POFQ question for those who've been there

[SolitaryPhoenix]

Long story short, I'm planning a surprise birthday visit (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3066218), and need to know where luggage/bell service is in relation to check-in. In order to set up the room, I may need to send my family to pickup my mom's rental scooter, while I say I'm checking in, but actually sneak away to the room! I've looked at the resort maps, but none of them seem to show exactly where these 2 places are in relation to each other. Help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Missytara]

Bell Services is located in the Main Building at POR with a door leading to the exterior; the Bell Services desk is right out front at the Main entrance by the parking lot.

I would believe POFQ would be set up the same way.

 

[SharonZ]

What time are you planning to arrive at POFQ? Check in starts at 3:00, and I've been able to get into the room sooner and also have had to wait as late as 5:00.

 

[DakotaRose]

Check-in counter with 3-5 cm's sits along one wall. Bell service is just past it, basically a few feet from the end of the check-in counter.

 

[Missytara]

Check-in counter with 3-5 cm's sits along one wall. Bell service is just past it, basically a few feet from the end of the check-in counter.

I am glad you came along; I looked at the pics of the entrance to POFQ on the thread and it was hard to tell if it was in the same place as POR with the angle of the photo.

 

[SolitaryPhoenix]

Thanks for the replies. I'm hoping to get in the room early, but I know it's possible I won't; if you looked at the thread I reference in my OP, I live close enough to drive out there, can wait until noon-ish, then head back home to pick everyone up. This question is aiding me in my Plan B - if I can't get into the room early, and have to send everyone else to pick up my mom's scooter, while I sneak off to the room, since I'll have already checked in and will have the key and number - in that scenario, I won't have a lot of time to decorate, maybe 15 minutes or so. From the way bell service is being described, I don't know if it'll be possible though. If the luggage area is right next to check-in, I'm sunk!

I really wasn't too sure about using Disney Florist & Gifts, because they're expensive and not internet friendly it seems, but I might have to reconsider. Oy, the trials and tribulations of trying to plan a good surprise!

 

[catne]

Have stayed at French Quarter many, many times (twice this year already, lol.) We love that resort. AND I've been renting scooters & having them delivered since last May. So at French Quarter, when you're outside, facing the front doors at French Quarter, under the covered part where you can drop off/pick up people (so you're looking towards the fountain which is inside) Before going in, look right: the outside window for bell services is over to the right. You can actually see the rental scooters lined up outside bell services towards the back in a little alcove area. There is an outside bell service/luggage check counter where you go to get the key & sign for the scooter...all of this is outside. So when you get there, park in the lot across from the main entrance and send the family towards the bell services.

I have picked up a rental scooter there twice in the last month (we were there two weekends in a row in February) We never picked up the scooter from the inside bell services counter--the first time we rented a scooter--last year-- the concierge desk people sent us outside to the luggage counter, because that's where the rental scooters are kept. And just a note about your planning: it takes about 60 seconds to get a scooter, think I had to wait 2 minutes once when they were getting a key for a person in front of me. But otherwise, it is a very short process, certainly not 15 minutes by any stretch...they just have you sign, show you your scooter and make sure you know the basics of operation...but it is not a lengthy time-consuming process at all. And, once you have a scooter, regardless of where your room is, it's no more than 5 minute walk/scooter ride to get to even the farthest away rooms.

 

[SolitaryPhoenix]

Thank you, thank you, catne, for your reply - let explain why I was asking where check-in and luggage is. We're going to FQ for my mom and DD's birthdays, which are 4 days apart in September, and I'm trying to make it as much of a surprise as I can. We live close enough so that I can tell them I'm working a partial day, but instead, go the resort, check-in, and hopefully get in the room to decorate, then go home, pick up everyone, pretend I'm checking in, and hopefully have a nice little surprise all set up - that's Plan A.

If I can't get in the room, I'll still have checked-in, and will have the check-in package with the keys and room number, so I want to be able to send my mom, daughter and nephew to luggage check to get Mom's scooter, and sneak away to decorate our room for them, so I want about 15 or so minutes to be able to slip way and disappear. I know it won't take them nearly that long, but I'm hoping, with my nephew's help, I can get just that little bit of time in the room alone before they get there. I won't be able to do much, but it'll be better than nothing!

