Quick Introduction to the Disney World Moderate Resorts
The best Moderate resort choice is not as obvious as it is with the Value resorts, unfortunately. There are many substantial differences in resort size and layout, transportation efficiency, theme, room amenities, pool size, dining choices, and more. You may have to make some compromises and decide what features are most important. For example, the French Quarter has the best transportation and layout, but the worst restaurant choices and pool. Luckily, the Moderates are all priced the same, except for the Coronado Springs which is about $5 more per night, so differences in cost won’t be a major concern. Take a look at the following ratings to identify which Moderate is the best fit for your group and be sure to read the full review of the resorts you’re interested in to make the most informed decision. Like with the other resorts on property, all are run by Disney with similar standards of quality. To a point, the following could be considered splitting hairs and it’s likely that you’ll be pleased with whatever resort you choose.
Click the highlighted links to read the full review of any of the resorts listed or click here for all of the Moderate resort reviews on a scrollable page.
Best Theme/Landscaping
This is the toughest category because the theme that appeals to you and your group may be different than what appeals to others.
The Coronado Springs Resort, with its Spanish-colonial theme, is a beautiful resort that encircles the 22-acre Lago Dorado lake. The resort features three different villages with unique architecture that all sit on the lake, which is surrounded by white sand beaches, hammocks, and benches.
Port Orleans Riverside comes in second. Its lush landscaping, picturesque setting on the Sassagoula River, and the working 35-foot water wheel help elevate its ranking. Alligator Bayou and Magnolia Bend, the two distinct areas that make up the Port Orleans Riverside, are visually interesting and provide two different interpretations of the Louisiana Bayou.
Caribbean Beach is a bright, whimsical resort. While guest buildings are painted different colors, the architecture of the 50+ guest buildings is mostly the same. Caribbean Beach also features a lake prominently in the center of the resort and is surrounded by the same kinds of beaches that you’ll find at the Coronado Springs.
Port Orleans French Quarter drops to last place. Many of its decorations appear cheap, especially in the food court and main building where New Orleans paraphernalia merely hangs from the ceiling on strings. While Disney will tell you that they purchased “some” of the memorabilia directly from New Orleans, it still isn’t that impressive. On the plus side, French Quarter does open up on occasion with some pretty courtyards.
As far as landscaping is concerned, all of the Moderate resorts are on a level well above the Value resorts and only a small step down from the Deluxes. Chances are high that you will enjoy your surroundings no matter which Moderate resort you choose.
Best Layout
- Port Orleans French Quarter Resort
- Port Orleans Riverside Resort
- Coronado Springs Resort
- Caribbean Beach Resort
The French Quarter is the smallest Moderate resort, both in terms of rooms and overall square acreage. This means that your room won’t be more than a five minute walk away from the food court, bus stop, pool, main building, or boat dock. This is a huge advantage, especially in times of suffocating heat or torrential downpour. It also makes it much more convenient to refill a mug or get a snack. The rest of the Moderate resorts are large and spread out and it’s more important to take heed of the “best rooms” section of the full resort reviews and consider paying extra for a “Preferred” location.
Port Orleans Riverside is slightly ahead of the other two due to the fact that most of the rooms are close to something of interest, whether it be the feature pool, main building, or food court. Unlike the Coronado and Caribbean, there isn’t a gigantic lake in the middle of the Port Orleans Riverside that you have to maneuver around. Some buildings, particularly in the Alligator Bayou section, are remote.
It’s as much as a mile from the main building to the most remote rooms at the Coronado and Caribbean Beach resorts, which can be a significant hassle with children or those who have trouble walking. Luckily, the Caribbean Beach has an internal bus that travels around the resort’s exterior and employees of the Coronado Springs will drive you around the resort in golf carts if necessary. While both of those methods may be convenient once you board them, it’s not always easy to hunt down interior transportation. The Caribbean Beach Resort is even more sprawling than the Coronado Springs which is why the Caribbean falls to last place.
