Moderates--Let's talk.

[akcire]

My husband and I have traveled to Disney at least once a year for the past 8 years. In years past we have been very happy at the Pop. We have often traveled during free dining and would just hang out in the warmer FL weather. We learned our lesson to avoid All Stars, after being in the middle of a cheerleading and Brazilian Tour group for 5 nights. No sleep, although the hubby did not mind the topless girls in the pool nightly. But I digress....

This trip we are traveling with my mother and our then 19 month old daughter. We know we want to avoid the teenage groups that tend to be at the Values (mostly since our daughter NEEDS her sleep), and plan to stay at a Moderate. The Moderate will also give us the regular dining plan and possibly avoid the 3rd adult fee (not sure on that one).

It is not really a money thing, but for us the Deluxe's offer us little value. Husband had a convention at the Boardwalk and at the Grand Floridian this year. I took our daughter to the parks daily, but husband had no vacation park time. Hence the November trip. (I can honestly tell you I think the Grand Floridian was my least favorite hotel of all time).

Here are my initial impressions of the Moderates. I like PO Riverside more than French Quarter, and I have eaten at the Pepper Market in Coronado Springs. I don't think I have even visited Carribean Beach. Coronado Springs also has queen beds.

Those with moderate experience, tell me which to pick and why. Oh and I will be there 8 nights (husband has a conference in Palm Beach for 2 days in the middle of our stay) and we always get a rental car, because in my world there is nothing 'magical' about a bus.

All of the moderates are available for our dates, so I couldn't even let fate choose.

Your help is appreciated.

 

[MMS1125]

POR and FQ are more compact than CBR and CSR so I'd probably go with one of those. CBR is the only mod with full beds still. I like the food at CSR better but the food at POR isn't bad

Moderates are a great value with FD especially if you upgrade the QS dining on a value it only ends up being a couple hundred more.

You have to pay the extra adult fee in a mod. Only suites and villas are exempt

CSR does have a Jr suite but not sure it's worth the price increase from a regular room to avoid the fee but it does give you a nice sitting area if you are up after the baby is sleeping and such.

 

[Allieran3]

I to have been looking at Mod resorts... Right now we are booked in a LM room at AoA with QSFD but I'm looking to upgrade just not sure yet either. Right now it looks like fate may help me tho cause when I checked our dates Nov 28-Dec 6 the only resort with a room is CBR! I will be watching your post for everyones input... I hope you have a great trip

 

[Suelala]

I have stayed at CBR 3 times, and I love it. It's a big resort, but the walk is never unmanageable. Besides, the grounds are beautiful so the walk is always nice! The only downside might be the double rather than queen beds, which never bothered us.

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

My husband and I have traveled to Disney at least once a year for the past 8 years. In years past we have been very happy at the Pop. We have often traveled during free dining and would just hang out in the warmer FL weather. We learned our lesson to avoid All Stars, after being in the middle of a cheerleading and Brazilian Tour group for 5 nights. No sleep, although the hubby did not mind the topless girls in the pool nightly. But I digress....

This trip we are traveling with my mother and our then 19 month old daughter. We know we want to avoid the teenage groups that tend to be at the Values (mostly since our daughter NEEDS her sleep), and plan to stay at a Moderate. The Moderate will also give us the regular dining plan and possibly avoid the 3rd adult fee (not sure on that one).

It is not really a money thing, but for us the Deluxe's offer us little value. Husband had a convention at the Boardwalk and at the Grand Floridian this year. I took our daughter to the parks daily, but husband had no vacation park time. Hence the November trip. (I can honestly tell you I think the Grand Floridian was my least favorite hotel of all time).

Here are my initial impressions of the Moderates. I like PO Riverside more than French Quarter, and I have eaten at the Pepper Market in Coronado Springs. I don't think I have even visited Carribean Beach. Coronado Springs also has queen beds.

Those with moderate experience, tell me which to pick and why. Oh and I will be there 8 nights (husband has a conference in Palm Beach for 2 days in the middle of our stay) and we always get a rental car, because in my world there is nothing 'magical' about a bus.

All of the moderates are available for our dates, so I couldn't even let fate choose.

Your help is appreciated.

I like to time my visits to soon after a resort has been refurbed. POR has just completed a refurbishment (and so has POFQ), so I would choose POR. We will stay there for a few nights next month. It will be our first visit. I like the new carpet, bedding, and furniture that comes with recently refurbished resorts. It's so nice to have everything be fresh. Queen beds are a plus, too. Everyone raves about the quick service here (and the pasta bar), so I am excited to try it. We have reserved a Royal Guest Room with a view of the river (a little pricey, but should be nice). The regular mansion rooms look lovely, too, in the pictures I saw. My eight year old is looking forward to riding in a horse drawn carriage, fishing, and making s'mores.

