Disney World Moderate Resort Rankings
Which Walt Disney World Moderate Resort hotel is best? It’s a common question among vacation planners, and unlike Value Resorts, it’s difficult to answer. Coronado Springs, Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans Riverside & French Quarter each have strengths & weaknesses, and our “worst” might be your “best.” (Updated November 6, 2022.)
With that said, we’re going to attempt to rank the best and the worst Moderate Resorts, being as objective as humanly possible here. We’re also going to note the pros & cons of each, discuss theme, amenities, resort layout & size, and other variables that impact the ranking. That way, you can choose the Walt Disney World Moderate Resort that will appeal to you most, irrespective of its ranking here.
This article was pretty much entirely re-written following the opening of Gran Destino Tower, which is itself a separate entry on this list. Both Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs also finished multi-year expansion and refurbishment projects and the Port Orleans Resorts have had their guest rooms redone. We’ve again revisited the rankings in Late 2022 based on recent stays and visits this year. Suffice to say, all of these Moderate Resorts are dramatically different from what they were like even a few years ago.
In general, the Moderate Resorts don’t receive enough attention. Budget-minded tourists flock to the Value Resorts (read our Value Resort Rankings), and guests seeking more extravagant trips go to the Deluxe Resorts (read our Deluxe Resort Rankings). While these are good reasons to stay at Value and Deluxe Resorts, what about those who want a little compromise? Those for whom cost is a concern, but not the overriding concern?
We often find ourselves in this position, and frequently pick Moderate Resorts when looking for the best compromise. I feel that all of the Moderate Resorts offer solid theming, which is far superior to the Value Resorts (unless you have small children who really like the style of the Values). Moreover, Moderates are significantly cheaper than the Deluxe Resorts. This makes Disney’s Moderates the ultimate “compromise” option.
With that in mind, let’s dig into the rankings…
N/A. The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness
We’ve decided to remove Fort Wilderness from our rankings as it’s a complete disservice to them and the other resorts on this list to even draw a comparison. Walt Disney World has Fort Wilderness listed as a “Moderate Resort” but that’s only because the campground doesn’t fit anywhere else. Ultimately, Fort Wilderness is a love it or hate it kind of thing, and you probably already know whether it appeals to you.
I happen to love Fort Wilderness. It’s one of my favorite places (calling it a “resort” is playing a bit fast and loose with the term) in Walt Disney World. Until Shades of Green came into being, we stayed at Fort Wilderness every year on our family trips, and I made a lot of memories there.
Beyond that, it’s one of the few vestiges of the original “Vacation Kingdom of the World,” and is a stark contrast to most other places to stay at Walt Disney World. The theming is natural: an undisturbed bastion of wilderness, with just enough artifice carved out so that Disney guests never are truly “roughing it.”
Fort Wilderness certainly isn’t for everyone, but preconceived notions and misconceptions of what it is will likely preclude some from giving it a chance. The Cabins are, in essence, Villas in cabin form, and are nicer than many other hotel rooms. This gives guests the best of both worlds: the ability to enjoy the natural world while staying in a nice hotel room. Fort Wilderness offers fishing, boat rentals, and a myriad of other activities that families with young children will enjoy, and has some great dining, too.
All of that said, given its price and the nature of the cabins, it doesn’t really make sense for me to compare it to the Moderate Resorts. It’s a great resort, if that’s what you’re after, but it is a definite outlier from the rest of this list in terms of what it offers and its price point. For that reason, I’m ranking it last. It’s by no means a bad option, but that’s with the “if you have a larger party wanting to stay in a cabin” caveat.
For what it is (an alternative to a Villa or Family Suite), I’ll give it a “highly recommend” ranking, but if you’re in the market for a single Moderate Resort room, you shouldn’t be looking at the Fort Wilderness Cabins.
5. Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Our full Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort review has long considered the hotel something of a “mixed bag.” On the one hand, I think the rooms are among the nicest of all standard Moderate Resorts as they utilize space very well, are very modern, and have a variety of substantive enhancements not found at other resorts.
Moreover, Coronado Springs has an excellent pool area, far and away the most robust slate of dining options of any Moderate Resort, and other amenities not found at other hotels on this list. While not to everyone’s tastes, some of the outlying buildings are nicely themed, as well.
