We love CSR!
We have seen conventioneers but they are so polite. That has never bothered me. We've also seen them at the GF, the Yacht Club, and the Contemporary because those are also convention hotels.
My daughter received towel animals every day.
The staff is hands down the best at WDW that we've seen. We have stayed at every mod and deluxe onsite and CSR CMs beat them at being helpful and polite.
There is an automatic 10% gratuity because the servers bring your drinks. Heck I pay 15% for take out meals, so this doesn't bother me in the least. The food at the Pepper Market is so good it doesn't seem taste like a food court food. The portions are really large.
My daughter LOVES the pool and she's 14. Now, she loves the hair salon and gym too 
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The resort is large and it can be quite a walk depending upon where you are. However, we love the walk because the landscaping is out of this world gorgeous. There are internal shuttles if you don't want to walk.
On our last trip, 2 weeks ago, we stayed at the Poly and at Saratoga Springs. In February, we stayed at the GF. After those trips, I thought that my daughter would never want to stay at a mod again. She surprised me the other day by asking if we could please stay at CSR on our next trip because no other Disney hotel can compare with her favorite-CSR.
If we can't book CSR, we're staying at the Swan or Dolphin.
. We preferred Dixie Landings, n/k/a POR, but that's our family's taste. Everyone has different likes/dislikes and Disney has so many choices. I do think it is a good idea to try different places.
