Riverside or French Quarter ??

[Jassybee]

I'm trying to choose between either of these resorts but I don't know which to choose , what's everyone's opinion??

 

[Disneylover99]

I like POR, but I love POFQ.

 

[rosiebean]

Honestly, it depends on your family situation.

With young girls, for example, I'd chose POR and stay in a Royal Room. With toddlers (and strollers), I'd stay at POFQ given its small size and great splash pad in the pool area. With a family of 5 or a family of 4 with a youngish boy and girl each (who might want separate beds), then POR's AB section sleeps five and has the pull down bed in addition to two queens. With two older adults (thinking of my parents here), POFQ would be the best option given their limited mobility and POFQ's small size.

Personally, I LOVE POR's Royal Rooms. We got a Royal Room with a river view a few years ago, and our room wasn't just really cute, it was very close to dining, buses, and the boat to DS. But if your circumstances are slightly different, another section in POR might work best...or POFQ might be better.

In any case, I love the entire POR/POFQ complex. I don't think either is a bad choice.

 

[karen4546]

I like POR, but I love POFQ.

I agree I like Riverside but I LOVE French Quarter!

 

[adisneyaunt]

POR was our very first resort... been on site there 'any many many times... love everything about it EXCEPT it's too big for us to ever stay there Unless we get a preferred room, bldg 14 my favorite. I love the food out, theming, pool and quiet pools, walking the trails, just Everything about it
POFQ is our fav for quick visits and it too is great except too limited on food court, especially late night options, which are way too limited ( POR spoils you)
They are both great and having the benefit of using both resort amenities And the boat to Disney Springs is Awesome too!
For families with young (under 7) I'd suggest POFQ, older than that I'd say POR. Teens, POR, romantic adult only tough choice, both beautiful. Both family n friends have done wedding stays at POFQ.
Either one is a really great mod choice.
Enjoy ur visit!!

 

[ncc1701]

Agree with Rosiebean it depends on your family. DH & I love POFQ but if it wasn't available POR would be the next choice. We have always gone up to POR a few times a trip for various reasons.

 

[HopperFan]

POR hands down for us.

 

[dansdad]

We prefer POR over POFQ, by quite a bit.

 

[adelaster]

POR hands down for us.

We prefer POR over POFQ, by quite a bit.

Would you mind elaborating on some of the reasons why? I like seeing the rational behind people's preferences, and it is useful for other readers I'm sure!

 

[dansdad]

Would you mind elaborating on some of the reasons why? I like seeing the rational behind people's preferences, and it is useful for other readers I'm sure!

We did not like the small footprint of POFQ, it didn't feel like a resort like POR does. We like to stroll around the resort at night and at POFQ that takes about 10 minutes. We like the theme better at POR. We liked the pool, nighttime entertainment, Carriage Ride, food court more at POR. Our first Moderate stay was at POFQ and we spent the majority of our resort time over at POR so next trip we tried POR and never went over to POFQ.

 

[HopperFan]

Would you mind elaborating on some of the reasons why? I like seeing the rational behind people's preferences, and it is useful for other readers I'm sure!

POR is a full service moderate with Table Service, large Quick Service, Recreational Activities, Quiet Pools .... POFQ does not have the full moderate amenities and yet they charge the same prices. I don't want to have to walk to a neighboring resort for the extras.

POR main pool has sun & shade, a natural curve with slide/kiddie pool at one end ... hot tub/bar at other end and we find it to be very adult suitable. We also enjoy a dip in the quiet pools at end of night. The POFQ only pool is a wide open sunny concrete deck that is designed for young children and now added a splash pad area. Even when my kids were young they thought it was babyish. The hot tub is removed from the pool and not much bigger than the one in my back yard.

I LOVE NOLA, the design and vibe. While they did a good job on the buildings the resort has no energy like NOLA. It just feels very quiet and isolating with every building looking like the next. POR is beautiful to walk around, has two themes, even the mansions all look different and feels more alive. It was nice to take pictures but we found it boring and didn't feel like a resort. Some of that may be because they have limited amenities. I know some love the smaller footprint of POFQ but some of their rooms are quite the walk from the main hub/bus stop since there is just one.

We found food at POR more varied and better .. with more windows so getting our food was faster. We love the lounge at POR with Yeeha Bob, ordering appetizers while we enjoy the show. Boatrights has always been good.

 

[dansdad]

POR is a full service moderate with Table Service, large Quick Service, Recreational Activities, Quiet Pools .... POFQ does not have the full moderate amenities and yet they charge the same prices. I don't want to have to walk to a neighboring resort for the extras.

POR main pool has sun & shade, a natural curve with slide/kiddie pool at one end ... hot tub/bar at other end and we find it to be very adult suitable. We also enjoy a dip in the quiet pools at end of night. The POFQ only pool is a wide open sunny concrete deck that is designed for young children and now added a splash pad area. Even when my kids were young they thought it was babyish. The hot tub is removed from the pool and not much bigger than the one in my back yard.

