My review of CSR

[KatePOOH]

Okay we are just back and here is my take on CSR:

We checked in around 1pm and were given a room in Casitas 1 that faced the parking lot. The room was very dark and damp and had a very bad odor. We left to try and let it air out but when we came back it was still very bad. I called the front desk and they said they would move us. We were switched to yet another parking lot view this time in Cabanas 8A. This room smelled very badly of smoke and both the room fan and the bathroom fan were on. Again I called the desk and they admitted some old smoking rooms still reek of smoke (I actually reeked when I came out). We loaded up again and got another room in Casitas 1 this time on the fourth floor. It was much better. The rooms are dated and seem very tired. I have been to Disney about 8 times and this is the first time I have ever requested a room change. The desk was definatly frustrated with us and it was apparent in their tone. My husband has a very bad disk problem in his back so I am always the unloader. I was pretty frustrated myself.

Aside from the room issue, there are many positives about the resort. The Pepper Market is very good. The Maya Grill is very good as well. The grounds are well kept. The gym is small but very clean and well equipt (sp?). The grounds are big but manageable and pretty. We went without our kids this time and there were not many kids at this resort. While I really like kids, it made for a good adult trip with a lot less chaos at the pools and restaurants. The buses were quick and available. The pool was never crowded. Mousekeeping was fine. Nothing to write home about. We tipped every day but never saw any towel animals. Had my kids been along they'd have been disappointed.

I do agree with many other posters that this resort lacks the Disney magic. The CM's were not as friendly. I think dealing with convention people all day is pretty taxing. There always seemed to be a long line of them at the concierge or front desk. Many of them seemed annoyed when asked a question.

I do not think I'd go back to stay at this resort. I would give it a six or seven on a scale of 10. I would go back to the Pepper Market and Maya Grill though.

I think as far as moderates go I prefer the Port Orleans Riverside.

 

[KatMark]

Sorry you had room issues, but that you finally worked them out. We had no issues with the Cast Members when there a couple of weeks ago...they were all very friendly, smiling and laughing whenever we dealt with them.

 

[mayesq]

We had a similar experience at this resort back in 2003. Dirty and smelly rooms and they had to move us twice. This is the only Disney resort that I will not return to. POR is definitely better in my opinion.

 

[Jane-in-PA]

Okay we are just back and here is my take on CSR:

We checked in around 1pm and were given a room in Casitas 1 that faced the parking lot. The room was very dark and damp and had a very bad odor. We left to try and let it air out but when we came back it was still very bad. I called the front desk and they said they would move us. We were switched to yet another parking lot view this time in Cabanas 8A. This room smelled very badly of smoke and both the room fan and the bathroom fan were on. Again I called the desk and they admitted some old smoking rooms still reek of smoke (I actually reeked when I came out). We loaded up again and got another room in Casitas 1 this time on the fourth floor. It was much better. The rooms are dated and seem very tired. I have been to Disney about 8 times and this is the first time I have ever requested a room change. The desk was definatly frustrated with us and it was apparent in their tone. My husband has a very bad disk problem in his back so I am always the unloader. I was pretty frustrated myself.

Aside from the room issue, there are many positives about the resort. The Pepper Market is very good. The Maya Grill is very good as well. The grounds are well kept. The gym is small but very clean and well equipt (sp?). The grounds are big but manageable and pretty. We went without our kids this time and there were not many kids at this resort. While I really like kids, it made for a good adult trip with a lot less chaos at the pools and restaurants. The buses were quick and available. The pool was never crowded. Mousekeeping was fine. Nothing to write home about. We tipped every day but never saw any towel animals. Had my kids been along they'd have been disappointed.

I do agree with many other posters that this resort lacks the Disney magic. The CM's were not as friendly. I think dealing with convention people all day is pretty taxing. There always seemed to be a long line of them at the concierge or front desk. Many of them seemed annoyed when asked a question.

I do not think I'd go back to stay at this resort. I would give it a six or seven on a scale of 10. I would go back to the Pepper Market and Maya Grill though.

