Contemporary resort OR Port Orleans Riverside (with a car)

[cinnaminny]

Hello all! I have never been to WDW or Florida so I need some expert advice. I have a room booked at the Contemporary resort for next summer. I knew almost immediately that the Contemporary is where I wanted to stay because I dig the look of it, it is amazingly close to the Magic Kingdom and it has a cool history. I also knew I wanted to stay at a Disney owned resort because of all the bells and whistles that come with staying at a Disney resort.

We considered a few different rooms at the CR and went with the garden wing with a garden view. At first I wanted a view of the fireworks, until I realized I probably wouldn't be in my room for the fireworks lol Plus I was a little nervous about noise, my husband is kind of noise sensitive so we thought the garden area looked quieter. Cost was not the issue, we could afford either one.

When we originally booked we were going to use Disney Transportation but decided to keep our rental car. (we are going to be at the beach for a few days before we come to WDW) So since we have a different kind of transportation available to us, I started looking at some of the other resorts.

I am actually very interested in Port Orleans Riverside. I've listened to a lot of those review panels on youtube and they all seem to say good things about this resort. Me personally, I like the looks of it, and really I like the cost of it.

So now I am wondering, if I am keeping my car, is it still worth it to stay at the Contemporary? Is the Contemporary 1700 dollars better than the Port Orleans Riverside? (9 days that is what the difference is) Is the walk worth that? Is it super noisy at the POR? Any tips advice or links? I have a feeling I better get this settled in my head either way or I am going to miss the chance to have a choice. lol

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I've stayed at and enjoyed both, but they are different experiences. Contemporary is really close to MK - if you will be leaving the park at the same time as half the world, the walk is glorious. We also enjoyed the convenience of the monorail. The restaurants are more iconic, but you could visit them either way.

Riverside is fun (especially the Royal Rooms). It wasn't noisy at all, and we would absolutely stay there again. Unless I'm feeling particularly flush, I tend to gravitate towards the moderates.

I don't think the car makes much of a difference. I prefer to use onsite transportation either way because you don't really save time driving (I mean, in theory, you might, if the bus takes forever to arrive, but when you drive, you have to deal with big parking lots). The bus isn't nearly as convenient as the monorail or walking, but you'll end up on a bus to AK and HS either way.

 

[cinnaminny]

I've stayed at and enjoyed both, but they are different experiences. Contemporary is really close to MK - if you will be leaving the park at the same time as half the world, the walk is glorious. We also enjoyed the convenience of the monorail. The restaurants are more iconic, but you could visit them either way.

Riverside is fun (especially the Royal Rooms). It wasn't noisy at all, and we would absolutely stay there again. Unless I'm feeling particularly flush, I tend to gravitate towards the moderates.

I don't think the car makes much of a difference. I prefer to use onsite transportation either way because you don't really save time driving (I mean, in theory, you might, if the bus takes forever to arrive, but when you drive, you have to deal with big parking lots). The bus isn't nearly as convenient as the monorail or walking, but you'll end up on a bus to AK and HS either way.

Good to know! Glad its not noisy there too!

I think if I had younger kids this would be a slam dunk, I would for sure stay at the Contemporary. But with a big kid, its a little tougher.

Also I think we would not stay in the Royal Rooms. I do have a 12 year old boy, I don't think he would appreciate that one as much as I would lol

 

[Wood Nymph]

The three times we have stayed at POR we have had rooms in quiet locations. In fact, since the rooms at POR have doors that open to the outside rather than buildings with interior hallways, it is quieter there than in the deluxe resorts we have stayed at. POR is a very nice moderate resort, but it is a moderate and won't have the same amenities as a deluxe resort like the Contemporary. We tend to stay at deluxe resorts most of the time, because we prefer the extras that you get there.

The Contemporary will be a great introduction to WDW. You'll be right there in the center of the action. For a first time visit, this would be the place to stay.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...ort-information-and-questions-thread.3374035/

https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...wer-information-and-questions-thread.3248210/

 

[Tigerlulu]

I was NOT impressed with riverside. At all. And it was very noisy for us. Kids running up and down outside our room, etc.

Now POFQ is a different story. The noise can still be quite the issue there, but the resort was smaller and nicer. In a huge way.

I wouldn't hesitate to keep the CR room.

 

[megs1313]

I love POR, but if staying at the contemporary wasn't cost prohibitive for me, I would stay there with a theme park view. HTH!

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

The contemporary has a lot of perks. We take the elevator down to the 4th floor and off we go to Epcot with little to no wait for the monorail. The walk to MK is nice and coming back to the resort from MK is great since it’s the first stop on the monorail. Great view for fireworks and you can book dinner at California Grill and step outside to watch from the top. Boat rental right there plus the water parade at night.

 

[auntfrannie]

I've stayed at both and I prefer POR. For me, the only advantage that CR had was the ability to walk to the MK. I like the sprawling paths of POR and really like that I can take the boat to Disney Springs. The food court at POR was so much better than the Contempo Cafe. I always have a car with me but I use the Disney buses; only rarely do I have issues with waiting for a bus.

But either way, you'll be at Disney so it will all be good!

 

[caliope]

We've stayed at both and we preferred Contemporary of the two, though with the disclaimer that we generally prefer deluxe over moderate. We really felt that the travel time to and from POR affected our enjoyment. We had our car when there and while it was convenient for hauling stuff, it was less convenient in terms of the time spent parking and driving. We just prefer to leave the driving to someone else while on vacation! We also found the rooms at CR more comfortable than the room at POR. CR rooms are bigger. We were in the tower, so we had a balcony as well. For a first time visitor, I think being immersed in the MK environment would be a great choice.

 

[Shanti]

I recommend the Contemporary. Stay in the garden wing if you want to save some money. It's very nice.

 

[Eastern]

What about doing a split stay? Since you have a car, it would be easy to move. Do 5 days at POR and then 4 at CR.

 

[cinnaminny]

What about doing a split stay? Since you have a car, it would be easy to move. Do 5 days at POR and then 4 at CR.

I wanted to do a split stay at first. It would have been too much for my dh. Me, if I could have an extra day touring all of the resorts I would. Lol

 

[cinnaminny]

Thanks so much for your posts. We slept on it last night and I think we are going to stick with the Contemporary! The odds of us going back to WDW are pretty slim so we are going to splurge. Being close to the MK really kind of does it for me.

Weirdly now you all have me thinking we should lose the car after our beach trip lol

 

[bumbershoot]

Also I think we would not stay in the Royal Rooms. I do have a 12 year old boy, I don't think he would appreciate that one as much as I would lol

We’ve stayed with our son twice in a royal room and there is nothing wrong with them. Deep royal blues and purples. They are royal, not princess.


I’ve stayed at bay lake tower (the Dvc connected with contemporary) and i’d take POR.

But then I don’t see any bells and whistles to staying onsite at Wdw. If we hadn’t bought Dvc we would likely stay up at Universal and commute to Wdw sometimes. And the walk to MK was nowhere near as fast as some seem to experience. I love having the rental car and do even when staying at bay lake. We like going “off campus”.