WL to moderate: big step down?

[Trip planner]

My family (DH, DS 5 and DS 2) stayed at WL 3/2011 and 12/2012. We chose WL based on proximity to MK. We plan to return to WDW in 10/2013. We hoped to book EPCOT area deluxe to hop into park for dinner. There is no availability. Now trying to come up with Plan B. Considering a moderate (CSR or POR?) This will save us lots of $ but I am worried I will miss convenience of WL and/or be disappointed with quality of rooms. Anyone go from WL to moderate and have an opinion? Keep in mind my kids are 5 and 2.

 

[Belle'sFan]

We stayed at WL and loved it. Next trip, AKL. After that POFQ twice and next year POR. I was very happy with the moderate. They do not have the same feeling of grandeur as WL, however I felt more comfortable at the moderate. They are more " human sized" to me, so more homey. The feel is very Disney and we found POFQ very convenient even though farther from MK. It was just different, not better or worse. We liked POFQ for the resort size, quaint grounds, peacefulness, and boat ride to DTD. We went back to the room mid day and it was easy. I found that although some resorts are designated as MK or Epcot, the time to the parks from any resort is fairly quick. The only advantage to staying closer is if you want the view or are just visiting one particular park. If you're visiting them all you are obviously closer to some than others. It's a toss up and we usually choose to save the money.

 

[DisneyElite4]

I've stayed in pretty much every Disney resort at WDW - I don't think you will be disappointed. The rooms at WL are not that large, so I don't think you will notice that much of a size difference between WL and a moderate. The proximity to Magic Kingdom is nice, but it's bus trips for every other park so really not much of a difference there.

As far as quality - I think the moderates, especially some of the ones that have recently been refurbished, are in great condition. Everyone has their favorites for different reasons, so I will say you can't go wrong with any of them in terms of quality.

 

[Kanga1]

I much prefer the food courts at the moderates. The only thing I really miss from a deluxe resort is the balcony. I LOVE a balcony and sit out there a lot. Other than that, a moderate is just fine. Since you love WL so much, I would go with POFQ or POR (but get a preferred room here to cut down on the walking.)

 

[Tpiejg]

we stayed at the WL then the next year at POR, we are going to POR again this year. We loved the grandness of the main lobby of WL and the fact that we had a balcony. But POR grounds were beautiful and lush, we loved it! the room size seemed the same to me at both resorts. We liked the food court at POR better than WL, it had more choices. In the end we didn't think that there were enough differences for the increase in price To stay at WL. We loved it but we loved POR too. one last thing we agree with the pp a preferred room is worth the little extra money.

 

[RebelSoul]

DH and I stayed at VWL for our April/May trip this year for a few nights and then switched to CSR for the last few nights. This was the first time we had ever stayed in a moderate resort and I was a bit nervous being DVC owners how we would feel about staying there. Much to my surprise, we actually enjoyed staying at CSR. Yes, it's not WL (one of our favorite resorts!), but it was fine. The resort is large and spread out, which we liked and walked every day. The room was pretty nice. We had a king water view room. It was quiet for the most part. We always rent a car, so we don't use Disney transportation and I cannot comment on the buses. I will say it didn't take long by car to get to EPCOT or DHS or AKL at all.

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

CSR is great. The only issue is your desire for close proximity to parks. You won't have that convenience in the mods. We just stayed at CR and walking to MK was the best!

 

[firstwdw]

we stayed at the WL then the next year at POR, we are going to POR again this year. We loved the grandness of the main lobby of WL and the fact that we had a balcony. But POR grounds were beautiful and lush, we loved it! the room size seemed the same to me at both resorts. We liked the food court at POR better than WL, it had more choices. In the end we didn't think that there were enough differences for the increase in price To stay at WL. We loved it but we loved POR too. one last thing we agree with the pp a preferred room is worth the little extra money.

Agree with this!!! We stayed WL in 2012 and then this May 2013 stayed at POR in a preferred room and LOVED it! We thought the following was better at POR than WL: food court, playground, pool, gift shop and arcade Downtown Disney transportation(boat).