CSR had a refurbishment a short while back, so it is probably still fresh, too. I love CSR. It has an excellent pool and playground. Again, queen beds are a plus. And the grounds are gorgeous, both day and night. We really like the food options at CSR, too. We choose a standard room and request close to the pool. The pool snack bar has a place to refill mugs, and their hamburgers and nachos are GREAT. Plus, we like Pepper Market. I am excited to try the buffet for breakfast and lunch next month. We will be staying at CSR for a few nights next month, too. The buffet will be new to us.

CBR is due for a refurb pretty soon. I am waiting for it to happen, and then, I would like to stay there again. When I was there last time 2003, the grounds were beautiful, but my room looked worn. Double beds are okay.

 

[Sue M]

As mentioned, all mods except CBR now have been refurbed and have queen beds.

POR is our fav mod. I love the mansion section, either Magnolia Terrace or Acadian House are great locations.
IMO it has a bit more to offer with a boat to DTD, Beautiful landscaping, Horse & Carriage rides, Evening entertainment, and a great food court.

I would consider a deluxe, like WL because of your young one. Having a balcony gives you a place to hang out after you put the little one to bed without worrying about waking her. And it's just a boat ride away from MK.
MK is the only park I wouldn't drive to, with having to park at TTC, take Tram, then take boat or monorail.

 

[smidgy]

we also love POR (we were there when it was dixie landings, then have been in both the AB and the MB section since).
the problem here is, TOO many room categories!!! a standard is a parking lot view. period. no chance for a good view. (guess they got tired of people like us saying "please, please!!! we drove all the way here from NW of chicago, we don't want to see cars!!!)
there is a courtyard view. there is a river view. a water view, preferred buildings. and royal guest rooms.. oh! and king bed rooms!

If you want a room with a royal guest room with a king bed with a river view... you might as well book a deluxe, for the price!!!

also, we wish you could specify, Alligator Bayou, or Magnolia Bend and be assured of that choice. I know at CBR, you could be in aruba, or jamaica, or trinidad, etc. but the theming is the same.. at POR, the theming between the 2 sections is TOTALLY different,

all that being said, we Do love POR! and last trip we were at CSR, and it is really pretty! again, thought, no guarantee of the section (unless you pay preferred for casitas 1, 2 or 3. but you could get a dead on parking lot view.

POFQ is very cozy and quaint and romantic.. lvoe it. great food court. . pool is terrible, tiny, only one pool,, little kiddie slide only.

CBR is very pretty! colorful, cheery! food court .. not so good... oh the food coure at POR is great.

there is not one moderate that fits the bill. we love them all, they are our favorites. we do NOT like interior corridors. we like sprawling resorts. but there is something about each one we don't like...

oh! forgot that POR and POFQ have the boat to DTD! big plus. and you can take the boat to the other resort and use theor poll or fodd court. and FQ hot tub is set away from the pool, less little kids splashing around in it as if it were a kiddie wading pool.

and so much about each one we do like.

glad I could confuse you more. how long is your trip? what about you pick 2 and do a split stay?

 

[JohnO]

We've stayed at POR and CSR. We loved them both. POR seemed to have so much to offer. The river. Views were so nice, the food court and theming were fantastic.

CSR was fantastic as well. The grounds were beautiful, the food court was unique and good. I really liked the bus service here and the rooms were very nicely decorated. They were clean and seemed very new. The queen beds were great.

POFQ, we visited POFQ and I was unimpressed. The food court was filthy.

 

[nkereina]

All mods have queen beds now except CBR. I personally would shy away from CBR because it is the next one due for refurbishment and as a result, it's also the mod hotel of choice for those cheerleading/Pop Warner groups.

CSR is not my first choice because we don't love Pepper Market and use the food court frequently, especially for breakfast. The new buffet for QS credit has me intrigued though. Also, the lack of a casual lounge where you can go for a few drinks disappoints me as well.

POFQ is cute and quaint but the one time we went there for breakfast, we found the food court to be packed and quite small. We had to eat in their lounge. Also with one bus stop and no formal queue, the bus depot got crowded and there was a stampede when the bus pulled up. I know I wouldn't want to fight with that each time.

We've stayed at POR twice now and like it. We've stayed in the mansions both times and prefer it to AB, however the new decor in AB looks very nice. I love the quiet pools as they have never been crowded. I actually like how big the grounds are because it felt empty to us. I also think POR has one of the best food courts on property. There are 4 bus depots so you are never far from one, and I have never seen one other than the one outside the main building that gets crowded. Also love the boat to DTD.

So obviously POR is my choice, but it all depends what you're looking for. Are food courts important? Easy to navigate/small? Pools? In November, I'd guess pools aren't a priority. Good luck!!