On the other hand, Gran Destino towering in the distance is a blight on the rest of the resort. This boxy, Vegas-style hotel aimed at conventioneers is definitely at-odds with the rest of the resort’s theming, and doesn’t belong at Coronado Springs. (Others who rank Coronado Springs low feel the convention clientele drags down the atmosphere; we disagree, but it’s a common enough complaint to warrant listing it here.)
With Gran Destino now open, our position on Coronado Springs Resort is that you should stay in that tower–if it appeals to you–or at a different resort entirely. More than anything else, themed design is what separates Walt Disney World resorts from the competition. In that regard, Gran Destino too huge of a blow to the rest of Coronado Springs to ignore.
4. Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
It breaks my heart a little to put this in the #4 slot. For years, Port Orleans Riverside was our favorite Moderate Resort, and where we stayed more than anywhere else on this list. That hasn’t been true for at least a few years, and if I’m being honest with myself, I now love the idea of Port Orleans Riverside more than the actual resort. We still love to visit and spend time at this thematic exemplar, but when push comes to shove and we’re actually doing a stay for practical purposes, Riverside ranks low on our list of choices.
The simple fact is that each of the top 3 entries offer actual advantages to improve the quality of your vacation. That comes either via superior ease of access or luxurious accommodations. Riverside has neither of those things, instead having some of the most inefficient transportation and basic rooms, even following the recent refresh. Those downsides have become too big to ignore, and are the reason we find ourselves visiting Riverside rather than staying here–even though we love it.
With that said, Port Orleans Riverside has many strengths. It has an underrated slate of dining options, from the food court to the hidden gem table service restaurant to the lounge. It offers the theming of a Deluxe Resort for the price of a Moderate. It has the entertainment offerings of a Deluxe Resort for the price of a Moderate.
Riverside is divided into the rustic Alligator Bayou and more stately Magnolia Bend mansions; this gives it more variety, and richness in detail and design. The backstory is likewise interesting, engaging, and executed cleverly throughout the resort.
The grounds are absolutely stunning, with rich wilderness in the bayou and perfectly manicured gardens around the mansions. The quiet pathways that litter Riverside make it a great place to take a romantic stroll or evening surrey bike ride. Despite being fairly spread out, it presents as intimate and romantic, and offers the most immersive themed environments of any Moderate Resort.
Thanks to the bikes, carriage rides, and fishing, there’s a lot to do at Riverside. There’s also great evening entertainment for adults. Dining is also great at Riverside, with an excellent (and well-themed) restaurant in Boatwright’s and a very fun food court that offers plenty of variety in Riverside Mill.
3. Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter used to be its own resort, simply “Port Orleans.” When the post-9/11 dip in tourism hit Walt Disney World, the former Dixie Landings and Port Orleans Resorts, which were in the process of being consolidated, received further consolidations to save on operating expenses.
This is significant because it meant shuttering Bonfamille’s Cafe table-service restaurant, and the loss of bike and boat rentals. French Quarter now “shares” these amenities, plus watercraft rentals and carriage rides, with its sister resort, Port Orleans – Riverside. While annoying, it’s fairly easy to access all of this with a short walk or boat ride over to Riverside.
Fans of French Quarter are most likely to point to its size–it’s the most compact of all the Moderate Resorts–as the primary reason why it’s the best Moderate Resort. With the opening of Gran Destino Tower, French Quarter has been bested in that regard, and falls down the list a bit as a result. However, the two aren’t really comparable–especially in price–so it’s difficult to penalize French Quarter in that regard.
Then there’s the exceptional themed design at French Quarter, with a romanticized take on New Orleans. It is intimate, has beautiful fountains and wrought-iron details, plus the alligator band (who doesn’t love a musically-inclined alligator?!). The pool is strong, the grounds are charming, and the layout is a definite selling point for families.
French Quarter has a lot going for it, and we ultimately give it the slight edge over Riverside because it’s likely you’ll see more upside from the condensed layout and convenient, single bus stop than you will downside from having to walk to Riverside for a table service dinner or various recreation.
2. Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Thanks to its massive reimagining, Caribbean Beach Resort has addressed some of its biggest weaknesses and is now a contender for the title of best Moderate Resort at Walt Disney World. If you’ve read our full review, you know that I love Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, and consider it “Polynesian-Lite.”
While the guest rooms are once again starting to show their age (and will likely be refreshed again in 2023), the pool, restaurants, and main lobby are all top-notch. These have all been enhanced, and Caribbean Beach Resort now feels nicer and chicer. Banana Cabana pool bar has been upgraded, Sebastian’s Bistro is a quality waterfront restaurant, and the lobby is modern.
The biggest upgrade at Caribbean Beach Resort is the Skyliner gondola. Caribbean Beach Resort is the hub for the Skyliner, with two stations offering access to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT, plus Art of Animation, Pop Century, and Riviera Resorts. This is an absolute game-changer for easily accessing those parks within minutes, which is great for Early Entry and midday breaks. Not having to rely on buses to get to these two parks is huge, the value of which cannot be overstated.
Then there’s the addition of Disney’s Riviera Resort, a new DVC tower that replaced several guest buildings at Caribbean Beach. The advantage here is in the amenities that Disney’s Riviera Resort offers. Dining is the big thing, with Primo Piatto, Le Petit Café, Bar Riva, and more easily accessible. Most importantly, there’s Topolino’s Terrace–both the Signature dinner and the Character Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends.
It’s not all upside. The construction of Disney’s Riviera Resort and the Disney Skyliner gondola system together destroyed some of the serene, tropical charm of Caribbean Beach. It’s no longer the lush tropical paradise that it once was–even if the new lobby and check-in, transportation, and dining options all count as huge substantive upgrades that will improve the quality of your trip.
1. Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs Resort
Gran Destino Tower is destined to be a polarizing, love it or hate it, resort. If you read the above section on Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, you might assume we fall in the “hate it” camp. However, our full review of Gran Destino Tower reveals a bit more nuance.
We hate Gran Destino while standing in the outlying buildings at Coronado Springs Resort. From inside Gran Destino Tower, we…well, love is too strong of a word, but we recognize its strengths. Quite simply, Gran Destino is an excellent option for adults, honeymooners, or anyone wanting consolidated accommodations with everything they need under one roof. In fact, an argument can be made that Gran Destino Tower is one of the best luxury resorts at Walt Disney World.
The biggest upside to Gran Destino Tower is price. While the slate of amenities here makes this hotel tower comparable to many Deluxe Resorts, pricing is more like a Moderate Resort at a slight premium. Granted, it’s not located near any theme park and the themed design is not on par with the Deluxes, but if you’re not a “Disney person” or don’t care about theme and are just after a luxurious stay, Gran Destino is a very compelling option.
That lack of a distinct theme is arguably the biggest downside of Gran Destino, but we are cognizant of the fact, that this won’t matter to everyone. It sneaks into this spot with a laundry list of amenities and features the other Moderates just cannot touch. We’ve found ourselves staying here more and more, especially when rates are competitive. All-bus transportation is a definite downside, but it’s worth the hassle for getting Deluxe Resort caliber accommodations at a Moderate+ price.
Ultimately, there really is something for everyone at the Moderate Resort tier. If you want sprawling grounds that feel worlds away from Walt Disney World amid a richly-themed resort setting, Port Orleans Riverside is for you. If you want most of that minus the sprawling layout and with better transportation, check out French Quarter. For unrivaled transportation thanks to the Skyliner and easy access to exceptional eating, Caribbean Beach is your best bet. Looking for luxury accommodations that might be more at home in Las Vegas than Walt Disney World? Gran Destino Tower is unbeatable.
Even when it comes to those takeaways, our opinions aren’t the gospel. What separates any of the resorts on this list is pretty insubstantial or a matter of personal preference. That plus the priorities for your Walt Disney World vacation make a big deal with how these will rank for you. Given that, we’ve laid out the pros & cons of each Moderate Resorts so you can weigh the relevant considerations accordingly and make an informed decisions when booking your hotel!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? If you’re interested in learning more about hotels, our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page is a good place to start. For where to eat, try out our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews page. If you want to save money on tickets or determine which type you should get, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at unconventional things you should take on your trip. Once you arrive at the parks, our Walt Disney World “Ride Guides” are great for determining what to do and when to do it. For overviews of all of these topics and so much more, the best place to start is our comprehensive Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide to make the most of your experience!
