Sheesh.

[MinnieMommy07]

Choosing our resort for our third trip is tougher than I thought. At first I thought my daughter would love POR princess rooms, but I guess we just never all thought it was the resort for us....

We all combed through all of our options. #1. We are a dad,mom and girl age eight. #2. We have stayed at ASMO and ASMU and want to keep trying something new. #3. After all of our studying, we have narrowed it to CBR or POP.

We have the money for either resort so that's not an issue.

I never used to like the thought of a half built pop century, but all of the Disney memorabilia and bright colors are really cool. We are really into classic/vintage Disney..... CBR has beautiful grounds awesome pool and yea queen beds! I love the space and the look of the rooms now. I have always wanted to try CBR but really disliked the rooms until now!

I never gave pop century much thought but really like the colorful theme and comraderie of the values.we really liked the easiness and convenience of the allstars. Plus u can check out aoa from pop. We have all been working really hard though and think this time some quiet time and upgrading is finally due. .... Sheesh!

This is a tough choice. Has anyone been to both? What did u like about each and dislike about each?

 

[bumbershoot]

We only stayed in a pirate room, and not recently, but CBR isn't a place that calls to me to stay there again.

I really like Pop.


Gotta say, though, POR is very nice. The Royal rooms, however, are *royal*, not 'princess". My son, who is not a princess, liked them perfectly fine. There are pictures of the princesses there, and there are silhouettes of the princes as well. It's royal, not just for girls. AND they are very nice, though you don't have to stay Royal to have a nice time there. POR is gorgeous and lush and if someone gave me a trip and I could choose between Pop (which I like) and POR (which I like) I'd choose POR.

CBR, for me, is at the bottom of that list of 3.

 

[Flynnismine]

We really enjoyed our stay at POP and DD (4 @ the time) loved the bright colors and all the larger than life decor. The room itself was fine minus the full size beds. DH and I found trying to sleep on a full size mattress to be extremely uncomfortable (I'm an arm and leg stretcher and he's a tosser) so neither one of us slept well the entire week. I would definitely pick the resort with a queen bed over a full, unless you're both use to sleeping on a full at home.

 

[Babsy]

I have been to all three and liked them all. You will have a great stay at whichever resort you choose.

Pop is a great value resort. It has good buses, a lake to walk around, really nice views of the lake and AoA from some of the standard rooms and is a walk over the bridge to AoA for great photo ops and a second food court (WE enjoyed our food at AoA food court).

That said, if the money is there, I do prefer the moderates over the values. POR or CBR would be my choice over Pop. Why? Moderates have queen beds instead of full. Theming at moderates is more peaceful and enough Disney for us without the huge cartoon figures/icons everywhere. Table service restaurants in addition to the food courts are a welcome option for dinner occasionally. PLUS: Covered bus stops. Better landscaping. Slides at the pools.

Between POR and CBR it is a bit trickier choosing. CBR has a relaxing tropical island theme. Each 'island' has its own pool and a nearby bus stop. These are situated around a picturesque lake. While lovely, this does mean that everything is well spread out resulting in some areas that are a bit distant from dining and the themed pool. The themed pool and water play area are really nice here, especially for those with smaller children. CBR has just finished a refurb which means the rooms will all be newly refinished and now have queen beds (except pirate rooms). If you choose to stay here, I suggest that you either book preferred rooms or request Jamaica (just over the bridge form OPR). Some people dislike the multiple bus stops around the resort as it takes a few minutes before you are on your way to the parks. From your comments, it seems like you have a preference for the theming at this resort. If you prefer the tropical island, beach theme here than this is the choice that I would recommend. It is beautiful.

