Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside are sister Reasonable Hotel resorts at Walt Disney Global that we advise to somebody who loves themed environments. So…which is the simpler choice in your WDW holiday? This submit provides our head-to-head smackdown to look which reigns excellent. (Up to date December 28, 2024.)
We received’t bury the lede–they’re each nice resorts and there’s no one-size-fits all resolution to the query of which Port Orleans Hotel is best possible. This isn’t attempting to succeed in a definitive conclusion (even though we will be able to) up to weigh the professionals and cons of each and every Port Orleans Hotel with the intention to make a decision for your self. However theme, we expect Riverside and French Quarter each and every have so much to provide.
This comparability addresses whether or not you will have to ebook Port Orleans French Quarter (POFQ), or if Port Orleans Riverside (POR) is the simpler selection in your circle of relatives. With that during thoughts, we’ll evaluate theme, price, eating, swimming pools, and different facilities that will help you decide which is best for you.
Sooner than we get going, it’s price noting that Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter will likely be in the course of room refurbishments till 2026. This mission is easily underway at POFQ–we stayed in a brand new room a couple of weeks in the past and noticed energetic development websites round a number of different constructions–and is expected to wrap up round Spring 2025.
As soon as paintings concludes at Port Orleans French Quarter, the similar development team will transfer directly to Port Orleans Riverside. At the moment, the paintings there may be scheduled to happen from Spring 2025 thru early 2026 and happen on solely the Magnolia Bend rooms. On the other hand, we all know from previous precedent and the cadence of room refurbishment cycles that Alligator Bayou nearly undoubtedly gets refurbished as soon as that’s executed–and that might take the mission into past due 2026 or early 2027.
This development is why each Port Orleans Lodges made our lists of the Worst Motels at Walt Disney Global in 2025. This isn’t to mention you will have to steer clear of both. Building had 0 have an effect on on our keep at POFQ, and it’ll be even more straightforward to steer clear of at Riverside because of the unfold out nature of the hotel. That listing (and this advent) is extra like a ‘heads up’ for individuals who are delicate to blight and noise. You might need to keep somewhere else, however generally, a room request will suffice!
Talking of which, let’s temporarily speak about the 2 different choices within the Reasonable Hotel tier…
Relying upon your standpoint, something that may well be a professional or con is that each Port Orleans Lodges are essentially the most “thematically natural” Reasonable Lodges. Whilst Coronado Springs added the brand new Gran Destino Tower and Caribbean Seashore had Disney’s Riviera Hotel constructed on a portion of its (former) grounds, this has now not came about at Port Orleans.
The upside to that is that each Port Orleans Lodges retain their attraction and thematic integrity. The disadvantage is that Gran Destino and Riviera Hotel introduced with them remarkable new eating and different facilities. Each Caribbean Seashore and Coronado Springs are actually arguably “Reasonable+ Lodges” in some regards, and it feels fairly like time has handed via the Port Orleans Lodges consequently, a minimum of from a useful standpoint.
Nonetheless, we adore each Port Orleans Lodges, and the environment is the massive explanation why…
Theme: Port Orleans Riverside – Either one of those inns are the peak of romantic theming and Southern attraction at Walt Disney Global. Because of the growth initiatives on the different Moderates, those two inns are actually the top of theme a few of the Reasonable Lodges.
That is very true at Riverside, which is split into Alligator Bayou (bayou) and Magnolia Bend (mansions), and gives a refined transition between the 2 and extra thematic selection. The backstory at Riverside is fascinating, attractive, and cleverly-executed during the hotel.
The quiet pathways that criss-cross Port Orleans Riverside make it a great spot to take a romantic walk past due at night time, early within the morning, or (we wager?) below the prime midday solar. Those grounds are not anything in need of surprising, with wealthy wasteland within the bayou and completely manicured gardens across the mansions. In spite of being slightly unfold out, it items as intimate and romantic, and we’ve lengthy advisable Riverside as the most efficient funds hotel for an adults-only or honeymoon travel.
French Quarter is likewise fascinating thematically, and its idealized presentation of New Orleans is amusing. (It’s additionally a artful theme for covering the lodge constructions.) It additionally has so much going for it, and a really perfect sense of romanticism, but it surely nonetheless falls in need of Riverside. The surroundings is solely extra relaxing and has a better sense of intensity at Riverside.
Transportation/Format: Port Orleans French Quarter – Each inns depend solely upon bus transportation to get to the Walt Disney Global theme parks, with boat carrier to be had at each to Disney Springs. Transportation is the place French Quarter shines. It’s the one Reasonable Hotel that has a unmarried bus forestall, which provides a vital time-savings merit whilst you’re looking to get to or from the parks. That can imply a moderately longer stroll to the bus forestall, however that most often isn’t the case.
