Both Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and Port Orleans French Quarter resort are popular Disney moderate resorts. If you’re wondering which ones to choose, I’m going to compare Caribbean Beach Resort VS Port Orleans French Quarter here.
Choosing your Disney World resort if planning to stay on property throws up a lot of questions. Do you need a room with a fifth sleeper bed? Are resort amenities important? Do you need an elevator?
We spend a lot of money on our Disney World vacation, it’s important to get it right to suit your whole family.
Caribbean Beach resort VS Port Orleans French Quarter
Caribbean Beach Resort
Address – 900 Cayman Way. Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830-8411
Resort Overview
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is located in the Epcot resort area of Walt Disney World.
The theming at Caribbean Beach Resort is based around the Caribbean, and you can expect to see lots of pineapples, beaches and palm trees. It’s a bright and airy resort.
Caribbean Beach is the largest resort on Disney property covering more than 200 acres. The resort is split into five different sections, named after Caribbean islands. You can stay in Martinique, Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, or Aruba. Between the five different sections, the resort holds over 2000 rooms.
You may look at the Caribbean Beach Resort map and think it’s too big to navigate, but let me reassure you that everything is within a reasonable distance.
Caribbean Beach is home to two quick service locations, the Spyglass Grill and Centertown Market (formerly Old Port Royale). We have always enjoyed the menu choices on offer, and found the majority of meals to be good value on the Disney Dining Plan.
If you are looking for a table service restaurant, then you can eat at Sebastian’s Bistro. This is a restaurant we personally haven’t eaten at.
Caribbean Beach Resort Transport Times
There are two options for transport to and from Caribbean Beach Resort and the Disney Parks. The bus service takes approximately 15 minutes to Magic Kingdom, 12 minutes to Hollywood Studios, 12 minutes to Epcot, 20 minutes to Animal Kingdom, 12 minutes to Disney Springs, 15 minutes to Typhoon Lagoon and 12 minutes to Blizzard Beach.
Opened in the Fall 2019, there is also be the option to use the new Gondola Skyliner service that runs between Caribbean Beach Resort, Riviera Resort, Hollywood Studios and Epcot.
Related Post – Ultimate Guide to Disney World transportation
Our Experience
We have stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort three times now, one of which was during the construction of the Riviera Resort being built next door. We enjoyed every stay as much as the last.
The biggest appeal at Caribbean Beach for us is the quiet pools. Each village has a small pool which is often very quiet. During our 2017 stay we were in Martinique and had the pool to ourselves almost every time we used it.
There has always been a lot of chatter about the bus service at Caribbean Beach Resort, however we have only ever had good experiences. Over our three stays, we have been placed in Martinique twice and Jamaica once.
Martinique is often the first bus stop on the route through so we almost always had an empty bus to board. Jamaica and Aruba were typically the last stops, but we always saw additional busses collecting from these tops.
I think with the addition of the Gondola Skyliner, this will free up the bus service to Hollywood Studios and Epcot, especially during busy times.
We fell in love with Caribbean Beach Resort during our first visit back in 2014, and this is why we decided to return to the same resort. In 2019, we decided to try somewhere different purely because we had been recommended Port Orleans French Quarter.
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Caribbean Beach resort VS Port Orleans French Quarter
Port Orleans French Quarter Resort
Address – 2201 Orleans Dr, Orlando, FL 32830
Resort Overview
Port Orleans French Quarter Resort is located in the Disney Springs resort area of Disney World.
The resort is themed around New Orleans and the Old South. French Quarter resort is the smallest moderate Disney resort with just 1,000 rooms in seven different blocks.
The theming of the whole resort is just stunning. There are quaint little pavements (sidewalks) and lovely old fashioned sign posts.
The buildings are perhaps a little unimaginably named by their number, but there really isn’t a bad location to stay in at French Quarter.
There is just one Port Orleans French Quarter Resort pool, known as the Dubloon Lagoon pool. This also has an additional splash area for small children to the side. Despite there only being one pool in the resort, it’s a great pool and a decent size to accommodate everyone.
Port Orleans French Quarter Resort Transport Times
As French Quarter is a small resort, there is only one bus stop area. This is split into two bus stops depending on which park you’re visiting. During our time at French Quarter, we found the busses to run really well.
One morning a school group appeared, but the volume of people were quickly dealt with as a separate bus was called for them to relieve the queues.
French Quarter generally runs its own busses to the parks, however on quieter times, the busses are shared with Riverside. The first stop is French Quarter however which is great for the end of the day, but means you are on the busses longer before you reach the parks.
The bus service takes approximately 15 minutes to Magic Kingdom, 10 minutes to Epcot, 10 minutes to Hollywood Studios, 20 minutes to Animal Kingdom and 10 minutes to Disney Springs.
If you would like a more scenic route to Disney Springs, there is a boat service along the Sassagoula River to Disney Springs which will take around 25 minutes. This was a lovely way to spend an evening when we went to Disney Springs for dinner.
Our Experience
From the moment we arrived at Port Orleans French Quarter Resort, we fell in love. We were placed in building 5, and initially thought this would be quite far out, but in fact we had a 2 minute walk to the pool, 4 minutes walk to the lobby, shop and food court, and a 5 minute walk at most to the bus stops.
Related Post – Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory review
Staying at French Quarter also meant we could use the facilities at Riverside which is just a short walk across. I enjoyed the walk a couple of times in the sunshine which was lovely. We decided that we prefer French Quarter, which I think is down to the size of the resort.
One of the highlights of our trip was the Movies Under the Stars. The lawn was right outside our room in building 5, and we enjoyed watching the film on warm nights when we weren’t in the parks. It was also lovely to see the horse and carriages that came through the resort of an evening.
If you’re looking to get some Mickey shaped beignets, then Port Orleans French Quarter food court is the place to find them.
I couldn’t find a fault at all with staying at French Quarter, and will always look to rebook here again in the future.
If you had to compare Caribbean Beach resort VS Port Orleans French Quarter, which would you choose?
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