Need opinions: 1 night at which moderate??

[wdwphanatic]

I will be going in May with my dh and 3 kiddies (1 of whom is an infant and will be in a crib) and my mom (she'll have her own room, but I'd like her to be nextdoor or nearby). I'd like to find a moderate that would be deluxe in feel (we'll be staying at BC Villas the other 4 nights of our stay), roomy enough for a family of 5 in one room (!) and have some decent dining options.

Dh, my kids and I will arrive in the morning and would like to be able to relax by the pool during the day (i.e. we won't be visiting the parks that day). We plan to join my mom for dinner that evening. Which moderate resort would have enough to occupy our family (my 2 older kids are 4 and 7) for the day and also have a fairly nice restaurant to dine in for dinner once my mom arrives?? I guess we could also take a bus to Downtown Disney for dinner that night -- does anyone have any recommendations for restaurants there, btw???

I am leaning towards CBR because of the size of the rooms, but am worried about the largeness of the resort (my mom doesn't like to walk much). If we requested 2 rooms (adjoining??) in one of the Martinique buildings, do you think that would work out ok?? I also like the overall concept of POFQ (and the fact that it's not as large a resort), but am worried about the smaller room size and the fact that it doesn't have a sitdown restaurant anymore. I guess the plus for this resort is that we could take the boat to Downtown Disney for dinner. Is there more to do during the day for us at POFQ/POR or would we be just as happy at CBR? Any opinions would be MUCH appreciated!!!

Thanks,
Sarah

 

[Candlelady]

Sarah,
I had reservations at POR for 2 nights before our BCV stay also. I kept thinking what a pain it will be to check out and check in the villas.

I just switched over to the Beach Club for those two nights. Now all I have to do is go to the desk, check out and check in all at once after I have my morning coffee! And the best part is I won't have to wait for everyone to get ready and drag them with me.

Just a thought.

Have fun on your vacation!

 

[SamR]

I agree with Candlelady's suggestion. In fact, I arrived at the same conclusion a couple of months ago. I had a night booked offsite (after an evening arrival at MCO), followed by three nights at the BCV. Once the AP codes came out, I booked the first night at the BC, and cancelled the offsite reservation. It should make for a much easier start to my stay.

If you can still get a good rate at either the BC or YC for your first night (check mousesavers or previous threads on this board for valid codes), you should come out cheaper than two connecting rooms at a moderate, and be a lot more comfortable than trying to fit all of you into a single CBR, POR, or POFQ room. That will also provide for a number of nice restaurant choices (Cape May, the Yachtsman Steakhouse, the Boardwalk restaurants if you don't mind the walk...), and make for a much easier "resort switch" day.

Good luck with your decision and your vacation!

 

[luvdisney14]

We stayed at CBR - martinique - it was close to the food court and pool area. I liked that resort better than POR. The food court and pool was farther away from our room. CBR was also prettier.

 

[SamR]

Sorry to chase my post with another one, but I just wanted to add this:

If you do decide to go with a moderate, my first choice would be POR. The onsite restaurant, Boatwright's, is actually quite good. If you decided that you wanted something fancier, or just different, then I'm sure you will find the boat ride to Downtown Disney a very enjoyable part of an evening of dining at one of the DD restaurants. Yes, POR (like CBR) is fairly spread out, but you could request a room (or two rooms) near the main building (food court, Boatwright's, etc.) and with you arriving in the morning you would probably have a pretty good shot at getting that request met.

 

[Candlelady]

SamR,
lol, it was because of your post on the DVC board that prompted me to switch. I had been so worried about losing half the day getting everyone up and packed (one of them is definitely NOT a morning person ) then having everyone follow me to the BCV, well, it was just not worth the hassle. I was able to get the AP rate too. For me it will be well worth the extra money not to stress about it and ruin my day.

Thanks and see ya there!!

 

[wdwphanatic]

I really appreciated hearing from you all! I would love to stay at the BC or YC for the first night, but it's just too expensive to get two rooms there for all of us (and obviously we couldn't all fit in one room!)... I am hoping Disney will offer a discount code in the next month or so that would enable us to get a moderate for $100 or so per room. I've ruled out the value resorts because of the room size -- and the fact that they definitely don't have the feel of a deluxe at all. Dh and I stayed at ASMu our first night and then switched to BCV during our last visit, and it really wasn't that bad. Of course it was just the two of us that trip -- it will definitely be different trying to get 6 people up and moving that first morning!!! Oh well, it will be an adventure!

I am really leaning towards CBR at the moment, mostly because of all the great things I've heard about the resort and the bigger room size. Just hoping I'll be able to get 2 rooms close together AND close to the OPR area!! How's the food at CBR, btw??? Anyone been there since the renovations??

If anyone else has any thoughts or suggestions, I'd really appreciate hearing from you!

Take care,
Sarah