Wilderness Lodge vs. Port Orleans

[Dave B]

Besides the obvious of Deluxe vs moderate, which resort would you prefer

I appreciate your input

 

[I am Timmy]

Wilderness Lodge. Every time.

 

[Jon81uk]

If you can afford it then definitely Wilderness Lodge.
Internal corridors and the compactness of the hotel make it much nicer walking around and so much easier to get drink refills. Plus then boats to the Magic Kingdom.

Port Orleans is a great resort too and boats to Disney Springs are nice, but Wilderness Lodge is far better if you will spend a lot of time at MK.

 

[correcaminos]

No question WL. Doesn't matter which PO you are talking about either. The theme, the activities, the tranquility, the food... all better at WL

 

[King Panda 77]

POR fan here , but if finances allowed WL would be the dulux we would go to.

 

[DISR]

There is only one reason I would choose POFQ over WL. You mentioned getting two rooms vs one with teenagers in another thread. If you think you will spend little time at the resort, and access to Disney Springs will be prominent features of your trip, you may be better off at POFQ. Those considerations aside, WL is one of the most dramatic resorts on property. I can't imagine regretting as decision to stay there.

 

[John park hopper]

We really like POFQ but if we could afford it WL would be our choice over POFQ

 

[Heppenheimer]

Wilderness Lodge. As soon as you walk into that lobby for the first time, you'll know why.

 

[Skibum1970]

Wilderness Lodge for the lobby. Plus, I love the bubbling spring with the bridge to the back of the lobby and the creek that leads to the waterfall. We enjoy walking the paths to the ends of both sets of cabins and the remote feeling of the resort. Bay Lake is pretty and we get to see the Electric Water Parade. Finally, we can take the boats to Fort Wilderness, Contemporary, or the Magic Kingdom and those are relaxing all by themselves. Overall, we find Wilderness Lodge a very "Disney" resort with a great relaxing ambiance.

However, I also really enjoy Riverside. We like to walk along the Sassagoula and the Port Orleans resorts have a much better walking path. We have never had a problem with the buses, though I hear many people talk about having to wait. The rooms are quite nice and the grounds are also pretty. They do a good job with fountains, flowers, and overall manicuring.

Basically, if Wilderness Lodge is booked or budget is a consideration, I go with Port Orleans. The other deluxes are typically more expensive, exception being Animal Kingdom Lodge.

 

[UNCgolf]

Port Orleans Riverside for me. Best hotel on property when you consider price as a factor. With that said, if you're planning to spend more time at the Magic Kingdom than other parks, Wilderness Lodge is more convenient. And it has great theming -- I just like the way POR never feels crowded and is so very quiet compared to most Disney resorts. It often feels like you're one of the only people there when you're around your room.

 

[Skibum1970]

Port Orleans Riverside for me. Best hotel on property when you consider price as a factor. With that said, if you're planning to spend more time at the Magic Kingdom than other parks, Wilderness Lodge is more convenient. And it has great theming -- I just like the way POR never feels crowded and is so very quiet compared to most Disney resorts. It often feels like you're one of the only people there when you're around your room.

Completely agree. POR always seems peaceful to me even though it has a high room count. The quick serve is the only area that gets crowded.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

Wilderness Lodge is indeed very beautiful!
However, we have only stayed at POR and absolutely love it. As others have stated; it's peaceful and beautiful grounds whether you like the manicured Mansions side or the AB side. Personally, we prefer the AB grounds as they are more tropical. There are also quiet pools at each buildings area. The boat ride to DS is wonderful, especially at night. There are carriage rides and bicycle surrey's to pedal. We just love it. Also the Mill QS restaurant has a wide assortment of offerings, and the resort store is huge and has everything you need.
So, obviously, I would pick POR! We now stay at POFQ due to mobility reasons, but POR is still our home. And we miss POR a lot. We walk over to POR at least twice when we are at FQ. The walk is beautiful along the river and we can do it in 10minutes or so even with mobility issues.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Wilderness Lodge

I've stayed at both and if it's in the budget, WL is the better choice for us. We had horrible beds in all of our group's rooms when we stayed at POR and my parents experienced similar issues in subsequent stays...to the point that it's their last choice for lodging. Maybe that will improve if they get a serious refurb. While the rooms at WL aren't that much larger, it makes a difference for us with bathroom space as well as space for all of our stuff. POR is very pretty and we had good bus service to the parks, but I also wasn't fan of the overstuffed buses on the way back since you share with POFQ. Not saying that WL's buses can't get a crowd with their sharing patterns, but it was never this bad for us during our stay there. WL wasn't without issue, but we were just more comfortable with our stay there.

