Moderate Hotel Choice for 2020 - 1st Timer Help

front11

New Member
Original Poster
Hi All,

I am looking to book a May 2020 break as a surprise for my Wife and Children (8 & 5)

To be honest i'm bewildered with the shear scale of booking a 2 week break here ...so much more involved than a standard break away!

I've narrowed the hotels down to either Carribean Beach or Port Orleans - Riverside.

I was leaning towards Riverside but have read the Skyline will be up and running shortly with a stop at Carribean Beach to Epcott. Having no real idea on the scale of WDW will this make travelling a lot easier?

Both hotels are similarly priced with the "Free" Dining Plan

If any of you seasoned pro's out there could offer any advice on the two choices I would greatly appreciate the help!

Kind Regards,
Steve
 

DreamalittleDisney

Well-Known Member
Heya from the UK too we stayed at CBR in 2016 had heard about how huge resort is but we had no issues.

Stayed at wilderness lodge last year and we couldn't see the huge difference in price being worth the difference personally to us.

We've booked CBR resort for May 2020 part of that was location - even with just buses it's much more in the middle of all the parks no just close to MK.

Obviously will also have skyliner benefit.

We looked briefly round POR last year as heard great things but personally just wasnt feeling that resort.
 

DreamalittleDisney

Well-Known Member
But just as an FYI we have upgraded from QS free dining and paid the upgrade to the standard dining plan as prefer option of having some TS meals in the choice
 

Janir

Well-Known Member
If your looking at nearly 2 weeks, A DVC point rental with a 1 bedroom to get a full kitchen may be very helpful for you.
But to answer your question, I've stayed at PO-Riverside for 2 weeks and it was very good, comfortable and enjoyable for 2 adults. Ask to stay near a bus stop and you will be able to use the bus service to and from parks pretty easily. Walking to and from rooms to the main resort area can be an issue unless you ask to stay near that area.
 

James J

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Two weeks seems like way too long to be living out of a suitcase in a tiny hotel room, but perhaps it's a cultural thing....

Personally I'd be looking into renting DVC points and securing a 1-bedroom DVC unit at a place like Saratoga Springs or Old Key West. These are deluxe-level properties and you have way more room, separate bedroom, pull out sofa in living room, a full kitchen, etc. Deluxe-resort level pools, sit down restaurants, etc.

Price is probably similar to paying Disney direct for a moderate and you get all Disney benefits (Magical Express, etc.)

Two weeks is the norm for those of us coming from the UK, as we're paying more to get there and it's not a trip that some families are able to make that frequently.

The free dining offer on at the moment certainly helps with the costs. OP - I've stayed at POR twice (2015 and 2018) and loved it both times, so that would be my pick. We're mixing it up for our Honeymoon this year and trying Coronado Springs, but I would definitely recommend POR.
 

larryz

I'm Just A Tourist!
Premium Member
Coronado Springs has good bus service, excellent food options, is just down the street from the on-property McDonalds, and was recently renovated.
 

Sky

Active Member
This may seem like an odd recommendation, but maybe split the two weeks? Do CBR for the first week, then head to POR for the second week. That way you can find out if CBR would be a good fit in the future and still get over to your tried and trusted POR. I live nearby so we rarely stay on site anymore, but when we used to travel from the DC/VA area we would do one of the Values for a night or two then splurge on a Deluxe or Moderate - get to experience a lot and it keeps things fresh over the holiday. And I completely understand the long holiday. Living abroad in Ireland taught me all about ya'lls extended vacations and they sound amazing.
 

DreamalittleDisney

Well-Known Member
You do realize that "Free Dining" isn't really free at all. During those periods, there are typically NO discounts on the room rates. During other times of the year you can typically find discounts of 20-40% which more than makes up for the cost of "Free Dining."
They UK doesn't get the same room discounts as the US so for a lot of us UK visitors free dining is actually a really good promotion
 

James J

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
You do realize that "Free Dining" isn't really free at all. During those periods, there are typically NO discounts on the room rates. During other times of the year you can typically find discounts of 20-40% which more than makes up for the cost of "Free Dining."

As has already been pointed out to you, we don't get those same room discounts in the UK and Free Dining is actually a thing which saves us money. A fair bit of it too.
 

plutofan15

Well-Known Member
I would go for POR - we love the atmosphere much better than CB. We like the main pool and the scattered quite pools are nice as well. While at CB it is true you will be able to use SkyLiner to Hollywood Studios and Epcot, you will still need to use a bus for the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. And, obviously, it will be bus transportation to all parks from POR. We also like the food court and Boatwright's for dining options at POR.
I think the biggest plus, especially with a two week stay, is the boat transportation from POR to Disney Springs. They are far superior and faster than taking a bus from CB. It will open a huge amount of options for dining choices rather easily. Enjoy your trip!
 

LeighM

Well-Known Member
Why not do a split stay and try both? I love Riverside but the lines for the buses can be bad during busy times. Coronado Springs has the best buses in my experience and the most recently renovated rooms. I recently did a split stay - not by choice but because of previous cancelled plans and it turned out to be so much fun. We were at Caribbean Beach for 2 nights and Coronado Springs for 4, with one night at AKL Kidani Village. The one night was not enough time but we had rented DVC points and booked the flights before our plans got changed. I enjoyed my stay at Caribbean Beach but do prefer Riverside and Coronado Springs.
 

Spoon full of Sugar

Active Member
I would go for POR - we love the atmosphere much better than CB. We like the main pool and the scattered quite pools are nice as well. While at CB it is true you will be able to use SkyLiner to Hollywood Studios and Epcot, you will still need to use a bus for the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. And, obviously, it will be bus transportation to all parks from POR. We also like the food court and Boatwright's for dining options at POR.
I think the biggest plus, especially with a two week stay, is the boat transportation from POR to Disney Springs. They are far superior and faster than taking a bus from CB. It will open a huge amount of options for dining choices rather easily. Enjoy your trip!
We also loved the option of the boat to Disney Springs. POR has an "off the beaten path" relaxed atmosphere. Beautiful.
 

Tiggertoo56

Well-Known Member
I've stayed at CBR, POR & POFQ and would suggest POFQ as it is smaller and really good for kids. Stayed at AS movies when kids were small but the lure of the dining plan for us UK visitors won us over to moderate resorts for the last few trips. Can get boats to Disney Springs also bus transport from both POR & POFQ, and to and from parks.
You can easily walk between the 2 resorts so could stay at one, visit the other and when you come back (and you will!) stay at the other to compare. Both have benefits and I'm sure you'll enjoy both.
 

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
I would say the moderates are the most overpriced category based on value for experience in WDW.

I always recommend animal kingdom lodge on the higher side or pop on the lower side.
Caribbean will be interesting to see play out after the work going on around it.

But in general - moderates don’t have amenity anywhere close to $275 a night USD.

Good luck with your search
 

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