Concerns about new resorts

[Iowa Mouse lover]

I have been to CS several times and never felt was any abundance of convention goers or the crowd level at the food court any different than would be at any resort. I have loved it there and coming back in 2 weeks. AKL does sound neat.

 

[absolut_mandy]

We just got back from a quick trip to WDW and it included one night at CS. It was our first time at the resort and we found that there was good and bad things about it.
The new rooms are amazing! There are so many things that Disney thought about when making them (no carpeting, lots of outlets, large desk (just to put stuff on!) and lots of little extras. We fell in love with the room when we saw it but there was some negatives too.
We definitely felt the crush of the convention people. We had reservations for the table service and while waiting for a seat, over 100 convention people came in and took over the space. I know that when you get in a group, you do not notice anyone else but it got so bad that we were actually going to leave. The QS has lots of seats and the selection of grab and go food is great (probably thanks to the convention people).
The hotel is spread out and, of course, our room was the farthest possible. We had some challenges with bus (distance from the room and being full before boarding).
Both of us said that we will not be returning to CSR but if they could put that room in a small resort, we would LOVE it.
BTW, I totally agree with AKL! It is so amazing and is a great place for adults. This trip we took a tour of Jiko and Boma and it was great. They explain the appearance of the restaurants, the food and the wine. They even feed you! At Jiko we had assorted bread and dips and at Boma we had soup and zebra domes. The zebra domes were delicious!!
Have a great trip!

 

[cmwade77]

If you plan to spend a lot of downtime at the resort, I would 100% recommend AKL. You can't beat seeing animals from your balcony!! And even if you don't splurge for the savanna view, there are so many places to relax and watch the animals. It's a very calm resort, IMO, similar to the calm vibe at Wilderness.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Dmousey]

We just got back from a quick trip to WDW and it included one night at CS. It was our first time at the resort and we found that there was good and bad things about it.
The new rooms are amazing! There are so many things that Disney thought about when making them (no carpeting, lots of outlets, large desk (just to put stuff on!) and lots of little extras. We fell in love with the room when we saw it but there was some negatives too.
We definitely felt the crush of the convention people. We had reservations for the table service and while waiting for a seat, over 100 convention people came in and took over the space. I know that when you get in a group, you do not notice anyone else but it got so bad that we were actually going to leave. The QS has lots of seats and the selection of grab and go food is great (probably thanks to the convention people).
The hotel is spread out and, of course, our room was the farthest possible. We had some challenges with bus (distance from the room and being full before boarding).
Both of us said that we will not be returning to CSR but if they could put that room in a small resort, we would LOVE it.
BTW, I totally agree with AKL! It is so amazing and is a great place for adults. This trip we took a tour of Jiko and Boma and it was great. They explain the appearance of the restaurants, the food and the wine. They even feed you! At Jiko we had assorted bread and dips and at Boma we had soup and zebra domes. The zebra domes were delicious!!
Have a great trip!

Thanks for such a detailed comparison! I definitely agree with you about the rooms looking fantastic. That’s initially what drew us to staying there in the first place. The tours of Jiko and Boma sound amazing!
I am literally a phone call away from changing my booking - wish me luck!

 

[DSLRuser]

CSR is great. We never felt like convention groups took over the place.

AKL is great, but the animals from the balcony thing gets old very quickly.
Day 1 = "hey look...a zebra....cool"
Day 2 = "yep...zebra still there"
Day 3 = "I bet there is a zebra....who knew"
Day 4 + "wonder if the zebra is there....meh...who cares...already saw him 3 times"

Now the pool area at CSR is pretty great, but the one at AKL is better. Will construction bother you...if yes...stay at AKL....if price is important....i would have no problem at CSR again.

 

[ice cube]

12 nights? Do a split stay for sure! I would do 5 nights at CSR and 7 at AKL (or longer if you can). AKL is amazing! If you do a split stay then you get to see a couple different places. We do this almost every time and is very easy to do. Have fun!

I agree OP should do a split since it 12 nights. Give CSR a chance since there is going to be a lot to explore with the opening of the new tower then move over to AKL as I agree its amazing. Just love the tranquility of the
savanna while sitting on the balcony in the early morning.

 

[DanInMN]

Stay at CSR if you like sharing your vacation with Corporate America... a lot of people trying to impress their boss, pretending to care about selling widgets, being a team player (when they know either they or their coworker will be fired and the other promoted), and so much more fun and games!

On second thought, no thanks!

 

[ice cube]

Stay at CSR if you like sharing your vacation with Corporate America... a lot of people trying to impress their boss, pretending to care about selling widgets, being a team player (when they know either they or their coworker will be fired and the other promoted), and so much more fun and games!

On second thought, no thanks!

Yes there are business conventions held at CSR just like at other Disney resorts but never heard of people trying to impress their boss going to CSR.....you don't impress your boss at a moderate resort
you go deluxe or better yet the flagship...GF....lmao

 

[Moliphino]

I've never even noticed the conference goers outside of the convention area.