POR is another spread out resort that can also have rooms relatively distant from resort amenities such as the food court, restaurant, boat dock and themed pool. Again, I recommend booking preferred rooms here. A second option, Royal rooms, are reasonably close but not as convenient as the preferred rooms in AB, IMO. RR are cute, but pricey for a few decorations that are not really any advantage over the regular very nicely decorated rooms. This resort also has access to POFQ via a short walk along the river. This is one instance where guests are allowed to pool hop - guests at POFQ and POR can use each others pools. POR has boat transportation to Downtown Disney which is great for shopping, dining and other activities. Yeeha Bob entertains on select nights and is a favourite among many guests. Other activities such as the horse and buggy ride are also available. Buses also make multiple stops (although not as many as at CBR) at POR and, very occasionally, share with POFQ. If you like the Alligator Bayou/ southern mansion theme of this resort or if some of the amenities are appealing to you, then I would recommend POR.

Good luck choosing. All are great Disney themed resorts! Enoy!

 

[nilla]

We've never stayed at any of the values, but I will say that we adored CBR on our first stay there, just a few weeks ago. Tied with CSR for my favorite moderate.

 

[ajwolfe]

We only stayed in a pirate room, and not recently, but CBR isn't a place that calls to me to stay there again.

Ditto for us!! The pirate room was awesome in itself, just wasn't a huge fan of the resort.

 

[RustManFan]

Almost decided on a split stay in 2016 for POP and POR. Then we couldn't decide on the right day to switch resorts. I would stay at POP anytime though!

 

[Crystal824]

I've stayed at all three, and I have to say, I prefer POR. It is a beautiful resort, very quiet and peaceful. My second choice would be CBR. Pop (while fine) would be my last choice.

The amenities at POR and CBR are similar. The difference is what theme appeals to you more.

Pop is a value so fewer amenities and smaller rooms.

 

[Ceryssa]

Queen beds will always win for me. I do think Pop looks fun, but not enough for me to share a double bed with my husband or kid all week.

 

[Arielismyfave]

We had a similar decision but ultimately narrowed it to POR and CBR. Pop only had full beds and that seemed like a tight fit for us.

Ultimately we decided POR there were a few reasons: ($) and the option of water boats to DTD. There were other reasons too but they are escaping me.

 

[JennyDrake]

I have been to all 3, but not royal room at POR.

When are you going? IF you think you might want to swim a lot, I would go with CBR because of the multiple pools.

CBR has large rooms, two sinks and is a lovely, quiet resort. To me, the food court is rather limited, but you will still find something for everyone to like. the TS restaurant is just about awful and very overpriced--even by WDW standards.

Pop lakeview rooms are very impressive for a value. The food court has many great choices, including grilled flat breads. The resort is fairly centrally located, so bus rides are pretty uniform to any of the parks.

 

[CdnKayDee]

Well here is to making your choice harder. We love POR no matter what this is a great resort. When it comes to CBR we have toured and like the overall feel however the food court which we hit up for lunch(last aug) is the worst food court among the mods and values. Have stayed at POP and well the only thing better then the all stars was the bus service but this was a while back for us. My vote does go to CBR because it is a mod and as a resort has much more to offer.

 

[vanyel]

I'm staying at CBR in December and am really excited. Last stay there was in 1996! Not to through a wrench in the works, but have you also considered CSR. It's beautiful, has a great pool, and has a beachy feel has well? No matter what, I'd choose a mod over value any day and think you can't go wrong with any of the mods.

 

[MinnieMommy07]

Yes it's a really tough decision. We did actually consider Coronado as well. And pofq for quite a while. And aoa lm room. Even threw in some deluxes like akl and cr. It really boiled down to these two in the front. Something just doesn't click with hubby and daughter for por. I suspect lack of Palm trees. And csr was never a stand out resort for hubby. Aoa little mermaid rooms aren't really appealing as the pop rooms for us. Akl is nice but costly and CBR rooms are just as big and nice. And we like the pool more at cbr. Cr is nice and we love the nostalgia and adore the rooms... but we don't know if we'd even have enough money after that price and all the resort hopping for food,lol!

