Opinion on hotel choice for 9 year old boy

[Wall-E1]

Getting ready to pick a hotel for our Fall vacation. Can't decide, looking for opinions. I have an active 9 year old boy. I'm considering:
Art of Animation - he loves Cars, so I know he'll love the Cars suites and themed pool.
Fort Wilderness Cabins - actually not a fan of the new cabins. The old ones were themed much better. But, I do like the location - being close to horseback rides, archery, etc.
Riverside Resort - Swimming pool looks cool. Again, the recreation there - bike rentals, fishing, Yeehaw Bob; etc.
French Quarter - I like the compact layout, and prefer the quieter vibe. Also, can easily walk over to Riverside to take advantage of their amenities.
Coronado Springs - They have the nicest rooms of the moderate resorts, plenty of restaurant choices, coolest pool of the moderate resorts.
Let me know your thoughts, thanks!

 

[WinterSolider]

How many people in the travel party total? Unless you have 5 or 6 and would really benefit from the extra space of the cabins or the Cars family suite, I don't think either is worth the extra cost.

You didn't list it, but Caribbean Beach is my favorite of the Moderates because it's the Skyliner hub and that makes it extremely convenient to two parks. Next choice would be French Quarter because the smaller layout makes getting around much easier. Getting to and from the parks is also much faster because of the single bus stop.

I would also be on the lookout for Animal Kingdom Lodge Standard View. When it's available at a discount, it often isn't much more than a Moderate resort would cost despite being a huge upgrade in my opinion.

 

[Wall-E1]

How many people in the travel party total? Unless you have 5 or 6 and would really benefit from the extra space of the cabins or the Cars family suite, I don't think either is worth the extra cost.

You didn't list it, but Caribbean Beach is my favorite of the Moderates because it's the Skyliner hub and that makes it extremely convenient to two parks. Next choice would be French Quarter because the smaller layout makes getting around much easier. Getting to and from the parks is also much faster because of the single bus stop.

I would also be on the lookout for Animal Kingdom Lodge Standard View. When it's available at a discount, it often isn't much more than a Moderate resort would cost despite being a huge upgrade in my opinion.

Just 3 of us in our travel party.

Caribbean Beach - been there. I live in South Florida, so we get that Caribbean vibe down here in places. Not a fan of how spread out it is. And compared to the other moderates, doesn't hold the appeal for us.
Skyliner - never been on it, but it isn't something I think I'd be interested in. We'll have a car. So, no need to wait on lines to get on it, and I like air conditioning.

 

[Brob2132]

Sounds like Port Orleans appeals from a theming standpoint, so I’d recommend that. Seems overly simplistic but I think most of the moderates are roughly the same in terms of niceness.

If you’re going to pay for the suites or cabin, you can probably get up to a lot of Deluxe resorts (which may or may not appeal to you). Regardless, you might be able to cast a wider net if you want to spend in that bracket. Wilderness Lodge might be appealing to a 9 YO active boy.

 

[nherbert]

I was going to suggest Caribbean as well, great pool and skyliner would both appeal to 9yo boy.
Of your options our son loves riverside, stay in bayou. Why - great pool and a fantastic arcade, also the small pools as you can sometimes get a pool to yourself, the boat to DS, great food hall with pasta that appeals to 9yo.
Second would be AoA, boy would get great pull down bed (assuming suite), and own space at night, also great arcade, good pool, great shop, does give access to skyliner that I guarantee you will love as you don’t have to worry about parking and your boy will find so much fun, even if you don’t use it for parks it opens up options to visit other resorts
If you are choosing solely on what the 9yo will enjoy, I wouldn’t choose pofq, riverside will have greater appeal.

 

[WinterSolider]

Just 3 of us in our travel party.

Caribbean Beach - been there. I live in South Florida, so we get that Caribbean vibe down here in places. Not a fan of how spread out it is. And compared to the other moderates, doesn't hold the appeal for us.
Skyliner - never been on it, but it isn't something I think I'd be interested in. We'll have a car. So, no need to wait on lines to get on it, and I like air conditioning.

If you don't think you'll like the Skyliner for its own sake, okay, but it's WAAAAAY faster than driving yourself.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Riverside has a really nice main pool with a nice slide. The food court has a lot of options. We really like this resort.

 

[Dulcee]

Was also going to suggest CBR. My 9 year old looooves the skyliner and the ability to easily pop back midday for the pool before heading back into Epcot or HS later.

He liked the Cars section at AoA when he was younger but he's become a bit too cool for that lately. I'd consider Wilderness Lodge if it is in your price range as another possibility.

 

[pluto377]

I have 3 boys and they loved our stay at Riverside in the Bayou section.

 

[MamaMermaid]

Coronado! That pool is great.

 

[MickeysHouse224]

Of your choices, we have stayed at French Quarter and Coronado Springs with our currently 9 year old very active boy! Honestly, I'm having trouble deciding where we will stay next, so I'll just give you our likes/dislikes.

1. French Quarter - love the small size, atmosphere, single bus stop, boat to Disney Springs. Pool slide is a bit small for a 9 year old, but you can also use Riverside's pool. If French Quarter had a better pool for older kids it would be my hands down moderate pick.
2. Coronado Springs - we just stayed here in April. Absolutely beautiful landscaping, best moderate room layout, huge pool, long pool slide (although the seams between the sections were uncomfortable when you went over them), large area with games and playground right next to pool. Dislike the many bus stops. We got lucky and did not notice any conventions with the exception of a few people sitting around working, but I can see it being frustrated if pool/food court were over run by large groups when you are there.

I'm considering Riverside for our next trip as it is the only moderate that our 9 year old hasn't stayed at.

 

[sponica]

I have an almost 8 year old, she just wants a pool slide. The theming doesn't matter to her, she just wants a feature pool with a slide.

If you already have a car with you, I would choose coronado.

 

[Robber Baron]

When our kids were that age every resort we stayed at was exciting to them.

We've stayed at *most* resorts and they loved them all.

 

[SwanVT2]

How about showing your son some videos and having him help pick? I think I’d show him Riverside and Coronado pool videos and room videos on YouTube.