WWYD: CSR or CBR

[gsmbaby19]

We are a family of 4 with a 10 year old and a 2 year old.

1. Our priorities are to minimize our transportation time
2. A nice fun pool day for hubby and kids as I spend 1 day at my company's Orlando office
3. Relax and have fun and also be comfortable in the room.

Price is the same, we will be there in October.

Opinions and please include the Why, not just the resort.

 

[DJFan88]

For your needs I would go CBR for the sole reason is the zero entry pool and splash zone. They are both nice, but for your kids ages, the CSR pool may drive you a little crazier as it is not zero entry, but of course there are kiddy pools, but I think the CBR pool area right next to the food court is best for you. The food court at CSR is not next to the pool, and you have the nice sandy beach area where you can also relax while kids play in sand with their new buckets and shovels they get their meals in at the Old Port Royale! It was perfect for us when our kids are little, not as much anymore, but yours are the perfect ages.

 

[ChasingLeslie]

1. Transportation: CSR has better bus service and fewer stops (4 vs 7)
2. Pool Day: CBR has a zero entry pool and fun splash pad, but CSR has a better waterside.
3. Both have great themes and are comfortable places to stay.

 

[Olaf63]

CSR! Great main pool area with playground and arcade right there. As PP stated, the buses are very good

 

[Kevin355]

CBR has 2 water slides, a zero entry-pool, and is right next to the food court...maybe 100 feet away. If you want to take a break and grab a bite, I'd go CBR. I know that when my boys were younger...much younger, they loved the CBR Main pool area.

 

[HopperFan]

Transportation:
Hands down CSR as it's some of the best transportation on property. When we stay at CBR we drive everywhere.

Pools:
CSR has a great pool that is rarely crowded, beautifully themed and awesome slide. On the pool deck is QS food and mug refill station, next to it is the bathrooms and next to that is an awesome playground. The kiddie pool is right next to the end of the pool slide. Well planned tight footprint making it very easy to manage.

CBR has the zero entry and splash play area but it's a large pool area with everything removed from there. Your older one will want to be at the pool on the slides and your younger will want to be at the splash area .... one parent will be busy. Food Court is not terribly far but no food at the pool. Playground is on an island.

Rooms:
Now that CBR has been renovated (except Pirate Rooms) to include queen beds and doors by the bathroom sink areas I would say they are comparable inside the rooms. CBR is still much more spread out than CSR if that is a concern.

At CSR we love to stay in Ranchos which puts us right at the main pool area.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

Csr has been great as far as pool area is concerned. Plenty of space and everything is right there. Many parents with little ones(2 yo)like yours have been using the main pool and not the kiddie pool. I can't comment on cbr but from what I've seen I wouldn't hesitate to bring a 10 and 2 year old to csr for pool usage. The bus system has been fantastic the 11 days we've been here. The longest we've waited is 7 minutes (11 days so far)and if I had to average the wait times to and from csr, it would be 5 mins tops and more closer to 4:30. As I am typing this we just left mk. Our bus pulled away as we were walking out of the park, next bus showed up in 3 minutes.

We are in ranchos and it is 3.5min. walk to main pool and 2.5 to the quiet pool. I don't get the zero entry pool thing, kids want to jump in but csr does not have this in their main pools.

 

[DJFan88]

Transportation:
Hands down CSR as it's some of the best transportation on property. When we stay at CBR we drive everywhere.

I think I am in the minority, because we had very bad transportation at CSR. Maybe it was because we used the main bus stop as we were in the closest Cabana building 9A I think it was. Busses were full when they got to us and would go by. A guy was stationed there each morning to try and help. If I did it again I would request Casitas so I could get on the bus when I planned. We wasted a lot of time waiting for a bus with room. I think for everything except one place (maybe DTD) Casitas if first stop and Main bus stop last, except DTD where Main is first?

I've also had great transportation and bad at CBR. There are many factors in this.


Pools:
CSR has a great pool that is rarely crowded, beautifully themed and awesome slide. On the pool deck is QS food and mug refill station, next to it is the bathrooms and next to that is an awesome playground. The kiddie pool is right next to the end of the pool slide. Well planned tight footprint making it very easy to manage.

Could be the time of year anywhere you go. It was packed in August and I did not feel completely comfortable with the swimming for my youngest at the time, due to many deeper sections.



Rooms:
Now that CBR has been renovated (except Pirate Rooms) to include queen beds and doors by the bathroom sink areas I would say they are comparable inside the rooms. CBR is still much more spread out than CSR if that is a concern.

