POR vs POFQ

[MinaFemme]

I've never stayed at either, are there any major differences or pros/cons between the two? I'm looking to upgrade to a Mod, and I can't choose between them!

 

[wdwfan22]

You will find people that love both. I've only at at the FQ, and here is the reason we picked it.

1. First to be picked up on the bus in the morning, first to be dropped off at night. The bus stops first at FQ, then goes on to Riverside. We had it fill up a couple times, and it just went straight to the park. But usually it goes on to Riverside. So you are pretty much guarateed a seat on the way to the parks. And it's nice to get dropped off first at the end of a long day. Thats a huge bonus for us.

2. Small resort. Not a lot of walking to get to your room at the end of the day, or to go refill your mug.

One con I can think of is there is no TS restaurant at FQ. Not a big deal to us, I guess since we have never stayed at a resort with one, so we don't miss what we've never had. Plus we don't eat a lot at whatever resort we are at. We like to eat mostly in the parks, or at a Deluxe (which we could never afford to stay at).

Hope that helps a little!! I'm sure you will have a great time at whichever one you choose!!

 

[FiggieFan]

You can easily walk between both of them and use pools at both POR and POFQ if you are staying at one or the other. The buses are as described above - I have seen a lot of times where they run separate POR and POFQ buses, it depends on the crowds and times of day. Boats for Downtown Disney start at POR. Last trip they were full when they got to POFQ so we had to wait for more boats which we have never encountered before. We stay at POFQ because it is smaller, but prefer eating at POR - there is more seating and we believe a better selection for lunch and dinner (more choices and better food like the pasta option).

 

[Flrancho]

Of the two, I personally prefer POFQ.

POFQ is much smaller than POR. Both resorts have riverboat transportation to DTD. POFQ is the last stop going to DTD and the first stop coming back from. POR has multiple bus stations, while POFQ has one. The two resorts usually do not share buses, but occasionally will. When they do share buses POFQ is always the first pick up and the first to drop off.

Both resorts have a food court, though the one at POR probably has a larger menu. POR also has a table service restaurant. Both have a pool with a slide, while POR, being much bigger, also has a few quiet pools. Both resorts have nighttime entertainment by way of Yeeha Bob at POR and Elliot Dyson at POFQ.

POR offers different room types, the alligator bayou room, the magnolia bend room and the royal rooms. POFQ only has one room type, however all POFQ rooms have queen sized beds whereas the beds at POR are standard beds.

 

[Tpiejg]

We stayed at POR last aug. and loved it. the grounds are beautiful, in my opinion much prettier than FQ. we also liked the food choices at POR better and enjoyed our dinner at Boatwrights. For the 7 days we were there we only shared the bus with FQ twice, so bus transportation was never an issue.

 

[sleepymama]

I have stayed at both an prefer the feel of POR. I had some mousekeeping issues when we stayed at POFQ, but maybe it was just an off week for them.

 

[donnahaddad]

I have stayed in both. Riverside was nice but more spread out. We stayed at the farthest building from the main building. At the end of the day it was a long walk back to our room. There are 4 bus stops for this resort and if you are at the last stop it means a longer bus ride. Most of the buildings are on the other side of the river from the main building; meaning you have to walk to a bridge to cross over to the other side.

French Quarter is also nice but smaller. We have stayed here twice in building 5 and 6 both facing the river. There is only 1 bus stop but the walk doesn't seem as far (not having to cross the river might be why). The main building is close to most of the rooms.

The main pools are about the same size and are themed to the resort. They both have small slides. Riverside has a number of quiet pools. No matter which you stay at you can use either resorts pools.

During the day the resorts share buses. Most of the time the shared bus stops at French Quarter first before going around Riverside. In the mornings at park opening time, each resort has its own dedicated bus. In the evening at park closing, again, each resort has its own dedicated bus.

Overall I choose to stay at French Quarter. The biggest reason is the buses. The second biggest reason is the smaller size meaning less walking.

I hope this helps!

 

[wdwfan22]

I guess the time of year affects whether you share a bus or not. We were there during off season -January - and we shared a bus the whole 10 days except a couple times on the way to the parks when the bus filled up at FQ. We always shared a bus back at the end of the day.