Your Thoughts
Which is your favorite Moderate Resort? How would you rank the hotels in this tier? Are there any that you dislike? Do you agree or disagree with our list, or the pros & cons for each Moderate Resort? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We stayed at the Port Orleans – Riverside in early May. You’re description of the resort is very accurate. We chose one of the ‘mansion’ style buildings close to a bus stop, and it had an elevator, too accommodate our bad knees etc. (We are golden girls )
We loved the walkways, the meandering river and bridges. It is spread out so we took our time–except when we were running late for the bus. The bedding was supurb, the room was comfy enough for 4 women and our luggage. It was very quiet and restful. We were mostly there only in the evenings but I would plan on staying an extra day or 2 just to take in the atmosphere. Especially in the evening by the main building–you can sit outside in rocking chairs listening to slow banjo picking or other blues music, stroll beside the river, or get a late night snack. We would definitely recommend the Port Orleans – Riverside.
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Hi,
We are planning a 7 day trip to Orlando over Xmas 2016 as part of our honeymoon. We are really stuck trying to think of the best resort to stay in. We like your tip about going into the parks super early and going back for a rest in the middle of the day and heading back to the parks latter at night to avoid the busiest part of the day, however we don’t want to spend hours on busses so our main concern is travel time between resort and parks. We are willing to splash out on the luxury accommodation if it will help with time, and being our honeymoon we would like a bit of luxury. But at the same time, if we are likely to only be sleeping in our room a budget resort will suit us fine and save on the cash, so I’m happy to compromise with a moderate resort. I guess what I’m asking is, what is the best resort to stay at for travel times.
Kind regards
I will be at Disney Xmas 2016 too! Happy to find someone else who is blogging about it
I would avoid both Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter if travel time to parks is a concern. Both resorts only offer bus transportation to the four parks, with the boat available only to go between the two resorts or to go to Disney Springs.
We just recently stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter, and it’s not a resort I would ever consider staying in again. The bus service was AWFUL! You’re told it’s about a 20-minute average for buses (if you’ve just missed your bus), but we sat and waited twice that for a bus. When we dined over at Riverside and was returning to French Quarter, a woman waiting for a bus to Animal Kingdom was panicking because she’d made dining reservations, got to the bus area an hour before her reservation, and was going to be charged a $10 fee for each person in her party for not keeping the reservation. She waited an HOUR for her bus.
They also don’t tell you that Riverside and French Quarter often share the same bus, so (1) you will be on the bus for the four stops it makes at Riverside and you’ll have to wait for it to go through French Quarter as well. Also, (2) the buses are packed at certain times of day as it is, but when you have two resorts sharing a bus, it’s standing room only. The bus driver once crammed so many people on the bus that there were about three people for every hand strap!
We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside the first week of February 2015. I was a little nervous about the bus system, since my sister-in-law stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort 2 years prior & had terrible things to say about it. (she said if she ever went back, she’d stay at a resort with the monorail because her experience was so miserable) We never had an issue or waited very long, but we were always at the bus stop to get to the parks before they opened and didn’t go back to the hotel except one out of the 4 days we went to the parks. The cool thing was, we were the first stop, so we could sit anywhere we wanted, but we were also the first off, so if the bus was crowded it didn’t matter – even if we had to stand from the park to the hotel – we were always dropped off first. We thought the transport time to parks was great. The one day we came back to the resort, we changed clothes & went to another resort for dinner. That was time consuming, although not because we had to wait long for the bus, but because we had to go to MK first, then transfer to get to the other resort. We are planning a trip this November or next March, and I want to stay at the Caribbean Beach Resort, but I’m scared of the bus system again. We had it so good at Riverside. If the bus system was running on the same schedule as before, I would almost prefer to give up newly refurbished rooms for smooth bus transportation!
