I woulkd like some information on moderate resorts. I have stayed at French Quarter(like allot) and Riverside (several years ago on Riverside). Thinking about another moderate resort. What ones would you recommend?
I woulkd like some information on moderate resorts. I have stayed at French Quarter(like allot) and Riverside (several years ago on Riverside). Thinking about another moderate resort. What ones would you recommend?
Everyone has their favorites. I think you've stayed at the two least-spread out resorts (especially French Quarter). Other than that, the other two both have multiple quiet pools and a large themed pool. Coronado isn't going to have a full counter service restaurant any more (Pepper Market is moving/has moved to buffet for breakfast and lunch). I don't know if Caribbean Beach has switched to queen beds in standard rooms or not (they're the last hold out if they haven't).
I think you should decide which you prefer the theming of (if the food court or queen beds aren't a deal breaker for you) so you can try them all out, eventually. Then you can honestly decide which is your favorite!
Cathy
A neighbor of mine just came back from CBR and the room he had consisted of two full beds.Originally Posted by Drince88
Personally, I dont think that you can go wrong with any of the moderates, but like Drince was saying, each one has features that stand out.
Personally...
- Loved the theme of POR and the fact that the food court and transportation was good.
- Coronado has queen beds, a nice laid-back atmosphere, and good transportation, but Im not a fan of the dining options.
- Caribbean Beach - One of the best pool areas around, a very likeable food court and TS dining, and has a overall fun atmosphere... but no queen beds.
In essence, what sort of features are you looking for in your next trip? That may help narrow down the field.
The search function is like the Force. It may take practice, but the more you use it, the more control you will have over it!
We were at POR and I worried about the small beds (doubles at the time) because we have a king at home. Turned out to be a non-issue. We were so tired I would have slept almost anywhere.
There are 10 kinds of people in this world... Those who know binary and those who don't.
I'm a fan of POFQ because of its size, extra transportation to DTD, and the ONE bus stop at the resort (also the first to get on, off when they are sharing busses with POR).
Working hard for that next WDW trip! December 2013
I'd recommend CSR in a heartbeat! Besides having a great main pool area, CSR also offers some deluxe amenities at a mod price.
CSR has queen beds and the rooms have a sliding wooden door separating the sink area from the room instead of a privacy curtain like the other mods (can be good for little ones napping in a pack n play).
Amenities include a fitness center, spa, free wi-fi, tanning beds, a sauna, salon, full menu room service and a dance/night club.
The resort offers the same toiletries as the deluxes (except GF). CSR has separate shampoo and conditioner instead of the shampoo/conditioner combo at the other mods and values (a small thing, I know, but it means I don't have to pack shampoo and conditioner).
CSR has the largest hot tub of the mods and one of the longest pool slides on Disney property. The pool, slide and playground area is great and all located in one area at the main pool.
Bus service is terrific and is not shared with another resort.
Buzz2001, I was a heartbeat away from staying at CSR last year when I received a magical upgrade to the Contemporary. I did go back for a visit during the trip because I REALLY wanted to stay there. The property is beautiful, but the walk from the Ranchero area (where they would have placed us) seemed very long. The resort was heavily booked with a convention which is why I believe they offered to move us. There were a lot of business folks arriving and honestly, I would rather be around kids and families than business people when I am on vacation. That's just me! So just how long is that walk from the furtherest section of the resort? And how is Pepper Market now. Did I read that it's buffet for lunch and dinner. It may be above, but clarify if you can. I did eat lunch sitting by the lake and it was just beautiful. I am so sold on Port Orleans now (FQ and/or Riverside) that it might be hard for my to try Coronado Springs again.
Next Trip: Yacht Club ~ May 14-22, 2013
I'm right there with Buzz on the CSR being by far my favorite moderate. As others have said, they're all great in their own way, and you can't go wrong with any of them. It all comes down to theming, and the CSR seems to be more upscale in its theming than most of the other moderates. You can get a room that's quite distant from the main building, but then you can usually get into the section you want just by asking at check-in. I've always loved the water, and the huge central lagoon has always done it for me!
Dan
The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
- James Taylor
I have never been to CS or Caribbean Beach. I will never go to CS because:
I don't want to see people who are 'working' on vacation.
The food options do nothing for me.
Spread out.
No deep end in the pool.
I quite like the idea of CB, but have been so happy with POFQ and POR will probably just go back to those. I like them both but would pay for a preferred building at POR to be close to the centre. Bus service and size of resort is better at POFQ but for me the superior food court, pool, quiet pools and marina at POR make it trump POFQ for me.
Have fun choosing
Scooby, did you know that CSR switch to a buffet for breakfast and lunch. Pretty good for CS dining option on the DDP. Way too much food for me but the offerings are great.
The convention guests don't bother me. I like the fact the the buses and pools are empty because the convention guests are busy working.
