Which Resort is Best?

[BlackPearl695]

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[Epcot4Me]

I've stayed at all except FW. We continually go back to Riverside (I think we've stayed there 6 or 7 times now).

The grounds are beautiful. I personally prefer the mansions as they seem more majestic and sweeping. It's large, but I like that because it has plenty of winding paths to wander around, and it never really seemed crowded. I love that there is a boat to DTD so you aren't completely reliant on buses everywhere, and there is an area to rent bikes and watercraft, which we tend to do every trip. The food court is large and has plenty of options for anyone. We love to go back to the lounge to hear Bob play after a long day at the parks.

CSR would be my second choice, as the queen beds were nice to have and I liked the theme and the pool area. The "food court," Pepper Market was slightly better selection, but more expensive. It felt more removed from the rest of the parks and that bothered me. I've stayed here once.

FQ would be my 3rd choice. I've stayed here once. I like the boat ride to DTD, as stated, and the theme is nice. For me, it's too small and I find the entire resort just feels crowded because of that. I also was not a fan of the pool area here, and found the food court small and lacking in selection. Though you can get beignets!

CBR is my least favorite, but I still enjoy it. I have stayed here twice and the first time was horrible (our room smelled of smoke but they wouldn't move us and we had a longggg hike to the main building). The second time was much better. Walking around the resort is pleasant, but there isn't much shade. As with CSR, you only have bus transport here, and I felt pretty removed from the rest of WDW. The food court and pool are nice and didn't seem overcrowded, despite the size of the resort.

Hope that helps!

 

[kaffinito]

Port Orleans Riverside is the best mod IMO.

It has a lovely main themed pool with several smaller quiet pools, a great lounge with entertainment, and a good restaurant. It also has the best food court on resort property with build your own pasta, great desserts and a deli.

POR has two themed areas, Mansions and Alligator Bayou, with lush landscaping and very lovely walking/biking paths by day or by night. POR also has a boat to DTD for more food and dining options. The resort shares amenities with its sister resort POFQ, so you can swim over there if you like.

I apologize if I've duplicated anyone's post (which I'm sure I probably did) but I get so excited and nostalgic over POR! We visit the resort every trip, and I am looking forward to staying there again.

 

[BlackPearl695]

There's so much to consider. I never would have thought about the walking distances around the resort grounds. Thanks for the info.

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

I've stayed at them all, including the Ft Wilderness cabins. If we are including the cabins, it would be our favorite by far but there's a big difference between them and the other moderate resorts: a separate bedroom and a full kitchen. We also like having our own space, a grill outside, parking right in front, the activities at the Fort. I really don't see it as apples to apples with the other mods.

As for the other mods, I've liked them all. The rooms are a bit bigger at CBR and they now have some specially themed rooms, the beach theme at the resort is a favorite with me. I like POR and POFQ for the boat ride to DTD (I'm a shopper!). POFQ is small while the other mods are not so that's a plus for it, for me. After all the park walking it's nice to have less resort walking. I like the theme at POR, it's very large and spread out but very pretty. CSR is also very spread out and it's beautiful with a very nice pool & playground area, along with some queen beds now.

So - if there's a park where you intend to spend more time than others, you might want to be closer to it? Or pick a theme or pool area that you like? They are all nice, you can't go wrong.

 

[Tinkerbell3014]

I know it is a matter of personal opinion but for us; our favorite resort is POR! We love the grounds, pools, and boat transportation to DTD. Whichever you decide, enjoy your trip!

 

[BlackPearl695]

Thanks for all the great opinions! My DH is now starting to chime in about his opinions after reading all the posts.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

We love CSR! We like the theming, the newly renovated rooms with the queen beds, and my kids (10 and 6) LOVE the Dig Site pool and slide! I had a hard time convincing DD10 to get off the slide so we could go back to the parks. The slide is great for grade school kids and adults (although I did see afew brave preschoolers enjoying it as well) - it is fast and open. The Dig Site pool is huge and doesn't feel crowded - there is plenty of space to throw a ball back and forth or play water games without bumping into people.

We enjoy the Pepper Market at CSR because there is so much variety for everyone. Both my kids could always find something they wanted to eat. My kids loved walking around the grounds and swinging in the hammocks, and they enjoyed looking out for Glen the alligator everytime we walked by the lake.

If your boys are into camping, they might prefer the theming of Fort Wilderness. The cabins look great and the bunk beds might be good if they don't like to sleep together.

All of the mods offer pros and cons as the PP have said. For our family, we prefer the atmosphere, theming and amenities of CSR.

Another thought - for about the same price as the cabins, I think you could get a pool view bunk bed room at AKL. Our next trip will be AKL, and we are all excited about it!