Disney's PORT ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER RESORT Information & Questions

[andrewilley]

So give me your thoughts on those two buildings and which you prefer (and why)!!! Thanks so much, I want to figure out which building to request.

Why second-guess what they might have available by asking for a specific building? Better to ask for what you want - a quiet location, not too far from the main building, but with easy walking access to Riverside. However to be honest those three requests are a bit contradictory anyway.

Andre

 

[andrewilley]

I’ve just been informed that the afternoon Mardi Gras activities at French Quarter on 9 Feb, including the character greetings, have been CANCELLED for this year. The cut-down version of the pargo parade will still take place at 10am though. The Recreation Activity Schedules that had already been printed for the month have been withdrawn.

Andre

 

[wdw71]

Well Andre- I will start by saying we have only stayed in building 2 and that it was very nice. Building 4 is right at the main building and near the buses so if you want quiet keep in mind that there is a lot of pedestrian traffic in that area. IMO there is not a bad building at POFQ and plenty in peaceful areas. The resort is really compact so you are never far from the conveniences. In building 2 we were opposite the pool so it was quiet but close enough to the pool so it was convenient. We were also very close to the boat launch to Disney Springs and walking path to POR. My advice if you don't want to be close to the pool just request that when you make your reservation.

 

[dekraut]

We loved building 2 - third floor, river view. Looked right over the boat dock to DS. Thought I wanted building 5 or 6, but LOVED bldg 2. With the resort as small as it is, walking from bldg 2 to POR couldn't possibly add more than 2-3 minutes.

Loved standing on the balcony at night and seeing/hearing the boats, and also hearing the clip-clop of the horse drawn carriage rides out of POR as they made their way through the streets of POFQ. Very cool.

 

[kitkat4622]

We loved building 2 - third floor, river view. Looked right over the boat dock to DS. Thought I wanted building 5 or 6, but LOVED bldg 2. With the resort as small as it is, walking from bldg 2 to POR couldn't possibly add more than 2-3 minutes.

thanks for this tip I am going to request this building and floor when I do my online check in on the 16th.

 

[DisneyFan2013]

I always request Building 4 and usually get it, but last time I got Building 5 instead. It was fine, but I prefer 4. I just want to be close to the bus stop and main building. I don't use the pool.

 

[JohnDaleswife]

Building 4 area having a lot of foot traffic is not something I really thought about, until now.

 

[Disneygrl71]

Is this resort usually excluded from the free dining?? I really would love to stay here, but booking in Oct and hoping for free dining. We've always stayed a CSR, but their prices are crazy anymore. I've booked POP, but really worried about double beds.

 

[andrewilley]

Is this resort usually excluded from the free dining??

Recently Riverside has either been partially excluded, or at least had a limited range of room categories available in offers. Last year or the year before I seem to recall there were some rooms available with free dining for the early part of the offer period, but not in the Oct-Dec period. French Quarter (as a smaller resort) was even worse, with often no rooms being made available under the promotion.

It's all based on predicated occupancy levels, so the more people who book at a resort in advance (before the promotion details are formulated) the less likely it is that Disney will feel they need to offer extra incentives for people to stay there.

Andre

 

[JohnDaleswife]

Recently Riverside has either been partially excluded, or at least had a limited range of room categories available in offers. Last year or the year before I seem to recall there were some rooms available with free dining for the early part of the offer period, but not in the Oct-Dec period. French Quarter (as a smaller resort) was even worse, with often no rooms being made available under the promotion.

It's all based on predicated occupancy levels, so the more people who book at a resort in advance (before the promotion details are formulated) the less likely it is that Disney will feel they need to offer extra incentives for people to stay there.

Andre

Very true. But surely Disney knows by now that a lot of people will move to the resort where free dining or another nice discount is being offered? Hasn't this been happening a lot in the past couple years.

For myself, I will very possibly end up paying rack rate at POFQ this year just because I am determined to stay there. Its the last if the four moderates we haven't tried. Now I do plan on paying the balance with Disney gift cards that I am budgeting a 15-20% discount on, so that is a savings.

But I do have AKL down as a back up resort if need be, but with just a couple less days planned to make up for the insane price tag!

 

[Ladyfish77]

Disney knows by now that a lot of people will move to the resort where free dining or another nice discount is being offered?

Very true--I did this last fall. I was booked with a RO at POR, but when the FD frenzy calmed down and they opened up more rooms, I decided to jump on the FD offer, since it worked out better $$ wise for our trip. So I switched to CBR because POR was only offered for FD in September and my trip was late October.

 

[JohnDaleswife]

Very true--I did this last fall. I was booked with a RO at POR, but when the FD frenzy calmed down and they opened up more rooms, I decided to jump on the FD offer, since it worked out better $$ wise for our trip. So I switched to CBR because POR was only offered for FD in September and my trip was late October.

I think I even read where free dining rooms were not available at a given resort, during a given time period when the discount was first released, and so many people moved resorts that Disney ended up re-allocating rooms for the promo at that given resort during that time period.

