Port Orleans French Quarter Q&A Thread, New for 2012 (thread now FULL and CLOSED)

[janepaul]

We check in at POFQ this Saturday!!!

 

[averill94]

Ask the people in the five-hour line for Soarin', who thought that having a nice lie-in and going into the parks early in the afternoon was a good idea.

Andre

Ha ha ha!!!!! Love this! I hear from people ALL of the time "oh the wait for Sarin was an hour and a half!"

Sorry but I would never wait even that long!

We did have a nice lie in this trip and got there late afternoon. (We only did this because test track is down) We were VERY lucky to get one of the last fastpasses with a return of 8:00-9:00!!!!

I think its back to goold old rope drop for this party!

 

[andrewilley]

I think its back to goold old rope drop for this party!

Good idea, over Xmas week the MK often opens at 8am so check the hours for your stay. If you do want to do most of the rides, getting there early will make it entirely manageable - whereas turning up at lunchtime will definitely make it a challenge (especially when it comes to New Year's Eve).

I agree with you though, I mostly avoid any lines of more than 20 minutes whenever I can - although with a late-rising family, sometimes we get stuck with no choice, but I'd never queue more than an hour for anything.

Andre

 

[lilandvisma]

We are thinking of doing POFQ for a Feb 2013 trip...during the week of mardi gras and v day...never thought of the mardi gras date falling on our week so I guess my question is, being the resort that it is...would it be intensely crowded because of this? Anyone ever stayed during MG?

 

[lilandvisma]

And the more i'm thinking would they have any special things going on at POFQ during MG week as well??

 

[Caboosey]

We just got back from 9 days at Disney yesterday and we already got the Disney blues. Why does time have to pass so fast when we are having fun?!?

This was our first stay at POFQ and we L-O-V-E-D it.

Q

Thanks for all the information - I can't wait for POFQ in a few weeks!

 

[Queila]

Thanks for all the information - I can't wait for POFQ in a few weeks!

My pleasure!

 

[andrewilley]

We are thinking of doing POFQ for a Feb 2013 trip...during the week of mardi gras and v day...never thought of the mardi gras date falling on our week so I guess my question is, being the resort that it is...would it be intensely crowded because of this? Anyone ever stayed during MG?

Mardi Gras means there might be a few more people at Disney from the New Orleans area, but not a massive effect at all. Far more of an issue is the school break/Presidents Day week - and if Mardi Gras happens to fall during that week, you can expect it to be very busy anyway. That won't happen in 2013 though.

Port Orleans does do special activities for the kids on Mardi Gras Tuesday. See http://www.portorleans.org/recreation-activites-schedule.php#Archive for the schedule from last year to give you an idea.

Andre

 

[firstwdw]

Does Disney ever offer decent general public room only discounts for POFQ? 20% or even 25% off or is that typically for the larger moderates? I have seen the historical discount page on mouse savers but it does not break down the discounts by resorts. Thank you!

 

[bookgirl]

Does Disney ever offer decent general public room only discounts for POFQ? 20% or even 25% off or is that typically for the larger moderates? I have seen the historical discount page on mouse savers but it does not break down the discounts by resorts. Thank you!

Well, POFQ is very popular. They are often not even offered in the public offers. If you have AAA and know your dates early enough you can get that discount. I keep checking for availability in the fall RO that is offered now but so far my days are not available.

 

[1stvisit0909]

Ask the people in the five-hour line for Soarin', who thought that having a nice lie-in and going into the parks early in the afternoon was a good idea.

Andre

Yeah well, I'd rather rise early and come back to the rooms to relax, that wait five hours for anything. Naps can be hand in the afternoons!!

 

[212456]

Hi!

We've previously stayed in pofq building 5 and we loved it! This was before the different room classifications though! Will it be possible to get building 5 with a standard room? or will i need a garden view room?

TIA

 

[andrewilley]

We've previously stayed in pofq building 5 and we loved it! This was before the different room classifications though! Will it be possible to get building 5 with a standard room? or will i need a garden view room?

Technically building 5 doesn't really have any Standard rooms (except for maybe some limited view, stairwell area rooms, etc) but the room allocators are pretty flexible with requests - just as long as the resort is not sold out and they don't have many options.

Andre

 

[Hootch]

Does Disney ever offer decent general public room only discounts for POFQ? 20% or even 25% off or is that typically for the larger moderates? I have seen the historical discount page on mouse savers but it does not break down the discounts by resorts. Thank you!

a pin code two years ago. I think the mod discount was 20%. Four years ago, when the economy started to tank, they had an aggressive public discount for moderates. Many dates were not available for POFQ. We had to adjust ours to fir.

