Port Orleans French Quarter vs. Riverside

My husband, myself, and three year old are planning a WDW trip in early June. We waited a bit late to make a decision and therefore we%26#39;re finding limited availability. We had our heart set on Port Orleans Riverside with a river view room. I love to look out and see water. Disney however does not have availability at either of the Port Orleans. I have found a river view room available with Travelocity. However, if you book with Travelocity the dining plan is unavailable. AAA does have a room available at the French Quarter. If we book with AAA we can add dining. The cost for dining for 5 nights adds about $440 to the cost, according to AAA.

My question is: What would be the better option for us, keeping in mind we have a three year old. Is one location that much better than the other? Is the dining plan worth it? My husband likes to eat, but I%26#39;m thinking we%26#39;ll be so busy we wouldn%26#39;t necessarily want to get ready and go to a nice sit down dinner every night. Thanks in advance for your replies and helping me make the decision! This is our first time to Disney World.

Port Orleans French Quarter vs. Riverside

The counter service restaurants offer a greater variety of food now than they used to. If you think you won%26#39;t care if you are eating at table service restaurants or counter service, I would go with the option that saves you the most money (so you%26#39;ll have that money to spend on other areas of your vacation).

If you visit the website allearsnet.com, there is a dining section that shows you the menus of every restaurant on Disney property. That should help you make up your mind. I have gone to Disney many times. Somtimes, I%26#39;m on a short budget, and can%26#39;t afford anything but counter service. I still have a great time! The biggest benefit of the dining plan is that you don%26#39;t pay extra for meals, so you know exactly where you stand budget wise. You can get the most expensive menu item available, and it doesn%26#39;t cost you anymore out of pocket. Try figuring a sample day of dining off the menus and see if you will be paying more without the dining plan than you would with it. That%26#39;s the only way to know for sure which option is best.

I think it%26#39;s very important that you get the hotel room you like, because believe it or not, you will spend more time there than you think. If you like looking at water, I would also keep the Carribean Beach in mind. Although PO is my favorite moderate, I have also stayed at the CBR and it%26#39;s nice if you have a room that faces the lake. I also like to have a room near the water, which is why I usually end up either at one of the Epcot resorts or up near the MK on the lake. I love to get a room at Wilderness Lodge right at the back facing the lake. I could sit on the balcony for hours and just forget all about the theme parks!

Port Orleans French Quarter vs. Riverside

Hi Shanda. My husband and I did Disney last September with our 4 year old and had a blast at French Quarter. I will definitely book there again. It is much smaller than the riverside, and gets picked up and dropped off first on the bus route. The pool is much cooler too. You can still have a river view if available. Nothing here is a far walk. If you can wait to book in Aug/Sept., you can get the dining thrown in for free!!!!! This is the best if you can swing that time at all. We took our daughter to some sort of character meal each day couresy of Disney. We would book a really late breakfast seating or lunch. This would be a nice midmorning/midday break from the heat. Also a plus, no standing in long lines to see the characters when you will be having lunch with them. We%26#39;ll do it again this year I think. Hope this helps.

I absolutely love Riverside - it feels like a deluxe resort to me. It is simply beautiful. But French Quarter is fun. Just look at the photos on allearsnet.com and make your own decision - you really can%26#39;t go wrong.

Hello Shanda,

I prefer the Riverside but that%26#39;s not to say the FQ isn%26#39;t nice. It is located closest to the Sea Serpeant pool.

The dining plan is a definite savings approximately 20-30 percent if you were to purchase the one snack one counter and one table per day seperately. It%26#39;s a tough call. The Bayou rooms at the Riverside surround Ol%26#39;Man Island and would be a great location with a little one as it has a pool, playground, and fishing hole.

You said you probably won%26#39;t want to have a sit down meal every night however have you booked or are planning to book any character meals? These are also included in the dining plan.