Best Moderate Resort

[coldasice880]

All,

What is the best moderate resort on Disney property? We are a family of 6 so unless we went with a cabin we would be getting two rooms. I have heard that CBR is just to big and trying to walk to the lobby is a hassle. CS is more for buisness trips than a family vacation. Port Orleans is pretty nice and not too big (hence less walk time). But what do you think? I am thinking about booking a mod for our next trip but not sure which one. The only resort we have stayed in has been POP.

 

[beckyj3266]

We took our family of 7 last year & stayed in a Fort Wilderness cabin. It was great! We were really only in the cabin at to sleep & for 1 meal a day. We found the cabin to be spacious enough for that. One of our favorite things about staying there was the fact that it was a 15 minute boat ride to Magic Kingdom. That's a big plus considering all of the monorail issues lately! Enjoy planning your trip!

 

[worldfanatic]

Favorite Moderate - Port Orleans Riverside (Very large, but intimate feel)

Least Favorite Moderate - Caribbean Beach Resort (Also Very Large, but not so intimate)

Honestly though, you can't go wrong with any of them.

 

[sbkline]

My wife and I stayed at Riverside twice when it was just the two of us. We took our son to WDW for the first time in 2010 and we stayed at Coronado Springs. Currently, we are booked for Caribbean Beach for next April.

First off, to reply to your comments about Coronado Springs and Caribbean Beach. Regarding CBR, the way I see it is you walk all over the place at the theme parks, so if you can do that, then what's the big deal about doing some walking at your resort? If you can go to Epcot and walk around Future World, and then hike all the way around World Showcase, then you can make the hike from your building at CBR over to the main building. Besides, you can always request a preferred room, which would be in a building close to the main building where you would not have to walk as far.

As far as Coronado Springs, yes you see alot of people in business attire who are there for conferences and such. But it didn't bother me one bit. I was on vacation with my family at WDW. What did I care what the other guests in the food court were doing? If they were getting ready to go to the Magic Kingdom, the pool, or a 2 hour business conference, what difference did that make to our day, except perhaps fewer people getting in my way at the bus stop. :lol:

I am not good at picking favorites, but I agree with others who say that you can't go wrong with any of them. I was satisfied with Coronado Springs and hope to return sometime. I enjoyed Port Orleans and hope to go there again, too. I look forward to Caribbean Beach Resort and am excited about their feature pool, and taking my son out on their lake.

Port Orleans has a river that takes you by boat to Downtown Disney, which is pretty awesome, and Coronado Springs is just right down the road from Animal Kingdom. I honestly don't know which one I would consider my favorite, or which one I would recommend because I enjoyed them both and want to revisit both someday. So I can vouch for each that they are beautiful resorts. Having never stayed at CBR, I can't vouch for it, although I have seen plenty of pictures of it to know that it is a beautiful resort.

Like I said, you can't go wrong with any of them. Since I am so wishy washy in not being able to pick favorites very well, I would suggest flipping a coin, pulling pedals of a daisy, or letting your spouse or kids pick for you. :ROFLOL: Seriously, since they are all in the moderate category and neither one will cost you more than the other, if you seriously can't decide, maybe you should take the pressure off of yourself and put it up to a family vote.

 

[Zummi Gummi]

Definitely Coronado Springs. It's got the feel of a deluxe at the price of a moderate. Were it not for the external entries to the rooms, I'd assume I was at a deluxe. The amenities there are better than other moderates, because of the fact it attracts some conference crowds- nicer pool, better quick service place, a great lounge, etc.

PORS is way too big and honestly did nothing for me.

POFQ is small and compact (so every room is close to the main building), but it's kind of "dead." It's very quiet, and if that's your thing, then great.

CBR is pretty spread out, but not like Riverside. I haven't stayed there in a few years, so I don't have much to say about this place.

 

[me_stitch]

we stayed at CBR last trip and loved it. in 36 days I will be checking in to CSR and I can't wait. Having done lots of research on the moderates I think there will be more likes than dislikes no matter where you stay.

 

[lbrad]

37 days till CSR :sohappy:

We have stayed in a cabin (2009) ... loved the cabin/spacious but campground was too big for our liking ... and NO we did not get a golf cart for $50/day!

Loved PORS ... nice resort but also a bit too large for our liking ...however suited our need with a trundle bed (family of 5).

DH & I stayed at POFQ (2008) ...for our 20th wedding anniversary ...no kiddos.. we both LOVED it!!! I would go back in a heart beat BUT I am one who likes to try a new resort each trip ... hence CSR (for 2).

I guess that leaves CBR next on my list.

Have a magical trip :wave:

 

[Buzz2001]

I'd recommend CSR! Besides having a great main pool area, CSR also offers many deluxe amenities at a mod price.

CSR has queen beds and the rooms have been recently renovated and are gorgeous. The rooms also 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, tanning beds, a sauna, salon, full menu room service and a 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.

 

[Dayma]

PORS - is our favorite moderate. good food service and very home like atmosphere.

 

[Irie]

All,

What is the best moderate resort on Disney property? We are a family of 6 so unless we went with a cabin we would be getting two rooms. I have heard that CBR is just to big and trying to walk to the lobby is a hassle. CS is more for buisness trips than a family vacation. Port Orleans is pretty nice and not too big (hence less walk time). But what do you think? I am thinking about booking a mod for our next trip but not sure which one. The only resort we have stayed in has been POP.

