PO-French Quarter or Riverside??

[Brynnie]

I am currently trying to plan my second trip this year for December. I am staying at CBR in May, but I want to try out PO as well. Can anyone give me advice on which side to stay on?? They both seem beautiful, but I want to know what the pros and cons are of each one! I was also wondering what the weather and crowds are like in early December! Thanks a lot!

 

[Terk-1]

This is my family's & I FAVORITE moderate resort!!!! It is reopening in May and I just changed my ASMo ressies to POFQ. The pool is great and this resort is very compact. It is very quiet and beautiful. You'll love it!!!

 

[sshuttle]

We have stayed at both the French Quarter and now what they call "Riverside." I prefer Riverside but both are very, very nice. We have stayed in the sourthern mansions twice while at Riverside and I love the rooms, very charming. The resort is beautiful and incredibly landscaped. I liked the food court area, the gift shop, and the game room. There are several quite pools plus the big pool (Ol' man river, I think they call it) that is great with a big silde, a kiddie pool, a jacuzzi, and lots of shady areas.

Personally, I just like the southern theme better than the French theme. Riverside is bigger than French Quarter and French Quarter is quainter and quiter than Riverside. I think you'll be very hapy with either choice.

 

[schwaa]

Brynnie,

There's more area to walk around in at the Riverside. It's bigger, more spread out, more peaceful. The food court is bigger, the arcade is bigger. Plus you can walk to the French Quarter from there.

It's seemed more relaxing to me there.

 

[Brynnie]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think it's going to be POR!

 

[weluvpluto]

Terk-1 -
Were you using a code with your ASMo ressie?

Did your CM apply it to your new ressie?

I really want to change resorts (stay at FQ instead of Riverside) but when I called this morning I couldn't get the same rate

 

[mirlow]

How long is the walk from Riverside to FQ? Is there a pathway? I

 

[sshuttle]

Yes, there is a very nice pathway that runs along the river. Depending on where you are staying about 10/15 minutes at most between the two. By the way in response to crowds in December, as long as you are not going Christmas week, December is one of the best months to visit Disney. The weather is beautiful, the crowds are light, and it's all decked our for Christmas.

 

[BadgerBruce]

It's a very lovely pathway. When we stay at POR, we always like to get off the bus at POFQ & walk back to POR. The "streets" of FQ are very pretty at night, & walking back to POR along the river, amongst the magnolias, & seeing the beautiful fountains, etc. at the mansions remind us of why we keep coming back to WDW every year. There are benches along the path to sit & watch the boats go by. Just a wonderful atmosphere.

 

[FrizDiz]

I've stayed at both and loved both of them. If you have young kids I think the French Quarter is better because the walking distances are much shorter. POR is great but pretty spread out which is great for romantic walks but not great with impatient kids wanting to get to the pool. You can't go wrong with either however.

 

[Brynnie]

sshuttle,

Thank you for answering my question about the crowds and weather in December. I am planning on going in the beginning of the month because I assumed Christmas week would be a crazy time to go!

 

[eeyore0062]

Well, it is a personaly preference. We have stayed at PO-R twice, and really loved it...especially Alligator Bayou, building 14! The landscaping is lovely. It is very laidback...the pool is nice, the general store is huge, as is the food court.

PO-FQ is a more compact resort. The landscaping and theming here is also very well done. PO-FQ and PO-R are sister resorts, so you can use either one's amenities. PO-FQ shares a sitdown restaurant with PO-R, but it is located on the PO-R property. PO-FQ has but one pool, although guests are welcome to use any of the 5 pools on the PO-R property. The boat to DTD is located on the PO-R property, as well. Both have food courts, although, PO-R has the bigger one, as it caters to a larger room population.

If you want a smaller feeling resort, then go with PO-FQ, but if you would like to be closer to the amenities that both resorts share, then you might consider PO-R.