Port Orleans yes or no?

[CanadaLovesDisney]

We have never stayed at POR before and are seriously considering straying from our favourite (Caribbean beach) just this once. What are your feelings on this resort? Any advice on what building would be good to request? From the photos I think we might like the riverside more but are open to and and suggestions!

Thanks for any help!!! :blush:

[tdk316]

We haven't ever stayed at Caribbean Beach so I can't compare them, but POFQ is our first choice for a moderate. POR is our second because it's a lot larger resort than POFQ but the big pool is nicer than POFQ. We really disliked Coronado Springs when we stayed there years ago because it was just so HUGE although the pool was nice.

[btharvey]

I must say that when we stayed at Caribbean Beach, we weren't really impressed. The food court seemed unattractive, and the buildings were somewhat of a walk. the "beach" was nice, but since you couldn't swim from it, not very inviting.

We stayed at PO French Quarter the first time last month, and while the food court was small and had fewer selections than I would have liked, the rest of it was attractive, walkable, and inviting. Also, POR was only 10 minutes away, and their food court was much larger and more inviting. Their buildings are larger and just going through refurb to queen beds from doubles (POFQ is done).

If you want intimate, choose POFQ. If you want also-nifty theming, inviting food court, a fantastic table service restaurant (get the Prime Rib), choose POR.

[azcavalier]

POR has the best food court of any of Disney's resorts...mod or value. It's a big resort, but not TOO big. The pool is a lot of fun, as well.

I have no suggestion as far as which building you should stay in. We have always stayed in Alligator Bayou, because we use the trundle beds. But the mansions look cool, too. Size-wise, there's no difference.

POFQ is a smaller resort, but shares buses with POR most of the time. The food court is also not as good, but they do offer beignets, which are delicious.

Obviously, if you've never stayed there, you should try it. This trip, we're trying Coronado Springs, just because we've never been there. We haven't heard great things about the Pepper Market or the Maya Grill, but we're looking forward to trying them out. And I can't wait to try the pool.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

We have stayed at both POR and POFQ and love both!

POR is the larger of the two, with a large main pool area and smaller "quiet" pools throughout. We enjoyed always being close to one!

The food court in the main building is good, with lots of choice. The TS restaurant is also good, but it only serves dinner (we miss the great french toast).

The theming is great, you can almost get lost in the winding paths, and it gives a great break from the parks.

The only downside to POR is that it is quite spreadout, and can feel rather large. If you want to be near the main building, main bus stop and pool area, there are "preferred" buildings that are a bit more, but you know where you'll be.

[c&d]

Having never stayed at CB I can't compare them but I can tell you what I liked about POR.

We've stayed at POR several times and we've enjoyed it. We preferred the Alligator Bayou section over the mansions, for us it was a more interesting layout. The food court was good and we liked Boatwright's for dinner. We never had a bad meal there.

The bus service was good and the bus rides took about the same amount of time to the parks, with the exception of AK.

[pamickeys]

Try and get a room close to the main hall

[magicofdisney]

We love POR. It's the only mod we've ever stayed.

We are always assigned the Alligator Bayou section because there are 5 in our party. My favorite is building 15. It's very close to the food court and the South Depot bus stop. My only dislike for POR is that it has 4 bus stops. This is great in that you don't have to walk as far to reach a bus stop, however the bus may be full as quickly as the South Depot which tends to be the first stop for pick-ups. It's not always the first stop for drop-offs.

They also don't have elevators at POR, so we always request a ground floor. If we were ever assigned a 2nd floor, I would take advantage of the the bellhop service they offer.

[Mitzie]

We have stayed at POR twice, CSR and CRB once. By far our favorite mod. is POR. though I would stay at CSR again. We also have only stayed in the AB section because of the trundle bed. I just love all the land scaping and the architecture of the buildings. You are never far from your sections quiet pool/laundry. The main pool I think has great themeing and has shady areas for those of us who prefer to stay out of the sun. I just love the make your own pasta section at the food court. Both of our stays we had no problems with buses and look forward to returning to our favorite mod.

