CBR or POR?

[PlutoIsHerFav]

We are looking to book a last minute trip around Thanksgiving! It will be 3 adults and 2 kids, so our options for that plus last minute holiday booking leaves us with not a ton of options! We've found some good deals off-site, but it is my FIL's 75th birthday and first (& probably only) trip, so we think he should stay on-site. That being said, we definitely have a budget as we were just there in August and weren't planning on this trip (not a bad problem to have, I know)!

We're looking at CBR or POR. We have not stayed at either of these resorts in the past. We've stayed at POP, ASM, Contemporary and YC, so a wide assortment and have been happy at all of them. We have visited POFQ and loved the feel of it (did not see a room), so I lean toward POR. However, CBR is intriguing because I believe all of the rooms were recently renovated plus it'll be on the gondola line. I believe the rooms are also just a tad larger.

• Is the 5th sleeper better at either? It will be a child using it, but still.
• Are all CBR rooms renovated and, if so, do they include the laminate floors vs the carpet?
• Do the POR rooms feel dated?
• Is either resort one where we would be wise to pay for a preferred room? (We did not at Pop or ASM and were fine, but get they are much smaller.)
• Either food court better for gluten free/allergies?

Thanks for any feedback, especially regarding stuffing 5 people in a small space! For reference, we were comparing our options with the Dolphin (intriguing buy 2 doubles and a rollaway!), Doubletree, Sheraton Vistana.

 

[JennyDrake]

As each of those resorts have multiple bus stops, _I_ would not pay for a preferred room UNLESS You plan to use the food court and refillable mugs a great deal. IMHO POR has the best food court on WDW property; I also found the spyglass grill (new at CBR) to be OUTSTANDING.

I have limited experience with your other questions, but will share what I know. The new CBR rooms have laminate flooring. No experience there with 5th sleeper.

The POR trundle is comfy!

5 people is going to be tight quarters especially when the 5th bed is in use. _I_ would try to eeek out the funds for 2 rooms at a value--if that is possible.

 

[CynBeth]

We stayed at POR last Thanksgiving and only had some breakfasts in the food court but they were wonderful with the no dairy and low salt needed for my family members. They cooked the eggs in the back and gave fruit instead of other sides they could not have. I believe we saw other types of things being made in the back for other allergies. There were also refrigerated cases you could grab things from as well. There was also a bakery station but don’t recall if they had gluten free products or not. We loved that resort. There were 3 of us in a Royal Room and did not have too far a walk to get to the main building and we do not know the layout very well to advise if you should ask for preferred or not. We were located in the mansions section in Oak Manor.

 

[terri33inne]

I think room size for 5 is comparable for both resorts (I assume one of the kids is sleeping with an adult or are you putting someone on the floor?). With that said I would go with whatever aesthetic appeals to you more. I find POR a bit more of a relaxed resort vibe. Transportation I also give a bit of an edge to POR just for the boat to Disney Springs.

 

[dansdad]

We are looking to book a last minute trip around Thanksgiving! It will be 3 adults and 2 kids, so our options for that plus last minute holiday booking leaves us with not a ton of options! We've found some good deals off-site, but it is my FIL's 75th birthday and first (& probably only) trip, so we think he should stay on-site. That being said, we definitely have a budget as we were just there in August and weren't planning on this trip (not a bad problem to have, I know)!

We're looking at CBR or POR. We have not stayed at either of these resorts in the past. We've stayed at POP, ASM, Contemporary and YC, so a wide assortment and have been happy at all of them. We have visited POFQ and loved the feel of it (did not see a room), so I lean toward POR. However, CBR is intriguing because I believe all of the rooms were recently renovated plus it'll be on the gondola line. I believe the rooms are also just a tad larger.

• Is the 5th sleeper better at either? It will be a child using it, but still.
• Are all CBR rooms renovated and, if so, do they include the laminate floors vs the carpet?
• Do the POR rooms feel dated?
• Is either resort one where we would be wise to pay for a preferred room? (We did not at Pop or ASM and were fine, but get they are much smaller.)
• Either food court better for gluten free/allergies?

Thanks for any feedback, especially regarding stuffing 5 people in a small space! For reference, we were comparing our options with the Dolphin (intriguing buy 2 doubles and a rollaway!), Doubletree, Sheraton Vistana.

