isn't exactly covered by the other one. We currently have a reservation for Oct. at the All Star Movies resort, but are considering upgrading it to a moderate. There are 6 of us arriving on a Saturday, 4 adults and two kids agi 5 and 7. The two kids and their parents are leaving on Wed. but my mom and i are staying through the next Saturday. We are thinking of upgrading just because we've heard about all the bus crowding at the All Stars since they make so many stops and the INSANELY small rooms, and just all the things that go along with a Value. Yes, the characters are awesome and the kids would love them we don't intend to spend much time there plus once they leave my mom and I would like a little nicer place as well.
I ask that you please vote based solely on atmosphere, walking distance, and bus efficiency. We aren't all that concerned with the pools since you don't know about the weather that time of year and we don't plan on spending much time there and we also aren't too concerned with the restaurants wince we already have our ADR's and would probably only use the food court areas and nothing more no matter the resort. Thanks everyone!!!

P.S. I realize I didn't include Port Orleans French Quarter, that's because they don't have any available rooms for us during that time, I've already checked.

I love POR, I truly do. And if you really want to stay in a moderate, then that's a good one to choose.

BUT...the rooms at the moderates really aren't all that much larger than the value resort rooms. About a foot each way. Yes, you can get that double vanity in the moderates, but the toilet/tub area is larger at a value...at least it is at POP.
And the bus situation? The AllStar buses actually make fewer stops than any moderate bus. Those moderate resort buses make at about 4 stops, within the resort, before heading to a park. At an All Star resort, it will make 2, sometimes 3, stops. Movies sometimes has it's own bus route, with Music and Sports sharing a bus route.
And walking?? Some of the longest walks I have had were at moderate resorts.

Like I said..if you are planning on upgrading simply because you like the theming (which can't be beat) at a moderate, then terrific. POR would be my choice. I would just hate for you to get to the moderate and find that the buses weren't what you were expecting and the rooms weren't as large as you had hoped.
Just about the only big differences between the mods and the values is theming..much more theming at the moderates, with some terrific pool areas with slides. And the moderates have table service available if you want it. But, I seldom use the resort table service spots..I usually am eating in the parks.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I love POR, I truly do. And if you really want to stay in a moderate, then that's a good one to choose.

BUT...the rooms at the moderates really aren't all that much larger than the value resort rooms. About a foot each way. Yes, you can get that double vanity in the moderates, but the toilet/tub area is larger at a value...at least it is at POP.
And the bus situation? The AllStar buses actually make fewer stops than any moderate bus. Those moderate resort buses make at about 4 stops, within the resort, before heading to a park. At an All Star resort, it will make 2, sometimes 3, stops. Movies sometimes has it's own bus route, with Music and Sports sharing a bus route.
And walking?? Some of the longest walks I have had were at moderate resorts.

Like I said..if you are planning on upgrading simply because you like the theming (which can't be beat) at a moderate, then terrific. POR would be my choice. I would just hate for you to get to the moderate and find that the buses weren't what you were expecting and the rooms weren't as large as you had hoped.
Just about the only big differences between the mods and the values is theming..much more theming at the moderates, with some terrific pool areas with slides. And the moderates have table service available if you want it. But, I seldom use the resort table service spots..I usually am eating in the parks.

I agree with everything you said and was just about to come on and edit my post to reflect that!

I have stayed at all the values and all the mods. And room wise, I find very little difference in size. The double sinks or in the case of CSR the single sink with the long counter are nice however.

What is "it" for me as far as a mod is the outdoor theming and quieter atmosphere.

I will also add that the one value I really hesitate to stay in is All Star Movies. That resort needs a refurb, its the only value to have the old style rooms and they need freshening up badly. They are not dirty or ratty, just not as nice as other value rooms. So if you do stick with a value OP, think about another value. If you stay at one of the other All Stars, you can easily walk over to Movies to check out the icons, but have a newer, fresher, nicer room.

