CBR or POR

[PJC]

Please Help!!

I have booked to stay at CBR in April. Now having looked again (bad move) at all the moderate resorts my husband now quite fancys the POR

Which do you think would be the best. Know they are both quite large resorts, walking not a problem & no children

If I did want to change does anyone know how hard it would be to change my booking? I booked direct with Disney not through travel agent

Do you know if they charge a supplement to change hotels?

Any advice greatly received

Many thanks

Paula
from Norfolk in the UK

[Tmntrans]

no charge to change reservations. They just cancel one and reserve the other. I had a paid reservation to POP Century but with all the stuff that happened recently I didn't want the extra hassle . I cancelled POP and they refunded Credit Card and made a reservation at Caribbean Resort. When the credit posted to the card, I went ahead paid it off the Caribbean reservation. They are very nice to deal with the change it. BUT make sure you get a cancellation number and a new emailed confirmation to you for the new one. It helps when you call back to check on it.

[Babby58]

I could use some advice about these resorts, too. My sister and I are planning a trip in July- I've been looking at both Caribbean and Port Orleans French Quarter. Which would be better? We are both active adults who don't mind walking. (Okay, my sister is more active; she's done two marathons!). We enjoyed the Studios-Boardwalk walk one evening. I've read that the main pool at CBR will be closed when we're there. Any suggestions??

[tarynkelly]

From all the postings on here it would seem that POR is more peaceful, and CBR is a bity more lively!! But then there are 2 different parts to POR, french quarter(smaller) and riverside (larger) I think that FQ is a lot quieter than Riverside. Hope this helps. Look at the overall map as well to see which parts of Disney you will be close to as this can be a decision maker.
We spend a lot of time at Typhoon lagoon and DTD so we have booked POFQ, cause it's closest and you can take a boat to DTD x x

[disneydame2004]

All three resorts are lovely in atmosphere, you really can't go wrong.

Caribbean Beach is the oldest and most spread out. They have an internal bus to take you to Old Port Royale (food/shopping/pool). The main pool will be closed for many months - until mid-September - although they are adding smaller slides to some of the quiet pools for the duration. There is a sit-down restaurant and a food court. The rooms are a few square feet larger than the others, but not enough to really make a difference.

Port Orleans: Riverside is large, but if you request a building on the river (check a resort map for building numbers, available in the download section of this site), the walk is not bad to get to the main building with the food court, sit-down restaurant, and shop. The main pool is on an island in the middle of the river. The resort has two distinct sections: Alligator Bayou and Magnolia Bend. The Alligator Bayou section is the more rustic - 2 story buildings, log furniture, lots of wild greenery. Some of the rooms here are equipped with a trundle bed, so they can sleep 5 people (though the trundle bed is really only good for a child or small teen). The Magnolia Bend section is more formal, with 2-to-3 story 'manor houses', formal gardens, and fancier furniture similar to French Quarter. It is very pretty, although I think you have a somewhat better chance of getting a 'standard view' of a parking lot than you do in the Alligator Bayou section. "Parterre Place" is the manor house I've stayed in a few times, it is convenient to the main building (short walk over a bridge) and is the closest to Port Orleans: French Quarter if the need for beinets strikes.

Port Orleans: French Quarter is the 'city' - 3 story buildings with iron railings, small formal gardens and fountains, cobblestone 'streets.' It is the smallest of the moderate resorts, and compact. I don't think it would take more than 10 minutes to walk the entire width of the resort, and no more than 5 minutes from anywhere to the food court. There is no sit-down restaurant here. The pool here is also undergoing renovations and will be closed late January through mid-March. The furnishings are somewhat formal and I think it has a more adult/romantic atmosphere, except with Mardi Gras touches especially in the food court and pool area.

Both Port Orleans resorts share buses (FQ is picked up first, then 4 stops in Riverside) during certain hours. They also share a boat to Downtown Disney, which is a nice ride. There is a carriage ride around the resorts available, too.

Caribbean Beach has hammocks on the beach and you can see (and hear) some of Epcot's fireworks. Not a great view, but if you have a kid afraid of fireworks, it is something to be aware of.

Hope some of that helps!

[Thumper10]

I don't know if you would be up to this, but if your stay is for a considerable amount of time you could split it between the two resorts. My family always has a hard time deciding where to stay and we love seeing all the different theming, so we've done this 3 times now. Disney transfers our bags for us so its hassle-free. Just something to consider if you're having that tough of a time deciding.

I have stayed at POR and CBR and really couldn't tell you which I like better. It really depends on the atmosphere you're going for I guess. POR is very beautiful with all of its landscaping. Very relaxing too. We've stayed in Alligator Bayou both times we've stayed there and loved it, but Magnolia Bend looks lovely also. The boat to DTD is great. CBR is a little more upbeat and lots of fun. If you take the time to walk the paths it is really pretty also (the white sand beaches and tropical flowers are beautiful). Lots of bright colors and lively, caribbean music playing all the time. No matter which one you choose, you can't go wrong. Disney does an excellent job of creating one-of-a-kind resorts! Have lots of fun on your trip!!

[parrotheadlois]

We've stayed at CBR and POR (Alligator Bayou and Magnolia Bend). Like Disneydame2004, our most favorite was when we stayed in POR, Magnolia Bend (Parterre Building). We had a water view and really really enjoyed our stay. So much so that we did it again, and so much so that we are hoping to stay in Parterre again in October.

[PolynesianMedic]

I would say Disneydame has described these all beautifully. If you want my opinion change it to POR French Quarter. It is a smaller more quaint place, and there is only 1 bus stop, compared to 3-4 at the other places.

[iwannabeminnie]

I have stayed at POR and CBR and liked both of them. Our experience was that CBR was quieter than POR. I guess it depends on when you go and who is there when you are.

I will say this, the beds in POR seemed TINY to us. My husband is very tall, and I am round. We ended up sleeping in separate beds at POR. We had a king sized bed at CBR.

[redheadbrown]

We have stayed at both resorts and they are both beautiful. It really depends upon what you like. Do you like the backwoods feel or the tropics? I think you will have a great stay wich ever resort you decide to book. Besides, how much time do you really spend in the room? Think about it. Have a great trip!!