I think as far as moderates go I prefer the Port Orleans Riverside.

I'm sorry about your stay. I know that when you finally get to take a trip alone with your DH, you want everything to be special, and to have all those room problems must have been frustrating. Glad you were still able to enjoy your trip! I also prefer the Port Orleans resorts, especially FQ!

 

[KatMark]

Everyone is always going to have their own strong opinions about their choice of where they stay. I personally love the CSR and besides the Polynesian would stay no where else (we went to dinner at Port Orleans and the first thing I said to my husband, that despite how beautiful the hotel and grounds were, I could not stay there...way too noisy!).

The important thing is that you got your room straightened out and you enjoyed your trip.

 

[Lilolvr]

Everyone is always going to have their own strong opinions about their choice of where they stay. I personally love the CSR and besides the Polynesian would stay no where else (we went to dinner at Port Orleans and the first thing I said to my husband, that despite how beautiful the hotel and grounds were, I could not stay there...way too noisy!).

The important thing is that you got your room straightened out and you enjoyed your trip.

I usually stay away from negative threads posted by someone who just joined the DIS to drop a bomb on a resort but I agree with you KatMark. Cabana 9a was the old smoking building so if someone smoked in 8a, it's not the resorts fault guests can't follow the rules.

 

[lpandorf]

We had the same smoke issue with 8A in June. Had to be moved. I tried it for a few hours and realized it was just too bad to stay. Moved to another Cabanas building and had a lovely room and lovely time.

 

[famsen]

This is really worrisome to me since we are leaving in 10 days.
It seems like when I first booked CSR several months ago, I found nothing but great reviews of CSR. Now that my trip is fast approaching, I am finding many negative reviews of CSR. I don't know what it going on there but I hope we do not run into the bad experiences that several recent posters have. We stayed at POFQ last year and liked it well enough. I wasn't thrilled with our room location or some members of the food service staff but overall, it was satisfactory. This time, I really took a lot of time and thought into researching our options and I concluded that CSR would be a great place to stay. It is just DH and me this time and I really thought I made the right choice at the time but these recent reviews have got me questioning.

 

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

This is really worrisome to me since we are leaving in 10 days.
It seems like when I first booked CSR several months ago, I found nothing but great reviews of CSR. Now that my trip is fast approaching, I am finding many negative reviews of CSR. I don't know what it going on there but I hope we do not run into the bad experiences that several recent posters have. We stayed at POFQ last year and liked it well enough. I wasn't thrilled with our room location or some members of the food service staff but overall, it was satisfactory. This time, I really took a lot of time and thought into researching our options and I concluded that CSR would be a great place to stay. It is just DH and me this time and I really thought I made the right choice at the time but these recent reviews have got me questioning.

You will always hear negative reviews about every resort, park, and restaurant in Disney. You really need to form your own opinion. What's bad for one person is not necessarily a problem for another.

 

[KatMark]

"This is really worrisome to me since we are leaving in 10 days.
It seems like when I first booked CSR several months ago, I found nothing but great reviews of CSR. Now that my trip is fast approaching, I am finding many negative reviews of CSR. I don't know what it going on there but I hope we do not run into the bad experiences that several recent posters have. We stayed at POFQ last year and liked it well enough. I wasn't thrilled with our room location or some members of the food service staff but overall, it was satisfactory. This time, I really took a lot of time and thought into researching our options and I concluded that CSR would be a great place to stay. It is just DH and me this time and I really thought I made the right choice at the time but these recent reviews have got me questioning."

As I said in an earlier post, it is all a matter of personal opinion in the end. My husband and I love CSR and have stayed there three times alone and we have also stayed there with our kids. We realize it is a convention hotel and have no issue with it (we never see "suits" when we are there). There are not a lot of kids at the CSR, probably because it is a convention hotel. Believe me, my husband and I love kids (we have two of our own and welcome grandchildren...DOWN THE ROAD, PLEASE!), but after being at the parks all day, it is refreshing to go to the CSR where it is a little more quiet and subdued to just relax. Some people have complained about issues they have had with their room smelling of smoke. I quit smoking only last year so I still don't have that sense for smelling "old smoke" because I only recently quit. My husband, who smoked two packs a day and quit over six years ago, can smell it a mile away. When we checked into our room on September 1 the first thing I asked him was if he smelled smoke (as we knew it had been a previous smoking room). He said no. People have complained about the cast members. I can only tell you that they have always bent over backwards for us.

