French Quarter or Riverside?

[Cheburashka]

My teenage son and I are going to spend one resort-only day/night/morning at Disney World before our Disney cruise in late December. Prices are sky-high at that time with little hope of discounts coming out, and I don't want to rent DVC, so I'm looking at us staying at a moderate instead of at a deluxe as usual. We should arrive early enough the day before the cruise to get to enjoy the resort & go swimming (if weather is reasonable which it usually is, in my experience).

Having a special pool with a good waterslide and hot tub is an important consideration for us. Any other resort attractions/activities such as a nature walking path would be a welcome bonus, as would a particularly good restaurant and/or food court. I'd prefer a recently (within the past few years) renovated room, if possible. We'd also enjoy beautiful Christmas decorations.

Our options are a standard room at either resort, or a woods view room at Riverside. Both are in our price range, and other room types (such as the royal rooms) are not an option due to availability. Which one do people recommend and why? We will not have a car and we will not be visiting any theme parks. Thank you!

 

[sponica]

In your case, I really DON'T THINK it matters. You can use the amenities of both resorts no matter where you sleep. POFQ was refurbed in 2018. And I think one was in process at Riverside before the shut down.

Riverside has a sit down restaurant open for dinner. The food court at FQ is probably smaller than it should be.

The major downfalls of riverside are probably irrelevant for you: too big/multiple bus stops.
The major selling point of FQ is the small footprint and the one bus stop.

I might give the edge to Riverside in your case as I enjoy the alligator bayou theming there, but it's really, truly a coin toss.

 

[The13thLetter]

I have stayed at both and liked FQ better, but @sponica is right, since its just a resort stay, and you can use both resorts if you stay at either you are probably good either way. i will give the edge to FQ because its a shorter boat ride to DS (which could be a nice place to get dinner) and for scat cats.

 

[meliscan]

I am a huge fan of FQ. I love their pool and pool bar. I like the smaller foot print and the beignets Of course you can walk over to get them from Riverside. When I have been there in the past the hot tub has been fairly empty. we have done a week long stay FQ and then several overnight trips before a cruise.
The food is so/so on-site but a quick boat ride to Disney Springs is great in the evening. The rooms have been renovated within the past few years and they look great. Sorry the room is messy but we were prepping to leave. I love the curtain in the room so I can shower and dry my hair in relative privacy.

I took my son to the real New Orleans this year and he said he liked FQ better.

 

[Disneylover99]

I absolutely love Christmas at POFQ!
The lobby/food court is small but beautiful and festive.
Love the jazzy Christmas tunes they play too.

I don’t feel the same Christmas feeling at POR.

The hot tub is separate from the pool at POFQ. I find that preferable because it‘s always peaceful and never gets too crowded. It is a smaller hot tub though.

 

[Nabas]

My teenage son and I are going to spend one resort-only day/night/morning at Disney World before our Disney cruise in late December. Prices are sky-high at that time with little hope of discounts coming out, and I don't want to rent DVC, so I'm looking at us staying at a moderate instead of at a deluxe as usual. We should arrive early enough the day before the cruise to get to enjoy the resort & go swimming (if weather is reasonable which it usually is, in my experience).

Having a special pool with a good waterslide and hot tub is an important consideration for us. Any other resort attractions/activities such as a nature walking path would be a welcome bonus, as would a particularly good restaurant and/or food court. I'd prefer a recently (within the past few years) renovated room, if possible. We'd also enjoy beautiful Christmas decorations.

Our options are a standard room at either resort, or a woods view room at Riverside. Both are in our price range, and other room types (such as the royal rooms) are not an option due to availability. Which one do people recommend and why? We will not have a car and we will not be visiting any theme parks. Thank you!

We have stayed at both several times.

Port Orleans Riverside has a (much) better pool, food court, and store.

Port Orleans French Quarter is smaller with rooms generally closer to the main building. I generally recommend POFQ for couples. It's very pretty at night.

Both have water slides but, if I remember correctly, the water slide at POFQ is tiny. POR slide is better but I used to take my kids on it when they were very small, so I'm not sure what your teenage son will think of it. The best water slide is at (IMO) the Boardwalk Inn.

 

[HopperFan]

My teenage son and I are going to spend one resort-only day/night/morning at Disney World before our Disney cruise in late December. Prices are sky-high at that time with little hope of discounts coming out, and I don't want to rent DVC, so I'm looking at us staying at a moderate instead of at a deluxe as usual.

Having a special pool with a good waterslide and hot tub is an important consideration for us. Any other resort attractions/activities such as a nature walking path would be a welcome bonus, as would a particularly good restaurant and/or food court. I'd prefer a recently (within the past few years) renovated room, if possible. We'd also enjoy beautiful Christmas decorations.

Our options are a standard room at either resort, or a woods view room at Riverside. Both are in our price range, and other room types (such as the royal rooms) are not an option due to availability. Which one do people recommend and why? We will not have a car and we will not be visiting any theme parks. Thank you!

Bolded = Riverside

French Quarter pool is designed for young children and even when my kids were under 10 they didn't want to swim there. The hot tub is not much bigger than what is in my backyard. No table service but I'd likely take boat to Disney Springs to eat and wander.

