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So you are planning a trip to the Walt Disney World Resort, and you are deciding what hotel to stay in. You are wondering which hotel would be better for your family vacation: Coronado Springs or Port Orleans Riverside?
These hotels are similar in that they are both considered Disney World “moderate” hotels. Which means they aren’t the cheapest Disney World hotel (not that any Disney World hotel could be considered cheap) but they are not the most expensive either (Goldilocks would find them just right!).
First of all, you can’t really go wrong with either of the hotels. I have had wonderful stays at both resorts.
But there are differences between the two resorts. So today, I want to tell you about these differences to help you make a choice for your hotel.
Pricing
Now, pricing for a room at each resort varies depending on where you stay. For example, a room with a water view at Coronado Springs or river view at Port Orleans Riverside are more expensive than a standard room.
But let’s look at the cheapest room you can get at both resorts. You can find that at Coronado Springs.
Please note though these rooms aren’t always available. So sometimes Port Orleans Riverside will be the cheapest option. But typically speaking, prices are lower for Coronado Springs.
But no matter which hotel you end up choosing, you should book a Coronado Springs room here or a Port Orleans Riverside room here. That’s how I’ve booked my last stays at the hotel. I saved money versus what I would pay for a room on Disney’s website even taking into account I can get a passholder discount.
Advantage: Coronado Springs
Theming
Now this really comes down to a matter of taste. Because both have great theming throughout the resort.
Coronado Springs has Mexican theming with nods to Mexico and the Southwest throughout the resort.
Last time I stayed here, I feel like I fell in love with the resort and the theming all over again.
Port Orleans Riverside has a great Southern theme, with some sections, the Magnola Bend sections, evoke Southern mansions.
Then there are the Alligator Bayou sections, which evoke images of rural Louisiana.
Similarly, last time I stayed here I fell in love with the resort’s theming all over again.
So I think you will probably like both’s theme. Or it could be a matter of preference for you. But at any rate…
Winner: Tie
Pools
If you are looking for a hotel with great pool options, you will truly be happy with both. Both resorts have three pools.
An advantage of Port Orleans Riverside is they do have more pools throughout the resort. There’s a total of five pools. They have a main pool, Ol’ Man Island, with neat water splashing features and a 95 foot-long rustic waterslide.
Then there are five quieter pools throughout the resort, like the following pictured here.
This is great because it means no matter where you room is, you’ll be close to a pool.
Coronado Springs, on the other hand, has a total of four pools. There are three quieter pools throughout the resort, like the ones pictured here.
So your room may not be that close to a pool.
But one way Coronado Springs makes up for it is with the main pool, The Lost City of Cibola Pool. It is a truly spectacular pool. It has a 50-foot pyramid and a 123-foot-long waterslide with a spitting Jaguar spirit animal.
So Port Orleans Riverside gets a point for the quantity of pools and Coronado Springs gets a point for a longer, more elaborate waterslide.
Which means…
Winner: Tie
Dining Options
Port Orleans Riverside has a nice selection of dining options. My favorite is their food court, Riverside Mill Food Court.
It fits the theming perfectly and has a nice selection. They also have a sit-down restaurant, Boatwright’s Dining Hall.
There are bar options, too.
But Coronado Springs has far more options. They have their own food court, El Mercado de Coronado.
There are bars and lounges. But there’s so much more than that.
There are multiple sit-down dining options. There’s Maya Grill which serves Mexican food. Three Bridges Bar & Grill at Villa del Lago is a lakefront restaurant. They have a sports bar, Rix Sports Bar & Grill (think a smaller version of Buffalo Wild Wings with more variety on the menu).
They even have a rooftop restaurant on the top of Gran Destino Tower called Toledo – Tapas, Steak & Seafood. It is a fine-dining restaurant serving Spanish-inspired dishes where you might even see Epcot fireworks. So there are a lot more options for eating at the hotel if you stay at Coronado Springs.
Winner: Coronado Springs
Transportation to Parks/Disney Springs
If you are looking to go to any of the Disney theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom) or water parks (Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon), both hotels offer bus transportation. This bus transportation is far better than what you would get if you were staying offsite. They take you right to the front of the parking lot and drop you off, and the buses are coming continuously throughout the day. This gives you way more flexibility than an offsite hotel offering a shuttle that only drops you off in the morning and picks you up at night, especially if you have little ones who will need a nap in the afternoon.
Now with value hotels, there is one bus stop right by the main building. But with both Port Orleans Riverside and Coronado Springs, there are multiple bus stops throughout the resort. So you can wait for a bus closest to wherever your hotel room is. At each bus stop is a TV telling you an estimate of when the next bus will come.
So would I say this feature is a draw? Well, not exactly. See, here’s the thing. Coronado Springs is a much bigger resort. Which means there are a lot more guests.
And the thing with busses is, if the first bus fills up with people, then the bus will just go to go on to the park and it won’t stop at your bus stop. And then you have to wait say another twenty minutes for a bus.
This is what happened to me the last time I stayed at Coronado Springs. I wasn’t even going at a peak time and was trying to get to the Magic Kingdom at night and it took longer than I anticipated.
