POR Riverside vs CSR

[momofboyz3]

Hi DISers! Here is my thing~ we spent a week recently (1st trip) @ POR (surprise RR upgrade)! We loved it! Myself ds13, ds13,ds9.... My boys loved: food court, quiet pools (swimming at midnite), pole fishing (resort day & day of checkout) and bike rentals. Now I am planning July 4th week 2014 and am just about ready to book it. Although my boys LOVED the resort they said they would try something different (deluxe out of the question).
I think CSR looks good.... I am in the process of reading that thread. But, curious to anyone who have stayed at both which do you prefer and why??? Thanks so much!

 

[HopperFan]

Stayed at both, love them both, will go back to both! That said CSR we like better and would be our first choice.

Think your boys will love the pyramid pool. The slide is so long and so much more fun for big kids (including adults). Once my son hit his teens this became his favorite resort, my daughter the same. She chose it for her graduation trip. Blizzard Beach is right across the street if you plan water park.

 

[momofboyz3]

Stayed at both, love them both, will go back to both! That said CSR we like better and would be our first choice.

Think your boys will love the pyramid pool. The slide is so long and so much more fun for big kids (including adults). Once my son hit his teens this became his favorite resort, my daughter the same. She chose it for her graduation trip. Blizzard Beach is right across the street if you plan water park.

Oh wow Hopper! Thanks!!!! Did not know that about BB. I'm checking out that thread right now & it looks fantastic. Thanks so much for your feedback ~ I know I've received much help from you w/some of my other inquiries! Much appreciated

 

[George69]

POR=cockroaches, a refrig that broke EVERY and I mean EVERY day, rude employees, feel like summer camp, manager that lied, children sick from refrig. not cold enough (they said it WAS), bus stop like cattle call....I can go on and on....

CSR=kind and caring staff, relaxation, clean, fun, just a better overall experience definitely!

 

[3sweetpeas]

I am also very interested to see the responses. We have stayed at POR many times and we really love that resort. We've stayed deluxe a few times and still love POR. The lush landscaping, and peaceful atmosphere is wonderful. We honestly have never experienced rude employees but that has been our experience. We think the food court to be the best resort food court. My husband and I are going on an anniversary trip alone for the first time and I am seriously considering CSR. Good luck with your choice!!

 

[BigAlsGal]

Been to both. Loved PoR more. The theming at PoR is better for me. I wasn't a fan of the food options at CSR. I didn't use the pool at CSR. Older kids may like that pool better though. Hope you're happy whatever you choose!

 

[calnmace]

We loved POR when we stayed there in April. So peaceful and absolutely beautiful. We stayed in a Royal room and loved walking along the river to go to POFQ and use their food court as well. We also loved the boat ride to Downtown Disney. Good luck with your decision, I think you will love either one!

 

[saskdw]

It really in the end boils down to personal taste. CSR does have quite a bit more to offer, but that depends if you care about the extra amenities.

CSR has some deluxe type amenities that the POR doesn't have: Fitness center, spa, salon, sauna, night club style lounge plus outdoor lounge and lounge by the pool, largest hot tub on WDW property, longest water slide at any WDW resort, 3 very nice quiet pools (especially the one by the fitness center), Business Class option. So there are alot of extras, but again it depends if any of those matter to you. I actually use the Fitness center so that is a huge plus for me.

We're from western Canada and the theme at POR is very much like being at one of the many lakes and provincial parks nearby. So it doesn't feel like a vacation to us. Where as the Mexican/Tropical theme of CSR or CBR feels like a vacation. It's much more appealing to us.

So for us CSR wins running away between the two.

 

[minnierocks]

CSR...hands down. We stayed there a few years ago and we stayed at POR this past March...we definitely preferred CSR. Both are beautiful, but we liked the atmosphere at CSR more...it seemed more relaxed and peaceful and we loved our nightly stroll around the lake. My kids (older teens) loved the pool at CSR and the food court was great. We rarely eat at our resorts food court and we ended up eating there three times that week. The transportation was better, the check in was easier and much friendlier-our reservation was totally screwed up at POR and they weren't too happy about fixing it.
It wasn't that POR was awful, it's just that Coronado was better in our opinion...and that is where we would choose to stay.

