POR Vs. Pop

[Tinkyroo]

I need some help here. We have always stayed at Pop but this year I am considering Port Orleans Riverside Alligator Bayou. Actually I have 2 reservations at the moment. I am on the fence. The free dinning with the Mod is probably the better deal but you still have the tips to pay and you have to make sure you don't miss your reservation time. We have only eaten CS on our trips so TS might be a nice treat, though I will say I like CS. I LOVE Pop but POR is a Mod and aren't they always better? Other worries - the buses for POR sharing with POFQ is that a problem? Are there elevators in the Bayou section? Are the rooms there really that much bigger than Pop? We bring lots of luggage. In photos I have seen it looks like Pop has more floor space. Also, POR seems very spread out. Is the main house a far walk?

My DH does not want to plan this with me or even talk about it so I call on you Disney experts for your advise.

Thank You!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

1 If free dining with POR is a better deal then go for that

2 Your tips are going to be waaaaay cheaper than purchasing CS meals (and the selection is far better) plus you still get a CS meal everyday with the DP.

3 Plan your ADRs around normal meal times at home - that way you won't feel that you're interrupting precious time in the parks cos you have to go eat.

4 Mod resorts typically have a larger floor space in the bedrooms and offer more facilities than POP

5 Its a while since I've stayed at POQ - busses were shared between POQ and POR and many was the time that we drove straight past a bus stop in POR leavinng the guests to wait - things may have changed more recently

6 There are elevators at POQ (and at one time POQ + POR was one big Resort) - so its a safe bat to assume that they're present at POR

7 POR has twice as many rooms as POQ (we always went for POQ as its half as many guests) so it will be more spread out. You could have a long walk to the main reception building unless you specifically request something nearer

 

[Thunder Kz]

I agree. I like POP for its price, but if POR with the plan is a better package deal for you, then definitely go for that. The atmosphere and rooms at POR are noticeably nicer. We've never done a dining plan and always tried to save on that cost, so not much help with that issue.

As for transportation. IMO, the bus situation has gotten worse over the last 5 years, and POP is more convenient. At POR, if you're up front in the bayou, you can use the front station, which is next to the Cotton Mill, and very convenient. I'd suggest downloading a POR resort map and requesting a specific bayou building up front right away. Also, if you haven't already done it, a huge perk for POR is the boat to DTD. Very nice at night. Have a great time!

 

[dixiegirl]

If it was me Definatly POR..Stayed there many times (before becoming DVC member) and love it...Especially the Aligator bayou section...
Building 14, 16, and 18 are great..
Close to bus stop, pool and dining hall....
We never really had a problem with the buses so can't comment there....
Overall I'd go with POR!

 

[Master Yoda]

I need some help here. We have always stayed at Pop but this year I am considering Port Orleans Riverside Alligator Bayou. Actually I have 2 reservations at the moment. I am on the fence. The free dinning with the Mod is probably the better deal but you still have the tips to pay and you have to make sure you don't miss your reservation time. We have only eaten CS on our trips so TS might be a nice treat, though I will say I like CS. I LOVE Pop but POR is a Mod and aren't they always better? Other worries - the buses for POR sharing with POFQ is that a problem? Are there elevators in the Bayou section? Are the rooms there really that much bigger than Pop? We bring lots of luggage. In photos I have seen it looks like Pop has more floor space. Also, POR seems very spread out. Is the main house a far walk?

My DH does not want to plan this with me or even talk about it so I call on you Disney experts for your advise.

Thank You!

1. Once you start doing some TS dining at WDW you will wonder how you lived without it. The TS restaurants, like themed queues, are an essential part of the WDW experience. The tips are still less then paying for a CS meal.

2. The big difference in values and mods is theming. The values are nothing more than rectangular buildings with over the top Disney theming tacked up on them. The mods are a big step to what I like to call "a separation from reality". You no longer feel like you are at a hotel. You feel like you are in the deep south.

3. I am not going to lie the single bus stop at POP is better than the multiple stops at the mods. Trips will take a bit longer, especially to AK and DHS, but the boat to DTD is a godsend.

4. The elevators are only in the mansions.

5. The rooms at the mods are roughly 30 square feet bigger than the values and have a second sink.

6. PORS it one of the best mods as far as layout is concerned. It is slightly more spread out than POP but not enough to make it a big deal. The main building is very centrally located and there are multiple bus stops so one is always close by.

 

[Debbie]

Port Orleans Riverside is my favorite. If it's in your budget go for it. Pop Century is cool too.

 

[RiversideBunny]

Port Orleans Riverside or Pop Century?
It's a no-brainer.

Port Orleans Riverside is the answer.
I recommend the mansions section, Magnolia Bend.
BTW- the mansions buildings have elevators.

Oak Manor, Magnolia Terrace, and Parterre Place are good buildings.
Arcadia House can be a little far from the lobby.

Have fun.
:king:

 

[TurboCaroline]

As you can see from my signature I always stayed at Pop but decided it would be a nice change to try something else. Well we tried POR and LOVED it. So much nicer than Pop. I like the bus stations at POR because they are covered. No burning up in the sun waiting for a bus! I also like having a refrigerator in my room. It's nice to have a cold drink waiting for you in the morning.

 

[TTFN-Tiggger]

I have stayed at both resorts. I think the moderate with the free dining is the way to go. POR to me did not see that large from a walking perspective. It was easy to get from one place to another. We never had issues with the buses and there were 5 of us. I can tell you that we did board the bus at the stop by the main building since we had breakfast at the resort and they headed out to the parks. We also enjoyed the boat ride to DTD over the bus!

 

[corey154]

I like both, but if you've only stayed at Pop I think you should try something new, I'm sure you'd be happy. But anyhoo for what it's worth here's my pros and con list.