I stayed at POR in November 2011 with friends and though it was nice, it felt more crowded to me because everyone staying there are using the facilities and buses in comparison to CSR.
But only if you're on the DDP, IMHO.
Cathy
Correct, which I never get either. Too much food for me. I just wasn't sure if that person was aware of the menu change at the Pepper Market. Also a new menu at the Maya Grill too.
I've found that the conventioneers are not in any way a problem, as they have their own area to play in, leaving us vacationeers to use the rest of the facilities. You might occasionally see a guy in a suit with a nametag on, but he's usually on his way to the convention center.
Dan
The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
- James Taylor
I agree. During our stay at CSR in Jan/Feb 2012, there were three conventions going on and I remember seeing conventioneers only once, when there were 3 or 4 of them taking a look at the pool. They hung around for only a few minutes. We saw more conventioneers when we stayed at the Contemporary some years ago.
That said, I'm not in a hurry to go back to CSR. It has lots of very nice characteristics, but we weren't crazy about the food options. Plus we really want to try POFQ, which is the only moderate we haven't tried yet.
I have been to WDW twice. Both times we stayed at Pop Century. This time we want to stay at a moderate resort. I'm having trouble narrowing down a choice. They all seem so different. What is your favorite moderate resort and why?
I usually stay at the value resorts now but I have stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort and the French Quarter when it was called Port Orleans. I liked the Caribbean Beach resort but it depends on which Island bldg. you are in. You can see if you can request to be close to the main bldg. A couple of them are a good distance from the main bldg. with the food court. I think they still have a bus that runs to that bldg. though if you don't want to walk to. The French Quarter was nice but I just preferred the other one a little more, I think you would be happy with either.
My vote would be for POR or POFQ. We like the POR and POFQ because the rooms are queen beds and double sinks. These were both important to my family of four.
We just stayed at POR for 10 nights over Christmas. I would recommend it with one huge huge huge exception, the bus service. We only used the bus service to MK and it really sucked both going to the MK and returning to the resort.
The bus service at the POFQ was much better and we were originally scheduled to stay there, but Free Dining became available for our dates (yes, over Christmas), but had to move to the POR to qualify.
POR property is huge and I would hate to be in one of the buildings located at the back of the property. We stayed in a Princess Tiana Room, I think in the Magnolia building and we were close to the main building. I like the food court area. It is larger than the POFQ and has more options. Even during the Christmas week we never had a problem finding a table.
POR also has a decent full service restaurant, but is only open for dinner.
I think the landscape at the POR is also prettier. The mansion area where we stayed is beautiful.
If you want a smaller resort, I would recommend the POFQ. The rooms are the same as POR, but it is much easier to navigate.
“A keen sense of humor helps us to overlook the unbecoming, understand the unconventional, tolerated the unpleasant, overcome the unexpected, and outlast the unbearable.” Billy Graham
I have been to all 4 resorts in the last 2 years, and I actually LOVE Coronado Springs resort.
Caribbean is definitely my second choice. I dislike french quart the most. It was the least appealing to me as far as rooms and stuff. I don;t mind POR but again, my heart is for CSR.
With saying that, you will not be disappointed with ANY one you pick. Happy planning!!
**Kristin**
You just have to have it in you... the MAGIC*
Love Coronado Springs! My vote as well.
Offsite 77, FW 80, Offsite 88, Offsite 90, Offsite 92, Offsite 97, CSR 04, POR 06, CR 08, POR 09, Offsite 09, Poly 10, POR 11, Offsite 11, Offsite 12, VWL 12, Poly 13, SSR 13
Chris - DL in 2014!
POFQ cuz it is small, quiet, and quaint.
Working hard for that next WDW trip! December 2013
As you've seen, everyone has an opinion about the moderates. My personal favorite by far is the Coronado Springs. I love the layout around the huge central lagoon, and I love the overall southwestern theming. It's a convention resort, but the conventioneers have their own section and rarely impact the park storming guest.
But as others have said, you can't go wrong with any of the moderate resorts - they all provide something worthwhile to add to your experience!
Dan
The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
- James Taylor
This is a stupid question, but is there only one sink and no shelve storage underneath the sink? I think the vanity area is why we did NOT choose the Coronado Springs.
So as you said, there is something for everyone with a moderate resort.
“A keen sense of humor helps us to overlook the unbecoming, understand the unconventional, tolerated the unpleasant, overcome the unexpected, and outlast the unbearable.” Billy Graham
Coronado has a large vanity with a single sink. There is an open area under the sink with a low shelf you could use to store items. Photo.
Thank you! That is what I thought. We wanted/needed two sinks. Otherwise, I would have definitely chosen here. It is the little things, but it makes a difference.
“A keen sense of humor helps us to overlook the unbecoming, understand the unconventional, tolerated the unpleasant, overcome the unexpected, and outlast the unbearable.” Billy Graham
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