Pros for CBR: big rooms w/queen beds and possible mini-murphy bed for daughter... Awesome tropical grounds and colorful villages with an abundance of pool choices... Awesome main pool area with waterslide. Covered bus stops... Lots and lots of shady spots for hanging out by the quiet pools. Quieter overall. Big on the Florida/Caribbean theme with Palm trees. Mickey waffles at the food court.

Cons for CBR: a little large for a quick run to the food court. I'll have to plan differently as it was nice to refill mugs and grab food to go for the room. We actually aren't very fond of what Disney offers in the food court so I've already thought about this just being a whole other issue wherever we go. Maybe someone would like to give ideas?

Pros for pop: obviously price. I really love the memorabilia all around the resort. We love knowing were in Disney. The rooms a re nicely done and the resort is very compact. The option of long walks is definitely there as well. Photo opportunities are abundant.

Cons for pop. Full beds, lack of shade by pools really gets me. I liked all stars because they were so matured everything was fully grown and trees were at the pools making it nice and breezy with shade. I also feel like, for the compactness of the resort and the fact that there are fourth floors, it would feel louder and more busy than what were used to at the all stars.

 

[Ceryssa]

We aren't big food court people. I did a Garden Grocer order and while we didn't have full meals in the room other than breakfast once or twice, we had enough snacks to hold us over until we could get somewhere to eat.

 

[AThrillingChase]

Of the two, I would choose CBR every time. I prefer the extra amenities and upgraded theming. I like a hot tub at night, even in FL! Plus the beaches and more exciting pool. If you book a preferred section room that will solve the mug/distance concern.

However, I will say that AKL and CBR do not compare at all for me. AKL is a whole 'nother world!

 

[FantasiaMagic]

While I have not stayed at any of the three resorts you listed above, if I had to choose one, especially when money wasn't an issue, I would pick a royal room at POR. I love the theme of POR and the royal rooms are so nice! The boat to DTD is also a nice touch along with the busses for transportation. Good luck with choosing the resort.

 

[Sue M]

POR is our fav moderate! The Royal rooms are super cute. Beautiful grounds, and resort has some extra things like the boat to DTD, family evening entertainment in the lounge, horse & carriage rides. I like be strolling down the beautifully landscaped river paths. Love the Mansion section, and have stayed in Royal & standard rooms, they are all nice.

 

[kalamazoo]

I let my daughter chose where we would stay on her birthday trip and she chose CBR. We had only ever stayed at the deluxe resorts. I was surprised at her choice and CBR never seems to be a favorite here but she was adamant and it was easier on the wallet than a deluxe so that's where we stayed. It was a really nice resort. The rooms were comfortable with space to move around. The sink was separate from the bathroom but had doors that you could close off from the rest of the room so someone could get changed in privacy if the bathroom was already in use (actually I found this layout to be better than some of the deluxe rooms). The beds were comfortable. It was really nice having a pool dedicated to our building - it was always relatively quiet (sometimes there was no one there). I didn't swim in the big pool but dd and her friend did and they had fun. There was a poolside bar (which I tried out one day while waiting for the girls to finish their swim) The service was friendly. There was a biggish food court. We ate there a couple of times though I can't remember exactly what we had (we chose mostly Italian food and pizza). It was decent food-court food - not amazing and not horrible. There was a nice big gift shop that had a pretty good selection of merchandise. The grounds were scenic and, though we were probably the furthest building away, it was about a five minute walk to the central area from our room.

I guess if there is one drawback to CBR it is that the bus has multiple stops within the resort so depending on where you are it can take maybe an extra 10 minutes (or more ??) than a bus that makes no other stops. That being said, some of the deluxes are no better as they share buses with other resorts (which is much harder to swallow at the higher price tag). I'm not a big fan of using the busses anyway. I prefer to drive to the parks.

Anyway, all this to say that I would easily go back to CBR. It is the kind of resort where you can have quiet if you want it or a party atmosphere if you want it.