 

[wlodge_man]

I've never been to Port Orleans, but WL is my vote if price is not an issue.

 

[UNCgolf]

Wilderness Lodge

I've stayed at both and if it's in the budget, WL is the better choice for us. We had horrible beds in all of our group's rooms when we stayed at POR and my parents experienced similar issues in subsequent stays...to the point that it's their last choice for lodging. Maybe that will improve if they get a serious refurb. While the rooms at WL aren't that much larger, it makes a difference for us with bathroom space as well as space for all of our stuff. POR is very pretty and we had good bus service to the parks, but I also wasn't fan of the overstuffed buses on the way back since you share with POFQ. Not saying that WL's buses can't get a crowd with their sharing patterns, but it was never this bad for us during our stay there. WL wasn't without issue, but we were just more comfortable with our stay there.

The shared bus thing seems to change from time to time/by park -- when I was there last week we had a shared bus to/from Animal Kingdom and EPCOT, but separate buses to/from the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios (I think). It may have been Magic Kingdom only that had split buses to French Quarter and Riverside, but I know MK did and I think one other park did as well.

Also, our beds at POR were incredibly comfortable, but we stayed in the Royal Guest Rooms which I'm pretty sure are newer. I don't care about the theming in those rooms, but I love their location near the main lobby/food court.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

The shared bus thing seems to change from time to time/by park -- when I was there last week we had a shared bus to/from Animal Kingdom and EPCOT, but separate buses to/from the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios (I think). It may have been Magic Kingdom only that had split buses to French Quarter and Riverside, but I know MK did and I think one other park did as well.

Also, our beds at POR were incredibly comfortable, but we stayed in the Royal Guest Rooms which I'm pretty sure are newer. I don't care about the theming in those rooms, but I love their location near the main lobby/food court.

I've been hearing that the Royal rooms have good beds and I suspect they were updated when the rooms were redone for that theme. When I stayed there, we were in the Magnolia section in a standard room. We had three rooms as part of a block for an event we were attending and all six beds were bad. They didn't have anything left that qualified for that block, so that was it. My parents are AP and FL residents, so they usually take small trips up to WDW throughout the year. They gave POR three more tries, staying in both the mansions and alligator, and had the same issues with the beds each time. So, now CBR is their resort of choice if going for a mod. None of us have stayed in the royal rooms, so I can't confirm from first hand experience, but you're one of several who has mentioned decent beds for those.

 

[Weather_Lady]

We've stayed at both and loved both, but between the two I'd pick Wilderness Lodge if I had my druthers. Small footprint, quicker (and alternative forms of) transportation if headed to MK, better dining options, etc. On the flip side, the Port Orleans resorts are more centrally located, so if your trip isn't MK-heavy and you want to go to Disney Springs at least once (which is accessible by boat from Port Orleans), it might be a better location for you.

Cost doesn't necessarily have to factor in, if you consider DVC points rental to be a viable option: when we rented DVC points to stay at Wilderness Lodge, we paid no more per night than we'd have paid for comparable accommodations at either of the Port Orleans resorts. YMMV.

 

[KaliSplash]

Wilderness Lodge and it's not even close. I would point out, other than the points made above, is the location. To me, Port Orleans feels like it is on the eastern frontier and far from the theme parks. WL is of course, just a boat ride away from MK and bus rides to the other.

 

[UNCgolf]

Wilderness Lodge and it's not even close. I would point out, other than the points made above, is the location. To me, Port Orleans feels like it is on the eastern frontier and far from the theme parks. WL is of course, just a boat ride away from MK and bus rides to the other.

If you like going to Disney Springs to eat at night, Port Orleans is in a great location -- it's also closer to both EPCOT and Hollywood Studios than WL. I think the location is better than WL unless you're planning to spend most of your time at MK.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Wilderness Lodge and it's not even close. I would point out, other than the points made above, is the location. To me, Port Orleans feels like it is on the eastern frontier and far from the theme parks. WL is of course, just a boat ride away from MK and bus rides to the other.

This is objectively wrong. Port Orleans is closer that Wilderness Lodge to Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs.

I think the location is better than WL unless you're planning to spend most of your time at MK.

Even then. The boats are a *nicer* ride than the buses, but they're not faster/more efficient.

Back to the original question, I much prefer Wilderness Lodge but only if you can get Standard View or maybe Nature View. The premium they charge for Courtyard view is way to high IMO.