Now, I can’t guarantee that that won’t happen to you at Port Orleans Riverside. But it has never happened to me there. And since it is a smaller resort, I think it is less likely to happen there. So that is a plus for the Port Orleans Riverside bus system.
But here’s an even bigger plus for Port Orleans Riverside transportation system. And that is transportation to Disney Springs.
Disney Springs is not a theme park but it is a section I love visiting when I visit the Walt Disney World Resort. It is a shopping, entertainment, and dining district. A great thing about it is that it is absolutely free to visit unlike the parks, so it’s a good place to go if you want to save money on park tickets for say your first day at the parks. It also has some of my favorite restaurants at Disney World, like Raglan Road, T-Rex Cafe, D-Luxe Burger, Earl of Sandwich, and Cookes of Dublin.
You can get there via a bus from Coronado Springs. But at Port Orleans Riverside, you can take a boat to Disney Springs.
I personally think this is a much better form of transportation. It’s more special and pleasant than a bus ride. They don’t stuff people on the boat they do the busses. And the boat ride itself is very nice.
Winner: Port Orleans Riverside
Suite Options
Staying in a suite can be really nice. Perhaps you want some privacy at night from your children. Or you just want extra space so you can relax in the evening in a dining room and then go to bed.
Whatever your reason for wanting a suite, the truth is you can only get a suite at Coronado Springs. Now, these rooms come with a hefty price tag. The presidential suite at the Gran Destin Tower for example can cost over $2,000 a night. But there are more affordable suite options throughout the resort. And if you want a suite, it’s something you can get at Coronado Springs, and not Port Orleans Riverside.
I will say this though for Port Orleans Riverside: you can book a room with a 5th sleeper option. So if you have three kids, this is a great option, and it would be more affordable than a suite at Coronado Springs. But if you want a room option for up to six people, you’d need a suite at Coronado Springs.
Winner: Coronado Springs
Royal Guest Room
Speaking of rooms, there is a guest room option available at Port Orleans Riverside that you can’t find at Coronado Springs. And that is the Royal Guest Room.
The Royal Guest Rooms are themed to Disney princesses. And if you are a fan of Disney princesses, or just Disney in general, staying in one of these rooms is a treat. This is a special guest room and you would have to book it; the other rooms are themed to the hotel.
But in the Royal Guest Rooms, there are pictures up of Disney princesses like Rapunzel, Jasmine, Belle, Aurora, Ariel, Snow White, and Cinderella. There are also headshots of Disney princes. Plus, there is also a fancy feel to the rooms with elaborate headboards and elegant dressers and sink area.
I have stayed in one of these rooms a couple times and I have loved it. And this is an experience you can only get at Port Orleans Riverside.
Winner: Port Orleans Riverside
Hotel Set Up
All the rooms at Port Orleans Riverside are set up in a motel-style format, meaning your door opens outside rather than a hallway. This can be a negative on super rainy days.
Most of the rooms at Coronado Springs are set up this way, but not if you choose a room in Gran Destino Tower.
Gran Destino Tower is the newest addition to Coronado Springs and was added a few years ago, and I think it’s a wonderful addition. You won’t feel like you are at a “moderate” hotel when you stay here; it will feel like you are at a very nice hotel.
It is connected to the main building including the food court. So if the weather was really bad and you wanted to stay in your room, you wouldn’t have to go out in the rain and you could enjoy multiple restaurants. This is not an option if you stay at Port Orleans Riverside.
Winner: Coronado Springs
Fitness Center
Coronado Springs has two different fitness centers. First is the original fitLa Vida Health Club Fitness Center is located in the Casitas section. The second is another fully equipped gym and that’s in the Gran Destino Tower.
So you can choose the fitness center closest to you and that’s very convenient.
Port Orleans Riverside on the other hand does not have a fitness center.
Advantage: Coronado Springs
Fishing
Would you like to fish during your trip to the Walt Disney World Resort? Well, Port Orleans Riverside offers guided fishing excursions. You can also rent casting-rod fishing gear over at Fishin’ Hole at Ol’ Man Island.
This is not an option at Coronado Springs.
Winner: Port Orleans Riverside
Horse Drawn Carriage Ride
A neat feature of Port Orleans Riverside is that you can enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride right on the river.
This can be fun for the whole family (it can fit up to four adults or two adults and three children). It can also be very romantic.
This is not a feature of Coronado Springs.
Winner: Port Orleans Riverside
Conclusion
As you can see, there are some reasons why staying at Port Orleans Riverside would be a better choice for your family. Then there are reasons why Coronado Springs may be a better choice. But TLDR:
Choose Port Orleans Riverside if you want:
- More reliable busses
- Boat transportation to Disney Springs
- Special Royal Guest Rooms decorated for the princesses
- More pools
- Southern theming and decor
- Fishing
- Horse and carriage ride
Choose Coronado Springs if you want:
- Cheapest prices overall
- Suites
- Bigger water slide
- More restaurants at your hotel
- Fitness center
- A room with a door opening to a hallway rather than outside
- Mexican & Southwest theming & decor