 

[momofboyz3]

Well ThankYou all for your responses. I definately was 99% ready to book POR again (I'm talking credit card on table). I mean our POR stay was flawless. But, when my boys ever said, "lets try something different" I figured well what else? And CSR looks great!!! I do like amenities! ThankYou all for sharing your experiences, I do appreciate it so much. My only issue as I said before was the lack of pole fishing and bike rentals. My boys were HUGE fans of our quiet pool at POR, which did not allow me to indulge in a relaxing cocktail by the pool... So hoping maybe they will "dig" the dig site more. Thanks again for the awesome feedback as I will read em over and over

 

[Gibbygirl]

Haven't been to POR (theme doesn't appeal to us.) Stayed at CSR last year. Kids were DS 13 & DD 8. We LOVED CSR!!! Dig Site pool never seemed full so plenty of actual swimming room. Slide is cool. Quiet pools were also nice. There is a bar/snack bar at the Dig Site. We loved roasting marshmallows by the pool each night. The marina was closed during our stay but I thought I had read it was re-opening (could totally be wrong on that though.) You might want to look at CBR, too. We stayed there the previous year. It has bike rentals & a marina. If you book a MYW pkg you'll have some discounts on boat rentals. We did this twice on our trip. The kids loved the paddle boats. We loved both resorts & would go back to either in a heartbeat!

 

[saskdw]

Well ThankYou all for your responses. I definately was 99% ready to book POR again (I'm talking credit card on table). I mean our POR stay was flawless. But, when my boys ever said, "lets try something different" I figured well what else? And CSR looks great!!! I do like amenities! ThankYou all for sharing your experiences, I do appreciate it so much. My only issue as I said before was the lack of pole fishing and bike rentals. My boys were HUGE fans of our quiet pool at POR, which did not allow me to indulge in a relaxing cocktail by the pool... So hoping maybe they will "dig" the dig site more. Thanks again for the awesome feedback as I will read em over and over

I guess it depends what kind of cocktail you want, but last trip I would buy a six-pack from Panchitos and drink them by the quiet pool at Casitas 4. It was very relaxing. They do sell coolers and other stuff there as well.

 

[momofboyz3]

I guess it depends what kind of cocktail you want, but last trip I would buy a six-pack from Panchitos and drink them by the quiet pool at Casitas 4. It was very relaxing. They do sell coolers and other stuff there as well.

Hmmmmm! It's funny because I am not a drinker unless out for a special dinner or on vacation. I'm more of a margarita or martini sorta girl. Thanks for the suggestion though!!!!

 

[elaw]

Been to both. Loved PoR more. The theming at PoR is better for me. I wasn't a fan of the food options at CSR.

I agree

 

[saskdw]

I agree

I Disagree

 

[elaw]

I Disagree

You disagree that we like POR more than CSR and that we prefer the theme of POR over CSR?
We live in the Southwest so the themeing does not appeal to us as much for the same reason that POR doesnt appeal to you.

 

[saskdw]

You disagree that we like POR more than CSR and that we prefer the theme of POR over CSR?
We live in the Southwest so the themeing does not appeal to us as much for the same reason that POR doesnt appeal to you.

My response was supposed to be funny.

 

[momofboyz3]

My response was supposed to be funny.

I got your humor

 

[mm1971]

We have never stayed at CSR, but have been to both PO resorts. Our stays at POR have been nothing short of magical. The rooms (especially now that they are updated) were clean, the grounds very well taken care of and beautiful and the pool and food court are excellent. We usually take the boat to DTD a couple of times during our stay and DD loves the horse and carriage ride around the property. We are headed back next month to try a royal suite.

While we have never been to CSR, we have heard positive things about the staff and the theming. The only negative we have ever heard was that there was a lot of walking if you were not in a preferred room. I cannot confirm though. We may give CSR a try some time, this year DD10 wanted to be royalty.

Whatever you choose, have a great vacation.

 

[zy144622]

I think the PO resorts are also the only mods with queen beds. This is a big deal for us as we have have a king at home...