Now I need to know if there's a way to sneak past them and get to the guest room buildings - like most of the gift shops at the resorts have a 'street' entrance, some of the main buildings have a couple of doors. Does anyone know if there's a door like that, where I could go in by check-in, but sneak right back out, out of sight of the outside luggage area? I'm sorry to be a pest, and keep asking questions, but I need to be prepared for this to work - it'll ruin it if they see me trying to get past them!

I should really put a Plan C in place just to be on the safe side! Maybe if I can't sneak past them, just admit defeat -sort of- and tell them to take a load off, go eat a few Beignets, and just be completely mysterious why, and then call when I want to come up to the room! It would be a lot easier!

 

[catne]

Thank you, thank you, catne, for your reply - let explain why I was asking where check-in and luggage is. We're going to FQ for my mom and DD's birthdays, which are 4 days apart in September, and I'm trying to make it as much of a surprise as I can. We live close enough so that I can tell them I'm working a partial day, but instead, go the resort, check-in, and hopefully get in the room to decorate, then go home, pick up everyone, pretend I'm checking in, and hopefully have a nice little surprise all set up - that's Plan A.

If I can't get in the room, I'll still have checked-in, and will have the check-in package with the keys and room number, so I want to be able to send my mom, daughter and nephew to luggage check to get Mom's scooter, and sneak away to decorate our room for them, so I want about 15 or so minutes to be able to slip way and disappear. I know it won't take them nearly that long, but I'm hoping, with my nephew's help, I can get just that little bit of time in the room alone before they get there. I won't be able to do much, but it'll be better than nothing!

Now I need to know if there's a way to sneak past them and get to the guest room buildings - like most of the gift shops at the resorts have a 'street' entrance, some of the main buildings have a couple of doors. Does anyone know if there's a door like that, where I could go in by check-in, but sneak right back out, out of sight of the outside luggage area? I'm sorry to be a pest, and keep asking questions, but I need to be prepared for this to work - it'll ruin it if they see me trying to get past them!

I should really put a Plan C in place just to be on the safe side! Maybe if I can't sneak past them, just admit defeat -sort of- and tell them to take a load off, go eat a few Beignets, and just be completely mysterious why, and then call when I want to come up to the room! It would be a lot easier!

French Quarter is all very compact, and all the services are right there in the same building. You enter from the parking lot side at the main door where you can pull up to drop off people/luggage. The outside luggage check-in/bell services is a bit over to the right side of the front doors to the main lobby...there is no direct line-of-sight from there through the lobby. When you go into French Quarter, you're in a pretty atrium-like lobby with a fountain in the middle...towards the left is a little bar seating area with stage, and the bar room is behind that...then also on the left, and down the hallway a little, slightly around a corner... is the counter service restaurant. Toward the right from the central lobby/fountain area is the room with the concierge desk, the inside bell services counter, and the whole wall of check-in counters...the gift shop is off the side of that big room. There are doors to the outside (resort side) from all of those areas...including you can walk in through the front doors, around the fountain and out the back lobby doors which takes you to a plaza area which then opens out to all the guest room buildings, pool, etc. While your family is at bell services, they would not be able to see that you went through the lobby and out the back of the lobby to the main resort area.

The trick will be getting your decor stuff out of the car since they could see you going back to where the car is parked, get stuff & then walk by the area they could see to get into the main lobby.

I would suggest taking your decor in with you in the first place, in a backpack or something small which wouldn't be questioned why you were carrying that. And maybe a strong suggestion for kicking-off the Disney vacation with French Quarter's special treat: and giving them money for beignets...that would "buy" you time for sure, because it always takes 5-10 minutes to get the order since they cook each order fresh.

 

[SolitaryPhoenix]

Thanks SO much for your replies, especially catne, great stuff, exactly what I needed! We've always wanted to stay at POFQ, but we've just walked through once, and it looked so pretty. I'm sure we're going to love it, and I'm going to LOVE making it as special a trip for mom and Jasmine as possible. And it's going to be in part thanks to all of you!