Best Dining
- Port Orleans Riverside Resort
- Coronado Springs Resort
- Caribbean Beach Resort
- Port Orleans French Quarter Resort
Port Orleans Riverside has the best quick service location and Boatwright’s, the best table service restaurant. The cornbread at Boatwright’s is particularly memorable and the restaurant is rarely busy. Service is among the friendliest you’ll find on property. The Riverside Mill, the resort quick service, is actually better than most of the Deluxes with a wide variety and plenty of seating. Finally, the River Roost is one of the only resorts on property that offers live entertainment. If you’re planning to eat many of your meals at the resort and want to stay at a Moderate, then the Riverside is your best bet.
Coronado Springs Resort comes in second, but has some serious caveats. First, you’ll probably want to be on the Disney Dining Plan if you plan to eat more than a couple of meals at the resort. The Pepper Market Grill is one of the most expensive quick service locations and the Maya Grill is an overpriced table service restaurant. Read the full Coronado review for more information about these restaurants.
The Caribbean Beach Resort features a quick service location by the name of Old Port Royale and Shutters, the dinner-only Caribbean themed full service restaurant. While the food at Old Port Royale is good and the setting is pleasant, the space is too small to handle the amount of people that fill it during peak times. Shutters is decent, especially if you have low standards, but the menu is limited to just a handful of the usual entrées and the setting is nothing special. If you’re not in the mood to leave the resort or can’t find another restaurant to visit then it will do the job, but this is far from a destination restaurant.
Finally, Port Orleans French Quarter drops to last because it doesn’t have a full service restaurant. Guests staying at the French Quarter are invited to walk or bus over to Boatwright’s at the Riverside. It’s an additional hassle and it’s unfortunate that the small number of guests staying at the French Quarter can’t support their own restaurant. The French Quarter’s quick service location is also lacking, with a small capacity and a limited selection of food. It will suffice if you’re not in the mood to travel elsewhere, but don’t expect to be impressed by the quality, prices, or selection.
All in all, the full service restaurants at the Moderate resorts are a bit disappointing, considering the excellent restaurants found at the Deluxe resorts. Chances are that you’ll have a decent to above average meal, but you’re generally better off seeking food at one of the recommended restaurants and counter services in the Parks or at the Deluxe resorts.
Best Transportation
- Port Orleans French Quarter Resort
- Port Orleans Riverside Resort
- Coronado Springs Resort
- Caribbean Beach Resort
Both Port Orleans resorts, the French Quarter and Riverside, generally share transportation. The French Quarter has the advantage because it is picked up and dropped off first for all destinations other than Downtown Disney. This usually guarantees French Quarter guests a seat on the bus and the French Quarter only has one bus stop, which makes it easy to navigate to the correct line.
Despite being picked up and dropped off after the French Quarter, the Port Orleans Riverside benefits from having above-average bus service. Waits are usually shorter at both Port Orleans resorts than they would be at the other Moderates. The Port Orleans Moderates are also somewhat centrally located, which means relatively short bus rides. Finally, the Port Orleans resorts both have a dock with boat service to Downtown Disney. The ride is scenic and it is the preferred transportation method when heading Downtown.
Both the Coronado Springs Resort and Caribbean Beach Resort have a lot of bus stops. If you get on at one of the early stops, you’ll be more likely to get a seat (rather than stand), but you’ll also have to wait for the bus to circle the resort as it stops at the other six-or-so stops. Getting on at the final stop will lessen your transit time on the way to the Park, but will also result in you standing more often than not. On the return trip, you’ll also have to wait for the bus to stop and let off guests at all the preceding stops as well.
The Coronado Springs Resort comes in third because the buses are usually empty if the resort is full of conventioneers who aren’t visiting the theme parks. The problem is that the conventioneers will probably go to the Parks at least one day and Disney isn’t that quick in upping the amount of buses necessary to service all the additional riders. This can lead to long waits and crowded buses, particularly to Downtown Disney
The Caribbean Beach has the worst transportation of the bunch. Waits tend to be the longest of the Moderates and it also takes the longest for the buses to circle the resort to pick up and drop off guests.
