Port Orleans - Riverside or French Quarter or Coronado Springs

[Momof205]

What are your opinions on these 3 hotels? We can't decide where to stay.

We have only stayed at OKW before. We are combining a Disney and Universal trip all into one so we are trying to save a little money.
Thanks for the help.

 

[StageTek]

*

 

[scionchigirl]

Ive stayed at FQ and Riverside and Riverside was my favorite, though I loved FQ, too! POR mansions section is so beautiful and relaxing and the castmembers are friendly. I like the boat to Disney Springs and its fun to see YeeHa Bob in the lounge.

 

[KenHutch]

By far French Quarter is our favorite moderate. Its small everything is only 7-8 minutes away. Plus the boat to Disney Springs. And only 1 bus stop. That can count for quite a lot when your coming back after a long day. I like the pool but you can also use Riverside's (the 1st time we went to Disney we stayed here).

 

[Babsy]

What are your opinions on these 3 hotels? We can't decide where to stay.

We have only stayed at OKW before. We are combining a Disney and Universal trip all into one so we are trying to save a little money.
Thanks for the help.

We love the moderate hotels! All three of these are great. Personally, I like CSR the best as I enjoy the amenities at the resorts and I find that CSR has the most amenities of any moderate. It also has the nicest pool area, IMO. Now, with the new tower, it seems more like a deluxe than a moderate in many ways. CSR is a convention hotel, so you may see conventioneers while staying there. Apparently that bothers some people. Something to be aware of.

POR and CSR have 4 bus stops scattered around the resorts. This bothers some people. We like that it means that there is a bus stop near your room wherever you stay at the resort. POFQ has a small footprint and only one bus stop, so many like the easy convenience of being near everything regardless of the room location. If we want that 'close to everything' convenience we just book a preferred room location.

My biggest problems with POFQ is that there is no TS dining option, only one pool that seems geared to people with small children and very little in the way of amenities. Yes, you can walk to POR to access their amenities, but we find it simpler to just stay at POR for that purpose. We will walk over from POR to POFQ once for the beignets. Done and done.

To some degree which of these three moderates is best for you will depend upon who your travelling party consists of. If you are a young couple with small children then POFQ might be the best choice. Newlyweds might like a CL access room in the new Gran Destino tower at CSR. Or perhaps you have high energy, teenaged kids that would love a rustic style and an elaborately themed pool - then POR AB or CSR Ranchos rooms would be a good option. Basically, look at each resort with the things that your group wants the most in mind.

Don't forget to consider which theme appeals to your group the most. The theming is very much a part of the magic in WDW resorts and has an impact on the overall enjoyment for many people.

Have fun choosing!!!! and No matter which resort you choose, have a magical visit!

 

[Momof205]

We love the moderate hotels! All three of these are great. Personally, I like CSR the best as I enjoy the amenities at the resorts and I find that CSR has the most amenities of any moderate. It also has the nicest pool area, IMO. Now, with the new tower, it seems more like a deluxe than a moderate in many ways. CSR is a convention hotel, so you may see conventioneers while staying there. Apparently that bothers some people. Something to be aware of.

POR and CSR have 4 bus stops scattered around the resorts. This bothers some people. We like that it means that there is a bus stop near your room wherever you stay at the resort. POFQ has a small footprint and only one bus stop, so many like the easy convenience of being near everything regardless of the room location. If we want that 'close to everything' convenience we just book a preferred room location.

My biggest problems with POFQ is that there is no TS dining option, only one pool that seems geared to people with small children and very little in the way of amenities. Yes, you can walk to POR to access their amenities, but we find it simpler to just stay at POR for that purpose. We will walk over from POR to POFQ once for the beignets. Done and done.

To some degree which of these three moderates is best for you will depend upon who your travelling party consists of. If you are a young couple with small children then POFQ might be the best choice. Newlyweds might like a CL access room in the new Gran Destino tower at CSR. Or perhaps you have high energy, teenaged kids that would love a rustic style and an elaborately themed pool - then POR AB or CSR Ranchos rooms would be a good option. Basically, look at each resort with the things that your group wants the most in mind.

Don't forget to consider which theme appeals to your group the most. The theming is very much a part of the magic in WDW resorts and has an impact on the overall enjoyment for many people.

Have fun choosing!!!! and No matter which resort you choose, have a magical visit!

Thank you for you detailed response. We have been to Disney several times and stayed off property and at OKW. We are very easy going and things don't normally bother us.

We are traveling with our twin 14 year old girls and going at the end of Feb beg of March. I know the weather is hit or miss so I'm not sure how much we will be able to use the pools.

I talked my husband into staying on property this time if we didn't spend a fortune for rooms. I do like the boats that go to DS as we enjoy walking around and I have very picky eaters so there are a few restaurants at DS they will eat.

Thanks for the help. By the way how did you like the beignets?

 

[Disneylvr1971]

FQ is our favorite and DD went down for beignets every day!

 

[stinkpickle]

We usually go back and forth between POR and POFQ, depending on which resort I can snag the lowest rate. POFQ gets the nod if the rates are the same. However, we're going to try out the Gran Destino tower at CSR in a few weeks, so our preferences may change. Honestly, I think you'll be fine with any of them.

 

[MrsDuck]

POR or CSR. Just pick the theme you like better.

 

[Disney Sask Mom]

Thank you for you detailed response. We have been to Disney several times and stayed off property and at OKW. We are very easy going and things don't normally bother us.