[btharvey]

POFQ is a smaller resort, but shares buses with POR most of the time. The food court is also not as good, but they do offer beignets, which are delicious.When we were at POFQ, we never shared buses with POR ... mid-August. We went to all parks and back, and never a share. Bus stops were different at the parks, too.

The beignets are wonderful, though think of calories of fried dough and powdered sugar (about a small bag's worth, sprinkled). :mickey:

[btharvey]

They also don't have elevators at POR, so we always request a ground floor. If we were ever assigned a 2nd floor, I would take advantage of the the bellhop service they offer.On the other hand, POFQ does have elevators. They're very well hidden.

[Mousemates]

we have stayed at both and our choice would be

POFQ over POR (we like the new orleans feel and compact resort size)

but if we were at POR, we prefer Alligator Bayou over the mansions for theming purposes.

[darthmacho]

We stayed at POR in 2010, and absolutely loved it. I've visited CBR, and I thought it looked decent. I would choose POR over it if that was the choice for our next visit. However, if you are partial to CBR, there's no shame in choosing that again. If you choose POR, I'm betting you'll like it.

I don't feel you can make a wrong decision here. :mickey:

[Kaps]

PORS is a great resort. We love the food court main pools and the quiet pools are great at night. We have stayed here at least 4 times and are staying here again when we go back. :number1:

[mechanic]

guess i will be lone dissenter. didnt like pors. pool was ok and rooms were nice but not distinctive. thought themeing was bland. also the buildings all look alike and its easy to get lost with all the walkways. didnt like food court at all. not critical of anyones opinion just offering my own. BUT...if you dont like values /pop is our favorite/ pors is the best deal for a mod.

[tazlikesrobots]

Love the resort! Very quiet and the landscaping is very pretty. Plus I love taking the boat to DTD :thumbsup:

[HoosierDisneyFan]

Plus I love taking the boat to DTD :thumbsup:

:ditto:

[spinnerf]

I agree with all the above, you can not go wrong with POR or POFQ, my personal choice would be POFQ, you will love it

[2Epcot]

POFQ is my favorite of the moderate resorts. I stayed at Caribbean Beach once, and did not like it.

[texas211]

Love POR. Food is good. Great atmosphere, that is very relaxing. Spread out, so you aren't always staring at 1000 people

[Mickey'sIrishPAl]

We just got back from Caribbean Beach Resort and absolutely fell in love with it. We are already in the planning stages for next year and want to try either POR or POFQ just so that we can compare it with CBR. All of the feedback from all of you is very helpful. I think that we will probably go with POR just because we will be travelling with several other families and one of the groups is a group of 5 (trundle beds).

To all--Thanks for the opinions and the help!!

[CanadaLovesDisney]

Thanks so much for all the responses. We are taking everything into consider! Tough decision! :mickey:

[Hammer]

They also don't have elevators at POR, so we always request a ground floor. If we were ever assigned a 2nd floor, I would take advantage of the the bellhop service they offer.

This is not correct. There ARE elevators in the Mansion buildings at Port Orleans Riverside, but no elevators in the Alligator Bayou section.

Honestly, I was not a big fan of PO Riverside the two times I stayed there (I believe in giving hotels and restaurants a second chance). I found it more spread out than Coronado Springs and the POR food court was pretty boring to me. I also had housekeeping issues during both stays.

That is the beauty of having many hotel choices on property; there is something for everyone!

[eire]

Absolutely not. Although the grounds are well-themed, the room seemed dark and dingy. In fact, when we checked in there was a dead spider in the bathroom and hair all over the floor. Gross. When I reported this at the desk, the answer I received was, and I quote, "Oh." Never again!

[magicofdisney]

This is not correct. There ARE elevators in the Mansion buildings at Port Orleans Riverside, but no elevators in the Alligator Bayou section.

I was not aware (obviously :blush:). I was basing my assumption on having only stayed in AB section and reading the same info here on the boards. Thanks. :)

[Hammer]

I was not aware (obviously :blush:). I was basing my assumption on having only stayed in AB section and reading the same info here on the boards. Thanks. :)

No worries! My Mom uses a wheelchair, so knowing where/if there is a elevator is pretty important for our group's happiness ;).