Port Orleans Riverside or Coronado?

[pizza pan]

My wife and I are debating between booking at Port Orleans Riverside or the Coronado Resort. We will be going in January with are children ages 4, 3, and 21 months. Both resorts have been suggested to us as good choices for this level of resorts. We would greatly appreciate any input on either of these two resorts. Pro's or con's! Or are we smarter to just save some money and go with a value resort instead?

Thank you in advance!!

 

[tinagirl]

I would say Port Orleans. Reason? Access to lots of theming, fishing areas, wildlife, relaxing boat rides to Downtown Disney.

Riverside is great, but I'd say go to FQ with young kids. Much less of a walk to the facilities, even if you get the far away rooms.


Coronado is good, but it is much more of a "business class conference center" type resort. Lots of people in suits looking down at your kids if they make a peep at the dinner table in the pepper market.

Definitely not as kid friendly.

That may just be me, but those are my two cents.

 

[Buzz2001]

THE PROS
No sharing bus service with other resorts
Centrally located with short rides to the parks
Largest hot tub on WDW property
Awesome main pool area with bar, snack bar, playground and kiddie pool
3 quiet pools
New shuttle service eliminates long walks to any of the villages
High speed internet service
WiFi available too
Free use of the gym
Spa
Fridge in the room
Coffeemaker in the room
Iron and ironing board
full room service menu
2 arcades
beautifully landscaped
central air, not a noisey wall unit

THE CONS
Full size beds (kings size beds are available)
one sink

IN THE MIDDLE
The Pepper Market is either a love it or hate it place. We love it but some folks just don't care for it.

Convention resort - some guests don't like seeing other guests at work. Doesn't bother us and helps keep the buses empty. GF, Cont, BW, Y & B Club are also convention resorts.

Check out my website below

 

[lc1965]

Well, in the interest of full disclosure, I'll say that I've never been to Coronado. That's because we love Riverside so much that we never stay anywhere else. The property is stunning w/ a beautiful water wheel & bridges & boat ride to Downtown Disney, the food court is great, the kids love the themed pool & the access to the very cool swimming area & food court at French Quarter. All of the moderate resorts have the same amenities, so I wouldn't worry about that sort of thing.

Have a great trip.

 

[TheresaNY]

I think both are gorgeous and I have stayed at both POR and CSR. However, I think your young children would be more thrilled with the theming of ASMovies, POP, or ASMusic. The larger than life sized animation characters are more likely to get a "wow" from them instead of the gorgeous grounds of the other 2 resorts you mentioned. Plus you will save money by going to a value resort and an use it to bring home more memories of your trip !!

 

[Suzanne74]

I have never been to POR to stay but I have always noticed the VERY long lines at their bus stops, esp after our last stay. We did just stay at Coronado and think it is the best bang for your buck. We truly enjoyed it and so did my 4yr old dd, and my 3yr old nephew and 2yr old neice. The DIG Site combines a huge pool, slide, baby pool with fountains, hot tub, sandbox, playground, volleyball and a outside pool bar all in one. It is very convenient. The bus service was excellent and we found the place not to be overwhelming with kids which is what we wanted after we stayed at the kid-infested Poly . There was always pool loungers available and lots of room to swim. I just posted a review with more details...

HTH

 

[eeyoreiscool]

We like POR more than Coronado. Mainly it is due to the atmosphere of POR. It seems more laid back and quieter. There is also more shade available when you need to walk to the main building and your room. DW and DS also like the bunnies that reside at POR.

 

[wdwkids]

so you are giving up th momorail you had at Poly for POR busses- even with small kids? Can you get a double strolle ron the bus by chance?

 

[CAJUNWDWFAN]

As always it's a matter of opinion. I have to agree with Buzz, I would choose the Coronado Springs Resort. Although we didn't travel with kids, we did notice that there is plenty of things for them to do. There is a huge themed pool, kids play area, and two arcades. Also there is a TV in the lobby with cartoon playing constantly. Bike rentals are also available.

 

[jtdl]

I'm thinking that you would have to get two rooms at a value resort to accommodate your family of 5. I'm not sure if they allow a 3rd child in a crib, but even so, IMHO, it would be way too crowded in a value room! We are a family of 4 and it was just too scrunched for us. I'm in the works trying to decided between POFQ and CSR with my mind leaning heavily towards POFQ. I know POFQ rooms aren't that much bigger than a value but they do have two sinks and a privacy curtain so that we don't have to get dressed in the mini bathroom!

 

[Goofy4WDW1964]

We have stayed at POR, CSR, and CBR. Each has their own pluses. We have found that the bus service is pretty equal at all three resorts. All three are spread out, but we have never had any problem with that. Being spread out actually helps keep them quiet. The value resorts are much noisier. Since you will have a crib, I would definitely go with a moderate for the extra room. And with that, one thing to consider is CBR does have slightly larger rooms than the other moderates.

All three have nice main themed pools and additional private pools throughtout the resorts. It is nice to have that option if the main pool gets very crowded. They are also closer to your room than the main pool.

Each have a sit down restaurant and a food court. We liked the food court much better at POR. But, CBR and CSR both had good food courts. At CBR, you can see the Epcot fireworks from a lot of places within the resort. We watched them several times from the beach near the pool area.

POR also has the boat to Downtown Disney which can be a plus if you plan on visiting there. All three are pretty equal from all the parks.

You can't go wrong with any of these resorts.

 

[kittythepoohbear]

Having stayed at ASMo, CS and POR, I would think your kids may like ASMO or CS better than POR. As another poster mentioned, CS has a great themed pool and play area that is rather central and easily accessible. While I love POR and hope to stay there again, the resort screamed "Romantic Adult Retreat!!!" to me with its winding pathways and quiet nooks that are easy to get lost in. I can imagine very young children getting tired of having to cross bridges to get to the pool. However, if you want a bit of romance with your wife, POR might be the best bet.
As for bus service and long waits, I encountered the opposite problem - huge lines and waits for buses at CS and minimal waits at POR. But bus service can be a very hit-or-miss thing at best, so I wouldn't have it be a major factor in your decision.
The AS resorts have TINY rooms. I don't know if they would allow you to get only 1 room but even if you could, it may be a very tight fit. But I agree that for your children, the ASMo might be the best bet due to the characters. Where else do you see a giant Buzz Lightyear and get to stay in the Fantasia building?

Kat

 

[jaccceee]

southwest.com is offering corando springs for $119. never got hotel ressies from them though.

 

[funshipm174]

My wife and I are debating between booking at Port Orleans Riverside or the Coronado Resort. We will be going in January with are children ages 4, 3, and 21 months. Both resorts have been suggested to us as good choices for this level of resorts. We would greatly appreciate any input on either of these two resorts. Pro's or con's! Or are we smarter to just save some money and go with a value resort instead?

Thank you in advance!!

I have to say, this will be our families first stay at the CSR, but we did stay at the POFQ on our last visit. One thing no one mentioned, is that with your children being the ages they are, the "Dragon slide" at the POFQ will definetly be more suited for them, as opposed to what I have seen looking at the 123 ft "Jaguar slide" at the CSR. Thats if you intend to spend some time at the pool.Have a great trip!