Which moderate resort?

[Aletha]

I'm planning my first trip to Disney world and I can't decide where we should stay! It's between POFQ, POR, and CBR. They all look great in different ways. Which is your favorite and why?

 

[megs1313]

It helps to know a little about your party and your travel preferences....

Will you have 4 in the room? any children?

Do you view your resort as just a place to sleep after visiting the parks?

Will you have a car with you?

Will you be using the dining plan?

 

[VAfamily1998]

Out of curiosity, why not CSR? I've stayed at all the moderates, and CSR is my favorite. The grounds are beautiful and the pool is great--my kids had a blast on the water slide and it has the largest hot tub for the grownups I also liked that we had a fabulous view of the HS fireworks!

Following CSR is POR. I didn't go to the pool that visit, but it looked great, and I enjoyed walking around the grounds--so pretty! The boat ride to Disney Springs can be relaxing.

I didn't really care for CBR or POFQ. I'm a distance runner and normally don't mind walking around a huge resort--but for some reason the size of CBR did bother me. I think it was more that I found walking from the main check in area (customs house?) to my building in Martinique to be confusing. And the bus transportation--stopping at all those stops, seemed to take forever. I didn't like the food court there, though I ate a meal at their table service restaurant, Shutters, and it was excellent.
POFQ--they only have the one pool and it seems specifically geared towards young kids (I'd say under age 7 or so.) You can still walk over to POR to use their pools. For some reason, POFQ just seemed way more "motel like" than the other moderates to me.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

We love CBR. For us it's like 2 vacations in one....Disney plus the feeling of being in a tropical destination. We loved the main pool and water slides and the beach areas with hammocks. We thought the food court had a great selection and most of the food was pretty good. CBR generally has a bad reputation for transportation, but we had a great experience. Yes, there are a lot of bus stops. But we never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus and they were rarely crowded. I will say, however, that it IS a huge resort and I wouldn't go without a preferred room. We were in Martinique (preferred) and it was still a good walk to the food court area. Overall I highly recommend CBR.

 

[DisBud]

Purely our personal preference, but we love POR. The entire atmosphere just feels very relaxing and beautiful. Also, we have some picky eaters and I have found that their food court has the most variety for everyone. We also enjoy the boat ride to DS. Granted, a few others have better pools, but I find it a good size that we can easily keep an eye on the kids swimming when we are not in the water with them. We have stayed at every moderate except POFQ and just keep returning to POR.

You really can't make a wrong decision though, they are all worth trying!

 

[ChasingLeslie]

I'm with @VAfamily1998 ...CSR is my favorite, followed by POR.

@Aletha - what is your party make up and resort criteria?

 

[Nancyg56]

I would need to know a bit about your party and your expectations from the resort to feel comfortable suggesting one for you, but my personal favorite has always been POFQ.

As you can see from the previous responses, we all have favorites and for different reasons. I like the size of POFQ, the choice of music that plays softly in the background, and I like the walk in the early morning for coffee. I feel transported to someplace magical.

I should love CSR, and I always send my adult friends there, or those families with older children. I was not fond of the theme, but that was a personal thing. The resort itself offered everything that I wanted, from lovely, well manicured grounds to spotless rooms. I suggested this resort to my coworker for her F&W trip, she took one look at the pictures and went with CBR. Was not a fan! They had no kids with them, and would have enjoyed a different vibe that CSR would have provided.

 

[Arden01]

Personally, I loved POFQ, but my kids thought it was boring and the pool too small (they're tweens). They preferred POR when we visited.

 

[mickeynut1]

We love CBR. For us it's like 2 vacations in one....Disney plus the feeling of being in a tropical destination. We loved the main pool and water slides and the beach areas with hammocks. We thought the food court had a great selection and most of the food was pretty good. CBR generally has a bad reputation for transportation, but we had a great experience. Yes, there are a lot of bus stops. But we never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus and they were rarely crowded.

Agree with everything here! We loved everything about CBR and wouldn't hesitate to go back.

 

[loves to dive]

Like others, I would like to know your party make up, amount of time you will be there and if you are going to spend any time at the resort.

I've stayed at all the moderates except POFQ, I tend to do split stays with the first night or two at a moderate then move over to a deluxe.

