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 have stayed at all the moderate resorts. Our favorite is Port Orleans French Quarter. Our least favorite is Caribbean Beach. We do not consider the Cabins at Fort Wilderness an option. We prefer tent camping. We dislike Caribbean Beach because I have a mobility problem and unless elevators have been added, we cannot stay there. We also had a bad r once while staying on the first floor and noisy guests were returning from Pleasure Island. We have never stayed there since. We have enjoyed Coronado Springs many times, but with the Towers, it will probably be an eyesore. We do enjoy the other part of Port Orleans The Dining Hall has excellent food. We love the River View and the boats to Disney Springs. I do remember when this was Dixie Landings, but the pool has been improved since then.
As an Aussie family with teens, we dont care for the disney theming. We are also (for our day job at least) part of the convention crowd, so I guess the CSR tower is perfect for us! We would choose hotel amenities and dining over theme every time. Nothing better than coming back from a day at parks to a great pool, nice room and restaurant/bar. That said we have booked a hire car so the transport and location issues at CSR should hopefully go away. Looking forward to staying in the tower sep/oct for our first trip , hoping CSR is as good as it looks!!
I’m SO thrilled to hear that the articles have been helpful. I enjoyed looking at these pictures and have enjoyed looking at your blogs. Thank you for sharing!
Disney continues to muddy the waters on the resort categories, in this case rendering the “Moderate” designation to be almost meaningless. Right now there are 2 stand alone moderate resorts…which are such close next door neighbors that they can almost be considered one resort.
Then you have 4 (including the Cabins at Fort Wilderness) which are now in the position of “Sharing” territory and space with another resort: The Cabins with the Ft. Wilderness campground, Coronado Springs with Gran Destino, Gran Destino with Coronado Springs, and Caribbean Beach with Riviera. Mind you, that “sharing” doesn’t extend to mutual use of facilities for the CBR other than what any non-specific resort guest can share at a different resort.
I agree: The Cabins don’t belong on here. I agree with the “highly recommended” recommendation, as they are great and fun places to stay, still offering one of the best really good bangs for your buck for a WDW resort.
When we stayed at the CBR last year, the Skyliner Towers were jarring, but we got used to it. It wasn’t quite the same CBR we were used to, but since I like construction projects, I was fine with it. How that view’s going to be with the gondolas in constant motion…? Who knows, at least until we get back. But the resort is now going to be surrounded by business: Two Gondola stations, the Skyliner over Aruba and Jamaica, and the Riviera. Definitely not the same old CBR…which is not to say it’s bad, but that the ability to be a pure Polynesian-lite, with an immersive escape is gone for good. Which is not to say that the good is gone, just different and perhaps not for you, but perhaps for people who never would’ve considered the CBR before.
Then there’s Gran Coronado Springs. Southwest USA/Northern Mexico meets Salvador Dali. And I agree, the rooms look great from Gran Destino, the views are sure to be nice, etc. But, again, a weird conjunction of styles, and frankly what can only be considered an easy path by Disney to avoid the costs of developing new onsite property. Again (see CBR and Riviera).
Considering all this, with the compactness of French Quarter, Riverside is virtually enshrined as the perpetual winner by default. Then again, the convenience of the Skyliner might cause a CBR rebound, But the comparative elements of the “moderate” category has gotten so skewed it’s really now comparing apples and oranges.
Hi Tom – I love your reviews -they have defiantly influenced my choices over the years. Keep them coming! I guess you would say my family is spoiled because we love Animal Kingdom Lodge and that’s where we mostly stay. With that said, we did stay at French Quarter several years ago. Even though it’s the least spread out of the moderates, it still seemed too spread out to us…again, spoiled. I did like the theming and I thought the counter service restaurant there was good. They have fresh made beignets and they were very delicious. We’ve also stayed at Coronado (pre tower) and while I thought it was fine, my husband didn’t not care for it. The theming didn’t provide the Disney magic for us. I thought it was nice to have a restaurant on site that only used a counter service credit. (I’m assuming that’s still happening there.)
Anyway, as long as we can swing it, we’ll stay at AKL, but you have my curiosity peaked with some of the others moderates that you mentioned – maybe we’ll try them one day.
I have stayed at Port Orleans several times and it is my favorite . Going again this year .
Can’t wait !!
Does anyone know which of these resorts have hard flooring in the room? Thanks!
French Quarter has hardwood flooring. Was there last year and leaving in 3 days for another stay! Love that it is a smaller resort!.
The Royal rooms at Riverside have carpet.
Thank you!
I love Caribbean Beach. We have stayed there several times and we will definitely choose to stay again! I wanted to like Port Orleans Riverside, but it fell short. The pool was very underwhelming. The dining was chaotic, loud and smelled like the school cafeteria. We really enjoyed the renovated room.
Coronado was horrific, mass confusion and construction. Not a friendly place. Go anywhere but here
We are supposed to go there in February 2019. Wonder what construction will be like then??
French Quarter is our favorite by far! They have updated soda machines, where you can get Powerade zero and lots of caffeine free options and they have a lot of gluten free options including gf beignets! Their food court is open until midnight whereas the larger Riverside closes at 11pm. Want a midnight snack after coming back from the parks…not gonna get it at Riverside. Customer service is far superior at French Quarter!!! Because it is a smaller resort you get much more personal attention. Riverside is sooo big you just stand in line and walk constantly.
My TA just got back to me and to get what I wanted at a price I liked FQ and Riverside came up as one of three options. I have stayed at RS a few years ago and it was nice, although the extra walking killed me after a long day at the park. The buses also were always capacity and they took forever to get through all the stops. BUT it seems RS keeps edging out FQ in the reviews. It’s such a hard decision this time. I guess you can’t go wrong though.
