Which Moderate Resort? About This Page:

[Dee161]

I am helping a friend plan her vacation in June of 2005. She is wanting to know the pros & cons of the moderate resorts (Caribbean Beach , Coronado Springs, or Port Orleans). They have 2 children, a DD-4 and DS-12. I know you guys can help!! Thanks.

[bali]

I can give you the pros and cons of CSR and POR, but those are the only two moderates I've stayed at. Here goes:

POR Pros:
-Fun theming in the Alligator Bayou
-Great food court!
-Use of POR and POFQ pools and food courts
-Plenty of quiet pools to use
-boat service to DTD

POR Cons:
-Always feels crowded because of the landscaping and the sheer number of people who flock there
-Horrible bus service (most busses are shared with POFQ, and fill up there before the even arrive at POR -- I hardly ever got a seat and this was slow season)
-Current renovations going on in the Mansion section
-Long walk to POFQ if you want to use their pool or food court
-Boat service to DTD only runs from 4-11pm each night

CSR Pros:
-Always feels quiet and empty, even when resort is full
-One of the best pools in W. Disney World
-plenty of quiet pools
-Three differently-themed sections will suit anybody
-HAMMOCKS!!
-Beautiful grounds and very friendly cast members
-Great bus service
-The largest hot tub/whirpool on Disney property
-The only moderate that has deluxe amenities like a health club (free to guests of the resort), beauty salon, and spa services.

CSR cons:
-The food court (because it's outsourced by Disney, the food is more expensive, and the company doesn't cater well to their guests' needs in my opinion)
-The conference center (this doesn't bother me, but it has been known to bother families with kids)
-Long walks to the main building from distant rooms.

Hope this helps!

[tammy1210]

Thanks for those great details! I'd like to hear some more reports - anyone up for one on Carribean? We're doing AKL this year with the whole family - but we're already looking at another trip for the four of us, and it will definitely be a moderate or value resort. Tammy

[statelady01]

Hi Tammy!

For some great details on CBR, check out Lynn's trip report-she went in July with her husband- has great pictures and details.

Other than its size, CBR has so many wonderful aspects with few drawbacks IMHO. And even as big as it is- there is an internal bus to take you around. The landscaping and theming is so nice too.

Hope this helps!

Surprises, Wishes and Magic TR

[LuvMinnie]

My favorite moderate is POFQ. It is the smallest and everything seems centrally located - the foodcourt, great pool area,main building, and bus stop. It seems to have less children and is quiet. They have a boat that goes to downtown Disney, and the rooms were recently remodled. The services (mousekeeping & frontdesk) was also very good. 2nd place Coronado (a bit large/but nice) if you choose them, be sure to check the map & request a building close to a bus stop or you could end up with quite a walk.

[paradox]

We just spent 8 days at CBR, and nothing bad to say about it. The buses were ok, nothing special, we used our own car a few times because it seemed easier.
The food court service was a little slow, but not bad at all. The food was very good.
Mousekeeping was excellent, and very friendly. The front desk was top notch.
You can watch the Illuminations from a hammock by the lake every night. It was so peacful that we wanted to stay forever.

[Nick and Ryans Mom]

We have never stayed at CBR due to its size, with the amount of walking our DSs have to do in the park we did not want to add to that too much at the hotel. We do plan on staying there in the future now that we know we can request a building/location. We stayed at CSR and it really wasn't a good fit for our family (once again there was too much walking, everything is really spread out, we didn't like the way the food court was set up). We have stayed at POR and POFQ. We really liked both of them. I would reccommend POR Alligator Bayou for your friends. I think the kids would like the theming and they could get a room with a trundle bed so the kids could each have their own sleeping space. Good luck planning!