Disney Resort before cruise

[Matt in FL]

While booking this 7 day cruise, park vacation, I was given these options:

 

Port Orleans Riverside

Port Orleans French Quarter

Caribbean Beach Resort

 

Anyone have any advice on any of these?

[Jeanne B]

Port Orleans Riverside is the largest of the three, much more spread out. French Quarter is much smaller and it gets a many very good reviews. Caribbean Beach Resort is fairly large also but it gets very good reviews and it has the Caibbeean theming which is kind of fun.

 

If you go to wdwinfo.com you can click on resorts and see a very detailed description about each resort as well as the resort maps. If it were me I would pick either POFQ or CBR but it depends on what "theme" interests you more also.

[Host Mick]

I just spent a week in the Caribbean Beach Resort and I was not impressed. The room was tiny, it had just enough room for two full-size beds (not queen) and the sink area. If it's what Disney considers a moderate resort, the I pity the folks in the budget resorts. It would be good practice for the smaller staterooms on the ship. We were unfortunate enough to get a patio view room which meant that our room looked out on a muddy patio and landscaping dotted with lots of cigarette butts. But the view wasn't much of a problem because we had to keep our blinds closed all of the time because our window was on a walkway with a good stream of traffic. They also charge $10/day for Internet access. It might be the same all around WDW but it's free at Disneyland.

The good things is that we were very close to Port Royal and the Port Royal bus stop which cut down on the walking considerably. Also, Port Royal is the second bus stop most of the time so we were second to go aboard the empry bus in the morning and second to get off the standing-room bus in the evening. The place is huge so expect to do a lot of walking or bus riding if you want to go to Port Royal for any meals. They have a resort shuttle that circles the resort but who wants to spend yet more time on busses? Caribbean beach also has real beaches to play on but no going in the water.

[ajcolorado]

Port Orleans Riverside - I love this resort. The setting is just so beautiful. It may not be the most fun theming for kids. There is a marina, great pool, carriage rides, and a boat to Downtown Disney. There is a sit-down restaurant, in addition to the food court. We stayed in "Magnolia Terrace" which was a great location for the pool, foodcourt, and transportation. Downside - transportation goes to French Quarter first, meaning that the seats on the buses are often already filled and you end up standing a lot.

 

Port Orleans French Quarter - the theming is a little more fun. It does have the boats to Downtown Disney and the complex is closer together, making all of your walks shorter. Downside - No sit-down restaurant.

 

Caribbean Beach. This resort gets really mixed reviews. The landscaping and color scheme for the resort are really pretty and fun. Downside - really spread out, making it quite a trek to the foodcourt from some of the buildings.

 

Here is a link with resort pictures - just be sure to click on the area the line points to rather than on the words themselves: http://disneyworldlinks.com/Resort-Park-Presentations/

[Matt in FL]

We will be there for 3 days have will have our 1 1/2 year with us. Right now it's a toss up between the CBR and POFQ.

[Bella930]

I vote for Port Orleans French Quarter, I was there in June and really enjoyed it. It is smaller than Riverside and thus seems more intimate. For example, the pool never seemed as busy as some of the other resorts we visited. Yes, it only has a food court but since my traveling companion was an 11 year old boy, he was more than happy with the choices available. We could eat quickly and head back out to the park (or pool). Another plus is the fact that the bus stops at the French Quarter first and there were several times we bypassed Riverside because the bus was full by the time we got to the last stop. No matter where you choose, you will have a wonderful time!

