Talk me into PO!

[SandraC]

Hi, we stayed at CBR and LOVED it ~ definately worth returning to. We stayed at CSR and liked it ~ not would not return. So Port Orleans is next on the list. April 2002 trip, we drove thru PORS quickly. I didn't love the location ~ it seemed far from the parks. I love CSR and CBR location. So talk me into staying at PO, either RS or FQ! THANKS! S

 

[Lainy67]

WE have stayed so far at POFQ and CBR. Of the two I would pick POFQ. The grounds were immaculate. The bus to DD was great. It isn't FAST FAST FAST, and I know some people complain about that, but it was a nice relaxing ride.

The rooms at CBR are slightly bigger (340 vs. 314), but if you think about it and have a 12 foot wide room, that is only about a 2 foot difference in length. Not very noticeable.

As for the pools - I liked POFQ much better, although it was nice to have the quiet pool near the room in CBR. I still preferred a little bit farther walk to the POFQ pool. The walk, IMO, was much nicer. Did I mention the grounds were really nice at POFQ?

Food Courts - Let me say, the food court at CBR was AWFUL. At least we thought so. The food was not very good, the layout was horrendous, so we ended up there maybe 2 times total in our stay. Unfortunately we bought the mugs on the first trip and didn't use them much. We used the POFQ food court a lot more. We ate breakfast there almost every morning, had snacks there, and definitely got our use out of the mugs. The layout was much nicer, and there seemed to be a lot more tables than we remembered from CBR.

Bus Stops - I have to admit that CBR wins on this one. POFQ only has one bus stop. And it was all the way on the other side of the resort from us. If you have seen a map, we were in building 1. The farthest building to the right and back of the main area. The bus stop was to the left and front. At CBR, our busstop was around our building and across the small parking area. Way COOL!!!

Given all of that, we are trying POR this time. Hoping it will have the best of both worlds. Beautiful Landscaping, great pool, quiet pools when needed, better food court, and Bus stop that isn't quite so far away.

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

I think the French Quarter looks like a really nice resort. It is small, so none of the rooms are too far from the main building.

 

[MKingdom]

We've always enjoyed RS, mainly choosing Alligator Bayou over the Mansions. We like the rustic charm.

FQ never appealed to us; it's so much smaller than RS. We also don't like the mardi gras theme and the restaurant has been closed there for quite awhile (although the food court is open). Even if you choose RS or another resort, do stop by the FQ food court for some fresh, hot beignets! It's one of our favorite traditions.

 

[Ocean]

Our first family trip to WDW included at stay at the Caribbean Beach Resort, and the next stay included what is now Port Orleans-Riverside (it was Dixie Landings back then).

Two of us really loved the Caribbean Beach, and one thought it was just okay. We all loved POR. We stayed in the Alligator Bayou area, and it theming was wonderful. It is also a much smaller resort, so there is less traffic in and out of the resort. That makes for a much more relaxing vacation during the time you actually spend around your resort.

I'm not sure if the boats are still there or not, but at that time there were boats that ran from the resort to Downtown Disney. We particularly enjoyed the evening boat rides to and from shopping.

 

[JerseyJanice]

As they say, different strokes for different folks!

That said, PO-FQ is my favorite of the Disney resorts I've have had the pleasure to stay at. (Did CSR in 2/99, CR in 9/00, PO-FQ in 9/00, and WL in 6/02.)

Hands down, our stay at PO-FQ was the most enjoyable and convenient of the four. Here's why:

The majority of the rooms are convenient to everything. The pool, food court, guest services, gift shop, bus stop and boat dock are all a stone's throw away from your room. After hiking around the parks all day, it's so nice to come back to a place where everything is close together (easier on the feet, for sure).

However, I would avoid one of the buildings (I think it's 7) as it seems a little more out there. Also, other than that building, most rooms have a good view even if you're in standard.

The food court is very good--a big cut above those at the two deluxe resorts we've experienced.

The bus rides to Epcot, MGM and Downtown are very quick. MK was also very quick--although I'm not certain if they merged the route with POR since I stayed there. When we were there, all destinations except the MK were shared with POR. Regardless, the speed and ease of transportation was far superior over our recent stay at WL.