Best Rooms
- Coronado Springs Resort
- Port Orleans Riverside
- Port Orleans French Quarter
- Caribbean Beach Resort
The Coronado Springs Resort is the only Moderate to have a wood divider between the vanity area and the sleeping area, which keeps much more of the light and noise out compared to the cloth divider found at the other Moderates. Coronado Springs is also recently refurbished, with new furniture, linens, carpets, and flat-screen televisions. Of the Moderates, the Coronado’s rooms are the best appointed, though the rooms at both Port Orleans properties are very nicely appointed as well after a recent refurbishment.
Port Orleans Riverside is the only Moderate Resort that can officially sleep five people in the Alligator Bayou section, thanks to the addition of a fold down bed. While the fold-down bed is designed to sleep a small child under the age of nine or so, it may offer a cheaper alternative to one of the family suites. All rooms were refurbished throughout 2011 and 2012 and now feature nice queen size beds and new furnishings. All rooms in the Oak Manor and Parterre Place sections of Magnolia Bend were converted to Royal Guest rooms at that time.
Port Orleans French Quarter underwent a serious refurbishment in early 2011. Resort rooms now feature two queen-size beds, flat-screen televisions, and all new furniture. The rooms are not quite as nice as Coronado Springs, particularly because of the lack of a door separating the sleeping area and bathroom, but they are still nicer than the rooms found at Caribbean Beach Resort and are quite similar to Riverside.
The Caribbean Beach is also recently refurbished with a subtle Finding Nemo theme in most of its rooms and fantastically themed (and much more expensive) Pirates of the Caribbean rooms. Rooms are bright and the renovation brought new furnishings and televisions. However, you won’t find queen-size beds like the other resorts offer. With two or three people, this may not be a big deal, but the smaller beds make it more difficult to sleep four people.
Generally, the Coronado Springs’ rooms are kept in the best shape in order to please convention guests. All Moderate guest rooms measure 314 square feet (yes, even the Caribbean Beach’s which are sometimes listed at 340 square feet), so you won’t find any advantages in square footage.
Best Pool
- Caribbean Beach Resort
- Coronado Springs Resort
- Port Orleans Riverside
- Port Orleans French Quarter
The Caribbean Beach’s feature pool, designed to look like the famous Fuentes del Morro Fort, comes in first place. There is also a quiet pool in each of the Caribbean Beach’s sections – six in total.
Featuring a 50-foot tall Mayan Temple, 123-foot long water slide, and 272,000 gallons of water, the Coronado Springs boasts an impressive feature pool in the form of The Dig Site. Each of the Coronado’s three sections has a convenient quiet pool as well.
The Port Orleans Riverside has decent pools, but they’re a significant step down from the top two choices. The feature pool at the Riverside is 158,000 gallons, more than 100,000 smaller than The Dig Site, and features a 95-foot slide. There are also five quiet pools located throughout the resort.
Coming in last is the Port Orleans French Quarter, which only has one swimming pool and one small hot tub. Guests staying at the French Quarter are welcome to use the pools at the Port Orleans Riverside, but it isn’t ideal to have to walk the ten or so minutes both ways to enjoy a good swim.
Best Disney World Moderate Resort Overall
- Port Orleans French Quarter Resort
- Port Orleans Riverside Resort
- Coronado Springs Resort
- Caribbean Beach Resort
Considering that the Port Orleans French Quarter comes in dead last in three of the six categories, this may seem like a surprising conclusion. Let me explain. Arguably, the two most important categories are transportation and layout. The bottom line is that the French Quarter will allow you to spend more time where you want to be – the theme parks. First, the French Quarter is the smallest of the Moderates, which means rooms are close to points of interest. If you’re placed in the Ranchos section at the Coronado Springs or Trinidad South buildings at the Caribbean Beach, you can expect to have to walk about one mile each way from your room to the food court, main building, or feature pool. That’s at least a 20 minute walk, round-trip. This makes it difficult to refill a refillable mug, get a quick bite to eat, ask the front desk a question in person, or transport your luggage after check-in. At the French Quarter, you’re only a few minutes away from everything.
