Disney Moderate Hotel - Which One?

[virginatlantic]

Hi all, I'm a new member, we are just about to book our 10th holiday to Florida in July 2004. As we are in the UK, this takes a little more planning due to the travelling, so we have to get it right.
Having previously stayed in the All Star resorts, we would like to try the next step up. We had planned to stay at the Port Orleans, but the refurbishment has changed our plans.
Any suggestions as to which of the other moderate hotels is suitable for a family of four with two teenagers?
The Carribbean Beach was one idea, but does its large size make any difference? Any information on which areas have been refurbished and how recently would be handy, we have heard that the food court has been done recently. Although, there is also the Coronado Springs that we don't know much about.
I have driven past these hotels, but unfortunately never stopped to have a look.
Many thanks for any tips!

 

[Laura]

I don't know anything about CBR's refurbishing, but I have stayed at both resorts you are asking about. I stayed in the Barbados area of CBR and the Casitas area of CSR.

Both CBR and CSR are similarly laid out, with areas surrounding a central waterway. Each resort has nearly the same number of rooms, and the biggest difference between them is location within WDW and, naturally, theme. Apart from that, the differences are very subtle. A lot of your choice really just depends on your own personal preferences. The CBR has a lot of white sand beach area and is very tropical, while the CSR has some lovely buildings and the scenery ranges from Southwest desert-like to more urban Mexican. The food court at CSR is unique in that servers bring you your drinks and then you go around to the food stations, get your own food and then when you leave you pay a 10% gratuity. Some people think it's a drag, but I personally don't mind it. We didn't eat much at the food court anyway. We generally ate in the parks.

I prefer CSR, personally, but I think both resorts are great. I like the look of the rooms and landscape at CSR more and it is really close to Epcot, MGM and AK. Buses don't take very long to get to those parks, which is a bonus to me. I'm all about the parks.

One of the pluses at CSR was the air conditioning. Instead of the noisy units under the window you have a wee wall-mounted thermostat by which you set the temperature of your room.

Anyway, either resort would be fine for your teenagers. The CBR has more pools, though, if that's your thing. The CSR's main pool, the Dig Site, is lots of fun too.

 

[sci-fi-dreamer!]

We have stayed at CBR 2x and liked it very much! It is very "tropical" and you can see the fireworks at Epcot from the beach! I have heard they have updated their food court and people say it is much better than it used to be! They have a nice arcade and the pool is very nice also! You can rent bicycles and bike around the entire resort - very relaxing! We have stayed in Martinique bldg #25 which is close to the food court and pool! Their bus service was very good, hardly any wait for busses at all and they were only crowded a few times! Enjoy!