The boat ride to Downtown is a joy. The view as you enter the lake near Downtown is breathtaking. There is also a boat running between PO-FQ and PO-RS so you can use the restaurant or other amenitities at PO-RS.

It's beautiful, peaceful and relaxing. Wildlife is abundant.

The pool is loads of fun and very small child-friendly.

Next trip, we're going back there!

 

[tinagirl]

We stayed in Building 14 of Aligator Bayou at POR. We LOVED it. The rental shop was easy to navigate (for surreys, boats and such), the food court had great fried chicken and kind CM's. The restraunt was ok, but we only went there once for soup - we felt that for the price we would prefer something in Epcot - now don't get me wrong, the soup was good, but wasn't high on our priority list. The maids kept everything immaculate, and we had new toiletries in abundance every day - Usually two soaps, and at least 3 shampoos every day. We always had at least one extra tissue box, which was good, because we all had a bit of a cold. The grounds were beatiful, and fun to explore...the Laundry room was empty and {gulp} the dryers actually *DRIED* our clothes...hehe. Some resorts have a problem with that. The beds were comfy, and above all else...the other guests rocked!

In many ways the resort felt like what you see reflected in movies, like "Dirty Dancing"...You know, where it is a traditional vacation experience and everyone knew eachother. The moment you met anyone, you were instant friends, but if you wanted to be by yourself, you could do that too.

We didn't use the pool, as it was too cold, but it looked like fun.

You MUST stay here.

~Tina
P.S. - The only con to the resort was the amount of time it took to get a bus back from Downtown Disney. Of course, we went just after FQ had closed due to no crowds, and the ferry to Downtown Disney had stopped running. Alot of buses were slow then (after 9/11), so it probably won't happen to you.

 

[daannzzz]

I have stayed at all four moderates. CSR and CBR are my favorites but POR is right behind them. POFQ is my least favorite ( it seems a little bland to me) but is still better than most comperable off property hotels. POR has lots more trees and seems a bit more remote but I thought the bus rides were about the same as CBR and CSR. I prefer the Alligator Bayou but the mansion homes are nice to...just a bit to formal for me.

 

[Simba's Mom]

We walked through POFQ when we were "resort-hopping" on one trip several years ago (think we were at POR then). At that time, we didn't like it and decided we probably wouldn't stay there. But on our next trip, when I called, the code was only good....guess where! So we stayed there, and much to our surprise, we loved it.

 

[Kermit]

We love PO-FQ and have stayed there a few times. We love that resort. I've also stayed at CBR, and we probably won't go back unless we get a really great rate or something.

I don't think you need to worry about location at all. Once you get on the bus, nothing is too far away. I actually found CBR very frustrating because we were right next to Epcot, but the trip is very long because of the way the streets are arranged.

 

[RobinMarie]

I cheated, some of this post is a previous one of mine:

I love Victorian themes! The Dixie Landings idea always appealed to me but I never got to stay there until this month. We stayed at FW, PO-R and Swan this trip - I loved POR best.

We stayed at PO-R the first week of this month and fell in love with the place! We thought the food court was great! If dessert is a MUST - do the beniegts or ice cream and split them. I didn't think the kids portions were anything we were interested in, so my daughter usually ate with me. We found the specials something worth exploring - chicken and rib combos with good side dishes.

For the evening entertainment, you might be able to see some fireworks over the trees, but nothing worth camping out over in my opinion. We didn't get to enjoy Bob Jackson's entertainment in the lounge. I was a little disappointed in that. Enjoy the theme pool in the evening - we loved the slide. If that isn't enough, walk over to the main area and take a boat ride to Downtown Disney. It's a nice quiet ride. Or, try out the arcade area!

My daughter (almost 5) enjoyed an evening of exploring around the resort. We were staying in the Mansion section and we walked over to the bayou area. We saw a mama duck with 4 babies, a big ole toad, bunnies etc. For her, this was exciting. I enjoyed seeing the gardens, vegetation and the differences between the Mansion area and Bayou. In the mornings we would sit on a bench near the butterfly gardens drinking coffee.

For me, this hotel hit it with the grounds and scenery. If only we had a balcony!