Second, transportation is key. You don’t want to spend any more time on Disney buses than you have to and the French Quarter is by far the best in the transportation category. During peak times, the French Quarter will have dedicated bus transportation and won’t have to share with the Riverside, which is another plus. Considering the amount of walking you’ll be doing or have already done, it’s nice to be able to sit down and relax on the bus rather than have to hold on to a bar and hope the bus doesn’t make a tight turn or go over a bump. The scenic boat ride to Downtown Disney is also a nice bonus.
The major downsides to the French Quarter are its pool and dining options. You’re not necessarily missing much in the dining category, considering none of the Moderate resorts’ table service restaurants are particularly memorable, but it’s always nice to have the option of a convenient and relaxing full service meal. Luckily, the Riverside is just a few minutes away and offers the best table service restaurant of any of the Moderates.
With recent refurbishments to the Port Orleans properties, all of the Disney Moderate resorts have similarly high quality rooms. The Caribbean Beach still lags behind because of its beds, but it still may be the best choice if you’re looking for serene surroundings or want to upgrade to a Pirate room. The pool is also a lot of fun and some people enjoy the spread out nature of the resort.
Unfortunately, the French Quarter may not always be the best choice for your group. If swimming is important, you’re on the Disney Dining Plan, and you plan to eat some of your meals at the resort, then the Coronado Springs Resort may be the best choice. If you have five people in your group, don’t want to book two rooms, and want to stay in a relatively inexpensive room, then the Port Orleans Riverside may be your only option. You’ll have to look over the ratings and reviews and decide which resort features are the most important.
{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }
I disagree totally. The Coronado is by far the nicest Moderate and the food is far superior compared to the other Moderate resorts.
How well written and thorough! I must admit I still don’t know which one is best for my family but this was very helpful.
One other thing to consider is that Port Orleans French Quarter (and Riverside after that) is going through a complete refurbishment of its rooms, including new queen size beds, flat screen televisions, carpet, furniture, drapes, and more. It should be totally completed by April and some of the buildings are already done. More information and pictures are available at: http://portorleans.org/rehab.php
the info is helpful but my trip is the first week of March. We were booked at The Pop but just got a letter stating the Hippy Dippy Pool will be closed 2/14/11-mid March so we are relocating and would prefer to upgrade to a moderate. Trying to be quick on my decision in case I’m not the only one thinking of switching after the letter arrived today. The reviews on the website are the most thorough I’ve seen. Paired with photos from other sites I should be finished late this evening.
Well Pop would still have two pools open so I’m not sure a resort switch is absolutely necessary, but I understand where you’re coming from. I would lean towards either the French Quarter or Coronado Springs I think. French Quarter’s bus/boat transportation can’t be beat and the small size of the resort is really nice, especially if you frequent the counter service for drink refills. You might get lucky and get a refurbished room, especially if you request a room in a building that has been refurbished. The lack of a sit-down restaurant and lousy pools is a distinct disadvantage though. Coronado Springs is massive, but a “preferred” room would alleviate any concerns over walking distances to the bus station or restaurants. The pools are nice and the restaurants are a good “value” if you’re on the Disney Dining Plan. Good luck with the decision and feel free to add another comment if you have any specific questions.
What about Fort Wilderness? It’s listed as a Moderate resort.
Kris, Fort Wilderness is a deluxe resort. Hope that helps.
Josh, I thought this was a great, thorough review. Although we’ve only stayed at POFQ when we’ve chosen a moderate, it was for the same reasons you gave. We usually hopped on a boat over to Riverside for our counter service meals, since it was worth the short trip for better CS choices. Thanks for another helpful article!
Whoops, @Kris, I gave incorrect info. I guess the cabins at Fort Wilderness are not in the deluxe category. I’m sorry for an unhelpful response there!
well, 9 months later…………I can say we decided to stay at Coronado and LOVED every second of it!! Everything was great. Their sit down resteraunt was a bit of a joke but we were on the dining plan so it didn’t bother us that much. Aside from the sit down – we really can’t complain about anything. Smooth checkin and checkout. Only once did we have a long wait for the bus but it was an isolated issue. Staff was fine (I’ve read about some amazing staff at certain resorts and I’ve got to say I never encountered that but we also never encountered anything to complain about – just plain old decent service which seems hard to come by these days).
