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

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andrewilley

GNU Terry Pratchett
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Sorry, this FAQ thread is now at its 250 page limit (again!) and is closed.

Please continue in the new updated version located HERE.

See you over there!





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Welcome to the Port Orleans French Quarter FAQ


Quick Facts:

Resort: Disneys Port Orleans French Quarter
Address: 2201 Orleans Drive, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, 32830-1000
Tel: (407) 934-5000
Fax: (407) 934-5353
Official Website: disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/port-orleans-resort-french-quarter
Reservations: (407) 934-7639 or www.disneyworld.com, or your favourite travel agent

Opening Date: 17 May 1991 (first three buildings, originally named as simply Port Orleans)
Location: Downtown Disney area
Category: Moderate
Rooms: 1,008 in 7 buildings

Closest Theme Park: Epcot
Closest Water Park: Typhoon Lagoon
Closest Entertainment/Shopping: Downtown Disney


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Introduction

Port Orleans French Quarter is the smaller section of the 3,056 room Port Orleans Resort complex which is situated about two miles north of the Downtown Disney area along the banks of the Disney-created Sassagoula River. The other section is Port Orleans Riverside and the entire complex was formed by the merger of the old Dixie Landings Resort and the Port Orleans Resort in March 2001.

Each section is treated as a separate hotel by Disneys Central Reservations, and each has its own check-in area and facilities. However, guests staying at French Quarter may use all the amenities at Riverside and vice versa including sharing all seven swimming pools. Its just a short ten-minute riverbank walk between the two locations, or you can use the free ferry boats.


Walt Disney World In-Room Refrigerator Withdrawal (updated 4 September 2013)

In Summer 2013 a potential fault was discovered with a specific type of mini refrigerator used in many Disney hotel rooms, and on 10 July Disney felt it was necessary to remove or disable all of that type of fridge across all of its resort hotels. Obviously this has caused a significant amount of guest inconvenience, and Disney are having to prioritise any working fridges for guests with specific needs for keeping medication cool, etc.

Port Orleans French Quarter was initially much worse affected than Riverside (due mostly to a lucky accident in the way that the Riverside refurb went last year). French Quarter had as many as 95% of rooms affected, while Riverside was closer to 50%-60% impacted.

A fairly recent delivery of 400 fridges all went to French Quarter, as the physical fit was better for the cupboard spaces there (I didn't actually know there was a difference in the enclosure sizes, but apparently there is). As of the start of August, that left both POFQ and POR with around 50% of rooms having working fridges. The staff are regularly moving them around though to try to accommodate guests' medical requests as best they can, so a given room number may be okay one day and not the next.

4 September: The latest info on fridges is that the recent end-of-August batch must have gone mostly to POFQ, meaning that about 90% of the rooms at French Quarter now have working fridges. They expect to be at 100% within a couple of weeks.



What is the layout of the resort?

Port Orleans French Quarter is a pleasantly compact resort - the smallest of Disneys Moderate Resorts - comprising a main facilities and pool area plus seven three-story accommodation buildings of 144 rooms each (all of which have elevators). It is themed to resemble the French Quarter area of New Orleans and the buildings are all set along quaint cobblestoned streets and feature ornate railings and other New Orleans / Mardi Gras touches. French Quarter is where (as the publicity information tells us) youll find pear trees, oaks, myrtles and magnolias bloom, and the spirit of jazz lives on.

Port Orleans Square is main facilities building and it provides the resorts main lobby and front desk facilities, shop, food court and bar, and the bus stop. The registration lobby has recently been refurbished, and was reopened over the weekend of 15 July 2013.

Doubloon Lagoon is the main feature swimming pool with a fabulous sea-serpent themed slide, hot tub and pool bar, with a nearby childrens playground. Past the pool is the boat dock where you can catch a free ferryboat to Downtown Disney or up to the Riverside resort.