They all have their advantages and disadvantages, I wouldn't hesitate to stay at any of them again. POR would be my #1 favorite but just because the grounds are really very pretty. I stayed in a mansion in the Magnolia section, the bus stop was right behind the building and the walk to the pool and the food court was not more than 3 min. Next would be CBR, my son and I stayed there last March and were in the Jamaica section. Again the walk to the pool and food court was not longer than 3 min. and a bus stop was right through the parking lot. I stayed at CSR last September and will be there again with my son this March, it was my least favorite but as I said, I wouldn't hesitate to stay at any of them again and it was the less expensive for this trip. I was in the Cabanas 8B I think, right next to the quiet pool. The walk to the main pool was about 3 min and the main building with all the restaurants maybe 4 min. There was a bus stop right behind the building. I'm not really sure why I didn't like CSR as well as the others, there was really nothing wrong with it and I love the southwest so you would think it would be my favorite. I didn't get a preferred room or any special view at any of them. Since there are outside motel like hallways, you aren't really looking out your window any way and as I said, all the buildings I stayed in were close enough to the amentities and transportation that it was fine.

 

[stratus]

I wouldn't go back to CBR, we were there for 10 days in 2013, didn't care for it

Flip side, loved POR when I stayed there a while back (more than 7 years ago now)

 

[Aletha]

Okay, so there will be 3, my 9 year old, my dad and myself. Generally it is just a place to sleep, but this time we're looking for something a little nicer. No car. Yes, we will probably be using the dining plan. I wasn't figuring on eating at the hotel very much but when I was talking to my dad yesterday he likes the idea of a table service restaurant in the hotel.

It helps to know a little about your party and your travel preferences....

Will you have 4 in the room? any children?

Do you view your resort as just a place to sleep after visiting the parks?

Will you have a car with you?

Will you be using the dining plan?

 

[Aletha]

Out of curiosity, why not CSR? I've stayed at all the moderates, and CSR is my favorite. The grounds are beautiful and the pool is great--my kids had a blast on the water slide and it has the largest hot tub for the grownups I also liked that we had a fabulous view of the HS fireworks!

Following CSR is POR. I didn't go to the pool that visit, but it looked great, and I enjoyed walking around the grounds--so pretty! The boat ride to Disney Springs can be relaxing.

I didn't really care for CBR or POFQ. I'm a distance runner and normally don't mind walking around a huge resort--but for some reason the size of CBR did bother me. I think it was more that I found walking from the main check in area (customs house?) to my building in Martinique to be confusing. And the bus transportation--stopping at all those stops, seemed to take forever. I didn't like the food court there, though I ate a meal at their table service restaurant, Shutters, and it was excellent.
POFQ--they only have the one pool and it seems specifically geared towards young kids (I'd say under age 7 or so.) You can still walk over to POR to use their pools. For some reason, POFQ just seemed way more "motel like" than the other moderates to me.

I had heard people say not to stay at CSR because of it being a convention hotel. Thanks for all your information... now I'll have to consider CSR too! Hmmmm....

 

[loves to dive]

Given the make up of your party and the fact you don't plan on spending a large amount of time at the resort, I'd go with whichever one is less. Seriously, they all have their advantages, all have a TS restaurant except POFQ, all rely on buses and the rooms are all pretty much the same size give or take a smidge. CSR is undergoing renovation so it might come in cheaper and they are doing it a building at a time so it shouldn't effect a stay there.

 

[Hockeyfan17]

You are going to get a different response from everyone on here. We have stayed at POR and CBR in past trips. I would choose CBR over POR as we enjoyed it more. Nothing against POR as we really enjoyed it too. We just liked the theming better, we enjoyed the pool more, and found that the transportation was better at CBR. Either would be a great choice, and you will have a good time no matter where you choose. Check the threads on both, and check their dedicated web pages. Find what will work best for your family. Happy planning!

 

[firstwdw]

Caribbean Beach has newly renovated rooms and a very cool pirate fort main pool. My 9 year old LOVED the pool and the pool slide. I found the bus situation annoying at Caribbean Beach but my child would tell you that it was his favorite resort(we've stayed at Riverside and French Quarter). CBR has a great playground, views of Epcot and Hollywood Studios fireworks from the resort, a great food court.

