Port Orleans Riverside vs. French Quarter
Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside are sister Moderate Resort hotels at Walt Disney World that we recommend to anyone who loves themed environments. So…which is the better option for your WDW vacation? This post offers our head-to-head smackdown to see which reigns supreme. (Updated February 11, 2023.)
We won’t bury the lede–they’re both great hotels and there’s no one-size-fits all answer to the question of which Port Orleans Resort is best. This is not trying to reach a definitive conclusion (although we will) as much as weigh the pros and cons of each Port Orleans Resort so that you can decide for yourself. Notwithstanding theme, we think Riverside and French Quarter each have a lot to offer.
This comparison addresses whether you should choose Port Orleans French Quarter, or if Riverside is the better choice for your family. With that in mind, we’ll compare theme, cost, dining, pools, and other amenities to help you determine which is right for you.
Depending upon your perspective, one thing that might be a pro or con is that both Port Orleans Resorts are the most “thematically pure” Moderate Resorts. While Coronado Springs added the new Gran Destino Tower and Caribbean Beach had Disney’s Riviera Resort built on a portion of its (former) grounds, this has not occurred at Port Orleans.
The upside to this is that both Port Orleans Resorts retain their charm and thematic integrity. The downside is that Gran Destino and Riviera Resort brought with them exceptional new dining and other amenities. Both Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs are now arguably “Moderate+ Resorts” in some regards, and it feels somewhat like time has passed by the Port Orleans Resorts as a result, at least from a functional perspective. Nevertheless, we love both Port Orleans Resorts, and the atmosphere is the big reason why…
Theme: Port Orleans Riverside – Both of these resorts are the height of romantic theming and Southern charm at Walt Disney World. Due to the expansion projects at the other Moderates, these two resorts are now the pinnacle of theme among the Moderate Resorts.
This is especially true at Riverside, which is divided into Alligator Bayou (bayou) and Magnolia Bend (mansions), and offers a subtle transition between the two and more thematic variety. The backstory at Riverside is interesting, engaging, and cleverly-executed throughout the resort.
The quiet pathways that criss-cross Port Orleans Riverside make it a great place to take a romantic stroll late at night, early in the morning, or (we guess?) under the high noon sun. These grounds are nothing short of stunning, with rich wilderness in the bayou and perfectly manicured gardens around the mansions. Despite being fairly spread out, it presents as intimate and romantic, and we’ve long recommended Riverside as the best budget resort for an adults-only or honeymoon trip.
French Quarter is likewise charming thematically, and its idealized presentation of New Orleans is fun. (It’s also a clever theme for masking the hotel buildings.) It also has a lot going for it, and a great sense of romanticism, but it still falls short of Riverside. The environment is just more enjoyable and has a greater sense of depth at Riverside.
Transportation/Layout: Port Orleans French Quarter – Both resorts rely exclusively upon bus transportation to get to the Walt Disney World theme parks, with boat service available at both to Disney Springs. Transportation is where French Quarter shines. It’s the only Moderate Resort that has a single bus stop, which offers a significant time-savings advantage when you’re trying to get to or from the parks. That can mean a slightly longer walk to the bus stop, but that usually is not the case.
This is because (and this is another advantage), Port Orleans French Quarter has very compact layout. It is easily walkable, and although guest rooms are spread among multiple buildings, French Quarter is not a sprawling resort like the other Moderates. Unless you get stuck in one of the farthest rooms from the lobby, everything at French Quarter is about a 5-minute walk from your room. That’s pretty significant if you have small children, or just don’t feel like making a 15-minute trek to refill your mugs in the morning.
For many people we know, this is French Quarter’s single-biggest selling point. Sarah is one of those people, whereas I’m crazy and actually enjoy the sprawling resort style of Riverside. (Fortunately, I can have the best of both worlds by staying at French Quarter and wandering over to Riverside.)
Rooms: Push – Both have rooms that we’d call perfectly fine, and they’ve benefited from functional improvements thanks to the latest soft goods refurbishment. Those room renovations also made them thematically less interesting, but a bit brighter and lighter, which is nice from a mood perspective.
Neither Riverside nor French Quarter has rooms that are as good as the recently redone rooms at Coronado Springs, which are a higher caliber because they cater to business and convention travelers. Conversely, both are now arguably better than the “Poly-lite” rooms at Caribbean Beach that are starting to show their age again.
The upside at Port Orleans Riverside is that the rooms in Alligator Bayou can sleep 5 thanks to the pull-down Murphy bed, so there’s that. On the flip side, we prefer the aesthetic of the Magnolia Bend rooms. At both resorts, the rooms are well-appointed, and tasteful from a thematic perspective. We find them perfectly comfortable, and have zero complaints…but we don’t consider them stand-out Walt Disney World rooms, either.
Dining: Port Orleans Riverside – French Quarter has the least dining options of any Moderate Resort, and is the only one without a table service restaurant. Many people consider this to be a “big deal” when planning a first visit, but we would caution you against giving too much weight to this.
The main reason is because you can walk to Riverside to dine there; it’s like a 10-15 minute walk. Second, although we think Boatwright’s Dining Hall is underrated, you will probably only eat there once–at most–during your stay. With both of these resorts offering boat transportation to Disney Springs–which offers a wealth of exceptional table service options–that is really the route you should go if you’re doing dinner outside the park.
Counter service is more or less a push. Both Port Orleans Resorts have large, loud food courts with items of varying degrees of quality. We’ve had bad and good meals at each, so we wouldn’t draw any conclusions from those, either.
With that said, Port Orleans French Quarter does have freshly-made beignets…and beignet ice cream sundaes, which are a strong selling point. (We’re not kidding.)
Pools: Port Orleans French Quarter – On our list of the Top 10 Pools at Walt Disney World, Doubloon Lagoon at French Quarter ranked #8 and Ol’ Man Island Pool at Riverside is unranked. In reality, the two pools are not that far apart.
Where Doubloon Lagoon has a distinct advantage, from our perspective, is in terms of character. It features have a troupe of musically-inclined alligators, which collectively (more or less) form the Bayou Gator Jamboree. It also has the 51-foot long slide themed as a SerpentDragonSnake, a giant half serpent, half dragon, and half snake creature known to scour the depths of the waters, leaving no one alive.
It’s all of these details at Doubloon Lagoon that have captivated my imagination since I was a kid, and have left a lasting impression. This all gives the pool a fun vibe, whereas Ol’ Man Island Pool is kind of dull and forgettable from our perspective. If you strip away theme, these pools would be pretty closely-matched (if you favor quiet, unthemed pools, you’ll favor Riverside). Why you’d arbitrarily ‘strip away’ theme at a place like Walt Disney World is beyond us.
Cost: Port Orleans Riverside – From the best we can tell, room rates are identical every rate season of the year for standard rooms at each of the Port Orleans Resorts. Prices are a bit less consistent/comparable once you get into the different view options or the specialty rooms, but the point stands that rack rates are the same.
So then, why does Riverside get the edge here? Discounts. If you’re booking a trip far in advance (before discounts have been released), it’s important to know that French Quarter often receives inferior room-only discounts, and is blocked out from other discounts (such as the popular Free Disney Dining Plan at Walt Disney World promo). The ‘discount differential’ can turn these neck and neck rack rates into a huge chasm in favor of Riverside.
Verdict: Port Orleans Riverside – When we think of the best Moderate Resort at Walt Disney World, it’s difficult to look past what Riverside offers in terms of a resort experience. The charming theming, the relaxed & romantic ambiance, the many amenities, and the beauty of its wonderful grounds all are significant selling points.
Add to that the greater likelihood of finding deals at Riverside, and we are inclined to give it a slight edge, overall. Now, this is not to say that some parties will not find more that appeals to them at French Quarter. For first-timers, Walt Disney World can be an overwhelming place, and French Quarter removes that from the hotel by offering a more compact layout.
Port Orleans French Quarter also can be said to arguably offer the best of both worlds. Those in your party who would prefer a compact resort have that option by confining themselves to POFQ, whereas those who want the true resort vibe can easily walk over to Riverside.
There’s no doubt truth to this (and I do it on every one of our stays at French Quarter), but it feels like a cop out. Following this logic, there’s no difference among any of the resorts situated around Crescent Lake, nor does anything separate the monorail resorts. That’s just us, though and your mileage may vary when it comes to some of these categories, or how much weight you put on various strengths and weaknesses of each resort. We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Ultimately, both Port Orleans Resorts are wonderful resorts that we highly recommend. Although we gave the edge to Riverside here, we regularly stay at each of them, with which we pick depending upon the nature of our trip (and available discounts!). Important amenities, recreation, and other variables might going to matter differently to you.
Our goal is for this post to be helpful in offering a head-to-head comparison of the most crucial elements of each Walt Disney World resort experience. With that said, we suggest supplementing this with our full review of Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort and our Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort Review.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Do you agree or disagree with our verdict in this Port Orleans Riverside v. French Quarter head-to-head? What about our conclusions in each category? Is there something we missed or got wrong? Share any questions, tips, or additional thoughts you have in the comments!
We have just returned from a resort only/ Disney Springs trip to start the new year. We arrived on 1/2 and checked out on 1/5. So we missed both the New Years Eve crowds and left the day prior to a supposedly Run Disney event.
The resort was only approximately 1/2 filled based on our observations throughout the days and nights. We did spend some time wandering around Riverside which seemed to be about 80% – 90% occupancy. Riverside was much much busier in the common areas and noticeably louder.
The boat to the Springs left a lot to be desired. Our second floor River view room was directly over the dock. The lines were extremely long day and night. We waited almost an hour our first night to board towards the Springs, but the ride is really worth the wait. We Ubered home due to the extensive line at the end of each night.
We would without a doubt stay here again. POFQ was the perfect getaway without the crowds. We really wished both resorts would of had live music offered. Unfortunately it’s only Thursday-Sunday. Food and drinks were delicious and the resort is spotless and on top of its game!
My family has done both. We are Team French Quarter, unless you have a toddler/young child that would love the theming of the Princess Rooms @ Riverside. Can’t beat the NOLA theme, compact layout, fun pool/ BEIGNETS, scat cats bar and Sassagoula Floatworks is great for quick service when needed. Les e le bon ton roulet!
Both of the PO resorts are our fav in the Mod category, with POFQ being our #1. Our family loves the themes at both and how nice it is to just stroll through the resort. We do not find it to large or to much walking at all, and like I mentioned love strolling through the resort. We have at least 1 or 2 resort days per trip and definitely fine both PO resorts as great places to relax or rent bikes, the arcade, carriage rides etc. and the pools are great to hangout at with lots of shaded areas, more than we usually can find at Deluxes. I will say in the 20 years and 40+ trips that we have been going to WDW, we started at the Deluxes because we “thought” we needed location, but have learned over the years that, for us, they are just so overrated over priced. Once POP added the skyliner and remodeled their rooms to queen beds with the murphy, they have been our go to resort. Also, I know Deluxe have different transportation, but we still had to take buses to a couple of parks and we have consistently found those buses to be worse on a more regular basis.
Team Riverside for life!!!!
This comparison is right down our alley, LOL.
We have made many visits to POR and also POFQ.
We started out at POR and loved the ambience immediately. The Southern mansions are beautiful and charming with nice lawns and flowers. We liked the AB section with it’s winding trails, tropical feel, and closeness to the Main buildings. Either one is beautiful with fantastic landscaping, IMO.
People complain about the bus stops at POR, but in our many trips, we did not experience any problems with the waits at all. Maybe we were lucky, I don’t know. The food was always excellent and the gift shop was the best. It had a wide selection of items. However, now, I have heard that disney has cut back on their selections, and the food choices have changed somewhat.
If it weren’t for mobility issues for my husband and myself, we would have stayed at POR forever.
However, the smaller size of FQ works for us now. The food court has a decent choice of foods, and the gift shop is adequate but small. We dont’ swim, so the pools never entered our viewpoint. I did relax on the lounge chairs once in an area that is adjacent to the pool area but quiet and relaxing. The outside bar was a nice place to stop and rest too. Nice atmosphere. The rooms were fine, and the staff was great, as always.
The bus stop actually has 2 sections, so 2 stops. Because people, such as us, with mobility issues like to stay at POFQ, there might be a lot of scooters, etc. Sometimes this can cause delays on boarding the buses, but never a big problem for us. The buses were plentiful and never had a problem in the evening coming back to the resort.
I am not a fan of the gaudy (to me) Mardi Gras theming, but it was okay for the ease of getting around for us. I would go back to POR in a minute if I could. It is our “home” resort. We do visit it and use the nice walking path to and from which is about a 10 minute walk along the river.
So, I guess I would recommend them both, but POR is our favorite for theming, atmosphere, food courts, and shop. The CM’s are great too and the rooms/beds are comfortable.
You didn’t mention the lounges. Both have them and both have live music on certain nights – a huge plus as compared to any other resort (even deluxes). I seem to remember FQ has better music AND food than Riverside. After a day at the parks, a nightcap like this is fantastic – especially if it’s only steps away from your room.
We stayed at Riverside once and it was great – easy to navigate, great counter service, nice rooms. However, if you are interested in pool time or have children older than 8, I would recommend staying elsewhere. These pools are geared for the very young and are definitely in need of makeovers.
We love French Quarter! It is relaxing, not chaotic like some of the other hotels where we’ve stayed. I don’t want to have to walk 10 minutes to my room after a long day at the parks, either. French Quarter converted my husband into a return vacationer at Disney World due to the vibe, relaxing feel, boat to Disney Springs, efficient and easy bus system and beignets of course. Can’t wait to go back this year!
Question: can you pool hop between the two resorts? I saw a post on plan Disney that indicates yes, but that point wasn’t mentioned in this article, so maybe that info is out of date?
https://plandisney.disney.go.com/question/staying-port-allowed-go-swim-port-orleansfrench-quarter-347866/
We stayed twice at Port Orleans and loved it! We were further away from food court but we don’t mind walking! But, our bus stop was the first to be picked up and first stop to be dropped . That was a win for us! My daughter had fainted at the airport and the hotel went above and beyond having a room ready early for us as soon as we got there so she could rest . They brought us lots of waters and called to check on her and make sure she was doing well ! We thought the hotel was not overcrowded and the pools weren’t either. Definitely would stay again much better than our last trip at Art of Animation. Less money but not worth it. The service here was so much better!
Plantation mansion themed resorts are not charming and romantic.
Get a grip
Having just spent the first half of a split stay at the CBR, you are absolutely correct about how much brighter these rooms are compared to the Caribbean. CBR is right now in a mismatch: Great new facilities with poorly aging rooms. The Skyliner remains a trump card, however.
We have stayed at POFQ the past 4 times, but since our 10/2021 vacation is mid October we have chosen POR. We have strolled from POFQ to POR a number of times and have wondered about being in a reverse roll sometime, and this time is coming up in 2 months. Don’t think we lose in either case……
By graphics I mean signage and theming. Then they moved on to Boardwalk and Coronado.
The firm I worked for previously worked on the graphics for Port Orleans back in the day. I actually still have an opening day commemorative coin from 1991. Back then they were actually two separate resorts, Port Orleans and Dixie Landings. They merged the two resorts to be Port Orleans/French Quarter and Port Orleans/Riverside.
We stayed at French Quarter back in November of 2019 and had a great time!
Being in the 60yo+ crowd who still loves WDW and still walk 8-12 mile each day in parks, we love Port Orleans! The smaller size really helps us to save our energy for the parks. We love the charming Doubloon Lagoon pool and the theming of the resorts that remind of us the French Quarter. We also loved the short walk to the bus and that it had dedicated service, making midday breaks from the parks doable and refreshing.
It’s been a few years since we‘ve stayed there since we are trying to stay at each resort on property as part of my bucket list, however, I love it! Another thing I loved about Port Orleans was the excellent quality of service from every cast member we encountered. They embodied southern hospitality and were exceptional during our visit. Don’t get me wrong I have found excellent service at all resorts I’ve stayed at from Deluxe to Value, it just Port Orleans cast brought something extra to the table during our visit.
Port Orleans French Quarter had horrible transportation when we stayed last summer. It has got to have the worst bus service in all of Disney World. Since it is also The smallest of the Disney world resorts I am guessing that they put the least amount of transportation resources there. However this means long waits for those staying there if you’re not going to the parks at prime times. A quick break in the middle of the day calls for Uber for sure. However, if you know the transportation situation going in and you budget for a few extra Uber trips each day you will probably enjoy this resort. My kids age 9 and 13 did not like it. The pool wasn’t to their liking park. Perhaps a little bit too babyish. They preferred the pools at Caribbean Beach and Coronado.
We recently (Nov 2019) stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter for 7 days and absolutely loved it. We had several friends staying at Riverside so we did travel back and forth between the two sites for comparison. It was myself, the wife, and our five year-old.
I personally love the smaller size of French Quarter. After being at the parks all day jammed with a gazillion people, it is refreshing to retire for the evening at a smaller resort. The walkability is a major factor for me. After walking ~12 miles at the park, it’s nice to change clothes and easily pop on over to get a drink or snack. Particularly with a young child who would be worn out by the end of the day.
Similarly the single direct bus stop is heavenly. After all day at the park, it’s just nice to have a somewhat simple ride back to the resort.
The food is meh, except for the beignets of course. However, we splurged and had nice meals out and about, so the quality of the food was simply not a factor for us. On a few days we grabbed some beignets in the morning, and I think maybe 2 other meals on arrival and departing days. Compared to Riverside the drink machines are way better at French Quarter. Small detail, but appreciated.
The Scat Cat Club was super fun. I like my fancy cocktails, and while neither Riverside or French Quarter were necessarily great with drinks, the Scat Cat Club was just a more enjoyable environment for me than the bar at Riverside.
The pool is amazing, especially so when bringing along a kid. Due to the small size of French Quarter, it’s so very simple to pop over to the pool – it’s not another “thing” you gotta plan and almost gear up for.
New Orleans is one of my most favorite cities in the US to visit, and I love the ‘real’ French Quarter. So I have a personal interest in the Disneyfied version of it.
From my experience, neither Riverside or French Quarter are necessarily fantastic places to have a ‘resort day’ as opposed to going to the park. However, for our needs we were doing park stuff every day so we simply did not need extra attractions at our resort. Probably a good thing in that if we stayed at the Polynesian I would have been at Trader Sam’s all of the time. . .
I would strongly recommend French Quarter for parents with kids.
– smaller resort size to navigate
– amazing pool
– great bus route/stop
– again due to smaller size, a good resort to decompress after being in the crowds all day