Help me pick my Disney hotel

I personally wouldn't be willing to pay Disney prices for a moderate resort, given that they have exterior doors, internal transportation systems that can take a while, and no table service dining.

Regarding table service dining at moderates, actually there is Boatwright's at POR, and Maya Grill and Las Ventanas at CS. The table service at CBR is currently closed for refurbishment but I think it will be open before the OP's visit in 2019. That leaves POFQ as the only moderate without table service dining.
 
We looked at pics of CBR and it does look nice and like the tropical atmosphere and it would be fun getting the sky liner to some parks

Iv noticed as well CBR seems to get a lot of negetive reviews and that puts us of a bit, not sure why it does

Is all the building work meant to be complete by Nov 2019

Am thinking more towards POR at the moment but part of me likes the theamimg much more at CBR

Just want to pick the best one aghhhh
 
I would say FQ. We have stayed at POR twice and FQ twice. FQ wins because we like the theming, the pool may be the nicest one in the moderate range and the size of the resort. Everything an d I mean everything is a 5 minute walk away. They do not have a TS restaurant but if you want to eat at a TS when staying at a hotel the POR TS is a 15 minute walk away. We also found the buses to be timely as well.
 


I would say FQ. We have stayed at POR twice and FQ twice. FQ wins because we like the theming, the pool may be the nicest one in the moderate range and the size of the resort. Everything an d I mean everything is a 5 minute walk away. They do not have a TS restaurant but if you want to eat at a TS when staying at a hotel the POR TS is a 15 minute walk away. We also found the buses to be timely as well.

The royal rooms like nice but not cheap
 
Given that you're a couple looking for a nice resort on a non-deluxe budget, I recommend staying at one of the offsite hotels within the WDW gates, such as the Bonnet Creek Hilton or the Swan. I personally wouldn't be willing to pay Disney prices for a moderate resort, given that they have exterior doors, internal transportation systems that can take a while, and no table service dining. Just my two cents.
The mods have table service dining.
 
If you are looking at two weeks at one resort my recommendations would be Saratoga springs or old key west because they both laid back resorts and the are both close to Disney springs.

We enjoyed them because they are relaxing and being so close to Disney springs you can go for dinner anytime or if you need a break from the parks. Also the studio has balcony which is bonus plus coffee makers and microwave in the rooms.

We have stayed at both resorts for two week stays before and enjoyed it

I would recommend trying a dvc rental points store such as David's vacation or dvc rental to save an your budget.

Usually you need to pay upfront for all or part of the cost but it will save you a lot of money on the resorts for that long of stay. Also if you are worried you can get cancellation insurance too
 


We have stayed at CRS and POR. I did like CRS the best just because of the doors that close between the room and sink area instead of a curtain. The resort area was much nicer at POR. it was a hort walk for us to go to the pool and the main building. We were in the Mansions. If you are in the Bayou it maybe a long walk to the front of the resort. We would like to stay at CBR but we weren't able to get it with the dining plan the year we went. I do think it is hard for anyone to like CBR right now because of the construction. I am not sure when it will be finished. Once it is completed I will be ready to give that resort a shot.
 
My family's favorite moderate resort is POR. The grounds are absolutely gorgeous and it is a very peaceful resort. The rooms in the mansions are very beautiful and Aligator Bayou, though not as luxurious, does have this secluded and lush feel to it that we have enjoyed in the past. It is nice to be able to use both its pool and the pool at Port Orleans French Quarter and the boat to Disney Springs is wonderful. It is our go-to mod and I never regret staying there.

Now, I said that POR is my family's favorite mod, but my personal favorite might be Caribbean Beach. I love the tropical ambiance and honestly don't think the size is all that bad. We stayed in a pirate room (not one I would personally recommend for you this trip given the information you provided) which is in the farthest section and walking to the main building wasn't that bad at all - and we did that with a six-year-old. The pool is a lot of fun, as well, and we were able to see the Epcot fireworks from outside our pirate room. My husband didn't care for how you have to check in and out at one building and that is where Magical Express picks up, but that is is kind of far from most of the buildings. You can ask for luggage services to help you, though, and sometimes you get lucky enough that they actually give you a ride in a golf cart to and/or from your room.

