If you are planning a trip to Orlando, FL and you are trying to decide where to stay. You may have your eyes on the two French Quarter and the Riverside Resorts and you might be wondering which is better French Quarter or Riverside? Since this a duo resort, you might find it difficult to choose between the two. We’ll try to help that decision become a little easier by comparing the two for you.
Their Themes
The Riverside is a resort that has a very beautiful and relaxing feel to it. They have a beautiful bayou area and some mansion areas with all the resort buildings that are surrounded by landscaping that matches the theme. They also offer beautiful walkways that take you along their beautiful man made river.
The French Quarter is themed directly after the French Quarter in New Orleans. You can even enjoy Mardi Gras all year round at this resort which makes it extremely fun and exciting for their guests. There is a very romantic atmosphere at the French Quarter because of it’s beautiful design that really makes guests feel like they’ve been transported to New Orleans.
Their Rooms
When it comes to the Riverside, they do offer a bigger variety of room options. They offer rooms that will accommodate up to five guests comfortably. They also have what they call “Royal Rooms” that have the theme of the Princess and the Frog. Overall, this resort is a lot bigger than the French Quarter, so this means there are a lot more buildings and options to choose from for rooms.
Guests can choose garden view rooms which include views of the courtyard, the bayou, or other garden areas and they offer two queen beds. You can also choose a room that also includes a pull down bed.
Guests also can choose pool view rooms and they have a view of the pool and offer two queen beds and can accommodate a fifth person as well.
Their standard rooms also have two queen beds with a parking lot view. These rooms are ideal for those who don’t plan on spending much time in their rooms.
One of the more popular room options are the river view rooms that have beautiful views of their man made river.
As for the French Quarter, the maximum number of people for any of their rooms is four. So if you have a party with more than four people this would not be a good choice unless you are willing to get two rooms. The French Quarter is the smallest resort of the moderate rate resorts because all of the buildings are a lot closer together. However, because of this, it’s very easy and quick to get around the entire resort. Because of its size, there are less room options. The options they do offer include standard, pool view, river view, and garden view. All rooms have 2 queen beds but they do offer rooms with a king bed.
Transportation
The Riverside has its own bus that offers guests transportation to the different theme parks, water parks, and various other attractions in the area. They also offer a boat that takes guest directly to Disney Springs. People can also use the walkway to get from one resort to the other so that they can enjoy both of the resorts.
The French Quarter offers the exact same types of transportation as the Riverside Resort. The only difference and pro in this case is that the French Quarter only has one single bus stop which means that it doesn’t take as long to get to the theme parks as it does from the Riverside.
Swimming Pools
The theme for the pool area at the Riverside is called the Ol’ Man Island Pool, it’s really not all that exciting, but it is fun and relaxing, but not really anything all that memorable about it. The pool does have a water slide and different swimming areas that have different depths.
On the other hand, the pool at the French Quarter called the Doubloon Lagoon is really fun and unique. The pool area itself has an alligator band and they have a 51 foot long slide that is a serpent. The theme is also done in beautiful bright colors and its whimsical theme is especially fun for the kids.
Dining
The Riverside offers table service dining at the Boatwright’s Dining Hall and they also have a pretty big food court that offers a variety of different food options that should please everyone in your group.
The French Court doesn’t have their own table service dining so you’d have to walk over to the Riverside for that, but, they do have a very big and very fast service food court. One of the favorites served at the French Quarter would be the authentic beignets, which you won’t want to miss out on.
Discount Options
When it comes to costs, both resorts basically cost the same so there’s no competition there. The big plus for the Riverside over the French Quarter is that the Riverside does offer various discounts and promotions such as free dining offers.
The French Quarter does happen to be the most popular of the two so they don’t need to offer any promotions to fill up their rooms, their rooms fill up extremely fast without any help. This means you won’t see anything like free dining to entice people to stay at their resort.
Activities
They both offer activities such as movie night as well as campfires where you can make s’mores. You can also enjoy riverboat rides, surrey bike rides, arcades, playgrounds, and even catch and release fishing. The Riverside usually offers a few more activities than the French Quarter because it’s a larger resort.
Note – For those who travel with their dogs, you’ll be happy to know that these two resorts are dog friendly and they allow two dogs. They do have a special number to call when it’s regarding dogs at 407-939-7539.
In the end, it really comes down to how much room you need and what size of a resort that you want to stay at because to be fair, both resorts are unique and offer their own beauty and charm.
To help take the stress out of organising your Disney holiday, The House of Travel offers some excellent Disney holiday packages. This ensures that you can enjoy your time here, with all of the planning in hand. After all, there’s no better way to explore Disney than by letting the experts take charge! Either give us a quick call on 0203 950 7371 or simply fill this quick form here for a call back request today.

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