We have stayed at the CSR twice, the CBR twice and PORS once. We have never stayed at POFQ b/c I am from New Orleans and didn't want to travel 700 miles to stay at home. We will be staying at CSR in december. I have enjoyed all 3 moderates, but the bus service at PORS left a lot to be desired. Other than that, we loved the place. I never noticed the "largeness" of the CBR or the CSR. Even spread out, it feels intimate.
I would recommend any of them. Just choose the theme that you relate to the most.

 

[JillC LI]

We love CBR. Yes, it's big, but if you request a room in either Jamaica or Aruba, it's just a quick walk across the footbridge to get to the food court and the main pool area. Those two areas are not even considered preferred but they were our first choice, and we had no problem getting a room there. It's very convenient in those locations, the view from the footbridge of the whole resort is beautiful. We just loved it. (The pirate rooms are further away.)

 

[cwolnowski]

I've stayed at 4 moderate resorts (Carrib. Beach, Riverside, French Qtr., Coron. Springs) and my favorite one was Riverside with French Qtr. in a close second.

Without going into why I didn't like the others as much, some of the features we enjoy the most about Riverside are:

The large dining area. Despite it being one of the larger resorts, the lines were never overtly large for meals and it never felt like we were crammed into the dining area.

The resort is fairly centrally located on the Disney property (nearest to Epcot, Studios, and Downtown Disney) so it's never a long trip to and from the parks.

It has many pools; the main one is deep south themed with waterfalls and a slide with a playground nearby. It's great for kids. There are also 4 or 5 "adult" pools that are more quiet. Each resort area has a pool nearby.

The Sassagoula Riverboat is a big plus. Not only is it fun, but it is about a 20 minute boat ride to get to Downtown Disney. Few resorts have a water transportation system and Riverside is one of them.

The store at the resort is one of the largest of any resort on Disney property.

It has an intimate feel. Despite it being very large, it is easy to get around, the central hub area is a short walk from where the rooms are, and it never fells overly crowded.

In short, if you haven't tried Riverside, give it a shot - my family loves it!

 

[fredtom]

I agree with the consensus that you wouldn't go wrong with any of them. Just decide which theme, atmosphere and location appeals to you most. If food courts, restaurants and pools are also a deciding factor, look at those options too.

Have fun.


"An Adventurer's life is best!" :lol:

 

[TravisB]

POR or Coronado

I think it's definately a two horse race between Riverside and Coronado. The theme of POR is so relaxing and beautiful, whil COronado does seem a bit more upscal than a Moderate. I love the boat ride in late at night from Downtown Disney with my wife at my side. I love the desert resort getway feel of Coronado that makes me feel like I'm on a vacation within a vacation. But the tiebreaker for me is the bus service. POR in my humble opinion has less wait time than any resort on property.

But if buses are your concern, go Boardwalk or Swan and Dolphin, you can walk to Epcot and the Studios from both.

 

[Disneykidder]

You will have fun in them all mods but I fancy CSR. It is big but I like the theming, restaurant, interesting food court, shopping area, water sports, rooms, pool with slide, grounds and the buses were quick. It is a nice resort. It is in a good location, too...close too everything.

 

[scottnj1966]

I always thought the french quarter was a great place.


Here are a few pictures and such of the different resorts.

http://www.bigfloridacountry.com/theresorts.htm

 

[sbkline]

I always thought the french quarter was a great place.


Here are a few pictures and such of the different resorts.

http://www.bigfloridacountry.com/theresorts.htm

No pictures of Caribbean Beach? That's where we're currently planning to stay next year (although I've already changed resorts twice, so no guarantee that I won't change it again LOL). We've never stayed there before and I was hoping to see some pictures. :shrug:

 

[rstaut]

Cbr

Definitely gotta recommend CBR. We've stayed there twice & so far its our favorite resort (if only it were closer to the boardwalk, then it would be perfect). Last time we went, we stayed at CSR & I really didn't fall in love with it.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

in the moderate category we've stayed at pofq, cbr, and last week 3 days at csr. i wasn't sure about staying at csr because of the convention center either but we were in the rancho section close to a quiet pool, a very short walk to the main pool, and very very close to a bus stop (in a good way). there were only 4 stops within the resort itself and we didn't share a bus with any other resort (we were there last week). i was really pleasantly surprised. the room was fine, queen size beds were nice. felt 50/50 about the set up of the food court/quick serve but there was a lot more seating than i'd expected. they do a campfire each evening at 7pm and show a disney movie at the pool each night at 9 at the main pool, both of which my granddaughter loved. biggest negatives for us: the concierge whose sign says "tickets, reservations etc..." couldn't help us to add 2 days to our current tickets and our last night it rained really heavy and we were back to the room a little before 9pm. we tried to call room service (which says is available until 11pm...we were left on perpetual ignore. no one ever picked up so we drove to mcdonalds which was about a mile away) overall i'd stay there again.

i liked cbr when we stayed there in 04 but we were in a room so far away from the main buildings and pool we couldn't really take advantage of the amenities in that area.

our favorite is pofq. it's small, quiet. all the rooms are close to the main building and the bus stop.

 

[WI DISNEY FAN]

If it were me I would choose French Quarter with Riverside being second.