[ak172]

Date is set for sure.... Now comes where to stay. We thought that we would just stay in one of the value resorts but now we are starting to second guess ourselfs.

We have been reading that the rooms at the Value resorts are pretty small, very nice but small. It is about 65 bucks a night difference between the Moderate and the Value. Is the money worth it?

(I do not do well when we have to step over eachother in motel rooms- I dont want it to be crowded.... )

If you say moderate then which one do you find to be the best when four kids are along?

Thanks

[KarenWDWCP]

I would say that if you really don't want to be crammed, go for the moderate, it will definteily be worth the extra money.

My favorite moderate is Port Orleans Riverside and it may be good for you because some rooms have a trundle bed which will give you some extra sleeping space.

[DisneyTeacher]

The rooms at the value resorts are pretty small, think Super 8 with a great theme and really clean. With 4 kids are you planning getting 2 rooms? If so a value should be enough room for everyone and you will have 2 bathrooms to get ready in. If all you plan to do with your room is sleep there at night you should be just fine.

If you are planning on some resort time or taking long afternoon breaks you might want to think about a moderate for more room. The moderate rooms are bigger with Caribbean Beach having the biggest rooms.

The All Stars share busses so they are usually pretty full so that's something to think about if you are going at a busy time.

[alicefan]

I'm not a huge fan of the values. The are very crowded, the rooms are small and I don't find them appealing in any way, shape or form. However, if money was a real issue I would stay at a value because I would do anything I had to do just to be in Disney! If you need 2 rooms, a value would be a good option. We have stayed at all of the moderates and we loved Coronado....I guess with 4 kids maybe I would do Port Orleans like Karen said. It also has a more "kid friendly" feel. The pool at Coronado is awesome, though!!

[ak172]

Can anyone tell me about the caribbean beach resort? Good, okay or great?

[Jess]

Go for a moderate, as said before, value resorts are like motels. Add a little decor, clean it, and you have value rooms.

[Pooh Fan]

I agree with everyone else. Go for the moderate. You will have more room so that you are not tripping over each other. When we were checking out the different hotels on our last trip, we really liked the Coronado Springs Resort. You get many of the amenities of a luxery hotel since it is a convention hotel for the price of a moderate. The pool looks like it would be alot of fun too. Alot of people on here like the Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter. Good luck with your choices. Let us know what you decide.

[llama]

Depending on the age of your youngest, the rooms in Alligator Alley at POR have a trundle bed, so they can sleep five.

[leslieh]

I love Pop Century for the kids, but with that many, I would go Moderate. A trundle bed room at POR is your best bet, but if that doesn't work out, we are big fans of Coronado Springs. My boys think that it has the best pool.

[lhraz]

One note they now have the suites at the value, but I still prefer the moderates except carribean beach. Of the moderates this is the least well maintained. Seems a bit old, food court is too small and staff was not as friendly and helpful.

[mickeymotto]

We were thinking the same thing for our trip next year. Does anyone know what is the difference between Riverside and French Quarter?

[keljen]

My family's favorite resort is CBR it just seems to have everything. Try to get Aruba if you can

[gugen606]

If this is your first time there, I'd go for the moderate. The only moderate we've stayed in was the Carribean Beach. We have three kids and we loved it! It is so spread out and the pool next to our room was very nice. The main pool is nice too, but it was a walk and a half to go to. We just got back from Pop Century, but it was just my husband and me. I was very impressed at how clean it was, but I can see where you'd get cramped unless you got 2 rooms. The bus service seems to be better at the Carribean because there are alot of bus stops, and they're shaded and open. The one bus stop at the Pop Century was hot and you had to stand in line. When you are there, as long as you have your paper in your windshield saying that you are a Disney resort guest, you can go and visit any of the resorts to see which one you would like to go to next time. It's really nice to park at the Boardwalk Resort and take a boat to the World Showcase at Epcot.

[Allyson]

Originally Posted by mickeymotto

We were thinking the same thing for our trip next year. Does anyone know what is the difference between Riverside and French Quarter?

The main difference is size and theming... check out Deb's Unofficial Walt Disney World Vacation Information Guide - WDW Planning Guide - Walt Disney World for a great overview of all the Disney resorts.

[hiner]

Originally Posted by ak172

Can anyone tell me about the caribbean beach resort? Good, okay or great?

CBR is an awesome resort! We've stayed twice with DH and once by ourselves.

OPR (Olde Port Royale) is the center of the resort (check-in is in seperate bldg). They have the main pool, cannons, slide, fountains and kiddie pool right there. OPR has the food court, Shutters restaurant (haven't eaten there yet), one stop food market (sandwichs, salads, fruit, drinks, breakfast items, snacks) arcade, gift shop/necessity and an outdoor type clothing market. They also have an outside bar, hair wrap stand and sometimes a ragee band out by the pool.

They also have the bike and boat rentals there too. There is a bridge from OPR that leads you to/from Aruba and Jamaica with Parot Kay Island in the middle. The kids enjoy the island.

All the islands have a quiet pool, laundry (at the pools), beaches (cannot swim in the lake), playgrounds and hammocks. Would suggest you request a ground floor room though. It is luck of the draw to get a room close to the stairs and if your room is not close to the stairs, you are walking in loops to get to it. Ground floor is also better too because the kids can chase the lizards, feed the ducks and bunnies while you are getting ready. Our DS (8 & 9 at the time) couldn't wait to get up in the morning to run outside to see what was out there. The rooms are a nice size. Try requesting a corner room, slightly bigger. They have two double beds or king beds, fridge, iron and board, curtain so the early bird getting ready in the morning will not wake the others still sleeping, and all the other typical amenities.

We've stayed in Jamaica (bldg 41) and loved it. It was a short 5 minute walk across the bridge, through the island, to OPR. The bus stop was right across the parking lot and pool was around the corner. Jamaica and Aruba are good choices for rooms is you like a little more quiet.

We've also stayed in Trinidad N (bldg 31). That was the best yet!!! Walk across the parking lot or along the path and you were at OPR. Martinique and Trinidad N. are the closest to OPR but can be noisier and are considered preferred room rates.

Trinidad S. is the farthest from OPR and Barbados can be noisy from the buses coming and going.

We always rent a car for our stay, but, they have an internal bus within the resort along with the regular park buses. The resort is very close to EPCOT, MGM, TL, DTD and BW. We did use the transportation from time to time and can't remember if it was good or bad. If I can't remember, than it must not have been that bad, right?!

Oh, and at night you can see Spaceship Earth all lit up along with parts of Illuminations and Fantasmic. At the end of the night, you can also see the spotlights twirling from MGM and DTD too.

So as you can read, we absolutely love this resort. We are so familiar with it that we are not sure if we want to stay at another resort. Very hard to try something new when you know something so well.

Good luck in your choice!