Tell me about the PO French Qtr........

Disney-Kim

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 17, 1999
We will be staying there for part of our stay in Oct.......what rooms to ask for??? how is the bus service???
all that fun stuff.
:p :p
 
We stopped over at the French Quarter on our trip last month to check the place out. It looked okay, sorta reminded me of a compact All-Stars with a New Orleans theme. I'd ask for building 2 or 5. :) It really is a small resort, so I'd request whatever floor you want and a garden view (if you book a standard room). :)
 
This is the first on-site resort where DH and I ever stayed at WDW. That being said, I may be little biased.

I absolutely love this resort. The rooms were so clean and attractive. I love the pedestal sinks. And the sounds of jazz and ragtime playing as you wander through the "streets" of the resort makes it seem like you may actually be strolling through the French Quarter in New Orleans.

The pool is a lot of fun. It's nice to share amenities with PO-R, since FQ doesn't have it's own sit-down restaurant. The food court is okay, though.

We thought the transportation was wonderful. FQ shares buses with PO-R, but FQ is picked up/dropped off first, so it was never a problem for us.

The resort is rather small compared to other WDW properties, but I think that was part of the reason we enjoyed it so much. No matter which building you stay in, the walk to the Food Court or Bus Stop is not far.

Sorry this got kinda' long, but I hope it helps.
 
I had the same question as Disney Kim...we're also staying at the PO-FQ in October.

California Dreaming, can I get a garden view with a standard room? I wasn't sure if the categories were 1) standard, 2) garden and 3) pool/water or if it were just 1) standard (parking lot or land/garden) and 2) water/pool. I booked a standard room and will accept a parking lot view if need be for the savings, but if I have the choice between garden and parking lot for the same price, well then I'd love a garden view!!

Anyone know for sure for the PO-FQ??
Thanks!!
 


Yes, you can get a garden view with a standard room. There are only two room categories, standard and water/pool. :)
 
I'm staying there in October. All I know, being from the New Orleans area, POFQ HAS to smell better and be in better shape than its inspiration!! Do you encounter any drunks passed out in the gardens? LOL.
 
I am a little bit of a hotel nut, I spend nearly as much time visiting hotels on my trips as I do the parks. (Well, that may be an exageration but you get the idea.) My wife will tell you stories of how she is always being dragged to other hotels wherever we go on vacation, but hey, it really pays off. I have found great hotels to visit and some that I was going to visit that I would never have once I had seen them. Rest assured, Port Orleans French Quarter is definitely the former.

On my Nov 95 trip, we stayed at a dissapointing off site hotel, not realizing how the Unofficial Guide to WDW was only concerned with room size. We thought we were getting a nice offsite spot and the place was just kind of old and depressing. We were driving through WDW and I of course had to drag my wife to the food court at Port Orleans to check it out since we had never seen the hotel. It's hard to describe, but it was one of those moments in life when you realize you've made a really big mistake. To think that I had made the trip down and spent it in a dump when I could have been in this wonderful place for just a few dollars more made me ill. I have been there twice since however and have recovered nicely. ;)

To me there is Port Orleans French Quarter and all the other moderates are a distant second. Not that they aren't wonderful in thier own way but POFQ has some special elements that few other resorts, deluxe included have.

1) It's size. There are many horror stories from people who get out of the way rooms at the Carribean Beach Resort or Corranado Springs resort having to hike 20 mins to get to the food court or the pool. When you are walking 7 miles a day in the parks the last thing you need is to trek across your resort. In Port Orleans, everything is close. (Well maybe not building 7).

2) It's one of the only Resorts that mixes vibrant colorful characters and sedated elegance. At most places you get either one or the other. The All-Stars scream at you will wild colors , but some people get a headache looking at them the whole time. The Floridan, Beach and Yacht club are wonderfully elegant but not exactly stimulating. Port Orleans FQ has beautifully decorated gardens , building with wrought iron balconies and babbling fountains, its so peaceful and beautiful, yet when you go to the swimming area, you see big cartoon aligators marching along, the jester, the wonderful sea serpent pool and dont forget the food court which is themed as a floatworks factory, the place they keep the floats for the Mardi Gras parade. Giant faces and props so colorful you will stare up at them for days.

3) The pool. It deserves mentioning again. This pool is the coolest looking pool ever. Pure Disney imagineering genius.
There is a nice little hot tub as well.