 

[pepe of ohio]

POR too huge, long long walks to main building and pool... Resort has 4 bus stops so figure the size from that ...

POFQ, no TS... No big deal, POR has Boatwrights ( which we felt was awful) but you can walk or boat there... Meals on POFQ food court were quite good, varietied well, huge and easily shared...

Bus service was great the 2 times we stayed there, only picking up at POR 2 times after us...

POFQ is very compact, easily to navigate and get around... In our opinion way better than Riverside!

 

[MickeyEars]

After 4 stays at Riverside we are booked at French Quarter for June 1-10. We're really happy to be trying something new and very excited to be staying at a smaller resort.
The walking at Riverside is rough after a long day in the parks not to mention the heat and humidity when we're there. Looking forward to being able to fill up our mugs without so much walking!!

Carla

 

[peachiepie]

We stayed at POR last October and loved it. We walked over to POFQ a couple of times, however we found the bus service poor compared with POR. The couple of times we did it we waited ages for a bus, with a massive queue, which we never had experienced at POR.
Not sure if we were just lucky with the buses at POR or unlucky with the buses at POFQ, but it has put us off booking POFQ.

 

[MinaFemme]

Thank you very much for all of the feedback!

 

[Patience]

POR offers different room types, the alligator bayou room, the magnolia bend room and the royal rooms. POFQ only has one room type, however all POFQ rooms have queen sized beds whereas the beds at POR are standard beds.

POR does have queen beds. We chose POR over POFQ because I thought the room decor of POFQ looked drab. We are staying in a Royal Room at POR because I liked the theming of the room. Now, we have not stayed at either resort and my opinions are based upon pictures. I will find out soon whether the POR Royal Room is as nice as I hope it is.

 

[MiramarQE]

Only thing to add to the above is the POR Alligator Bayou rooms have a full-size (well, mostly) pull-down bed for a fifth guest - if you have a couple and more than one child the extra bed would come in handy!

 

[SamIam929]

Because of the thick wooded areas that make the Alligator Bayou area so lovely, we noticed a lot more bugs. It was very pretty, though! We'll be trying French Quarter next fall.

 

[darrengs]

My opinion is that you can't go wrong with either one. We have stayed at both several times each, but we do lean more towards POFQ. In fact this past August we stayed at YC and my kids said they missed POFQ (we even visited one day and took the boat to DTD), so we booked it for next August with bounce back and free dining.

 

[buzznina]

You really cannot go wrong with either resort. We have stayed at both multiple times and had great times at each. They both have queen beds, the slide at POR is twice as long as POFQ, we prefer POR CS over POFQ. The size of POR does not matter to us, it's just a 10 minute walk from the back of resort to the main Bldg. As a matter of fact the resort looks so nice and peaceful at night that we will normally get off at the front of the resort and enjoy the nice stroll back to our room. Our DDs love using the bridge to cross over the river at POR and they also like the Aligator Musicians at POFQ. DW likes the beinets at POFQ, we like the shape of both main pools where it is not just a big square. We like the cobble brick streets of POFQ and also the 2 different themes at POR, AB and Mansions. We would give the bus edge to POFQ because it is a smaller resort. Visit www.portorleans.org to get a lot of info on both resorts.

 

[julluvsdisney]

You really cannot go wrong. I like both but I am more drawn into POR due to the grounds and the rooms. We have stayed in AB and RR and both were amazing! I find the rooms plain at FQ and the grounds too manicured. Not that its a bad thing but it isn't our preference. I do like the pool better at FQ since it is smaller and I can see my 6 year old from all angles. The bussing is better at FQ at peak times. Occasionally we will hope on FQ if it is crazy busy in the POR line. FQ is usually empty. So it really depends on what is important to you! Have a great time!!!

 

[HisBeautyHerBeast]

I love, love, LOVE French Quarter. It really depends on what kind of group you have with you. With kids I say PO. French Quarter is very quiet, romantic, obviously good for kids too (it's Disney lol) but PO has a lot more to offer for the kids.
FQ is small and cozy and just beautiful! We loved it!

 

[mom23guys2]

Just back fromPOFQ. I prefer POR. I prefer the food court- more options but POFQ is less busy. I hate having to get on the bus and go all around POR. Or have the busses filled and skip us at POFQ. Just a personal preference.