Best "moderate" resort to stay at?

[masonlovesdisney]

My family has almost always stayed at the value level resorts every time we have gone, besides once when we stayed at Port Orleans. I was wondering which moderate resort you would recommend the most and why!

Thanks!

[MstngDrvnDsnyLvr]

I love PO French Quarter - its a little smaller and more compact so nothing is far away.

[disneymom15]

Port Orleans French Quarter is my choice also. Have only stayed at 2 moderates. Didn't care much for CB.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

We are Port Orleans fans too! We've stayed multiple times at POR and POFQ. For us, we like POFQ better (because it is smaller), but we use the facilities at both resorts on each trip. Since they are "sister" resorts, you can stay at one, but use the pool etc. at either.

If it was me, I would take a look at POR and POFQ and choose the one that appealed to me the most. POFQ is great since it is small, and I love the theming, the feeling of walking down the "street" to your "house". POR is great since it has a super food court, a TS restaurant and a number of pools. Both times we've stayed at POR we've been just about the only people using the quiet pools near our rooms.

Of course, there is the added bonus of the boat to DTD (we find it use it more each trip) from both resorts, although the line can be fairly long in the evenings.

[Fangorn]

"Best" is a very subjective concept. Particularly with the moderate resorts as they are all so different from each other.

Theming plays a huge part here, and what one person finds wonderful, others won't like at all.

I've stayed at all of them - here are some of the key things that differentiate them for me:

Riverside - This is my personal favorite when I really want a totally relaxed trip. The grounds are incredibly well themed. Boatwrights is a big plus as well - it's one of our favorite restaurants on the entire property. Having the boat to DTD is another big plus, that adds to the relaxed atmosphere. The food court is arguably the best in all of WDW.

French Quarter - the sister resort to Riverside, it is much smaller than any of the other moderates. Consequently, you're not far from anything. There's a boat stop to DTD here as well. No full-service restaurant, though. The pool area is nice (small), particularly with younger kids (5-9). The theming is lovely, although I personally don't care all that much for the New Orleans vibe. But it is quiet.

Coronado Springs - This one is almost a deluxe. Since it is a convention resort, there are a lot of amenities here that you won't find at the other moderates. There's a spa, health club, beauty salon and business center. The main pool is extremely well done. The entire resort is absolutely beautiful. It is large and spread out - getting from the main building to your room can be a serious trek. The dining here is excellent, but there isn't a true counter service - it's more of a hybrid. The rooms at Coronado are just a bit larger than the other mods.

Caribbean Beach - This was the very first Disney resort I ever stayed at. It's also my least favorite. For me, there's little there that I care for. Like Coronado, it's very spread out. while it's bright and colorful, that's about the only part of the theming that I find attractive. I'm not a "let's go hang out at the beach" kinda guy, so the whole sun, sand, beach, no shade thing is not too appealing. Dining options are limited.

Remember, these comments are based solely on my likes and dislikes. Your mileage may vary.

Have fun researching options.

Steve

[brownie]

We've stayed at both Port Orleans Riverside & French Quarter and Coronado Springs. This past summer we stayed at Coronado Springs for the first time and loved it. We would love to stay there again. It wasn't crowded, we enjoyed the theming, and we had a great stay there.

[Goofeygal]

French Quarter is my favorite. It is smaller and easier to get around.

[cajunmickey]

French quarter is our favorite. Stayed at all but CB.Love the grounds at Riverside and CS. They are both large resorts. Just like the feel of FQ the most.

[TheRustyScupper]

I love PO French Quarter - its a little smaller and more compact so nothing is far away.


Yep.
. . . smallest Moderate resort
. . . quaint
. . . serene
. . . easy walking distances
. . . nice food court
. . . pretty good bakery
. . . nice lounge
. . . hot tub
. . . one of best pool slides at WDW
. . . good bus service
. . . all buildings have elevators

[CanadaLovesDisney]

We keep going back to Caribbean Beach! People complain about the size and walking. Trust us when your eating all the ice cream and treats a walk is good for you. The landscaping is beautiful and rooms are well done - also currently being updated! :mickey:

[Skippy]

Port Orleans Riverside is my favorite. Love the grounds, serenity and the boat ride to Downtown a Disney is a nice treat.

French Quarter is my second with CB bringing up third. (Never stayed at CS).

[masonlovesdisney]

I have stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside...I loved the rooms and the pools, the layout was very nice also, but the bus service killed it for myself and the family. We waited upwards of 30 minutes sometimes, with JUST us at the bus stop...kinda killer when you just wanna be in the parks.

As of right now, im thinking that Coronado Springs is the best for me. I love the rooms and layout. Normally we stay in value resorts, but I want a change this time. Going to work up to deluxe resorts eventually :P

[Kaps]

Riverside food court is great Boatwrights is good sit down and the grounds are great. very relaxed just try to get something close to the front as the walk can be long from some buildings

[DonaldDuck1117]

We stayed at French Quarter in March and were majorly disappointed and we will not be returning. Ever. The rooms were clean, grounds were nice, and the resort is compact. However, the service was horrendous by the front desk.

