Which of the ';moderate'; resorts?

I%26#39;m taking my daughter and her family to Disney and Universal in October. I have a 4 night timeshare thing at the Marriot Grande Vista (it was sooooo cheap but maybe not worth the hassle of the presentation, we%26#39;ll see.) and do Universal and maybe Sea World from there (my 6 yr old grandson LOVES fish, dolphins, sharks...)

But for the additional 3 nights I was thinking that we%26#39;d want to be right in Disney, getting the bennies of the extra hours. None of the ';value'; resorts appeal to me. So what are your thoughts on the moderate resorts?

I know nothing of them - and the website isn%26#39;t too detailed. I%26#39;m leaning towards the Carribbean Beach resort because it sounds like it actually has a sand beach... am I right? Do any of the others? Which would be best in regards to the travel time to the parks? What about age-appropriateness for my grandson - the only reason I%26#39;d consider the Pop Resort would be to keep him happy as he%26#39;s the only kid going. I%26#39;m assuming the value resorts are geared more towards the children?

My other options would be to just extend my timeshare vacation... or to find a cheaper alternative (which I am considering because I am paying for all of this as an advance Christmas gift for the family, and as it%26#39;s my daughter, her husband, their son and .... me, we%26#39;ll need two rooms or a suite, and it adds up $$$.)

I haven%26#39;t been to Disney since my daughter was a kid. I%26#39;m trying to remember - can you bring picnic lunches into the parks? I%26#39;m betting ';no';...

Which of the ';moderate'; resorts?

Hi willowtree, what a lovely Christmas gift.

We have stayed at all the Moderate Disney Resorts and feel you can%26#39;t go wronge with any of them. Caribbean Beach is lovely, very Tropical and relaxing. The ';Beach'; areas are all around but keep in mind you can not swim in the water at the Beach areas. There are nice hammocks all around the Beach areas, a nice spot for an afternoon nap. I recomend it highly. However, I think your Grandson would really enjoy Port Orleans Riverside. It has a real Kid friendly feel to it. I was there this past weekend with my 10 yr old Nephew, he just loved it. It also has the only rooms that can sleep 5, so you might not have to get 2 rooms that way.

If Kat was still at work she would reply with all the wonderful benefits of POR, it%26#39;s her favourite. She%26#39;ll see this tomorrow I am sure.

Coronado Springs is also quite nice, I was there this past Feb. Just love the Food Court and the Pool and Hot Tub are great. It%26#39;s got a Mexican/Southwest feel to it. The grounds are lovely.

Port Orleans French Quarter is nice but alot smaller than the other 3. The Port Orleans Resorts have the benefit of being able to use the Pool at either Resort and the big benefit most people like is that you can take a boat to Downtown Disney from either also.

If you were to think of staying at a Value Resort, I recomend All Star Music. They have Family Suites so you wouldn%26#39;t have to get 2 rooms.

Hope this was of some help

Which of the ';moderate'; resorts?

Thank you partypa! Exactly the feedback I was looking for. I was under the impression you could swim at the sand beach at the Carribbean. Glad I found out in advance... I%26#39;ll check out the Port Orleans Riverside. I like the idea of taking the boat to the parks - we did that when my kids were small and they loved it.

Just to get some alternatives, do you have any recommendations for ';suite'; type hotels outside of the park in case I choose to go that way? I really need to try to stay within a budget as I have a feeling I%26#39;ll be paying for all the park tix as well...

My grandson Matthew is so cute - he just called me (after I sent the email to my daughter with the plane ticket confirmations) and started screaming ';We%26#39;re going to Sea World, we%26#39;re going to Sea World! Here I come, Willy!';

I haven%26#39;t stayed ';OFF'; Disney Property in years. I have friends who stayed at Fairfield Inn %26amp; Suites and thought it was fine for a few nights, Best to check out some of the reviews here on TA. If you need tickets, check out AAA. Good web sites are mapleleaftickets.com, undercovertourist.com and Universal and Seaworld%26#39;s own sites for discounts.

Hi willowtree,

I had left work already yesterday before I saw your post.

Yes, I love the moderate Disney resorts if you have the extra $$ to spend on the upgrade from the value resorts. The rooms are larger, usually have two sinks and a mini-fridge, and the amenities of the resorts are much better. Being able to stay on Disney property is a great advantage with the Extra Magic Hours, the availability of the dining plan if you want it, free parking at the parks, and knowing you%26#39;ll get a top-notch place to stay.

My personal favorite is Port Orleans Riverside, just because I%26#39;m a southern gal and love the garden-like setting of the resort. However, there%26#39;s nothing wrong with Carribean Beach if you prefer the atmosphere there. They don%26#39;t allow swimming in the lakes for one very good reason: GATORS. They can be found everywhere there%26#39;s natural water.

Here%26#39;s a page where you can go to check out the various Disney resorts. On this page is a link to every resort, with descriptions and photos of each one:

http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/faq_hot.htm

Happy planning and if you have more questions, just ask.

We prefer the Port Orleans French Quarter. We have a 5 1/2 year old, too big for a stroller, but his legs tire out easily. There%26#39;s a lot less walking at the POFQ, it%26#39;s a smaller resort so everything is close in no matter where your room is. The pool has a very neat slide that is perfect for kids at this age, my husband and I can get a drink from the poolside bar while he has a good time swimming. The food court has a nice theme to it, also. We%26#39;ve only used it for breakfasts, but it%26#39;s great at that time of day, not overly crowded as it%26#39;s not a huge resort (you%26#39;ll be going in Oct. anyway, so no worries there).

We%26#39;re going back in Sept., our little guy will be turning six and is looking forward to it.

Gators! Eeeks.

If I choose to stay in-park I think one of the Port Orleans hotels will be it. Thanks for the input on those.

I%26#39;m now starting to lean heavily towards the outside accomodations though. The $$$ thing is just building up.

If we stay outside, instead of extending the Grande Vista reservation, I%26#39;m now considering moving to a different place, simply because it seems you get so much for so little money. The Runaway Beach Club is very inexpensive for October and gets great reviews on TA. We could save money by eating breakfast and some dinners there, maybe packing some snack bars and juice boxes for our days in the parks as well. Heck, the Runaway Beach Club looks so nice I might even consider cancelling my timeshare thing and losing out on the $149 I spent for the four nights (one guest room, not a suite) and booking a whole week there. No timeshare presentation to sit though, either...

The downside is we won%26#39;t be able to take advantage of the Disney Dining or the extra hours. I%26#39;m wondering if with a 6 yr old and in early October during weekdays (not so crowded, I hear) we%26#39;d really need extra hours anyway.