[gcbdad]

For the 3rd year in a row, DMIL has asked us to go to WDW for 3 nights in mid August. The past 2 years we stayed at POR and it has become our favorite non-DVC resort. So this year I was thinking that maybe we should try another moderate.

Can anyone sell me on any of the other Moderate Resorts?

[markypooh]

Ive never stayed at a moderate resort before but have booked 6 nights in August at POR. It will be 4 adults. You must really like it there an I was wondering if there are any tips about room selection etc that would be helpful you might share?

[Princess Tessa]

I'm staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort in July for 6 night, I'll let y'all know! hee hee

[momofaprincess]

Originally Posted by Princess Tessa

I'm staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort in July for 6 night, I'll let y'all know! hee hee

Tessa, Can't wait to hear what you think about this resort as we are staying there in september and i'd love to hear what other's think of it!

[gcbdad]

Originally Posted by markypooh

Ive never stayed at a moderate resort before but have booked 6 nights in August at POR. It will be 4 adults. You must really like it there an I was wondering if there are any tips about room selection etc that would be helpful you might share?

There are two sections at POR. Alligator Bayou, which is more rustic and Magnolia Bend which has a plantation feel to it. If you stay at Alligator Bayou, buildings 14 & 15 are right by the main bus stop and the main building. We have stayed i neach buildign and the location is good.
If you stay in the Magnolia Bend, our preferrence now, buildings 80, 85 & 90 are good. They are just across the water from the pool area and the main building.

I found a good map of the resort at www.wdisneyw.co.uk/pofqrmap.html.

[dznygrl]

I've never stayed at any of the Moderates, but I've visited them...(except CSR)...and I think they're all great. But for sheer layout/size, I would always go with POFQ first, POR second, and CBR third.

Even at my age, all that walking at CBR looks like it could be exhausting!

[7nqb00]

We think POFQ is the best!

[Dana]

Originally Posted by 7nqb00

We think POFQ is the best!

Me too! I like the smallness of the resort. The customer service is excellent too!

[skwak]

POR is probably our favorite moderate. Other than that, I would pick CSR. It is spread out but the pool area is excellent.

[CathysCAT]

We stayed at CBR last April and really liked it. We were in Trinidad North bldg 33 upstairs and had a courtyard view. I wish we could have gotten a water view. The lake is beautiful, especially early in the morning. The bus transportation was great. The walk to the main theme pool was nice- you can stop at the beach and relax on the hammocks.

This year (wow- next month) we're trying Coronado Springs. This resort also looks beautiful. Will post a TR when we return with lots of pictures.

Here's one of CBR looking over the lake early in the morning.

[vlogilvie]

I've stayed at the Carribean beach last October. The room was nice, but I thought the bus service was slow. It took awhile just to get around the resort area. Also busses were slow in coming to bus stops. Too many minutes of theme park time on the bus. I wouldn't mind trying out either of the Port Orleans resorts.

[tiptonsara]

We have stayed at CB, POFQ, and CS. Of the 3 CS was the least favorite. There was nothing really stand out about it. The buses were slow. The lake was pretty and the pool was ok. Plus you had to "tip" if you ate on-site. CB was really nice. We had a corner room with a king bed so our room was larger. The pool was good and kids would enjoy it. Some people do not like CB because of the walking but it really only took us 10 - 15 minutes to talk from our room to the front. But there are some buildings that are across the street that would take longer to get to the front. POFQ was the smallest of the three and pretty. We were there right after NO was flooded so it was a little strange. You can also take a boat to Downtown Disney from here or POR. Our room overlooked the river which was nice. The only thing and I am sure this would not happen to you was our room was dirty when we checked in. It looked like someone had gotten a haircut and walked around the room. There was long hair around the toliet, sink and in the bed. We liked our location so my DH went to the front desk and they cleaned it "again".

[MissDisney]

gcbdad... You know we love POR too! It is also our favorite. But CBR is lovely (ask for Jamaica or Aruba!), and it will give you a really tropical feel in August! I think you will like it! The pool area is great, and there is a little island with wildlife on it. The food court is just across a bridge from the two villages I mentioned. The rooms here are very big and bright!

P.S. We do not like CSR at all. I know lots of people do, but we found the rooms to be small, dark and depressing and the food was creepy. And you practically needed to drive the car over to the pool area. The pool is nice, but pack a lunch if you intend to walk all those miles to get there!

[llama]

POFQ is definitely my favourite mod.

[buzz2001]

CSR is a large resort that does not share services with other resorts and offers some deluxe amenities because it is a convention resort.

CSR has a salon, spa, and a gym that other moderates do not offer. CSR has full menu room service and offers an internal shuttle system provided by golf carts to assist in getting to and from the main building to the villages.

It is also the only mod to offer suites.

CSR is situated around a 15 acre lake and CBR is situated around a 45 acre lake.

CSR has terrific transportation. It does not share with any other resort (like POR / POFQ) and it only has 4 bus stops within the resort (vs 7 at CBR). And since CSR is centrally located, you'll have a quick ride to all the parks.

And being a convention resort, the buses seem less crowded because guests are busy with their conventions.

CSR is the most central to the 3 parks you mentioned. See the map below.

http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/3743/csrmap0kn.jpg

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CSR has the best pool of the mods and probably the second best on WDW property. It offers a great slide (123 ft long), an arcade, a sand volleyball court, and a playground at the main pool area.

http://tinypic.com/eaqyk9.jpg

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Review from mousesavers.com!!

Coronado Springs is my Best Value choice in the Moderate category. It has several advantages compared with the other Moderate resorts. It is newer, so there has been less wear-and-tear on everything. Also, Coronado Springs is a convention hotel, so it has a few extra amenities not offered at the other Moderates, including a salon, a health club and a more upscale food court.

The theming is radically different in the three areas of Coronado Springs. You can request a specific area when booking but there is no guarantee you'll get your request.

• The Spanish-style Casitas at Coronado Springs are very peaceful, with courtyards featuring tiled fountains. Casitas Buildings 1, 3 and 2 (in that order) are the closest to the restaurants and services. Casitas Building 4 contains the salon and health club, if those are important to you.
  
• The Cabanas at Coronado Springs have a beachy Caribbean feeling. Cabanas Building 8A is very close to the feature pool, which may be a blessing (convenience) or a curse (noise, light). Cabanas Building 9B is closest to the marina and relatively convenient to the restaurants and services.
  
• The Ranchos at Coronado Springs feel quiet and secluded -- some would say isolated -- and feature desert landscaping and pueblo-style architecture. They look closest to the main pool on a map, but in actuality they are separated from the rest of the property by a swamp, so it can be a fairly long walk from these buildings to the pool, and a very long walk to the restaurants.

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