POR or CBR

[webprinter]

I tried posting this earlier, but I don't think it went through, so I apologize if iti is a duplicate. My DD age 14 and I are staying in a mod. resort for 2 days. Our choices are: Port Orleans Riverside or Caribbean Beach Resort. Which should we choose? I'm not sure what would be best for a teenager. We will not have a car and are more interested in how nice the room is than what the pool is like as it will be December when we are there. We may be going to the theme parks and may not, depending on how busy they are. We will be staying over the weekend. We will be traveling to resort restaurants (Beach Club and Contemporary) and Downtown Disney. We do like a nice looking area around the resort. We will be staying off site for a week after we check out of the Mod resort. All advice is welcomed. Thanks. Debby

 

[daisy_77]

I was just going to start this exact thread! Except it is just me and my DH traveling. POR looks so pretty we are booked there for our trip....but, CBR looks pretty, too....this is our first trip to WDW and we are really wanting the most for our $$$. My main question is: How is the bus transportation to the parks from CBR compared to POR? TIA!!

January

 

[scrappinstevie]

We stayed at CBR in Dec. last year and it was wonderful! The resort is large but we asked for a preferred room which was close to Old Port Royale(this includes the main pool, gift shop, food court, and table service restaurant). I also think the size helps spread everyone out so it doesn't feel crowded. The weather was wonderful and perfect for swimming in the heated pools-there's a hot tub too. Each village has a quiet pool and usually we were the only ones using the pool. The gift shop had lots of merchandise and the food was good. There are bus stops at each village-so a very short walk to the bus from the rooms-there is also an internal resort bus which will take you to Old Port Royale if you don't have a preferred room. The bus service was very good-CBR is very close to Downtown Disney and Epcot. We rarely had a wait and the busses were not crowded-we always had a seat. Our room was in Trinidad North-main floor right across from the bus stop and a very quiet location. The room was very bright and cheerful with lots of storage space and curtained off sink/dressing area with separate shower/toilet area. Housekeeping was great and left us the folded animals made of towels and arranged my son's toys in amusing ways. Everything was very clean around the resort. You can rent boats and bicycles as there is a lake at the resort which is beautiful. The carribean theme is wonderful-loved the island music playing at Old Port Royale. If you and your daughter like a tropical beach theme then CBR is perfect-I highly recommend it...we're going back for a second stay in November. I hope this helps!

 

[HopperFan]

POR would be my choice, not only because we like it better but.....you say you will be going to DTD and other resorts. From POR you can take a boat to DTD and then there you can pick up the buses to the other resorts. Makes your travel time more enjoyable to ride the boat. POR is very centrally located in the "world" and we never felt like we had a long bus ride. It is a beautiful resort that has relaxed southern charm. You have a choice of two themes, the rustic AB side or the more feminine victorian side of the Mansions.

 

[gigi1313]

personally, i'd pick POR for myself and a teen for a few reasons, esp if it's going to be a resort-based visit... POR has evening entertainment (Bob Jackson at the River Roost)... POR also has a boat to downtown disney (good shopping!)... CBR is *very* spread out and imo not a lot to "look at" whereas POR while still spread out, has more to look at and more "to do" (carriage rides, aforementioned evening entertainment, fishing, etc) although both have boat rental (POR you can drive your boat rental to DTD)...

hope that helps... whatever you decide, ENJOY!

 

[gigi1313]

I was just going to start this exact thread! Except it is just me and my DH traveling. POR looks so pretty we are booked there for our trip....but, CBR looks pretty, too....this is our first trip to WDW and we are really wanting the most for our $$$. My main question is: How is the bus transportation to the parks from CBR compared to POR? TIA!!

January

i would say bus transport for both would be about equal (maybe a little slower at CBR 'cause there are more bus stops?)... but POR offers a second mode of transport that CBR does not (boat to dtd and pofq)...

