We like All Stars, have stayed there a few times. We are a family of 3. My daughter has been young enough that we have been able to swap off her sleeping with my wife or I. Now she will be 13 and we want her to have either her own bed or queen beds and she can bunk with mom while I have my own space. So We are looking at either getting adjoining All Star rooms or 1 room at Port Orleans. Pros for Port Orleans is Queen beds slightly bigger room. All Stars we would have tons of room because of 2 rooms and we would have 2 bathrooms. Also as far as price the 2 all star rooms would only be $5.00 more. Why would I do Port Orleans?
I guess I'm a bit confused; when I was her age, we were a family of 4. Mom, Dad, me and my older brother. We wouldn't have ever dreamed of getting 2 rooms, and always stayed value (and, my dad and brother are 6'4''). When you say you want your own space, you mean you found the beds too small? Or no one wants to sleep in the same bed with someone else at all (3 people, and you want 3 beds)? Because obviously the answer and the best set up will be different.
We stayed at Port as well as a family (we've had 5 in a room there before), and there is more room overall in the build of the room, and in bed size (queen beds). As has been said, if you get 2 regular rooms at a value there is no guarantee for adjoining or connecting rooms. The times that we go value now and have 2 families they have tried to get us close, as in same floor, same building. It does change the vacation when splitting the fam up, so I guess that is a good thing to some, and a deal breaker for others. At Riverside, you do have a Murphy bed in the Bayou, but if the regular beds seem small to you guys, the Murphy bed will seem tiny.
As to the advantages of Port, the queen sized beds, the theme, the quietness, the boat to Disney Springs, being closer to EPCOT, etc... are all reasons why I like Port better than a value. As I got (and get) older I liked the "less hectic" aspects of Port even more.
