Port Orleans vs Coronado Springs?

[TrainsOfDisney]

Only stayed at Gran Destino, but watched tons of video of POR/POFQ.

As far as CSR, we loved Grand Destino, the bars inside Gran Destino and Three Bridges (restaurant on the lake) but as far as CSR overall? Not my cup of tea. Felt like a sub-division in Arizona. The grounds are pretty and it's well kept/run, just kind of blah. I didn't think I'd ever notice something not having a "Disney" feel, but we did there. It felt like we were at a nice resort that could have been located anywhere. And the food court was not very good while we were there, but that may have been a Covid thing.


Now the grounds at POR/POFQ look so much more fun to me. A lot more character. But I can't speak to food or anything.

Yes that’s my thoughts too. Coronado has a more upscale feel... but it’s not Disney. Both port Orleans feel like Disney to me.

Oh and the food court at Coronado has never been great in my experiences over the years. The food at Port Orleans is much better plus they have the piano bar at Riverside with Yeehaw Bob!

 

[mf1972]

2 words…mickey beignets

2 more words…boozy beignets

 

[adam.adbe]

Yes that’s my thoughts too. Coronado has a more upscale feel... but it’s not Disney. Both port Orleans feel like Disney to me.

Oh and the food court at Coronado has never been great in my experiences over the years. The food at Port Orleans is much better plus they have the piano bar at Riverside with Yeehaw Bob!

Hearing the boats going by in the morning is one of my happy sounds.

 

[dmw]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this... POR and POFQ share amenities. You can use either pool - both resorts have pools, and they are different. POFQ only has quick service food, but it's not too far to walk to POR for table service. POR/POFQ have a great location in relation to all of the parks and Disney Springs.

CSR is more upscale (we stayed there before the tower was built). And post tower addition CSR now has two table service restaurants, IIRC. The downside of CSR is the size and distance from most of the parks.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

Hi… I’ve been away from the forums for a while as honestly whilst no Disney trips were going to be possible (thanks covid m) they just made me sad.

We normally book the U.K. offer with free dining, whilst that’s unavailable my usual choice of AKL isn’t going to work financially.

We are probably looking at a choice of Port Orleans or Coronado Springs for late November/December 2023. Any thoughts or decision makers between the two?

The trip is my OH and I, so kids amenities don’t matter to us.

Thanks!

I thought I had replied to this post, but can't find it???
Anyway. We have stayed at both CS and POR and POFQ. CS was our first disney resort without kids and it was a while ago. We were in casitas bldg 3 which was close to the main building. It was a beautiful site with a courtyard with a fountain and tropical plantings. Our bus stop was close. We are not pool people, so can't comment on it. Others have said it is very nice. We enjoyed the resort when we were there, but opted to try POR next.
Wow, POR, it was love at first sight! We love the ambience of the Bayou section with the tropical feel, little winding bridges, and private pools. The food court, IMO, has the best QS food we have had at a resort. There are carriage rides that are fun, and boats to DT disney which are a nice relaxing way to get there. Their store was the biggest and best we had ever been in, but sadly, it is reported that now it has been trimmed down a bit.
Next we moved to POFQ for our home resort Only because my husband has mobility issues and the smaller footprint was better for him. A good amount of people with mobility issues go to FQ for this reason. Even with 2 main bus stops, it can be a wait for the ECV's at times. I guess people from POR comes to FQ to use their bus stop too?! The food court, though small, had very good food. The boat to DS was fine. You can have a nice walk to POR along the river which takes about 10 minutes and is a beautiful stroll.

If we were physically able,, we would go back to POR, which we like more than FQ. We are not fans of the gaudy Mardi Gras vibe at FQ.
I hope this helps you decide.

 

[Buzz2001]

Watching fireworks from Dahlia or having dinner at Toledo are far above any offerings at POR. Three Bridges is also a great spot to relax and have dinner/drinks with a great view.

 

[maemae74]

Definitely POR!! Food is great or was good the last time we stayed there.

 

[James J]

Only stayed at Gran Destino, but watched tons of video of POR/POFQ.

As far as CSR, we loved Grand Destino, the bars inside Gran Destino and Three Bridges (restaurant on the lake) but as far as CSR overall? Not my cup of tea. Felt like a sub-division in Arizona. The grounds are pretty and it's well kept/run, just kind of blah. I didn't think I'd ever notice something not having a "Disney" feel, but we did there. It felt like we were at a nice resort that could have been located anywhere. And the food court was not very good while we were there, but that may have been a Covid thing.


Now the grounds at POR/POFQ look so much more fun to me. A lot more character. But I can't speak to food or anything.

Agree with all of this. We stayed in the Casitas area of CSR in 2019 and at Ranchos in May this year - what a trek to the tower and the food court that was! It's a really, really nice resort and Three Bridges is fantastic, but having stayed at POR twice previously we decided that we'll go back there on our next trip.

POR's food court isn't brilliant by any stretch of the imagination, but it's certainly better than CSR. As others have mentioned, the boat to Disney Springs from the PO resorts is a huge win. On one of our MK days in May we made sure to get the bus back to POR instead of CSR so we could do the boat ride, and got our own boat!

 

[Oh bother!]

CMs at POR were very nice when we visited in May, but there were a ton of issues with getting us checked in that should not have occurred. My son didn’t get his room assignment until after 6 and check-in is at 3. I haven’t been to CSR in a while, but when I did stay there, I would say it was run more efficiently.

Sorry you had a bad check in!
We never arrive early thanks to U.K. flight times but I’d be disappointed not to have my room ready after that flight!

 

[Oh bother!]