Hi Tom,
I stumbled upon your articles and they have been very helpful in planning our family of 4 trip in June. Our views on what’s important at a resort are in line with one another but I have some special considerations I’m hoping you can help with. We will be traveling with our 15 year-old son and our 17 year-old daughter who has a developmental disability. She is CRAZY about Disney and has been to Disneyland many times. This will be her first trip to DW. We want to stay as close to the main parks as possible as she has low muscle tone and doesn’t do well walking long distances. We plan on bringing a transport chair for her to get from place to place, but it would help to be in a more compact resort like the POFQ you mentioned. She loves music above all else and would probably love the New Orleans theme. Can you give us any other advice on where to stay with regards to our special needs?
Thanks so much!
Okay, I’d really like to know what the basis is for placing Caribbean Beach at the top of the list. By most estimations I’d rank it at the bottom. We are actually Orlando residents. In my case I’ve lived here for 15 years with annual passes for every one of those years, while my wife has lived here since she arrived here in the late 70’s – back when the Magic Kingdom was the only thing on offer and the ring resorts and Fort Wilderness were about the only thing on offer for accommodation. Her grandfather actually helped in the construction of Space Mountain and a few other areas. Now as odd as it might sound, we actually book into one of the resorts every year for the Labor day weekend, though we have occasionally added in other resort stays as well. For our family, particularly the kids, the resorts ARE the attraction, as they have access to the parks any time they want – seriously, we have days where I’ll offer them a day at one of the theme parks and they’ll go “oh gee, I’m half way through a REALLY good game on PlayStation that I’d rather finish.” It often leaves me bemused, as I know how much adults and kids round the globe hanker to get a look at Disney World, but that’s what you get when your kids grow up with something so readily available that they take it totally for granted. But back to the resorts. For us it’s all about what they have to offer us as a package, from dining and quality of accommodation, right through to the pool itself, which is a big deal for the kids, even though we do have a large pool of our own at our home. So while the rooms at Caribbean beach are nice, and the dining’s reasonable, the simple fact is that the pool area and surrounds at the resort really suck big time, especially if you’re an adult who basically wants to lie around and relax with a drink or book while the kids splash about. There is absolutely ZERO shade in the area, zip, no trees, nothing. Just a big wide expanse of concrete deck surrounding the pool area. Sure, if you want to get there early and jockey for the seating with umbrellas you can get some, but do you really want to do get into a daily bun-fight with the crowd over these, or have to get there early to secure them? Obviously it’s more of a priority for us given our situation, but even for families who are just going to perhaps spend a few hours by the pool it’s a strong consideration when one considers how hot and humid Orlando can get through the year, especially in the warmer months (hell, it’s January 1st and we still haven’t seen any cold weather yet!) . Bottom line is that you should never overlook the pool area of a resort if you plan on coming here with kids who’ll want to spend some of their time splashing around in the water and rocketing down the slides. We have walked every single resort, many on numerous occasions, even when we haven’t stayed in them, basically to peruse them as possible places to stay for our annual vacations. If the pool isn’t up to scratch then we exclude it from our list, which is why Caribbean Beach,the Grand Floridian and the Contemporary don’t rate for us – I personally think it’s outrageous that Disney charges the kind of money that it does for the GF when it essentially offers so little in return. After all these years we’ve basically paired our choices down to two resorts for our annual stay, two of the luxury resorts and one of the moderates, depending on how much we want to spend – but that’s a secret! But when friends come to town I often take them on tours of the resorts just for something different to do, and they’re always blown away by the variety and quality. Can’t beat Disney, even if they are slowly pricing the lower middle class out of the parks.
A little PS – I meant ‘paired our choices down to THREE resorts’, not two!
Which 3????
Which is the best moderate resort? I have children who love to swim, and I’d like to relax, so the tip about the pool at the Caribbean not having shade is great. We are thinking about Coronado Springs for the whole package deal (pool, room, décor, dining, and convenience.
Please share which ones are good!!
I too would like to know which 3 you have narrowed it down to.
