Hi Angela,
Thank you so much for visiting the Disney Parks Moms Panel with your question. You are choosing between two lovely resorts.
Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside has a lovely and serene theme reminiscent of rural Louisiana.
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort is a South Pacific tropical paradise in central Florida!
Given the criteria that you listed, including transportation options around Walt Disney World as well as dining options, I suggest that you choose Disney's Polynesian Village Resort. This resort is a deluxe resort, which means in part that it has more dining options and tends to be closer to theme parks. Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside, while a lovely resort, is a moderate resort, which have less dining options than deluxe resorts and can be slightly further away from theme parks.
Specifically, at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, you will be a quick monorail or boat ride from Magic Kingdom and also can access the monorail for transport to Epcot. Transportation to the other theme parks will be by bus. At Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside, transportation to all theme parks will be by bus. Disney's Polynesian Resort also has a plethora of dining options - from quick service at Captain Cook's to a nice sit-down meal at Kona Cafe to a character breakfast at 'Ohana, this resort has many dining options. Disney's Port Orleans Resort- Riverside does offer both quick-service and table service dining; however, the options are more limited.
You can use
Walt Disney World's resort comparison tool to get a side-by-side look at the amenities at each of these resorts.
Please do let us know if you have any further questions, Angela!