Port Orleans, so close to booking but not sure?

[anna1973]

I am close to booking Port Orleans...I love the amenities, the theme, and the boat to the park. But I am still wondering whether a 2 bedroom condo with children would be easier and I wouldn't mind a balcony. Are there condos close to the park that people like with free shuttles? Not sure the shuttles run as often....

 

[MagicalMommy]

I am close to booking Port Orleans...I love the amenities, the theme, and the boat to the park. But I am still wondering whether a 2 bedroom condo with children would be easier and I wouldn't mind a balcony. Are there condos close to the park that people like with free shuttles? Not sure the shuttles run as often....

Are you looking at Port Orleans Riverside or French Quarter?

I can't answer specifically about condo with a shuttle, but I have stayed off-site at a condo and also at Port Orleans Riverside. While the condo gave us more space (and a balcony, but we didn't use it much), I vastly prefer staying on site. I feel like you lose some of the magic when you have to leave -- although we left each day for afternoon naps, too, so maybe it was more noticeable to me. The grounds at Port Orleans Riverside are really beautiful; the bus is very convenient with kids (I traveled with my five year old, without my husband, and it was so easy).

 

[jaklgreen]

How are you planning on spending your days? Are you going to chill out at your hotel(condo)room, or spend most of the time at the parks or at the pool and using your room to sleep and change? We love POFQ. It is close to most of the parks and is a smaller resort so not as much walking. I choose to stay on site to take advantage of the bus service and extra magic hours. I would call the condo directly to ask about any shuttle service. I have heard(and experienced) horrible off site shuttle service where they have very limited hours and some even have their last pickup before park closing. To us, it is not worth the hassle to stay off site. Especially just to spend a little bit of time sitting on a balcony.

 

[jackson2005]

We have stayed at FQ and riverside. We like both, love having the boat to Disney springs. I also like the magic of staying onsite.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

But I am still wondering whether a 2 bedroom condo with children would be easier

Easier - how ?
So you're all in one room at Port Orleans (but you're asleep for most of that time together) and look at all the advantages -

You're onsite so WDW buses right at your doorstep, running every 20-30 minutes to each and every park,
Extra Magic Hours - at least one park per day exclusively for WDW guests for between 1-2 hours,
Purchases made within WDW delivered to your Resort gift shop by the next day,
Fast Passes made up to 60 days in advance,
A small shop at your Resort selling essentials, only minutes from your room

What could be easier than that ?

 

[officialtom]

Stay on site! You won't regret it. Port Orleans Riverside is our absolutely favourite resort and we are going there again at the end of February. It is absolutely perfect.

 

[MissMaryEli]

I stayed off site once and swore I'd never do it again, especially with kids. You spend a lot more time waiting for transportation; it's time consuming and inconvenient. We honeymooned at POR and loved it. Going to POFQ next month.

 

[sgtmgd]

Do it! You'll love this resort, our favorite moderate

 

[bunnyman]

Port Orleans Riverside (I will always think of it as Dixie Landings) has always been one of my favorites, even with recently staying mainly in deluxe resorts. I love the theme, the pool, the dining options, etc.

 

[hanwill]

Stay onsite if you can!!!! It's nice to remove yourself from reality and your car/real people for a while... Seriously, you are removed from the day to day habits of getting places. The buses are easy, and you can just think about having fun with your family- not which turn to make next... It's a good shift in your routine. And the resorts are beautiful if you want to walk around, and explore. Plus is, there is a relaxing boat to Disney Springs, and it's pretty quick to most parks.

 

[DisneyFans4Life]

As others have said...stay on property and be inside the Disney bubble. We only live about an hour away and will sometimes stay off property (one night) so we can do the parks two days and when we leave the park at night to drive to the hotel, it really feels like we're leaving WDW. When we go and stay on property, even when we leave the parks it doesn't feel like we're leaving WDW.

POR is a beautiful resort and you won't regret it.

 

[danlb_2000]

I am close to booking Port Orleans...I love the amenities, the theme, and the boat to the park. But I am still wondering whether a 2 bedroom condo with children would be easier and I wouldn't mind a balcony. Are there condos close to the park that people like with free shuttles? Not sure the shuttles run as often....

