French Quarter or Coronado for better bus service?

[PolyAddict]

DH and I planning our 1st adult only trip.

We normally drive to the parks with our own vehicle but want to fly this time.

We do not want the added expense of renting a vehicle.

We have stayed at CS and POR but not FQ.

What is your opinion?

 

[OThopeful35]

We have stayed at POFQ and had great service but I think with the busses it is a hit and miss. Someone else may come on here and have had bad service.

 

[PolyAddict]

We have stayed at POFQ and had great service but I think with the busses it is a hit and miss. Someone else may come on here and have had bad service.

Thanks!

I forgot about the boat to DTD. That may help me make our decision easier.

 

[Headed4Fun]

Can't really comment on the buses as CSR but we stayed at POFQ and the buses were excellent! There is only one stop so once we were on, we went straight to the park. Coming back to the resort was the same way. And yes, the DTD boat ride was fantastic! My husband took my son one night to visit the Lego store and they had a blast.

Overall, thumbs up for POFQ transportation from us!

 

[siskaren]

I'm going to quote a post that I think gives the best comments about the bus system that I've ever read (bolding mine):

The bus service is pretty much the same at all resorts; buses to each destination are supposed to run on average about every 20 minutes. So why do so many people insist it's bad one place and good at another? Human nature, or at least two aspects of human nature. One is a phenomenon you can call the "grass is always greener" effect (everyone else's experience seems better than our own), and the other is the mistaken assumption that what happens to us once is the way it usually is for most people at most times.

"The grass is always greener ...." For EVERY resort, you can find posts from people saying something like this: "We waited forever at closing time at Magic Kingdom for a bus to (our resort) while we watched 4 buses from (another resort) drive on by." Seriously, there's not a resort this hasn't been written about.

The second point is perhaps the more important point. Just because you have a not-so-great experience with buses at a resort doesn't mean the bus service stinks. It could mean they were having a rough day or two. But more likely it means that you were just unlucky with timing.

My example is my stay at Polynesian a couple years ago. We noticed by our second or third day that we never, and I mean NEVER, waited more than about 2 minutes for whatever bus we wanted, whether going from resort to park or park to resort. So we started to joke about it as we walked up to the Poly bus stop in the morning or to a park bus stop when leaving a park, but it always worked that way for that entire week.

So, should we conclude from that that Polynesian has the best bus service ever? Absolutely NOT. It just means our timing was very lucky. Imagine another family that did everything exactly like we did, only they always did it exactly 2 minutes later than we did. They would've had a dreadful bus experience, as they would've waited almost 20 minutes for every single bus for an entire week. Does their bad experience mean Poly has bad bus service? Of course not, just like my great experience doesn't mean it has the best bus service.

In the same way, my great bus service at Caribbean Beach Resort in 2005 and my so-so bus service at Port Orleans French Quarter in 2006 DOESN'T mean that CBR's bus service is better than POFQ's, it just means that my individual experiences on those exact days was better at CBR than at POFQ.

And that's why we read such mixed reviews of bus service at various resorts. Just because someone had a lot of wait time doesn't mean the bus service stinks.

I strongly advise you to pick a Moderate resort based on the theme, as well as the small ways they differ in amenities.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I think there is some truth to CleveRocks's post that siskaren reposted above. However, I do also think POFQ and CSR have advantages over POR and CBR. POFQ is a small resort and buses usually pick up there first, then go to POR. Because of this, you have a better chance of getting a seat on a bus, and not having to wait while full buses come and go, at POFQ than at POR or CBR (depending on what bus stop you are using at those resorts). With CSR being a convention resort, there are times when substantially fewer people are waiting to board buses at CSR than at a similarly-sized non-convention resort.

I do have a tip for having a better experience with buses at CSR. I've stayed at CSR twice. The first time I thought the bus service was horrible. Long waits for buses and full buses coming and leaving. But I was using the bus stop at El Centro, which is the last stop picked up at CSR for all routes except DTD. I discovered the bus service went much smoother when I used the Casitas bus stop because it is the first one picked up for all routes except for DTD.

ETA: I didn't actually answer the OP's question. I don't think there is a huge difference between the bus service at CSR and POFQ. Pick your resort based on which theme you like better and which amenities appeal to you. CSR has a better pool and a really large hot tub. It doesn't have a traditional food court, but the Pepper Market has a really good lunch buffet that counts as a CS credit on the DDP. They also have a breakfast buffet, but I didn't eat there for breakfast so I can't say if it's good or not. The downside to CSR is its size. It can be a lot of walking to either the main pool and/or El Centro depending on where you are staying at the resort.

I love the size and compactness of POFQ. But their pool isn't as nice. The food court is small, cramped, and can be a madhouse at peak times. But you can walk over and use the pool and food court at POR if you want. And the boat to DTD is really nice.