Which moderate resort?

[PrincessChelC]

Which moderate resort should we stay at when we go to WDW next time? We've stayed at all except POFQ and I just can't decide!

[GaRain]

I have only stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and Caribbean Beach. I spent more time at Port Orleans, but I loved them both....

[dzney4lyf]

I've stayed at all of them.. Some multiple times.. I would say if it's just a couple going then PO FQ.. if it's a family.. then CBR..

[Jetjaguar]

I just stayed at the French Quarter on my last trip, and after staying at the Polynesian the trip before, we were a little disappointed... Here is a breakdown of what I thought were the positives and negatives...

Negatives:
1. No Restaurant! The only dining option is the cafeteria-style dining area...food was ok, but nothing to write home about, and you can quickly tire of hamburgers and pizza.. their breakfast foods were good, but there wasn't enough variety of foods to keep us interested for the entire week. Also, no room service other than Pizza.
2. Room size - the standard rooms are quite small, with 2 double beds, (not queens). You can get a single king bed, but those are not as plentiful... double beds are small (I'm 6'1) for two people, so my wife and I slept on seperate beds for the week... not a huge deal, but it was unexpected. The doors to the rooms open directly from the outside, so if you're on the ground floor (like we were), you hear people walking outside, talking, etc.
3. Perhaps the most important negative was the LOCATION ON THE BUS LINE. Buses are the main mode of transportation for POFQ (you can grab a ferry to Riverside), and there was an up and a down to this one... FQ is the first stop on the bus line for Port Orleans, so you're the first to get dropped off...however, when you are picked up first, you have to go through FOUR more stops, all through the Riverside resort... it took us an extra 40 minutes whenever we left FQ to go anywhere, just to get through all the stops! We spent a huge amount of time on buses on this trip for that reason alone...

Postives -
- They have a horse and buggy ride you can get.
- The swimming pool with the dragon is very, very nice, especially for kids
- There always seemed to be a lot of characters in the main area... we must have seen Goofy, Pluto and Mickey about 3 times each over 4 days

For the money, it's a decent resort, but if you've gone to the other moderates and liked them, you may not be impressed by FQ...

When we go back for New Year's next year, we'll certainly be staying at the Polynesian... it's the best location in all of WDW, and worth every penny (I've started saving now). Deluxe resorts are a lot more expensive, but they really take the WDW experience to a whole new level!

Hope this helps!

[mini-V]

I love the Carribbean Beach. I love taking a walk to breakfast along the water. I love having two pools to pick from - a smaller one close to the room or the big one close to the lobby. I love the Carribbean music and color scheme. I love dinner at the Captain's Table. It was the first Disney-run on property hotel at which we stayed and it will always have a special place in my memories.

[Belle1313]

I love CBR! Coronado has a pretty cool pool though!

[kree]

I voted for POR. The boats to DTD are a huge plus to a family pushing strollers. You can roll right on to the boats without having to fold them up. Plus, you get the benefit of the pool, restaurant, counter service, etc. at POFQ; all also a five minute boat ride.
You have the amenities of the two sections to enjoy. And since they used to be separate resorts, they are both full of theming. We've stayed at all Mods, including the three distinct themed accommodations (Alligator Bayou, Magnolia Bend, and FQ). A VERY close second is CBR. The colors, music, and theming beat POR (IMO), but the transportation (both within the resort and to all areas) is bus only. CBR for overall 'feel'- POR for convenience. That said, CS is really nice as well. IMO it has the best counter service in WDW (Pepper Market), a VERY nice pool, and excellent theming.

[SnwhtNdwrfs]

I really enjoyed staying at Port Orleans Riverside.

[iwannabeminnie]

Okay, I didn't vote. I've stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort and we loved it. Our upcoming trip we will be staying at Port Orleans Riverside. Should we request the mansions or the bayou? Which do you guys prefer and why?

[skiyalater]

Carribean Beach and Port Orleans French Quarter are the best of all of them. The theming and food is better.

[OneLittleSpark]

French Quarter and Riverside are excellent choices. I preffered Riverside if you are able to get the right room because it has a sit down restaurant and is last on the Port Orleans bus stops so you don't have to ride through both hotels. For me Coronado Springs was way too big, too far to get to the different areas of the hotel I wanted to get to.

[iwannabeminnie]

We know we are staying at Riverside, but there are two sections to Riverside. The 'mansions' section and the 'bayou' section. Which do you prefer and why?

[OneLittleSpark]

Our rooms were pretty far from the main building I believe we stayed in the A building. We were close to the bus stops which was a nice twist. I would suggest the mansion buildings they look a lot nicer in the exterior and they have beautiful courtyards and fountains leading to your room. You do enough walking in the park so the walk from your room to the main hotel area isn't bad in comparison.

[GaRain]

I have stayed in both sides of Riverside and I liked both - for different reasons. I love the closeness of the mansions and they do look good from the outside.

But I loved Alligator Bayou for it ambience. The room character was really nice and I loved walking around in between the buildings and feeling like I wasn't at Disney World. Kinda cool.

So, it depends on your priorities.

[Veritas]

We've stayed at POR and CBR. I really preferred POR. I like the Magnolia Bend better than Alligator Bayou. Overall I think POR is a little smaller and quieter than the CBR, and I really enjoyed the boats to DTD and for some odd reason the Water Wheel.