Busses are just hit or miss at all resorts. There is no way to accurately say "this resort has better bussing" because you just never know. I have always been lucky with busses at all resorts I have stayed in. It all evens out. But I do agree that even shared bussing at the All Stars will have you spending less time than the longer routes within each moderate. Which aren't horrible but to take a 7 stop loop around CBR is going to take a few minutes no matter what.

 

[Shmily1]

It's a toss up between keeping what you have and POR. We've stayed at both many times and love them both for different reasons.

AS Movies--this is a great resort (I was there two weeks ago!) and is sooo much fun! We stay there when we just want to have a fun trip. The food court is great too. We've never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus at any of the AS resorts and only shared buses with the other AS resorts twice out of our many stays. I love only having 1 bus stop!

POR mansions--this resort is elegant and relaxing. If we want relaxing, that's where we go! We love the boatride to DTD. When we wake up in the morning and see the river in front of the room, it's a great way to start the day! The buses from POR are not bad either. We haven't had to wait very long there either, but unlike at AS Movies, we did have to stop at other bus stops within the resort itself.

POFQ is last on our list of favorite resorts because it's not a good style for us. I don't like all the colors of the room doors --it looks run down to me. Been there, done that, may go again, but probably not!

CSR is 2nd on my least favorite list. This resort is huge. It has a lot of people and the bus stops are far apart (way farther than POR!). The rooms were fine, but I didn't like having to wait so long for a bus, then finally getting one and thinking I was on my way only to find out I had another 5 miles to go of picking up people in the same resort. (Did I mention I love having only 1 bus stop?? LOL!). Just like POFQ, the atmosphere wouldn't make me want to do that again!!

 

[maxiesmom]

I would keep checking that POFQ opens up. That is the smallest, quietest Moderate resort. And sometimes you don't have to share a bus with POR, meaning you get on the bus and go to the parks without extra stops!

If that doesn't work out I would go with POR. It is a very quiet resort, with many tree lined paths. There are 4 bus stops, so no matter where your room is you will always be pretty close to one.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

We have stayed at all of the moderates.

Best atmosphere - definitely CBR. Very relaxing, tropical, and fun!! Also the best pools. POR is a close second in this category for us. It's also a wonderful resort. We found POFQ to be a little too small for us. And we didn't care for the atmosphere of CSR, it seemed geared more towards adults/conventioneers.

Buses - we have always had good buses at all of the moderates. The bus rides are a little shorter from CBR due to it being the most centrally located resort.

Walking distance - Again, never a problem with this at any of the moderates. I'll never understand all the complaints about the mods and the walking distance. We have never had more than a 5 minute walk from our room to the pools, the bus stop, the food court, etc. at any of them.

There are links to my reviews of CBR and POR in my signature with tons of pics if you want to take a look.

Good luck!

 

[Lbg206]

We have stayed at all of the moderates.

Best atmosphere - definitely CBR. Very relaxing, tropical, and fun!! Also the best pools. POR is a close second in this category for us. It's also a wonderful resort. We found POFQ to be a little too small for us. And we didn't care for the atmosphere of CSR, it seemed geared more towards adults/conventioneers.

Buses - we have always had good buses at all of the moderates. The bus rides are a little shorter from CBR due to it being the most centrally located resort.

Walking distance - Again, never a problem with this at any of the moderates. I'll never understand all the complaints about the mods and the walking distance. We have never had more than a 5 minute walk from our room to the pools, the bus stop, the food court, etc. at any of them.

There are links to my reviews of CBR and POR in my signature with tons of pics if you want to take a look.

Good luck!

Thank you so much for your thoughts! As much as I'd like to try CSR at some point it looks like this trip is leaning more toward CBR and I'm actually looking quite forward to it. Not certain yet, but just seems like it might have something that all 6 of us want in a resort. Thanks again to you and everyone. And I'll definitely check out your reviews and photos.