Quick hotel question

[RetiredFRN]

Hi everyone, looking to go in April so quick question. Port Orleans riverside or french quarter?? What do people recommend? Have stayed at many different DW resorts but never these two. Is there a difference?? From reading some sites it seems the french quarter might win out. What do you guys think? Thanks for the input ahead of time!!!:wave:

 

[Jeff456]

I can't comment on Riverside as I have not stayed there myself, I did love French quarter though, I believe it is smaller than riverside. If you want a quieter resort that is fairly compact the French quarter is definitely the best of the two for that.

 

[jcldtrek]

I like riverside myself. Stayed there and loved the grounds, room, etc. French quarter is smaller than the size of riverside, never stayed there but looks nice. Riverside has nice rooms, decorated nice, also the grounds are beautiful and has quiet surroundings. The main lobby is also nice. the eating area also is a nice theme as well. Everything there represents the looks of plantations and manor house themes , whereas french quarter has the look and theme of the french quarter. I would go with riverside if you like that kind of themeing, i sure thought it was a great resort

 

[danstadnik]

I would say it REALLY comes down to which theming you prefer. The amenities at the two are VERY similar. I prefer the Bayou/ Swamp feel of Riverside - but French Quarter is very nice as well!

 

[Monty]

I've stayed at both. I found POFQ to be much better than POR, but neither is a bad choice.

The reasons I prefer POFQ are size, "quaintness" and buses. French Quarter is smaller, so less walking and only one bus stop. It has a very nice ambiance that just makes me feel comfortable while I'm there. One bus stop means a lot less waiting and when they share buses between POR and POFQ you're usually the first stop coming back from the parks and first stop going to them as well. When they are busy, POFQ gets its own bus and you have direct service.

Both have nice rooms and amenities, POR does have a Table Service restaurant where POFQ doesn't.

 

[redfive13]

Riverside all the way. I just booked another trip to Riverside this afternoon, this will make my 4th stay in Riverside vs. 1 stay at French Quarter. I just like the vibe of Riverside better, French Quarter is nice and you'd have a great time staying there.

Like it has been said every time someone debates this... it all comes down to what appeals to you more. Either way you'll have a great trip!!

 

[Poofiesdream]

French Quarter!!!!

 

[coachwnh]

i hope they are both nice. we never stayed at either, but i just booked for a week at each about 10 minutes ago for this july and august. our first week will be in the new royal room at riverside, then the second week we are staying at FQ. never stayed at either before, but i'm really looking forward to it. my wife is planning our ADRs now. can start booking in about three and a half weeks. planning to try a few new places to eat this trip. can't wait!!!! pretty happy santa brought those APs for Christmas this year!

 

[wdwcandice]

I'm a fan of POFQ....never actually stayed at RS but I am so sold on FQ that I have about my 15th trip there planned in a few weeks. I love the quietness of FQ and have often walked to RS and shop there and have eaten there but still call FQ "home." Either way, you can't go wrong. RS is more walking and more spread out but what's a few extra steps? You're at WDW for Pete's sakes...you'll never notice the extra steps at the resorts! :lol:

 

[DizneyPryncess]

I love POFQ. I have not stayed at RS, but when we stayed at POFQ we visited both sides at least once a day. The walk between them is a really nice path, and we loved the walk. I liked the exterior buildings at RS better, and most of the activities are there. I liked the smallness & quietness of FQ better, and the pool was more fun & better themed I thought. I also like that FQ has beignets in the cafeteria, whereas RS doesn't, and I must have those daily!

So my overall preference is FQ, but I don't think you could go wrong with either one. I'd like to try the Royal Rooms at RS eventually.

 

[britlightyear]

We will be staying at POFQ next month, is there a certain building that anyone would recommend? We will be driving a rental car so we don't have to worry about bus service but I would like to be close to the QS and the area where you get on the boat to DTD if possible.
I think we have a garden view if that matters?

 

[mhaftman7]

We had a really bad experience at Riverside, so I would not recommend them. It wasn't just one isolated incident either, it was a series of ongoing issues. I can honestly stay it was the ONLY trip to the World I've taken that I loathed going back to the hotel.

 

[disney fan 13]

We had a really bad experience at Riverside, so I would not recommend them. It wasn't just one isolated incident either, it was a series of ongoing issues. I can honestly stay it was the ONLY trip to the World I've taken that I loathed going back to the hotel.

what happened?