It’s because (and that is every other merit), Port Orleans French Quarter has very compact structure. It’s simply walkable, and even though visitor rooms are unfold amongst a couple of constructions, French Quarter isn’t a sprawling hotel like the opposite Moderates. Until you get caught in one of the most farthest rooms from the foyer, the whole lot at French Quarter is ready a 5-minute stroll out of your room. That’s beautiful important when you have young children, or simply don’t really feel like creating a 15-minute trek to replenish your mugs within the morning.
For many of us we all know, that is French Quarter’s single-biggest promoting level. Sarah is a type of other folks, while I’m loopy and if truth be told benefit from the sprawling hotel taste of Riverside. (Thankfully, I will have the most efficient of each worlds via staying at French Quarter and wandering over to Riverside.)
Rooms: Push – Each have rooms that we’d name completely tremendous, they usually’ve benefited from useful enhancements due to the newest comfortable items refurbishment. The ones room renovations additionally made them thematically much less fascinating, however slightly brighter and lighter, which is sweet from a temper standpoint.
The following spherical of room updates are already appearing to be a an identical tale. We stayed in a just lately redone room at Port Orleans French Quarter in December 2024, and our opinion on it is kind of the similar as prior to. It’s completely tremendous, feels contemporary, and has some lovable main points–however isn’t one of the most best tier rooms at Walt Disney Global.
The upside at Port Orleans Riverside is that the rooms in Alligator Bayou can sleep 5 due to the pull-down Murphy mattress, so there’s that. At the turn aspect, we want the cultured of the Magnolia Bend rooms. At each inns, the rooms are well-appointed, and tasteful from a thematic standpoint. We discover them completely relaxed, and feature 0 proceedings…however we don’t believe them stand-out Walt Disney Global rooms, both.
Eating: Port Orleans Riverside – French Quarter has the fewest eating choices of any Reasonable Hotel, and is the one one with out a full-scale desk carrier eating place. Many of us believe this to be a “large deal” when making plans a primary discuss with, however we’d warning you in opposition to giving an excessive amount of weight to this.
The primary explanation why is as a result of we’ve discovered Scat Cat’s Membership Front room to be greater than enough. This can be a slightly new venue that took over the previous Bonfamille’s Cafe house (a desk carrier eating place that closed within the early 2000s), and serves a mix of beverages and small plates along side are living jazz song. We benefit from the surroundings, environment, leisure, and delicacies right here. To make certain, it’s now not a fully-fledged desk carrier eating place, but it surely’s implausible and amusing.
Should you do want a desk carrier eating place, you’ll be able to stroll to Riverside to dine there–it’s about 10 mins away and the trail is beautiful. Despite the fact that we expect Boatwright’s Eating Corridor is underrated, you are going to almost definitely solely devour there as soon as–at maximum–all through your keep. With either one of those inns providing boat transportation to Disney Springs–which provides a wealth of remarkable desk carrier choices–that is in reality the direction you will have to cross in the event you’re doing dinner outdoor the park.
Counter carrier is kind of a push. Each Port Orleans Lodges have massive meals courts with pieces of various levels of high quality. We’ve had dangerous and excellent foods at each and every, so we wouldn’t draw any conclusions from the ones, both. It in reality relies on what you’re order.
What we love about either one of those meals courts is the range. There’s actually one thing for everybody, from choosy eaters to extra adventurous ones. And we’ve discovered the featured entrees which might be distinctive to each and every hotel to usually being beautiful tasty–and be offering excellent price for cash.
With that mentioned, Port Orleans French Quarter does have freshly-made beignets, which might be a robust promoting level. We’re now not kidding. We pay attention about those beignets from fanatics of POFQ greater than absolutely anything else on the hotel. They’re so standard that Scat Cat’s Membership Cafe is now beignet central, and the hotel even sells a line of “Beign-yays” products.
Swimming pools: Port Orleans French Quarter – On our listing of the Best 10 Swimming pools at Walt Disney Global, Doubloon Lagoon at French Quarter ranked #8 and Ol’ Guy Island Pool at Riverside is unranked. In truth, the 2 swimming pools don’t seem to be that a long way aside.
The place Doubloon Lagoon has a definite merit, from our standpoint, is in the case of persona. It options have a troupe of musically-inclined alligators, which jointly (kind of) shape the Bayou Gator Jamboree. It additionally has the 51-foot lengthy slide themed as a SerpentDragonSnake, an enormous part serpent, part dragon, and part snake creature recognized to scour the depths of the waters, leaving nobody alive.
It’s all of those main points at Doubloon Lagoon that experience captivated my creativeness since I used to be a child, and feature left a long-lasting impact. This all offers the pool a amusing vibe, while Ol’ Guy Island Pool is more or less boring and forgettable from our standpoint. Should you strip away theme, those swimming pools can be beautiful closely-matched (in the event you desire quiet, unthemed swimming pools, you’ll desire Riverside). Why you’d arbitrarily ‘strip away’ theme at a spot like Walt Disney Global is past us.