There is also a boat which connects Port Orleans Riverside, French Quarter and Downtown Disney, and while I'm not usually big on wasting alot of time on Downtown Disney, it is a beautiful and relaxing ride worth taking just for the pleasure of the ride itself.

A few notes:

- There is no longer a full service restaurant at POFQ so you will have to head over to Boatwrights Dining Hall at PO Riverside. I did this anyway in the old days cause it was such a nice walk but it isn't that close. If you are tired you will probably wind up using the food court. Also consider eating dinner at the theme parks, if you want a sit down meal.

- This is real nitpicking, but I would request a building 2 room over a building 5. Building 5 has that empty patch of grass on the garden side and its kind of bland, Building 2 has that nice fountain there which is much nicer to look at. This info is from my last trip there in May 99 so things may have changed.

- Do whatever you have to to avoid getting a parking lot view, put garden view on your reservation, call 5 days in advance to confirm it, check in early and tell them you will wait for a garden view room to be ready if you have to. There is a huge difference between garden view in building 2 and a parking lot view in one of the outer buildings. In general if you are in buildings 2,5 or 6 I dont think you can have a parking lot view. Try requesting "building 2 fountain view" and they should get the idea. Somtimes the difference between a good view and bad is asking.

Have a great time, I'm sure you will love it.

Matt

Jun 72 offsite
Apr 89 offsite
Mar 95 All-Star Sports
Nov 95 offsite
Aug 96 Boardwalk Inn
Dec 96 Port Orleans French Quarter
Sep 98 Beach Club
May 99 Port Orleans French Quarter
Jan 00 Polynesian
May 01 Swan
Oct 02 Grand Floridian

:cool:
 


LOL, angey77, I was thinking the EXACT same thing. I am staying there in September and I hope it is a whole lot better than the French Quarter.

lach.gif
 
I have stayed at the POR so I am familiar with the POFQ bus stops, boats, restaurants, etc.
I think we will enjoy the smallness of the POFQ.

how are the rooms? still in good condition?
 
regi,
PM me when you get back, you have to let me know what its like. I hear all other people ranting and raving about it, but I just have to know from a local what the deal is.
 
I guess I'm going to be the lone dissenter here. I stayed at POFQ for one night earlier this year after POFQ reopened. I had a disastrous visit. The room was scuffed and the furniture had been well used. While the grounds were beautifully landscaped, I thought everything was very dark. I didn't like the mardigras feel of the food court. The CM's weren't very warm either. The laundry area was in terrible condition. Ice machines were broken. Without the amenities of bikes and boats, there isn't anything to do other than swim and there's only 1 pool choice. The pool is really nice and was a good temperature. Overall, I didn't like the feel of the resort.

We have long loved POR from the theming to the difference of the mansions/bayou, to the carpeted, nicely themed food court, to the full service restaurant, bike rentals, boat rentals, 6 pools and so on. As I told the general manager after my stay at POFQ, "With POR right next door, which I love and have been to multiple times, why would I return to POFQ?" POR bustles with activity.

I haven't seen very many reviews from folks who have been to POFQ since it reopened. That makes me quite curious. When we were at POR in July, POR was full and active. POFQ seemed to have a very small crowd overall. :p
 
Please do post when you return from POFQ, as we will be staying there in December. Sometimes I regret choosing POFQ since we are from New Orleans, but I figured it has to be a lot nicer than the real thing!
 
I stayed at Fr-QT 3 years ago. My first trip to WDW. We loved it. We had never been there before but everything was good. Did not know anything about location and requests. We ended up over looking the pool. Did not even request. They did have the sit down restaurant then. We stayed in JUne. I did not enjoy it at all........ This time I did request and payed for water veiw, pool side..... We got a room the fartherest away from the pool that we could have. We could see the lake from the corner of our room. We were facing Port. We checked in at 2:00. Our room was not ready.... It was not ready until 5:30.... and not even what I requested. We tried to change rooms I said I would take standard veiw, payed for water, but they said there was nothing. The CMs when I went to check at quest services to ask about directions told me 2 diffferent things. both saying that is all I know ,, I do not know what else to tell you. The food court was good. I did like the boat to DD. The first time it was magical. the second, I did not enjoy. Maybe it was just a bad week for the resort. They did not try to be very accomadating. sorry for the bad reveiw....amy
 

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