 

[real mad hatter]

New Orleans v Gone With The Wind.

Have stayed once ay POFQ in 2006, and twice at PORS in 2008 and 2010.were also booked for this year,again at PORS.as other members have said,it all depends on your personal theme choice.Both hotels are great,we prefer Riverside as our number one choice,the grounds are beautiful,food court excellent,Boat ride to Downtown on the sassagoula river very peaceful,and the CMs very helpful.You could spend one week in FQ. And second week in RS. Last year our theme park tickets were not on our Key of the world cards when we arrived at 6.00pm,it was a mistake by our travel company,but the girl at check in gave us complementary tickets for that night and we saw our rep in the morning to get it sorted out. That CM got a pat on the back from us as it could have started our vacation off on a bad foot.:sohappy:

 

[MichaelinTN]

I think French Quarter is better if you don't have kids. It is smaller and quieter and doesn't have some of the amenities of Riverside, such as the bar, full service restaurant and harbor. But if you do have kids, Riverside is better because of the pools and amenities. You are also probably not as worried about it being "quieter."
We stayed at FQ before kids and Riverside with kids and I love both.
The big plus for FQ is it has beignets!

 

[mhaftman7]

what happened?

Where do I start? We went as a grand gatherings and requested first floor accommodations due to elderly members and were put on second floor. I called multiple times roughly 3-4 months ahead of time to drive this point home with Disney being reassured each time that it wouldn't be a problem. So I had to hear about that for the entire week.

Then there was my room. It stunk as soon as we opened the door. We called the front desk and they were to send housekeeping out when we were out. I don't know if they ever came out because it still stunk when we got back four hours later. So I investigated myself and found the icebox was leaking and the water was creating mildew. This time a maintenance person came and proceeded to blame me despite us not using the icebox. On top of that our room wasn't cleaned once while we were there. The top blankets were pulled up but the sheets weren't. The trash cans were never emptied and we were told to leave them outside the door. We did however get extra soap.

I guess my favorite part was the having to save the lives of my kids and complete strangers. The "CMs" that drove the luggage and housekeeping trams drove way too fast on walkways with foliage created blind spots. Never once did I feel safe enough to walk the middle of the path. I literally had to pull a kid listening to an iPod out of the way of one.

After a week of making complaints, and being compensated with a week's worth of complimentary park passes, I vowed to never stay there again. An important thing to know is that I am very laid back and I generally don't let the trivial things get to me. I once stayed at ASSp and had the piping break above our room,causing it to rain inside. We found that hilarious! No ones fault and taken care of swiftly with no compensation needed.

 

[mhaftman7]

Hi everyone, looking to go in April so quick question. Port Orleans riverside or french quarter?? What do people recommend? Have stayed at many different DW resorts but never these two. Is there a difference?? From reading some sites it seems the french quarter might win out. What do you guys think? Thanks for the input ahead of time!!!:wave:

I know I've given my opinion on the question, but is there any specific reason why you choose a moderate resort? We've stayed POR, CB, and BC in the past and have come to the conclusion that the resort amenities weren't worth the cost considering we only slept and swum there. Just a little insight, but the choice is obviously yours. We are going the 16th to the 20th of April! I can't wait!

 

[RetiredFRN]

Thanks for all the input! Answer to your question, just wanted to try somewhere different. Have stayed at value, moderate and deluxe resorts. This hotel came up when I looked to pay with points and it looked nice. I do likde to use the amenitities that a hotel has to offfer and I just prefer a moderate or deluxe WD resort. :sohappy:

 

[Summerland24]

I would put my choice in for Riverside. Its our second favorite resort outside of the Polynesian. The grounds are always immaculate and the atmosphere just carries a sense of relaxation once you are away from the parks.
If I had to find something bad, it would be that the bus lineups can be a bit long but that can easily be overcome.

 

[lbrad]

I've stayed at both. I found POFQ to be much better than POR, but neither is a bad choice.

The reasons I prefer POFQ are size, "quaintness" and buses. French Quarter is smaller, so less walking and only one bus stop. It has a very nice ambiance that just makes me feel comfortable while I'm there. One bus stop means a lot less waiting and when they share buses between POR and POFQ you're usually the first stop coming back from the parks and first stop going to them as well. When they are busy, POFQ gets its own bus and you have direct service.

Both have nice rooms and amenities, POR does have a Table Service restaurant where POFQ doesn't.

I concur with Monty :wave: