Please help me pick a new resort!!

[deanie]

Everyone on these boards has such a lot of good info!!Please tell me the pros and cons of these 4 resorts. We are interested in the bus system, pool and hot tubs and the food court. TIA

 

[Pixie Princess]

I can only give you my opinion of CSR and POR.. haven't had the pleasure of staying at AKL or WL, yet. I love POR and have stayed there many times. The pool is nice and has some shady spots as there are many a tree near by. The down side to this is during pollen season. POR has an out of the way secluded feel to me. CSR is nice as well, but had a conference hotel feel to me. However the food court there rocks! It is just better organized than any other mod, and is yummy. The pool there had nice theming, but I don't remember any shady spots.

Both POR and CSR have multiple bus stops on the complex, so you don't have to hike to the main building. POR also offers boat service to DTD which is a nice. I don't know if we just have really good bus luck from the resorts, but we don't ever seem wait very long for the bus we need. Maybe 10 minutes at the most.

One thing that is frustrating at POR is finding the quiet pools. They seem to be hidden! The other mods it was pretty clear where those were. I don't think you'll go wrong with either of these. POR is just our preference.

 

[gigi1313]

for food court POR wins hands down...
for bus service, it's a toss up between POR and CSR... we had good experiences at both, not so good at AKL, never stayed at WL...
for pools again, POR... we found AKL pool to be dirty... CSR pool was just okay (pretty to look at at night)... POR pool the most fun for kids and adults alike!

 

[Stitch2244314]

We've visited all four the resorts you mentioned, but only have stayed at two of them, so I will only comment on those-- POR and CSR.

Out of the two, I voted for POR. POR is great-- the food court is among the best we've experienced at any resort, it has a peaceful, relaxing feel, plenty of pools, and the boat to DTD is a nice feature. We had at a bad experience at CSR-- just didn't have any Disney feel to us, and we did not like the Pepper Market food court at all. So I would go with POR if you decide to go the moderate route. Good luck deciding, and have a great trip wherever you stay!

 

[aubriee]

Everyone on these boards has such a lot of good info!!Please tell me the pros and cons of these 4 resorts. We are interested in the bus system, pool and hot tubs and the food court. TIA

I've stayed at all four of these resorts.

CSR had the best bus system of any WDW resort we've ever stayed at. Of the four resorts you asked about, AKL had the worst bus system. Buses just seem to take forever there.

We enjoyed the pool better at CSR and AKL. WL pool just seems too small for the resort and was always crowed when we were there.

CSR has the biggest hot tub on property.

CSR and PORS have the better food courts.

We loved the boats to MK from WL though and also loved the theme of the resort and that everything was under one roof.

At AKL we loved the view from our savanna room and how the resort just seems to take you to another country. Again we like how every thing is under one roof. The theming at this resort is really great. However, the resort seems rather remote and is pretty far from everything, except AK. Also some of the rooms are really far out from the lobby.

CSR is probably my favorite moderate right now. Of the resorts you listed, it is the most centrally located. All the rooms were just refurbished this year and now have queen beds with comfort mattresses and linens. We also love how it's built around a lovely lake and has the white sand beaches and hammocks in the Cabana section and the lovely fountains in the Casita section. The Pepper Market can be kind of expensive if you are not on the DDP ans seems to be a love it/hate it counter service for just about every body. Personally we like it though.

PORS has beautiful grounds and the boat to DTD. However the rooms could do with a refurbishment.

 

[bluechic03]

The only one I havent stayed at is POR...the major downsides to me for POR is the outdoor hallways and how spread out it is

CSR-We liked it enough but there were some problems that put a damper on our stay. We stayed in Casitas building 1, we were close to the lobby but very far from the pool/hot tub. I like to soak in the hot tub and after a long day at the parks I didnt feel like walking so far. They claimed they had golf carts to drive people around but I only ever saw them driving around the conference people. If I had to do it again I would request the cabanas, probably building 8 as it is close to the pool and lobby. Second problem was the conference attendees. There were tons of them when we were there, Feb 2008. They were fine during the day but at night they had really loud parties and hung out on our shared outdoor "balcony" being loud and crazy. We had to call the front desk three times before they quieted down, then in the morning there were beer bottles EVERYWHERE on the balconies. Not cool, this happened 2 out of our 6 nights. 3rd problem was the pepper market for us. I tried to get breakfast there one morning but it was so packed and unorganized (CMs hardly spoke english and couldnt tell me what came with my ddp breakfast!) that I handed all the food I collected to a poor CM and said sorry i dont want any of this anymore! I was just so frustrated, we went and picked up some QS at Cafe Rix instead. We did really like the atmosphere and bus service though, plus the price was right ...we didnt have a terrible time at all. And I may even go back to check out the new rooms, they look pretty awesome.

WL-we liked this hotel a lot, DH especially. We liked how close it was to MK and really liked the electric water pageant. The pool was nice as well, we liked to watch the geyser too! We ate at the QS restaurant and it seemed pretty small and crowded though. I just wasnt relaly a fan of the room decor itself, but the lobby was AWESOME

AKL-this is my fav resort so far . I cant tell you how unique the atmosphere is, the sights and smells are very relaxing. Not to mention the animals are AMAZING. We had great bus service the whole time, loved the pool, and watching giraffes and zebras whenever you want is pretty awesome. We ate at Boma (breakfast)and the Mara and loved both. People say it feels far away from everything and the bus rides are long but we didnt feel that way. I also loved the room decor and the beds were super comfy. Even if you only reserve a standard room (like we did) there are still many places to see the animals around the resort. Or if you are lucky (like us!) you can get a limited savannah view or even an upgrade, I say go for AKL

 

[mousejunkie98]

The only one of these four I've stayed in is the Wilderness Lodge, a resort I am in love with The atmosphere is wonderful, and you are never far from the very nice pools (the main pool is best, but you also have a quiet pool choice just a quick walk away at the villas) and hot tub. You are just a quick boat ride away from the Magic Kingdom, and have a nice beach that the Electric Water Parade passes each night.

The buses were always convenient for us; I don't remember ever having them be too full or take too terribly long. I think the longest ride was to DTD, with the second being Animal Kingdom. They also have "Character Breakfast" buses early in the mornings for anyone going to breakfast at one of the parks or another resort, or if you are doing the Chef Mickey's breakfast you can hop on a boat to the Contemporary.

 

[KatMark]

I'm torn between two. First, we have no desire to stay at the WL -- don't like the theme or the food and the pool seemed small when we walked around; POR would be our second choice for a moderate if ours was not available (I really like their food court -- better than the one where we stay).

We hope to do a split stay with the AKL and the CSR on our next trip to Disney. We have been wanting to stay at the AKL ever since it opened (with a savannah view, of course) and will probably do a couple of nights there and just hang at the resort and go to Downtown Disney, then go to Marco Island and then go home to our resort -- the Coronado (CSR).

We've stayed at the Coronado eight times and love everything about it. We have had the friendliest CM's of any resort we've stayed at (often going above and beyond for us), great mousekeeping, good food; love the new queen beds; great pool, largest hot tub of all the moderates and a fitness center/spa to boot. We drive so we don't normally take the buses, but we did try the bus in September just so I'd have a first hand experience and we waited less than 5 minutes for a bus around 5:30- 6:00 at night, and it took exactly ten minutes to get to the MK.

So my pick would be either the AKL or the CSR.

 

[Dawn68PA]

We have only stayed at AKL of your 4 choices. We loved every moment! We didn't notice it taking any longer to get to the parks from anywhere else we've stayed. The savannah is just breathtaking and the lobby is so gorgeous. This resort does seem to take you to another continent from the moment you step inside. CMs were very pleasant and always handy. AKL has kids activities too. We ate at Boma & Mara and really enjoyed both. The AKL pool was zero-entry and plenty big. I'd recommend a stay here to everyone!

