Which resort should I try?

[DizzyWhirled]

Hi all! I've been reading for a while but this is my first post, as I think we're finally ready to plan a Disney trip. I've read some of the guidbooks, but really don't know which resort would work best for us. I know for sure that we can't afford a Deluxe, but would be comfortable with anything in the Value or Moderate range. Going would be myself, Hubby, and our 13 year old daughter. We want something with a decent food court on site, and we love to swim and anticipate coming back during the day to hang out at the resort, so that's a consideration. We'll be flying in and using Disney transport, so I'm not concerned about being near to any particular park. Is there anything else I should be considering in this decision? Where do you think we'd be happy?

[cer]

I don't have time to give a proper response, but Welcome to Intercot!

[faline]

Since you plan to return to your resort during the day, I'd suggest looking in the moderate range.

Most of the time, you'll find the largest differences between resorts in the style and theme of the resort.

Port Orleans Riverside - lovely grounds - has the food court you're looking for and has the added bonus of a boat to Downtown Disney. Since you love to swim, this might be a nice option for you since you also have the option of using the pool at the French Quarter which is a sister resort and just a short walk away.

Port Orleans French Quarter - more compact and quaint than Riverside. You still have the boat and the pool but many have not been impressed with the food court here. I thought it was find but did not use it overly much.

Coronado Springs resort - this is a convention resort so you will often see convention goers on site. However, this moderate offers more of the amenities of deluxes at the moderate price such as room service beyond pizza. It has a big pool but the only service from this resort is via bus. Additionally, the food court here operates differently from all of the others. Many folks love it; others hate it - there appears to be no inbetween. Personally, I'm not a fan of the food court and typically ate at other locations. There is also a table service restaurant located here - Maya Grill.

Caribbean Beach - pretty resort - very spread out. There is also a table service restaurant at this location (Shutters) - in addition to the food court. I haven't stayed here in quite some time.

[BrerGnat]

Welcome to Intercot!!

Linda (Faline) gave a really great response regarding the moderates. This is the category I would suggest as well. They offer so much more than the Values for only slightly more money.

My personal favorite Moderate is Port Orleans Riverside. I think it has the best food court out of all of the moderate category. I like the decor, theme, and grounds of the resort and the pool is pretty darn fun. As a second choice, I'd go with Port Orleans French Quarter. That one is nice and compact, although the pool is sort of boring for older kids.

Depending on when you'd like to go, you might be able to take advantage of a discount offered by Disney. I recommend trying out Magical Journeys, a travel agent specializing in Disney that helps sponsor this site. The ladies at MJ are all so wonderful and helpful, and they don't charge a penny for their services. You can get started with getting a quote by clicking on the link over on the left, under ICOT Sponsors. I have used a MJ agent to book my last several trips. They will find the best price for you and do all the legwork in staying on top of the latest special offers.

[AllDisney]

I think a moderate would be good if you intend on returning to the resort during the day to relax

We really like CBR. The pool there is really cool

[mechanic]

I would think dd13 would find por a little boring and under themed. CB might be better choice. But I would choose pop. Nice food court. Nice pools. Good bus service. If you are kind of person who is comfortable at a holiday inn express or comfort inn then values should suit you. If you prefer a more upscale hotel then go moderate. If money is not big issue.

[BrerGnat]

I was a 13 year old girl the first time I stayed at POR back when it was called Dixie Landings. I LOVED it as did my sisters. We didn't find it boring at all.

[MrPeetrie]

First, DizzyWhirled, welcome to Intercot and enjoy your first trip.

Personally, I don't think you or your DD13 will be disappointed with any of the suggestions mentioned. They all have their charm.

My personal favorite moderate is Port Orleans Riverside. There is so much to do there, including taking fishing lessons Their pool complex is very nice. They have a great food court. And I love the boat ride to Downtown Disney. (We manage to take that at least once each trip regardless of whether or not we're staying at POR.)

Coronado Springs is a very close second. Their Pepper Market is a food court with a twist. They have a great pool complex, as well. Their lake (Lago Dorigo, I think) is beautiful. And I think you can rent small boats there. (Not sure if that's still true.) they also have an excellent restaurant, The Maya Grille!

Good luck.

[btharvey]

Our cheapest stay was at Fort Wilderness in our trailer -- premium $$ for a trailer resort, but tiny $$ compared to any motel. And it is considered a moderate, only a boat ride away from MK.

Of the moderates, we've stayed at Coronado Springs, Caribbean Beach, and Port Orleans French Quarter, though we've eaten at Riverside. I'd recommend POFQ for a starter, and while it is the smallest moderate (one bus stop, but usually its own bus) with a relatively small main pool, it is still delightful in its own way -- and it's just a 10 minute walk from Riverside, which arguably has the best food court in the moderates, certainly one of the most varied.

Coronado Springs is by far the largest moderate, and as previously stated, its food court is a matter of taste. We liked it, but we can take or leave it. Large main pool with many 'quiet' pools as well. Several bus stops.

Coronado Springs and Port Orleans French Quarter all have Queen beds ... Riverside is in the process of getting queen beds. Caribbean Beach has doubles.

