sbkline
Well-Known Member
We are currently booked for next April for 5 nights at the Poly and 5 at the Beach Club. My wife wanted the Beach Club and I wanted the Poly, so that was our compromise. However, we are now seriously considering downgrading to a moderate. I'm not sure it's necessary, nor wise, to shell out an extra 3 grand just for the hotel. We're wanting to do a shorter Christmas run down there next year as well, plus my wife loved Mackinac Island in Michigan so much this year that she wants to go back next year. So, I figure with 3 trips, plus needing to re-side the house and garage, I'm not sure I can reasonably justify going out to the 9's on our hotel for our Disney trip and frankly, when we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge in April, part of me was kind of missing the moderates.
Here comes the tough decision. When it was just the two of us going, my wife and I stayed at Riverside in 2007 and 2008. It was her pick and we both enjoyed it. And when previously discussing which resort to choose for next year, she initially said that if money was no object, then the Beach Club or Boardwalk. If money was an object, she said Port Orleans Riverside. When I told her the other day that I was thinking about downgrading, she asked if we could stay at POR. I really would like to go back there again, since it has been a few years. It was a beautiful resort and I love the boat ride to DTD.
We took our son for the first time April 2010, when he was 3, almost 4. We stayed at Coronado Springs and we really enjoyed that one as well. My son seems to remember it pretty well, as he still talks about Coronado Springs, and for quite some time, has been saying he wants to go back there, either next Christmas, or the year after next, or whenever. Even after staying at the Wilderness Lodge in April, he doesn't really talk much about the Wilderness Lodge. When discussing the possibility of rebooking next year, he said he wants to do Coronado Springs. I know many times kids will favor whatever the most recent experience is, so the fact that he is still talking about CSR a year and a half later, after staying at another resort, means that he must remember pretty well and must really like it.
So hence the tough decision. POR or Coronado Springs? Myself, the past two trips, my initial pick was Carribbean Beach, and I ended up rebooking for CSR and WL. So I keep wanting to try CBR, but I don't care so much about the resort as I do just getting to go and enjoy the time with my family. So I would love to do my wife's pick and do POR, and I would love to do my son's pick, CSR. My wife seems fine with doing CSR, because ultimately Disney is more "My" trip than it is "hers". Mackinac Island was more her thing, and we are going back next year because she liked it so much. So looking at it that way, I tend to lean more towards rebooking for CSR. I mean, if the whole point of the trip is to have a happy family time and make good family memories, then if my son has a resort that he really enjoyed and is excited to revisit, then I shouldn't discourage that, right? And I'm sure that's my wife's take on it, too.
But I have a couple questions on each resort as I mull over the decision.
It's been a while since visiting POR. I'm trying to remember, on the boat rentals, how far you can go on the boat. Could I rent a boat for my son and I, and go all the way to DTD? Or up river the other way? Or are there limits to how far you can take the boat?
As far as Coronado Springs, I had a question about the marina. We always go in April, and the marina was open for us this year at WL, and it was open in 2007 and 2008 at POR. Yet, when we stayed at CSR, the marina was closed. Is that usual for Coronado Springs? Is the marina just permanately closed now? Or does it open later in the year than the other resorts? Just closed at that particular visit for some particular reason? This is kind of important to us, because we like to rent surrey bikes, and I wanted to take my son out on a boat (my wife isn't interested in water). You can go out on a boat on the lake at CSR, right?
When we stayed at CSR, we stayed in Casitas 3. I said at the time that if we ever come back, I would like to stay in the Cabanas. I remember pulling into the entrance and turning left to go to the parking lot for the Casitas, but I don't seem to remember the option to turn right for the Cabanas. Is there a right turn there, or do you just have to turn left and go all the way around? And I seem to remember as we walked around the resort, seeing a seperate little pond type area at the Cabanas with a sandy beach and hammocks. Am I remembering this right? That's part of why I wanted to stay at that section next time, if we ever re-visited CSR, because it looked so much prettier. And is that the section that's closest to the main pool and lobby?