So…planning our second trip and leaning towards Carribean Beach Resort but feeling a little intimidated by all the negative reviews about the transportation. I can be pretty impatient and having to circle the resort and stop to pick up 6 other times sounds pretty annoying to me. Any insight?
hi……..i’m planning a family vacations and looking in the moderate resort witch would best fit my family of 4, kids are 8 and 5. i’m planning to go with the disney dining plan. Witch resort would you suggest for me……..
thanks for your time….
Our family took our first family vacation March 2011 and we stayed at Coronado Springs. We absolutely loved the resort and the pool was amazing. There are two other smaller pools on site if you prefer a more private area or have smaller ones you need to hold on to in the pool. Our son was 9 at the time and loved the playground, the sandbox area and giant checkers off the pool deck. We stayed in a building a piece from the main building but found the walk not to be very long and the gator carts were always coming and going and you could hop on/off as you wish. As you stated, because it was a Convention center, meal times could get busy but it was only once full when we showed up. We loved the convenience of choosing from the different food service areas all under one place. For our son who is a bit fussy to say the least, his hands-down favorite was Cafe Rio which made awesome chicken fingers and pizza; any kids thumbs up meal. The bus stop was only across the parking lot and very convenient. If you are keeping a vehicle, this parking area is doubly convenient. The rooms were very up to date, and we especially loved that we could put our toddler to bed in his playpen next to the sink area and close the doors over to keep the noise from disrupting him as we would be up a bit later. The hours at Cafe Rio were very convenient and with the dining plan, you could enjoy Maya Grill and not shake your head over the inflated prices. It’s a great spot for an adult get-away for an hour or two if you have someone to keep the kids and it’s fairly quiet so you can hear yourself think. The only thing that was a bit of a downer is the length of the bus ride to Magic Kingdom, and Downtown Disney as you are a piece away. Fortunately, we never had to stand on the bus and we were there in peak time in March. have not one negative thing to say about this resort. I would highly recommend it; especially considering that your stay will only be 400-500 more than a value resort for the week.
the cb was great except the bus coments are true it is a long wait. and can be a long walk for a drink or a snack
I’ll be travelling to Orlando in mid-May partial business,partial fun and need a hotel where I can get in and out quickly(due to business) in the AM but also need a place to grab a quick breakfast. I want to be able to visit Disney World since I haven’t been there in 20 years where is the best place to stay?
I for one was not a fan of the Coronado Springs resort. The busses were not bad at all but the walk to and from the food court are right on in this resort evaluiation. Not to metention I felt the food options to be very limited. ( Table Service) The resort itself is very pretty and clean and the pool was very nice. We are going again and have chosen the French Quarter Resort for the reasons listed. But remember it is all Disney and you wont find find a better host than Disney!!
We’ve stayed at both, and we prefer Coronado Springs for few reasons.
1) Location, location, location. It’s one of the most centrally-located of all resorts on the property. If you have your own car (which we definitely recommend), the farthest drive is to MK, and that’s still less than 15 minutes. AK is literally right around the corner, while HS and EP are mere minutes down the road. If you don’t have a car and are using buses, you’re still going to be better off than POR. This is where I disagree with Josh – he points out that it shares bus service with POFQ, but says that CSR’s buses take longer? Doesn’t make sense, and based on our experience I must respectfully disagree. In fact, when we were at POR we noticed significantly more personal scooters being used than at CSR. And if you’ve ever taken a Disney bus, you know that the loading and unloading of those can take some time.
2) The wooden door! 100% agree with Josh, that door makes such a huge difference when others in the room are doing hair/showering/shaving, anything that makes a lot of noise in the bathroom! It’s no small feature – we’d more readily entertain staying at other resorts if only they offered this in their rooms too.