 

[deanie]

Great reviews everyone!! I am just cannot seem to make up my mind. I think WL is out as I would rather stay at AKL than WL. But we will likely stay at a mod unless a great code comes out. Why can't I ever get a pin code?
The queen beds at CSR are a real draw but we won't be on the DDP and the food court could be expensive. As for POR, I have stayed there 4 times before and really like it but am worried that the Pop Warner group will make the pool and food court quite crowded. Also, sharing a double bed with my sister...a queen sounds much better!!

 

[Sue M]

I've stayed at POR, WL & AKL, and loved each of them for different reasons.

POR- stayed in Magnolia Terrace, great location close to quiet pool, bus and main pool, and short walk around main pool to main buildings with food,etc.
Beautiful resort, loved the boat to DTD, Evening entertainment in River Roost Lounge, Bob Jackson puts on a great show for all ages.

WL- Beautiful resort, lobby is amazing. Loved the rooms, balconies. We had a great view. Nice pool, 2 hot tubs, geyser was fun, marina & bike rental, walking trails, beach, they show outdoor movies on the beach, can watch the Electric Water Parade from beach.
Boat to MK, also a boat that goes to CR & Ft Wilderness. Bus service was good.

AKL- Another beautiful resort, amazing lobby, animal night viewing, food court, The Mara is larger then WL's. Great rooms, we had savanna view. Nothing like waking up in the morning and going out on the balcony to watch the animals.
Nice pool and has 2 hot tubs as well. Good bus service.

Good luck with your decisions.

 

[dreambound]

Everyone on these boards has such a lot of good info!!Please tell me the pros and cons of these 4 resorts. We are interested in the bus system, pool and hot tubs and the food court. TIA

We had FABULOUS bus service at WL. Everyone always takes the boat to MK. We loved the MK bus there. We'd walk to the bus stops, and within 10 min we'd have an MK bus (usually there was one waiting there) and 3 min later we were at MK.

I liked CSR, but the thing that always keeps me from moderates is the lack of private balconies and interior hallways. Feels "motel-ish" to me.

Meg

 

[tinkbyday]

I've only stayed at POR and WL - we did a split stay between these two one year - I HATED POR and LOVED WL!

Our room at POR was absolutely filthy, they lost our luggage and the management were completely rude.

Completely opposite experience at WL - the resort is gorgeous - rooms are so-so (I have found this the case at most resorts) - theming is amazing - pool is great. The boat ride to MK is a great alternative to the buses. I don't recall us having issues with the buses to AK or DHS - maybe waited a few minutes, but nothing major.

 

[kaffinito]

We have stayed at POR, and AKL.

POR has a great food court, great transportation, great pools (are you sensing a theme here? ) and has the ferry boat to DTD. The drawbacks are that sometimes the resort can be loud, and sometimes you have to share buses.

AKL is beautiful, has a wonderful pool (my favorite) two nice hot tubs and great dining options. The drawback is that it's a 20 minute ride to MK. Not so bad during the day, but kind of a drag at night after the parks close.

I think what it boils down to is who is going, (adults and/or kids) and what park(s) you will be spending most of your time in.

 

[jdb1232]

Wilderness Lodge is probably the best bang for your buck of the Deluxe resorts. Our kids are young, we spent a lot of time in the MK. The WL ideal for us, it offers a great atmoshpere, the kids love it and its close to where we spend much of our time. The pool is cool too!

 

[Native NYer]

I would go with one of the deluxe resorts.

 

[Luv2Roam]

I have not stayed at AKL yet. So can't speak for their pool area.

My vote was CSR.

 

[tritrk]

WL, WL, WL, WL. Like AKL for the savannah rooms, but it was too far away from everything. WL has the best mix of location, amenities and atmosphere.

 

[Vivianne]

We've stayed at the AKL, CSR. Liked the feel, food and overall experience.

I would like to stay at WL.

Don't think I'd stay at POR since we've stayed at POFQ 3x. We're 2 adults (better for us). Although, I enjoyed walking through POR's beautiful grounds.

We drive, so I can't gauge bus transportation.

 

[Tinkbellfan]

I voted WL. Best priced deluxe. Boat to MK is great and you can boat to CR and jump on the monorail for good choice of restaurants. It is very peaceful and quite and the pool area is great for all ages. Rooms are big with two queens.