Moderate Resort Comparison

I liked POFQ a lot. The theming is excellent, and the scale is very manageable. Most, in fact all, of the other moderates are vast and sprawling and it can actually take a good part of your stay to really get your bearings.

The theming at Coronado Springs is excellent, and the pool area (Dig Site) may be the best of all the moderates. The cons though, are that, like I mentioned before, the place is enormous! Also CSR is where many of WDW's business visitors stay, so it isn't uncommon to overhear and see business types on site, and this may or may not be an atmosphere in which a vacationer wishes to find themselves.

I'll be staying at POR next month. While it too encompasses a great deal of land, from the visits I've made to it in the past, it seems much more manageable than some of the others.

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Upcoming Trips

July 2010 - Old Key West

Oct 2010 - Boardwalk Villas

I really enjoy POR. It is sprawling, but the landscaping is lovely, and I really like southern feel. I chose to stay in an Alligator Bayou room and was enamored with the log beds, "quilts," and song of the south shower curtain! And for some reason, I really LOVE the food court there. I can't explain that in the least. Finally, I like that you can grab a boat to DTD or book a carriage ride. Although I'd prefer to be within walking distance from a park, no moderate offers that option making POR's and POFQ's proximity to DTD a winner. POR's two sections--alligator bayou and the mansions--couldn't be more different in character, landscaping, decor, and general feel, so be sure to look at some pics before you book.

My only qualm with POR is that it often shares a bus route with POFQ, meaning you can go through up to 5 stops to get to your hotel room or to the park. Worse, POR is always the last to be picked up and the last to be dropped off, so you're often forced to stand on packed busses.

CSR is my favorite moderate, mostly because of the numerous hammocks, ever-present margaritas, and the wide-open feel of the place. Also, I've stayed there several times and have always had an excellent experience with staff going out of their way to make my stay a great one. The main pool and quiet pools are fantastic, though I've been seeing a lot of non-guests in the pool area lately and wish Disney would figure out a way to monitor that. My complaint here is the food court; it just couldn't be worse, from food quality to ordering/eating process. It's not a disney-run joint, which always signals a problem.

I've only visited CBR, and was unimpressed with the pools and twisty-turny layout of the place. Rooms seemed smaller as well, which may have just been the layout.

I can say very little about POFQ as I have really only walked around the area, but it's quite nice and would be a great pick for anyone with mobility problems (it's small). I didn't love the "city" feel I got from it, however (same way I feel about the Casitas section of Coronado Springs), and prefer to leave the streets and sidewalks at home when I'm on vacation.

I think CBR is quite fun and very romantic. I LOVE the palm tree carpeting in those rooms, and all of the bright colors really make me feel like I'm on a tropical island. Plus, you can sometimes see Epcot's fireworks as you're right nearby.

Good evening,

The only moderate resort in which I've stayed was POFQ from December 8-15, 2004. I was in room 3144 (building 3 of 7, first floor, room 44). I loved this smallest of the moderate resorts, themed like a sanitized New Orleans. As bali said, its compactness appeals to those with mobility problems (I have cerebral palsy but get around great). The boat to DTD drops you near Ghirardelli's (yum! iiiiiiice creeeeeeeam), and the beds in the rooms (remodeled the year I was there) were great to sleep in. This to me is the moderate that feels closest to a deluxe resort.

Jim

I think Imagineer and Jim both make the same point in different ways about Coronado Springs vs. POFQ. Coronado springs has a bunch of advantages, but ultimately it feels very "different" from most other Disney resorts. I love the hammocks and the lake (although having boats for rent there is kind of a joke). But the weird business guys who have no interest in Disney standing around smoking can be kind of disturbing and the distance to get between places can be positively awful if you don't have a car. Does anyone disagree with this statement:

Do not stay at Coronado Springs if you do not have a car?

I think Carribean Beach's new pirate themed rooms will spice that place up.

I have stayed all 3 of the 4 (POR, CBR, and CSR). I stayed at CBR during high school when my band was performing for Magical Music Days. Of course I loved it, but what do you really know about hotels at 16? POR was the first moderate I stayed at with my husband and at the time we loved it. Prior to that we had only stayed at value resorts and the difference was very noticeable. The resort was nice, quite, and well themed. At the time it was still Dixie Landings. We enjoyed having a sit down resturant and didn't notice any problems with the buses. The next time we stayed at a moderate we again stayed at POR but did not enjoy it near as much. We had issues with the room and AC. We had paid for a water view room because it was our anniversary and our water view ended up being a "ditch" literally. (After the CM told me that I couldn't pay for a water view) I was very disappointed with the castmembers and overall it just left a poor impression of the resort for us.

I stayed at CBR during a spur of the moment solo trip in Sept '05. I was only there for 2 nights and while I liked the resort well enough, it just has too much of a business feel for me.

We have stayed at CBR on several occasions and I guess of the moderates it is our favorite. One thing I really don't care for is the guest services being located in the custom house. For some reason it seems inconvenient to me. We have usually don't have an issue with buses but I know that it is a huge resort and that can be a problem. I like the theme of this resort and if we are staying at a moderate this is the one we most often choose.

I'm guessing the first "CBR" is actually "CSR"?

Shelley seems to manage to get a really good variety in. We always do the things we like over and over.