A Sisterly Surprise... Which Resort?

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Hi There!

My oldest sister and I are planning a surprise birthday trip for our middle sister. We all live in different states, hours apart, and she has been asking for us to take a trip together since forever!
Well, now that we have our dates Oct 18th to Oct 25th, we are struggling on which resort. I favor Coronado but I really want to switch it up for once. I was leaning towards PORS but my sister was leaning toward CBR. The problem is PORS seems to get bad bus transportation while CBR just gets a bad wrap in general. So if you were a group of 3 female 20-somethings, where would you stay?

Neither one of my sisters have been to Disney, so I really want to be sure we have a great time. I actually just took two friends for the first time in Sept and stayed at CSR and they both loved that resort so much, they each booked return trips for 2014!

 

[Demeter Tess]

I'm a female 20-something! I stayed at POR two summers ago and didn't experience any problems with bus transportation. It's a big resort, true, but so are all the others you're considering. I really liked POR and would happily return -- very relaxing, and I love being able to take the water taxi to DTD. We walked through CS on our last trip and were enormously impressed with how nice everything was. It really felt more like a deluxe than a moderate! My fiance and I are hoping to stay there at some point in the future. Haven't been to CBR yet, but hoping to finally check it out this spring. We love to go resort-hopping and check out new places!

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

I'm a female 20-something! I stayed at POR two summers ago and didn't experience any problems with bus transportation. It's a big resort, true, but so are all the others you're considering. I really liked POR and would happily return -- very relaxing, and I love being able to take the water taxi to DTD. We walked through CS on our last trip and were enormously impressed with how nice everything was. It really felt more like a deluxe than a moderate! My fiance and I are hoping to stay there at some point in the future. Haven't been to CBR yet, but hoping to finally check it out this spring. We love to go resort-hopping and check out new places!

Well that's good to know. I really want to stay at POR but the bus horror stories are worrying me. People were saying it was taking them 2 hours to get to/from the parks. They had to wait for 4 buses just to get on.... and still stand, seesh...

 

[jlsHouston]

I have never heard that kind of horror stories for bus service at any of the resorts. I have stayed at CSR and CBR. Buses were okay. Slow once at MK trying to get back to CSR. I would say CSR has a nice pool and bar and a club onsite. I think you would like CSR but I wouldn't rule out PORS simply because people whined about a late bus once or twice. PORS is supposedly one of the most popular mod resorts. I am sure y'all would enjoy either. I personally did not care much for CBR. Rooms felt small. Only thing I liked was the sandy beach with the hammocks which CSR has those.

 

[75disney]

Well that's good to know. I really want to stay at POR but the bus horror stories are worrying me. People were saying it was taking them 2 hours to get to/from the parks. They had to wait for 4 buses just to get on.... and still stand, seesh...

I had that experience at CBR. Did you consider POFQ. It is smaller than POR, but the two resorts do share the bus at times.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

I had that experience at CBR. Did you consider POFQ. It is smaller than POR, but the two resorts do share the bus at times.

The only reason we completely abandoned POFQ was because it seems that Disney no longer offers discounts there.

 

[luv]

I hear good and bad bus stories about every resort, but have little experience with the busses myself. You could always rent a car. Split three ways, it would be pretty cheap.

My vote is going to CBR. The only thing wrong with the rooms is that the curtains clash with everything. There is a Nemo wallpaper border near the ceiling, but now that the bedspreads are gone, it shouldn't be too overwhelmingly cartoon-like. Other than the rooms, it's a great place to stay, IMO.

But I frequently ended up at POFQ, just because I didn't like the cartoons in CBR, the now-gone food court fee in CSR (plus the rooms got a little boring after the re-do) or the rooms in POR-Mansions. POFQ had the least draw, but also the fewest drawbacks, so I went there. It's nice. Can't rave about it, but no complaints, either.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

I hear good and bad bus stories about every resort, but have little experience with the busses myself. You could always rent a car. Split three ways, it would be pretty cheap.

My vote is going to CBR. The only thing wrong with the rooms is that the curtains clash with everything. There is a Nemo wallpaper border near the ceiling, but now that the bedspreads are gone, it shouldn't be too overwhelmingly cartoon-like. Other than the rooms, it's a great place to stay, IMO.

But I frequently ended up at POFQ, just because I didn't like the cartoons in CBR, the now-gone food court fee in CSR (plus the rooms got a little boring after the re-do) or the rooms in POR-Mansions. POFQ had the least draw, but also the fewest drawbacks, so I went there. It's nice. Can't rave about it, but no complaints, either.

Do they still have double beds at CBR? They don't have those super colorful bedspreads anymore?
CSR rooms are less themed, but the beds are so comfy... so I forgive Disney

 

[Weather_Lady]

Do they still have double beds at CBR? They don't have those super colorful bedspreads anymore?
CSR rooms are less themed, but the beds are so comfy... so I forgive Disney

Yes, CBR still has the two double beds in every room (unless of course, you pay for a room with one king-sized bed instead). The Disney website is still picturing the technicolor bedspreads, but if @luv saw white ones, then they've converted to white triple sheeting, which all of the resorts are eventually expected to adopt.