Thank you
Jonathan
I’ve stayed at a few resorts on Disney and I find your criticism of the Caribbean Beach Resort confusing. While I’ve never stayed at a Deluxe resort, they shouldn’t even be mentioned in your criticism of CBR. That’s apples and oranges since the Deluxe hotels are much higher. You SHOULD get more there! But I’ve not found “shade” at any of the moderate hotels we’ve stayed at. French Quarter was bad because it doesn’t have a zero entrance pool, but the handrail for the steps into the pool is metal – NOT good in the summer sun! I can’t count how many times I burned my hand stepping into the pool. And the only shade I found there was under the huge serpent that is part of the slide. But you had to be in the pool for that. The Caribbean Beach Resort is not alone in not providing shade….and it shouldn’t be compared with any Deluxe hotels that do.
What two resorts did you narrow down? I am planning a trip for February 2017.
I live in Florida and visit Disney world about once a month. We generally stay at deluxe resorts or off of Disney property if we’re staying for more than one night. We stay at moderates or off property if it’s just one night because we won’t be there as long. We have stayed at both Port Orleans resorts and stayed at Caribbean Beach last August. I never had an interest in staying there before but because of the recent renovations, decided to try it. My family and I were pleasantly suprised. If the price was the same for all three, I would choose Caribbean Beach because of the new rooms. Transportation isn’t an issue because we have our car.
To add to my earlier post, I wanted to say that the busses seem to have long waits at all hotels, including deluxe. Our kids (ages 13 & 15) take the busses when they want to stay at the park longer or when they want to go earlier than my husband and I. We can track them on their phones and they’ve never waited less than 15 min and up to 50 min. I just priced a standard size (Toyota Corolla) rental car for a week in December – it’s $7/day. If it’s in the budget, I would consider the rental car rather than Disney transportation. The only place I would take the bus would be to Magic Kingdom. The wait to get on the boat or monorail can be long too.
So disappointed that I read all your review for you not to share the moderate resort you value. I wouldn’t really appreciate it if you could share, we live in England and it will be a once in a life time visit.
Kind regards
I am a little confused about your rankings. I recently stayed at Caribbean resort with 3 other family’s and I think we all agreed it was by far our worst Disney Pick. The resort is so big that we did not feel like we where staying at a Disney Resort. The bussing was soooo busy that most times the busses where full and we would have to wait for the next 2 or 3 busses to actually be able to get on, with standing room only of course. We stayed in the Jamaica section and the first week the bridge connecting us to the rest of the world was being repaired which we where no made aware of at time of booking. It meant that we had to take a bus to get to main area to eat. So we spent so much of our time waiting for busses that we felt like we spent more time waiting to get to the parks and for breakfast in the morning that we wasted a lot of our time. The food court was so busy that we had so much difficulty just getting a table once we got our food. We have stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter. Riverside also being a bigger resort we never experienced the bussing issues with that resort as we did with Caribbean. The spill proof mugs total waste of time at Caribbean as you would have to take the internal bus that comes every 30 – 40 minutes just to get to the main food court. Riverside has wonderful Disney ambiance and I still felt like I was staying on Disney property. French Quarter by far my favorite, although resort a bit dated….truly love everything about French Quarter and when people ask me where is a good place to book. Always French Quarter is my recommendation. But If you are travelling with your own vehicle maybe this is not an issue for you. If you don’t spend anytime at your resort and you are gone first thing and stay at the parks all day then again maybe this is the resort for you. Just a few thoughts on your picks. Also we where there from Nov 9/15 – Nov 21/15.
Hi Tom, Your article is great — and makes me want to book our next trip! We’ve stayed at Riverside, CB and CS. The perspective changes based on kids/no kids. CB has the best pool with kids because it has the ‘mini water park’ and multiple slides. However, CB has the worst bus system since it stops at every single complex and takes far more time to reach a park than any other moderate resort. Riverside pool is average and fun for young kids. CS has a great pool for all ages, and they recently changed their counter service restaurant, which used to be complex with tickets and mandatory tipping, to typical counter service found at all resorts. If they fix the bus problem, I would recommend CB hands down.
We stayed in the pirate rooms at Carribbean Beach a few years ago and while the rooms were very cool, they were WAY too far from everything. Loved the resort but next time I would get a preferred room location. I want to try Riverside on our next trip as we have stayed at French Quarter several times and is our current moderate favorite.