POFQ just insn't for me and, while I have had family stay at Coronado springs, I don't really know enough about it to offer and opinion. I have heard it is quite lovely, though, and many consider it to be the deluxe of the mods.
 
Have you looked into renting DVC points? that is the only way we can afford AKL.
 
It sounds like you want CBR and there's nothing wrong with that. As you've said the sky liner will be there! Why not just go with CBR? What's holding you back?
 
My family adores Port Orleans Riverside....and there is a table service restaurant there though we only ate there once many years ago. If you want more dining choices you can take a boat from there to Disney Springs for all kinds of restaurants!! We always stay in the Alligator Bayou section but I recommend you take a look at the gallery of resort photos and determine if that section or the mansions would work better for you. After a long day at a park the atmosphere at POR is VERY relaxing!! What a vacation should be some of the time!
 
I've stayed at all the mods except POR, and CBR is my favorite! We didn't find it to be too spread out, but we did find it be quiet and beautiful. I just read an article with some details about the new Old Port Royale, which looks AMAZING. It also has a great pool!

Was there anything in particular that was a concern in the bad reviews you've read for CBR?
 
Probley just the bad reviews I keep hearing
In the end, the truth is everywhere has good reviews and bad reviews. Sure a lot of people really like POR and POFQ. Doesn't mean you won't enjoy CBR. And in spite of the bad reviews, it seems like you really want to try CBR. I think if you don't, you'll always be wondering "what if?" It's not like it's the pits or anything. If you have specific concerns before you'll feel comfortable booking CBR, let us know and we'll try to address them. But just bad general reviews should not deter you from what you really want.

I happen to love Le Cellier (restaurant). A ton of people pan it. I still book it every trip and have never been disappointed.

You might love it, you might hate it. But if you don't try it, you'll never know.
 
I'm a big fan of POR - I love the little path between the resorts and you can use the amenities of both resorts. Ye haw Bob also plays at POR a few nights a week which is nice. CBR is under heavy refurbishment as is CSR so I would probably avoid those (although I stayed at CSR during the work and it didn't really affect the trip and the price was right - and I got these cool pins haha).

Jambo is basically my favorite resort on property. You could look to rent DVC points which would cut the cost down for Animal Kingdom Lodge substantially.
 
I've stayed at all the moderates. I would rank them:

CSR
CBR
POFQ
POR

You've already stayed at CSR.

I stayed at CBR many, many years ago and really liked it. Since then, there have been many updates to the resort. Plus, as you say, the sky liner will be there in two years. If would go with a preferred room if you can afford it. Proximity to the food court and pool area is worth it.

I stayed at POFQ many years ago. It was nice, but didn't "wow" me. It was very small which is an advantage but I was bored with it after just a couple of days.

I stayed at POR a couple years ago and *hated* it. I was in a room in Alligator Bayou that was a million miles away from the food court. If I were to ever stay there again it would be in the Mansions section.
 
between CBR and POR.. i pick POR but only because i like the outside theme a little better... If your gonna spend MOST of your time at the parks then you really can't go wrong with either one. I suspect most of the construction will be done at CBR by next fall which could tilt my recommendation some...

Just relax and know you can't go wrong with either.. ! ;)
 
I've stayed at all the mods except POR, and CBR is my favorite! We didn't find it to be too spread out, but we did find it be quiet and beautiful. I just read an article with some details about the new Old Port Royale, which looks AMAZING. It also has a great pool!

Was there anything in particular that was a concern in the bad reviews you've read for CBR?

Nice to hear a good review

Not really just hear a lot of people saying CBR is our least favourite not sure why lol
 

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