Riverside has a pool has a decent slide, hot tub decent size. The area of the hot tub is by the bar and that end of pool seems to have less small children. They have table service. Walking along river for both resorts.

Have you looked at Coronado Springs? Great slide with HUGE hot tub, always room. Lots of dining options. My kids loved this resort as teens, and still a favorite and one we actually hung out at pool all day. Walking path all around the lake. Always been stunning at Christmas.

 

[Nabas]

Have you looked at Coronado Springs? Great slide with HUGE hot tub, always room. Lots of dining options. My kids loved this resort as teens, and still a favorite and one we actually hung out at pool all day. Walking path all around the lake. Always been stunning at Christmas.

With one parent and one teenager, Coronado Springs is another good choice and should be priced similarly to Port Orleans.

I prefer the POR food court over CSR and the POR pool with its unusual layout always intrigues me.






But, as you note, the CSR slide is better and its pool and food court are both pretty good too.








CSR also has Three Bridges, which is a fun place to grab a bite to eat outdoors when the weather is nice:

 

[Cheburashka]

Thanks, everyone. We've decided to stay at Riverside.

 

[Nice Work Pal]

French quarter is probably my favorite resort after the Poly. It has my favorite pool of any of the resorts. Beignets are amazing. I was a little sad when they got rid of Jason and Billy because it was great watching them at night after the parks. There’s a boat to Disney springs too.

 

[silverace]

French Quarter has more atmosphere & character IMO

 

[beccasmom]

Both are great resorts and you can’t make a bad decision here. FQ is great for those who prefer a smaller resort footprint and is a real charmer. Riverside has a sit-down restaurant, which can be a nice change from the food courts, but they are fun too. (FQ once had a sit-down restaurant which we loved, but it has long been closed.)

 

[cpep42]

I prefer Riverside...the food is better there

 

[Sue M]

Thanks, everyone. We've decided to stay at Riverside.

Good choice. Ask to be near Old Man Island foot bridge. Beautiful resort. I love strolling along river path. Good food options.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Thanks, everyone. We've decided to stay at Riverside.

Stay anywhere but a standard room. The parking lot view is no bueno at Riverside.

 

[Cheburashka]

Stay anywhere but a standard room. The parking lot view is no bueno at Riverside.

We got a good deal on a standard room through our travel agent, so that's where we'll stay. It's only for one night, so no big deal.

 

[Poohbeck]

Forgive me for asking…it’s been a while. We went to Disney on our honeymoon ,95 and stayed at Port Orleans and I remember the pool had a dragon? - the slide was it’s tongue. Is that still there? I remember ordering Nawlans Ice (??) from the outdoor bar - an icy, fruity cocktail.

 

[Disneylover99]

Forgive me for asking…it’s been a while. We went to Disney on our honeymoon ,95 and stayed at Port Orleans and I remember the pool had a dragon? - the slide was it’s tongue. Is that still there? I remember ordering Nawlans Ice (??) from the outdoor bar - an icy, fruity cocktail.

Yes. The Dragon slide at the French Quarter is still there.

 

[disneyseniors]

My teenage son and I are going to spend one resort-only day/night/morning at Disney World before our Disney cruise in late December. Prices are sky-high at that time with little hope of discounts coming out, and I don't want to rent DVC, so I'm looking at us staying at a moderate instead of at a deluxe as usual. We should arrive early enough the day before the cruise to get to enjoy the resort & go swimming (if weather is reasonable which it usually is, in my experience).

Having a special pool with a good waterslide and hot tub is an important consideration for us. Any other resort attractions/activities such as a nature walking path would be a welcome bonus, as would a particularly good restaurant and/or food court. I'd prefer a recently (within the past few years) renovated room, if possible. We'd also enjoy beautiful Christmas decorations.

Our options are a standard room at either resort, or a woods view room at Riverside. Both are in our price range, and other room types (such as the royal rooms) are not an option due to availability. Which one do people recommend and why? We will not have a car and we will not be visiting any theme parks. Thank you!

I have stayed at both resorts and love them both. However, for what you are looking for I would pick Riverside. The woods view is beautiful. Riverside has alot of pathways in the bayou section with tropical settings and little bridges. The Mansion side has beautiful formal grounds . All around Riverside there are walking paths, and the one to POFQ is right along the river and is about a 10 minute walk. You can use POFQ 's pool too. POFQ has only QS and it is quite small. Riverside has a huge QS with many options (at least before covid), and also a TS restaurant onsite. I don't know if the TS is open at this time.
POR has quiet pools at each building site and they are wonderful and usually not crowded. I have never been to main pool because the quiet pools suited us. I don't think you can go wrong with POR. There are carriage rides but you need to book one before you leave. They leave from POR> Others might complain about the buses at POR, but we have stayed there many times and never had a problem. There is one bus stop (really 2) at POFQ but it c an get busy with ECV's and guests who wander over from POR. Whichever you choose will be fine.

 

[martikus]

You made the right choice. Riverside has a better pool for a teen. Enjoy it!