Port Orleans Riverside vs French Quarter

Disney's Port Orleans Resort Riverside seen from outside — Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside

Disney's Port Orleans Resort French Quarter seen from outside — Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter

The short answer

Disney sells these as two halves of one resort and prices them within about $4 of each other, so most people pick on the theming. The scores say otherwise. Riverside sleeps five and scores 7 for under-fours; French Quarter sleeps four and scores 4, one of the widest gaps between any two resorts sold as a pair. French Quarter fires back with a better pool and much better splash pads, and it's small, which matters more than it sounds when the alternative is a resort with an internal boat. Riverside for little kids, French Quarter for a couple or older kids.

Choose Riverside for families of five, and anyone with a child under four.

Choose French Quarter for couples, and families with older kids who want a compact resort.

They cost about the same: within $5 a night on average.

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Side by side

Category	Riverside	French Quarter
Nightly rate, on average	$337	$341
Pools	5 / 10	6 / 10	7.0
Splash pads and slides	6 / 10	9 / 10	7.7
Things to do on site	6 / 10	5 / 10	7.0
Suits toddlers	7 / 10	4 / 10	7.4
Suits ages 7 to 13	7 / 10	7 / 10	5.9
Suits adults	5 / 10	4 / 10	5.4
Table-service restaurants	1	0
Bars and lounges	2	2
Getting to Magic Kingdom	4 / 10	4 / 10
Overall average	5.7 / 10	5.6 / 10

Averaged across the scored categories the two are level, at 5.7 and 5.6 out of ten. On the numbers this is a genuine coin toss, so pick on the one or two lines above that matter most to you. Green marks the better of the two on that line. Counts of restaurants, bars and beds are quantities, not scores. The average across all 32 resorts is pools 7.0, splash pads 7.7, things to do 7.0.

The case for each

Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside

Moderate · on average $337 a night · sleeps 5 · bus to every park

GoodSleeps five in a standard room, which almost no Moderate does, and scores 7 out of 10 for under-fours. Boatwright's is a real sit-down restaurant.

Less goodThe pool is one of the weaker ones on property, and the resort is big enough to need an internal boat between its own sections.

Pick this one if: families of five, and anyone with a child under four.

Dining on siteBoatwright's Dining Hall and Riverside Mill: one sit-down restaurant and two bars.

What there is to do on siteBike and surrey rentals, fishing, a campfire, movies under the stars, a playground and two arcades.

Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter

Moderate · on average $341 a night · sleeps 4 · bus to every park

GoodA better pool than Riverside and much better splash pads, thanks to the sea-serpent slide. Small enough to walk across in a few minutes.

Less goodSleeps four, scores 4 out of 10 for under-fours, and has no sit-down restaurant at all. It also costs a little more than Riverside.

Pick this one if: couples, and families with older kids who want a compact resort.

Dining on siteSassagoula Floatworks and Scat Cat's Club Cafe: no sit-down restaurant, two bars.

What there is to do on siteBike and surrey rentals, fishing, a campfire, movies under the stars and an arcade.

They share a boat to Disney Springs, the same bus routes and the same park scores, so nothing on this page is about location. It's a choice between two buildings on one site.

Your family will rank these differently

Ages, budget, room size and which parks you are doing all change the order. Resortings scores all 32 resorts against what your family actually needs, and tells you when not to spend the money.

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Common questions

Which is better, Port Orleans Riverside or French Quarter?

Riverside wins on little kids and space: 7 out of 10 for under-fours against French Quarter's 4, and it sleeps five. French Quarter wins on the pool, the splash pads, and being small enough to walk across.

Which Port Orleans sleeps five?

Riverside. Its Alligator Bayou 5th Sleeper rooms add a kid-size pull-down bed, making it one of the few Moderates that fits a family of five in a standard room. French Quarter sleeps four.

Which is smaller?

French Quarter, by a lot. Riverside is one of the biggest Moderates on property and runs an internal boat between its own sections. French Quarter is walkable end to end in a few minutes.

Do they share transport?

Yes: same buses to all four parks, same boat to Disney Springs, and identical park scores across the board. Neither is closer to anything.