I'm a POP devotee, but they are booked as of now...2nd choice?

[leeniewdw]

We've had our last 3 trips at POP and love the convenience of the skyliner. We're juggling a canceled trip last week (thanks Nicole!) and are now on Plan C, 2nd week of January. At the moment, no rooms showing for POP. Based on what we've already paid for our trip (3 rooms), looks like Port Orleans is available for same price, All Stars for less (we did All Stars when our kids were little, not really interested in them, despite the savings), Coronado Springs Tower for similar price, or Beach Club for ~$400 more per room.

We can't use the Extra Hours that the Beach Club would offer (trying to apply our MVMCP tickets to MK AH on same night).

We're waiting on final okay on these dates from all our travelers but I'm so confused as to which way to go and I'll probably need to decide very soon.

Which place would you choose if POP is unavailable?

Also -- any thoughts on odds POP would come available? (I've never stalked rooms before)

 

[AmyMac1109]

Since no Skyliner resorts are available, I'd go Port Orleans (POR or POFQ?) or Coronado Springs. Beach Club has great proximity to EPCOT and DHS, but I don't think it's worth the bump in price to deluxe if you can't even use the Extended Evening hours.

I prefer Port Orleans French Quarter over Riverside, and either over Coronado Springs because POR and POFQ have the boat to Disney Springs. CSR is bus everywhere. But, I will say, CSR feels deluxe even though it's not, so maybe that's worth bussing everywhere to you. Not sure what you're looking for.

 

[leeniewdw]

Since no Skyliner resorts are available, I'd go Port Orleans (POR or POFQ?) or Coronado Springs. Beach Club has great proximity to EPCOT and DHS, but I don't think it's worth the bump in price to deluxe if you can't even use the Extended Evening hours.

I prefer Port Orleans French Quarter over Riverside, and either over Coronado Springs because POR and POFQ have the boat to Disney Springs. CSR is bus everywhere. But, I will say, CSR feels deluxe even though it's not, so maybe that's worth bussing everywhere to you. Not sure what you're looking for.

I'm not sure what I'm looking for either, lol. Good point about the boats to DS. It's a shorter trip, just 3 nights, 4 days, so the other adults (they are our adult DSs+SOs) may be interested in DS on this trip, but I'm not sure about us (and we're paying lol).

It sounds like I can't really go wrong whichever I decide and then maybe just hope POP opens up, lol. We've been singing the praises of the Skyliner to our kids, who haven't ever used it (they haven't been since they were tweens).

Thanks for your feedback!

 

[notatallmagic]

Pop is always our first choice and my kiddos favorite - even now that they're older, and we've stayed at almost all the resorts.

For ease of transportation/proximity, Yacht would be your best choice, but IMO not worth the extra cost. I would sure stalk the other Skyliner resorts and see if something opens up; especially with so many rooms available at Art of A and Caribbean Beach. Something might "pop" up.

In the past two years, we've also stayed at both Port Orleans resorts and Coronado. Coronado is lovely, but the transportation can be frustrating. We loved POFQ's compact size, and access to Disney Springs. PORiverside is lovely too - but very large. I think one of the pools is going to be closed for awhile, so maybe check into that issue too.

Any maybe see if shorter dates are available at Pop and do a split stay? So do Epcot and Hollywood on your Pop dates, and then since you'd be bussing anyway, do Animal and Magic from another resort?

 

[AmyMac1109]

I'm not sure what I'm looking for either, lol. Good point about the boats to DS. It's a shorter trip, just 3 nights, 4 days, so the other adults (they are our adult DSs+SOs) may be interested in DS on this trip, but I'm not sure about us (and we're paying lol).

It sounds like I can't really go wrong whichever I decide and then maybe just hope POP opens up, lol. We've been singing the praises of the Skyliner to our kids, who haven't ever used it (they haven't been since they were tweens).

Thanks for your feedback!

I absolutely love the Skyliner and it was a game changer for us. Pre Skyliner, our favorite moderate was POFQ (then POR when we became a family of 5), but now it's actually Caribbean Beach. Not sure if that's an option for you, since you didn't mention it. Though, something to keep in mind, the Skyliner is going down for maintenance the week of January 22. Not sure what your exact dates are.

For ease of transportation/proximity, Yacht would be your best choice, but IMO not worth the extra cost. I would sure stalk the other Skyliner resorts and see if something opens up; especially with so many rooms available at Art of A and Caribbean Beach. Something might "pop" up.

In the past two years, we've also stayed at both Port Orleans resorts and Coronado. Coronado is lovely, but the transportation can be frustrating. We loved POFQ's compact size, and access to Disney Springs. PORiverside is lovely too - but very large. I think one of the pools is going to be closed for awhile, so maybe check into that issue too.

Yeah, this. I didn't think to recommend other resorts, I only looked at your list. But CBR and AoA are Skyliner options which might open up. Though, for the price, I prefer CBR to AoA. Stalk all three hotels to see if you can find availability.

Also, will you be hitting all 4 parks? Even though Coronado is a wonderful moderate with a deluxe feel, transportation can be rough. The only real benefit is proximity to AK. But if you're not planning to go there, you don't even get that one minor benefit.

