POR vs CBR

[ShayBells]

Looking for help. Right now I have a reservation for Sept at BC but the car died and I had to get a new one. Big expense so I'm considering going down to a moderate to save money. I've stayed at CSR before and didn't like the walking so I want to try something new and now I'm considering POR or CBR both preferred rooms (learned my lesson from CSR).

I've been researching and found a lot of information but would rather newer direct answers.

Which is better for these categories:

Bus Service
Main pool area (I have an 8yo)
Food court (we do breakfast and quick service)
And finally walking length even for preferred rooms to bus stop lobby food court and pool.

If you could rate these individual categories that'd be great and I'd take any other thoughts. Thanks in advance! It means a lot!

 

[HopperFan]

I will say that both CBR and POR are bigger than CSR
so be sure you book your Preferred room since this was your big issue.
CBR is largest, POR second largest, CSR third largest.

 

[Kevin355]

Looking for help. Right now I have a reservation for Sept at BC but the car died and I had to get a new one. Big expense so I'm considering going down to a moderate to save money. I've stayed at CSR before and didn't like the walking so I want to try something new and now I'm considering POR or CBR both preferred rooms (learned my lesson from CSR).

I've been researching and found a lot of information but would rather newer direct answers.

Which is better for these categories:

Bus Service
Main pool area (I have an 8yo)
Food court (we do breakfast and quick service)
And finally walking length even for preferred rooms to bus stop lobby food court and pool.

If you could rate these individual categories that'd be great and I'd take any other thoughts. Thanks in advance! It means a lot!

Bus service...have never had an issue at CBR.
Main Pool...my kids loved it and every time we go, kids (not ours), are still enjoying it. Zero entry and pretty cool motif.
Food court...excellent choices there. Something for everyone.
Size...I have never had an issue with size. Preferred rooms will make it easier on you. I don't know what your definition of large is and what you consider a lot of walking, but I have had both knees replaced and my wife has MS...never has been an issue walking at CBR.

And to quote @HopperFan "There is no right way or wrong way to do Disney, just what is right for you." Pretty much sums it up. We love CBR. Many do not share my opinion.

 

[Disneylover99]

I have stayed at POR and visited CBR. I would choose a preferred at POR.

 

[DanInMN]

Which is better for these categories:

Bus Service
Main pool area (I have an 8yo)
Food court (we do breakfast and quick service)
And finally walking length even for preferred rooms to bus stop lobby food court and pool.

If you could rate these individual categories that'd be great and I'd take any other thoughts. Thanks in advance! It means a lot!

We have stayed at both:

Busses: equal
Pool: CBR pool has slightly nicer theming
Food Court: almost equal, very slight preference for POR with the pasta bar and decor
Walking: preferred rooms will be fine in either resort

Overall I like POR better due to Yehaa Bob, boats to DS, and the beautiful grounds. However we are staying at CBR in April because it's $50/night cheaper! The difference between the resorts is not worth $50 to us.

 

[ShayBells]

We have stayed at both:

Busses: equal
Pool: CBR pool has slightly nicer theming
Food Court: almost equal, very slight preference for POR with the pasta bar and decor
Walking: preferred rooms will be fine in either resort

Overall I like POR better due to Yehaa Bob, boats to DS, and the beautiful grounds. However we are staying at CBR in April because it's $50/night cheaper! The difference between the resorts is not worth $50 to us.

The price could be a big factor for me. Right now they both seem so similar, all reviews, some like one some like the other. Maybe it'd be best for me to wait for discounts see if one is cheaper and availability and let fate decide. I'm so indecisive lol.

 

[DanInMN]

Yes, $50 adds up over the 8 nights we are staying... $400. I think of how many hours I work to earn $400 after taxes.

 

[rosiebean]

I've stayed at both, and my preference is for POR. I simply enjoy POR's theming better, thought their QS restaurant was wonderful, and found the boat to DS to be a nice perk. My family enjoyed the bar at POR with Yehaa Bob.

That said, CBR is a very nice resort as well if you're in a preferred room, and I think the pool there is themed slightly better for younger kids. Bus transportation is pretty equal for both in my experience.

 

[MamaJessie]

I have stayed at POR and we loved it - but we are going to CBR next trip because I think my kids are going to love that pool! I will miss the food court at POR though, CBR doesn't seem as appealing...

 

[Airship Ariadne]

We have stayed at both and would be happy in either, but here are my thoughts

Bus Service: About equal, slight edge to POR mainly because (unless they changed them) we noticed that the pick-up locations for CBR at each park was always one of the farthest, if not the last one, from the park gate.