 

[snarfblatt]

Hi- new here

Looking to change our res from a preferred room at POR to a Garden View at POFQ but have a few questions


Are busses just the luck of the draw? I mean, it POFQ always first pick up , last drop off? I see POR has many stops...


Also are there certain buildings I should request to be closer to the buss/ main building? Or since it is a smaller resort are they all pretty comparable?

 

[1stvisit0909]

Hi- new here

Looking to change our res from a preferred room at POR to a Garden View at POFQ but have a few questions


Are busses just the luck of the draw? I mean, it POFQ always first pick up , last drop off? I see POR has many stops...


Also are there certain buildings I should request to be closer to the buss/ main building? Or since it is a smaller resort are they all pretty comparable?

According to the info I read in the FAQ (thanks!) Port Orleans French Quarter features a single bus stop right outside the main lobby area with free Disney bus transportation to all of the Disney theme parks, water parks and the Downtown Disney area. Buses run at least every 10-20 minutes from one hour before park opening until 1.5 hours after each park closes. Note: you cannot get to the other resort hotels very easily and will need to plan enough time to change at a theme park or at Downtown Disney.

The bus service is sometimes shared with Riverside, but the French Quarter stop is normally the first pick-up and the first drop-off, which makes for great bus access with less chance of having to stand. Separate services for the two resorts usually run at peak times, and the Magic Kingdom almost always has separate buses.

So, it sounds like in normal situations POFQ is first, but there could always be exceptions. I will be there in peak, so I hope *fingers crossed* we get dedicated bus service.

 

[Hootch]

Hi- new here

Looking to change our res from a preferred room at POR to a Garden View at POFQ but have a few questions


Are busses just the luck of the draw? I mean, it POFQ always first pick up , last drop off? I see POR has many stops...


Also are there certain buildings I should request to be closer to the buss/ main building? Or since it is a smaller resort are they all pretty comparable?

commenting bus service because it may change by time of year. It has even changed for the same month over the years.

We go in June usually and sometimes July. The first trip the two resorts shared buses in the morning. POFQ had its own bus in the afternoon and evening. The past couple of trips we have have had dedicated buses for POFQ. (That doesn't mean there aren't issues. It seems we always have one time where we have to wait a long time for a bus during every trip.) There is probably sharing in lower attendance months.

We did have to share one last trip. They shut down the ferries to and from DTD due to lightening and strong winds. The bus service from DTD to POR and POFQ are apparently sparse. We waited over an hour for a bus to arrive. By that time the line was quite long and required two or three buses. The bus went to POR first and then POFQ.

We have stayed in Buildings 2,3,4 and 5. None have a long walk. 3 and 4 are near the parking lot with 4 having a slight advantage for the bus stop. The landscaping makes the parking lot almost invisible from the rooms. We prefer 2 and 5. Short walk to pool, food court, bus stop and parking lots. But really the resort is so small that any building is convenient.

 

[snarfblatt]

Thanks guys.

We are going the week of THanksgiving. So not sure the pool will be an option... But Mother Nature is her own enemy.


I have stayed in All Star, so I'm sure the busses can only be a step up...

We are only there 4 1/2 days, so the added 'activities' at POR, although nice... we probably won't see them.


NEXT QUESTION--

Is it really worth the $$ to pay for a Garden View over a standard. Looking at the picture post... the grounds are all garden and beautiful.

 

[Queila]

NEXT QUESTION--

Is it really worth the $$ to pay for a Garden View over a standard. Looking at the picture post... the grounds are all garden and beautiful.

I really dont see the point of paying extra for a view in a moderate. You have to get out of your room to be able to enjoy the view anyways.

I was there last week and I did see some people with chairs outside of their rooms enjoying the river view but other than that I just don't see the point.

Maybe I am missing something.

We asked for standard view and ended up in building #1 with a "view" of a beautifully kept courtyard and a fountain. Really not sure of the difference a garden view would have made. Unless we were "upgraded" to a garden view and I was not aware of it.

Enjoy POFQ! I miss it already.

 

[spacemountainmom]

Thank you so much for this info. That is tempting to just ship our clothes, extra shoes, toiletries, etc. down ahead of time and not even worry about checking a bag. I never even thought about not using a box. How big/what kind of totes do you use? Do you know about how much it cost to do each way? I would have to get everything ready and in the mail by the end of this week I think since we arrive next Thursday. Just trying to figure out what is going to be best.

I am sorry, I haven't been back on this thread.

We are a family of four so checked bags cost $100 each way. We ship two large totes. They look like plastic foot lockers. We use tape and zip ties to help keep them securely closed. We usually put the clothing in one and the toiletries and such in the second. The last time we went it cost about $65 to ship them down and about $75 to ship home. It is easier and less expensive than having to deal with checked bags.