French Quarter or Riverside?

[canada1414]

Hi. We have booked for Jan.2 to the 6th with the special. We couldn't get Allstars (but that was another story) however, we are in Port Orleans. I was told to get French Quarter over Riverside. Which one is better?
Thanks for your input. Always have stayed at Pop so were new to this "moderate" area

 

[lilclerk]

FQ is smaller, if that's at all important to you. Easier to get around. I've never stayed at either one, but I would love to stay at FQ. Seems like a fun atmosphere to me, while Riverside is quiet and peaceful.

Actually I'd like to stay at both :lol:

Here's some links to info/photos of both resorts:
http://allears.net/acc/faq_po.htm
http://allears.net/acc/faq_dxl.htm

 

[nolatron]

The DW and I stayed at the French Quarter in 2004 for a trip. It's a nice hotel, nice rooms. Can't compare the Riverside since I've never seen it. Nice New Orleans feel to the place (considering I was born and raised there for 25 years).

Big plus of the French Quarter... The Park buses stop there before the river side (at least I think it did). So it usually was empty, but that means you gotta wait for the bus to make all the rounds but at least you got your seat.

Figures I don't have a pic of the actual room.

 

[k.hunter30]

After staying in both, I would say French Quarter -- hands down. Both are very nice, but POFQ is our second favorite resort in WDW, next to The Poly.

The main reason is that FQ is very compact. While many of the resorts offer beautiful landscapes and extra things to do, I just can't stand having a long walk to my room from the bus station. After walking miles upon miles in the parks all day, I just want to be close to my room with the food court close to that. FQ offers the compact-ness more than any other WDW resort. The pool is also fun, with the dragon slide; I love getting the beignets in the food court in the morning; and I really like the architecture. It's also a plus to know that you'll almost always find a seat on the WDW busses since they pick up at FQ before Riverside.

Riverside has a restaurant, which FQ does not. Though there are so many places we want to eat outside of our resort, that was never a factor for us.

 

[phenom1307]

i've stayed at riverside a lot, even before it was known as riverside, and i like it a lot. i have never understand all the complaints about the buses though. yeah there are 4(or so) stops on the bus route around riverside, but everytime i've stayed there there has hardly been more then 2 times per trip that the bus has actually gone to all 4. and the thing about stopping at FQ first...i noticed when i was there earlier this year that at some of the parks that they split up the two resorts so that they both had their own buses. and it was rare for them to combine the two. i've stayed in alligator bayou and in the mansions(only once) but i def like the bayou the best, i just like the themeing in those buildings the best...its more fun to me. and i have stayed close to the main building and i've stayed far away. they both have their advantages somewhat, far away from the main building could mean closer to the pool or parking lot (if you drive instead of use the bus). if you're looking to be close to the main building ask for building 14 (i think thats the right one at least) if youre able to, it's the closest.

nothing against FQ but i've just never stayed there although i have used the pool there and the visited the food court quite often there

 

[canada1414]

Thanks everyone, currently on hold to see what I have and if I can swtich to FQ. I don't like the long walks either and not having a resturant dosen't bother me

 

[ThinkTink721]

Hi. We have booked for Jan.2 to the 6th with the special. We couldn't get Allstars (but that was another story) however, we are in Port Orleans. I was told to get French Quarter over Riverside. Which one is better?
Thanks for your input. Always have stayed at Pop so were new to this "moderate" area

We stayed at POR in the Aligator Bayou section during the summer of 2006.
It was very nice - quiet, scenic, good transportation, bike rentals, boat rentals, boat ride to & from DTD from the resort (also have at FQ).
We stayed at Pop in Sept. of this year - it was nice, but POR was nicer.
I have also heard great things about FQ also.
From my experience & what I have heard, POR is great for families & FQ is great for couples.
Hope this helps!
:wave:

 

[I luv WDW]

FQ or Riverside?