To me all of the moderates have some degree of spread outness. It just depends what buildings you happen to be in, and what is important to you as far as being close to what.

At CSR we love to stay in Ranchos which puts us right at the main pool area.

But could be quite far from the food court.

 

[HopperFan]

Understand there is no guarantee at any resort how the transportation will be on any given day, but in 8 trips to CSR we have never had any bus issues with timing, crowding and the rides are short. CBR has nearly double the bus stops and an internal bus system so it's not only a longer commute to parks but a statement as to the resorts large spread out footprint. Since the OP wanted to minimize her transportation time, there really is no comparison when adding the interior commute to the longer commute to the parks due to CBR location. All that said "I" would not chose based on transportation but I also have no problem getting in my car and driving to a park.

I was comparing pools and their amenities to pools. EVERY pool on property will be packed in August but the OP is going in October. The CSR pool area has lots of amenities there that makes it perfect for a parent alone with the kids. Included in that is a quick service food option that includes the mug refill station so no reason to go to the food court while at the pool. In terms of the distance from room to food court, CSR has a smaller footprint and Ranchos to Pepper Market was maybe a 5-7 minute walk depending on if we stopped to watch the turtles etc.

Every resort one needs to pick what is most important to them or if there are things that can make or break their trip. Based on the OPs needs for her family CSR seems a better logistical choice.

 

[DJFan88]

I suggest the OP check out the different threads with the pictures and all of the information available so that they may make the best decision for their family.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

CSR has a smaller footprint and Ranchos to Pepper Market was maybe a 5-7 minute walk

We are in ranchos 7b top floor parking lot view. It's exactly 8:00 mins. from our door to el centro and that includes the time to get on and off elevator. You are right on if you are on a lower floor or closer building in ranchos. It's roughly .44 miles if anyone needs that info.

 

[beldred]

Does CSR have any rooms that sleep 5? I thought that it did but it won't come up on my search when I use 5. Could have sworn I've looked at it as an option before.

 

[Babsy]

Both are great choices with the age of your children. CBR is beautiful and recently refurbished so the rooms are in pristine condition. Otherwise, the rooms themselves are relatively equal between the moderate resorts. All have queen beds, basic amenities with motel style exterior doors. I believe that you would be fine in a room at either resort. You do run the risk of a worn down room at CSR at the moment, however.

If your priority is transportation, CSR is the clear choice. Transportation is not bad at CBR but it is excellent at CSR.

The pools are both good, as PP's have already shared. You should look at whether either one would work better for your family. Would zero entry be important for you, for example.

With different small advantages to each, only you can decide which one that you would choose for your family. FWIW, if I were in your situation, I would go with CBR for the recently refurbished rooms and a really nice pool area for young children.

I would book a preferred room at either one for convenience, if it is possible in the budget.

Good luck!

 

[gsmbaby19]

Thanks for all the information!!! We decided on CBR, mostly because it is remodeled and we hope that means better beds. We decided that don't mind walking a little further for a good night's sleep

We looked at a Preferred room but that was a $40 per night upgrade, which was out of budget. Instead we went with a water/pool view, which we hope will at least land us close to a pool (any tips for getting that and maybe one of the really nice fold down beds?)

 

[Dug720]

Excellent choice. I've stayed at both, and it would pretty much have to be a comped stay for me to go back to CSR. I didn't like anything about that resort.

 

[Dug720]

Thanks for all the information!!! We decided on CBR, mostly because it is remodeled and we hope that means better beds. We decided that don't mind walking a little further for a good night's sleep

We looked at a Preferred room but that was a $40 per night upgrade, which was out of budget. Instead we went with a water/pool view, which we hope will at least land us close to a pool (any tips for getting that and maybe one of the really nice fold down beds?)

To answer the murphy bed question, since you only have 4 in your party, it would be a request only - but you can certainly request that (do keep in mind that it eliminates about half the drawer space as you go from the standard dresser to three smaller drawers under the murphy bed). It's just not really guaranteed unless you're booking for 5.

 

[gsmbaby19]

Yeah, I wanted to rig with an inflatable rail for my 2 year old, who is a couple pounds oversized (big for his age) for a pack and play but still in a crib at home. If we don't get one, then I'll just request a crib. .

 

[mickeynut1]

We decided on CBR, mostly because it is remodeled and we hope that means better beds. We decided that don't mind walking a little further for a good night's sleep

We've never stayed at CSR, but we loved everything about CBR. Hope you have a great trip .

 

[HM2012Butler]

CSR 9/10 times vs CBR. I'm a huge fan of themeing and CBR themes are lacking. I think CSr is more fun. quality is similar