We are traveling with our twin 14 year old girls and going at the end of Feb beg of March. I know the weather is hit or miss so I'm not sure how much we will be able to use the pools.

I talked my husband into staying on property this time if we didn't spend a fortune for rooms. I do like the boats that go to DS as we enjoy walking around and I have very picky eaters so there are a few restaurants at DS they will eat.

Thanks for the help. By the way how did you like the beignets?

We are going this February as well, and have girls ages 13 and 15. We chose POR for the peaceful setting and beautiful theming. The last time we stayed on property the girls were quite a bit younger, and we did AoA. This time everyone wants a bit more time to relax. We are really looking forward to this trip, especially with the boat to DS. We also got a room with a fifth sleeper so the girls each have their own bed (Something else they're looking forward to this holiday)

 

[Cornish Lad]

Suffice to say that POFQ is now our "go to" resort

 

[Buzzw0rthy]

French Quarter is great. It's a smaller resort so its easy to get to everything, main dining area, pool, boat to Disney Springs, and the bus stop. One huge advantage that we love about FQ is there is only 1 bus stop to worry about. No getting on the bus then taking 20 more minutes to get out of the resort. Almost forgot to mention the Mickey Beignets!

 

[Laura's Dad]

FQ is our favorite and DD went down for beignets every day!

We love both PO resorts and have stayed at each several times. The food is much better at FQ now, but you can get there from Riverside by boat/bus. Riverside's mansions are really beautiful. We stayed there on Mardi Gras last year in Acadian House (we took our two dogs). My wife personally loves Oak Manor , but it does have Royal Guest rooms that cost more. This year we were able to get an AP discounted river view room at FQ. One suggestion is to check out Andre Wiley's webpage at www.portorleans.org. He is a frequent poster on the DIS boards an he also maintains the Official PO Resort posts on the Resort board. There is a ton of information on both resorts there. You really can't go wrong with either.

 

[Disney Sask Mom]

Suffice to say that POFQ is now our "go to" resort

I have never been to POFQ, but we plan to walk over there and check it out during our stay at POR this February! I have heard good things about both!

 

[Babsy]

Thank you for you detailed response. We have been to Disney several times and stayed off property and at OKW. We are very easy going and things don't normally bother us.

We are traveling with our twin 14 year old girls and going at the end of Feb beg of March. I know the weather is hit or miss so I'm not sure how much we will be able to use the pools.

I talked my husband into staying on property this time if we didn't spend a fortune for rooms. I do like the boats that go to DS as we enjoy walking around and I have very picky eaters so there are a few restaurants at DS they will eat.

Thanks for the help. By the way how did you like the beignets?

You are welcome!

With the two 14 year old girls, I would be inclined to book either POR or CSR for the pool alone. I know that you are going Feb/Mar but if you do have nice weather, the pool and slide could matter. Meanwhile, there are other advantages to these resorts such as a salon at CSR or a horse and buggy ride at POR, for example. Unless, of course, the multiple bus stops is a thing that you do not like. Then POFQ is your choice.

If the girls like theming, the Royal Rooms at POR are cute with the 'fireworks' in the headboard. We liked pool view rooms in Oak manor (request near the footpath) and found them to be very convenient. They are right next to the guest laundry and a 'quiet' pool. Also close to the walkway to POFQ along the river.

Depending upon the height/size of your girls, there is a pull down bed in the 'dresser" that might give everyone their own sleeping surface in some of the Alligator Bayou rooms. Preferred rooms in AB are closed to the food court and themed pool.

The beignets at POFQ are good, but not worth going to a lot of trouble.. They are made fresh for you when you order. Basically they are fried dough with powdered sugar sprinkled over them. Good enough to try once, at least. Some people love them. I like them OK.

Enjoy choosing!

 

[ProudSoccerMom]

POFQ for all the reasons mentioned above. It’s by far our favorite moderate. And yes, the beignets are divine! Plus, POR has some serious housekeeping/cleanliness issues. Do a search on the board to find a recent thread on this. Have a wonderful time wherever you choose!

 

[gatour]

The French Quarter is my favorite moderate. Due to the way it is laid out, every room is close to everything else. The other moderates depending on room location it cab be a hike to the restaurants, pool etc. The boat to Disney Springs is a plus, always make a couple of visits to Disney Springs for dinner or shopping. The ride back after a nice dinner is so relaxing.

 

[cljcoach]

We love French Quarter but had housekeeping issues there. We would do a park in the morning, comeback from 1:00-3:00 for mid day nap, then go back to parks from 4:00-10:00 and our room was not getting cleaned. We did complain and but it happen multiple times.

 

[SuzieN]

I have stayed at all of these. I would happily stay at any of them again. That being said, POR definitely has my heart and is my first choice. There is just something about the lush, beautiful grounds that keeps me coming back. I love the way it is situated on the river. Every section is beautiful, especially when walking through at night. POFQ is so charming and small. Theming there is fantastic too. Last trip we stayed at CSR. I was nervous but ended up loving it. Honestly I feel like you could draw names from a hat and love anything that you pick!

 

[Eastern]

I would choose POFQ. I like the small layout of everything and the easy bus service with one bus stop.

You can walk over to POR for table service, or you can just use the smaller CS food court at FQ.

The main pool is smaller but we don't use it so not a factor for us.

Housekeeping services can be variable at any resort. The last couple times at BWI housekeeping came very late in the day and it was really annoying. Complaining at the desk did not help.