Want to try something new....But where??

[cmrsfraz]

IF the FD promo comes out next week for the Fall, I am going to need to switch resorts. We are currently booked for AoA. We have stayed 3 times at POP and loved it but I would like to try something different this trip. We were excited about AoA, but I'm not willing to upgrade to the suite to get FD.
So trying to decide at another trip to POP or switch to a Mod. POR and CSR look nice to me. CBR looks ok, just not sure on this one. I need help deciding!
We are a family of 4, DD8 and DD5. Quiet, low crowd levels, good bus service (we hate having to stand on the buses when we stay at Pop), good food court, nice pool and fairly easy walks to the buses are the most important factors to us. Also we spend most of our time at MK.
I love the Royal Quest rooms at POR but wondering if they are really far from the buses and food court. We have always stayed at Pop non-preferred rooms and that walk is ok with us. Just don't want anything much further.

HELP! Too many options to think about!

 

[dansdad]

Quiet, low crowd levels, good bus service (we hate having to stand on the buses when we stay at Pop), good food court, nice pool and fairly easy walks to the buses are the most important factors to us.!

That is exactly how I would describe CBR. We love it there. Even when at capacity, like during FD, it never feels like it. It's such a nice change of pace from the craziness of the parks.

Each village has it's own bus stop so you are never far from one.

Awesome pool, slides and 2 hot tubs.

We prefer the foodcourt over POR and POFQ.

Have only stood on a bus once right after wishes. Now we hang out and people watch for a half hour and haven't stood since.

Now if your family would like the themeing of POR or CSR better, those are also great choices. You really can't go wrong.

 

[Sue M]

POR riverside is our fav moderate! We request a room in either Magnolia Terrace or Acadian House close to Old Man Island bridge. This will put you a short walk away from food court, and north or east bus depot is also a short walk. We prefer them to the main depot. Less crowded.

Por has a great food court, and fun main pool with hot tub. I also like having the option of quiet pools. Boat to DTD and family style evening entertainment in the lounge give POR just a little extra that other resorts don't have.

 

[Diz Kids]

I love both POR Riverside and CSR, didn't care too much for CBR (but they were doing construction on the main pool while we were there and that may have influenced my opinion). We used to stay at POP all the time, so frequently that we tired of it and started staying at Moderates instead.

For busses we have had our best luck at CSR. I have always assumed this is because it is a convention resort and a lower percentage of people are headed to the parks during the day. I would have recommened this resort first, but I heard they have changed the old counter service to a buffet for at least a couple meals a day, and that takes something away for me. They do have another counter service option, but it always seemed a little lacking, as well as food by the pool bar. The walk to the main building can also be a hike if you get a room at the back of the resort. If you are close the the main building, then it is a hike to the pool.

We have stayed at POFQ and POR and perfer POR. The grounds are beautiful. The food was good, mostly typical food court type food, but there were lots of choices. It reminds me a bit of the food court at POP where they have mutiple themed stations with different choices. The resort is very large, but our building was about as far as you can get from the main building and it never seemed like a long walk. We had requested the location based on proximity to a bus stop since we walk there more often, and we are a family of 5 so we were in the Alligator Bayou section. I liked the pool at CSR better, but this is just my perference. If you are at POR you can also go over to POFQ and check that pool out too. The busses seemed more crowded at POR than CSR at the same time of year, but sometimes I think the bus service is so hit or miss in general it is hard to judge from a one time experience.

Both resorts have unofficial websites. I don't remember the CSR one, but for POR it is portorleans.org. There are lots of photos and information about the resort.

I would love to check out the suites at AoA, but also can't justify the price of a suite vs. staying at a Moderate. I like the conveniences of the moderate more since we just don't spend that much time in our actual room.

 

[cmrsfraz]

Thanks for the reviews. Last night I was convinced I wanted to stay at POR but now the CSR looks amazing too!
Which one would be closer to MK? My girls are young so we spend most of our time at MK and Epcot. We only do 1/2 day at AK and HS.

 

[Diz Kids]

I think they are about the same distance to MK, with POR being a little closer to Epcot, and much closer to DTD.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

CSR is back near Animal Kingdom, POR and POFQ are much closer to MK and Epcot and DTD. POFQ is a very small resort and has only one bus stop and doesn't usually share with POR. You can use the pools at either since they are sister resorts and there is a really nice boat to DTD.

 

[KatMark]

We have stayed at the CSR nine times (with and without kids) and love everything about it (we'll be back in December for a surprise 60th birthday trip for my DH). We normally rent a car, but we did take a bus to the MK from the Coronado on our last stay there in 2010, and it was exactly ten minutes from the time we got on the bus at the last stop (four stops at CSR as compared to seven at the CBR) to the time we were dropped off at the MK.

 

[jimandami]

If you want quiet, with nice grounds and a nice pool, I would go with CSR. DM and I stayed there for a weekend at the end of our big family trip last November, and I swear sometimes it felt like we were the only ones there. The grounds are beautiful and the main pool is really nice....I liked that the arcade and playground where at the Dig Site, so that the kiddos have other things to do if they get tired of swimming.

 

[JennyDrake]

CBR is a very quiet resort, which is one of the reasons I like it so much. Really, I think you wold be happy with any of the moderates. IMHO the food is the best at POR and CSR.