OMG--DH called me this morning...

[Davefrompgh]

and said....How about a moderate for next August...Holy cow...I cant believe it...we recently stayed at Pop (3nights) and Poly (5 nights). He said the only moderate we have stayed at was CB..so, we are thinking POFQ, PORS or CSR....for something different

Have you stayed at any of these? Which one do you prefer...best transportation....best pools..etc...It would be me, DH, DS12, and DD 11....Thanks for all your input....

I guess I need to change my signature line.....

 

[pennst8r]

Everyone has their favorites, and usually one they would never go back to because of a bad experience! I don't want to be flamed for mine, I'm sure there are people who won't go back to my fav!

That said, here's mine!

We loved POR because along with the themed pool, there are quite a few quiet pools and one will be really close to your room. The food court had a huge amount of choices and when we were there (2x) and the buses were always on time with little wait. Our boys are younger than your kids, but they loved all the lizards they'd find along the way. There was an otter in the lake and they loved trying to find it on our way to breakfast.

Our "bad experience" was at CSR when we had only 2DSs and they were small. This was a few yrs ago, so I'm sure it's changed, but the dining choices there were not great, and included tip already--so the wait staff did nothing to earn it. (no, not picky just expect not to be treated rudely) The mousekeeping was awful---no matter what we did to have them NOT come to the room (so DSs could nap), including making a HUGE sign, calling the manager, etc, they would still bang on the door until someone answered to see if we were SURE we didn't want them to come in. Which was a laugh anyway, because they certainly weren't cleaning it the first few days!

 

[rie'smom]

We loved CSR. The resort is beautiful. We were there in June of this summer. Mousekeeping was terrific! The transportation on the grounds and to the -parks was wonderful. The Pepper Market food was delicious. I agree with those who say that CSR is deluxe lite. We've stayed @ all the deluxes and none of the values but I can honestly say that CSR is our favorite with FW cabins a close second.

 

[pennst8r]

We loved CSR. The resort is beautiful. We were there in June of this summer. Mousekeeping was terrific! The transportation on the grounds and to the -parks was wonderful. The Pepper Market food was delicious. I agree with those who say that CSR is deluxe lite. We've stayed @ all the deluxes and none of the values but I can honestly say that CSR is our favorite with FW cabins a close second.

I knew others would have a good response for CSR. I'm glad our experience isn't the norm.

 

[Pixiedust34]

POR or POFQ.

They are sister resorts, so you get 2 themed pools. Plus, these are the only moderates with boat transportation to Downtown Disney.

I don't think you could go wrong with Port Orleans. Just pick the one with the theme (French Quarter, Mansions, Alligator Bayou) that you like best.

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

POFQ is our favorite moderate followed closely by POR.

Both have beautiful grounds and atmosphere.

*Fantasia* has some wonderful pictures.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=884003&page=4&pp=15

 

[Laurajean1014]

I've only stayed at PORFC and I loved it. It was a business trip, so I didn't go in the pool, but I remember it was serpent slide, so kids should like it. My DH and DS has visited CSR and went in their pool and loved the theme. Our friends who stayed there loved it.

I only know one person who stayed at CBR and they didn't like it. (They also didn't like WDW - they thought it was very expensive. These people rather go on vacation and stay at relatives homes instead of getting a room)! Ick.

 

[3mickeys&me]

Good for you!!

I have stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and we loved it in 2002. We have also stayed in CBR in 2000 and will be there again in 54 days we loved it there too.Both hotels have great pools and food courts IMO

 

[magicaldisney]

We have stayed at both POFQ and POR. Both are wonderful. POFQ is a smaller resort so there is less walking to the pool, eating, buses, and boat ride to DTD. Because it is smaller it does book up faster.

By the way, both of the resorts offer the boat to DTD. We enjoy that we can take a different mode of transportation every once in a while. (You can also take the buses to DTD)

 

[DISNEYFAMILYOFFOUR]

Pqfq.

 

[Buzz2001]

CSR is my favorite moderate resort. Check out my CSR website below for pics, links and info. CSR is centrally located with short rides to AK, MGM and Epcot and about a 10 minute ride to MK. Blizzard Beach is across the street. I feel the transportation is the best.

