Favorite Moderate?

[j2k]

I'd like to know what everyone's favorite moderate resort is and why?

I'm trying to choose a moderate resort. I have a value booked but want to upgrade. I am leaning toward choosing the Coronado Springs Resort. Since the moderate resorts are limited I am having an easy time narrowing down the choices to Carribean Beach or Coronado Springs because we live in Louisiana and regularly visit New Orleans so I'd rather try a different theme than Port Orleans. Maybe I'm missing something by looking over those do please help me by giving me your favorite things about your favorite moderate.

[Fastpasssteve]

I've stayed at both of these resorts.

When I was looking at the photos of Carribean Beach, I thought it looked ugly and garrish. I was so wrong. In person, with all the landscaping and architecture, I found it to be charming. This place is smaller than Coronado.

Coronado Springs is lovely...dotted with fountains and courtyards. The pool is awesome! But, it is a very large resort. If mobility is an issue, this might not be the resort for you.

Here's something that might help you make your decision: Check out the menus from the restaurant at each of these resorts. You'll probably be eating there at least a couple times. Look at pictures online of the restaurants. Check out the breakfast menus; it's the most important meal of the day and sets the tone for the rest of the day.

Also, check out how many bus stops they have dotting the property. If having a 'quiet pool' closeby is a priority, check out the property maps and see how many there are and where they are located.

I hope you enjoy your trip.

[A Big Kid]

POFQ mainly because of it's small size.

[btharvey]

We've stayed at CBR, CSR and POFQ (and eaten at POR), along with camping at Fort Wilderness. Frankly, camping was the best.

Caribbean Beach looks like a picture postcard, but that's about all I'd give it. Food Court was sort of small and boring and ... when we were there ... dirty. Lots of things needed wiping down all the time. Don't know if their beds are queens yet -- they were doubles when we were there.

Coronado Springs also had the looks, and was very large, but it did have queen beds, and Pepper Market -- you either love it or hate it. Gotta experience it though, at least once. And it's a convention center, so either it will be very full or very empty.

Personally, we want to try POR for our next moderate. Port Orleans Riverside seems to have the absolute best food court among the moderates, and our sit-down dinner there was absolutely smashing (great Prime Rib). And the boat to Downtown Disney was wonderful. Their conversion to queens is under way, and it may be close to being finished.

Caribbean Beach? Not so much.
Coronado Springs ... sure.
Port Orleans Riverside ... absolutely.

[ginny57]

I have stayed at all 4 and they all have something to offer. I do agree that the theme is a big part of the decision. POR bayou section does not appeal to me which is why I would put that last on my list. POFQ has a quaint feel - you can't beat how close everything is. CBR was my 1st mod so holds a special place in my heart - love that Caribbean feel. CSR is large but that didn't bother me a bit. It does offer deluxe amenities and I loved it.

Good luck with your choice....in the end, it's all Disney World and it will be AWESOME!!

[tinksmom02]

POFQ is my fave but you said that wasn't on your list. CSR was OK, the theming is incredible, we just didn't like the size. We did POR once and never felt obligated to stay there again (we always visit while staying at POFQ, though). We've never stayed at CBR but I've heard it's even more spread out that CSR...

Whatever decision you make will be the right one!!

[c&d]

Having not stayed at CBR I can only comment on CSR. We spent 10 days there and loved it. Yes the resort is large but it was so pretty that we never really minded the walk and we were there in August.

What we liked about it was that it does not share it's buses with any other resort. The service was the best, I think because it's a convention resort so they want to keep them happy. The buses during the day were not crowded at all.

Although there was a convention there we only ran into them once. Got up early and ran into them grabbing breakfast. We'll never make the mistake of getting up early again.

The pools were great, the main pool was never packed during the day like other resorts and the quiet pool you could swim laps. Yep I'm a swimmer and to have this was great.

The resort at night is probably one of the prettiest. There are so many hidden fountains and places to see. We would walk around and night and get the bonus of seeing the fireworks overhead from Epcot.

Although some people don't like it, we loved Pepper Market. There was something there for everyone and we had a wonderful dinner at the Maya Grill.

