Port Orleans?? Riverside? French Quarter?

[Grimley1968]

We've stayed at POFQ twice for weeklong stays. We liked it. Others have mentioned the compactness of it, which is unique among moderate resorts. Both times we stayed in Bldg. 5 (I think) with a pool view. We also had a view of the boat from here which was nice if we wanted to time going down to catch a ride to DtD (or whatever it's called these days). The rooms are a little small, but that is the same for any moderate.

Although POR is too big for my taste, I like the theme of it, and like that it is a short walk or boat ride away from POFQ. Boatwright's is an underappreciated TS restaurant, IMHO.

 

[TiggerDad]

Do you know the name/number of the building off hand? Taking my 2 and 4 year old girls in June for their first Disney trip and have reservations for a princess room at POR. Would love to request the building you mentioned, sounds like it would be perfect!

I think the Princess Tiana rooms are only in 90 and 95

 

[Tinkerbella16]

Do you know the name/number of the building off hand? Taking my 2 and 4 year old girls in June for their first Disney trip and have reservations for a princess room at POR. Would love to request the building you mentioned, sounds like it would be perfect!

Building 90 Oak Manor.

 

[Skibum1970]

I'm not as big on the New Orleans feel although POFQ is very nice. I like the Riverside feel and love walking throughout the resort. It is so peaceful and enjoyable. Plenty of pools and the QS has a lot of various offerings. I stayed in Parterre Place but would like to try the Alligator Bayou side one time. I have never felt that the walks were excessive, though.

 

[teknochica]

So I was trying to find a post about POFQ and this was the newest one I could find We are staying there during our upcoming trip and we have breakfast reservations at the crystal palace in MK at 8:00am one day. I was told the buses to MK do not start until 8am. Anyone know if the hotel provides a special shuttle or bus just for early am reservations? We don't want to have to drive to the park that day (that's one of the reasons we stay on property, the buses) and we don't want to take a taxi or Uber b/c we have 2 small children that require car seats/booster seats. I know they won't use those on the buses but it's a different ball game when riding in a car or mini van taxi. I am really nervous about how we will get to our reservations on time. Any help or tips??? TIA!

 

[Crazyredheads]

I love both resorts but POFQ wins out just because of its smaller size and one bus stop instead of multiple ones. No waiting or finding no seats available. SO much more convinient. It is so small you are never more than a five minute walk (at most) from the main building or bus stop. The food court is better on POR in my opinion but not by much and you can get Beignets at POFQ. POFQ is quieter and more charming with its courtyards and cobble stone roads. Either way both resorts have beautiful grounds and you can use the facilities of both resorts. Check out portorleans .org for pics and info about both resorts.

 

[Tuvalu]

So I was trying to find a post about POFQ and this was the newest one I could find We are staying there during our upcoming trip and we have breakfast reservations at the crystal palace in MK at 8:00am one day. I was told the buses to MK do not start until 8am. Anyone know if the hotel provides a special shuttle or bus just for early am reservations? We don't want to have to drive to the park that day (that's one of the reasons we stay on property, the buses) and we don't want to take a taxi or Uber b/c we have 2 small children that require car seats/booster seats. I know they won't use those on the buses but it's a different ball game when riding in a car or mini van taxi. I am really nervous about how we will get to our reservations on time. Any help or tips??? TIA!

The MK buses start running at 7 am. You should have no trouble making your 8 am reservation.

 

[teknochica]

The MK buses start running at 7 am. You should have no trouble making your 8 am reservation.

Thank you!!! Even when I called Disney directly, the lady that I spoke to said the buses will start an hour before the park opens, and I think the day we are going it's the normal 9:00am opening (no extra magic hours that day in the AM) so I was worried about finding a way there

 

[Tuvalu]

Thank you!!! Even when I called Disney directly, the lady that I spoke to said the buses will start an hour before the park opens, and I think the day we are going it's the normal 9:00am opening (no extra magic hours that day in the AM) so I was worried about finding a way there

What she neglected to tell you is that MK opens its turnstiles at 8 am every day ~ all guests are allowed on Main Street to shop or get coffee at Starbucks and "hang out" there or in the castle hub until the park "officially" opens at 9 am. (Cast Members prevent guests from going into the lands until that time.) Those with breakfast ADRs (like you) are allowed to proceed to their restaurant.

During an EMH morning, only Disney resort guests are admitted through the turnstiles at 8 am.

Buses run from the resorts early to accommodate the 8 am open.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Ok our plans got changed and my wife wants to try Port Orleans (recomended from a friend of hers). Whats the difference between them? I read you cant get breakfast at POR is that correct? How is the bus service, my wife hasnt stayed at a bus only Disney resort. I did before the wife and wasnt pleased in the bus services but that was... 20 yrs ago (wow that makes me feel even older saying that). We have 2 kids 11-13, and am worried that wife and kids wont handle hour long bus rides to reach the parks. Has it gotten better?

