Currently booked at CBR for my birthday trip in July - King Room.
I could save money by changing to AOA or Pop…
$265 difference for AOA (Little Mermaid room which I understand are being redone and should be all done by July from the schedule I’m seeing)
$411 difference for a Pop Preferred Room
$516 difference for a Pop Standard Room
Obviously walking is not an issue for me and they are all on the Skyliner. A little concerned about Pop as isn’t that a big one for the 15s which appear in July?
I’m not a resort person. I’m there for the parks. So… I’d go with Pop and spend that extra $400 - $500 on in park experiences. (EMM / DAH / Character Dinning / Souvenirs)
I’m hoping they announce some AH (would prefer AK but would not eschew MK or Villains) soon!! Have Dining Plan so lots of character breakfasts. (And I’m a weird one who doesn’t get the Mine Train appeal, so EMM is lost on me. Lol.) But AH would be awesome!!
For this particular case I would think about the price difference as a percentage discount on the overall trip cost. E.g. if the trip would cost $2650 total then moving too AOA is a 10% savings. Then I would compare savings percentage with warm fuzzy feeling about the resort for a special trip.
If it was my trip I would go with Pop preferred, but I have never even stayed truly onsite.
For some reason I’m the Pop cheerleader tonight…but honestly I liked the redone Pop room much better than our CBR room. You could find a lot of things to do with an extra $500 saved. Not necessary to get preferred room unless you want to overlook the pool, many standard rooms are still in great locations.
Those groups were my biggest concern. There was a large Brazilian group at Music when I was there last July, and I think only my room and one other room in the building I was in were not part of it, but it seemed to be more families and less 15s so it was not horrible.
I’m just not sure if Pop is a typical place for them to stay.
I think all the values except AoA are fair game for the 15s from what I’ve read. The All Stars seem to get a bunch, but I know others have reported them at Pop and even at some of the moderates before – but they’re far less likely to be at a moderate.
We actually transferred from AS Movies one year because of the 15s and how absolutely awful it was to CSR and it was peaceful, quiet, and not a 15 in sight. We’re staying at CSR again this summer with my family and I’m not worried at all about tour groups.
I also think you made the right choice. We just got back from a stay at Pop, and the 15s being so loud all night and filling the food court 24/7 made it less than optimal. Our room was great, but we’d gladly pay a little extra for a different environment next time.
I’ve stayed in all 3 sections of CSR and they each have their pros (and charms). If you want to be close to the tower now, I’d suggest Cabanas. They’re close to the main pool, too. If you want a very quiet section that’s a bit of a hike (but not so bad now with the Three Bridges) I’d suggest Ranchos. Personally, I feel like the Ranchos section is like staying in Frontierland! Casitas is by the first bus stop if that matters to you at all, though the buses never really seemed to feel all that packed. Have fun! Hope you enjoy the resort!
We stayed at Movies in January not realizing that January is also a prime time for the 15s. It was awful. Luckily, we were only there for a couple of nights before we went over to Beach Club, but I am not sure I will ever stay in a value again just because of the large groups that stay there. They overwhelm everything and keep you up all night – not my idea of a vacation.
What does “the 15s” stand for? I can glean that it’s young people groups, like Pop Warner Cheer, but not sure if it refers to a specific group? Just curious!
(And I’m a weird one who doesn’t get the Mine Train appeal, so EMM is lost on me. Lol.) But AH would be awesome!!