WRT POR/POFQ remember the distance between the north end of POFQ to POR is about the same as the distance to the POFQ's lobby. Obviously the distance to POR's lobby is longer, but it's an easy stroll, or you can just take the boat.

Of the two, I personally much prefer FQ as if busses are being shared between the resorts, FQ is the first pick-up and first drop-off. I have been known to wander over to Riverside to sit in the shade in the afternoon though. I find French Quarter most pleasant during mornings and evenings. Riverside for me is at its best during the day.

First pick up is definitely a big consideration!

 

[Oh bother!]

2 words…mickey beignets

2 more words…boozy beignets

The boozy ones might swing it for me

 

[Oh bother!]

I thought I had replied to this post, but can't find it???
Anyway. We have stayed at both CS and POR and POFQ. CS was our first disney resort without kids and it was a while ago. We were in casitas bldg 3 which was close to the main building. It was a beautiful site with a courtyard with a fountain and tropical plantings. Our bus stop was close. We are not pool people, so can't comment on it. Others have said it is very nice. We enjoyed the resort when we were there, but opted to try POR next.
Wow, POR, it was love at first sight! We love the ambience of the Bayou section with the tropical feel, little winding bridges, and private pools. The food court, IMO, has the best QS food we have had at a resort. There are carriage rides that are fun, and boats to DT disney which are a nice relaxing way to get there. Their store was the biggest and best we had ever been in, but sadly, it is reported that now it has been trimmed down a bit.
Next we moved to POFQ for our home resort Only because my husband has mobility issues and the smaller footprint was better for him. A good amount of people with mobility issues go to FQ for this reason. Even with 2 main bus stops, it can be a wait for the ECV's at times. I guess people from POR comes to FQ to use their bus stop too?! The food court, though small, had very good food. The boat to DS was fine. You can have a nice walk to POR along the river which takes about 10 minutes and is a beautiful stroll.

If we were physically able,, we would go back to POR, which we like more than FQ. We are not fans of the gaudy Mardi Gras vibe at FQ.
I hope this helps you decide.

Super helpful thank you!
I do have mobility concerns (although not a EV user) so the size of FQ may help, with me always able to visit POR when I’m having a good day!

 

[Oh bother!]

Thank you everyone!

We are off to see the travel agent tomorrow, still a little on the fence but I think it will be one of the PO resorts!

 

[dreday3]

Thank you everyone!

We are off to see the travel agent tomorrow, still a little on the fence but I think it will be one of the PO resorts!

I wanted to add I know both resorts are buses to all the parks, but we had a really, really hard time with the buses at Gran Destino. Again, maybe staffing was an issue (or we just had bad luck), but 45 -60 minute waits were the norm for most parks going back to resort. Disney Springs was the worst so I think at least having the boat option to Disney Springs from POR is a huge benefit.

 

[James J]

I wanted to add I know both resorts are buses to all the parks, but we had a really, really hard time with the buses at Gran Destino. Again, maybe staffing was an issue (or we just had bad luck), but 45 -60 minute waits were the norm for most parks going back to resort. Disney Springs was the worst so I think at least having the boat option to Disney Springs from POR is a huge benefit.

Disney Springs buses seemed to be the worst for us in May too.

The problem Destino Tower has is being the last of the 4 bus stops for the parks - staying at Ranchos meant we were second to get picked up, and on a fair few occasions the bus was full by the time it had picked up at the third stop near Cabanas. When that happened the drivers just went straight to the parks rather than heading around to the Tower on an already full bus.

Being at Casitas in 2019 was great as we were first pick up and drop off!

 

[spock8113]

Port Orleans (especially the better overhauled version)! Coronado, like The Caribbean is just waaaaaaaaaayyyyy too big and sprawling. If I wanted a commute, I'da stayed home. Once I stayed at the Carribbean and the clock at the front office was in a different time zone than my room.

 

[UNCgolf]

I think Port Orleans Riverside is the best moderate resort by far (nothing else is even close), and probably the best overall value of any WDW resort, even though it's obviously not as good as some of the deluxes if the price was the same.

 

[Oh bother!]

We’ve booked!

Based on all the feedback we went with POFQ but plan to visit POR at least one evening for some food and to enjoy the entertainment.

We pick FQ over riverside mainly based on feedback for those with mobility issues and it being first bus pick up!

We aren’t going until November 2023, booking well ahead on the current U.K. dining credit and free gift card offer, so I’ve plenty of time to research rooms and make requests!

Thank you all!

 

[Raxel7851]

We’ve booked!

Based on all the feedback we went with POFQ but plan to visit POR at least one evening for some food and to enjoy the entertainment.

We pick FQ over riverside mainly based on feedback for those with mobility issues and it being first bus pick up!

We aren’t going until November 2023, booking well ahead on the current U.K. dining credit and free gift card offer, so I’ve plenty of time to research rooms and make requests!

Thank you all!

Congrats @Oh bother! You made a great choice. One thing though, there’s only 1 bus stop at POFQ, so you’ll be in great shape with the mobility issue. And it’s a nice stroll down to POR. Another thing to remember is all of the buildings in POFQ have elevators. So if you wanted a top floor, you have ez access.

 

[Oh bother!]

Congrats @Oh bother! You made a great choice. One thing though, there’s only 1 bus stop at POFQ, so you’ll be in great shape with the mobility issue. And it’s a nice stroll down to POR. Another thing to remember is all of the buildings in POFQ have elevators. So if you wanted a top floor, you have ez access.

Thank you!
It was shared buses we were told we would be first on… so hopefully that helps with them not being too full in the mornings

Great tip on elevators! Stairs don’t appeal at the end of a long day!