I LOVE NOLA, the design and vibe. While they did a good job on the buildings the resort has no energy like NOLA. It just feels very quiet and isolating with every building looking like the next. POR is beautiful to walk around, has two themes, even the mansions all look different and feels more alive. It was nice to take pictures but we found it boring and didn't feel like a resort. Some of that may be because they have limited amenities. I know some love the smaller footprint of POFQ but some of their rooms are quite the walk from the main hub/bus stop since there is just one.

We found food at POR more varied and better .. with more windows so getting our food was faster. We love the lounge at POR with Yeeha Bob, ordering appetizers while we enjoy the show. Boatrights has always been good.

I actually want to replace my reply above with this, verbatim!

 

[HopperFan]

I actually want to replace my reply above with this, verbatim!

 

[FelisLachesis]

I'm hopping on the @HopperFan train on this!

To elaborate on a point that @dansdad made, the biggest difference between the two resorts is the size.

Riverside is massive! It's sprawled out very well, but it can also make you feel alone. And if you are stuck in an outer AB building, getting to the main lobby can seem like a decent hike. But that size gives landscaping a lot of room to work with, and they do a great job! I like how they mix AB and the mansions, giving a two-for-one feel with the resort. I also like the quiet pools. I couldn't sleep one night at Disney, so I put on my swim trunks and jumped in for about an hour. It really helped me relax. I went back to the room, rinsed off, and I was out.

FQ is much tighter in their land use. So getting from point A to point B won't take as long, but it could feel like everything is on top of itself. There's no where to spread out, no where to be just you and your thoughts at Disney. I also am not a big fan of FQ's lobby. I like Riverside's because it nails the theming of the Lousiana Bayou, and the lobby is like the main mansion in the area. FQ tries to mimic Mardi Gras, and, honestly, it feels a little forced on me. They put up a lot of masks and called it a day.

So, it's more so how mobile your family is. If you have young children, or grandparents, FQ might be better because of the compactness, but a preferred room at Riverside will do this job, as well. If you have older kids, or want more room to decompress, go with Riverside. If you have 2-3 girls, ages 4-9, get a Royal Room.

 

[FelisLachesis]

POFQ does not have the full moderate amenities and yet they charge the same prices.

It's because the resort is almost always fully booked. If you're making the most money at Price A, why charge a lower price?

It's also the reason that FQ is almost never included in any room discounts or free dining promotions.

 

[Sue M]

My fav is POR as well for all the reasons HopperFan states. We prefer the mansions and don't need the Murphy bed in the AB section. I also find the mansion section easier to get around, the buildings are all along the river.

We have stayed at pofq once and while it is nice too, I missed the relaxing feel of Riverside, and the quiet pool option. I did like the pofq hot tub better, it was larger. The Riverside hot tub is way too small.
Food court is better IMO at Riverside.

 

[HopperFan]

It's because the resort is almost always fully booked. If you're making the most money at Price A, why charge a lower price?

It's also the reason that FQ is almost never included in any room discounts or free dining promotions.

I know why, I just refuse to pay that for less.

 

[Trap]

i like pofq it is small and quite when you take a brake from the parks pofq is just a great place to relax

 

[Airship Ariadne]

POR main pool has sun & shade, a natural curve with slide/kiddie pool at one end ... hot tub/bar at other end and we find it to be very adult suitable. We also enjoy a dip in the quiet pools at end of night. The POFQ only pool is a wide open sunny concrete deck that is designed for young children and now added a splash pad area. Even when my kids were young they thought it was babyish. The hot tub is removed from the pool and not much bigger than the one in my back yard.

I LOVE NOLA, the design and vibe. While they did a good job on the buildings the resort has no energy like NOLA. It just feels very quiet and isolating with every building looking like the next. POR is beautiful to walk around, has two themes, even the mansions all look different and feels more alive. It was nice to take pictures but we found it boring and didn't feel like a resort. Some of that may be because they have limited amenities. I know some love the smaller footprint of POFQ but some of their rooms are quite the walk from the main hub/bus stop since there is just one.

While most of the reasons Hopper gave were good, the pool and the grounds are two I strongly agree with. POR is my favorite moderate pool because of how it is surrounded by large trees and has a natural feel with plenty of shaded places to swim. I also love the POR grounds. It is a relaxing place to stroll and take photos.

Though the POFQ grounds are nice and the buildings cute.

But if you like things in a central, compact location, then POFQ is better. less of a walk to the main building, and only one bus stop.

Both are on our list for places we will book...in fact we are at POFQ in Oct.

 

[loves to dive]

I prefer POR, to be honest POFQ is the only moderate I haven't stayed at and don't plan on staying there. I did walk over there every morning because, believe it or not, POR wasn't really big enough to get my half hour walk in. POFQ reminds me of a motel from the outside, POR reminds me more of the hotel feel on the outside. I stayed in Magnolia Mansion and the location was perfect, easy walk over to the main building and bus stop, yet there was a bus stop right behind it so coming back at night it was easy to get back to the room. I don't like the big ole jester head they have at POFQ, it just looks tacky to me and I actually collect jesters and masks.