 

[leeniewdw]

I absolutely love the Skyliner and it was a game changer for us. Pre Skyliner, our favorite moderate was POFQ (then POR when we became a family of 5), but now it's actually Caribbean Beach. Not sure if that's an option for you, since you didn't mention it. Though, something to keep in mind, the Skyliner is going down for maintenance the week of January 22. Not sure what your exact dates are.


Yeah, this. I didn't think to recommend other resorts, I only looked at your list. But CBR and AoA are Skyliner options which might open up. Though, for the price, I prefer CBR to AoA. Stalk all three hotels to see if you can find availability.

Also, will you be hitting all 4 parks? Even though Coronado is a wonderful moderate with a deluxe feel, transportation can be rough. The only real benefit is proximity to AK. But if you're not planning to go there, you don't even get that one minor benefit.

Sorry -- I should have been more specific -- my dates are 1/7-10 and the resorts I listed are the only ones I'd consider price-wise that are showing available for all 3 night we need. No CBR or AoA at this point. At PO, the only thing available is POR.

If CSR is rough transportation wise, I think I'll rule that out since I'm already bummed (for now) about not having the easy of the skyliner.

 

[leeniewdw]

Hmm, I seem to have gotten into a loop of only the resorts that are offering the discounts for that period. I think I might have some other choices so maybe I need to start over, lol. AoA is offering suites, which we don't want, but there might be some others to consider. Thanks for the feedback. I'm leaning POR at the moment, but I do recall how big that is. In any event, I think I need to start over just to make sure of what is available. It seems like this the Disney site only gives me about 20 minutes using chrome before it decides to conk out, lol. Will need to switch to something else.

 

[Frugal Fairy Tales]

Marriott Swan or Dolphin.

 

[AmyMac1109]

Sorry -- I should have been more specific -- my dates are 1/7-10 and the resorts I listed are the only ones I'd consider price-wise that are showing available for all 3 night we need. No CBR or AoA at this point. At PO, the only thing available is POR.

If CSR is rough transportation wise, I think I'll rule that out since I'm already bummed (for now) about not having the easy of the skyliner.

I believe 1/7-1/8 is Marathon weekend. So that might have something to do with availability.

Hmm, I seem to have gotten into a loop of only the resorts that are offering the discounts for that period. I think I might have some other choices so maybe I need to start over, lol. AoA is offering suites, which we don't want, but there might be some others to consider. Thanks for the feedback. I'm leaning POR at the moment, but I do recall how big that is. In any event, I think I need to start over just to make sure of what is available. It seems like this the Disney site only gives me about 20 minutes using chrome before it decides to conk out, lol. Will need to switch to something else.

Lol, yes, startover and keep checking. Different options will pop up as others change. For what it's worth, POR is lovely. My preference is POFQ merely because of size. But, we had to switch to POR once we became a family of 5 and we enjoy it just fine. We much preferred it to CBR until the Skyliner. So I really don't think you can go wrong.

 

[Nabas]

Sorry -- I should have been more specific -- my dates are 1/7-10 and the resorts I listed are the only ones I'd consider price-wise that are showing available for all 3 night we need. No CBR or AoA at this point. At PO, the only thing available is POR.

If CSR is rough transportation wise, I think I'll rule that out since I'm already bummed (for now) about not having the easy of the skyliner.

We have stayed more than once at all the resorts you mentioned.

We are big fans of POR food court (lots of seating) and pool (well-themed, good pool bar, and nearby changing rooms). Its downside is that several of the buildings are far from the main building. You ride a bus in a big loop (similar to CSR and CBR) to get around.

You mentioned that Beach Club is only $400 more. If this is $400 per night, then skip it as it’s $1200 more for 3 nights. But if it’s only $400 for all 3 nights ($133 per night), then that’s a really good price for Beach Club.

Destino Tower at CSR is a nice new hotel and it feels like it. Although theming is not as creative as Disney’s older hotels, it’s a good option if you want a more traditional hotel feel.

 

[leeniewdw]

Marriott Swan or Dolphin.

Can I book that via the Disney Reservations line? These are paid off trips and I’d love to just move them to our new dates. I don’t think I can cancel our Dec dates (which were chosen under duress when our trip last week was sunk by Nicole), so I’d need to be able to change the reservation.

 

[leeniewdw]

We have stayed more than once at all the resorts you mentioned.

We are big fans of POR food court (lots of seating) and pool (well-themed, good pool bar, and nearby changing rooms). It’s downside is that several of the buildings are far from the main building. You ride a bus in a big loop (similar to CSR and CBR) to get around.

You mentioned that Beach Club is only $400 more. If this is $400 per night, then skip it as it’s $1200 more for 3 nights. But if it’s only $400 for all 3 nights ($133 per night), then that’s a really good price for Beach Club.

It was only $400 for all 3 nights (but those rooms are not available anymore, though something similar at Yacht and WL). However! Because this trip is now getting pushed into 2023, our built-in G+ is no longer an option. So they’d refund us for the “cheap” price and we’d have to buy each day. So just guessing that G+ will be ~$20/day at the time period, I guess I need to add another $35 for the whole price difference .

