Alot of what you see and read on this board is a matter of personal preferences.
We will be staying at POR again this year because we like the overall feel of the resort.
We have stayed in the Alligator Bayou section and the Mansions section. The rooms are basically the same, just different decor.
I have walked down to POFQ for beignets and coffee, and while it is quiet, it is also more closed in than POR. The buildings are all surrounding what amounts to groups of courtyards, with quaint narrow streets, inventively name, like Rue De Bega etc. Once in that inner section though, it's buildings all around you, and you loose that feeling of openness. Again, it's an individual feeling.
Some people find this to be a benefit, because it means everything is close, and they don't have as much walking while at the resort.
I don't mind a walk in the morning. The closest building we have stayed at is building 18 in AB. This was a nice location, with the quiet pool and laundry very close for late night swims, and laundry convenience, and the short (1 minute max) walk to the food court was nice for mug refills in the evening.
The furthest away we have been was a toss up between Partierre place and Oak Manor.
Looking at the map,
http://www.wdwinfo.com/maps/PortOrleansMap.pdf
At Partierre Place, we were on the side of the building, closest to the last smoking area near the river. This was not a bad walk to either the POR main building, or POFQ.
In Oak Manor, we were all the way out at the end of the building near the parking lots, but furthest from the east depot. Until we figured things out, this was by far the worst.
As far as why WE like POR. I wake up early everyday (6:30 feels like sleeping in) At Disney, I am first up, and walk to the food court to get a cup of coffee.
If in AB, I find a place to sit near our room, and relax watching the animals, the people out for their morning runs, or heading to breakfast. In the mansions, I sit on a bench watching the rabbits romp around the courtyard, listening to the whisper of the fountains, and watching the boats go by, bringing the cast members to work etc... After my first cup of coffee, I go back to the room and get my wife's mug, and fill the both of them, so she can wake up to a fresh cup of coffee as well. We don't use the in room coffee makers usually because I don't want to make any noise to disturb anyone still sleepeing. It's also nice if you are there in the evening and watching the sun go down. The people on the DTD boats are always waving, it's nice to listen to the clip clop of the horses taking someone on a carriage ride, the distant laughter of kids as their parents take them around on the surrey bikes, it all adds up to a summer evening in a rural area. ( Incidentally, It sounds like where I grew up, as well as here I live now, even though both are in New England)
In all the years we've stayed there, even when it is fully booked, I can rely on being able to start my morning in the peace and quiet.
I have to say that when I've walked to POFQ for beignets, their courtyard section is quiet as well. It's just not what I am looking for in scenery, and atmosphere.
One of the reasons I won't go back to the value resorts is that I don't find it easy to relax in the mornings, or the evenings. and there aren't really any quiet areas near each building, but that is just us, and the way WE feel.
We did try another mod, not part of the PO duo, and did not enjoy it as much as POR.