[Majesty Fan]

I too live along the Gulf Coast PC for us. We stayed at POR in June of 05. I have stayed in both of these plus Pop and Contemp, and Poly in years back. We prefer Pop. You can get pretty good FL resident discounts and we have the seasonal tickets. I did not like POR for what they charge $135+ it should be a lot better it has a few stops and the food area and shops are not close together. CBR take your car! Or rent one! We were in trinidad South and drove to the food court every day for breakfast and elft our car there and got on the bus. Probably should not do that but we waited over 30 minutes by our bus stop so we changed our mind and left it by the food court. Each section has it;s own pool plus you can use the main pool. They had a good arcade too. We had the best diner there it was a nice prime rib. We did do the FL package deal that year. We stayed at had 3 nights of hotel and the DDP for $700. for 2 of us. There are plenty of bus stops and sometimes the bus is full so you can not get on. Now we have the Seasonal package through AAA and go a few days before our cruise. We are doing this in Feb. We will stay at Pop for 2 nights and do MGM the day we arrive and then do AK the next day and have a sit down diner at Epcot. Then we will be on our way to the Disney Wonder. We did this last month for the Disney magic but did the Haloween Party instead of doing the Parks and we did one day of a water park.

Lexi

[Host Mick]

I forgot to mention during my hatchet-job on the CBR that they even put the Internet jack between the beds on the nightstand rather than near the table. The 2M cable provided was way to short to go to the table. If I hadn't had my long Ethernet cable with me I'd have had to lie on the bed to use the computer.

The up side was that the stay at the CBR convinced me to buy an ownership in the Disney Vacation Club. We took the tour of Saratoga Springs, compared it to CBR and we were sold. I did the math and found that in the Club, I can stay in way better accomodations for about the same cost all things considered.

[Hojo's redbeard]

I forgot to mention during my hatchet-job on the CBR that they even put the Internet jack between the beds on the nightstand rather than near the table. The 2M cable provided was way to short to go to the table. If I hadn't had my long Ethernet cable with me I'd have had to lie on the bed to use the computer.

The up side was that the stay at the CBR convinced me to buy an ownership in the Disney Vacation Club. We took the tour of Saratoga Springs, compared it to CBR and we were sold. I did the math and found that in the Club, I can stay in way better accomodations for about the same cost all things considered.

 

Amazing what we can justify with math isn't it :) Yes, Saratoga is miles ahead of Caribbean beach. But, Caribbean beach is a hotel, Saratoga is a condo. If you are going to do what Host Mick did and buy a DVC condo, look at the re-sale market before buying.

 

As for Matt's choices, too bad you didn't have Coronado as an option, that's our favorite moderate resort at WDW. Of your choices, we'd do Riverside as first choice (I remember the old days when it was Dixie Landings), Caribbean beach as second choice, and French Quarter as third choice. We've stayed in all three more than once. DD liked the pool at Riverside. Caribbean beach is NOT the choice during the summer though. The walk along the water to the food is nice in good weather, but not in May through October.

[Matt in FL]

We are looking at the beginning of March and we will have our little guy with us (1 1/2). Out of the 3 that I was given to choose from, the Caribbean Beach looks to be the most exciting for kids. The two Port Orleans choices seemed to be more laid back which is great for the adults. I'm sure either will be fine but right now, I'm leaning more towards the CBR.

[Majesty Fan]

Matt,

I did hear though I can confirm this but the main pool will be out starting in Dec-Jan for several months.

Lexi

[SeaSprayTB]

We are looking at the beginning of March and we will have our little guy with us (1 1/2). Out of the 3 that I was given to choose from, the Caribbean Beach looks to be the most exciting for kids. The two Port Orleans choices seemed to be more laid back which is great for the adults. I'm sure either will be fine but right now, I'm leaning more towards the CBR.

 

 

Hi Matt :)

 

CBR was my family's first on-site resort and we really loved it. CBR has the LARGEST rooms out of all of the moderate resorts and are the same size as the standard rooms at the Wilderness Lodge and the Animal Kingdom Lodge, which are deluxe resorts.

 

I've stayed there twice and I have pictures on my web site. Here are the links directly:

 

From our 2002 trip: http://www.brownfamilyvacations.com/html/CBRmain.htm

 

From 2001 trip: http://www.brownfamilyvacations.com/html/cbr.htm

 

Have a wonderful time, wherever you stay!! :D :cool:

[Matt in FL]

Thanks for the pics! I called about the pool and they sayed that it will be open in March.