FQ is the only hotel I use now, the small quaintness is amazing and much easier on the feet
I have stayed in all resorts but Cabins and French Quarter. WE loved Riverside when we stayed there, but it seems to often not to be included in discounts. Coronado Springs actually felt very convention-y to us. We agreed that is would not be worth staying moderate to stay there again. Pepper Mill was good for food, but there seemed little special about resort life. We stayed at Carribean beach during renovations. IT was tough not to have a cohesive front area and eating in a tent when it was cold was not cool, but we still loved it. My son getting a bed was certainly a boon. WE loved how vthe resort felt. I did not like vthe fact that the front desk was separate from everything else.
Port Orleans Riverside was the perfect resort for our family of four. We loved the relaxing atmosphere and rustic theming in the Alligator Bayou section. The large footprint of the resort made it seem less crowded, despite traveling during the busy Spring Break season. Our teenage boys loved exploring the resort on their own. The quiet pools were a nice change from the louder busier crowds at Old Man Island, and the boat transportation to Disney Springs was great! But the best reason POR remains #1 on our list…YeHaa Bob !! His charismatic performance was the highlight of our trip!
We ended up in Orlando last week for one night. Looked at the last minute and found space at Coronado, Caribbean, and Pop Century. We chose Pop Century since the reviews were not very good at either of the other two and didn’t seem worth the $100 difference in price. The room was small, but we enjoyed it. Being able to check-in online was key for us since we arrived so late.
Just checked out of All Star Movies Resort and they have started remodeling on the Toy Story building 10 this morning!
Just left Port Orleans – Riverside today with our 1 year old and our 4 year old and while we loved the Alligator Bayou and it’s quaintness, not sure we’d stay again for a while. 1. We were never in the room, except to nap. 2. We didn’t see the entire property once. 3. We only ate at the hotel for breakfast on our last day.
With that said, why did we pay that price if we weren’t going to be there?! We thought because they’re small that we would be relaxing often, but didn’t. One of the things I realized after reading some of these reviews is that we barely had anything that reminded us of Disney beyond the stickers at check in and the alligator on the Murphy bed. We would’ve liked if housekeeping had done artwork with towels or WELCOME FIRST TIMERS (our kids). We’d told them prior to our arrival..
Either way, I’d still give them a 5 because service was great. The grounds were very clean, aside from the construction taking place at the front. I look forward to going back later, but for now a smaller hotel is more conducive.
I’ve often said this. If you’re coming to Disney for 5 days and going to all 4 parks and a water park then stay at a value resort. You’re only going to use the resort to sleep and grab breakfast so why pay lots of money (unless you’re loaded). You get a cheap room with all the benefits of a Disney resort (early park entry, bus/boat/monorail service, etc). You can usually find an All-Star resort for around $100/night.
However when we stay we do it the opposite. We pick one maybe two parks and stay 5-6 days. When we are not at a park, we enjoy just hanging out at the resort and using everything they have to relax. The kids swim in the pool, we sit in a hammock and read or sip a drink. When that gets boring we head down to Disney Springs to eat, shop, or catch a show.
Staying a Disney resort can be a nice way to get away from winter for not that much money if you limit your park visits.
‘This is not a concern for us, as I would rather be stuck in a room next to some convention attendees than next to a rowdy group of cheerleaders …’
We just got back from our stay at Coronado Springs and while we were there the convention was a cheerleading convention! Not even kidding! Hundreds of teenage girls and their dance mums! It’s still a beautiful resort though 🙂
I have stayed at Fort wilderness cabins with my two kids and my parents. It was fabulous and nostalgic for me because my parents took me camping their twice as a kid. I loved being a wooded setting. Traveling was longer because you had to take the bus to the bus stop or to the boat. But we did not have a lot of long waits. the staff was great and housekeeping made us cute animals out of the towels and placed them on our beds.
I stayed in Dixie landings in 97 and 04 when I got married. I love that resort. I like the buildings and the mill. It is just a fun atmosphere. Did not have a lot of trouble with the buses although ended up taking our car to our “rehearsal dinner” because the bus was taking forever and it was at Wilderness Lodge.
Stayed at Port Orleans in the pirate room in 2009 with my small children. The pool was awesome! The room was fun for kids. I loved it. I have not stayed at Coronodo or french quarter. French quarter has not appealed to me. And i will probably be staying at Port Orleans at the end of this year again. Love moderate hotels at WDW.
Caribbean beach resort has the pirate rooms
So Tom, planning a visit 2017 last week of November (2 not quite seniors). Which would you choose – AKL or FWL? I have stayed at both, but been awhile since AKL. I Love them both
Stayed at several Moderate and deluxe hotels, plus the cabins. The Cabins for me are my best value. you basically get a small house for the price of a moderate hotel room. I cant believe Disney doesnt upgrade the resort to more deluxe pricing. For families, it seems like the best value with essentially a full kitchen, close boat ride to MK…all feel like you are in a different world. Polynesian is my second favorite. Its basically a really nice hotel and the monorail comes to your front door of hotel. Dont like the contemporary, Saratoga Springs or boardwalk as much with crowds, conferences from businesses or locations where you cant use monorail or boat to get to attractions …just didnt feel like that “being away from it all” experience. The Cabins give me that, plus if you can add on the golf cart for yourself its a ride in itself.
**Of course Polynesian is Deluxe level so it should not be compared with moderate level…just my own person favorites noted in my comment above^
Btw. There are 6 pools at Port Orleans – Riverside. The biggest pool was very close to our ‘mansion’ and looked like kids are having a blast. It is located on ‘Ol Man island in the middle of the river. There is Muddy River’s pool bar, a playground, and a fishing hole. All of this atmosphere really makes you feel you’re in the south.