Pros and Cons of Moderate Tier Resorts
When planning a Disney vacation, one of your most important decisions is where you’ll stay.
At Walt Disney World, you’ll have your choice of more than 20 official resorts.
Disney
Picking the perfect one goes a long way in guaranteeing a magical visit.
Many analysts believe that Moderate Tier Resorts offer the best value.
Image: The Healthy Mouse
So, which one should you pick?
Here are the pros and cons of the Moderate Tier Resorts.
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Caribbean Beach Resort
In the Value Tier, there’s a larger disparity between worst and best resorts, so Disney prices them accordingly.
You won’t notice as much of a gap among the Moderate Tier Resorts.
I certainly have my favorite, but I know from experience that they’re all quite good.
In fact, Disney has taken steps to improve two of them in recent years, and they’re the ones we’ll discuss first.
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort Jamaica Buildings
Caribbean Beach features two strong pros – its transportation and dining.
In 2019, the Disney Skyliner debuted and revolutionized Disney transportation.
Skyliner Station at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Since 1971, fans have adored Orlando’s most iconic form of transportation, the Monorail.
However, the Disney Skyliner is retro as well, mimicking Magic Kingdom’s old Skyway Gondolas.
Fans can hop in one of these sky carts and arrive at Disney’s Hollywood Studios or EPCOT within minutes.
The best part about the Skyliner is its reliability, as you know almost exactly when you’ll arrive at your destination.
Martinique at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Skyliner mishaps are few and far between, and its uptime is much better than the Monorail system.
Remarkably, Caribbean Beach hosts the central hub for the Disney Skyliner, making it an ideal location.
When you book a room here, you only need to worry about the buses when visiting Magic Kingdom or Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
The food at Caribbean Beach is also amazing, as most of the Moderate Tier Resorts offer a combination of Quick Service and Table Service dining.
Photo: Disney
You can grab and go at Centertown Market or enjoy a relaxing seafood dinner at Sebastian’s Bistro.
Alas, the hotel does have one con. It’s quite spread out, as you’ll stay in one of the “country-based” areas.
Some of them are quite far from the hotel’s primary recreational activities.
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Photo: reserving.com
In July of 2019, Coronado Springs expanded with a new tower hotel.
This standalone building is an architectural marvel and the pride of the entire hotel.
Photo: Christy Weinberg
During the NBA bubble season in 2020, world famous athletes like Lebron James stayed in this facility, the Gran Destino Tower.
That speaks volumes about its quality, as Disney used that location rather than its Monorail resorts.
Photo: Christy Weinberg
If Gran Destino Tower were an individual hotel, it would be in the Deluxe Tier, but you can book it at Moderate Tier prices…kind of. I’ll explain more in just a moment.
The other pro of this resort is also its dining, as it offers several Table Service and Quick Service restaurants.
One of them is a rooftop restaurant offering views of theme park fireworks at night.Another is an actual sports bar named Rix.
The third, Three Bridges Bar & Grill sits in the middle of the water at Villa del Lago.
This resort’s fine dining rivals anything in the Deluxe Tier, but it’s also more affordable.
For a long time, this hotel had a reputation as the “conference resort,” since that’s why many guests have stayed here.
Disney books packages for businesses with hotel rooms at Coronado Springs.
Photo: wdw magazine
They wouldn’t do that unless they were super confident in the hotel’s amenities.
I’m not even getting into the pool here, but it’s built to resemble Mayan ruins, complete with a 50-foot pyramid.
Photo: Disney
The con at Coronado Springs is that you’ll want to stay at Gran Destino Tower since it’s newer and nicer.
Disney will charge you for this privilege, which means the rooms you want cost more.
I’d argue that they’re well worth it, though. If these rooms are good enough for ultra-rich NBA players, they’re good enough for you.
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
The pro of this place is simple. It’s my favorite of the bunch, and I’m telling you to book here.
I know, I know. I shouldn’t have biases, and it works against me to praise French Quarter this much, as one of its true pros is seclusion.
This resort is Disney’s most anonymous in the Moderate Tier, so it offers quiet and tranquility for guests.
I’ll just go ahead and throw in its con right here.
Photo: Disney
As Disney’s Mardi Gras property, it’s the least family friendly.
Disney Adults like me will love it, but parents with small children should look elsewhere.
Disney
French Quarter is more of a hangout resort for people who want to eat, drink, and be merry, although kids do adore Doubloon Lagoon Pool and its giant sea serpent water slide.
As for the dining, well… you can order beignets. What more could you possibly want?
Disney
French Quarter is more of a vibe than the other Moderate Tier resorts, which makes it a bit divisive.
I’m obviously an evangelist about its greatness, though.
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
Let’s start with the part that may make you curious.
French Quarter and Riverside were once companion hotels with a different name, so even though the properties share little resemblance, Disney has kept them sharing a name.
Riverside caters more to families with its large hotel rooms and giant pool.
I’ll acknowledge the con right now, which is that this hotel is arguably the most spread out at Disney World. It’s a mammoth campus.
Of course, that’s as much a positive as a negative, as Disney populates its amenities accordingly.
You’ll find ample dining here and multiple pools.
While I know this won’t make any sense until you are walking the hotel grounds, you can tell where you’re booked simply by the style of the buildings.
Some of them mimic 19th century Southern architecture, which makes you wonder whether you’re staying in a hotel or a mansion.
Obviously, these are really good hotel rooms, although this brings us to another con.
Both Port Orleans properties feature impeccable theming, but neither of them is especially Disney.
In recent years, Disney has leaned into elements of The Princess and the Frog at French Quarter, which makes it feel more Disney-like.
Riverside doesn’t really have that, so if you want it, this hotel isn’t really for you.
Realistically, the majority of Disney fans seem to favor Riverside, and you should keep that in mind despite my constant cheerleading for French Quarter.
In the 2020s, it’s the only Moderate Tier resort where I’ve stayed, which means I vote with my wallet on this particular topic.
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Feature Photo: Disney
