Port Orleans French Quarter vs. Riverside: help us choose!

[escriven75]

We've stayed at French Quarter for a runDisney event but didn't get much time to walk around. Also, the food court was under renovation and was basically closed. It's safe to say we're inexperienced with both Port Orleans resorts. We're planning a make up trip in late July/early Aug to make up for our March planned trip. We'll be there over my daughters bday. We already have a 7 day park ticket to use, so we will be in the parks many of the days and we always stay in the park all day...no back to the room swim breaks/naps. That being said we will have a few days or part days to stick around the resort. We usually save money and stay at Pop but I was thinking of trying something different and maybe narrowed it to down to one of the Port Orleans resort. I'm looking for pros and cons and advice on picking one over the other. The price is almost identical so that isn't a convincing factor for us. Which do you prefer and why?

 

[SarahC97]

Pros to FQ is that it's much, much smaller. It also has only one bus stop -- which many people consider to be a pro but I personally found very crowded in the mornings. I've stayed at both resorts the rooms are very similar (especially the rooms in the mansions at POR and the rooms at FQ). I like the quiet pools at POR, which is nice for a dip at night after the main pool has closed and you leave the parks, something you won't find at FQ. I think the main thing to consider is size. Do you mind having multiple bus stops and farther to walk from the main building to your room? If not, go with POR. If so, go with FQ. They're such similar resorts (who share amenities, btw, so you can use the main pool at either) that I doubt beyond the size you'll notice much difference.

 

[Boopuff]

I've stayed at both. PORS (we stayed in the princess room - very cute) We liked the vibe here and the pool is fun. PORFQ stayed in a regular room and the food court was great (before the reno). The pool has the fun dragon slide. IMO either location is really nice. (however, I give the edge to riverside. just liked the layout better)

 

[escriven75]

Pros to FQ is that it's much, much smaller. It also has only one bus stop -- which many people consider to be a pro but I personally found very crowded in the mornings. I've stayed at both resorts the rooms are very similar (especially the rooms in the mansions at POR and the rooms at FQ). I like the quiet pools at POR, which is nice for a dip at night after the main pool has closed and you leave the parks, something you won't find at FQ. I think the main thing to consider is size. Do you mind having multiple bus stops and farther to walk from the main building to your room? If not, go with POR. If so, go with FQ. They're such similar resorts (who share amenities, btw, so you can use the main pool at either) that I doubt beyond the size you'll notice much difference.

Thank you so much for the quick reply....I wanna decide while there are still discounted rooms available!! How did you like the food situation in both? Is there a decent quick serv/food court in either for a bfast on the way out or a light dinner if we're still hungry when we get back from the parks? If you have a non-park day to just hang out at the resort, which do you prefer and why? All other things the same, would you say one is more crowded than the other? We really liked our stay at FQ except there was literally no food options. Luckily it was a quick trip so it didn't present much of an issue.

 

[SarahC97]

Thank you so much for the quick reply....I wanna decide while there are still discounted rooms available!! How did you like the food situation in both? Is there a decent quick serv/food court in either for a bfast on the way out or a light dinner if we're still hungry when we get back from the parks? If you have a non-park day to just hang out at the resort, which do you prefer and why? All other things the same, would you say one is more crowded than the other? We really liked our stay at FQ except there was literally no food options. Luckily it was a quick trip so it didn't present much of an issue.

The food court at POR has a lot of really great options, but because it's a larger resort, it can get really crowded. We stayed there last July and there were a few times it took us 45 minutes to wait in line, order food, and pay for it. But I've liked the food I've gotten at both. FQ has a more laid back vibe, I think, but there's a bit more to do at POR, it seems, especially if you have some time to spend at the resort.

 

[Planner2012]

We’ve stayed at, and enjoyed, both. At POR we had a river view room in Alligator Bayou. We really liked the theming and the location was relatively close to everything. At POFQ we had a garden view room that overlooked a fountain. The room was nice but not as themed as the one we had in POR. We really loved the size of POFQ. After being at the parks all day it was great to have a quick walk to our room, the food court or pool. I would happily stay at either again, but my preference would be POFQ just for the size of the resort.

 

[Sunshine11]

French Quarter for smallness of resort and ability to walk to Riverside for another pool option and to enjoy their amenities.

 

[Tax]

We enjoyed the theming and feel of POR, specifically the mansions. We also love Yehaa Bob Jackson who regularly performs in POR. However, we preferred POFQ due to the compact size. We found the food courts to be relatively comparable. It is a short walk between the two.

 

[nkereina]

We prefer POR over POFQ. We think POR has the best food court on property. The main pool theme is meh, but you can also use the main pool at POFQ which is a quick walk down the path. Both resorts have the boat to Disney Springs, but it originates at POR so you'll always be able to board an empty boat there and won't have to wait for the next one. It's true that POFQ is small making for no bad room location, but I agree with PP that we found the one bus stop to be a free-for-all during busy times. There was no order, and no one respected who was there first when a bus pulled up. It did not have queues like the value resorts do. POR is larger and has four bus stops which takes a little longer to get through, but we felt the size of the resort and the multiple bus stops helped to disperse the crowds. We rarely saw others when walking around the resort, and felt it was easy to get around due to the elongated layout of the resort.

 

[KBoopaloo]

I love both but given a choice will usually choose POR. Both resorts are lovely but I really love the ambiance at POR and I like that their indoor public spaces (food court, shop, lounge, etc) are a little larger - makes the experience feel a little bit more like a deluxe resort to me. Their main pool area also always seems to have a bit more shade which I need.

