Which moderate resort do you recommend?

[ceecee]

We usually stay at the allstar movies and have loved it and the food court with all the different choices. Which moderate resort should we choose? We have a 7 year old who likes to swim. thanks in advance.

 

[Krissalee]

I have stayed at CBR and POFQ.

I prefer POFQ as it is a smaller, more intimate resort. They do have a great Mardi Gras themed pool with a slide that might interest your child.

CBR is very big and has a larger food court area which is currently being rehabbed. They have a themed pool (pirate ship?) and many quiet pools, one at each village.

I guess I would recommend CBR for your child, though for adults I would lean towards POFQ.

 

[soccer mom]

I agree with Krissalee. POFQ is our favorite based strictly on size and convenience. All of the others are large and you could end up having a 20 minutes walk (or sometimes longer) to get to the themed pool or food court if you get in the wrong location. They are all nicely themed but we really like the quaintness and size of POFQ. No matter where you are in the FQ, you would only be five minutes, or more likely less, from the pool, food court or bus stop. You are also the first picked up and the first stopped off on the bus that you would share with POR which is nice.

 

[dcedwards]

The other nice thing about the POFQ is the fact that it is a sister resort with Riverside. You get the small resort with the option of a quick bus ride, boat ride or a short walk over to Riverside. There you get another large themed pool with a slide that is a bit faster for older children, a playground that is a bit more rugged, a fishing hole to try your luck at, bikes, etc. plus about 6 quiet pools or so. And, the larger food court. It is a nice perk when you get the convenience of the smaller resort with the extras of Riverside. POFQ is our favorite as we've been staying there every year since it opened (except last year when we stayed at Riverside due to FQ being closed). We are heading back in 6 days...can't wait.

 

[The_Disney_God]

POFQ or Coronado Springs. Both have great food court and pools

 

[Mouseteacher]

I have stayed at POFQ and Riverside (then known as Dixie Landings), I, too, prefer FQ since it is smaller and not so spread out. Rooms are never far from the food court and pool which has a fun slide. At Riverside, rooms can be quite a distance from the mainbuildng / food court /main pool and restaurant. Although, POR does have other "quiet" pools servicing clusters of buildings.
POR also has at least 3 or 4 bus stops besides the one at the main building. Just to give you an idea of how spread out it is.

I would still choose FQ even with a child.

 

[DeeP]

I have stayed in them all and they are all very nice resorts but my favorite is Coronado. I love the theming of this resort and I find it beautiful especially at nighttime when the lights are reflecting off the water and you see El Centro all lit up with the themed music softly playing, as you lay in a hammock on the beach or sit at a waterside table sipping a margarita, it is wonderful!

 

[SeaSpray]

We did a lot of research before choosing to stay at Caribbean Beach Resort. Our family loved this resort. My sons were 13 and 10 at the time. The slide at the main pool isn't the biggest but my sons enjoyed it.

Each section of CBR has it's own "quiet pool". This just means that it's not themed like the main "Pirate's Fort" pool, and they don't have slides. But they are large, beautiful pools that are never crowded.

We loved the soft white sand beaches all around CBR. There are huge hammocks, lounge chairs, and beach chairs on the beaches too.

You can see a lot of the fireworks from Epcot's Illuminations show every night from the main pool area, as well as from the beaches at Martinique and Trinidad North.

CBR also has the largest rooms of all the moderate resorts. They are the same size as many of the rooms at two of the deluxe resorts; Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge.
ALL of the rooms at CBR have just been completely refurbished in 2001, so they are like brand-new.

The feeling at CBR is so much fun. It's like having a separate tropical vacation right in the middle of your Disney World vacation

I think all of the moderates are really nice, and a good value for the price, so you can't go wrong. I think most people choose a moderate resort based on the theming of the resort.

If you'd like to see my pictures of CBR, please check out my web sites! The links are below.

Have a wonderful vacation, whichever resort you choose!

 

[RedShorts]

For kids CBR edges it.
Looking forward to Coronado, looks good too.

 

[justhat]

I would choose Coronado Springs again in a minute. I've never stayed at the others, though visited and they looked nice, but Coronado had a great pool and playground and many buildings were close enough to both the main building and the pool. Also, you can rent watercraft to ride on Lago Dorado (the small lake at Coronado) which was a nice feature. There are also lots of great walking paths to explore and plenty to do for a 7 year old.

 

[eeyore0062]

I would choose PO-FQ. We loved the quaintness, quietness, and closeness of this resort. The pool was wonderful, and my 8 year old was thoroughly enamoured of the serpent slide. The food court was the best of any of the moderates, and had great food choices. The pizza was delicious, and made to order right there. There was a big screen TV playing Disney movies, and the kids really loved that, and the parents could kick back and relax while the kids watched TV.

