Which moderate resort is closest to Magic Kingdom

For moderate resorts, the difference in distances is almost negligible, but I would say ultimately Coronado Springs would be the best bet.
 
I agree CSR would be the closest as it's right down the street from Epcot and DHS.
 
I'd be interested to know what the specific concern is here, in part, because while Coronado Springs would be the closest, it isn't necessarily the one children might enjoy most. There's just a "convention" atmosphere that you wouldn't necessarily get from another moderate that's only a mile or two farther away. The distances truly are negligible when it comes right down to it--I'd just pick the hotel that best suits my family and what they might enjoy most. We are Magic Kingdom fans, but found we loved Port Orleans Riverside in the moderate category the best. I didn't find the bus ride too terribly long either. Good Luck planning!
 

It would be about a toss up for CSR or POR. I would highly recommend POR over CSR. I agree with wvulion that CSR is more convention hotel feeling and POR has better theming and is more resort feeling.
 
I'd be interested to know what the specific concern is here, in part, because while Coronado Springs would be the closest, it isn't necessarily the one children might enjoy most. There's just a "convention" atmosphere that you wouldn't necessarily get from another moderate that's only a mile or two farther away. The distances truly are negligible when it comes right down to it--I'd just pick the hotel that best suits my family and what they might enjoy most. We are Magic Kingdom fans, but found we loved Port Orleans Riverside in the moderate category the best. I didn't find the bus ride too terribly long either. Good Luck planning!

I disagree about the convention atmosphere. Last time we were there didn't even notice any conventioners. CSR also has arguably the best pool for kids and by far the most amenities of the Mods.

To the OP, we've stayed at CSR and CBR. Both had good bus service. I would say the CBR buses came quicker, but the travel times once on the bus were quicker at CSR, so its pretty even there. We like both resorts, we prefer the tropical theming of these resorts to the old south theming at the POR resorts.
 
For what it's worth, according to the web site themouseforless here are the times by bus:

CBR - 20 min
CSR - 17 min
POR - 14 min
POFQ - 16 min
 
We've stayed at the CSR nine times and the MK is about a 10 minute ride once you leave the resort. Our kids LOVED the CSR (more than the value and the deluxes we stayed at because of the pool). Despite being a convention resort, it is just as good for kids and the pool area is awesome (our oldest son stayed at CBR two years ago with the 13-year old team he coached for baseball and wished they had been at the CSR instead).
 
I disagree about the convention atmosphere. Last time we were there didn't even notice any conventioners. CSR also has arguably the best pool for kids and by far the most amenities of the Mods.

To the OP, we've stayed at CSR and CBR. Both had good bus service. I would say the CBR buses came quicker, but the travel times once on the bus were quicker at CSR, so its pretty even there. We like both resorts, we prefer the tropical theming of these resorts to the old south theming at the POR resorts.

Depending on what you consider an amenity, I have to disagree with this statement. Yes CSR has a spa and a work out room, but POR/POFQ has boat rentals, bike rentals, family entertainment yee-haw Bob versus Rix night club, carriage ride and it also has a boat to DTD. We like all the Mods and really enjoy CSR (as you can see by the number of times we stayed there) but for our family, it lacks amenities that we like to do or use.
We do not do CBR because we live by some great beaches and so the theme does nothing for us and the fact that now they are the only Mod without queen beds. We liked their pool the best because of the theme and their the only Mod with a zero entry.
I would just look at the theme you like and go with it.
 
Honestly - *how close your resort is* to a particular Park has nothing to do with *how soon you will get there* - if using Disney Transportation. I think transportation times really come down to a whole lot of luck.
Those guidebooks that print the exact times from Resort A to Theme Park B clearly didn't have to wait at a bus stop with other people, hoping there are enough buses for that particular resort, to accomodate that particular amount of people on the particular day..plus factor into the number of strollers or wheelchairs that need to be loaded and unloaded...or messes that need to be cleaned up in between rides, or traffic...etc..etc..etc..
 
We've stayed at CSR twice, both times during Presiden'ts Week, one of the busiest weeks of the year at Disney. We've had great bus service both times. There are a quick five stops within the resort, which do not take very long at all. There were always plenty of busses and they were never full. For transportation purposes alone, I'd go with CSR. Oh, and our four year old loved it. They not only have one of the best pools on property, they also have one of the coolest playgrounds! :goodvibes
 
If you consider Fort Wilderness as a moderate resort, you are a short boat ride to the MK (and maybe a short bus ride to get to the boat).
 
We've stayed at CSR twice, both times during Presiden'ts Week, one of the busiest weeks of the year at Disney. We've had great bus service both times. There are a quick five stops within the resort, which do not take very long at all. There were always plenty of busses and they were never full. For transportation purposes alone, I'd go with CSR. Oh, and our four year old loved it. They not only have one of the best pools on property, they also have one of the coolest playgrounds! :goodvibes

Actually CSR has only four bus stops (bus stop #1. Main building, bus stop #2. Casitas, bus stop #3. Ranchos, and bus stop #4. Cabanas. I agree CSR has the best bus service though. I go to WDW several times a year and have stayed at all the moderates more than once. CSR has always had the best bus service irregardless of the time of year we are there. CSR also has the nicer pool area (longer pool slide, biggest hot tub on property, and the main pool never seems as crowded as the other moderate pools). They also have the nicest kids playground and we like that the arcade is right there by the pool area. They also have a volleyball area right there. CSR is great for kids. Yes it is a convention resort, but you seldom notice the conventioneers and besides they are in meetings all day, which leaves the buses for us. CSR buses never seem to be as crowded as the other resorts buses.
 
To answer the original question directly - in terms of the actual distance along WDW roads from the "primary" bus stop to the park itself, the Port Orleans resorts are slightly closer to MK if you are taking the bus, and Coronado Springs is slightly closer (followed by Caribbean Beach) if you're driving yourself to the parking lot.

(The difference is that if driving from PO, you have to take Epcot Center Drive, which is a little farther than going by Vista Blvd as the buses do.)

The difference in distance is small - less than a half mile - and, as others have said, there are other factors that will make a bigger difference in actual travel time and the comfort of the trip. Most of those differences tend to be "luck of the draw", rather than anything you can actually control or plan for.

Also in terms of driving distance, all three are about the same distance to Epcot, while CSR is easily the closest to Animal Kingdom and Blizzard Beach, and CBR is the closest to the Studios. Port Orleans is the closest to Downtown Disney, plus it also offers the boat option.
 












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