It also has a health club which was nice.

[Ms. Mode]

I love CSR; Pepper Market is a great place to eat with a lot of choices, the grounds are great, everything was great! Buses were good too.

CBR is my DH and DDs favorite, they loved the beach effect. Of course we were there in the dead of winter and the place was just about empty so they don't know what it would be like with a crowd. Buses were good.

POFQ: The only thing I liked about this place was the boat ride to DTD. It didn't have the Disney feel for us..at all. I know some people really love it...we didn't.

Good luck on whichever you choose.

[MrPeetrie]

I've stayed at all four and I love all four. They each have their plusses and minuses. When we decide on a resort, I am very excited to return.

My favorite (by the slightest amount) is POR. I love the feel of the resort. My favorite section is the Alligator Bayou. (Some love it. Others dislike it.) Both Port Otleans resorts offer a boat ride to Downtown Disney and that's a huge plus. POR has a great pool complex, food court, and many activities available, including fishing.

Coronado Springs has a special place for me because it's the first place we stayed on property. It has a fantastic pool, a fabulous restaurant (The Maya Grill), and my favorite food court -- the Pepper Market. You can rent boats and go on the lake or hang out on a hammock. It's beautiful and well themed. The one drawback is the convention center. When I'm on vacation, I don't want to feel like I'm intruding on someone's business meeting. (We were eating breakfast outside and a large group of conventioneers we're gathered there discussing their upcoming demonstrations. We truly felt as though we were intruding on their meeting. It was uncomfortable.)

Port Orleans French Quarter is quaint and the easiest to navigate. It shares certain amenities with its larger sister resort, but it doesn't have its own sit-down restaurant. It's pool appears to be smaller than the two aforementioned resorts. (We are staying there this September and I am so excited to return.) I love the music that plays at this resort and, with two young children, I love its accessibility.

Because of its layout, I think Caribbean Beach appears to be the largest. It is difficult to navigate. (If you are on the outskirts you may need to use its internal shuttle.) S. Trinidad is far removed, but it has pirate-themed rooms. No elevators. (Keep that in mind if you have a stroller.) You can rent boats there and it has a well-themed pool. It is a beautiful resort, but to truly enjoy it, you will need to stay close to centertown.

All are great and you can't make a bad decision. I'd check restaurants, elevator access (if that's important), and theme and go with your gut you can't go wrong.

[Angelgirl65]

I really like Coronado. It has a lot to offer that fits my needs. I really like their buses. They seem to be very quick rides to the park.

[cajundisneyfreak]

I was born & raised in South Louisiana and my sister didn't think we would enjoy POFQ for that reason.She finally decided to give it a try and we absolutely loved it.The food court was good and had a variety of things to choose from.Nice pool with slide.No matter what building you are in it's close to everything cause it's a smaller resort.We were in building #5.The rooms are spacious.In my opinion it has the deluxe feel at a moderate price.The boat ride to Downtown Disney is relaxing.You can take a leisurely walk along the river to Riverside and enjoy their pool,foodcourt,gift shop,etc.Hope this helps in your decision making.

[AmandaChan]

We have stayed at CBR and POFQ.

I loved the theme and quaintness of POFQ and I loved the boat ride to DTD. I loved how close we were to the food court even without a preferred room. I did not like however the travel distance that POFQ is from everything. DH and I were not exactly the earliest risers and we always got a bus relatively quick but it literally took a half an hour to get anywhere. We went all over POR to pick up others (again, that could be b/c it was after the rush and they needed the fill the busses) but again POFQ is like the farthest distance in travel times from everything.

CBR was nice, I didnt like it at first and when we got back but over time it has grown on me. We had issues with mousekeeping and we stayed in Aruba (which apparently is one of the closest bldgs to the food court b/c you just cross the bridge) but with a small child.... it sucked! If I stay here again I am going to get a preferred room FOR SURE. However, I will admit that the busses were amazing. I thought it would be rough b/c it stops at all the other stops in the resort ,etc but it was so not bad. We frequently rushed after a bus and never waited over 10 minutes (we went in June, a busier time) and we woke up a little earlier this time but not always... never actually made it to opening. Plus it's so close to Epcot you can hear the fireworks and see the Eifel tower from where we were staying. I also got lost like a BAZILLION times coming back from the food court, or the laundry mat back to the room but maybe that is just me and I am location disoriented sometimes.