Value: Port Orleans Riverside – From the most efficient we will be able to inform, room charges are an identical each fee season of the 12 months for usual rooms at each and every of the Port Orleans Lodges. Costs are slightly much less constant/similar while you get into the other view choices or the area of expertise rooms, however the level stands that rack charges are the similar.
So then, why does Riverside get the threshold right here? Reductions. Should you’re reserving a travel a long way prematurely (prior to reductions were launched), it’s necessary to grasp that French Quarter continuously receives inferior room-only reductions, and is blocked out from different reductions (corresponding to the preferred Unfastened Disney Eating Plan at Walt Disney Global promo). The ‘cut price differential’ can flip those neck and neck rack charges into an enormous chasm in desire of Riverside.
Verdict: Port Orleans French Quarter – In the past, we gave the slight edge to Riverside. Right here’s what we mentioned prior to:
After we bring to mind the most efficient Reasonable Hotel at Walt Disney Global, it’s tough to seem previous what Riverside provides in the case of a hotel enjoy. The fascinating theming, the comfortable & romantic environment, the numerous facilities, and the wonderful thing about its superb grounds all are important promoting issues. Upload to that the better probability of discovering offers at Riverside, and we’re prone to offer it a slight edge, general.
Issues have modified within the ultimate 12 months for us as we are actually folks to a child versus energetic and full of life Childless Disney Millennials. With that, we now in reality perceive and admire the compact structure of Port Orleans French Quarter.
In truth, this isn’t on the subject of us–it’s about (in spite of everything) being attentive to everybody else. One of the crucial best proceedings about Riverside is its unfold out and sprawling nature, which is exactly what resulted in fresh initiatives at Caribbean Seashore and Coronado Springs.
For first-timers, Walt Disney Global can also be an awesome position, and French Quarter gets rid of that from the lodge via providing a extra compact structure. It’s the smallest and maximum walkable Reasonable Hotel at Walt Disney Global, and visitors continuously level to this as an enormous promoting level.
After dragging our ft for a long way too lengthy, we in spite of everything see the attraction on this. On the finish of a protracted night time, once I’m sporting a dozing infant, each step counts. Identical is going originally of the day, for that subject, when she needs to stroll however can solely cross so speedy. Those are our distinctive cases, to make certain, however a need to attenuate steps prior to even attending to the parks–or on the finish of the day–is hardly ever distinctive.
Port Orleans French Quarter can also be mentioned to arguably be offering the most efficient of each worlds. The ones on your birthday celebration who would like a compact hotel have that choice via confining themselves to POFQ, while those that need the real hotel vibe can simply stroll over to Riverside.
It’s additionally honest to show that POFQ has a shockingly romantic environment in its personal proper, and is a good looking game of New Orleans. It’s no thematic slouch, it’s simply now not as expansive and doesn’t be offering slightly as a lot selection in design or surroundings. French Quarter continues to be implausible–and a part of a bygone generation of Walt Disney Global design. Simply with out the interior bus stops that such a lot of visitors hate!
If French Quarter’s extra compact structure isn’t sufficiently persuasive, the just lately redone rooms, relaxing Scat Cat’s Membership Front room, and no more development within the subsequent 2 years also are necessary. Even ignoring structure, I’m prone to offer Port Orleans French Quarter the win from a minimum of 2025 thru early 2027 consequently. We’ll reevaluate (once more) after that!
In the end, each Port Orleans Lodges are superb inns that we extremely suggest. Despite the fact that we gave the threshold to French Quarter right here, we ceaselessly keep at each and every of them, with which we select relying upon the character of our travel (and to be had reductions!). Necessary facilities, game, and different variables would possibly going to subject otherwise to you.
Our function is for this submit to be useful in providing a head-to-head comparability of essentially the most an important components of each and every Walt Disney Global hotel enjoy. With that mentioned, we propose supplementing this with our complete assessment of Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Hotel and our Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Hotel Overview.
Making plans a Walt Disney Global travel? Know about resorts on our Walt Disney Global Motels Evaluations web page. For the place to devour, learn our Walt Disney Global Eating place Evaluations. To economize on tickets or decide which sort to shop for, learn our Pointers for Saving Cash on Walt Disney Global Tickets submit. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys submit takes a singular have a look at artful pieces to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney Global Trip Guides will lend a hand. For complete recommendation, the most efficient position to begin is our Walt Disney Global Go back and forth Making plans Information for the whole lot you want to grasp!
Your Ideas
Do you settle or disagree with our verdict on this Port Orleans Riverside vs. French Quarter head-to-head? What about our conclusions in each and every class? Is there one thing we overlooked or were given fallacious? Percentage any questions, pointers, or further ideas you may have within the feedback!
