Which Moderate??

[LittleRoosMommy]

DH & I are secretly planning a trip for our DDs this coming October. The plan had always been to stay off-property, rent a car, etc, etc....

Then the Fall/Winter Free Dining comes out... with a little research I found out that we would be checking in on the last day for free dining at the beginning of Oct. SOOOOOO...... I am getting excited now at the possibility of staying on property!!!!!

I just have to convince DH that it would be the right choice....

I have priced WL (my personal favorite) and one of the moderates (never stayed in any of these properties)...... both are within the price range I wanted to be in, so the dilemma is this....

If you had to choose a moderate property, which one would you choose and why?? I already know that I want to stay at WL, but DH is going to want to stay at the moderates b/c of price... which would actually be fine with me... just nervous about choosing a place we haven't stayed at before...

Any help, advice, suggestions, pros/cons are welcome!!!!

Thanks so much!!!

[disneygnome]

Congratulations on your upcoming trip! Staying on property at either the WL or a moderate (with free dining, YAY!) will be awesome. Personally, I like the Carribean Beach best out of the moderates. The cool colors (pinks and teals) feel so calming at the end of a long day in the parks. We liked the food court there too and since you will have free dining, a good food court to grab your free breakfast is a plus! The pool is to die for and having a hot tub to visit when your legs hurt at the end of the day was nice. Have a fantastic trip!

[AllDisney]

We really liked CSR

We loved the theme, grounds, ease of transportation.

No matter what your choice ...it's Disney

[frozman]

Carribean Beach seems to be everyones favorite, but I've never been there (or to Coronado Springs) so I can't comment.

The only one I've actually stayed at is the one now known as Port Orleans Riverside, and believe me, if it didn't cost almost twice as much as the value resorts on the Late summer room offer I'd be staying there for my upcoming trip. The one thing that I will always remember about that place is how peaceful it was. You felt like you were far away from anything else, but you were really in the middle of all the action.
One nice thing about either Port Orleans resort is that there is a boat that will take you to downtown disney. The boat ride is an attraction in itself, very scenic IIRC.
I have been to French Quarter (didn't stay there) and I kind of got a little bit of a "value resort" feel from the way the buildings were laid out, and I thought the themeing was a smidgen on the light side, still better than a value though.

[faline]

My favorite moderates:

Coronado Springs Resort - has many of the amenities of the deluxe resorts without the priced tag.

Port Orleans French Quarter - intimate and quaint. Very popular so can be difficult to book.

[A Big Kid]

My favorite moderates:


Port Orleans French Quarter - intimate and quaint. Very popular so can be difficult to book.

My pick as well. It is well themed, you dont have to walk 30 minutes to get to the lobby/food court, speaking of food court, can you say, Beignets?"

[buzznwoodysmom]

My boys (ages 11 and 9) would pick CBR. They loved the pirate rooms and the main pool. Its, without a doubt, one of their favorite pools on property.

I would pick POFQ. Its so small, quiet and charming. Loved that no matter where your room was you were very close to everything. I love the quietness of it the most. It was very peaceful.

[Tinkerbella16]

Having stayed at all four of the moderates, my favorite is POFQ without a doubt. Its small, 1 bus stop, quiet, boat to DTD.. you can take a 5 minute walk over to POR to use of the amenities over there or dine at Boatwrights. The rooms are newly renovated with queen beds and they did a beautiful job! I just love the look and feel of POFQ altogether. To me its like a mini deluxe and you aren't paying anywhere near what you'd pay at a deluxe (eventhough the WL isn't crazy expensive).

[Mousemates]

POFQ by a wide margin

[xrayqueen]

I am casting my vote for CSR. Awesome resort, queen beds, fantastic pool, terrific transportation. Loved everything about CSR. Loved it so much, we are going back again in January!

[Kairi_7378]

My favorite Moderate resort (so far) is POFQ, for many of the reasons that others have given. I also like that there is a boat ride to and from DTD (love doing this at night!) We're trying CSR this time around because we've always wanted to try it.

[DisneyFr33k]

I am casting my vote for CSR. Awesome resort, queen beds, fantastic pool, terrific transportation. Loved everything about CSR.

[darthmacho]

Personally, I love all of the moderates, having visited them all and stayed at two. If you want a smaller resort, go with POFQ. If you want a sit-down option, go with one of the others. You can also choose by which theming you like best. Here's how I'd rank them by my preference:

1. CSR: Love the theming, restaurants, pool, and everything else.
2. POR: A close second in all categories, and sentimental favorite.
3. POFQ: Good theming and pool. No sit-down is a minus for me, but POR is a just walk or boat ride away.
4. CBR: Colorful and relaxing theming. The resort seems huge, which normally wouldn't bother me, but getting around with the kids...not sure now.

I hope that helps a little.

[LittleRoosMommy]

Thanks everyone for all of your comments! I booked CSR today with Free Dining!!!

It's a new resort for us.... we're excited to try it!!! Now if I can just keep the secret from DDs..... Wish me luck!

[LudwigVonDrake]

Good Luck trying to keep the secret!!!

[texas211]

POR.

Good dining options, nice rooms and layout. Many quiet, relaxing areas. I love POR. I personally like the ambiance and ol south feel.

[waymickey]

depending on when you go the WL is very close to moderates in cost. It is a deluxe but since rooms are smaller it has a lower cost than the other deluxe resorts. If you are going to do a moderate I found that CBR to be nice upon visiting. But be warned it is huge and has lots of bus stops.

[TexasPrincessAurora]

We love both the Port Orleans resorts. They both have great theming, wonderful pools. The smaller size of POFQ is a nice change after a crazy day in the parks.

We stayed at Coronado Springs on our honeymoon. Its nice, but has a HUGE feel to it.

[mouse2508]

Thanks everyone for all of your comments! I booked CSR today with Free Dining!!!

It's a new resort for us.... we're excited to try it!!! Now if I can just keep the secret from DDs..... Wish me luck!

Always good to try new things, especially at WDW MNSSHP is a lot of fun as well

[HoosierDisneyFan]

We have stayed at POFQ, POR & CSR. All have pluses but we have enjoyed POFQ the best. The main features we like is the small size and easy transportation (including boat to DTD!). That said we spend most of our Disney time in the parks so the short walks to the buses stop and to the main building for snacks / drinks means a lot. CSR had the best pool and great CS restuarant but was very spead out. Too much walking for us (especially after a long day in the parks).