Which POR resort is better

[pmcneff]

Going in July 2013 with older children. Which POR resort is your choice...riverside or New Orleans?

 

[janiejake]

I would choose POR. Decent theme pool area on Ole Man Island, and 24/7 quiet pools placed throughout both sections of the resort (AB-Alligator Bayou, and the "mansions" in Magnolia Bend. If you choose POR, then you need to decide if you have a preference for one section over the other. I'm a mansion fan, but you will come across plenty others who favor the AB side instead.We've enjoyed the food court at POR. There is entertainment in the River Roost provided by YeeHaw Bob, which is good fun for families as well as adults. Be sure to check that out. Fulton's is spacious and well stocked.
Yes, POR is bigger than FQ, but is well laid out. You are never that long a walk away from Ole Man Island or the Food Court/Main buildings. And there are four bus stops around the perimeter, so hopping a bus is fairly easy. Have fun choosing!

 

[smidgy]

tough question. we like them both.. one year we actually split our trip between the 2. I think it was 5 days at one and then 5 days at the other (that was kinda weird).

I would choose french quarter, IF they had a better pool. it's kind of a small area, and the slide is really just a toddler slide. If they made a bigger slide, and maybe put a "quiet pool " in that huge field area past bldg. 5. also, they no longer have a sit down restaurant.

at POR, you have the opposite problem. some rrom are very far awauy from the food court. I wish they had a refill the mug area at the muddy rivers bar, like they do at Kidani village (AKL) or at the vero beach resort.

and I know they can't guarantee an area at the value reosrts (ie, toy story at movies, or 50's at pop century), but at Riverside, I think you should be able to guarantee either Magnolia bend, or Alligator Bayou.. they are SO different in theming. to us, the bayou area is kinda gloomy.

both resorts have the boat access to DTD, AND to each other! which is great! (when we stayed at Dixie Landings.. riverside.. many years ago, the river was closed due to low water levels, so we really enjoyed that perk in later years) por has yeehah bob, FQ has the scat cat club. both food courts are good, and you can take a kinda long (but nice) walk, or the boat (or internal shuttle) to the other food court, or pool.

 

[calngavinsmom]

Hello there! We have stayed at both resorts and they are both great. To answer your question though, I guess you would have to think about what kind of trip you are planning.

If you are looking for a place to just lay your head when you are not at the parks, French Quarter would be best for you. It is compact and convenient. It has only one bus stop and it is very quick to walk through the whole resort.

If however, you are looking for a resort to spend time in, Riverside definitely has more to offer. Our kids are 11 and 8 and really have outgrown the pool and slide at FQ. They do however really enjoy the main pool at RIverside, Old Man Island. Dh and I do too, there are plenty of sunny or shady spots to lounge and actually RELAX!

Riverside also has a nice playground, arcade, fishing hole, horse and carriage rides, Yeehaw Bob shows in the lounge(tonnes of fun!), quiet pools, surrey bikes, marina with watercraft rental, sit down restaurant, and the design your own pasta and salads in the quick service eatery are wonderful!

Of course both have the boat to DTD which is a must do for us for sure!

For us Riverside fits our family better because we like to spend time at the resort, but others love the compact size and convenience of French Quarter.

Whichever you choose I'm sure you will have a great vacation!

Have fun

 

[Gorechick]

I've been to both as well with and without kids. We just took our 7 year old twins on their first trip and stayed in a Royal Room at POR. I prefer POR for the setting and amenities. Having multiple pools, food court and restaurant puts it a step above POFQ.

 

[jamimb]

We have stayed at both and I much prefer Riverside! If your looking for convience, however, French Quarter would be a better bet. That resort is very compact so walking to everything is very quick. The food court and pool area at Riverside are much better in my opinion. There is something about Riverside that makes it feel more like a deluxe instead of a mod.
Our favorite resort on property!

 

[Buffalo2Disney]

On our last trip, me and my fiance stayed at Riverside and completely loved everything about it. So much so that we agreed that for future trips to Disney we would always book and stay at Riverside. We loved the grounds, the rooms, the food court and the boat ride to DTD. We would often, when coming back late at night from DTD after the boats stopped running and we would have to take the bus back, get off at the French Quarter stop which would be first and walk back along the river from FQ to Riverside. We just didn't feel that FQ had the same feel to it like Riverside did and we were happy with our choice of Riverside.

On your next trip we went all out and are staying in a Savannah View room at AKL, but that it because it is our Honeymoon. I'm sure we will absolutely love it there, but realistically, we like to visit WDW once a year, and we could not swing a deluxe stay every year with our budget. We feel that Riverside gives us the best bang for our buck and we will continue to stay there on future trips.

 

[mymickeyfans]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Riverside! We just got back in October. The grounds are beautiful! We were in the furthest mansion building to the main pool and it never felt like a long walk. Ole Man Island pool is great, my 8 and 3 year old loved the pool slide, and the food court has lots of different selections. We are already looking to go back in 2013.

Kirsten

 

[GoHerbie]

There's only one Port Orleans Riverside (POR) resort, and we like it much better than the other Port Orleans resort = French Quarter (POFQ). We've stayed at POR 3 times and visited POFQ, but each time POFQ had a "tacky" feel to us. The food court was noisy and seemed like a value, whereas the POR food court was nicer and more refined. If you're a New Orleans or Mardi Gras fan then POFQ is for you, but if you've never been there or don't care then its theming might not grab you.

Regardless of which Port Orleans resort you stay at, visit the other one during your trip and you know which one clicks with you.