We found the staff here to be very accomodating, the bus service was great, and we loved the fact that you could take the boat shuttle to PO-R and use their pools, boats, bikes, food court, full service restaurant and lounge in addition to what you have at PO-FQ. There is also a direct boat from PO-FQ to DTD starting at 4 pm. The resort to resort shuttle runs from 9 am until 9:30 pm, as well.

PO-FQ is our new favorite moderate.. I would recommend it to anyone!

 

[Buzz2001]

A 7 yr old that likes to swim would love the Dig Site at CSR!! Check out photos of the main pool area on my website below.

Good luck deciding!

 

[married2grumpy]

Ceecee- I have never stayed at any of the moderates...yet. We aren't sure which resort to choose for our next trip but I was leaning towards CBR. The food court looks great, lots of choices and the theming seems fun. I love the Caribbean so I imagine I would like this resort. As for Coronado Springs, I've heard that their food court is run differently. We do eat at the food court often during our stays. I want a large selection and to get in and out quickly. Maybe someone can elaborate on the CSR food court and how it is different. Thanks.

 

[Buzz2001]

The Pepper Market is our favorite place to eat. When you enter the Pepper Market, you will notice it's not your average food court. This is Disney's first new style, "interactive" food court on property. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. You choose your meals in a Mexican market-style set-up while walking from station to station and talking with the chefs. You are seated by a host/hostess and receive a ticket. The host/hostess will take your drink order. You then can stroll around the food areas, choose what you want to eat and receive a stamp on your ticket for each item you get (each guest receives their own card). At the end of the meal, you present your ticket(s) to a host/hostess and pay as you leave. 10% gratuity is charged automatically to your bill so be sure not to leave an additional tip on the table. If you feel the 10% was not deserved, speak to the host/hostess when paying and it will be removed. The Pepper Market is open 6:30am - 11pm.

The food counters include some awesome choices. My favorite is the Mexican Kitchen which offers tacos, fresh tortillas and something called a wet burrito (YUMMY!). A Wok Kitchen with traditional Chinese favorites. A Grill Station which includes steaks, burgers, rotisserie chicken, baked potatos and french fries. An Pizza Station that has calzones and pizzas. A Pasta Kitchen that offers traditional fettuccine/linguine/penne dishes. A Sandwich Kitchen that has a variety of hot and cold sandwiches. A Bakery/Desert Station that includes bread, sweet rolls and great cookies. A Soup/Salad Kitchen in case you ate too much at the parks. And not to leave out the kids, a Kids Station which includes the old standbys of chicken strips, hot dogs, pasta and pizzas all for $4.25 or $4.50 (very reasonable). You can get creative at the Pepper Market too. You can mix and match to your delight. Sometimes I'll order a baked potato and a cesaer salad or french fries with my pizza. Don't be afraid to ask for anything. For example, they don't sell breakfast sandwiches but I usually get a hard roll from the baked goods area and take it over to the grill area and ask them to put my eggs on the toasted hard roll. No problems, the CM's are very friendly. For a complete menu listing, check out

Deb's Menu Page

 

[jxh1]

All are good, depends on the theming you like I suppose. I have only stayed at CBR and thought it was great. I did visit all the other ones and felt that I'd have no problem staying at any of them. Next time we are going to split our time and CBR and one of the others, just can't decide which one, lol. Good luck!

 

[cinmell]

I love the Caribbean Beach Resort for several reasons. I like the theming, the fact that there are several quiet pools in addition to the main pool, the food court, boating/biking activities and beaches to relax on at the hammocks. I think the rooms are good size and the grounds are beautiful to walk around and relax.

 

[jxh1]

I second everything that cinmell said. Plus I'm sure it's even BETTER now that it has all been refurbished and the foodcourt re-done!

 

[Tnkrbl2199]

I recommend CSR! What a beautiful resort! Great rooms, unique theming, wonderful service and so many extras! The spa, lounge, etc are great aspects of a deluxe with a moderate price! Highly recommend!

 

[Schmeck]

We've done CBR twice, and just stayed at POR - I'd pick CBR over POR(mansions) any day! POR was very damp, the first floor of the mansions were moldy, and the rooms need rehab. The rooms were dark too. And the mansion rooms in the front got to be serenaded by the condensor units hidden in the bushes right out front. But I did enjoy the boat ride to DD.

CBR is all freshly rehabbed, is brightly colored and cheerful, and the rooms are big. I love the tropical calypso music too!

Schmeck

 

[married2grumpy]

I have a CBR question. Is the calypso music piped in through out the grounds or only at certain areas. One of the things I loved about the Polynesian was that you could always hear the Polynesian music as you walked along the grounds. I would love to hear calypso music while at the pool!