POR or CSR?

[ninjachyck]

We are heading back to WDW this fall, and can't decide. We've stayed at CSR twice before, and CBR once.
We like the look of POR, but have read some recent reviews saying the beds are quite uncomfortable. We also always liked that the "pool bar" at CSR served food and drinks, while it appears that POR does not. And at CBR, we hated how the food court area was set up. If POR was the same, might also deter us. We always get the deluxe dining package, and found the food selection at CSR was always great.
We do have children, and they always loved CSR as well. They are pool kids and could spend all day there going down that waterslide.
Any opinions are welcome!!

 

[Jahona]

Here are two website that give great in depth detail about the resorts. Coronado has a great website done by @Buzz2001 https://buzz2k1.wixsite.com/coronado

Port Orleans has a lot of information about Riverside and French Quarter.
http://www.portorleans.org/

Ok with that out of the way. I've stayed at both POR and CSR on my last few trips. I'm partial to CSR. I personally preferred the all around theme of the resort to Riverside. The pool at Riverside does serve drinks and some snacks and sandwiches, but still pales behind CSRs Siesta's bar. I found the bus service at POR to be worse than CSR. Several times I had to wait an hour for a bus to arrive at POR as they would fill up at the other bus stops. The food courts at both resorts are very similar with a bit of flare to go with the theme. If you like Mexican food CSR is the one. If you prefer a good shrimp PoBoy then Riverside. I prefer the main table service restaurant at CSR better than riversides, this is just personal preference. Both are large resorts so depending on where you stay you might have a walk to the main building or pool. Riverside's pool being in the middle is a bit more accessible than Coronado's. Also one thing to note is that CSR is currently undergoing room refurbs. A good portion of the resort may be completed by the time of your stay. But this might effect you.

I feel like I've rambled a bit in this. To sum up. I personally prefer CSR; the theme, restaurants, and bus service were all better in my opinion. If you want to try something new then POR is one of the most popular resorts on this forum for a reason. A lot of people enjoy it.

 

[drwadadli]

We preferred the POR (especially Alligator Bayou) over CSR. We don't have kids so pool themes and such aren't a big deal for us. Also, we are foodies so the fact that you can take a boat from POR to Disney Springs and enjoy all the restaurants that Disney Springs has to offer (especially Raglan Roads --- our favorite) out ways having to take a bus everywhere if staying at CSR. We have been to New Orleans a lot and love the city so POR brings a lot of those memories back.

 

[BigRedDad]

CSR by far, especially for buses. The resort offers Deluxe amenities in the price of a Moderate.

 

[Buzz2001]

I've stayed at both and prefer CSR. As the PP mentioned, the buses are better and not shared. The main pool is very nice and CSR offers a few extra amenities.

 

[Disney Ron]

You can't beat POR. Probably the most beautifully landscaped resort in WDW. The boats to Disney Springs are an added bonus.

Boatwright's table service restaurant is terrific.

Just a great overall atmosphere.

 

[LeighM]

Riverside is a great resort. We never had to wait very long for a bus during each of our 4 stays. The problem with transportation is with the South Depot bus stop. Most people don't realize that it's the last stop for the theme parks but the first for Disney Springs. We've never had to wait longer than 20 minutes for a theme park bus, with the exception of an EPCOT bus one time when there was an issue, but that was a fluke. If you request a room in Alligator Bayou close to the West Depot, you'll be close to the first bus stop. The bus arrives empty so you have your choice of seats and it's the first drop off returning from the parks. They only share theme park buses with French Quarter during slow periods of the day. Since French Quarter has only the one bus stop, it typically doesn't add much time. However, during my last trip, they had separate buses even during the slow periods except for Disney Springs which is shared. But I prefer taking the boat to Disney Springs anyway.

 

[tigger1968]

Lots of people have a preference to one or the other of these resorts. Personally I have stayed at CSR once and POR twice. We absolutely loved POR, stayed in Alligator Bayous, and cannot wait to stay there again. My one visit to CSR was less than great. Not bad, but not awesome. I didn't like the rooms, found the food in the Pepper Market to be pretty medicore (as was the service) and did not really like the theming. But again, many many people do love the resort. For me, I much prefer the theming and rooms at POR. And we never had any issues with bus service at either resort actually. I would say that if it was me, try POR as it's a new resort for you. I think you'll like it.

 

[Parrothead4life]

I haven't stayed in the resorts in awhile, but when I did I enjoyed both. POR had some extra perks though. It has in my opinion the best food court of all the resorts. I also enjoyed the pool very much.