3) The pool is AWESOME. Even for grown-ups, it’s spread out enough with plenty of deck chairs. Our daughter loves the pool and the water slide, we love having the bar right there and plenty of space to stretch out for relaxing afternoons.
Of course, those are just our personal preferences. We have nothing bad to say about POR – we just like CSR more. As Josh said – decide what features/amenities are priorities for you, and go from there.
Coronado springs is by far the best hotel the pool is awsome and it is the best for familys
I like the Caribbean the best but its up to you guys
With respect to Jeff, Coronado Springs is a great resort but it is the *least* centrally located moderate. Have a look at a (true scale) map of the WDW property, and you’ll see that POR, POFQ and CBR are all much closer to EPCOT, DHS, DTD and for the most part, MK. We’ve stayed a both CSR and POR and always with a rental car. POR was definitely a shorter/easier drive to the parks and DTD.
We stayed at POR 3 times (05,06,08)and once at CBR(2010).The wait time for buses when we stayed at POR was long most of the time.When we stayed at CBR our niece and her family stayed as always at POR.The bus wait for us was always shorter.They waited over 45minutes longer then us when leaving Blizzard Beech.The moderate resorts(any of them)is the way to visit WDW.I feel a bad day at WDW is much better then a good day at home.
Stayed at CBR 2 times (2009, 2010) and I have no complaints! We rented a car though so I can’t speak to the bus transportation. The food court was pretty good though especially with a picky husband and 4 year old (at the time). I requested a Preferred Room in the Martinuque building, first floor. Very close to the food court and main pool and definitely worth the ~$60 extra for my trip! Remember CBR buildings have 2 floors and NO elevators. I’m looking to experiance something different this Nov and considering POR or CSR. Reviews are mixed I can’t make up my mind. Only now I have a 1 year old and a 6 year old and will be relying on the bus transportation. Any recommendations?
I would agree with mostly everything that is on here. I am going to POFQ, and I can’t wait!!!
I stayed at Port Orleans Riverside for the fourth time last August.It was just after the final rooms had been refurbished. We had the most fantastic time and we can’t fault POR in any way. Each time we start planning a holiday to WDW we look at other hotels both budget and moderate. We spend a considerable time researching all the hotels but in the end we head back to POR! I’m not sure what draws us back each time – maybe the memories of previous great holidays, or maybe the laid back atmosphere (very welcome after a hard day in a park), or maybe because it is quite spread out so it never appears to be busy or maybe just because it is so beautiful! Whatever the reason, we love it and i can safely say that if we ever return to WDW we will probably end up staying at POR again!
Going back to POR in May 2013 for the 4 the stay.. We have visisted WDW 6 times..What keeps us staying there is the river view rooms, the boat transportation to down town and the quick service meals we think are great compared to the other moderates as we have stayed at them all… Alot of people talk about the long bus waits at all WDW resorts and I can agree, but we are there we are not in an all fired hurry to keep running as we are on vacation. In fact our first trip many years ago we got on the 1st bus that came and made a day of it.. Your on vacation people relax and enjoy this greatest place on earth…Looking forward to May.
I stayed at Coronado Springs and loved every minute of it. The rooms were nice, the kids loved the pool and the Pepper Market food was great.
I can almost bet on the response that I will get, but asking regardless…(maybe I just need the excuse to spend the extra dollars). Booking a trip for early May. I have a 4 yr old and a just under 1yr old…Pools aren’t a big thing for us and we don’t do meals at the hotel except for the odd snack here and there. We have stayed at the All Star Resorts countless times and Port Orleans Riverside back when it was Dixie Landings. We’re looking for a change and considering Pop Century or Port Orleans French Quarter. I think our biggest consideration is getting around with a stroller (this will be our first visit with kids) and decent transportation.
I have been trying to figure out what is the difference between a moderate and certain value resorts. I will be traveling to Disney this summer with kids, I can get a room in the Coronado, Carribean, or Art of Animation for viirtually tse same price. I don’t see a huge difference in room quality when I look at Art vs. say some of the moderates. Is it moderate because of room size, proximity to park, or just a step up in adult theme versus kids theme? I am leaning towards Art of Animation just because of age of kids but what is teh real difference?
