EDIT: I was trying to decide between YC CL or CSR’s Biz Class. I’ve since decided on a GF CL/YC CL split, and to try CSR another trip. I will leave my comparisons below in case other Liners ever need to make the same decision.
It’s March Madness! I’m going crazy picking a resort! Please help!
We are staying 6 nights, the conclusion of our trip falls over SWW. Then 3 more nights at UOR. Just me and 2 kids (will be 9 & 13).
We’re booked at YC club level but CSR business class room is available as well.
The kiddos and I were looking at pictures of CSR Cabanas 9b (their business class rooms) last night and we were very impressed!
Which resort to choose? Or do we do a split stay? Would changing resorts after 3 nights be too hectic? (We’ve only done it after 4 nights.)
My criteria:
Location:
We’ve never stayed anywhere we had to rely solely on buses. At YC, we loved being able to walk to/from EP & HS. Except maybe to MK; we’d take a cab to CR from YC for MK RD.
If we are at CSR, I’m worried that when the SWW fireworks are over, it’ll be quite an ordeal using Disney transportation to get back to the resort. We could walk to to the EP resorts and catch a cab I guess.
This is why I think a split stay would be great, if not too much of a hassle.
In this very important category, YC wins hands down.
Noise Quotient:
YC: noisy to us quiet-lovers. Lots of hall noise, big gap under hall door, thin walls. And we had a “quiet” room off the main hall! Long hallway full of rooms full of people…not so relaxing. Even CL desk area was awkwardly placed & crowded. Many connecting rooms.
CSR: I don’t know, please help if you’ve stayed in Cabanas! I’m guessing that the door will be sturdy, since it has to keep out the weather. I need to know if noise from neighbors comes through the walls very much. The pictures make Cabanans look remote and tranquil, with light foot traffic, especially on 2nd floor. Thoughts?
In this category, CSR probably wins, pending more info.
Service:
YC CL: Who doesn’t like sipping an adult beverage while checking in? And dedicated concierge to attend to every detail before & during trip? Also at YC, we can book 4th & more fpp, move ADRs, well anything, via text. Of course the morning & evening food & drink are great.
CSR Biz Class: Lounge looks like CL lite. It’ll be fine for grabbing a quick bite pre-RD, or a drink when we get back…but I don’t think it has any extra service or dedicated check in. At least we won’t have to deal with a dreaded food court.
YC wins this category.
Theme/Atmosphere/Grounds
We weren’t wowed by YC’s atmosphere, TBH. It seemed a bit sterile, but we were there for the location. It was pretty boisterous at YC (yes I know it’s calmer than BC, but we’re a laid-back quiet Poly-type family).
OTOH CSR Cabanas look so peaceful! We only have pictures to go by, but the landscaping and small buildings that are the Cabanas reminded us of The Polynesian.
CSR wins Atmosphere.
Pool:
We don’t spend much time at the pool, too many other things to do so this isn’t a big factor in my decision, but I was surprised that my kids weren’t that excited about returning to SAB. They do think the pictures of CSR pool look amazing. I liked reading that there might be less screaming kids, it being a convention resort.
CSR wins Pool.
Price:
Obviously, CSR wins. It’s just over half the cost of YC CL. Using AP discount for either.
Room Size:
I found out that once the bathroom area is subtracted, CSR standard rooms SLEEPING AREA is the same as YC’s! So it’s kind of a wash.
Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this and give me your opinions as well as feedback on CSR.
There are lots of people that really enjoy CSR, if she see’s this tag @Sorcerers_Apprentice I think is the one that mentioned the business class rooms to me originally. I can’t speak about those rooms but at POR we had an outside door and never once heard anyone in our room. The cost alone would probably be the breaking point for me since you don’t seem too concerned about resort amenities. The Mayan dig pool looks really awesome. We plan on going for BCV next trip but it’s specifically for SAB. When we did our POR/AKL split the other things we preferred in the deluxe rooms were the better beds and the showers water pressure. POR has those rain shower heads which I don’t care for.
For us there is so much good food to be had in Epcot I’m not sure we’d really get much use out of Club Level except for maybe the odd snack or drink. Tough Decision.
Thank you so much for your thoughts!! Thanks for confirming the Strong Outdoor Door Theory.
IMHO, YC is really only good for a “cheap” CL w/in walking distance of EP & HS. If I weren’t worried about SWW transportation issues, I’d switch no question. I really want to try CSR because I want a moderate-priced resort with some of the amenities we’re used to w deluxe…but just maybe not during SWW…
Does a split say sound like a good idea? Then I could dip my toe in the moderate pool, so to speak, then still have the location of YC during SWW…?
While whether or not we’d use the lounge is more of a question of CL vs regular deluxe stay, you’re right, I found we didn’t utilize the lounge as much in the evening at YC, not like we did at other resorts. One, WS is right there, and two, the food really wasn’t as good as other CL’s. I put more value on the service rather than the “free food”, though, so even if we never set foot in the lounge at night, I still think it’s worth it for the higher-level service and convenience of getting a quick bite or drink w/o waiting in a line anywhere.
True, higher thread count & down pillows at YC! CSR does have 2 queens, though!
I think we’d be fine at CSR Biz tho, at least for a few nights. We don’t have to be spoiled every trip!
I guess transportation/location is the only thing keeping me from switching at this point…
As for transportation I’m a big believer in driving so I can’t really help there. I’m too impatient to wait around on buses especially when I’m exhausted after a long day at the park, i don’t want to stand in one spot that makes it so much worse. As long as I keep moving until I can sit i’m good.
hahaha me too!! I’m even too impatient to drive! I was thinking we’d take a cab back & forth from CSR. If they’re readily available there…I"m assuming being a convention resort, they will…
I’ve only stayed at Coronado Springs once and it was one of the noisier experiences I’ve had in Disney World, though the noise wasn’t coming from outside, it was coming from the room next door. I ended up with a room in the middle of a school group and for the first few nights (until they checked out) I could hear nearly everything our neighbors said every night while I was trying to fall asleep. This became less of a problem as the vacation went on and I was more tired (and slept through the noise), but was irritating early in the stay.
I doubt you are as likely to find noisy neighbors in the section of the resort you are considering, but wanted to note my experience staying there.
One other note of comparison, I’ve also stayed at the Yacht Club once and the extra sleeper sofa could be useful when traveling with a group of three. You don’t have that at the CSR.
CSR does have an internal bus system because the resort is very large. You might want to check on the location of the cabanas to the location of the pool, bus and main building.
The grounds and pool are beautiful. I didn’t really care for the rooms themselves. I stayed there twice and didn’t like the room either time. I thought they were very dark and hole-like. Also not the cleanest Disney rooms that I ever had. But it was just a standard non-preferred room. As for transportation, I would use the money I was saving on the room and cab it.
