Pop Century or Riverside

goreesha

goreesha

Active Member
With the special deal that Disney World just came out with, I saved enough money to upgrade our trip in January from Pop Century to Riverside. Is it worth it? I would love to hear from any of you that have stayed at both of these resorts and which you liked better. Bear in mind I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old.

Thanks!
 
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goreesha

goreesha

Active Member
Original Poster
Well, among the moderates, I've tried Coronado back in 2005, and I didn't care for it. I mean, it was okay, just not nice enough that I would stay there again, so it's one of the Port Orleans resorts for us and Riverside looks the nicest to me. The thing is, you never really can tell just from looking at pics.
 
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kasey1988

kasey1988

Well-Known Member
Coronado Springs is where my friend wants to stay, it looks really nice, but the size worries me, along with the style of the Pepper Market..

I have stayed at CBR over 10 years ago, it was really nice, but not sure what its like today!

I guess technically we are down between the two Port Orleans Resorts too!
 
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disneychic71

disneychic71

Member
You can't go wrong with either PO resort. We have stayed at both, and enjoyed them. With such young children, I think you might prefer French Quarter because of its smaller size; you would never have a long walk to the food court or pool area. It is beautifully themed throughout and feels really special. It's romantic enough for adults while still having lots of fun elements for the kids--especially the pool!

I think you will be glad that you upgraded to a moderate resort!
 
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ClemsonTigger

ClemsonTigger

Naturally Grumpy
We enjoy POR very much. It is a bit spread out and fairly quiet. There are two sections, Alligator Bayou and Magnolia Bend. AB are more "rustic" looking like cabins out in the bayou and MB are plantation "mansions" each has it's charm.

The main swimming area is very nice (and as with all other resorts, there are satellite pools)

The main resort area has a nice food court, Boatwrights (great breakfast) and the River Roost Lounge has nice piano entertainment for the whole family.
Fultons general store is good. You have a direct boat shuttle to DTD that runs every 10-15 min.

I think you will definitely notice the "step up". Rooms are bigger and more comfortable. You can get an idea of rooms from pictures on the Disney website. If you can get it for the same price as Pop, I would give it a try!
 
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captainkidd

captainkidd

Well-Known Member
Having stayed at both, I can say it CAN be worth upgrading. If I were guarenteed a room in the section of Riverside I prefer, I'd do it. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother.

Riverside Benefits:
Indoor Lounge
Boat to DTD
Sitdown Restaurant
Better Recreation
Nicer Grounds

Pop Benefits:
Cheaper
More "Fun" Atmosphere
Better Transportation
 
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burninup4nick

burninup4nick

New Member
I didnt stay at Riverside but I have stayed at French Quarter and I walked over to riverside and its muuuuucccchhh nicer than Pop....if we ever stay in a moderate again...thats my first choice!!!

HAVE A GREAT TRIP!!! :)
 
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E

elcodfish

New Member
pop

I stayed at Riverside and was put in the furthest building, and got lost everytime I left the room. I didn't really feel like I got a lot more, there was a sit down restaurant and a bit more space in the room and a double sink. For kids, I think POP is more enjoyable, there is a water spout play area and more to look at. They have "dance lessons" in the lobby and icees at the food court. If you go to allears.net and explore the accomidations section to see pictures.

If you are going to upgrade, I would upgrade to French Quarter over Riverside.

Erica
 
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Tinkerbella16

Tinkerbella16

Well-Known Member
It is definately worth upgrading. We stayed at POR last year and absolutely loved it. The resort is huge, but the grounds really do make up for it! You do get so much more than if you were at Pop Century... POR has a sit-down restaurant, bike/ferry rentals, boat rentals, horse-drawn carriage rides (I think $25), boat to Downtown Disney (we use this all the time, so we love it!), in-room fridge, double sinks, bigger rooms... Can ya tell I love POR?? lol

Even French Quarter would be a great upgrade. Its much smaller than POR.
 
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goreesha

goreesha

Active Member
Original Poster
Hey, everyone, thanks for your input. Turns out French Quarter is not available anyway during the week we'll be there, so Riverside it is. Sounds like the only real drawback for Riverside is the possible long walks--oh, and the lack of giant Rubic's cubes and yo-yo's, lol, but we'll deal.
 
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Disneykidder

Disneykidder

Well-Known Member
Upgrade and enjoy! Riverside is absolutely beautiful and the kids will love the fun pool. I have stayed at Pop and loved it (only value I liked) and POR (Loved every moderate).

If you don't like the resort, don't stay there again. :) But I think you will really like it. It is gorgeous, quiet, has many bus stops with overhangs (keeps ya cool and dry) and great quick service/sit down restaurants.

Enjoy!!:)
 
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Mori Anne

Mori Anne

Active Member
In the Parks
No
I love Pop personally. The theming is great, the transportation is one of the best IMO, and the food court is a lot of fun. Don't get me wrong, Riverside and the French quarter is beautiful and probably my 3rd choice hotel, the swan/dolphin being my 2nd. However, in the end, I'd rather take my savings from getting a code discount and buy disney stuff I don't need.

I guess you need to figure out what you want to do with your money and where you want to spend it. No matter what, you can't go wrong. You may even want to hang on to your bucks and apply them to your next vacation....perhaps a bounce back offer......

Have fun no matter what you chose!

Edit: The first year we went to POP my kids were 2 and 5, from there, we have been to the Swan and Dolphin, Pop and all stars movies, the C. Beach Resort, and a few others. The one they like the best is Pop. That is their favorite. The Swan (my daughter has a thing for Swans) is their second. They are now 4 and 7 and are again looking forward to Pop.
 
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ToTBellHop

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
moriah said:
I love Pop personally. The theming is great, the transportation is one of the best IMO, and the food court is a lot of fun. Don't get me wrong, Riverside and the French quarter is beautiful and probably my 3rd choice hotel, the swan/dolphin being my 2nd. However, in the end, I'd rather take my savings from getting a code discount and buy disney stuff I don't need.

I guess you need to figure out what you want to do with your money and where you want to spend it. No matter what, you can't go wrong. You may even want to hang on to your bucks and apply them to your next vacation....perhaps a bounce back offer......

Have fun no matter what you chose!

Edit: The first year we went to POP my kids were 2 and 5, from there, we have been to the Swan and Dolphin, Pop and all stars movies, the C. Beach Resort, and a few others. The one they like the best is Pop. That is their favorite. The Swan (my daughter has a thing for Swans) is their second. They are now 4 and 7 and are again looking forward to Pop.
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I actually side with you on this issue--we have our honeymoon next June and had the option of upgrading from Pop to a moderate and still saving about $100 over what we were going to pay, but we decided that for us, that extra $430 would be better spent on some fine dining, maybe a boat rental, horseback riding, and the new archery lessons they will offer in 2009. It just depends on what you value more. If you want to spend a lot of time at the resort relaxing by the pool, a moderate would be worth it. On the other hand, if the resort is more-or-less just a bed to you, and you like to be out in the parks or elsewhere during the day, it may make more sense to stay with Pop and put the money toward something else. I always had a problem with the argument that moderates are better because they have rentals and a sit-down restaurant. You don't have to stay at the resort to utilize either of those "benefits"--anyone can do that at any resort, so what it really comes down to is the slight increase in room size (the double sinks ARE nice if you have any women or girls in your group), the landscaping/theming, and the pool.
 
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