So if you can trailer, Fort Wilderness. If you can't, then I'd recommend POFQ (or POR for a larger but just as nice resort). Plus the POFQ and POR have boats to Downtown Disney ... very nice for a break! Caribbean Beach just was "blah" for us.

Good luck!

[disneynarula]

Port Orleans Riverside is my favorite moderate as well. I like the Mansion Rooms! We have also enjoyed our stay at Caribbean Beach as well. I like the rooms, food court, and grounds better at Port Orleans but I like the pool better at Caribbean Beach.

I have not stayed at Coronado Springs.

Port Orleans riverside has a boat ride to DownTown Disney!! So fun!!!

I also have stayed at all the values and I like Pop Century the best. It's a little newer and the food court is a little bigger. We stayed there with our two children and did not feel like we were too crowded in the roo

We have used Magical Journeys for all our trips and could not be happier!

[tjstrike]

We really enjoyed POR the one time we stayed there. We have 3 kids and they loved the pool.

P.S - welcome to intercot.

We're DVC now so we only stay at the DVC resorts.

[KatrinaJ91]

Another vote for Port Orleans Riverside here!! We love this resort. We have stayed there several times and my girls also love being there. We always stay in the Alligator Bayou rooms because of the atmosphere and we like being close to the main building. The food court is really great...make sure you try the pasta station! The boat to Downtown Disney is alot of fun and so convenient. Make sure you catch YeeHaw Bob in the River Roost lounge...he is so much fun!!

Happy Planning!!

[LVT]

We went with the Queen beds at Coranado SPrings. The pools are great and the food is adequate.
I liked it for the decor. We were in Casistas 3 and the area was beautiful.

We always use the Disney buses and it worked out fine. Sometimes you wait or have to stand, but we are all fit. Coranado Springs mostly had the best bus service, but there were still occasional long waits. Most of these were at park closings and were to be expected.

[Kairi_7378]

I've stayed at CSR, POR, and POFQ. I would recommend any of them for your family. Each has its own charms. The PO resorts have the advantage of the boat to DTD, which is a nice bonus.

[DakotaDisney]

I haven't stayed at a Moderate resort, so I can't recomend a certain one. But, I totally agree with others that since you are planning to spend part of your time at the resort, I would go with a moderate over a value.

I have stayed at a value and a deluxe. The value was nice, but was too busy and hectic. When I leave the park it is nice to go back to the resort and get a break from the crowd, etc.
The deluxe was more relaxing and I would think the moderates would be more relaxing than the value resorts.
Oh, welcome to Intercot as well!

[Crow]

welcome
everyone gave a good answer.
all i can say is my fav value is POP, i think the location is good but my first stay onsite was Allstars. Pop is newer and closer to Epcot, HS and DD
my mod favs are POFQ and CSR. if u stay at POFQ u can walk to POR which is close and take a boat to DD.
if $ isnt a problem go w a moderate, but Id think you would b happy w a value if you cant afford it.
or split your stay which i have done many times

[disneynarula]

I would also check travel review sites. Most people on Intercot, myself included, are die hard Disney fans and have very set ways they do Disney. They (myself included) will find a resort they like and stick with it. I had an awful stay at one of the moderates and I think it was because I was always comparing it to my favorite resort and it came up short.

A travel review site will often give you reviews of first timers. I find it very helpful to check out some of these sites when I am planning on trying a new resort.

My first twenty years of going to WDW were staying offsite and eventually staying at value resorts. I still loved every minute of it. The value rooms are generally clean. I would say it is the equivelent of staying at a three star hotel. Nobody is going to bend over backwards for you but in general staff is helpful and friendly. If this is what you are used to then you will probably be happy in a value. In my experience they are on the same scale as Hilton Garden Inn or Hyatt Place but not as cheap as a Motel 6.

There are a lot more families with young children at the value resorts and the theming is a lot louder. It's really in your face kind of theming.

If you are used to staying in four and five star hotels then the values will be a step down for you.

When you are looking at people's opinions here on intercot look at their signature. A lot of times the resorts they stay in will be listed.

If someone always stays in a DVC villa or a Deluxe Resort they will generally not have a great opinion on the value resorts. The value resorts are not as nice as the deluxe. Just like at any other hotel, you get what you pay for.

[waymickey]

Welcome to Intercot!

I never stayed at a moderate but agree with everyone that a Moderate will be more relaxing than a value.

Things to consider when deciding

> Which is your favorite park and how far is your resort to that park? IE. We love the WL and MK is our favorite park. We go every day we are in DW. It is just a 10 minutes to the park or back to the resort.

> Also what kind of recreation do you want at the resort while you are relaxing? Values have pools, arcades, and playgrounds, while moderates have all that plus they may have boats, bikes, and water slides at the pools.

[j2k]

I'm thinking of switching from a value to CSR and after reading this I'm curious about the food court Pepper Market that gets mixed reviews.

[Wolf]

Ahh this makes me reminisciant of our first trip in 03! I would suggest a Moderate resort, it won't be so bare bones and over crowded but you won't be spending a ton which could add stress to the trip. I hope yall have an amazing time!!!