I would stay at either again with certain conditons. If POFQ I would wake up earlier and try to catch the busier busses.. If CBR I would get a preferred room.

[buzznwoodysmom]

We have stayed at all 4 of the moderates.

My kids (boys ages 10 and 12) love CBR. It's their favorite moderate resort for sure. We've stayed at CBR twice and will be there again in July. This is a great resort for the summer. The tropical feel and music really make a summer trip all the more enjoyable. My kids love the pool here and it is the main reason we are staying again in July. We never had any issues with the buses or the food court.

My favorite was POFQ. I loved it for it's small size and charming feel. We've only stayed at FQ once, but would love to return one day.

We also really enjoyed CSR, but have never really felt the desire to return. Not sure why.

We did not like POR at all. It just felt too "swampy" or something.

We are from Louisiana as well, and I always felt the same way you feel. Why stay in a New Orleans inspired resort when I visit the real New Orleans all the time???? However, I am really, really glad we gave them a try. I fell in love with POFQ and can't wait for the opportunity to stay there again one day. The only downside to FQ was the pool. My kids didn't love the pool, and thought the slide was lame.

[BrerGnat]

My favorite is POR purely for nostalgic reasons.

However, next time we decide to stay moderate, we will probably go with CSR because of the queen beds and fitness center. DH refuses to stay in a hotel without a gym when we travel.

[Tinkerbella16]

I have stayed at all 4 moderates and my favorite would be POFQ, with Riverside coming in a very close 2nd.

I love the theme at both of these resorts.. it really gives off that disney feeling when I'm there. I love FQ for its smaller size and beautiful colored buildings. I love POR for the layout of the resort and great foodcourt. I love the giftshop at POR more than FQ. If I hadn't gotten such a great discount for the new Royal Guest Room at Riverside, I would have kept my reservation at POFQ. The one thing about both resorts that I absolutely love is the boat ride to DTD.. I love going to DTD in the evenings and what better way than a relaxing boat ride, getting away from the busses for a while...its just another great perk!

Those are my top 2, giving French Quarter the slight edge.

[darthmacho]

I love the theming of Coronado Springs, and I loved our stay there in 1999. Maya Grill was great, but I've heard that Pepper Market has taken a bad turn.

I've visited Caribbean Bech, and think that it's pretty colorful, and would make a good choice too. I recently watched a youtube video that really captured how good this resort is.

Meanwhile, my favorite moderate is Port Orleans Riverside, and we enjoyed a wonderful 9 night stay there in 2010.

In my opinion, you can't make a wrong choice. Good luck.

[Mousemates]

Our take:

1. POR - mansions - royal guest room - one of our favorite rooms we have ever stayed in on property...VERY, VERY Disney in terms of the theming. We also love the grounds (perhaps as nicely done as any on disney property) and the boat to DD is a plus. Queens bed too.

2. POFQ (if its just the two of us, otherwise CSR is next)...very quaint romantic feel...compact..easy to naivigate...boat to DD

3. CSR...love the theming and when they were the only moderate with queen beds they were our #1...great pool....the downer for us was the mayan grill, a bad experience there has left a lingering memory for each of us.

4. CBR...nothing really wrong with it...but for whatever reason the theming doesn't make us feel like we are the beach, but simply at a rather generic hotel in central florida. Kind of spread out.

[j2k]

Thanks everyone! I think we've decided to give CSR a try. We want this trip to be special and I think CSR will do just that for us.

[Mousemates]

hope you guys have a great trip

[j2k]

Hey Denise,
I see you're from Lafayette. How neat! Looks like we have some storms headed our way tonight.
We like the look of POR but I still can't convince myself to give it a try. We chose CSR for this trip. I'll be in New Orleans next month, so I'll have enough of that atmosphere and will be ready for something different.
Have fun on your trip!!