I have only stayed at Port Orleans: Riverside and Coronado Springs; however I have spent lots of time at all of the moderates. I mostly agree with Tom’s reviews of these resorts, my rankings would be:
1. Port Orleans: Riverside
2. Coronado Springs
3. Caribbean Beach
4. Port Orleans: French Quarter
5. Cabins at Fort Wilderness (in fairness, I haven’t spent much time at Fort Wilderness in recent years).
I really like the resort outside at Caribbean Beach, and the rooms look gorgeous, but I can’t get past the lobby! I found it incredibly underwhelming for a check-in area, especially compared to other comparable resorts. Other than that, I think it’d be a great choice; just hasn’t been somewhere we have managed to stay yet since we primarily stay on DVC Points.
Coming from Australia we’re extremely aware of our ever declining dollar against the USD. After originally booking the Polynesian we realised that our budget was steadily growing with the decline in dollar and we could no longer afford the ‘bells and whistles’ of the Poly. I’m happy to report though that after reading your review we’ve switched our booking to Riverside (River View Room in the Bayou). We don’t feel like we’ve taken a step backwards after reading your review. We’ve certainly lost proximity to monorails and Magic Kingdom/EPCOT but we’ve gained some excellent resort activities and ferry boats to Disney Springs! Can’t wait for our trip now!!
Port Orleans – Riverside is the main reason we cannot find the need to upgrade to a deluxe resort! We have a family of 5, but at times, just 4 of us travel. We have absolutely fallen in love with the resort. It is the perfect environment to allow us some down time when we need a break from the miles of walking, and just the right price. Each time we book, we consider a deluxe. We always end up going back because of how much we enjoyed the last stay. The staff is amazing and they are great with our teenage kiddos. The arcade and pools are not overtaken by smaller children at this resort, which is something that the older kids love! It’s quiet and we feel that we are disconnected from the chaos of Disney when we just need a breather. Just booked last weekend for another trip in March 2016…and once again…Riverside is our stop!!
Thank you for the great article – very informative! We just booked a Christmas trip and picked Coronado Springs as it was the only moderate resort that offered junior suites. However, we decided at the last moment to get standard rooms and now I’m wondering if we wouldn’t be better off with another resort. We’ll have seven people including two kids (13 yr old boy and 10 yr old girl) and two seniors – one of whom probably won’t love walking a lot. My sister and I took her two kids to the Cabins three years ago and liked them a lot but didn’t love having to be taking a bus both within the resort and to the parks. Would we be better off at POR or POFQ? Or if we stay at Coronado, what building would you recommend near restaurant and pool? (my sister btw likes the idea of spa services as CS). Thanks in advance for any advice!
Congrats on the graduation! Love POR and POFQ! My daughter and I have done several stays there. We love walking down the path along the river in the evening between the resorts.
Things we do in the heat:
1. Wear super comfy, breathable, well broken in walking/running shoes (we find Saucony or Ryka super comfy for the long miles walked at the parks).
2. Check the blogs & WDW menus and know where to find Gatorade.
3. Ask for a free cup of water at WDW eateries, refill a water bottle with it. Stay hydrated.
4. Do an internet search, ‘air conditioned places at WDW’. We tuck those spots into our touring plan during the warmer parts of the day. I have even napped in the wonderful coolness of Hall of Presidents 🙂
5. We often take a resort break during the hottest hours napping/swimming. Sometimes we just relax/snack at a WDW resort nearest the park we are visiting.
6. We opt for comfy waist packs rather than carry a purse or backpack and my daughter loves to wear a hat to keep the sun off of her head.
7. Relax and have fun! If we need a break, we just take one.
Planning a high school graduation trip for daughter. Just the two of us ( a mom/daughter treat) Third week of August in Disney World for 4 days – dates can’t be helped due to school schedule. (We are first staying at Universal studios Orlando for a few days). On a budget. We are almost booked for the All Star Movies value hotel but I keep coming back to POR. Mostly for a way to stay chill w/ all the crowds/kids in DW that time of year. We are flying from the West Coast where we live so Orlando will be very HOT for us. Thoughts?
