Disney World is home to four Moderate Resorts, and they’ve got some big differences.
Your choice of hotel in this category can vary vastly depending on your transportation preferences, dining needs, and your general vibe. But our team agreed that one of the four is WORSE than the others.
Of the four resorts, our team concurred that Disney’s Port Orleans Resort — Riverside is the worst in the Moderate category. Why? Well, there are a few reasons.
First of all, it’s rather spread out. You’ll be doing quite a bit of walking to get to the lobby and dining if you’re in one of the outer buildings, somewhere like the Alligator Bayou section. While the property is beautiful, adding extra steps to your Disney World vacation isn’t always ideal.
“But what about the internal bus loop?” you say. Well, while that offers transportation around the resort, it’s also part of the issue here. Just because you can hop on the bus right near your hotel room doesn’t mean it’s going to be quick. You’ll still have to wait for the correct bus to arrive, then wait through several stops around the resort, either when you’re leaving or arriving back at the end of the day.
Then, you’ve got the dining part of it all. While the food at this hotel isn’t necessarily bad, it’s not really a standout, especially when compared to some of the other hotels in this category. Coronado Springs in particular has some truly stellar restaurants, and Riverside’s next-door neighbor, Port Orleans Resort — French Quarter, is home to the famous Mickey beignets at Scat Cat’s Club.
Now, we do enjoy dining at Boatwright’s Dining Hall at Port Orleans, but the restaurant is only open past 5PM, serving dinner. The same goes for the River Roost Lounge next door. We would love to have a breakfast or lunch option here that isn’t a quick service restaurant.
The last deciding factor? The theme. While the theme of Riverside is peaceful and nature-forward, it’s not quite as remarkable as the Spanish-inspired Coronado Springs or the relaxing tropical atmosphere of Caribbean Beach. Riverside’s sister resort, French Quarter, has a Mardi Gras inspiration that makes you feel as though you’re walking the streets of New Orleans. Stacked up against the rest, it just comes in 4th place.
So with all those things in mind, we’re labeling Riverside as the “worst” Moderate Resort. Of course, this doesn’t mean it’s actually a bad hotel! We love its chill vibes, its reasonable price, and many of its menu offerings. If it’s your favorite, we certainly don’t blame you!
For more updates, subscribe to our YouTube channel and our newsletter.
4 Disney World Hotels That Will Be More Crowded in 2026
Which Moderate Resort would you choose? Tell us in the comments!
I’ve only been twice and really like Port Orleans – Riverside. I feel the walk to the lobby wasn’t bad at all, even from the Alligator Bayou rooms (Bldg 24). We were also close to the West bus stop. When we were in Bldg 16, we found a shortcut to the South bus stop and were close to the lobby.
It has been awhile since I stayed at Coronado Springs resort and we were in one of the tower rooms at that time. We don’t do sit down meals much so quick service style dining areas are good for us, plus when you have two in your group that don’t eat a lot, even better for us.