We were on our Honeymoon and a few of our friends who work at Disney had left a gift for us a with the front desk for them to give to us upon arrival (unbeknownst to us). Well they did not give us anything. After a few days our friends asked us if we got our gift because we hasn't said anything about it. So they tell me to go to the front desk, I do, I ask about a package and they tell me "no, nothing was left for you." I tell our friends that and they call the resort. Then I get a call from our friends telling me to go back to the desk. I do, and what do you know, there is a package for us. The guy apologizes but I could tell he didnt really care.

Then I had set up with Disney Floral to have a glass slipper delivered to the carriage ride at Riverside as a surprise. Well on the day of the ride we stop in the room and there is the glass slipper on the table! As you can imagine I was ticked. I even paid more to have it delivered to the carriage ride, which was also a surprise.

I called Disney Floral and they check things on their end and the delivery instructions were correct on their end-to go to the carriage. The hotel had messed up. But, floral did the right thing and refunded me 50% and I could tell the worker was horrified.

So at that point I was feeling better because floral had done the right thing. I decided to go to the front desk and just let them know the two problems we had experienced. I was not mad, or angry, and calmly explained what had happened. The girl at the desk gave me an empty "sorry." At that point I asked to speak to a manager. I rehash my two tales and the Manager acted like I was wasting her time! She didn't care at all. She blamed floral for the error and that was good enough for her. I was shocked by her attitude. She then offered to call floral to see about the miscommunication and call me when she got an answer. She never called. Not my cell phone. Not the room.

When we got back from our trip I write Disney about it. I have never had to write about a problem before (I have written numerous emailsabout cast members who went above and beyond before). It wasnt so much that the problems happened, I understand they are going to sometimes. It was the attitude of the cast members and manager that appalled me. It was as if I was wasting their time and they had more important things to do than talk to me.

I did get a call from Disney after to apologize and she said my email would be shared with the hotel and the upper management.

Whew! Sorry for that long rant! Basically if you don't have any packages French Quarter is ok. However, we won't be back.

[FantasmicJ]

I've stayed at all mods except for POFQ. That being said my personal ranking for the other 3 are:
1. Coronado Springs
2. Port Orleans - Riverside
3. Caribbean Beach

Coronado has always seemed the quietest to me with the best transportation. I've found that with the conventions there it makes the buses less busy. In addition, it's very centrally located so the time to the parks is one of the best if you look at guidebooks. I love the theming as well and the main pool is awesome. Some people aren't a fan of their "counter service" dining option but we've always enjoyed it.

I've always felt that CSR and POR are similar in size, and it really depends on where your room is and what amenities you are using on if that is a factor or not. In my experiences, I felt that CBR was an even bigger, more spread out resort.

I place POR a close 2nd to CSR due to the theming, good food options and the boat availability to DTD.

CBR I was not a fan of the CS food options, size, and how busy it seemed both times we were there.

[Angelgirl65]

I just love Coronado. I love the theme, the atmosphere and the new business class lounge.

[#1donaldfan]

We typically always stay at Riverside and call it our home away from home. I do love it there, but we did the FQ last summer and it was the best ever. I liked it better than AKL and I did like it there very much too. The FQ is small, has a great food court. It was very quiet, the pool was nice, the boat to DtD, just all the feel of a deluxe in a moderate.:mickey:

[sahra]

I would recommend you Omni Orlando Resort at Champions Gate. It is around $90 a night but the hotel is amazing. I strongly recommend it!

[Kenny1113]

I have stayed at all of the moderates except riverside
My preference is
POFQ- it has been several years but really liked this resort. I agree with pps on the nice quaint size
CB- yes it is a large resort but we were within walking distance to everything. Our family doesn't mind walking. The theming is nice,Very relaxing :)
CSR ( my least favorite resort on property) the customer service was terrible and I don't care for the dining options on site.

[ThanxForNoticin]

It's interesting reading all the responses - the varieties of responses! Clearly, many have had good experiences and lesser experiences at the different values.

Our choice would be CSR as our favorite, with POR as a very close second. The layout and feel of CSR is really nice. And we really enjoy the pool and the Pepper Market. Then with POR, it always felt to us like we weren't staying at a moderate - it always feels a little "richer" there, and it's very relaxing! Some very good choices, though....

[Gator]

Another opinion! We love Coronado Springs. The grounds are nothing short of amazing. The pool is incredible. The Pepper Market is a great CS. The bus service is great - especially since many people staying there are convention goers, so that means they usually aren't clogging up buses in the morning. The room decor' is also very nice.

I'm still hoping that one day they add a 5th bed to these rooms so that we can one day return.