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Firstly Tom, thanks for all this great content on your site. It’s been really helpful in planning our upcoming trip to DL Paris. (booked the Sequoia Lodge as per your advice). I am also planning well ahead (for an April/May 2016 trip!) and am deciding between The Swan (using hotel points) for a full 10 night stay or splitting it 5 nights each at The Swan & POFQ or POR. I am also wondering if I do split my stay if I should have a car during the PO nights, as parking is free & makes it much easier to get to other resorts for meals, etc… Or should I just stick with the great location & pool at the Swan & be done with it? (But will have to pay a resort fee of $25/night there).
I couldn’t refrain from commenting. Very well written!
Hello,
My fiance and I are debating between Caribbean, Coronado Springs and Port Orleans for our 1 year wedding anniversary next October. We both are 26 years old (young)! We can’t seem to figure out what resort to stay at and we don’t know much about Disney! What would you suggest?
Thanks!
Allison
Having stayed at all 3 of these resorts with and without children I can honestly say you can’t go wrong at any of them. CS and CB are bigger resorts, more spread out, lots of walking areas. Yes, there are multiple bus stops at the resort because it is so spread out. They each have a “main” pool area where families seem to go to, but they also have several “quiet” pools where the adults usually end up with fewer kids. These areas are great to get away from the noise of excited kids on their Disney vacation. Both have very similar foods for quick breakfast meals, usually the only ones we eat at the resorts, both have great bars at the main pool area. CS has an additional tiki bar by the food area. We stayed at PO French Quarter and it is a much smaller, more compact resort. At French Quarter there was not a quiet pool (we didn’t find it) and the quiet area was the lounge area around the pool bar.
I prefer to stay at the bigger resorts, when not travelling with my children because there are more areas to “escape” to with minimal children. Don’t get me wrong, I love kids, especially mine, but we’ve all been around that other persons child that just won’t stop screaming, you know the one. At CS and CB there was a place to go to get away from this, at POFQ there was not.
My suggestion is to go to Coronado Springs and request building 8a or 8b. You will have to walk a distance to the food court but you have a bus stop really close, quiet pool really close and only a brief walk to the main pool. That’s what I always request with or without kids.
In response to Alan’s comments regarding the selling out of POFQ, the reason rooms sell out faster there may be due to the fact that there are fewer rooms overall (approximately half the number of the other moderate resorts). For reference, POFQ has 1008 versus: PORS at 2048, CB at 2109, and CS at 1915. I am not arguing in favour of any moderate in particular, just pointing out that due to reduced capacity the “economics” argument that Alan makes may not be the case when you are comparing a hotel that required half the “votes” to be full.
Bingo.
Tom,
We just got back from our third trip to Disney World and we stayed at the French Quarter each time. Here is something for you to consider: three months prior to our last trip in June of 2014 we got an email from Disney saying that they were offering a discount if we stayed at any of the other three moderate hotels – BESIDES French Quarter. My wife called about this and the person on the phone said that we could save $330 on our 7 nights if we just moved to Riverside from French Quarter.
Well my wife wanted to stay at French Quarter and she argued with the person on the phone because she wanted the discount at French Quarter. The person she talked to said that French Quarter has become a “preferred” moderate resort and the reason that they weren’t offering a discount on the hotel was that there was only one room left at French Quarter for that week!
So consider this – people vote on which resort is best with the most important thing that they have – THEIR MONEY! So based on pure economics, your analysis seems to be off somewhat.
Another point, I walked from French Quarter to Riverside myself and timed it -it’s only 7 minutes. I don’t think that’s a big deal, but I’m a country boy. It might be a big deal to someone else.
Last point – I have heard so many complaints from folks who stayed at Riverside because there are 4 bus stops at the resort. It’s really spread out. So if you get on the first bus stop, it takes a while until you stop at the other three stops before you actually start moving towards your destination. You don’t have that problem with French Quarter. One bus stop. That is one of the biggest reasons people like that hotel – along with – the pool! If you are an 8 year old, you love that pool. Trust me. Both of my daughters loved that pool and they loved French Quarter. But you don’t have to believe me – just follow the money and the money says more people are staying at French Quarter than Riverside.
I hope you found this useful.
Best,