We think you will like CSR. And if not, at least you will have given it a try. Enjoy your trip.

 

[bnance]

I personally like CSR. The room was not that bad. We were able to get a connecting room like we asked for. So I was very happy. We had a room facing a little courtyard and the parking lot. I think we were in Casatas 4, which was really great, because bus stop #2 was right outside our door. The pepper market was good, but I don't think I will ever make reservations at Maya Grill again. There food was decent, but the service was horrendous. We were there for over 2 hours and we were seated right away. I don't think our server could have been any slower even if he was a snail. But overall, our stay was great.

 

[lustergirl]

I can't wait til my stay at CSR!!

 

[jgallant]

When we got to csr we were put in cabanas 8a also, and it too was dark and dingy and smelled very badly of smoke, no problem, they moved us everything was a ok!!! We moved over to the ranchos 6b, with a request to move to the casitas when something opened up. well we loved the ranchos the rooms were fresh and clean, and it was close to the dig site and a bus stop, and we were on the first floor and there was a beuatiful grassy are out front of our rooms for the kids to play ( there were 5 kids and four adults in total...) we decided that we really liked this area....so we cancelled the request to move and moved on with the vaca. welll......
we got home from the park the next night and had a message on the phone... " we hope you enjoyed your stay...blah blah blah....ha we were being checked out! They had the wrong names etc. so that was okay...we called to confirm that we were not in fact moving.... good .good. clear okayyy......
WELLL.....next night we came home from dinner and found a few pieces of luggage sitting in our room at the door. WHAT THE HECK???? So...we called front desk...someone else's luggage had been delivered to our room.
We are gracious people who can appreciate that there will be mix ups so although we were starting to wonder we shrugged it off and carried on with our vaca.
So the next morning my husband gos to workout and stops by the PM on his way back to the room. He ordered an omlette to go and waited, it never came, but there was one sitting on the counter that no one had claimed so he asked the chef if it was okay to take instead, no problem...DH asks to remove potatoes and bacon and have fruit instead ...yup yup all good!( here is where it gets icky though.) DH realizes chef didn't stamp his card so he goes back an the chef says don't sweat it ( on the house) so DH goes to get his fruit cup and a banana and sits down to eat it since he doesn't have it stamped and he has a glass dish, well a waitress comes by and asks him why his card isn't stamped...uh...uh...well... the chef said it was fine don't worry about it...( SO he looks like a theif and a liar...) so she goes and has it stamped...no big deal...right...he didn't care but he felt like a goof....then he finishes up and goes to the registers and the cast member tells him that he can't do his meal plan that way and it is all wrong...but sighs and says she will do it "this time" okay great...well I guess my husband was not appreciative enough because she chastised him for not saying thank you and gave him a lesson in manners....and said too that "if people like him in the world said thank you then the world would be a better place" HUH???? He is very friendly and always polite to other people so this was a shock!
So needless to say that was the last straw....
PLEASE NOTE THIS CAN HAPEN AT ANY RESORT ANY PARK ANY PLACE ANYTIME!!!! WE are not dissin' CSR!! We quite liked it! Absolutley LOVED the dig site and it is the best mod to take your kids to! The Dig Site has it all!
And the Pepper Market, while can be confusing, it is easy to get the hang of. Great selections, fabulous food and environment...very well run! FOR REAL! Managers are awesome at keeping things going smoothly! In fact my DH was craving some healthy fresh veggies and the manager went to speak to one of the chefs and they came out with a small veggie tray for him! They were very gracious! That oneincident though really centered him out .... there was a line up behind him too...
But it just wasn't going well for us, one glitch after another ...there were several very large conventions going on and we felt that there was a slight communication barrier and we got off on the wrong foot ( a few times!)

