Port Orleans Riverside or AoA in April

[EasinEpcot]

Very excited to have a trip booked in April. We are currently booked in two Little Mermaid rooms at AoA. We've stayed in family suites at AoA on past trips and have outgrown them, we really need two double rooms instead. For the same price we could book at Port Orleans Riverside instead. We love AoA and the theming, but our kids are 15 now and I'm not sure it will hold the same appeal as when they were 10 (the last time we visited). Would love thoughts on the appeal of POR vs AoA for teens in particular.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Is Pop an option or are they full? (Guessing they do not have availability.)

I would keep AoA for the Skyliner but the one drawback I see is the long walk to the LM rooms.

 

[Dsny4fun]

I would go with POR, then your family could take the boat down to Disney Springs which has great places to eat and shop and just walk around. I always stay at POFQ and go to DS most evenings for dinner.

 

[EasinEpcot]

Pop is available. How is the pool there for teens? POR has hot tubs which is a big draw for our kids at this age. How long is the walk from the Little Mermaid rooms?

 

[elvispursley]

Personally, I’d go one of the PO resorts. With teens, I’d lean towards POR for the better pool options (even though you have access to those pools if staying at POFQ). The theming is one of the best of the resorts (imo). The food offerings are great, especially with the boat to DS.

 

[TexasJedi]

I feel like it's an unpopular opinion, but my family was not a fan of POR when we stayed a couple of years ago...we much prefer AOA.

While people online talk about the walk to the Little Mermaid rooms at AOA being long, depending on where you are at POR, you could just as easily have a further walk to the main building, and the lack of elevators was a pain when transporting the family's luggage up and down the stairs for check-in and checkout.

And while it could have just been the room we were in, the AC was much noisier and didn't seem to work as efficiently as what we we're used to at other Disney resorts. It was good enough, but AC usually isn't something we even think about or notice at other resorts in the summertime, so noticing that it didn't seem to be as good as others was notable to us.

Like another poster suggested, I'd personally go with Pop over POR as well if I was looking for two double rooms. Skyliner access is a big plus for us. (But we're big Skyliner people--that was one of the big factors behind choosing the Riviera as our home DVC resort.)

 

[gottalovepluto]

Pop is available. How is the pool there for teens? POR has hot tubs which is a big draw for our kids at this age. How long is the walk from the Little Mermaid rooms?

If you don't have a strong opinion I'd enquire of the kids if they prefer a hot tub or Skyliner access at Pop. (Don't see the point in AoA theming at that age when Pop has a chance to get you a better located room and neither of those hotels offers hot tubs.)

 

[highlander357]

I vote POR. I actually like to be a little bit away from the main building. I enjoy walking through the scenery on my way for my morning coffee or evening beverage. On my last trip we did some Skyliner hopping. I couldn’t believe how far away the furthest rooms (Little Mermaid) at AoA were from the Skyliner terminal. I like walking, but I told myself I would never stay there because of how far away those rooms were. People say the walks at POR are just as long, but I don’t see it unless you ignore the bridge across Old Man Island and walk around the entire resort. And even if they are just as long, I would rather walk along the river or woods than through a hotel complex.

 

[disneyseniors]

POR was our family resort for years, then we moved to POFQ due to mobility issues. Our teen grandkids loved POR. They stayed at the Poly with their parents while we were there, and they begged to be able to stay with us at POR. They really loved it there. We like the beautiful winding tropical pathways in AB and the gorgeous Mansions across the river. The atmosphere is laid back and beautiful. POR's food court was the best around. I dont know how it is now because that's been a few years back since we were there. The boat to Disney Springs was a plus too.