I think you cant miss with either place, I think you book whichever one is cheaper and you should be happy. Your kids are older so I don't think the larger layout will effect you at Riverside. But you could also probably feel a little safer letting them loose and not getting lost at French Quarter. I prefer the bar area at Riverside and it's nice having a sit down option for dinner. One thing to note, and maybe someone else can chime in. I stayed once at far left building in FQ if your facing the resort from the parking lot and one annoying thing was there would be at least 3 buses parked in the lot there very early in the morning engines running for a long time. We had a riverview room and I could still hear the rumble of them

 

[teknochica]

What she neglected to tell you is that MK opens its turnstiles at 8 am every day ~ all guests are allowed on Main Street to shop or get coffee at Starbucks and "hang out" there or in the castle hub until the park "officially" opens at 9 am. (Cast Members prevent guests from going into the lands until that time.) Those with breakfast ADRs (like you) are allowed to proceed to their restaurant.

During an EMH morning, only Disney resort guests are admitted through the turnstiles at 8 am.

Buses run from the resorts early to accommodate the 8 am open.

I'm sorry, I'm confused again so the day we are going to MK with 8:00am breakfast reservations there's extra magic hours at night, not in the morning. So does that mean buses will start to run at 8:00am for a 9:00am park opening?

 

[Tuvalu]

I'm sorry, I'm confused again so the day we are going to MK with 8:00am breakfast reservations there's extra magic hours at night, not in the morning. So does that mean buses will start to run at 8:00am for a 9:00am park opening?

The buses start running between 7-7:15 every morning. MK allows all guests through the turnstiles at 8 am on each day that is NOT an Extra Magic Hours morning. (On an Extra Magic Morning only Disney resort guests may enter at 8 am and ride the attractions in Fantasyland/Tomorrowland that are open for EMH. Non-resort guests are “held” at the TTC until the Express Monorail and Ferries begin operating.) On a “regular” morning, guests are allowed only in the Main Street/Castle hub area and cannot proceed to any attraction until 9 am. Disney does this to “spread out” arriving guests as a safety measure, to avoid a “crowd crush” at the turnstiles.

If you arrive before 8 am there may be cast members outside the turnstiles holding “Breakfast Reservations” signs. Go to one of them and give your name and you *may* be allowed through the turnstiles a few minutes earlier than 8. If there are no CMs holding signs, just enter through a regular turnstile like everyone else and proceed to Crystal Palace. 8 am is the first seating time and there will be many others with the same 8 am ADR so don’t worry about being “late.” If you don’t check in until 8:30 or 8:45 it will not be a problem! The $10/ person fee is only charged for NO SHOWS, not for those who are late.

Make sure you are at the bus stop between 7-7:15 and you’ll be fine.

 

[teknochica]

The buses start running between 7-7:15 every morning. MK allows all guests through the turnstiles at 8 am on each day that is NOT an Extra Magic Hours morning. (On an Extra Magic Morning only Disney resort guests may enter at 8 am and ride the attractions in Fantasyland/Tomorrowland that are open for EMH. Non-resort guests are “held” at the TTC until the Express Monorail and Ferries begin operating.) On a “regular” morning, guests are allowed only in the Main Street/Castle hub area and cannot proceed to any attraction until 9 am. Disney does this to “spread out” arriving guests as a safety measure, to avoid a “crowd crush” at the turnstiles.

If you arrive before 8 am there may be cast members outside the turnstiles holding “Breakfast Reservations” signs. Go to one of them and give your name and you *may* be allowed through the turnstiles a few minutes earlier than 8. If there are no CMs holding signs, just enter through a regular turnstile like everyone else and proceed to Crystal Palace. 8 am is the first seating time and there will be many others with the same 8 am ADR so don’t worry about being “late.” If you don’t check in until 8:30 or 8:45 it will not be a problem! The $10/ person fee is only charged for NO SHOWS, not for those who are late.

Make sure you are at the bus stop between 7-7:15 and you’ll be fine.

Thank you so very much for clearing this all up!!! I greatly appreciate all of this information and this makes a lot more sense!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Thank you so very much for clearing this all up!!! I greatly appreciate all of this information and this makes a lot more sense!!

Happy to help. It is confusing, especially when Disney cast members don’t share correct information with guests.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

We, too, have stayed at both resorts. We both like POR more than POFQ. We love the open spacious themed places to walk all around the resort. We stay in AB and like the atmosphere of the tropical plantings and vibe there. The walkways are quaint with small bridges and twists and turns. The whole place is so relaxing. I guess we like the larger feel with plenty of places to explore. The Mansion side is so beautiful with their manicured grounds and gorgeous flowers/bushes. The AB side reminds me of a tropical jungle. The Mill, IMO, has the best food selections of a moderate resort. It's fun to sit close to the window and watch the giant working mill wheel. We have never had a bad experience there. We also have stayed at POFQ, which is nice but pretty small, but prefer POR.

 

[tglancy]

My family and I love POR. We are staying there when we go again next August. The boat to DS is great, and there's horse carriage rides you can take around POR and POFQ that are a nice peaceful change of pace. The only thing about POR that we aren't in love with is the food court, specifically at breakfast time. It is a bloody zoo. Get their plenty early and be prepared to wait.