French Quarter is more compact, while Riverside is quite spread out. Depending on what building you stay in at Riverside, the walk to the main building (shop, restaurants, etc.) can be a lengthy one. Both have great pools. Overall, we prefer French Quarter.:xmas:

 

[redfive13]

I say without a doubt.... Riverside. I've stayed at both. Twice at Riverside (once when it was know as Dixie Landings) and once at FQ. My wife and I both thought Riverside was much more charming than FQ. We felt that FQ seemed kind of cheesy. Where Riverside was peaceful and romantic....

 

[dixiegirl]

Ah Riverside.....good memories...we've stayed there for the past 10 years every year at least twice a year..We love this place...great theming, grounds are gorgous, Nice food court, Boatwrights table service Restaurant great food(especially banana stuffed french toast), Great entertainment in the lounge Bob The Piano man plays on certain nites , nice general store..we've stayed at both Mansion section and Alligator bayou, we prefered bayou area..Buildings 14, 16 18 are good locations, close to pool, food and buses. Can't really complain about the buses because we never really had a problem with waiting anything out of the norm ( 10 -15 min)....horse and carriage rides on certain evernings as well.. Have nothing bad to say about Riverside, up until last Dec it was our "home" until we finally took the plunge and became DVC members..I'm still getting use to Saratoga , But thats because Riverside we knew like the back of our Hand...Sorry for Drift...My vote.... Riverside!!!!


It'll always be DIXIE LANDINGS to me!!!

 

[Disney_Belle]

In my most recent trip (november 9 - 18) we stayed at Riverside for our honeymoon. The resort was beautiful. There was a lot to do there and plenty to see, and it had a charm about it I have to admit. But the only issue I had was the busses. We were in building 19, Oak Manor, and we were close to the restaurant, lobby, food court and store etc. and we were at "South Depot". The problem with the busses was that there wasn't much organization. One stop was for MK and MGM, the other for Epcot, AK, DTD and the waterparks. So many times the busses were backed up and all chaos broke out. And also, one day we would be the only stop, the next we would have to stop at all the depots. But that was my only complaint, and its something that was easily dealt with.

Riverside was a beautiful resort and I would stay there again. However I haven't stayed at French Quarter, so I cant compare :shrug:

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

POFQ :sohappy:

 

[Nansafan]

POFQ is our favorite moderate. This is where size matters IMHO. It is great to get off the bus and not have to walk all over the resort to get to your room, the food court, the main building etc. POR is pretty and also quite nice but I find it confusing. This probably stems from the fact that we seem to always check in at night and with so many buildings, I get myself turned around.

 

[DougK]

I vote for Riverside. While it is true that it is bigger than FQ that's not always a bad thing. Riverside is a very beautiful and peaceful place to walk around especially at night. If you don't spend all day in the parks you can have a nice relaxing time at Rievrside. And there are horse and carriage rides too.

Have fun choosing!

 

[SallyShine]

I've stayed at both and will be staying at FQ again this spring. I stayed there for the first time in Oct and loved it. When we stayed at Riverside we were as far away from the food court as you could get. Also, the bus stop was far away. Everything at FQ was close by. I think the decorations at the food court and pool are cheesey, but the rest of the resort is really pretty. Also, you are the first stop for the bus.

 

[DDEPILLO]

I have stayed at both and both are good. I will say that I had a better room at the FQ (corner room right on the river). I do think that FQ has a better food court. As far as buses go I liked RS better cause you are first pick-up and when its hot and crowded being first pick-up is a good thing

 

[EnSkywalker]

Having stayed in Riverside/Dixie Landings 4 previous times, my wife and I tried out the French Quarter this past Sept/Oct. It has easily become our favorite moderate. The food is comparable at the food court. Riverside does have Boatrights but if you don't need a sit-down at the hotel it isn't a big issue. Themeing wise I give a slight edge to Riverside. I like the food court's theme of the mill better than the mardi gras at FQ.

All of these issues makes it a toss-up for us between these issues. The true deciding factor is that we had to walk a quarter mile to either a bus stop or food court in each of the four stays at Riverside. FQ's longest walk is 0.20 miles as calculated by one of the gmaps. Our walk was around a 0.1-0.15 this year. It really does save wear and tear on the body.