Port Orleans Riverside vs Beach Club Resort for quick MK visit

3nuggets

Earning My Ears
Joined
Nov 22, 2017
Hi! Newbie Disney Dad here, father of 3 little girls ranging in age from 5 to 10. We're planning a surprise visit to Magic Kingdom for 3 full park days right before Christmas.

I've never gone in non-summer months and am excited to not be sweating the entire trip!

I've been doing lots of due diligence and have narrowed down our hotel to either Port Orleans Riverside or Beach Club.

BC is quite a bit pricier for our 4 night stay ($800ish) but I've heard it's pretty spectacular. POR may have an upper hand due to location since we're probably only going to go to Magic Kingdom (I'm on the fence on springing for park hoppers for +$320 in case we want to visit other parks).

We are very sensitive to long unpleasant bus rides due to a bad experience off-property... I understand this is less likely on-property? Also we're doing bippidy boppidy boutique at downtown disney on our first full day (it was booked at MK - boo).

Can anyone with little ones offer any advice on which hotel to stay at? Also, I assume the meal plan is probably a non-starter for anyone with picky eaters, am I right? Thank you!!
 
We have 3 girls, ages 6-10. I would use the $800 somewhere else if you are mainly doing MK. Beach club is super convenient for walking to Epcot but less convenient for magic kingdom bus rides, as it shares buses with Yacht Club.

We enjoyed Port Orleans Riverside and its scenic boat ride to Disney Springs. There are about 5 stops between Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside, but we didn't feel we waited overly long. Bus experiences depend a lot on when you are going to and from the parks and if you catch the first bus or have to wait.

As far as dining plan, I wouldn't suggest it for a 10 year old child, because you will be paying adult prices.

That sounds like a wonderful surprise!! Have a blast!
 
I would rule out BC for the previously stated reasons. Question...would renting a car by an option for you? I ask this because the onsite transportation can seriously be dreadful sometimes - ya just never know. We've had to wait well over an hour before just for a bus to MK! We gave up using WDW transportation years ago, & will not go without a car now.
 
Hmmm... renting a car wasn't really an option as we have the three little ones and would have to juggle car seats, etc. So you had to wait over an hour for a bus to MK from an on-property hotel? The Disney vaca planner said that doesn't happen when you stay on property, were they just being optimistic sales people?
 
The buses on property can be hit or miss. We have never waited for more than 30 mins for a bus anywhere, but I have had friends with some bad experiences.

I would suggest you look into Art of Animation if your girls are into any of the themes. We stayed there when our DD was 2.5 yo and found the buses to be very pleasant. We always take a midday break so we rode the buses plenty on that trip. The plus is that there is only one bus stop at AoA and the buses do not share with another property. The family suites were perfect for us. We did the Lion King family suite and my DD loved (!) seeing Rafiki (the statue) every time we left and returned. We have since purchased DVC, but still hold our AoA trip as one of the best.
 
Hmmm... renting a car wasn't really an option as we have the three little ones and would have to juggle car seats, etc. So you had to wait over an hour for a bus to MK from an on-property hotel? The Disney vaca planner said that doesn't happen when you stay on property, were they just being optimistic sales people?
I would say yes, they were being optimistic, because it DOES happen & wait times for busses can be very long.
 
Is a studio at Boulder Ridge Villas (a DVC at Wilderness Lodge) an option? BRV studios sleep 5. If the main focus is MK, the boat from WL is very convenient and BRV is probably in line with the cost of BC.

POR is convenient to Disney Springs, so that’s in its favor. I don’t know if it’s faster or not to MK than BC, but I don’t think it would be slower either. POR just started allowing dogs as well as YC (sister resort of BC), so you might want to look into how that might affect your stay at either resort.
 


Between the the two, there isn't much advantage to either regarding the Magic Kingdom.

Buses at Port Orleans Riverside have been no problem at all. I would say on average they show up in 10 - 15 minutes. The only downside is that there are four bus stops around the resort, and if you get on at the first stop it can take up to an extra 10 minutes to stop at the other 3 and load more visitors before you are finally off to the parks.

We've stayed at POR many times and absolutely love it. Beautiful lush resort with a charming warm feel.

We've visited the Beach Club many times for dining, but for the money difference it's hard to justify for us.

Dan
 
Hi! Newbie Disney Dad here, father of 3 little girls ranging in age from 5 to 10. We're planning a surprise visit to Magic Kingdom for 3 full park days right before Christmas.
What about pofq which has only one bus stop and a new splash pad plus the boat to Disney springs?
I've never gone in non-summer months and am excited to not be sweating the entire trip!

I've been doing lots of due diligence and have narrowed down our hotel to either Port Orleans Riverside or Beach Club.

BC is quite a bit pricier for our 4 night stay ($800ish) but I've heard it's pretty spectacular. POR may have an upper hand due to location since we're probably only going to go to Magic Kingdom (I'm on the fence on springing for park hoppers for +$320 in case we want to visit other parks).

We are very sensitive to long unpleasant bus rides due to a bad experience off-property... I understand this is less likely on-property? Also we're doing bippidy boppidy boutique at downtown disney on our first full day (it was booked at MK - boo).

Can anyone with little ones offer any advice on which hotel to stay at? Also, I assume the meal plan is probably a non-starter for anyone with picky eaters, am I right? Thank you!!
 
Honestly if it’s in the budget I’d do a monorail resort. The contemporary would be nice as you could walk back and forth.
 

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