Hello fans of POFQ! I'm currently researching all the moderates for an upcoming trip and would like to get some opinions.
What are the main reasons you choose POFQ over POR?
Okay, these are my own very personal reasons for picking PFQ, so your mileage may vary:
1) Price: While I am splurging on this trip on other things, I can't justify the price of a luxury resort on a solo trip; without someone to share the cost, and considering the small amount of time I'll actually be in the room, the additional cost per night makes no sense. That being said, I skipped over the value resorts because this IS a splurge vacation and I don't want to feel like I'm cramped into a high-rise with tons of school tours, etc. I want the resort to provide a modicum of escape from the parks whenever I need to decompress. Moderates seem the best bang for the buck.
2) Theme: I grew up in the upper mid-west and still spend most vacations camping, so I wanted something very different from what I'm familiar with. I watched lots of walk-through videos of the moderates and realized that of all of them, the POFQ just spoke the most to me. Although I've yet to visit the real New Orleans, a part of my longs for it--the music, the atmosphere, the shaded cobblestone streets lined with wrought iron, etc. The reason I picked it over POR is a bit more complex, just a gut feeling--I don't find the whole "Antebellum plantation" thing appealing because I don't believe it's something to be romanticized. It just rubs me wrong. Like I said, your mileage may vary. I'll take the upbeat jazz atmosphere any day.
3) Size: This is the smallest of the resorts, and while that has a drawback (no table-service restaurant), it does still appear to have far more advantages. None of the moderate-level resorts have table-service restaurants that rate very highly anyway, plus if I REALLY want that, POR is within walking distance. From what I saw, it feels the most intimate and quiet--all part of that refuge feeling I was seeking. It's also only a short walk to the main building and shops (beignets for breakfast!), whereas some of the most common complaints about the others seems to be how big they are and the hike you face just to get a drink or snack.
4) Location: It's centrally located (relatively close to MK and Epcot), and the PO resorts have that water taxi access to Disney Springs (which I intend to utilize several times on my travel days and when I'm not staying in a park late). I'll take a boat ride over a bus any day! The choice of good restaurants within easy access is a solid plus. Also, of all of the resorts (including luxury), I hear the fewest complaints about buses from POFQ.
Really, the only reason I still hesitated before finally settling on POFQ was the pool. Of all the moderates, this one seems the lamest to me, which is a shame. The one at CBR just calls out to me!

But ultimately, I do still have the option of using the POR pool, which is a bit more interesting, plus I'm getting the waterpark pass so I can go to those and get all the unique-themed water fun I could ever want.