POR’s biggest negative will always be that you can sometimes have a long walk to your room from the public spaces. I typically don’t mind but for a dead of summer trip I might chose POFQ instead just to save myself some sweating.

I do always try to find time to walk to POFQ for some beignets when I stay at POR and I highly recommend it!

 

[CapeCodTenor]

I've only stayed at FQ and I love it, and it's because of the size. I don't like that they only have one bus stop, but that's not a deal breaker for me. And like SarahC97 said, you have to consider the size. It's nice to have a short walk to grab breakfast in the morning. Over all, I like the place.

 

[bluejasmine]

Ive stayed at POR twice and loved it even tho its a large resort it was beautiful and cozy. Ive visited POFQ to get the special pastries but never stayed bc they were always excluded from discounts well now they arent so we are booked at POFQ, its just hubby and I and I will have to use a scooter so I think it will be perfect.

 

[Sue M]

We’ve stayed at both. I prefer Riverside. Mansions. I love walking along the river paths, so peaceful and the landscaping is beautiful. Also love the food court at Riverside, but also like some items at pofq too. Beignets and gumbo! Everything is more spaced out at Riverside so even if the resort is full, you'd never know it. Also like the option of a quiet pool. Also Bob Jackson’s show at night is fun.

POFQ is nice too. The resort is more compact, which many people like about it. But to me it just feels more crowded. Also it’s set back from the river, so only a few buildings are along the river and if I didn’t purposely walk to the river I wouldn’t know it’s there. Riverside is built along the river so you see it all the time.

That said, either resort is nice, and you have the benefit of the amenities of either resort.

 

[escriven75]

I think we're leaning towards POFQ. The small walk to get all over is really sounding appealing. Especially if we still need to go to HS early to ride Rise of the Resistance. We haven't been to Disney Springs since it became Disney Springs so what does everyone like to do over there? Since we can take a cool boat ride over, it's definitely on the agenda.

 

[ncc1701]

I think we're leaning towards POFQ. The small walk to get all over is really sounding appealing. Especially if we still need to go to HS early to ride Rise of the Resistance. We haven't been to Disney Springs since it became Disney Springs so what does everyone like to do over there? Since we can take a cool boat ride over, it's definitely on the agenda.

Disney Springs has a wide variety of restaurants to choice from ( TS & QS)
if you are looking to eat lunch or dinner. As for shops we usually just do the World of Disney & the Christmas .
stores. There is a bowling alley & movie theater in case weather conditions prevent you have having time at the pools.
After 4:00 ish the two resorts usually have their own boats to DS.

 

[mickeymom22]

We have stayed at both resorts. We have stayed in the Alligator Bayou section and Mansions at POR.

I give the edge to POFQ. It is so nice to be at the small of a resort. We like the gumbo and beignets at the food court. That being said, if I was staying at POFQ, I would walk over to POR's food court at least once for dinner. It seems to have more choices and we have always enjoyed our meals there. I wouldn't waste time on the TS restaurant there as we have tried it twice and the food was terrible.

2nd place would be a royal room at POR. We stayed in one when it was just hubby and our daughters. I really liked it. I am a sucker for the fiber optic fireworks!

The boat ride to Disney Springs is really nice. So many restaurants to try and shops to explore. I found I enjoy Disney Springs a lot more when we go on our arrival day. We used to save it until our departure day, and we were just too exhausted to enjoy it much.

Happy Planning!

 

[Gordon Gekko]

We loved POFQ due to many of the reasons listed above. We typically eat at Disney Springs (great restaurant selection) and a few other resorts that have favorite restaurants of ours. The size and ambiance of FQ is pretty awesome and we dislike larger, sprawling resorts so this is right up our alley.

Disney Springs favorites: Boathouse, Splitsville, Jock Lindsay's and for dessert Amorette's.

 

[Sue M]

We like to eat at Disney Springs, shop- lots of shops but we usually go to World of Disney, Christmas Shop, Uniqlo- has lots of Disney themed shirts for cheap and the cotton material is very high quality, Vera Bradley shop, and there’s a Sephora incase you forgot something at home.

 

[KenHutch]

Another family that has stayed at both and its FQ by a mile. The compact size is great and most importantly the single bus stop.

 

[disneyseniors]

We have stayed at both resorts, but favor POR. We love the atmosphere of both the Mansions and the tropical effect in the Bayou. It is large, but we found that we could do preferred rooms or just buildings close to these. I agree that it doesn't feel crowded due to it's layout. In the Bayou there are winding pathways over little bridges; it's quite charming.
We enjoyed the quiet pools which were never crowded when we were there.
I think Fulton's store is the best of any moderate. It is huge and has everything. Even when we stay at POFQ, we always go to Fulton's to look and buy things. Their food court has a nice variety of food and we love the atmosphere. I like to sit by the window by the mill and watch the wheel turn. HeeHaw Bob is great too.
We go to POFQ now due to mobility issues. We don't care for the food court very much and it can get crowded due to it's size. We walk over to POR to eat a few times while at POFQ. There are a lot of people with mobility issues at POFQ, it seems. Due to only one bus stop, if there are more than 1 or 2 scooters, the wait can be long for the buses. Also, due to the popularity of HS now, the line can extend from one waiting area to the other. Same with the bus line for MK.


We never had bus issues at POR in all our visits. We always visited in Nov, Dec, or March, so maybe that's why? The resorts sometimes share a bus usually on the trips back from the parks, which I don't care for. That occurred about 50% of the time on our last visit. If we didn't have mobility issues, we would definitely stay with POR.