Stayed there a year ago for the first time. Nice size room with nice size bath. Are you going with kids? The pool is really cool and the walk around the water to the pool area is nice. The bath area has a sliding divider between the sink area and the main sleeping area. It is very close to Blizzard Beach and we slipped in for a few hours. We felt the bus service was fine.
Since we usually stay at Pop we were pleased with CSR.
To answer your question and cover a few more points, we are taking our DD, who will be 14. We hope to devote one afternoon to the pool and I think that will be nice, considering that pool.
I am from Texas, and just am not a fan of the Southwest theming. (the Ranchos in particular) I wish the room had a table and chairs instead of a desk. I'd prefer two sinks instead of one. I'm one of those women who would never buy a house with a single sink master bathroom.
But I can deal with that if the room is clean and quiet. I'm beginning to worry about "quiet" as a CHEERLEADING group will be there when we are. Oy!
I don't think we will ever eat there, so I'm not concerned about the restaurants. We'll have a car, so if the bus is slow, we'll drive.
I really wanted POR, Mansions side. The Alligator Bayou section is so awful to me, I cannot begin to explain it. I know some people love it. I hate all things rustic, so that might explain it. For those who prefer CSR to POR, what exactly did you dislike about POR that makes you prefer CSR?
Why did we select Casitas? Well, the Ranchos reminds me of the part of the Southwest I don't like, so you'd have to pay me to stay there. The Cabanas aren't bad, but they look like every Caribbean resort I've ever stayed in. I actually think DD would like them, having come along after we stopped going on tropical vacations every year. It would be new to her. I just preferred the look of the Casitas. If it turns out the Casitas are near the cheerleaders, we will be switching to the Cabanas.
Please keep the feedback coming. It has been very helpful.