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To give you a comparative idea of how small this resort really is - in fact its just 500 yards from one end to the other - if you dropped the whole of French Quarter onto the Magic Kingdom it would only stretch from the entrance to Adventureland over to Space Mountain:

POFQ-on-MK.jpg



What types of room are available?

A resort-wide room refurbishment program commenced on 1 November 2010 and was completed on 15 April 2011. The newly refitted rooms include Queen size beds instead of the old doubles, flat-screen TVs, and completely updated furnishings, fittings, carpets and tiles, with a tastefully regal yellow, gold and purple color scheme.

There are now five room categories: Standard, Garden View, King Bed, Pool View and River View. Each room category has its own pricing level. There are no preferred locations at this resort as it is so compact that it does not really need them.

  • Standard View rooms almost all face the parking lots, while Garden View guarantees that you wont be looking out over a parking lot and you should get a more pleasant view of gardens, courtyards, fountains, etc.
  • Pool View gives you an upper floor room overlooking the main swimming pool, while River View will be overlooking the Sassagoula River.
  • King Bed rooms contain just one King-size bed instead of two queens and can be located anywhere in the resort. Some have Pool or River views, but they still need to be booked using the King Bed category.
  • Disability Accessible rooms can also be booked, mostly featuring two queen beds although a few King Bed options are available. Some have roll-in showers while others feature bathtubs with easy wheelchair access.
For a complete guide to the booking category of every room at the resort, including clickable floorplan layouts of each building, please see the portorleans.org pages for French Quarter.


How much does it cost?

Room prices vary by weekday/weekend, season and room type, starting from a basic $162 per night for weekdays in Value season up to $253 for the Christams Holiday week (2013 prices). These prices are all plus the local 12.5% tax. Note: There is a $15 per person surcharge for having a third or fourth adult (aged 18 or over) occupying one room.

The surcharges for the different room categories are generally as follows:
  • Garden View: $10
  • King Bed: $25
  • Swimming Pool View: $25
  • River View: $30
If you book room-only with Disney you will pay a one room/night deposit in advance and the balance upon arrival. Cancellation with a full refund is possible up until six days before arrival, or 45 days for package bookings.

Some discounts, such as AAA and WDW Annual Passholder apply, but these are limited and often sell out very quickly once the rates have been released.


Can I request a particular location or room type?

Some people prefer to request particular room locations, although it is such a small resort that everywhere is within easy walking distance. If you do want to make any special requests always do so along with your initial booking. You can also try faxing the resort a few days before you arrive (no more than five days) as a reminder, but please be aware that Disney will not guarantee any locations apart from on specific medical grounds.

Generally speaking, the best locations for access to the main building and pool are buildings 2 and 5, which a Pool View booking will guarantee for you. Buildings 4 and 5 are closest to the bus stop and the food court. Some areas, such as buildings 1, 6 and 7 are a little further out and are thus the quietest sections - but all rooms are within a few minutes walk of the main facilities.

For lots more information on the best room locations and how to make special requests, please see here, but here are a few tips:
  • First, ALWAYS make sure that any requests are noted in your original reservation as this is the official method to log room requests for WDW hotels. This can be done by calling your travel agent or the Disney Reservation Center on (407) 934-7639.
  • Online checkin can be done up to 60 days in advance, but the requests section which you can fill in is very limited. It would be best to do online checkin BEFORE sending any faxed requests, so any more detailed choices are not overridden.
  • Send a FAX directly to the resort on 1-407-934-5353 about 3-5 days before your arrival date. If you dont have access to a fax machine you can send a free fax online via www.gotfreefax.com.
  • Provide your full details (name, address, phone number, email address and reservation number/arrival date). They may contact you about your requests, but dont worry if you dont get any confirmation back.
  • Be polite but personable, and let them know how much you are looking forward to your stay at Port Orleans and how getting your requests fulfilled would make your stay extra-magical.
  • Very specific requests (e.g. for one particular room number) can be hard to accommodate, although it might help to use room numbers to narrow down an area you are trying to describe.
  • Try to explain the reasons for your requests, as that helps the room assignment team find other options in case your first choice may not be available.
  • If you have multiple requests, try to prioritise them in order of your preferences.
  • Do your homework first so you dont make requests that cannot be fulfilled (e.g. dont ask for a ground floor room if you have booked Pool View).
  • You can ask if an upgraded room category might be available for your stay (e.g. a River View if you were only able to book Pool View) but obviously not all such requests can be granted. It certainly cant hurt to ask though.

