WDW's most popular resort?

[wvulion]

I wonder if part of the popularity of POFQ is the lesser number of people running around. It wasn't that way when it was one resort (Dixie Landings). I prefer both POFQ and Riverside for their intimacy. I mean, it's wonderful when you aren't forced to fight crowds once you get to your hotel, right? And the Poly it seems has always been the one deluxe that most people love, probably for the same reasons: the people are there, you just don't see them as much. Hey, if it was good enough for John Lennon, it's good enough for me

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

Why the heck is CB so unpopular? We've always loved it...the only other "moderate" we've stayed at was Coronado Springs and we liked CB much better. CB just had a more *Disney* vibe and theme and Coronado just seemed too expansive and plain.

 

[aubriee]

WOW...I was not prepared for POFQ to be in the "top tier" of popularity. I would have ALWAYS thought that CBR was the most popular Moderate Resort!

CBR has it's loyal fans, but if you do a search you will find that CBR consistently ranks last among the moderates in populairity. I know it ranks waaaayy below the other moderates with us. I stay there some, but only when I want a change from the other three moderates. I go to WDW several times a year and normally stay in a moderate. I'd rank them:

#1. CSR
#2. POFQ ( but a very close tie with CSR)
#3. PORS
#4. CBR (and that's a very distant 4th)



CSR consistently gets reports of having the best bus service on property (and I agree), has the most comfortable beds, has the biggest hot tub on property, and the main pool is ususally not as crowded. Most people love how small and quaint POFQ feels and both the PO resorts have the boat to DTD. Both PO resorts also have live entertainment in the lounges. PORS is soooo peaceful and relaxing and has probably the best food court on property. CBR seems bigger, bus service is not as good as at the other moderates, not a fan of their food court, you see lots of complaints about bad housekeeping there, and their main pool while nice, is also always super crowded, as are their hot tubs. There is also the fact that CSR is the only moderate that still has only full size beds.

 

[Nicole786]

I remember hearing somewhere that the Wilderness Lodge and the Polynesian had the most return visitors -- I think that's a great way to measure popularity. Based on the boards, and its great reviews elsewhere I'd have to agree that the two most popular deluxe resorts are the WL and Poly.

 

[cw21726]

CR because it's awesome

 

[NancyIL]

I wonder if part of the popularity of POFQ is the lesser number of people running around. It wasn't that way when it was one resort (Dixie Landings). I prefer both POFQ and Riverside for their intimacy. I mean, it's wonderful when you aren't forced to fight crowds once you get to your hotel, right? And the Poly it seems has always been the one deluxe that most people love, probably for the same reasons: the people are there, you just don't see them as much. Hey, if it was good enough for John Lennon, it's good enough for me

Port Orleans French Quarter was never part of Dixie Landings. Dixie Landings was renamed Port Orleans Riverside.

I have never been enticed by the Poly (especially) or the Contemporary. The Wilderness Lodge is especially lovely at Christmas - as is Animal Kingdom Lodge.

 

[jenniferma]

I have found that when we get a pin code and call to inquire, Contemporary is always booked first of the deluxe resorts. I think it's the fact that you can walk to the MK that sells it (at least for us!)

BTW.. I completely agree with you about CBR and the Mods-- We've never tried CSR, but love POR way more than CBR. I don't think I would do CBR again.

have a great day!

 

[Lynne M]

Does anyone have any data as to which WDW resort is the most popular and the first to be "booked up"?

This is kind of an unanswerable question, and even if you had access to Disney's reservation data, I'm sure it would vary by season.

The first problem is that "most popular" and "first to be booked up" are probably two completely different things. There's a wide variation in the number of rooms at the various resorts, from a few hundred at the smaller deluxe villa resorts, to several hundred at the larger deluxes, to several thousand at a value resort. So, if the 728 rooms at the WL book up more quickly than All Star Movies' 1,980 rooms, does that make the WL more popular than ASMo?

You can't go by how quickly the discounts run out, either. Disney only discounts a select number of rooms and room types at a given resort, and I don't think anyone outside of management knows how they arrive at that number. If there are 50 rooms being discounted at POFQ, and 200 rooms being discounted at GF, and those 50 discounted rooms at POFQ go first, does that make POFQ more popular than GF?

You throw in room blocks they're holding for conventions, and room inventory being held by reselllers like Expedia and Travelocity, and there's just no way to know.

 

[wvulion]

Port Orleans French Quarter was never part of Dixie Landings. Dixie Landings was renamed Port Orleans Riverside.

I have never been enticed by the Poly (especially) or the Contemporary. The Wilderness Lodge is especially lovely at Christmas - as is Animal Kingdom Lodge.

OOps-I was in elementary school when we stayed there and I just remember how crowded it was compared to the Polynesian, our traditional resort. That may have been because it had just opened. I actually avoided Port Orleans completely for years because of it; imagine my surprise when I returned as it quickly became one of my favorites. It just consistently gets more favorable feedback than many of the other moderates. I agree with the earlier poster regarding Coronado Springs and the bus service, but I think that's to be expected since it is one of the designated convention hotels. Wouldn't want people late for work right?