Main pool area (I have an 8yo): CBR gets the edge for the theme of their pool...but both very similar in other respects

Food court (we do breakfast and quick service): Pretty similar, but POR has the benefit of being able to take the walk to POFQ for beignets.

And finally walking length even for preferred rooms to bus stop lobby food court and pool: Pretty equal

The price could be a big factor for me. Right now they both seem so similar, all reviews, some like one some like the other. Maybe it'd be best for me to wait for discounts see if one is cheaper and availability and let fate decide. I'm so indecisive lol.

that is always another way to do it...that's how we got CBR for our 3rd trip, POR wasn't on the special offers we wanted. I think either would be great.

 

[memakwed]

We have stayed at both in the past and this upcoming trip staying mainly at POR with a added last minute night at CBR.
Bus service - about equal
pools- DS prefers quiet pools, but main pools both have good theming. I think POR has a main pool that is more centrally located to more rooms. I think CBR some buildings could be quite a hike. I'd rather walk to the POR main pool than CBR regardless of what building I am staying in at POR.
Food court- We like POR better, great QS.
Preferred rooms at POR are very close to the food court and the south depot, check in, gift shop. Managable to the pool. I have never stayed in a preferred room at CBR but I think from what I read I would say closer to the pool in my opinion than POR.

 

[nkereina]

We have stayed at both and prefer POR.

Main pool area - Neither main pool area is as impressive as the one at CSR, IMO. For a kid, I'd say CBR has the slight egde. POR has my least favorite main pool.

Food court - We thought both had good food courts, but POR has an exceptionally good one in IMO. One of the better food courts on property. The make your own pasta was very good, large, and something unique from your typical burgers and chicken fingers.

Walking length - POR is smaller than CBR, and IMO, has a better layout for easier walking. We usually always do a lap around the resort to check it out but CBR was too big for us to even do that. We were lucky that our room was in a Jamaica building at CBR, so our walk to Old Port Royale and the pool wasn't bad. But we opted to walk to our room from the check-in building and that was a big mistake. At POR, the layout is more elongated with the river dividing the resort rather than a large lake. Because of this, there are several bridges on the paths at POR where you can cut over to get to the main pool, food court, etc. Just a better layout IMO.

 

[Tattylou]

I agree with a lot of other posters and I def think your 8 y/o will like the main pool at CBR better (I have an 8 y/o now and I stayed at CBR when I was 11 and looooved that pool).

 

[Barnabas T Bullion]

Bus service...have never had an issue at CBR.
Main Pool...my kids loved it and every time we go, kids (not ours), are still enjoying it. Zero entry and pretty cool motif.
Food court...excellent choices there. Something for everyone.
Size...I have never had an issue with size. Preferred rooms will make it easier on you. I don't know what your definition of large is and what you consider a lot of walking, but I have had both knees replaced and my wife has MS...never has been an issue walking at CBR.

And to quote @HopperFan "There is no right way or wrong way to do Disney, just what is right for you." Pretty much sums it up. We love CBR. Many do not share my opinion.

I'm just going to +1 this post. Agree with everything. Love CBR. I think the pool area is pretty fantastic, I took my son when he was 8ish and he loved the cool Spanish fort pool. The whole family just loved the resort, the grounds, and the vibe that it gives off.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

How many nights are you staying? Have you considered a spilt stay? We often do this as it's fun to change location and theme. A vacation in a vacation but only if you go for more than 7 nights otherwise it might be a pain. 5 nights each is nice.

 

[maxiesmom]

I'd go with POR and it isn't even close. But then I was pretty unhappy with my stay at CBR--I hated my standard room location. I disliked the food court at CBR, it seemed like I ate a ton of chicken nuggets because not much appealed to me. The bus situation at CBR is not the best--7 stops is a lot to sit thru on you way to the parks. The buses came without horrible waits, but spending 15 minutes driving around the whole resort before going anywhere was a bummer.

I love POR! I think the food court is one of the best! The gift shop is too! And being able to ride a boat to Disney Springs is so much nicer than having to take the bus. 4 bus stops are much quicker to get thru than 7.

 

[MDarling]

I've stayed at both. The pool is probably better at CBR but overall we very much preferred our stay at POR over CBR. I think everything besides the pool was better at POR (which still has a good pool by the way, and you can use both the riverside pool and the french quarter pool). I would vote POR!

 

[dansdad]

We have stayed at both and much prefer CBR. We feel the pool, food court, table service restaurant and overall feel of CBR are better. The bus service is no better or worse at either but we love the fact that every village has its own bus stop so you'll always be close to one.

POR is a lovely resort and we used to stay there every trip. We had to switch to CBR for Free Dining years ago and haven't been able to go back to POR since. CBR just blew us away.