Coronado Springs Resort or Port Orleans French Quarter

[BEwdw]

Hello,

First of all I want to apologize if my American/English is not correct, but I’ll give it a try.

A question about these two resorts.

In May 2022 we stay at Coronado Springs, in a standard room, for 17 nights (we are from Europe ). But now we doubt about to change it to French Quarter. The last time we stayed at Coronado Springs was 2015. But now the rooms are renovated and look very good. (I like a glass wall near the shower instead of a curtain (POFQ)). We also stayed 2 times at Port Orleans Riverside (2013 and 2018), but never at POFQ. We don’t know what to do and which should be the best choice at the moment. What are at the moment (2022) the pros and cons CSR vs POFQ? What should be the best decision for a long stay at one resort?

Thank you very much! I’m looking forward to your reactions!

 

[Dug720]

I'm probably in the minority here, but I'd stick with Coronado. I feel like the rooms are nicer and I much prefer the themeing (I'm one of the few people in the world who doesn't get the appeal of New Orleans). I stayed there for my birthday this past summer and had a wonderful time - Three Bridges is amazing! If I didn't have a super short post-cruise stay where I will want to take advantage of evening hours, I'd be back there again in August - but I'm at a Villa resort instead for those.

There are going to be plenty who will say the boat to Springs opens up that area more for dining, BUT you can get there on a bus or with Lyft/Uber, so for me that would not be a deciding factor.

For me it's themeing and rooms and Coronado (even the non-Tower as I was not in a Tower room) wins both of those for me.

 

[DWillowBay]

I would also choose Coronado Springs. Elegant resort at lower prices. Wonderful Cast Members. Beautiful grounds. Many dining choices. Beautiful pool. French Quarter is quaint, but small and without many of the amenities of Coronado Springs. I hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[loves to dive]

Another Coronado fan. It is sort of a deluxe lite. Plenty of food options and a beautiful resort. It might depend on how you feel about the size of a resort. CSR is a lot bigger PORFQ. PORFQ only has one bus stop, CSR has 4 or 5 so if you get on the first stop you are going to ride the bus around the entire resort. I was there in Dec. and loved everything about it. I was in Casitas 5, which is near Bus Stop 2 which is the first stop when leaving for the parks. The ride around the other stops never took more than 5 or 7

 

[HopperFan]

Hello,

First of all I want to apologize if my American/English is not correct, but I’ll give it a try.

A question about these two resorts.

In May 2022 we stay at Coronado Springs, in a standard room, for 17 nights (we are from Europe ). But now we doubt about to change it to French Quarter. The last time we stayed at Coronado Springs was 2015. But now the rooms are renovated and look very good. (I like a glass wall near the shower instead of a curtain (POFQ)). We also stayed 2 times at Port Orleans Riverside (2013 and 2018), but never at POFQ. We don’t know what to do and which should be the best choice at the moment. What are at the moment (2022) the pros and cons CSR vs POFQ? What should be the best decision for a long stay at one resort?

Thank you very much! I’m looking forward to your reactions!

Absolutely stay with Coronado. It is the deluxe of the moderates, while French Quarter is the Value of the moderates. French Quarter is very overpriced considering it is not a full service moderate.

Coronado has numerous dining options, lounges and bars, newly renovated, new tower, one of the best pools on property and centrally located on property, with quiet pools and largest hot tub. As you know it is a beautifully landscaped resort with four distinct themes. It has never felt crowded and is a favorite of ours for many reasons.

French Quarter has a single food court dining option. Yes you can walk or travel to Riverside for a table service or take a boat to Disney Springs if you have time. Their pool is smaller and very much designed and geared for young children. There are no quiet pools and the hot tub is not much bigger than a home sized hot tub. I believe the room renovations are there too but as you say looks like they still have curtains in the shower. I have stayed here and can't imagine staying for more than a couple nights - the constant traveling to other places for services would get old.

NOTE: Boat to DS does not operate in storms so you will have to use a bus. If you are on boat when storm comes they drop you at next resort. If heading to an ADR you could miss it - been there.

 

[Marthasor]

I agree with the others. I just stayed at Coronado for the first time a few weeks ago (typically stay deluxe) and was SO impressed. It really is the deluxe of the moderate resorts. Lovely rooms, great staff, beautiful grounds and tons of food options.

 

[BEwdw]

Thank you very much for your recommendations. We think about it again. French Quarter looks really nice, but I never knew that it is the “value” resort of the moderates. And because we stay for a long time it is nice to have more dining options and pools when we not visit the parks and stay on property. Hopefully we can visit WDW in May 2022, because of Covid-19.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Thank you very much for your recommendations. We think about it again. French Quarter looks really nice, but I never knew that it is the “value” resort of the moderates. And because we stay for a long time it is nice to have more dining options and pools when we not visit the parks and stay on property. Hopefully we can visit WDW in May 2022, because of Covid-19.

I would split the stay between the two, maybe a week CSR, rest POFQ. Disney Bell Services will transfer your suitcases between the two for free. I cannot imagine 17 days of having to deal with eating at CSR! CSR is not swimming in great food options. The QS is pre-packaged. The sports bar is meh. The Mexican sit down is only open certain days a week. Toledos is supposed to be nice but you’d go broke eating there multiple times. You will be kicking yourself that you can’t hop a boat to Disney Springs.

If you can’t split I vote POFQ. A boat to DS is much nicer than buses and I see you spending a lot of time at DS.

 

[BEwdw]

We booked it as a package (UK-deal), so I don’t think we can split it. Maybe for the last 3 nights, because the package deal was a 14-night stay and WDTC UK split the last 3 nights from the 17 nights.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Have never stayed at POFQ but as other posters have said the pro is the dedicated
Parks bus, the con is the single QS dining option.