Adam,
AoA is a tweener in that it is a bit better than the other values but not as nice as the moderates. All the Mods except CBR have two queen beds vs two dbls at AoA and other Values. All Mods but POFQ(POR with Boatwright’s is next door and walkable) have a table service restaurant vs just QS at AoA and the other Values. Mod rooms have 35 more sqft.
I’ve stayed at POR, CBR and POFQ. I like POFQ the best. I like the small size, especially because I have very young kids. CBR is out because of only having double beds. I sleep in a Queen at home. I don’t downgrade on vacation and yes, it’s important to us to have space in our bed. POR is nice, but too big with small kids. I’d like to do CSR, but it’s a bit more and just not worth the extra cost. We don’t stay value, mostly because it attracts a lot of teenagers and sports groups. I teach high school and want to escape that when on vacation. I’ve also noticed that values seem to be busier than other resorts.
The cbr has the best location going for it it’s not to far from Epcot Hollywood studios and animal kingdom. So although the resort itself may not be the best it’s location more than makes up the difference
I stayed at 2 of the 4 moderates – POFQ and CSR and I thought CSR was MUCH better. The rooms are nicer at CSR (both stays were post-refurb) and I thought bus service at CSR was better. At CSR, it is always one of the first two bus stops a the parks. CSR buses seemed more frequent. And at POFQ we often had to cycle through the 4 bus stops at POR. So it felt like it took longer than CSR because at CSR even though there are several stops, it’s all in the same resort. In addition to superior rooms and better bus service, the food court at CSR is nicer and the pool is worlds better (the slide at POFQ is babyish and the theming at POFQ is closer to a value with big statues of alligators). POFQ does have the boat to downtown Disney but since POFQ is the second stop, it was often full before it got to POFQ or only had a few spaces, leading to long waits at the dock. I wouldn’t stay at POFQ again but I strongly considered staying at CSR again for my next trip. The only reason I didn’t end up choosing CSR is the fact that I want more space than a single room and 2 rooms at CSR is more expensive than a family suite.
You have been very busy. Thanks for all the updates!
Josh,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts…I love Riverside, and may return there in December. It’s good to know that it holds up. Great reviews…thanks again!
The Caribbean Beach Resort (CBR) is the best moderate if you want a resort experience. CBR is so lush, with its greenery and beautiful landscaping, it feels like a resort on the islands. The pool is goreous and friendly staff have events going all day long. We love roasting marshmellows in the evening on the CBR beach (and we live at the shore). We travelled there over Easter last year (busy season) and received excellent service from resort employees with no real transportation issues. In my opinion, if you don’t stay in a monorail resort, you can expect some transportation time and effort at any resort.
That said, I love the article- as always. Truly a superior blog!
Whichever side of the debate you are on, you have to agree that was a well reasoned analysis. Thanks Josh.
We’ve stayed at CSR 3 times and love the beauty of that resort. On the flip side, we also experienced stupid long bus delays during peak times. TWO OR THREE FULL buses would drive by our stop (#4). We stayed near stop #2 our last stay there, which strangely enough is the first stop for the buses, and it was much better. WE were the ones driving by the people staring at us at stop #4. The only good food we had there was at the fresh fruit at the convenience store. I also agree that the pool is outstanding, almost a water park. At lower crowd level times, I would stay here again, but always request something near stop #2.
Last time we stayed at the POFQ at Thanksgiving crowd levels and loved the short walks and empty buses. The theming is also nice, but we never ate there, since our favorite restaurants are at the parks (or Boma). But that is what works for us. We stay on Disney property to go to the parks.
Thank you so much for the review, it was so helpful! We ultimately decided to go with POR as our resort for our honeymoon this coming May. Although the layout and the possibility of being stuck in one of the remote rooms, we (read: I) are so excited to stay there and enjoy the amazing theming! BTW, your blog is so much fun to read.