 

[sk8bug72]

If i were you i would stay at CBR. Although I have not stayed there myself, my friends (ages 16 and 18) stayed there and loved it. They spent all day at the pool! I just recently stayed at POR and did not like it. The busses had extremely long waits. I also was not very happy with the food court- they were very slow and unorganized. The whole resort is very spread out, so it was a long walk to the main building and the bus depots for us- this is especially frustrating when you are in the middle of a thunder storm!!! Thats just my opinion, many others have stayed there and loved it. I guess it depends on the time of year and how busy it is.

 

[jellymanoffspring]

Personally I love the CBR.....theming... palm trees...you can see some fireworks from EPCOT from the beach.....hamocks..relaxing atmosphere.

I stayed at POR when it was Dixie Landings.....also very nice atmosphere...though I prefer the "tropical" with palm trees....

If you are not going to the parks and want great access to DTD stay at POR.....the boat to DTD from the resort is great!! (also the live entertainment should be good...when I stayed there I had 2 litttle ones with me so I did not get to experience that!)

I think both resorts were large(but not a problem)...never had a problem with buses from either one...and the food courts I would say were comparable....

Have a great trip!!

 

[webprinter]

Does anyone know which resort has been redone more recently? Thanks.

 

[Dislifer]

I'm sure you won't go wrong at either place. We are staying at CBR in December. I think the majority of the people of the Dis Board prefer POR. We choose CBR because my hairdresser stayed at POR last summer and HATED IT!!! She said there were pedestal sinks (so nowhere to put your "stuff"), and there was no partition/curtain for her to dress in private. I don't know myself...but just from what she said, we choose CBR. I know CBR is very big so I did pay the little extra for a preferred room location.
I'm sure you will have fun whereever you stay!!!

 

[gigi1313]

POR was most recently redone... CBR has not been given a face lift since at least '01... POR also added the privacy curtain and there is a shelf above the sinks for your toiletries...

 

[Goofy4WDW1964]

There really are only three major differences in these resorts:

1) Theming: Both are themed beautifully. It just depends on what theme you prefere. Both have a main pool and seperate private pools. Both are spread out and both have multiple bus stops.

2) Transportation: Both resorts have similar bus service with multiple bus stops. POR again would probably have the slight edge because of the boat to DTD. If you will be visiting there often, it may come in handy. Keep in mind though that the boat has shorter operating hours than the buses. CBR may have a slight edge on location, but it really depends on where you will be going.

3) Food: Both have a sitdown restaurant and a food court. I would probably give POR a slight edge on this because I liked their food court better. Also, they have the boat to DTD if you want to eat at the restaurants there.

Once added bonus for CBR, but I wouldn't base a stay on there, is that you can see the Epcot fire works that are up high enough from several locations in CBR. Also, CBR rooms are a little bit bigger. It has the largest rooms of all the moderates. They have both gone through recent refurbishments. We stayed at CBR this past June and the room was great. Really like the addition of the curtain that seperates the sink area from the bedroom area. Both have double sinks seperate from the shower area.

We have stayed at both resorts and have loved them both.

 

[TR Denise]

I really like POR but have never tried CBR. This Oct we are staying in both 1 day at CBR then off to BWV for 5 nights then POR for two. So Ill know more when I get back

 

[safetymom]

I don't think you can go wrong with either one. There is plenty to do at both resorts. My kids liked the theming better at CBR. I have lots of pictures of CBR on my website listed below.

 

[LvroftheWorld]

My family prefers CBR, but we have never been to POR so my opinion might not mean as much . We stayed at CBR on our first visit to WDW. It is almost like a vacation within a vacation. The atomsphere is wonderful. You really feel like you are on a Caribbean Island. We are staying there this December and paid for a preferred room (definitely worth the extra money). Which ever you choose, I'm sure you will be happy with the choice you made!

 

[_Mark]

We've just got back from a June visit from POR AB and have posted some photos here - loved it!

 

[joyjoy]

We stayed at POR when my DD was fifteen and she loved it. It really is quite beautiful and we saw bunnies all over the place. Have fun!

 

[caddesigner1]

We stayed at CBR in December and found it a great place for a vacation inside a vacation. We stayed at Jamacia, real enjoyed the short stroll over the bridge to the food court and main pool. We also really enjoyed the beach and my 6 year old loved the playground. I would stay there again.