We have multiple stays at both and prefer CBR. Both are great but just prefer the pool, food court and overall theme at CBR. We feel paying extra $$$ for Preferred at either is a waste. The Murphy beds are the same at each but the CBR room is bigger, 344 vs. 314 square feet, which helps with 5 in the room.

 

[carlymcqueen]

I've stayed at both POR and CBR, and I preferred POR. Quarters at POR do feel a bit tight in the rooms, but not suffocating. I prefer the food there and I love that there is a boat option. Haven't stayed at CBR in awhile and wasn't a huge fan, the rooms were damp feeling and the pool wasn't in the best shape. However, it has been renovated since then so it may have changed. Aesthetically I prefer POR, but that's just a me thing!

 

[PlutoIsHerFav]

Thank you all for your replies!

5 people is going to be tight quarters especially when the 5th bed is in use. _I_ would try to eeek out the funds for 2 rooms at a value--if that is possible.

We would definitely be open to two value rooms, but none seem to be available. Offsite would give us this option (2 rooms at Hilton Buena Vista Palace or a 1 bedroom suite at the Doubletree), but my DH thinks he wants to sacrifice space (and $$) so his dad can experience the Disney "bubble"!

I think room size for 5 is comparable for both resorts (I assume one of the kids is sleeping with an adult or are you putting someone on the floor?). With that said I would go with whatever aesthetic appeals to you more. I find POR a bit more of a relaxed resort vibe. Transportation I also give a bit of an edge to POR just for the boat to Disney Springs.

Yes, we'll likely put 1 kid with me and my DH will share with my FIL - most likely. Not ideal, but doable. Kids are 3 & 7 so luckily not too big.

We have multiple stays at both and prefer CBR. Both are great but just prefer the pool, food court and overall theme at CBR. We feel paying extra $$$ for Preferred at either is a waste. The Murphy beds are the same at each but the CBR room is bigger, 344 vs. 314 square feet, which helps with 5 in the room.

We've never paid for preferred and have been just fine. However, if it would put us a lot closer to everything (buses, dining) then it might be worth it for us this trip with my 75 yo FIL. It's hard to tell if it really gets us any closer. "Views" are not important to us. How does the bus system/stops compare between the two? Is either more crowded/buses full being that there's multiple stops? Where do you "feel" the extra space in CBR? I did see those rooms were slightly bigger and that could be a big advantage!

 

[PlutoIsHerFav]

So, another option available is a family suite at ASM. We stayed one night in a regular ASM room before and it was fine. Obviously we prefer a renovated room. I'd rather stay POR or CBR, buuut this would give us two bathrooms and more space. Anyone have experience in these rooms?

 

[SL6827]

POR, hands down.

 

[Babsy]

Personally, I would choose CBR over POR in your circumstances, if only for the extra space. Every extra foot counts when you have a room filled to capacity, IMO. You also get the new Skyliner transportation to try, which is a nice bonus.

Personally, if I had a 75 yr old coming, I would splurge for the preferred room to save a few steps.

If you are considering the Dolphin, you might call them and ask about the alcove suites with 2 connecting rooms. Not sure if this is still a thing with Marriott Bonvoy, BUT they were less $$$ (or used to be when owned by Starwood) than 2 regular rooms (but you get two connecting rooms and a sitting area). Also, I think that you qualify for the CL FP+ purchase at 90 days if you stay in a Dolphin alcove suite. Something to check into, anyways.

 

[crazylady]

CBR rooms were renovated 5 or 6 years ago. To the best of my knowledge, they were not renovated with the last construction project at CBR but the counter service and restaurant are all new. Last I was there (5 or 6 yrs ago), rooms were carpeted.

 

[Markal]

We prefer POR over CBR. I like the feel of the resort much better. We didn’t stay preferred at either. Personally, I thought bus service was better at POR but could just be timing. Whatever you choose, enjoy your trip. How special to be able to take your FIL!

 

[stinkpickle]

Another vote for POR.

 

[Junior8]

All the fifth sleeper rooms at POR are newly renovated with the laminate floors etc. I looked at CBR for our trip next year due to the new gondola as well but booked POR because I know we love it there. If you have no mobility issues, I would skip the preferred room, but we don’t mind the walk.