Port Orleans?? Riverside? French Quarter?

[jpinkc]

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?

 

[TheOrangeBird01]

Experience wise I can only speak on behalf of Riverside (even though I have visited French Quarter) and I think it's a lovely resort but it is HUGE! Depends on where your room is located, but it could be a 10 minute walk from the main building to your room. Thankfully the grounds are beautiful. Bus ride to the parks was smooth and quick. The only time we had a full bus was leaving the Magic Kingdom at midnight (and this was during march break). RS has a nice quick service and table service restaurant. There IS breakfast! We ate breakfast at the QS every morning, and the food was good but nothing other than your typical Disney breakfast foods. Dinner was surprisingly good, and if they still have the turkey dinner I recommend that. Rooms were lovely and the extra pull down bed might fit your 11 year old! My favourite part of the resort is the boat that takes you straight to Disney Springs. Although FQ has a boat too, I really think they way it's done at RS is something special.

On the flip side, French Quarter is also beautiful and very compact. I think the pool at FQ is nicer than the one at RS if your family is into that. I'm not sure if the QS serves breakfast or not, but when we visited the lunch menu was pretty good and the beignets are to die for.

All in all I think either resort will be nice. Hopefully this gives you a little more insight into what to expect!

 

[BigRedDad]

POR is an excellent resort. However, in the temporal time shift alternate universe when I went, I was the only one that experienced more than 1 hour bus times. It was a Disney conspiracy that my family were the only ones affected the week we were there. We stopped using POR buses and walked back from POFQ. We lost an entire day in a 7 day trip because of the POR buses. Since that trip, we never rely on Disney transportation.

 

[officialtom]

You absolutely can get breakfast at POR. Where did you read that you can't??? It's served at the mill (QS) and is standard Disney breakfast fare.

POR is our favourite and "home" resort. It's quiet, beautiful, relaxed, and big but not gigantic. The Cm's are wonderful and the rooms are all relatively recently renovated. We have stayed there 5-6 times and have never experienced any major problems with the buses. Sure, and odd 20 minute wait, but the don't mind when we're on vacation. We normally use one of the non-main bus stops (there is one directly behind Acadian House, in the Magnolia Bend mansions, which is where we normally stay).

The water taxi service to Disney Springs is what sets this resort apart from the other moderates. It is so convenient and a great change from the buses. Also, their TS restaurant, Boatwrights, is delicious.

French quarter is a lot similar only much smaller and, therefore, quieter. FQ does not have a TS restaurant anymore.

 

[Monty]

I've stayed at both. They're both really nice resorts, but my preference is for POFQ. Mainly because of size. POR is sprawling and a lot of walking. I like to think of POFQ as "quaint".

 

[jpinkc]

POR is an excellent resort. However, in the temporal time shift alternate universe when I went, I was the only one that experienced more than 1 hour bus times. It was a Disney conspiracy that my family were the only ones affected the week we were there. We stopped using POR buses and walked back from POFQ. We lost an entire day in a 7 day trip because of the POR buses. Since that trip, we never rely on Disney transportation.

How long ago was that. I understand they changed some of the bus services was that after or before?

 

[LadyBelle]

When I was at POR in September the bus services were great. POR is big and has several Depots that for buses to pick up and drop off. We were staying near the North Depot and were the second stop on the way back from the parks, which was a relief after a long day. POFQ has only one location for bus transportation. Both have a water taxi to Disney Springs, and after 4:00(?) they each have a dedicated water taxi to and from Disney Springs.

If I had my choice again, I would probably go with POFQ, as it's smaller. Having the water taxi to Disney Springs makes it great if you want TS without having to go to the parks.

 

[Jess G]

You absolutely can get breakfast at POR. Where did you read that you can't??? It's served at the mill (QS) and is standard Disney breakfast fare.

Maybe wherever the OP got that info from there was confusion because Boatwrights used to serve a TS breakfast but no longer offer it.

 

[LeighM]

I stayed at Riverside again in October. I called the main reservation number and asked them to make a note on my reservation that I wanted to be in Alligator Bayou close to the West Depot, which is the first bus stop for the theme parks. They gave me exactly what I wanted and the depot was only a 3 minute walk from our room. After staying there 3 previous times, I finally found my dream room location It was great being so close to the bus stop and a very short walk after a very long day. It did take longer to get to the main building and the south depot for Disney Springs but it wasn't horrible. We actually liked it because we could get off the bus close to our room, pick up our refillable mugs, then walk to the lobby to get drinks, which actually cut down on walking time. The proximity of our room to the first bus stop was so much closer than the rooms in the preferred section to the south depot. Plus, being the first one the bus meant we never had to wait long and the bus was always empty when we got on

 

[Parrothead4life]

POR food court is outstanding and the resort itself is beautiful. I do prefer the pool at French Quarters better though. I haven't stayed at either resort in some time, but I think either would be enjoyable.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Regarding the breakfast-the only breakfast available is at the food court for both resorts. Boatright s no longer does breakfast and the TS at POFQ closed many years ago (I forgot its name-it used to have a nice buffet breakfast). Which one to stay at is mostly personal preference. In our family, my favorite is POR, DH's favorite is POFQ.