 

[buckeev]

Our family is/are Big POR fans…more stays than I can count. Numerous food court options, beautiful grounds and excellent theming. Yes…It’s huge. But walking paths are usually clearly marked and there are several bus stops…PLUS…the aforementioned BOATS to DISNEY SPRINGS! Now I’m craving #earlofsandwhich ! The others are great options…no losers in the bunch.

 

[brockash]

We've had our last 3 trips at POP and love the convenience of the skyliner. We're juggling a canceled trip last week (thanks Nicole!) and are now on Plan C, 2nd week of January. At the moment, no rooms showing for POP. Based on what we've already paid for our trip (3 rooms), looks like Port Orleans is available for same price, All Stars for less (we did All Stars when our kids were little, not really interested in them, despite the savings), Coronado Springs Tower for similar price, or Beach Club for ~$400 more per room.

We can't use the Extra Hours that the Beach Club would offer (trying to apply our MVMCP tickets to MK AH on same night).

We're waiting on final okay on these dates from all our travelers but I'm so confused as to which way to go and I'll probably need to decide very soon.

Which place would you choose if POP is unavailable?

Also -- any thoughts on odds POP would come available? (I've never stalked rooms before)

We'd do Astars and save the money, or YC for $400 more. The next runner up would be POR for the same money.

 

[projectx3]

We went from Pop on our first family trip to POFQ for our second. We loved Pop, but wanted to take a chance on a moderate. And since then, there's no way I'd go back to Pop. Don't get me wrong, it's a good place to stay, but we enjoyed POFQ that much more.

Unfortunately with us being a family of 5 and grandparents aren't traveling with us this time, our options are limited if we want to stay in a single room. POR is up next... maybe we'll like it better, but I really wish POFQ could fit 5 to a room. The small layout, boat to DS, and the bus transportation was quick and efficient. It was outstanding.

 

[RoseGold]

There's a Monday in there, so Swolphin will get the late access at Epcot. That would be enough for me to go Marriott. Or even rent a DVC reservation at least for Monday. But you don't want to use this.

If not, I'd go All Stars and save the money. They run a billion buses to those hotels, because they are beasts. Transportation should be fine. If not, take a couple Lyfts.

I'd check a few sites for confirmed DVC to rent. Maybe you could at least rent a couple nights and split stay to All Stars.

That's the marathon, it's unlikely availability will get better. It will get worse.

 

[leeniewdw]

Yeah -- I think I'll book POR for now. I can't make myself book an All Star. These young adults (late 20s) all stayed in All Stars during the last times they went to WDW. Our kids in their tween years and one of the girls for cheerleading comps. We did stay at PO once, but it was when our kids were 5 and under, so I doubt they remember a thing.

Interestingly, we were also considering the Thurs-Sun of marathon weekend (as opposed to Sat-Tue) and POP was available for those dates (at least a few days ago).

Maybe I can hope for some cancellations as it approaches the 30 days out payment deadline.

Thanks everyone!

 

[leeniewdw]

Ok -- last question, lol.

There are family suites available at AoA for our dates. That would give us a skyliner resort but it would mean the "kids" would be sharing a suite. They are 2 DSs (27, 30), one DS's wife(30), one DS's gf. (28) I've never been in the suites, but I see they do have 2 full bathrooms.

Is this too small for 4 adults?

I think the math would add up for it to be a comparable price for what we've already booked. We'd need to add 2 adult park hoppers to one room price, but I think my math works out.

 

[sponica]

Ok -- last question, lol.

There are family suites available at AoA for our dates. That would give us a skyliner resort but it would mean the "kids" would be sharing a suite. They are 2 DSs (27, 30), one DS's wife(30), one DS's gf. (28) I've never been in the suites, but I see they do have 2 full bathrooms.

Is this too small for 4 adults?

I think the math would add up for it to be a comparable price for what we've already booked. We'd need to add 2 adult park hoppers to one room price, but I think my math works out.

I don't know about too small, but I don't want to settle the who gets the bedroom and who gets the pullout argument

 

[SG131]

Ok -- last question, lol.

There are family suites available at AoA for our dates. That would give us a skyliner resort but it would mean the "kids" would be sharing a suite. They are 2 DSs (27, 30), one DS's wife(30), one DS's gf. (28) I've never been in the suites, but I see they do have 2 full bathrooms.

Is this too small for 4 adults?

I think the math would add up for it to be a comparable price for what we've already booked. We'd need to add 2 adult park hoppers to one room price, but I think my math works out.

No definitely not too small for 4 adults. The suites are a really nice size. The bed configuration may be a little less than ideal. I would want to show the family a room layout to see if they can make it work amongst themselves before booking. The issue with Port Orleans is that the resort is so large and you need 3 rooms, there is chance that you will be nowhere near each other. At least with the Coronado Tower everything is in the same building. The transportation at Coronado is pretty equivalent to Port Orleans (assuming you mean riverside). It has internal bus stops that can take awhile. So between the two I'd pick the tower.