My husband decided to contact a manager and let him know the few incidents that had been happening and the mangager was fabulous . He offered to credit the account 50 dollars...but we weren't looking for anything and we didn't really care. However, we did decide to switch hotels and asked to be upgraded to WL and we would gladly pay the difference, and explained that we did in fact enjoy our room and loved the resort but did not enjoy the lack of "disneyness"...all of the things we were used to ... the smiling cast members, the friendliness, the towel animals, the dig site "treasure hunts" all the great stuff we have experienced in the past ...we were there 5 days and it was getting worse and worse by the day!
So halfway through our trip we were moved over to WL ( upgrade fee waived ) and had a wonderful time.

I don't think we will come in September again though, used to be our fav time...but since they started the free dining it seems to have lost the special touch? cast members were for the most part "inconvenienced" by the whole program...and guests seemed to be treating cast members shoddily as well....not AS A WHOLE but we did notice the lack of mutual respect and niceness!

SO sorry to rant on and on and on....

In closing though I would say that we would try CSR again, and do believe that we just hit a bad week for the staff there. It truly was a beautiful resort and we would ask for Ranchos 6b again in a heartbeat! LOVED IT!!!

 

[CTDis4]

This is really worrisome to me since we are leaving in 10 days.
It seems like when I first booked CSR several months ago, I found nothing but great reviews of CSR. Now that my trip is fast approaching, I am finding many negative reviews of CSR. I don't know what it going on there but I hope we do not run into the bad experiences that several recent posters have. We stayed at POFQ last year and liked it well enough. I wasn't thrilled with our room location or some members of the food service staff but overall, it was satisfactory. This time, I really took a lot of time and thought into researching our options and I concluded that CSR would be a great place to stay. It is just DH and me this time and I really thought I made the right choice at the time but these recent reviews have got me questioning.

There are a number of "bad" reviews for every Disney World Resort and that includes the deluxe resorts. Don't worry you will have a wonderful time. Um, by the way....we love CSR...it's our resort of choice!

 

[smep013]

I can't wait til my stay at CSR!!

Do not let bad reviews deter you. We love CSR and think it is a beautiful resort. You now what they say about opinions... everyone has one...

 

[jgallant]

When we got to csr we were put in cabanas 8a also, and it too was dark and dingy and smelled very badly of smoke, no problem, they moved us everything was a ok!!! We moved over to the ranchos 6b, with a request to move to the casitas when something opened up. well we loved the ranchos the rooms were fresh and clean, and it was close to the dig site and a bus stop, and we were on the first floor and there was a beuatiful grassy are out front of our rooms for the kids to play ( there were 5 kids and four adults in total...) we decided that we really liked this area....so we cancelled the request to move and moved on with the vaca. welll......
we got home from the park the next night and had a message on the phone... " we hope you enjoyed your stay...blah blah blah....ha we were being checked out! They had the wrong names etc. so that was okay...we called to confirm that we were not in fact moving.... good .good. clear okayyy......
WELLL.....next night we came home from dinner and found a few pieces of luggage sitting in our room at the door. WHAT THE HECK???? So...we called front desk...someone else's luggage had been delivered to our room.
We are gracious people who can appreciate that there will be mix ups so although we were starting to wonder we shrugged it off and carried on with our vaca.
So the next morning my husband gos to workout and stops by the PM on his way back to the room. He ordered an omlette to go and waited, it never came, but there was one sitting on the counter that no one had claimed so he asked the chef if it was okay to take instead, no problem...DH asks to remove potatoes and bacon and have fruit instead ...yup yup all good!( here is where it gets icky though.) DH realizes chef didn't stamp his card so he goes back an the chef says don't sweat it ( on the house) so DH goes to get his fruit cup and a banana and sits down to eat it since he doesn't have it stamped and he has a glass dish, well a waitress comes by and asks him why his card isn't stamped...uh...uh...well... the chef said it was fine don't worry about it...( SO he looks like a theif and a liar...) so she goes and has it stamped...no big deal...right...he didn't care but he felt like a goof....then he finishes up and goes to the registers and the cast member tells him that he can't do his meal plan that way and it is all wrong...but sighs and says she will do it "this time" okay great...well I guess my husband was not appreciative enough because she chastised him for not saying thank you and gave him a lesson in manners....and said too that "if people like him in the world said thank you then the world would be a better place" HUH???? He is very friendly and always polite to other people so this was a shock!
So needless to say that was the last straw....
PLEASE NOTE THIS CAN HAPEN AT ANY RESORT ANY PARK ANY PLACE ANYTIME!!!! WE are not dissin' CSR!! We quite liked it! Absolutley LOVED the dig site and it is the best mod to take your kids to! The Dig Site has it all!
And the Pepper Market, while can be confusing, it is easy to get the hang of. Great selections, fabulous food and environment...very well run! FOR REAL! Managers are awesome at keeping things going smoothly! In fact my DH was craving some healthy fresh veggies and the manager went to speak to one of the chefs and they came out with a small veggie tray for him! They were very gracious! That oneincident though really centered him out .... there was a line up behind him too...
But it just wasn't going well for us, one glitch after another ...there were several very large conventions going on and we felt that there was a slight communication barrier and we got off on the wrong foot ( a few times!)