THE PROS
No sharing bus service with other resorts
Centrally located with short rides to the parks
Largest hot tub on WDW property
Awesome main pool area with bar, snack bar, playground and kiddie pool
3 quiet pools
New shuttle service eliminates long walks to any of the villages
High speed internet service
WiFi available too
Free use of the gym
Spa
Fridge in the room
Coffeemaker in the room
Iron and ironing board
full room service menu
2 arcades
beautifully landscaped
central air, not a noisey wall unit

THE CONS
Full size beds (kings size beds are available)
one sink

IN THE MIDDLE
The Pepper Market is either a love it or hate it place. We love it but some folks just don't care for it.

Convention resort - some guests don't like seeing other guests at work. Doesn't bother us and helps keep the buses empty. GF, Cont, BW, Y & B Club are also convention resorts.

 

[Davefrompgh]

Thank you all, for the comments, so far....I just read all about CSR (thanks FAQ and POFQ..thanks FAQ). I am not a typical "jester" clown type person...although I love the looks of POFQ, I really did not like the food court with all those masks..(I think it has something to do with being afraid of clowns when I was little..go figure). I can not find any FAQ's about POR..do you know of any...

We liked CBR, however, that was 15 years ago (geez that sounds like a long time ago)..At that time, we just did not think the transportation was up to snuff...I am sure alot has changed.

I did read that POFQ already has refrig. in rooms...does any other mod's have them? Am I missing any other mod's? geez, I can't even think right now....

 

[HopperFan]

POR or CSR for the age your kids are at. We love them both and would take either one. Think your kids would love the big slide at CSR, great pool set up. But POR pool is more creative with spilling water etc. My kids think FQ pool is for the 8 and under set - cute but young. Transporation may have an advantage at CSR because they don't share but we never had problems at POR. We love both food courts even though they are different. Both have sit down eats and other amenities, but very different themes. Pick your fancy

 

[tiedye602]

This may be a strange question, but I noticed POR and POFQ have pedistal sinks with no counter space and CSR has one sink with more counter space. Can you give your opinions of which worked better for you when getting ready? It seems you would need more counter space than a shelf above the sinks. Just wondering...

 

[Taja]

Other than a CM at check-in who was determined to place me the one place I did not want to be, I had an excellent experience at CSR in December, 2003. The bus transportation was terrific--I used the rental car only once on property. I'm one of the people who do not care for Pepper Market, but I like very plain, simple food (nothing mixed together, no sauces, no spices), so the selection was limited. However, most people seemed to enjoy it, so I chalked it up to my fussy eating habits!

With four people getting ready in one room, I would vote for two pedestal sinks (really dislike the things, but we're talking expedience here) over one counter sink. Each person can use a small tray or toiletries bag for their personal stuff and remove it when finished. WalMart has plastic bins (I'm guessing about 5"w x 7"l x 2"d) that are 2 for $1 or so that work well. Stack them in the luggage and stuff things in the top one for travel. You can abandon them at WDW when you leave, if you prefer. I use one for my contact lenses and glasses (keeps everything together) and one for my toiletries. It's easier to move one container from Point A to Point B and back than a number of smaller items. Of course, I'm also lazy!

 

[aubriee]

Have you thought about splitting your stay between two resorts? This past January I couldn't decide between WL and AKL, so decided to do a split stay and loved it. I did another split stay between POP and BWV in May and again really enjoyed it. It's like having two vacations in one. In fact I liked it so much that I'm doing it again in Dec because I couldn't decide between two moderate resorts. We'll be spending five nights at POFQ and four nights at CSR. It'll feel like we're going from the Port Orleans French Quarters to Mexico in one trip. Disney will move your luggage for you making switching resorts very easy. Just a thought!

 

[disgram]

We have stayed at CB, POR, and POFQ. While all are great, we found the CB to be too spread out and a long walk to just about anything. POR was very nice and very beautiful. There were 5 of us so we lucked out and got to stay in the Bayou. That was great. Our Granddaughters also loved to chase the lizards. There was a quiet pool right out behind our resort. It was a long walk though to the food court. POFQ has got to be our favorite. The themeing is wonderful and it tends to make the outside world just disapear. It is small and everything is close. It is a short walk to everything. The pool is great for everyone. The slide is themed as Neptune's Serpent and the kids have a ball there!! The buses stop at the POFQ first and so there is always a seat going to the parks and it is the frist stop on the way back. The boat goes to DTD until an hour after closing and this is really great. By and large, our favorite has to be POFQ.
We will be there in August also!! Maybe we will run into one another!!