Swan? Dolphin? Normally I wouldn’t think of them either but I happen to be heading to Dolphin tomorrow for a one night business stay so its on my mind. But you get EMH and the dining rocks. Not sure how the rooms are yet but considering I can walk to Epcot for 209/night (booked 3 days before going without trying to plan for a deal) I would think this would be a strong contender in the Moderate category.
Didn’t see this mentioned and it may not matter but it does to us. When we stayed at Coronado Springs, there was only one sink where as the other moderates have two sinks. Since we usually had three to four people getting ready at the same time, having the two sinks was a big plus for us.
We have stayed in seven of the resorts with our five kids(I told you I love kids) including four moderates. For price, grounds, convenience, and yeehaw Bob, we like Riverside. That is unless you are at Food & Wine, then it has to be Beach Club due to the shorter stagger.
This may not be relevant to a lot of people, but on the dining front, CSR restaurants are not actually owned an operated by Disney. If you have food allergies, they are nowhere near as well equipped to handle allergies as the other moderate resorts.
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Loved reading all the comments!! We stayed at Coronado Springs last December and I have to say initially I was so disappointed we had to book there. We were travelling with extended family and needed 3 rooms. Because we were taking advantage of the free dining option, if we all wanted to be on the same resort, we had to stay at Coronado. This was my 76 year old Mother in Laws first visit to Disney and I wanted it to be special for her. Coronado doesn’t always receive the best overall reviews and I was really nervous!! Plus, Coronado never held any appeal to me. It was always the resort I bypassed because I just didn’t like the theme. I never had any interest in staying there at all. Boy, I was wrong!! We really really enjoyed Corondo. The table service option was very good. As for the walking, we never found it to be a problem or excessive. As a matter of fact, we were in building 5 at the Casistas and it was a little stroll but not bad at all!!! I actually liked the Ranchos and wished we had been placed there. We were also travelling with my husbands 78 year old aunt and neither of the “girls” (76 & 78) got tired from the walking.
On a side note, I will say that based on the reviews, we did book a preferred room for my Mother in Law. However, upon arrival we realized that there really wasn’t anything “preferred” about the location at all. It is a gamble because you could luck out and get a close room to the main building. The preferred rooms are in the Casistas buildings 1-3. We got building 3. We ended up giving the preferred room to my sister in law and put my mother in law next to us in building 5. The “preferred” room they assigned us was very confusing to find. You had to go into the courtyard, between buildings, up a flight of stairs. Just like a maze. Too confusing!! I wouldn’t pay for a preferred room there again.
Again, I wouldn’t hesitate to stay at Coronado again. Very nice experience!!
We are headed to Disney in November ’13. The review was extremely helpful, thank you! I still can not quite decide between Port Orleans vs CSR though.
One question I did not see answered yet… Is the first week in November too cold to go swimming in Disney’s outdoor pools? I hear they are heated and didn’t know if November is still tollerable for pool temps. If swimming in Nov is no issue, I think CSR win out, but if the pool is off limits, I think one of the port orleans resorts will win.
The child we are taking is 4 if that helps.
My family of 4 just returned from an 8 night stay at Riverside. We had a blast and couldn’t complain about anything if we wanted to. We were in building 18 and it was convient to everything. The rooms were nice, clean and well themed. I don’t know if we just got lucky but we had a door on our bathroom not just a divider?? The 2 sinks was for sure a plus when all trying to get ready to make it to the parks early in the morning before the lines were too long. I do have to agree w/ whoever said there a lot of scooters at POR. We seemed to always have to wait for them to load and they also take up a lot of space on the bus, but it didn’t bother us we still got a seat most of the time. I would reccomend POR to anyone! Hope this helps!
Thanks for all the feedback. I have always stayed at All-Star Sports and had no problems thought buses were good and all. I had my trip planned at POFQ due to small space and transportation. However a room discount came today and switched it to a Carribeean Beach preferred room as I thought my son would like the beach and main pool. I tried for Beach Club but was booked. I am hoping it’s not the bad the transporttation but the good thing is it’s close to Epcot.