My husband decided to contact a manager and let him know the few incidents that had been happening and the mangager was fabulous . He offered to credit the account 50 dollars...but we weren't looking for anything and we didn't really care. However, we did decide to switch hotels and asked to be upgraded to WL and we would gladly pay the difference, and explained that we did in fact enjoy our room and loved the resort but did not enjoy the lack of "disneyness"...all of the things we were used to ... the smiling cast members, the friendliness, the towel animals, the dig site "treasure hunts" all the great stuff we have experienced in the past ...we were there 5 days and it was getting worse and worse by the day!
So halfway through our trip we were moved over to WL ( upgrade fee waived ) and had a wonderful time.

I don't think we will come in September again though, used to be our fav time...but since they started the free dining it seems to have lost the special touch? cast members were for the most part "inconvenienced" by the whole program...and guests seemed to be treating cast members shoddily as well....not AS A WHOLE but we did notice the lack of mutual respect and niceness!

SO sorry to rant on and on and on....

In closing though I would say that we would try CSR again, and do believe that we just hit a bad week for the staff there. It truly was a beautiful resort and we would ask for Ranchos 6b again in a heartbeat! LOVED IT!!!

PLEASE PLEASE NOTE:::: not venting about bad stay just the facts....and FULL WELL KNOW and realize that you can have a glitch ANYWHERE ANYTIME!!!! And we would definately try it again....we were not dissin the CSR! We just needed a "fresh start" We have stayed at POP, Poly, Yacht, POR , CB and WL ( twice ) and have had fabulous vacas. heck, even WL was two completely diff experiences at the same resort!

 

[disneydebi]

people must be smoking in the now "non-smoking" rooms, because Cabana 8a is not (was not) a smoking building as I recall. My Father is a smoker and both times we stayed at CSR he was put in 9a where he could smoke (and boy did he). CSR only had one "smoker's" building I believe.

 

[KatMark]

people must be smoking in the now "non-smoking" rooms, because Cabana 8a is not (was not) a smoking building as I recall. My Father is a smoker and both times we stayed at CSR he was put in 9a where he could smoke (and boy did he). CSR only had one "smoker's" building I believe.

You are right...some people just don't want to pay attention to or care what they can and cannot do. I have seen people smoking as they walk into their "non-smoking rooms" at the Polynesian, the CSR and others in the past. As I indicated in a previous post, I am a former smoker, but I always considered the people immediately around me when I smoked and followed the no smoking rules wherever I was.

 

[ella417]

Sorry about your troubles. I don't understand how in the world a resort can just designate a former smoking building as nonsmoking without completely gutting it first. That smell just doesn't go away!