Coronado is our new favorite Moderate (sorry, Caribbean Beach) for the newly renovated rooms which are GORGEOUS, and the proximity to 3 Bridges which is delicious and a great place to chill. Fair warning about the size of the resort, it is very large/spread out and I find navigating to the rooms a bit confusing - luckily all of the dining options are centrally located and easy to get to, it’s just a walk. The pools can also be a bit far depending on which building you’re in. BUT I would recommend it any day, we’re staying there again in 2 weeks for a long weekend trip, and in the Tower in June for a week, and I’m looking forward to being back!

 

[k5xs]

We have stayed at both recently, and it depends on what you are interested in in a resort.

Coronado Springs is MUCH bigger, and has some of the hustle-bustle of a convention hotel. If you are staying in the Tower, it's much like a business-type hotel. The casitas are quaint, but can result in a l-o-n-g walk to/from your room. Food selections are much broader than at POFQ, and the sit-down restaurants is terrific.

POFQ is much smaller, and we find it downright intimate. All of the rooms are a quick walk from the main building and the bus stop (unlike POR).

I don't agree at all that it is a "value" resort of the moderates. The rooms suit us just fine. It does have the disadvantage of not having a sit-down restaurant, but we ride the boat to Disney Springs or to POR for that. The food selection in the counter service eatery is broader than most, and the food quality has always been excellent for us.

A big factor for us is transportation. The boat is nice (and fun) but weather dependent. And POFQ having one bus stop is a plus. The bus circuit at CSR is a time sucker, and the hike from a casita can be long. We really like Epcot, and POFQ is as close as you can get to it on a bus route.

For me, the quietness of the POFQ would make it my choice, especially for a stay of a week or more. I am afraid the hustle-bustle of CSR would make me a little crazy over a week.

 

[stinkpickle]

I would definitely prefer POFQ.

 

[Lehuaann]

One of our favorite resorts is CSR, but this past Christmas/NY spent 11 nights at POFQ. Here’s my thoughts.

Resort size - POFQ has the advantage. The resort is small and everything convenient. You don’t need bell services as many guests use luggage carts. Our room was in building 4, which is a hop and a skip away from everything. Got our money’s worth out of our mugs and the hot chocolate machine. CSR on the other hand is huge...but not all good things come in small packages

Bus transportation - both resorts are great. POFQ’s dedicated bus only operated at park open and close. Otherwise, we shared buses with POR. However, we were the first resort to be picked up and dropped off.

Alternate transportation - POFQ has the advantage of alternate transportation to Disney Springs by boat. However, the boats are small, so the waits were long. We ended up taking the bus and getting there faster.

Rooms - CSR hands-down. I know it’s a convention resort, but for the price, POFQ rooms felt motelish. And for the amount of nights we stayed, I sure missed the amenities of a Keurig, Bluetooth TV, and storage. But the things I really disliked...the jet engine loud PTAC wall unit, shower curtain that almost touched the toilet, mattress so uncomfortable I had to check the label (not a newer Beautyrest Plush), and lighting so glaring and high, my poor eyes were straining.

Housekeeping - nothing to compare, but we had a complete room service with sheet change in the middle of our stay. Not sure if it’s resort specific for Covid since we also had this done in May at AKV Kidani.

Misc amenities - CSR has the advantage. Spa and fitness center, business center, multiple food/pools/laundry locations, and larger resort shop. Not sure if POFQ shares pools with POR, but you have only one at POFQ (and one food location). But I guess if people can hike/bus around CSR, they can hike/bus next door to POR

In the end, I’m a bit spoiled by CSR, so I’d stick there, especially for longer stays

 

[BEwdw]

Another question about CSR. Are all the rooms on the resort renovated? Or only specific buildings?

 

[scpratt]

Both resorts are wonderful. I prefer the pool areas at Coronado over FQ. The rooms are similar in size, so that’s a push. FQ definitely gives you the feel of being in New Orleans, a bit of a buzzy environment. Coronado gave us a little more laid back vibe, even with the conference center

 

[gottalovepluto]

Another question about CSR. Are all the rooms on the resort renovated? Or only specific buildings?

All the rooms are renovated

 

[Chuck96]

Another vote for the Coronado. It's a fantastic resort.

 

[UrsulaTime]

Tbh I have not stayed at POFQ but I did just stay at CSR for the first time and it was so lovely I wanted to chime in with my two cents. Since you'll have an extended stay, the size of the resort may prove to be a positive - you'll be less likely to tire of one theme/landscape, and there'll be many new little areas to roam should you choose (Casitas, Ranchos, Cabanas, Gran Destino tower; the three quiet pools and the main pool; the volleyball court and hot tub; Villa del Lago...the giant chess game....others have mentioned the food options so I'll just say two words about that: Barcelona Lounge!)

I was there for two days, only went to the park one of those days, and I barely scratched the surface.

Others have praised the rooms and I agree so again I'll keep my input short and just say I appreciated the 'rain' glass walk-in shower.

The bus service to Disney Springs was fine! As were the park buses. I used both the tower bus stop and bus stop #2 and the extra stops were barely noticeable.

Let us know how it goes!

 

[BEwdw]

We‘re looking forward to it! We only doubt what area we would like to stay? Casitas or cabanas? Is bus stop 2 the first stop for the parks? And which area is the best to stay?

*Update: we choose Cabanas *

 

[Lsdolphin]

Pools at CSR are beautiful and love that there are multiple choices for dining. Has become our favorite resort.