I also can speak well of the PORS bus transportation (at least, I can speak well of it as it relates to my family's 5-night visit in October 2012). It was terrific. Other than a couple of times when a bus broke down, something equally likely to happen no matter where you stay, we seldom waited more than 5 minutes for a bus, and we traveled back-and-forth from PORS to the parks at least twice per day. Perhaps our experience was anomalous, but I'd hazard a bet that those who had poor busing experiences with PORS (or any other mod) were people who waited at far-flung bus depots instead of the "main" bus depot. Those more distant depots get the shaft when it comes to bus service, regardless of the resort.

 

[luv]

Do they still have double beds at CBR? They don't have those super colorful bedspreads anymore?
CSR rooms are less themed, but the beds are so comfy... so I forgive Disney

I have not been in a room lately!!! It's been about three months, I think! And I didn't stay there, then, I just visited. They still had the Nemo bedspreads.

I'm going on what I read here, that all the rooms have switched from bedspreads to white sheets! I don't know it first-hand!

CSR was all white last time I was there. The bed was comfy. The sliding wood doors are nice. I just preferred the old themes there.

 

[Betsyboo]

PORS is great. We had no problems with the buses last January and the food court gets pretty good reviews. We are staying at POFQ this coming February. Disney doesn't offer the % off discounts at the POFQ for the winter but we were able to take advantage of the Play Stay and Dine. Have a great trip with your sisters!

 

[ginadee]

I have stayed at both and loved them. Surroundings are gorgeous. The only thing I didnt like about PO was that it shares buses with 4 other stops. I dont remember the bus sched at CBR. That one has been several yrs.

 

[polynesiangirl]

I took my sister to CBR, so that gets my vote!

 

[JillC LI]

We love CBR - the atmosphere, the steel drums, Port Royale - but that said, we always have a rental car so I can't comment on the bus service. Also, if the 3 of you want to share queen size beds instead of double, you may want to choose a difference mod.

 

[cinderellafan6]

CBR is nice.

 

[ParentsOf4]

Well, now that we have our dates Oct 18th to Oct 25th, we are struggling on which resort. I favor Coronado but I really want to switch it up for once. I was leaning towards PORS but my sister was leaning toward CBR. The problem is PORS seems to get bad bus transportation while CBR just gets a bad wrap in general. So if you were a group of 3 female 20-somethings, where would you stay?

Considering you're going right in the middle of Food & Wine Festival (F&WF), have you considered renting DVC points at one of the Epcot DVC Resorts: BCV or BWM? It's an incredibly popular time of the year among DVC members but if you can get it, a Studio (1 queen bed & 1 foldout) at BCV or BWV should cost about $220/night.

That gets you within walking distance of WDW's most adult area, the World Showcase and the Boardwalk.

If you are interested, you'll have to hurry. These rooms will go fast and you'll need to book 11 months in advance.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Considering you're going right in the middle of Food & Wine Festival (F&WF), have you considered renting DVC points at one of the Epcot DVC Resorts: BCV or BWM? It's an incredibly popular time of the year among DVC members but if you can get it, a Studio (1 queen bed & 1 foldout) at BCV or BWV should cost about $220/night.

That gets you within walking distance of WDW's most adult area, the World Showcase and the Boardwalk.

If you are interested, you'll have to hurry. These rooms will go fast and you'll need to book 11 months in advance.

We have, and we are kinda hoping for free dining so that's why we looked only at moderate resorts. Plus we would really prefer two queens.

 

[SagamoreBeach]

Hi There!

My oldest sister and I are planning a surprise birthday trip for our middle sister. We all live in different states, hours apart, and she has been asking for us to take a trip together since forever!
Well, now that we have our dates Oct 18th to Oct 25th, we are struggling on which resort. I favor Coronado but I really want to switch it up for once. I was leaning towards PORS but my sister was leaning toward CBR. The problem is PORS seems to get bad bus transportation while CBR just gets a bad wrap in general. So if you were a group of 3 female 20-somethings, where would you stay?

Neither one of my sisters have been to Disney, so I really want to be sure we have a great time. I actually just took two friends for the first time in Sept and stayed at CSR and they both loved that resort so much, they each booked return trips for 2014!

Well....there's your answer!!
-Tony

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Well....there's your answer!!
-Tony

I'm trying to switch it up! I have promised myself to stay away from CSR!

 

[danpam1024]

I'm trying to switch it up! I have promised myself to stay away from CSR!

with your sisters at Disney, no matter what, you can't go wrong right? Just pick one and then obsess about it for the next several months like we all do . You know it will be ok no matter what