POR also has horse and carriage rides, fishing, family entertainment/singer, lots of quiet pools to explore, paths with little bridges over streams, fountains by the mansions. We felt like it was a good value at POR and can't justify the extra expense to stay at WL. We thought we'd never find a place that we'd love as much as we loved WL!

 

[starousse]

Agree with this!!! We stayed WL in 2012 and then this May 2013 stayed at POR in a preferred room and LOVED it! We thought the following was better at POR than WL: food court, playground, pool, gift shop and arcade Downtown Disney transportation(boat).

POR also has horse and carriage rides, fishing, family entertainment/singer, lots of quiet pools to explore, paths with little bridges over streams, fountains by the mansions. We felt like it was a good value at POR and can't justify the extra expense to stay at WL. We thought we'd never find a place that we'd love as much as we loved WL!

I'm hoping to be in the same boat as you. We stayed at WL two years ago and loved it, stayed at Beach Club a couple of months ago, it was good, not fantastic, and now for next year, we were thinking of trying POR. Room wise, I don't think there's such a huge difference or step down. It's the convenience and the transportation issue that concerns me.

 

[mckelvey72]

We have only stayed at WL and are going again this year.....one thing I like about WL vs somewhere like POR is that...if weather is bad at WL you can get to the arcade, kids club, food etc without going outside. And for me, my kids are 13 and 7, they can go down and get drinks, snacks, go to the arcade together....and i feel more comfortable knowing they are always indoors. Maybe it sounds stupid or not worth the money for that reason, but I just feel better knowing they won't get lost or anything. Inside just seems safer than someone lurking in a bush HAHAH

We love the balconies as well as the boat ride. I am going with just my mom and son next year so interesting to read this thread as i wanted to stay at POR and I think we will try it for that trip. My son won't be allowed to wonder around without his big sister so doesnt matter if inside or not

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

I am in the same boat, been to WL twice. Looking at either POR in November or a WL/swan split stay...it would cost the same basically. Looking forward to hearing more replies. The boat ride to MK cannot be beat, especially since I get a bit bus sick!

 

[Trip planner]

I think I am going to try a preferred room in a moderate. I am hoping for FD so where I stay will depend on availability. This will fit the budget better which will make DH happier!

 

[Robbi]

CSR is a great mod. Sometimes it's referred to as "deluxe lite". We certainly feel that it is. If I was stepping down to a mod after being used to deluxe resorts, it's the resort I'd choose. In fact, we're DVC members and sometimes we stay at CSR on a weekend either before or after our DVC stays just because we like it so much.

 

[Trip planner]

CSR is a great mod. Sometimes it's referred to as "deluxe lite". We certainly feel that it is. If I was stepping down to a mod after being used to deluxe resorts, it's the resort I'd choose. In fact, we're DVC members and sometimes we stay at CSR on a weekend either before or after our DVC stays just because we like it so much.

I am leaning towards CSR and I am intrigued by the business level- snacks and wine at the end of a day at the parks seems nice.

 

[Babsy]

POR and CSR are great resorts The nice thing about the moderates are the grounds and great food courts. Although the resorts are spread out, to some degree that is part of the beauty of these resorts - lots of walking around room outside at the resort. We love to just stroll around both these mods in the evening or early morning.

I think that I love every WDW resort for some reason or other. We have stayed in every resort and enjoyed every stay. We mix stays in value deluxe and mods all the time. Sometimes I stay in value standard rooms and sometimes deluxe club level. We are all over the place and love every minute!!

So don't worry about a big step down. Just enjoy the unique experience of the moderate resort that you choose.

It's all good! It's Disney!

 

[Junebugwv]

If you were budgeting a stay at a deluxe, you might consider Contemporary garden wing. With young kids, easy access to MK is great, plus the monorail to Epcot is a nice plus.

If you have decided that a moderate is better for your budget, you will find them to be just fine. We really like POFQ because of its size, boats to DTD and walkway to POR. The food courts at POFQ and POR are our favorites. We always make 1 or 2 trips to eat there, even when we stay at DVC.