Port Orleans is a great hotel, I would highly recommend it. It does have a boat to Disney Springs, but not to the parks.

 

[Minnie Mum]

As some PPs have pointed out, there are 2 PO resorts: PORiverside, and POFrench Quarter. We've stayed at both, and generally prefer FQ for its smaller size and single bus stop. If you have younger children, the pool and splash pad may be more appealing there, too.

Whether or not a condo would be better for your family depends on why you want one. If it's just sleeping space, we found that the kids ( whether preschool or teens) were so tired by bed time that they fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows. Even with the lights and the TV on.

But some families also need/want the kitchen facilities of a condo, so they can prepare their own meals.

There are "condos" onsite. These are called villas in Disneyspeak. You could rent a 2 bedroom villa directly from Disney, but the cost is very high. Or you could rent points from an owner or through an agency, which could be less expensive.

Offsite condos will be less expensive, but I wouldn't stay at one without a rental car. Generally their shuttles, if they even have them, do not run frequently, and may stop running relatively early. You can research them on sites like TripAdvisor.

We've been visiting for decades and have always stayed onsite in a regular room. But you will have to decide what is best for your family.

 

[LeighM]

I've stayed at Port Orleans Riverside 3 times and will be staying there again during my upcoming trip. I would definitely suggest Riverside. I've never stayed at French Quarter but I would stay there as well if they had the same type of special offers. Riverside is so relaxing and a welcome break from the parks. I've stayed in the standard room in the mansion area twice (same building each time lol), a royal room, and this time I've requested an alligator bayou room. The resort has a lot to offer and has the boat ride to Disney Springs. Because it's a more central resort, the bus rides to any specific park don't take a very long time. It makes it easy to back to your resort midday for a nap, etc. Also, I would always stay in a WDW property because Magic Kingdom is my favorite park bc I don't want to park at the TTC and take the monorail or boat to MK. That uses up a lot of park time and you have to wait in even more lines. I like being dropped off at the front of the park.

 

[updownandsideways]

I just stayed at Riverside in August I was in building 25. It is a nice resort but it is big I was about 10 minute walk each way to the food court it kind of ruined it for me. I probably wouldn't stay there again because of how big it is but that's just me

 

[anna1973]

Thanks, all. So helpful. I think we'll stay onsite. Which one? Riverside or Orleans? Is there a better building?

 

[MissMaryEli]

French Quarter is much smaller so you won't have to walk as far (from buses, etc). Riverside has better dining. It's really just what is more important to you. Both are beautiful resorts.

 

[LeighM]

Thanks, all. So helpful. I think we'll stay onsite. Which one? Riverside or Orleans? Is there a better building?

There's an unofficial Port Orleans website with a lot of information - maps, pictures, etc but I can't remember what it is right now. Something simple I know. If you Google it, you will find it easily enough. One thing to keep in mind is that the French Quarter doesn't often have the same level of discounts or offers that Riverside has. That may change when you're going but not something that I would bet on. I had the play, stay, and dine discount on one of my trips and it was not offered at French Quarter, just Riverside. And Riverside has a lot of room tiers so it would be whatever works best for your family. Personally, I loved the Oak Manor building at Riverside, which is a royal room building. Great location to the main building and easy walking distance to the French Quarter. Also, I really liked building 85 at Riverside as well.

 

[Rodb]

por riverside... stay in magnolia manor#85 with garden view for the best value. private pool + you just cross a bridge to get to the main pool and lobby which will limit the long walks.

 

[Seanual757]

If you would have asked me 5 years ago I would have said I will never pay Disney prices, etc.… Well a year later we stayed at CBR and I was hooked it’s worth every penny. The convince alone is well worth the premium prices Disney charges. We stay so much we purchased DVC back in 2015, and another DVC contract in 2016. We get balcony’s with our DVC rooms and hardly ever use them unless we are checking out fireworks. I have stayed at both POR (Riverside), and PORFQ (French Quarter) we are actually staying next weekend at POR for 2 days to go to the Halloween Party on Friday. IMHO to get the true experience you really need to stay on site save yourself the trouble and let Disney handle all the work for you.