A question about Riverside

[graphite1326]

We have stayed at POFQ a few times and love it. We love taking a walk up the river to Riverside. The buildings along the river look like big plantation houses and are truly beautiful. We have thought about staying at Riverside on our next trip, but we really like the cozyness of French Quarter. Riverside is awfully big but really a georgous resort.

Do you think we would like it if we booked our next trip at Riverside.

 

[Monty]

I enjoyed both. POFQ gets an edge because it's so quaint and small.

I did find it a little difficult navigating my way around POR, not disastrously so, but difficult. :shrug:

 

[Computer Magic]

Like Monty, I have stayed at both and like POFQ a little more.

POR is bigger, a table service, More rec entertainment, private pools and bigger main pool. It can be a long walk to room after a long day in the parks.

POFQ is smaller and quieter. The bus picks you up first and drops you off first.

 

[BigTxEars]

We loved Riverside and are thinking FQ for the next trip. I do not think you can go wrong with either. I would say if you do not mind the extra walking then go Riverside and mix it up some :ROFLOL:

Oh and Boatwrights was my 2nd fav TS meal after Ragland Road so I recommend eating there as well.

 

[Chrim]

Keep in mind that only half of the Riverside resort rooms are in the plantation houses (as you called them) or "Mansions" as I think Disney calls them. The other half of the rooms are in the alligator bayou rooms further to the north.

In the future, all of the rooms in one half of the mansion buildings will be converted into prince and princess rooms. These rooms will be an extra cost because of the decor. I have heard that these rooms will be in the two buildings furthest from the front desk and restaurant area.

Many of the remaining mansion rooms will be standard decor, but likely will be extra cost "preferred location rooms."

Some of the rooms in the alligator bayou section are also extra cost "preferred location rooms."

Riverside is in the middle of a renovation. Newly renovated rooms (including the prince and princess rooms) will have two queen sized beds while the remaining rooms (not yet renovated) will have two double beds.

Personally, I think the outside of the mansion buildings and the inside of the alligator bayou rooms are perhaps the best WDW hotel rooms in terms of decor. Granted, that is personal preference and not something everyone would agree with.

I do admit that the Riverside resort is large and it is a long walk, heck even a long drive, from one side to the other. So keep that in mind as well. It is great for leisurely Southern living, but not as good as other hotels (especially the French Quarter) when you want to get somewhere in a hurry.

 

[jikobean]

We love riverside and have stayed there our last 4 trips. The grounds at riverside are big with the buildings spread out along winding pathways. That's one of the reasons we love it. We love the walks through the bayou section. Although it's large, it's still quiet and serene. We even saw an otter getting into the water on our last stay.

We stayed at the mansions our first trip and it was great. A quick walk across the bridge to the main buildings. There are 5 bus stops to accommodate all the buildings, so that can take a while, especially during the busier months. There are smaller pools dispersed throughout the buildings along with the main pool on ol' man island. You can always request a building closer to the main area/restaurant if you aren't into all the walking.

Happy planning!

 

[jayhawkmickey]

My wife and I stayed at POR for our honeymoon in Sept. 09 and loved everything about the resort except the bus service. The grounds were amazing and the feel of the resort was nice and cozy even though it's so big. The rooms were great and were very comfortable. The food court was one of the better ones around at the time. We even met a couple comming over from another resort just for the food. Busses took a long time to come because the resort is so big but we learned to take the POFQ bus and walk over, or take the boats from Downtown Dis. or POFQ. This saved so much waiting I can't even tell you how lucky we were someone told us! We just got back from WDW last month and we stayed at POP Century thinking we didn't need all that extra attention that a moderate gives but we really missed it. All the little things that they do add up to a really big difference and we will be staying at POR for Sept. 2013. Counting down the days.

 

[ob1thx1138]

We stayed at Riverside last year and loved it. It was a long walk to the bus stop, but we found it really convenient to just drive our car to the bus stop and find a close parking spot, really made that long walk after a long day in the park more enjoyable. Also we kept some supplies in the car so we could use that trip as a chance to restock the room with bottles of water and such.

I think if we stayed there again (and the only thing stopping us would be a desire to experience more resorts) then we would pay a little extra for a preferred room closer to the main bus stop and lobby.

 

[ddrongowski]

I will answer the question like this.

We stayed at the French Quarter in 08, and we just got back from staying at Riverside. That being said, if we stay at Port Orleans again, it will be the French Quarter side. With that being said the Riverside was awesome and it is not really that big (we walked the river sidewalk in less that 10 minutes). I would stay there again without issue, but that is me.

Why will we be at the French side from now on....
One reason is our son said the cute teen girls were all at the french quarter, the second reason my wife said she liked the cozyness of the french quarter better, and the third reason is I like to make them happy.

 

[goofysgurl]

I've stayed at both and think both are great resorts (the best in mods). I do prefer POFQ. My kids love the pool and I like the smaller resort. The POR is a big resort and for all the walking (we family with 4 kids, 2 were in strollers) we regretted not having paid to upgrade for a preferred room. Also, as of now, all the POFQ are queen beds - not sure how many of the POR have been changed yet.

 

[Uncle Lupe]

We had just our first stay POR and enjoyed it except for some of the long walks to the lobby or bus stops. We stayed in building 17 and made the mistake of using the West depot first. After a record setting day of rain we got lost coming home because some of the paths were flooded out and trying to get back in the dark and rain was horrible. That being said we tried the South depot and everything after the first day was fine. The resort had a lot to offer but we did not have the time to enjoy what was there.

 

[BigTxEars]

I will answer the question like this.

We stayed at the French Quarter in 08, and we just got back from staying at Riverside. That being said, if we stay at Port Orleans again, it will be the French Quarter side. With that being said the Riverside was awesome and it is not really that big (we walked the river sidewalk in less that 10 minutes). I would stay there again without issue, but that is me.

Why will we be at the French side from now on....
One reason is our son said the cute teen girls were all at the french quarter, the second reason my wife said she liked the cozyness of the french quarter better, and the third reason is I like to make them happy.

And beignets :sohappy:

 

[mhaftman7]

Wow, I'm the only one?

Stayed at POR in June of 09 and was very displeased. Didn't mind the maze of paths or distances walked so much as the cast and overall experience. Are room when we arrived reeked of mildew due to a faulty mini fridge leaking and condensation getting all over the floor. Was told by maintenance member that I shouldn't have left it open, when my family had nothing to do with it. Housekeeping did not clean room at all and their idea of making the bed was just pulling the quilt up and attempting to smooth flat. Completely disregarding the sheets that got pushed down to the foot of the bed. The worst incident involved the cast members that transported the luggage and housekeeping trailers around the resort. Multiple times I had to pull my children out of the way of these trams driven by irresponsible cast members. Other families expressed the same feelings and experiences while there. We kept geting apologies and guarantees that the situation would be fixed, but they weren't.

It was the only time I've ever had a legitimate negative experience at WDW.