 

[virk4]

I also recommend AKL.

 

[gillep]

CSR is great. We never felt like convention groups took over the place.

AKL is great, but the animals from the balcony thing gets old very quickly.
Day 1 = "hey look...a zebra....cool"
Day 2 = "yep...zebra still there"
Day 3 = "I bet there is a zebra....who knew"
Day 4 + "wonder if the zebra is there....meh...who cares...already saw him 3 times"

Now the pool area at CSR is pretty great, but the one at AKL is better. Will construction bother you...if yes...stay at AKL....if price is important....i would have no problem at CSR again.

Depends on the person, we say at AKL for a week each year and we still don't find seeing the animals old at all, we love it, and plan lots of down time for those stays.

We have also stayed at CSR numerous times, it is my favorite moderate resort. We have seen convention goers before, but nothing that has impacted our trip, nothing like the annoyance of the cheerleaders at POFQ.

I would be happy with either AKL or CSR, also love WL.

 

[Dmousey]

I agree OP should do a split since it 12 nights. Give CSR a chance since there is going to be a lot to explore with the opening of the new tower then move over to AKL as I agree its amazing. Just love the tranquility of the
savanna while sitting on the balcony in the early morning.

If I could then I would but with the offer from the UK you need to purchase tickets (at least 14 days worth) with your stay to get free dining and two stays would mean two lots of tickets and so it’s not worth it price wise.

A part of me still wants to stay at CSR for the reasons that’s you’ve mentioned with all the changes taking place. However we won’t be back for at least another couple of years and I don’t want to be a guinea pig

 

[Dmousey]

Depends on the person, we say at AKL for a week each year and we still don't find seeing the animals old at all, we love it, and plan lots of down time for those stays.

We have also stayed at CSR numerous times, it is my favorite moderate resort. We have seen convention goers before, but nothing that has impacted our trip, nothing like the annoyance of the cheerleaders at POFQ.

I would be happy with either AKL or CSR, also love WL.

Part of the reason I wanted to move from CSR to POFQ/POR/AKL was because I thought they were frequented less by the cheer group and young sports groups etc. I know this August CSR had a lot of the basketball teams staying there. Interesting to hear that they are also at the other moderates too..

I hope you don’t mind me asking what makes CSR you’re favourite moderate over the others and your opinion on whether the new tower hotel will have a positive / negative impact on those staying at the rest of the resort?

 

[gillep]

Part of the reason I wanted to move from CSR to POFQ/POR/AKL was because I thought they were frequented less by the cheer group and young sports groups etc. I know this August CSR had a lot of the basketball teams staying there. Interesting to hear that they are also at the other moderates too..

I hope you don’t mind me asking what makes CSR you’re favourite moderate over the others and your opinion on whether the new tower hotel will have a positive / negative impact on those staying at the rest of the resort?

I love the feel of the resort, it is so pretty, especially at night, and the different sections are so well themed, I often run at Disney, and I love running through the different CSR themes, they are really well done. The CSR pool is also great, and I think that it being a convention resort keeps it less busy, we stayed at CBR once and we couldn't find chairs any of the times we went, it was awful, never had that issue at CSR. I also really like the pool bar, as they serve quite a few real foods if you don't feel like leaving the pool area to go to the food court. I like the multiple bus stops because you can choose to either get off near your room or at the front if you want to go to the food court or a restaurant, and they seemed much less busy than CBR, likely due to convention goers not going to the parks as much. I also really like POR (it is my husband's favorite moderate), it is so well themed and relaxing. I do not like POFQ or CBR, CBR we would never return to, I like spread out resorts, but CBR was even too much for me. POFQ just did nothing for me, especially compared to POR, and considering it cost more than POR when we stayed there, but again I prefer the slightly larger more spread out resorts, it was also overrun with cheerleaders when we went, every time I turned a corner there was another pyramid of screaming clapping girls, no thank you. I have never encountered one of these groups at CSR or POR, but I am sure it does happen, although I think CSR is more geared towards conventions so you tend to see more adults and business type groups.

I really don't think the tower will have much of an impact at all, especially if it is being geared towards the convention crowd. I think there are enough restaurants and amenities at CSR that the resort won't feel overrun. We have avoided CSR during the construction, but I am personally looking forward to going back once it is all done.

I also cannot say enough good things about AKL, we own there and obviously love it, if I had to choose one resort on property it would always be AKL.

