Best Moderate Resort

disneycouple07

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the past we've stayed at the Grand Floridian, Beach Club, and our favorite the Contemporary. We normally go every other year but with DD getting older we want to go every year. DH does not agree with staying in a deluxe every year. So I'm wondering what is the best moderate resort? We plan on going the week before Halloween.
 

Ben_since_1971

Well-Known Member
CBR is our favorite. Great main pool (each village has its own quiet pool), wonderful landscaping, very peaceful. It is a bit spread out - but that is why we like it. 2100+ rooms yet you don't feel like anyone is on top of you. Busses probably make the most inter-resort stops among all resorts, but again it is spread out. Beyond that the bus transportation is frequent and reliable. You also get a bonus of watching the Illuminations fireworks from the resort every night.
 

Buzz2001

Well-Known Member
My family would recommend CSR in a heartbeat! Besides having a great main pool area, CSR also offers many deluxe amenities at a mod price. CSR also offer business club level rooms now with lounge access.

CSR has queen beds, a sliding wooden door separating the sink area from the room (can be good for little ones napping in a pack n play) but only one sink.

Amenities include a fitness center, spa, free wi-fi, tanning beds, a sauna, salon, full menu room service and a night/dance 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.
 

Matt

Logan and Olivia's dad
Premium Member
Stayed at CSR for our wedding and had no complaints. Our room overlooked one of the quiet pools and we were about a 5 minute walk from the main building and less than a minute from a bus stop.
 

acishere

Well-Known Member
CSR is going to be the closest to a deluxe of the 4.

I can't recommend CBR until they actually put in queen beds.

POFQ is the smallest and easiest to navigate.

However the big deciding factor should be theme. New Orleans, a Mexican vacation village, or a Mark Twain style bayou town? Which do you find more appealing?
 

PUSH

Well-Known Member
POR is my favorite resort. It's just peaceful.

CBR is the most outdated of the moderates, and the only one without queen beds. I had family members who stayed there last June and said the place looked outdated.

Overall, it's mainly personal taste.
 

Dog Ate Mouse

Well-Known Member
First let's step back a minute and allow me to state that all the Moderate resorts are wonderful. I have stayed at all of them. POR's is our favorite followed by the Coronado. The thing I will tell you is to look at the resorts and decided from the theming that attracts you first. Then go and look at what the resort has to offer and decide from there second. This question of which Moderate resort comes down to a Ford vs. Chevy Vs. Toyota type of question for each person. I love the moderate resorts because I feel they are nicely done and tastefully themed and have that laid back feeling. They really do have a lot to offer and it also come down to what you want to do at the resort. Each one of the moderates is different but all have that welcome to WDW feel every day that you are there. The bottom line at the end of the day is what will make you and your family be happy and content. That's all that really matters. Have a Magical Day and I hope you find a moderate that fits your style and needs.
 

JillC LI

Well-Known Member
We also love CBR's theming including the steel drum music, hammocks on the beach, pools, and food court, but some complain about the double (not queen) beds as well as the buses. We always have a rental car so I can't comment on buses.
 

Bowler Hat Girl

Well-Known Member
I used to stay mostly at the deluxes, and I've done club level for several of them. I didn't think I'd like the moderates after those, but now I've done both Port Orleans resorts, and I enjoyed my stay at both. I fell in love with POR. I love everything about it--the ambiance is so serene, the food court and Boatwright's are both good, and the store is one of my favorites. I'm not a huge fan of bus service most of the time, but we had no problems at POR. When I'm not staying there, I want to visit, not only for the above reasons, but also to stroll along the Sassagoula river. It's so picturesque. POFQ is also nice and peaceful, just a lot smaller. And they have beignets there! ;)
 
POR or POFQ are both quaint and easy to navigate, but still have tons of Disney life and excitement to them. I enjoyed the FQ for its easy bus stop location because there is only one bus stop. You don't have to wait as long to go around to multiple stops like at POR and CRB.
 

Soarin2u

Well-Known Member
Coronado Springs. Has almost all the Amenities as a deluxe. Went there 4 out of 5 visits. Great atmosphere, generally quite. Fantastic pool that still tops as one of the best resort ones. Good busing, generally have few waits getting there. Very nice rooms with sliding doors instead of a curtain in the sink area. Lovely lake with hammocks. It's simple but great!
 

aw14

Well-Known Member
Have stayed at CSR, CBR and FQ. FQ wins for us hands down. All have fun themes, but for size, ease of navigation and the quiet.....nothing beat FQ.
 

Todd L

Well-Known Member
We LOVE POFQ.we miss it since weve become Dvcers!

They are all good in there own way..But we Like Pofq for Its smaller size, The Boat Downtown, The Pool Bar makes GREAT drinks, (The Pool is amazing too) and The ease of the Bus stop.
 

RonAnnArbor

Well-Known Member
From my Point of View--- POFQ is the hardest moderate to book, mostly because the secret is out and its small size and convenience make it book up the fastest -- POR is lovely. CBR is spread out and very inconvenient, from most of the buildings you have to take a bus just to get to the food court -- and CSR is more like a business resort than a Disney resort - and its is also incredibly spread out.
I think the most important thing to keep in mind if you are coming from a Deluxe to a moderate is convenience -- everything at the Deluxes is a short walk from everything else -- the only Moderate resort that fits that same requirement is POFQ, although it does not have a sit-down restaurant, just a food court.
You can't go wrong with any of the resorts -- but you can have convenience, or you can have spread out lovely landscaped isolated resort buildings. What you are looking for is really up to you.
I no longer stay at any resort but POFQ. A 4-minute walk at the end of the day at the park, even to the furthest room in the furthest building, beats any of the other resorts.
 

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
All of the moderates have unique things to offer. The Port Orleans resorts have the Sassagoula River with the ferry to DTD, with PORS being spread-out and lush with greenery, and POFQ being more condensed, with a lively, more urban vibe. CS is also spread-out, with a breathtaking feature pool and proximity to the Animal Kingdom and HS. We've stayed at PORS and CS (and walked through POFQ - does that count?) and loved them. (In fact, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised to find that staying at a moderate doesn't feel like much of a "downgrade" from what you're used to.)

The one and only reason we've never stayed at CBR is that they have only double beds, while the other mods have converted fully to queen-size. My husband is too tall to sleep in a double bed, so we avoid CBR. If you have persons who are particularly big or tall in your party, that might be a deal-breaker for you, too.
 

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