 

[thumper]

I just stayed at POR last November for the Wine & Dine half marathon with a charity team of 100+ runners. The staff was incredible and managed to place all of us in the Alligator Bayou section all close together (far cry from CB the previous year where we were all in different "villages")! The Food Court was a bit crazy during breakfast hours, but it was marathon weekend and crowded. Food choices were excellent and the lines moved quickly. I also liked having the boat to DS - nice enjoyable ride! Honestly, the walk to the main building is manageable in my opinion...you can cross over to the main building via Old Man Island (where the main pool is located).

 

[daisyduckie]

OP--I don't think there is any resort that has an hour long bus ride to a park. If you are talking about wait and travel time, it can take some time, and there is no way to avoid that at any resort. They all use buses to some extent. If you don't think your family will handle waiting for a bus then maybe you should consider renting a car.

Though hopefully they are aware that there is a bit of waiting involved in a trip to Disney World. Even driving you would have to wait for a shuttle to the park gate, then you wait at bag check, and wait at the tap styles and wait some more for the rides. You do have to have some patience.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

We love both POR and POFQ. Not sure what you mean regarding no breakfast at POR unless that it's only the food court just as it is at POFQ so that's even. POFQ only has one bus stop so WHEN they don't share with POR it's a plus, when they do you're picked up and dropped off first so that's a plus. Otherwise you do a few stops around POR as they pick people up. Both resorts are pretty and well themed. POR we like the pool area a little better with kids who need closer watching because of the line of sight. At POFQ the big dragon can block areas of the pool so for some that can be an issue. POFQ is just smaller so no matter where your room is it's not a huge hike to the food court which we like. POR has the rooms that sleep 5. That can be nice if your kids don't want to sleep together. I'm 5 ft 8 1/2 inches tall and slept a single night on the trundle bed that folds off the wall and managed fine but that does take away from drawer space. Like I said we love both resorts. I think you'll be happy either way you go.

 

[Jeff456]

I've never stayed at POR but POFQ is much smaller and quieter, on my last trip we walked over to POR and it looked lovely but I have always really enjoyed staying at POFQ so wouldn't change if I was looking for a moderate... Regarding the bus service, it's hard for me to comment as I always hire a car now, did try and use the bus once on our last trip to get to MK for park opening (Disney transportation should be quicker than your own vehicle for MK due to transiting through the TTC), waited ages for a bus and when it came people who had not been waiting long at all just pushed in front. Didn't get on the bus and ended up giving up and getting in the car. That's just on e bad experience though!

 

[Family B]

They are both lovely resorts. We only use the buses when we go to MK. Everywhere else we will drive a car (If we fly in, we will rent a car. We like being on our own time schedule.) Both locations have a QS Breakfast Options. POR has a TS for Dinner. POFQ doesn't. POFQ was highly recommended to us, so we tried it first but have discovered we prefer the theming at POR. I don't think you can go wrong either way.

 

[Howdy]

I was incredibly impressed with POFQ and have every intention of making it a frequent stop in the future. The grounds were well kept, resort was small so everything was close at hand when we needed it, pool was really nice, playground was a cool little themed setup, and of course the boats to Disney Springs were a nice addition. The busses to Magic Kingdom were great because they were rarely ever super crowded since they serviced only POFQ, the others serviced both Port Orleans resorts so they tended to be more crowded, but we were the first stop so early in the morning we could almost always get a seat. Sassagoula was closed for refurbishment which was disappointing because I was looking forward to eating there, but am sure that we will get another opportunity in the near future.

This is a snippet out of my trip report from this past September. This was the first trip that I had taken in a while that I used the busses and I was pleasantly surprised. Wife and I stayed in POR in 2010 on our honeymoon and had horrible experiences with the bus transportation and waits, but I would hope that it has changed since then.

Regardless, in the last 7 years I have stayed at POR, CB, WLV, POP, the All-Stars, GF, and POFQ and I have to say that POFQ was my favorite of all. The resort is small so you will not have to walk far to get to the amenities, pool was great, atmosphere was wonderful and the stand-alone bus to MK was awesome

 

[Tinkerbella16]

I've stayed at both numerous times and prefer Riverside. Riverside has a better food court, and yes you can definitely get breakfast there. I have not been to POFQ since they refurbed the food court there. When we stay at POR, we typically stay in the royal rooms and request a particular building where the walk is only 2-3 minutes to the main building and South Depot bus stop. We love the grounds and the main pool area. It is such a nice relaxing resort. POFQ is nice because it is so much smaller than the other moderates, so no matter where your room is, you are close to everything.

 

[jkoniak]

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've stayed at both numerous times and prefer Riverside. Riverside has a better food court, and yes you can definitely get breakfast there. I have not been to POFQ since they refurbed the food court there. When we stay at POR, we typically stay in the royal rooms and request a particular building where the walk is only 2-3 minutes to the main building and South Depot bus stop. We love the grounds and the main pool area. It is such a nice relaxing resort. POFQ is nice because it is so much smaller than the other moderates, so no matter where your room is, you are close to everything.

 

[righttrack]

Recently stayed at POFQ. The bus service was easily the best ever. No sharing of buses with other resorts and prompt. As for the resort itself, it is small. When you're tired after a day in the park, nothing beats a very short walk to your room.