Resort Thread Disney's PORT ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER Resort

[dpswift]

And this is how 2016 looks in graphical form:

Which shows up another oddity - for some reason, Pool View and King Bed rooms are now mostly more expensive than River View.

Andre

I wonder is the additional cost for pool view is because of proximity to transportation and FC.

 

[andrewilley]

I wonder is the additional cost for pool view is because of proximity to transportation and FC.

I suspect so, rather like Pool View Royal Rooms over at Riverside. I have been referring to those as the ideal room types to guarantee proximity for everything, so Disney has raised the prices. I guess it's all my fault....

Andre

 

[karly05]

Pool view rooms assure you'll be in 2 or 5, which are in the center. Any other category could put you out in 1 or 7 (not that that's the end of the world at POFQ).

Could it also be a supply-and-demand thing? There aren't many pool view rooms available, and I take it not many kings, either. Weirdly enough, that could also explain the weird pricing on garden/std, since the garden rooms are the most prevalent.

 

[andrewilley]

They sometimes make these mistakes. Someone asleep at the wheel. Lol. Once we were able to book AKL CL (guaranteed Arusha Savana view) for cheaper than the Arusha view, non CL. Go figure!

I suspect the odd Standard vs. Garden pricing differential may get updated soon, as when I pointed it out to one of my contacts at the resort he said he was going to raise it with the relevant team as it didn't seem right to him either. So get a provisional booking in now if you want to take advantage of it!

Andre

 

[karly05]

I was looking at some pricing this morning for my proposed next-year's trip and they still have Garden View lower than Standard, and (as someone else pointed out) Pool View and King rooms higher than River View. (This is looking at April Regular season dates.) I'm seriously thinking about calling this weekend to book; curious to see what happens.

 

[andrewilley]

It's worth booking anyway. If they later change the prices in your favour then you can always cancel/change the booking, but if they change anything the other way you'll be kicking yourself if you miss the current rates. What have you got to lose?

Andre

 

[Sue M]

I suspect the odd Standard vs. Garden pricing differential may get updated soon, as when I pointed it out to one of my contacts at the resort he said he was going to raise it with the relevant team as it didn't seem right to him either. So get a provisional booking in now if you want to take advantage of it!

Andre

Hard to decide what to do! I'm switching job category at school in Sept, and my new position doesn't get January semester break off, my usual POR trip sooooo I'm thinking I may not have a January trip this year. Could take unpaid 2 week leave, but with new job not sure that's a good idea. Ugh.

 

[LizardQueen8]

I decided to take advantage of the odd pricing and rebooked myself into a garden view for next May. I consider that a score!!

 

[karly05]

I'm going for Garden View whatever they do; hope it stays at the lower rate. I'm waiting for the weekend so I have plenty of time to spend on the phone if needed. I'm ready to have a ticker again!

 

[kastoney]

Hi everyone! We stayed at POFQ for the first time last weekend for a quick father's day weekend and thought I'd provide a quick review.

Overall we liked the resort. This was my first time at a moderate (we've done value and deluxe) and while I'd say its closer to the value than the deluxe side it was a definitely a step up from the values. While I'm not a fan of the motel style hotels in general, we had a river view room on the 2nd floor of building six which proved to be a good location. We were close to transportation, the pool, and within walking distance to riverside which was nice. We'd requested a ground floor but the second level was fine and the room location was nice and quiet.

The room itself was definitely in need of a refurb. The beds were comfy and while nothing was dinged up or in bad condition, the furniture and carpets appeared dated. I'm sure some of the was intentional for the new orleans feel, but it just felt out of date to me.

Bus transportation was AWESOME. First I had no idea what great proximity POFQ was to all the parks. Epcot was literally a 5 minute ride and MK and MGM not much more than that. The busses were efficient and I don't think we ever waited more than 10 minutes for one. We ended up sharing with Riverside on afternoon/evening bus routes and return trips from the parks for all but MK. This added about 10 minutes to the trips to the parks, but we were the first stop back on the return routes so no issues there. Except for the one night coming back from DTD when the driver literally forgot to stop at POFQ. #EpicFail

We didn't have as much luck with the boat. The one night we took it to DTD the boats would go to Riverside first so they would arrive every 10 minutes or so but only be able to take a handful of people. We contemplated just heading for the bus, but ended up getting on the 4th boat to come through (after about a 30 minute wait in the June Florida sun).