POR:
PROS:
-the bus waiting area is covered
-pool has a slide
-boat to DTD
-nicer rooms
-not as many kids running around
-laid back atmosphere
CONS:
-it is a little spread out that's why i like PO french quarter the best, it's smaller.
-the boat/buses go to french quarter 1st (that's another reason i stay there instead)

POP:
Pros:
-neat resort w/theming
-i like the gift shop
-don't share buses
-food court is good
Cons:
-busy enviorment
-so busy that the buses you still have to wait alot, sometimes another 20-30min for the second bus b/c the 1st one was filled up before you got there.
-waiting in the sun for the bus
-took the icee machines out
-smaller rooms

 

[ClemsonTigger]

I agree with POR as well. Grounds are just so much nicer, quieter, rooms are very comfortable. Main building with store, bar, restaurant and snack area is much less crowded and hectic than the values. Pools are much nicer. I have a slight preference for Magnolia Bend with favorites of Parterre, Oak and Magnolia.

As far as busses, yes, some stop at FQ (not all) and there are three satellite stops. I suggest always using the main stop (Blue Bayou and River Delta) outside of the main lobby to assure getting a seat. At peak times they often have busses exclusive to FQ, to the Main Stop then to the satellites, so it is pretty quick. Evening park closings can be an adventure...but are for all resorts...

 

[skyzoober]

POR wins hands down!

We stayed there last year and we're going again.

POP is great, but its almost like another park, its very bright, lively and noisy.

POR is a lot more laid back, a great place to relax after a long day in the parks.

There are lots of comments about the buses, but in 7 days of using them, we only stopped at FQ once, and if you stay in Alligator Bayou, the first stop on the lonnnnggggg journey round the resort is the North Depot (I think) and that's your stop!
As pretty much everyone else said, the stops are covered so its much more pleasant waiting for the bus. Also, there didn't seem to be as many wheelchair-bound guests, which is great! There were loads at POP and it takes ages to load/unload them.

The CS food court doesn't have as much choice as POP, but we only used it for breakfast and had ample choices.

The resort seems to be more spread out than POP, but it doesn't matter as the walk to your room is beautiful, seeing the sun set over the river is stunning. I have no idea about the lifts as we were on the ground floor next to a 'swamp' (all in Disney taste!).

Hope this helps and you enjoy your trip, wherever you stay!

 

[HollyBelle]

Another vote for Port Orleans!! Especially if you haven't tried table service dining yet and this gives you that option. Treat yourself!!

 

[Tinkyroo]

Thanks for all your feedback! It is much appreciated. I think I will go with POR. It is not time to make my ADR's yet but I am hoping that I can get the places and times I want. Of course, I have to research to see where we'll want to go. I will have 12 days to plan meals for. Good thing I have time to decide and plan.

Thanks again guys. The members on this site are the best!!

 

[ErickainPA]

we have stayed at Pop and Riverside. Riverside we stayed at for our last trip as we had our immediate family and my mom with us. We were able to utilize the trundle bed. We were close to one of the many pools on the property, only a short walk to the bus stop, the playground was only a short walk from the main building. It was really nice and great to have the fridge use, especially since we had some groceries sent to our room. (we have 3 kids and we needed to get at least a gallon of milk that wasn't going to cost a fortune, as well as some snack things for them to eat)

We didn't have kids when we stayed at Pop, but it was nice, we were in the 80s building, a short cut through the buildings and we were at the bus stop.

I would say go with Riverside if you have the opportunity. We stayed at a Deluxe for our honeymoon and got spoiled, but not so spoiled that we need to stay at one all the time. We stayed in values after that trip and still enjoyed them. I will be staying value again in a few weeks when I go by myself. Just being away is great.

 

[WI DISNEY FAN]

POR, one word can sum up the difference "Bob". He is awesome!!!!! The quiet pools are great too.

 

[AliceinWhoville]

POR has very beautiful lush grounds, like the other posters above, you dont feel like your staying at a hotel. We were in the alligator bayou I think building 36 we were usually the 2nd or the 3rd to be dropped depending if they went to main building 1st.

 

[GoochDSA]

I am in the early stages of planning a trip... as in I told my girlfriend that we could book something in the beginning of January for sometime late April or May, and I was torn between these two resorts myself. We stayed at POR this past Dec.-Jan. and we loved it but I am thinking about saving a few hundred bucks. I guess it just depends on if an individual thinks it is worth the extra money for the extras.

I can tell you that we did board the bus at the stop by the main building since we had breakfast at the resort and they headed out to the parks.

We found that it was actually easier to stop back off at our room for one last bathroom break before we boarded the bus. The bus stop by our room was usually the first stop so we didn't have to fight for seats.

 

[Tinkyroo]

Ok, so I just canceled my reservation for Pop then later today I checked the reviews for POR on tripadvisor.com. It had a ton of bad reviews saying the rooms were dirty, run down, bug infested and gross. A lot of posters also said that none of their room requests where given to them. Are these to be believed? I am a bit nervous here.

 

[GoochDSA]

We didn't have any sort of problems like that. We did not find the rooms dirty, run down, bug infested or gross. The only problem we had was we checked in at 9:30 in the morning and they told us our room was ready (which shocked us since we checked in the Saturday after Christmas and the place was packed). Turns out that the people who were in that room the night before broke some tiles in the shower and they were scheduled to be fixed but it didn't show up on the computer. They re-located us to a room with 2 queen beds instead of the king bed that we were supposed to get. The hotel appologized many times and of course credited back the cost of the king bed and then some. IMO, a hotel is just some place to put your head down at night so I don't let things like that get me in a tizzy.