We also LOVE French Quarter but it tends to cost more than Caribbean Beach. FQ has one bus stop and is smaller than the other moderates so walks are never far to get someplace. The main pool is fun, although the slide is short. There is a boat to Disney Springs and you can walk to Riverside and use all their amenities (pools, food court etc)

Riverside is fun, great food court, beautiful grounds, not as many bus stops as Caribbean Beach, nice boat ride to Disney Springs-we loved it there too! The arcade at Riverside is huge as is the gift shop!

Really, choose whichever appeals most to you.

We've always eaten in the food courts at the moderates, and found plenty of options. We really liked that CBR and FQ have outdoor seating to bring your food outside and eat.

Coronado is in need of room renovations and those are starting now and will take 2 years or so to complete. Their main pool looks amazing but we are waiting until the rooms are updated to try that resort!

 

[ChasingLeslie]

Okay, so there will be 3, my 9 year old, my dad and myself. Generally it is just a place to sleep, but this time we're looking for something a little nicer. No car. Yes, we will probably be using the dining plan. I wasn't figuring on eating at the hotel very much but when I was talking to my dad yesterday he likes the idea of a table service restaurant in the hotel.

Based on this, I think CSR would be a good choice for your family. The rooms are quiet and then beds are super comfortable. The resort has a central location, and the busing is above average. The Maya Grill TS restaurant has a great reputation, and CSR has more QS/lounge dining than any other mod. Also, if you plan to use the pool, your nine year old would enjoy the Dig Site.

 

[Aletha]

You are going to get a different response from everyone on here. We have stayed at POR and CBR in past trips. I would choose CBR over POR as we enjoyed it more. Nothing against POR as we really enjoyed it too. We just liked the theming better, we enjoyed the pool more, and found that the transportation was better at CBR. Either would be a great choice, and you will have a good time no matter where you choose. Check the threads on both, and check their dedicated web pages. Find what will work best for your family. Happy planning!

Thanks, for your input! I have read quite a bit about the resorts and seen some You tube videos, but it's nice to hear what people have personally experienced. I'm from Oregon, so the CBR is about as different for us as it comes! So I do really like the themeing there.

 

[Aletha]

Caribbean Beach has newly renovated rooms and a very cool pirate fort main pool. My 9 year old LOVED the pool and the pool slide. I found the bus situation annoying at Caribbean Beach but my child would tell you that it was his favorite resort(we've stayed at Riverside and French Quarter). CBR has a great playground, views of Epcot and Hollywood Studios fireworks from the resort, a great food court.

We also LOVE French Quarter but it tends to cost more than Caribbean Beach. FQ has one bus stop and is smaller than the other moderates so walks are never far to get someplace. The main pool is fun, although the slide is short. There is a boat to Disney Springs and you can walk to Riverside and use all their amenities (pools, food court etc)

Riverside is fun, great food court, beautiful grounds, not as many bus stops as Caribbean Beach, nice boat ride to Disney Springs-we loved it there too! The arcade at Riverside is huge as is the gift shop!

Really, choose whichever appeals most to you.

We've always eaten in the food courts at the moderates, and found plenty of options. We really liked that CBR and FQ have outdoor seating to bring your food outside and eat.

Coronado is in need of room renovations and those are starting now and will take 2 years or so to complete. Their main pool looks amazing but we are waiting until the rooms are updated to try that resort!

That's great information! I'll talk it over with my dad. That's cool that you can see some fireworks from CBR! We probably won't stay at CSR just because we are from Oregon so we have made several trips to California, Arizona and Texas so it would be fun to see a different theme like at the Port Orleans or CBR resorts.

 

[Dug720]

I consider CBR my Disney home. I LOVE it there!! (So much that I ended up changing a reservation at the POLY back to CBR because being at Disney and not staying there...the thought made me sad.)

I've stayed at CSR - hated it, felt like the convention hotel I worked in (possibly because I got stuck in the Casitas section) and I didn't feel like the service was as good.

I've stayed at POR - not a fan. The mansions section felt like my stuffy, mean grandmother's house, and the bayou section just looks junky to me.

Have not - and will not - stay at POFQ as I had a horrible experience on a visit to New Orleans and purposely avoid anything that reminds me of that place.