We didn't eat at the resort too much, but had beignets one night. They were good, but definitely not what you get in New Orleans. We had a quick lunch on our last day and enjoyed the shrimp po boy. I was impressed they cooked the food to order and did so fairly efficiently. Compared to previous trips to Pop and AoA the food court wasn't crowded at all and proved to be a relaxing experience. We also walked over to Boatwrights one night and despite it being very crowded had a good quality cajun meal.

So while deluxe resorts will always have my heart, POFQ was a nice reprieve for my wallet and proved an excellent place to stay. We'll definitely be back.

 

[filghtBOS]

I'd say its closer to the value than the deluxe side it was a definitely a step up from the values.

Really? I've always found POFQ to be closer to the deluxe side. Riverside, I can see it feeling more like a value because of size & outdoor hallways, etc. But POFQ is so small, it just feels so intimate!

 

[andrewilley]

Really? I've always found POFQ to be closer to the deluxe side. Riverside, I can see it feeling more like a value because of size & outdoor hallways, etc. But POFQ is so small, it just feels so intimate!

I do understand the logic though - for many people there's a simple divide point between "deluxe hotel" (indoor hallways connected to elevators and a centralised lobby, with room service, etc) and "motel style" (outdoor walkways, separated low-rise buildings, etc). Regardless of the size, theming, landscaping and any other factors, it's hard to argue that the overall layout leans significantly more towards the motel model.

Andre

 

[filghtBOS]

I do understand the logic though - for many people there's a simple divide point between "deluxe hotel" (indoor hallways connected to elevators and a centralised lobby, with room service, etc) and "motel style" (outdoor walkways, separated low-rise buildings, etc). Regardless of the size, theming, landscaping and any other factors, it's hard to argue that the overall layout leans significantly more towards the motel model.

Andre

True...but its not all that uncommon in hot climates. Hawaii, nearly all of the hallways are outdoors...even the lobby's are. Doesn't take away from the four diamond status of the hotels out there.

But I understand how that could bother some people. An outbuilding at the GF is definitely a much nicer feel than one at POFQ.

 

[kastoney]

Really? I've always found POFQ to be closer to the deluxe side. Riverside, I can see it feeling more like a value because of size & outdoor hallways, etc. But POFQ is so small, it just feels so intimate!

I definitely liked the small side of the resort and the compactness of it all, but the rooms and decor just skewed a bit more value to me. Plus I've just never been a fan of the motel style rooms. Don't get me wrong we loved the resort and will definitely be back again, just my unsolicited opinion ; )

 

[ougrad86]

How long is the drive down from South Jersey? We used to live in Georgia, only about 5 1/2 hours away from Disney, but we moved to northern Virginia and I'm trying to get a feel for how long the drive is going to be.

Can't tell you from South Jersey, but was was about 14 hours for us from Northern Virginia. We left during Friday afternoon and hit some traffic, and overnighted in GA. But the total drive time is about 14. Coming back, tho, was the pits.

 

[andrewilley]

but the rooms and decor just skewed a bit more value to me.

The rooms were all completely refurbished relatively recently (2011) and as you mentioned are generally in pretty good condition in terms of paintwork/dings/etc. So I guess it was more the choices of décor and colours that you didn't like, which are meant to evoke the feel of New Orleans. (Just as well you didn't stay in the Alligator Bayou section over at Riverside though, as that's meant to evoke a rustic backwoods feel).

Size-wise, the rooms are somewhere between Value and Deluxe, but (and in common with the Values) the vanity area is at the far end of the bedroom, rather than being set off to one side as you walk in through the main entrance door (which is a more common layout in deluxes). Deluxes also tend to have more enclosed wardrobe space too.