I'm sure they are very aware of the book now and see what happens later crowd. I just hope they don't try in some form or fashion to change the cancellation terms in the future.

 

[fla4fun]

Help me choose a building! I'm staying at POFQ for the first time. I'd like to be on the side "closer" to POR, so I'm looking at buildings 4-7. I'm booked into a garden view room. I'd like a location that's fairly quiet while still being fairly close to the food area and the pool (but I do not want to be too close to the pool). Sooo, I'm thinking building 6 would be best, but building 4 looks like a nice location too.

So give me your thoughts on those two buildings and which you prefer (and why)!!! Thanks so much, I want to figure out which building to request.

If you plan to walk back and forth to POR fairly regularly, then I recommend building 7. I was there for my stay last spring, and it was a really quick walk back and forth to POR. Even though Building 7 is probably the farthest building from the lobby, food court and pool, the resort is so small that it never took more than a few minutes to get anywhere (and walking through POFQ is such a wonderful experience anyway, that it makes any walk seem too short). When walking to the buses, I would stay toward the front of the resort along the parking lot, and there was access to the bus stops from the back so I didn't have to walk around and through the lobby. I thought it was very convenient.

 

[Ladyfish77]

If you plan to walk back and forth to POR fairly regularly, then I recommend building 7

Thanks Fla4fun. This is the exact type of information I was looking for. I was looking at bldg 6 to be a bit closer to lobby/busses and yet still close to POR. I really doubt the walk from 6 or 7 would be that long--I've only stayed at CBR so I'm guessing I'll be pleasantly surprised at how close everything is at POFQ.

 

[ncc1701]

Thanks Fla4fun. This is the exact type of information I was looking for. I was looking at bldg 6 to be a bit closer to lobby/busses and yet still close to POR. I really doubt the walk from 6 or 7 would be that long--I've only stayed at CBR so I'm guessing I'll be pleasantly surprised at how close everything is at POFQ.

Even the walk from bldg 1 wasn't bad. Just review the resort map to scout out the paths for shortcuts .

 

[Bunch0rz5]

Yeah!! Thanks for all the good information.

 

[adam.adbe]

Can someone tell me why POFQ is so popular?(serious question). We're trying to find the best value moderate resort since our budget won't allow a Deluxe and saw this gets rated really highly.

It's either POFQ or Caribbean Beach based on the pricing from a Magical Agency. Coming from Beach Club and then Poly the last two years, we're trying to tell ourselves that a resort a bit further out with only a bus transport will be ok.

Short answer: Disney Springs proximity, and walkability.

People who for one reason or another want to avoid potentially long walks to the foyer, or bus stops, will gravitate towards FQ. Similarly people who want faster, or more relaxed access to DS will find either of the Port Orleans resorts appealing.

FQ only has one bus stop also, so less risk of the bus being full before it even reaches your stop.

 

[buzznina]

Can someone tell me why POFQ is so popular?(serious question). We're trying to find the best value moderate resort since our budget won't allow a Deluxe and saw this gets rated really highly.

It's either POFQ or Caribbean Beach based on the pricing from a Magical Agency. Coming from Beach Club and then Poly the last two years, we're trying to tell ourselves that a resort a bit further out with only a bus transport will be ok.

Mainly it is because it is the smallest WDW resort so the farthest room is still only about a 5 minute walk to the lobby or bus stop. Also; the majority of the time it has only 1 dedicated bus stop and on the times it does share with POR, the bus picks up and drops off at POFQ first. We have no issues with only having to rely on buses, but I also do not believe in paying much more $$ for a better location just to save 10-15 minutes here or there. We just stayed at GF and the monorail was horrible to and from EPCOT, so there really is no guarantee in regards to transportation.

 

[walker0829]

Short answer: Disney Springs proximity, and walkability.

People who for one reason or another want to avoid potentially long walks to the foyer, or bus stops, will gravitate towards FQ. Similarly people who want faster, or more relaxed access to DS will find either of the Port Orleans resorts appealing.

FQ only has one bus stop also, so less risk of the bus being full before it even reaches your stop.

Mainly it is because it is the smallest WDW resort so the farthest room is still only about a 5 minute walk to the lobby or bus stop. Also; the majority of the time it has only 1 dedicated bus stop and on the times it does share with POR, the bus picks up and drops off at POFQ first. We have no issues with only having to rely on buses, but I also do not believe in paying much more $$ for a better location just to save 10-15 minutes here or there. We just stayed at GF and the monorail was horrible to and from EPCOT, so there really is no guarantee in regards to transportation.

Thanks for both of your answers. Proximity to Disney Springs wasn't at the top of my list originally. We've said we want a more relaxing trip this year so that proximity might be nice. What's the bus trip to the parks like time wise?

 

[figmentedfollies]

Thanks for both of your answers. Proximity to Disney Springs wasn't at the top of my list originally. We've said we want a more relaxing trip this year so that proximity might be nice. What's the bus trip to the parks like time wise?

It's been a few years since I stayed at PO(Riverside) and it was maybe 25 minutes on the long end going to Animal Kingdom? I'm going at the end of the month and I'll have a better idea of timing then.