What facilities are in the rooms?

All rooms are approximately 314 square feet and feature two queen size beds. Rooms containing one King bed are available for an extra charge.

Connecting doorway rooms are available, but again these are not guaranteed unless there are unaccompanied minors occupying the second room. Another often-requested option is an external corner room, as these have two windows rather than one and thus tend to be lighter.

All rooms include: phone, TV, clock, small fridge (no freezer compartment), bathtub/shower, toilet, two wash basins, table & two chairs, air conditioning & ceiling fan, small wall-safe, coffee maker (new Cuisinart dual-cup type, supplied with free Joffrey's coffee pods), hair dryer, iron & ironing board, clothes hanging rail. H20-branded product is supplied, including bar soap and separate shampoo & conditioner. In mid-December 2011, FREE in-room wi-fi internet access was introduced throughout the Port Orelans resorts.

Some disabled-accessible rooms are available with slightly more floor space which mostly feature a roll-in shower and wheel-chair height accessible facilities such as safe, single wash basin, etc.


Is smoking allowed in any of the buildings?

No, smoking is no longer permitted in any part of Walt Disney World apart from specially designated smoking areas which are clearly marked on the resort maps.


What time can I check in and can the resort store my bags?

Rooms are officially available from 3pm but you can check in at the front desk as early as you like. You may get lucky and find that a room happens to be ready earlier, or otherwise Bell Services can store your bags while you head off to enjoy the hotel facilities or the theme parks.

Check-out is by 11am, although you can request a free later check-out time (up to 1pm) as long as the room is not need urgently for other guests. Again, Bell Services will store your bags until you are ready to depart, and they also have a fridge for items which need to be kept chilled. Note: the main pool has showers, lockers and changing rooms if you want to take a dip after you have checked out.


What options are there for eating and drinking?

The Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory is the resorts food court, resplendent with giant Mardi Gras decorations. It contains several serving stations offering various items from bakery goods to burger/chicken meals, plus a grab-and-go area for quick fresh snack items. This is where you can buy the resorts signature beignets, a doughnut-like treat. "Rapid Fill" refillable mugs are available for a one-off fee (currently ranging from $8.99 for one day up to $17.99 for length of stay) which can be topped up at the beverage station for free.

Note: the food court now serves Joffrey's coffee, not Nescafe.

Scat Cats Club offers specialty drinks, appetizers, and some great jazz entertainment from Elliot Dyson in the evenings (Wednesday-Saturday from 8.30pm).

Light snacks and drinks are also available from the Mardi Grogs pool bar.

Jackson Square Gifts and Desires is the resorts gift shop, and apart from all the usual Disney and resort merchandise they also carry a selection of essentials plus snack items and bottled drinks, newspapers & magazines, medicines, etc. Note: While you can buy milk and some other essentials here, remember that this is a hotal shop so expect to pay a premium price. If you want to buy a bit cheaper but dont have transportation, try the Hess gas station just over the road from Planet Hollywood at Downtown Disney.

French Quarter does not have its own table-service restaurant but just a short walk down the river youll find Boatwrights Dining Hall at its sister resort of Riverside. As with all of Walt Disney World these days, advanced dining reservations are strong recommended - call (407) WDW-DINE to book up to 180 days in advance of the first day of your stay.


What about recreation facilities?