 

[hill6]

I have stayed at all mods but CSR and I love, love, love POFQ. The resort is small and cozy compared to the other mods. You do not have a massive walk to the bus or food court.

The bus service was great when we stayed there last week. No stampedes as previously described and our crowd levels were 9-10 each day.

The pool should definitely be usable in November. We had no issues with temperature when we have gone then.

For the previous comment on the food court, send one person out early to get food and eat in the room or get cereal and milk and keep in the room for the baby.

 

[PosadaGirl519]

I would consider a deluxe, like WL because of your young one. Having a balcony gives you a place to hang out after you put the little one to bed without worrying about waking her.

YUP! 8 nights is a very long time. When traveling with small kids, I would always want a kitchen and w/d. And the kids to have their own sleeping space. I've read some people post about putting the pack-and-play in the closet/sink area of the mod room and drawing the curtain. Or sit on a balcony. Anything to break-up being confined every night.

I'd shoot for something like the BW. Plenty of resort activity. Back door to EPCOT. Boat ride to DHS... with deluxes you absolutely get what you pay for!

But my mod vote is either CSR or POR. We loved both!!! The only annoying thing (but this is true of all mods) was the 20 minute walk in the morning to get coffee. Both also have nice restaurants and food courts. There's just always been at least 1 giant lake between my room and the front of the resort where all the activity is.

Make sure your baby sees the Osbourne Lights!!! It was DDs favorite part of the trip

 

[mouselovenfamily]

I've been to every moderate and they all are very nice. CBR is fun and festive, good food court. CSR has the most deluxe feel and beautiful. POR is relaxing and quite. POFQ is quaint and easy to get around. If I were getting a room at CBR, CSR or POR and money was not that big of a deal....Pay for the preferred room! These resorts can be so spread out that a walk to some areas can take a long time.

I have a ton of photos on my TR which has details about our stay if that will help you...good luck!

 

[Sherrkel]

CSR is not my first choice because we don't love Pepper Market and use the food court frequently, especially for breakfast. The new buffet for QS credit has me intrigued though. Also, the lack of a casual lounge where you can go for a few drinks disappoints me as well.

CSR does have the Rix lounge, which is very comfortable and cozy. We were able to bring our kids in there as well during the day.

 

[cobralover]

Have stayed at POFQ, POR, and CBR. like POFQ best because of smaller size and its so quiet. But in Dec we are staying at POR because of its recent renovation. Considered POP but those values just dont cut it for me.

 

[Alabama Minnie]

We have stayed several times at CSR and once at FQ and we preferred CSR but we have found that often the rates at the Dolphin and Swan are close (even with the resort fee and Parking) to the same as a Disney moderate and they are nicer IMO and have a GREAT location.

IMO they are a good option to consider if you will have your own car and don't do the DDP. They also offer really good discount rates for AAA, etc.

 

[Singinglizzie]

I will echo the sentiment that CSR feels the most deluxe. It has convention center amenities, and consequently has a spa, work out facilities, and dining facilities the other mods don't offer. It was the first to offer queen beds, and you can specify a preferred location, again which I would recommend. If it were me, I'd go for CSR or POR. POR since the rooms have recently been updated.

 

[akcire]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

So now I am stuck between Coranado Springs and POR........decisions, decisions......

Any final thoughts to sway me?

 

[kerplop]

We ate at both the food courts out of curiosity and we MUCH preferred the one at POR, if that matters to you at all.

 

[DisneyFamilyMomof5]

We have stayed at all the moderates and we like both the port orleans fq and riverside best and we usually stay there all the time, we like the fact that the fq is more compact and smaller, but we also like the atmosphere of the riverside, they all have queen beds now, so no worries there.
We also like the food best at the port orleans, we liked the pepper market, but we felt it always took too long and we had to tip in a food court setting (not that i mind tipping, but not when im getting my own food!) lol..

my kids also enjoy the pools at both port orleans resorts, as do my husband and i, we like the feature of having the river to take the boat to downtown disney if we chose, which would be nice for you since you are avoiding the buses..

if you chose riverside, i would recommend a preferred room so you are closer to the food courts and pool, at the fq it doesnt really matter, even if you are in the farthest builing (we were last time) we were still super close to food court and pools , ect and you might want to stay farther from the pool so its quieter for your dd, once we had a poolside room and it was a little more noisy, but didnt really bother us..
hope that helps!
Tara

 

[DisneyFamilyMomof5]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

So now I am stuck between Coranado Springs and POR........decisions, decisions......

Any final thoughts to sway me?

Out of the two i PERSONALLY would chose POR, the MAIN reason we choose this is because we like the scenerey there and the access to the river/boat to dtd.. i also think it easier to get to stuff and the coronado is more sprawled out..
either way, you cant go wrong with which you chose, we really enjoyed our stay at coronado too..
cant wait to hear which you choose!!!