Andre

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

Can't tell you from South Jersey, but was was about 14 hours for us from Northern Virginia. We left during Friday afternoon and hit some traffic, and overnighted in GA. But the total drive time is about 14. Coming back, tho, was the pits.

Thanks. When we drive down we'll be stopping in middle Georgia to spend a few days with family and pick up my parents, who are driving down with us. It's usually a 12 hour drive to their house, and then five and a half hours from there to Disney World. This is our first trip since we moved from Georgia to Virginia. Coming home, we'll be taking I-95 all the way up and hoping to make it all in one day, since my husband has to be back at work the next day. It will be a long day.... But we've had our 11-12 hour drive from Georgia to Virginia turn into a 16 drive before because of holiday traffic -- not fun!

 

[karly05]

It's official! I will be coming back to hang with the Gators next April! I will be updating my sig and building a new ticker shortly.

Talked on the phone with a young lady CM who got me all signed up. INTERESTING: She asked my dates and resort preference. When I told her French Quarter, she did not ask my category/view preference, but quoted me the rate for Standard View, I wish I could remember the quoted price, but it was HIGHER than what I had seen/calculated for Garden View. I told her I'd really like a Garden View, did they have that available, and she said yes and quoted me the GV total price I expected (which was lower than the Standard quote).

So, at least for now, Garden View is coming up cheaper than Standard View. Honestly, the fact that they haven't changed it by now is making me think this is intentional, and really makes me believe there is a "supply and demand" component to it.

I didn't realize until I was typing this that I forgot to make my general "convenient to main building" request. I'm tempted to let that go and, when I do online check in, mark "close to transportation" and see what happens. I still think that could include locations near the boat dock, but I've been in bldg 2 near there and it was a great location. Can't wait to do Direct to Room again next year.

Oh, has the Disney phone-answering computer ever asked you to say and spell your last name? Today was my first experience with that, and I had to do it 3 times. I have a very plain accent and spoke/enunciated clearly, it's not some super-long name and it's spelled like it sounds, but the poor computer could never figure it out. The 3rd try, the computer didn't even attempt to spell it back, just said, "let me get an agent to help you" and gave up. Anyone else experienced this?

 

[ougrad86]

It's official! I will be coming back to hang with the Gators next April! I will be updating my sig and building a new ticker shortly.

Talked on the phone with a young lady CM who got me all signed up. INTERESTING: She asked my dates and resort preference. When I told her French Quarter, she did not ask my category/view preference, but quoted me the rate for Standard View, I wish I could remember the quoted price, but it was HIGHER than what I had seen/calculated for Garden View. I told her I'd really like a Garden View, did they have that available, and she said yes and quoted me the GV total price I expected (which was lower than the Standard quote).

So, at least for now, Garden View is coming up cheaper than Standard View. Honestly, the fact that they haven't changed it by now is making me think this is intentional, and really makes me believe there is a "supply and demand" component to it.

I didn't realize until I was typing this that I forgot to make my general "convenient to main building" request. I'm tempted to let that go and, when I do online check in, mark "close to transportation" and see what happens. I still think that could include locations near the boat dock, but I've been in bldg 2 near there and it was a great location. Can't wait to do Direct to Room again next year.

Oh, has the Disney phone-answering computer ever asked you to say and spell your last name? Today was my first experience with that, and I had to do it 3 times. I have a very plain accent and spoke/enunciated clearly, it's not some super-long name and it's spelled like it sounds, but the poor computer could never figure it out. The 3rd try, the computer didn't even attempt to spell it back, just said, "let me get an agent to help you" and gave up. Anyone else experienced this?

Saw that when I booked my room - odd, but worked out well since I wanted Garden View anyway. Only by a dollar though.

I couldn't see a place to add my preferences, except close to, so I put down the name of the other family we are traveling with. She is going to phone in her reservation, so she will ask for the buildings, and I might check back closer to arrival time.

It mangled our name as well, and I have a plain-Jane voice. I can talk to Siri and other voice activated systems on my job, but this one never understands me very well. I end up with the agent as well, which I usually prefer anyway.

 

[CJK]

Has there been update on the entertainment at FQ? Are they still rotating musicians since Tom Casey left?