Doubloon Lagoon is French Quarters feature swimming pool. It is decked out with colourful Mardi Gras characters such as jazz-playing alligators (which are also water features) and a fabulous sea-serpent themed 51 ft slide where you slide right down the serpents tongue. Theres a separate kiddies pool, hot tub and the neighbouring Mardi Grogs pool bar if you just want to sit and have a drink. Life guards are on duty until 8pm (10pm seasonally) when the slide closes, but there are often people still swimming until well after midnight. Towels are provided free of charge and there is a towel-return bin next to the pool.

Daily recreational activities are held around the pool area, and there is also a childrens play area. While the kids are playing, guest-operated pay laundry facilities are provided near to Mardi Grogs ($2 per load, plus $2 for drying - credit/debit cards only, no cash or Key-to-the-World cards).

At night there are outdoor movie screenings in Beignet Square (the turfed courtyard between buildings 4, 5 and 6) and a campfire is also lit around dusk behind building 6 (facing the river) where you can relax and roast smores.

The South Quarter Games Arcade is located just off the main lobby.

Note: Port Orleans Riverside, just a short walk alongside the Sassagoula River, has its own feature pool and five smaller quiet pools which may all be used by French Quarter guests. Riversides marina also rents out various types of powered watercraft and pedal boats/canoes, plus pedal cycles and four-wheeled Surrey Bikes. Other activities available at Riverside include fishing and a pirate riverboat excursion for the kids. Horse-drawn carriage rides are offered in the evenings (weather permitting) from 6pm to 9:30pm. Cost is $45 per 25-minute ride and you can make reservations at the Riverside marina, or in advance via (407) WDW PLAY.


What transportation options are there?

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.

If youre travelling to Downtown Disney, a much more relaxing and romantic option is the 15-minute free water taxi service which runs along the Sassagoula River every 10-20 minutes from 10:10am to 11pm. Outside of these hours youll need to take the bus to get to or from Downtown Disney, and during the day that bus also serves Typhoon Lagoon.


Where can I find out more detailed information, see photos, etc?

For further details please refer to the Port Orleans French Quarter DIS Resorts Page and the DIS Port Orleans French Quarter Photos Page.

You could also try the Port Orleans Unofficial Guide website at www.portorleans.org which tries to answer just about any Port Orleans questions you may have - and has over 2,000 photos too.

There is also a fabulous Port Orleans French Quarter photo thread right here on the DIS to get you excited ready for your trip.


Port Orleans French Quarter FAQ text and photos (c) portorleans.org 2013. Used here by permission.
 
I've just completed a batch of in-room photos of POFQ, which can all be seen at www.portorleans.org/gallery-POFQ-Rooms.php. The colour-calibration for those purple bedspreads with both natural and artificial light and flash was a nightmare, but I think I've got them just about right now. Here's a few of them:

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Welcome to the new POFQ FAQ thread.

The previous 2011 thread reached the DIS 250 page limit, so please get yourself a nice long cooool drink from Mardi Grogs, pull up a poolside recliner, and make yourselves at home in our new abode.

Andre
 
YAY!! Thank you Andre! You are so appreciated:worship:

We leave in two days folks, two days :tinker::mickeyjum:stitch::goofy::donald:
 
Thanks to you Andre!! Staying from November 5-November 12. My mom's first time staying on site.:banana:
 


Yay for starting a new thread Andre!!! I am so excited to be here and hope to plan another trip to POFQ soon! :)

D~
 
Hi! Thanks for a new thread! Can't wait to be back at POFQ one day. It is now my favorite resort.
 
Thank you Andre! :worship: You are wonderful, and so are your Port Orleans information threads :thumbsup2 I just don't know what I'd do without your French Quarter updates!

I just booked our flights and will be back "home" again 8/22-8/31..........Cannot Wait!!! :goodvibes:banana:
 
FQ seems like such an awesome resort! I can't wait for my turn next year. February can't come fast enough!
 
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