Art of Animation vs. Port Orleans Riverside

[ljgirl40]

Hello,

We are planning a trip to WDW the first week of July 2017. We have been many times and have stayed at POR and WL. This time I was thinking of AoA. What are the major differences between Moderates and AoA?

Thanks!

[Genie1953]

We have not stayed at AoA before but did visit the resort in November. Actually we were very impressed and may stay there in the future. The food court is phenomenal with so many more choices than the POR resorts where we have always stayed in the past. I do know one thing...we will miss the boat access to Disney Springs if we do stay at AoA in the future but other than that I think we would be fairly happy staying there.

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

POR has the sit down restaurant Boatwrights and in addition has the indoor lounge RiverRoost for adult beverages and family entertainment (Yeehaw Bob).

I always found the POR foodcourt to be pretty substantial, I can't imagine AoA offering that much more.

And as mentioned, the friendship boats that take you to Disney Springs.

[JoDisney]

POR is so much better, in my opinion, than AofA. The food court at POR cannot be beat, Boatwrights, River Roost, main pool with slide and individual quiet pools, boat to Disney Springs, atmosphere and music. No contest.

[lawgirl]

I haven't stayed at either one, but have visited both, and have eaten several times at AoA. I much prefer the quiet, more sophisticated atmosphere of the moderates, including POR...AoA always seems loud and somewhat chaotic to me, and the theming is much more cartoonish. Which is perfect if you want a fun, "on the go" place. I prefer the dining options and atmosphere at POR, but AoA is fun! My kids LOVE the Cars movie, so we have been to visit the Cars area and eat...its fun! But not relaxing to me.

[Ed]

We've stayed at both, and in my mind there's really no comparison. I'd choose POR. AoA, as mentioned above, is very "cartoonish" and POR is much more sedate. AoA is very open without much landscaping, whereas POR is lushly landscaped with lots of mature trees. AoA is probably a good choice for families with young kids, but for those without kids (like me :old:) POR is the much better choice.

[RBrooksC]

My wife and I have stayed at both. AoA is a wonderfully themed resort. The pool area is expansive and very nice. I will agree that the food court is amazing. I just think it is very expensive for a "Value" resort, especially since they are pitching there was a suite style rooms. Yes, the Little Mermaid area is the typical "Value" area but it is far away from everything.

My wife and I would much prefer to stay at PO:RS. We loved the grounds. The food courts were nice but we didn't each there much except for a quick breakfast. We loved the boat ride to Disney Springs which after a long day at the parks, was rather nice. We drive when we are there so we didn't feel there was a long way to go to the parks.