 

[Dmousey]

I have also found out about switching resorts and wondering whether these increases in price for the other resorts seem reasonable for the 12 nights

POFQ/POR - £600 / $780 same for OKW

AKL - £1500 / $1950

 

[Dmousey]

I love the feel of the resort, it is so pretty, especially at night, and the different sections are so well themed, I often run at Disney, and I love running through the different CSR themes, they are really well done. The CSR pool is also great, and I think that it being a convention resort keeps it less busy, we stayed at CBR once and we couldn't find chairs any of the times we went, it was awful, never had that issue at CSR. I also really like the pool bar, as they serve quite a few real foods if you don't feel like leaving the pool area to go to the food court. I like the multiple bus stops because you can choose to either get off near your room or at the front if you want to go to the food court or a restaurant, and they seemed much less busy than CBR, likely due to convention goers not going to the parks as much. I also really like POR (it is my husband's favorite moderate), it is so well themed and relaxing. I do not like POFQ or CBR, CBR we would never return to, I like spread out resorts, but CBR was even too much for me. POFQ just did nothing for me, especially compared to POR, and considering it cost more than POR when we stayed there, but again I prefer the slightly larger more spread out resorts, it was also overrun with cheerleaders when we went, every time I turned a corner there was another pyramid of screaming clapping girls, no thank you. I have never encountered one of these groups at CSR or POR, but I am sure it does happen, although I think CSR is more geared towards conventions so you tend to see more adults and business type groups.

I really don't think the tower will have much of an impact at all, especially if it is being geared towards the convention crowd. I think there are enough restaurants and amenities at CSR that the resort won't feel overrun. We have avoided CSR during the construction, but I am personally looking forward to going back once it is all done.

I also cannot say enough good things about AKL, we own there and obviously love it, if I had to choose one resort on property it would always be AKL.

Thank you for such a detailed reply. I was all set on switching to AKL but having spoken to Disney and finding out how much extra it would be I’m now not so sure. It’s still within our budget to stay at AKL if we wanted as would the Grand Floridian if we chose but I don’t see the point in spending money where it’s not necessary and I’d rather spend it on souvenirs and other hard ticketed events. Reading your post makes me think that I should just give it a chance!

For reference here is how much more it would cost to stay at the other resorts

POFQ/POR - £600 / $780 same for OKW

AKL - £1500 / $1950

 

[gillep]

Thank you for such a detailed reply. I was all set on switching to AKL but having spoken to Disney and finding out how much extra it would be I’m now not so sure. It’s still within our budget to stay at AKL if we wanted as would the Grand Floridian if we chose but I don’t see the point in spending money where it’s not necessary and I’d rather spend it on souvenirs and other hard ticketed events. Reading your post makes me think that I should just give it a chance!

For reference here is how much more it would cost to stay at the other resorts

POFQ/POR - £600 / $780 same for OKW

AKL - £1500 / $1950

I will just let you know what we do. I set a budget and then look at the type of trip that we are going for and book the resort that fits best with that plan, and is still within budget. I don't like to worry about costs on vacation, so I tend to err on spending towards the lower end of the budget so that I don't have to worry about feeling like I can't spend on extras, but I always choose a resort that I am excited about or looking forward to, even if I am only looking forward to it because it is some place new, if you aren't looking forward to the resort then you shouldn't stay there, or at least that's my opinion.

If we are spending a lot of time where we know we will be eating at our resort often and taking it slow with lots of resort time then we would likely book AKL.

If we are planning on a lot of time around DS then we may lean more towards POR with the lovely boat ride to DS.

If we are going to be doing a good mix of parks and resort, and will be spending time at the pool then we would lean towards CSR.

If there is a festival at Epcot then we book Yacht or Beach club.

 

[Dmousey]

I will just let you know what we do. I set a budget and then look at the type of trip that we are going for and book the resort that fits best with that plan, and is still within budget. I don't like to worry about costs on vacation, so I tend to err on spending towards the lower end of the budget so that I don't have to worry about feeling like I can't spend on extras, but I always choose a resort that I am excited about or looking forward to, even if I am only looking forward to it because it is some place new, if you aren't looking forward to the resort then you shouldn't stay there, or at least that's my opinion.

If we are spending a lot of time where we know we will be eating at our resort often and taking it slow with lots of resort time then we would likely book AKL.

If we are planning on a lot of time around DS then we may lean more towards POR with the lovely boat ride to DS.

If we are going to be doing a good mix of parks and resort, and will be spending time at the pool then we would lean towards CSR.

If there is a festival at Epcot then we book Yacht or Beach club.

I think this is really great advice - thank you ever so much.

I think what we both need to do is take the time to sit down, do a bit of research and put together a rough plan of what we want to do whilst we are over there and then, as you’ve suggested, decide which resort fits our plans based on that.

 

[4evryoung]

Don't forget that your UK free dining package for a moderate includes the Quick Service plan (so table service meals at BOMA, Jiko, Saana would have to be paid out of pocket) but AKL would include the Disney Dining Plan that gives you one table service meal as well as a quick service meal each day. The difference in costs therefore might not be as great as it seems.

If you do stay at AKL, or even just visit, consider booking the afternoon wine tasting that they hold in Jiko one day a week. It costs about $40, but is really informative as well as serving nice wines. It only involves about 12 guests so you need to book in advance.