I think that's all the questions I have for now. I know I could do a split stay between POR and CSR, but even though I had initially planned that for the Poly/Beach Club, I don't think I really want to mess with repacking and moving. So I think I'm looking to just pick one or the other.
Here comes the tough decision. When it was just the two of us going, my wife and I stayed at Riverside in 2007 and 2008. It was her pick and we both enjoyed it. And when previously discussing which resort to choose for next year, she initially said that if money was no object, then the Beach Club or Boardwalk. If money was an object, she said Port Orleans Riverside. When I told her the other day that I was thinking about downgrading, she asked if we could stay at POR. I really would like to go back there again, since it has been a few years. It was a beautiful resort and I love the boat ride to DTD.
We took our son for the first time April 2010, when he was 3, almost 4. We stayed at Coronado Springs and we really enjoyed that one as well. My son seems to remember it pretty well, as he still talks about Coronado Springs, and for quite some time, has been saying he wants to go back there, either next Christmas, or the year after next, or whenever. Even after staying at the Wilderness Lodge in April, he doesn't really talk much about the Wilderness Lodge. When discussing the possibility of rebooking next year, he said he wants to do Coronado Springs. I know many times kids will favor whatever the most recent experience is, so the fact that he is still talking about CSR a year and a half later, after staying at another resort, means that he must remember pretty well and must really like it.
So hence the tough decision. POR or Coronado Springs? Myself, the past two trips, my initial pick was Carribbean Beach, and I ended up rebooking for CSR and WL. So I keep wanting to try CBR, but I don't care so much about the resort as I do just getting to go and enjoy the time with my family. So I would love to do my wife's pick and do POR, and I would love to do my son's pick, CSR. My wife seems fine with doing CSR, because ultimately Disney is more "My" trip than it is "hers". Mackinac Island was more her thing, and we are going back next year because she liked it so much. So looking at it that way, I tend to lean more towards rebooking for CSR. I mean, if the whole point of the trip is to have a happy family time and make good family memories, then if my son has a resort that he really enjoyed and is excited to revisit, then I shouldn't discourage that, right? And I'm sure that's my wife's take on it, too.
But I have a couple questions on each resort as I mull over the decision.
It's been a while since visiting POR. I'm trying to remember, on the boat rentals, how far you can go on the boat. Could I rent a boat for my son and I, and go all the way to DTD? Or up river the other way? Or are there limits to how far you can take the boat?
As far as Coronado Springs, I had a question about the marina. We always go in April, and the marina was open for us this year at WL, and it was open in 2007 and 2008 at POR. Yet, when we stayed at CSR, the marina was closed. Is that usual for Coronado Springs? Is the marina just permanately closed now? Or does it open later in the year than the other resorts? Just closed at that particular visit for some particular reason? This is kind of important to us, because we like to rent surrey bikes, and I wanted to take my son out on a boat (my wife isn't interested in water). You can go out on a boat on the lake at CSR, right?
When we stayed at CSR, we stayed in Casitas 3. I said at the time that if we ever come back, I would like to stay in the Cabanas. I remember pulling into the entrance and turning left to go to the parking lot for the Casitas, but I don't seem to remember the option to turn right for the Cabanas. Is there a right turn there, or do you just have to turn left and go all the way around? And I seem to remember as we walked around the resort, seeing a seperate little pond type area at the Cabanas with a sandy beach and hammocks. Am I remembering this right? That's part of why I wanted to stay at that section next time, if we ever re-visited CSR, because it looked so much prettier. And is that the section that's closest to the main pool and lobby?
I think that's all the questions I have for now. I know I could do a split stay between POR and CSR, but even though I had initially planned that for the Poly/Beach Club, I don't think I really want to mess with repacking and moving. So I think I'm looking to just pick one or the other.
