Port Orleans: French Quarter vs. Riverside

[deva]

You guys are great. Thank you so far.

It looks like I'm settling on staying on-property at the Port Orleans. I made a reservation (with no discounts available at the time of booking)at the French Quarter & a lot of you have said great things about it.

I called today to see if any discounts had become available. The agent told me that none are available at French Quarter, but that the AAA discount is valid at Riverside.

My question(s) is(are): How do these resorts compare to each other. I read many great things about FQ; is Riverside roughly the same? How is the pool at Riverside? Food? Busses? Etc.?

If anyone who has been to/stayed at both & has input on the issue, I'd greatly appreciate your thoughts. Preferably comparatively speaking.

Thank you.

[Zimkeeper]

We have stayed at both and we prefer Riverside. We are two 50 somethings without kids. We enjoy the quiet pools at Riverside which POFQ does not have. It is much larger and therefore more spread out so you don't feel so crowded. The Mansion section is very romantic and the food court is more than adequate for the size of the resort. They also have a TS restaurant (Boatwrights).
The boat to DTD is a great plus from both resorts and the bus service is very good.
You will certainly enjoy either resort and it is a short walk between the 2 so you can visit which ever one you don't stay at.

[dephenn]

We stayed at PORS and found it quite nice. There is a family pool area and other pools closer to your room with laundry facilities. The food court has something for everyone and there is a table service as posted earlier. We ate at both and the food was really good. We did walk to FQ for the kids to use the pool over there and took the boat to down town disney. No issues with the buses. I would recommend saving your money and stay at River side.

[mermaidmarian]

We prefer Riverside over French Quarter (although prefer Port Orleans over all other resorts for amenities, convenience, theming and value)

Riverside offers more activities for the family, has a large (currently under extensive rehab) playground near the theme pool, fishing hole, bike rentals, marina, horse drawn carriage rides, etc., There is a large theme pool, which DS (9) feels has a much better theme and slide than that at the FQ, which is, in his opinion, great to look at but not much of a slide for an older child. Availability of quiet pools is also a great addition to the amenities offered at Riverside.

For our family however, the most important feature that puts RiverSide over French Quarter is the size of the food court and the variety of foods offered. We generally eat at least one meal a day at the resort, sometimes two, and this is a high value consideration for us.

Enjoy your vacation

[CanadianWDWFan]

We have only stayed at POFQ, but this October we decided to try POR. Right now POFQ is our preferred moderate. We LOVE the size. You can walk to anywhere on property in under 5 minutes. The kids love the pool. Plus the fact that there are only 1000 rooms is another plus. POR has at least twice the number of rooms and a sprawling layout.

For buses, there is only one bus stop. The buses are shared with POR and POFQ gets picked up first. On the return each resort gets its own bus from MK, but share from the rest. Usually the buses drop off at POFQ first.

As for the food court, we find that for one this size, they sure do have a very vast selection. If I at there everyday for a week I would be hard pressed to try something twice. Beignets are to die for and can only be had at POFQ.

Hope this helps.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

I've only stayed at POR but it was very nice. You can easily walk from POR to POFQ and you can use the facilities at both. So save the money and stay at POR.

[#1donaldfan]

If you are getting a AAA discount at POR then take it !!!! That's actually our resort of choice and to not take anything from PORFQ, I'd just rather stay at POR....the food is great, especially the breakfast at Boatwrights....the food court is very good. The pools are always very clean and relatively quiet and less crowded. The walkways are very shaded and give off a calming effect after a long, hot day at the parks. Your choice seems to be easy, as your getting a discont to stay at virtually the same type of resort.....very little differences exist between both......have fun choosing....

[Disneytravels]

What dates are you going?
You could possibly get a different promotion and save more money and stay where you want?:thumbsup:

[deva]

Checking in 10/26; checking out 10/29.

[katzctkpt]

We prefer Riverside over French Quarter (although prefer Port Orleans over all other resorts for amenities, convenience, theming and value)

Riverside offers more activities for the family, has a large (currently under extensive rehab) playground near the theme pool, fishing hole, bike rentals, marina, horse drawn carriage rides, etc., There is a large theme pool, which DS (9) feels has a much better theme and slide than that at the FQ, which is, in his opinion, great to look at but not much of a slide for an older child. Availability of quiet pools is also a great addition to the amenities offered at Riverside.

For our family however, the most important feature that puts RiverSide over French Quarter is the size of the food court and the variety of foods offered. We generally eat at least one meal a day at the resort, sometimes two, and this is a high value consideration for us.

Enjoy your vacation

I agree with mermaidmarian. My family loves this resort and I couldn't imagine staying anywhere else. We have stayed in the Alligator Bayou section bldgs 18 & 14 they are the closest to the south depot bus stop and food court and one of the quiet pools.
We have gone to other resorts to eat dinner and walked around the grounds etc...and honestly they don't have anything more there than what POR offers other than bigger and maybe a little more luxurious.

[Simba'sBud]

My DW and I stayed at Riverside last year and loved everything about it. We were riverfront in the Parterre Place mansion so we were not far at all from the main building and restaurants.

Our only complaint was the bus service. When you combine both resorts sharing the transportation, it turns into a lot of people trying to get places.

If you do stay in one of the mansions and the weather is fairly nice for you, I recommend you use the bus terminals behind the resort to get on so you won't be having to stop at all the other terminals. When you get back, you can just get off at the main building and take a nice leisurely walk back to your room through the many courtyards and gardens. Taking different routes each time is also lots of fun!

You'll have fun no matter what, so definitely take the less expensive option! Enjoy your trip!

[mjaclyn]

We've stayed at both resorts and both are very nice. If you're looking for a quieter, more romantic experience go with Riverside. There's also a TS restaurant there while FQ only has the food court. FQ is great for people with children. The pool decor is a lot of fun and everything is closer together (so not as much walking). We enjoyed both but probably prefer Riverside.

[E-OR]

We have stayed at POFQ and will be there on Saturday. We love this resort. The size, rooms, theming, pool, food court, boat to DD. Next year we decided that we are going to try POR though, just for something different. I don't think that you can go wrong with either one. The sit down restaurant and boat rentals are a great feature too.

[disney100%]

POR is absolutely my favorite resort. My DH and I stayed there before we had kids and loved it. Now that we have kids, we love it even more! My son loved the grounds, the quiet pool, the ducks, and bunnies. I think the gift shop and food court are some of the best amongst the moderates. We always use the AAA discount and saved $30 a night on our last trip.

[krorx]

We have stayed at POFQ and loved it. It is smaller and has a more intimate feel than POR. But if you can get a discount, I think POR is just as nice and because of it's larger size, has a bigger food court and a nice shop for merchandise. I don't think you can go wrong with either and they are only a short walk apart. Have fun! :joy:

[like2workout]

overall i prefer french quarter as it's so easy to get around. riverside (alligator bayou area) is really much prettier with all of the trees and i felt like i was out in the country and somewhat isolated, but i'm very bad with my sense of direction, and i got lost trying to find my room every single day i was there. i've not had that problem at french quarter. but, i don't think you can go wrong with either place. they are both great.