Help! Need Resort Advice: WL or POFQ

[cstrong]

We have 8 adults and 5 kids (ages 8, 5, 4, 2 1/2, 1 1/2) going for Thanksgiving. We are trying to figure out where to stay. Our options are 3 rooms at the WL or 4 rooms at POFQ. I would love to hear anyone thoughts about where we should stay. Thanks so much!

 

[Mom of Sleepy Bashful and BabyDoc]

Have you stayed at either before??

If you choose WL, does that mean some of the rooms will have 4 plus a child in a crib??

Is this a trip that you will basically be sleeping at the hotel or do you want to spend the afternoons back at the hotel??

What's the price difference??

As you can tell by my avatar and sig., I LOVE WL!! I just wonder if you will be happier with more space and one more bathroom(which is always nice). Both have nice pools for the kids. No foodcourt at WL (there is a small cafe type place, not a whole lot of selection but it was fine for our needs).

As far as the beauty of the actual resort, WL is hard to beat. But I've heard great things about POFQ.

 

[txdznydude]

Tuff call! I love them both. I don't have kids but I hear the pool at POFQ is a big hit with kids. If you'll be eating at the resort any keep in mind that WL doesn't have a food court, POFQ does. A food court could be a benefit with the number of people you have and if they all want something different. Other than that I think
it's a 50/50 toss up. You'll have great time no mater which resort you choose.

 

[ILoveWDW2003]

How many families in your group? Why would you need 4 rooms at
POFQ and only 3 at the WL?

WL does have Roaring Forks -- it isn't very large as far as food courts go, but there is bit of variety in the menu.

 

[cstrong]

Thanks for the responses. We will have 3 families and mom and dad. Does this help? I am interested in anyone's experiences at both places!

 

[Mom of Sleepy Bashful and BabyDoc]

So if you are at WL, 3 families will share 2 rooms??

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

Well my famly all love the Wilderness Lodge, when staying at another resort recently my nephews and I visited the Wilderness Lodge on our last day...the boys tried to talk me into staying a few more days at the Lodge...I thought about it and then remembered they had to be back at school...They almost had me!!!

We always enjoy the Lodge and always have had Magical stays. (If the weather isn't that great,The Lodge has more to keep everyone busy)

Oh!!! and the Lodge will be decorated for Christmas...You must stay at the Lodge because of the Christmas Decorations.

Have a Great Trip.

 

[susy]

We were at WL last Thanksgiving and WOW!!!! I really want to go back this year-we'll see. The lobby with the tree adn the decoartiosn really put you inot the holiday spirit. The kids will LOVE Whisperign Canyon Cafe. Roaring forks is a smaller food court, but was more than sufficient and was never crowded. MY son LOVED the pool and can't wait to go back. The geyser was a treat adn the surrey bike to Fw was so much fun. There is so much to do here!!!!

 

[LoveMickey]

WL is great. And the Christmas decorations will be up. If you can get a room there, book it. That's if it fits within your price range.

French Quarter is our favorite Moderate, with Riverside next. Just stayed at the newly renovated FQ and found it to be lovely. With very comfortable beds. They now have privacy curtain to section off the sink area. This is very convenient.

Either place is great.

Good luck and enjoy your Thanksgiving at Disney.

Oh, FQ/Riverside is not as nicely decorated as WL.

 

[winniedapooh]

We did 2 rooms at the WL one year with DH & I & our 5 DCherubs. It was a blast, a bit tight, but we wanted the kids to stay on property once. We rented a house at Windsor Palms last Christmas and am renting the same one in October. The kids loved WL as well as the convience to the parks, the boat shuttle, food court, resort decor etc.

 

[zalansky]

We have stayed at both. POFQ is our favorite moderate, and WL is my favorite deluxe. If I were choosing between the two, I would definitely go for WL. There is more to do at WL, the theming is wonderful. (i have not been at the holidays but it is beautiful from everything we hear on the boards) You can take a boat ride to MK and Contemporary...which we prefer over the monorail. We also rode to surrey bikes to Fort Wilderness - which was alot of fun. There is a petting zoo & pony rides at FW...and at night, weather permitting, the kids can watch a movie outside with Chip & Dale. We found enough dining choices at Roaring Forks to keep us satisfied.
The food court at POFQ is larger and the theming there is great too. You can take a boat to Downtown Disney from there.
I don't know what part of the country you live in, but maybe that could help make your choice. Look at the two themes and what each hotel has to offer for your interests.
Either way, I am sure you will all have a wonderful stay!

 

[Chicago526]

Have you checked into getting a 2 bedroom villa at WL? My family of 8 (Grandma and Grandpa, DB1, SIL, DN1 and DN2, DB2 and me) stayed in a 2 bedroom last may and it worked out great! We loved having the kitchen and washer/dryer. The villa was huge! Here's a description from my trip report:

Basically, it was a two bed, two bath apartment. You enter in the main room, which has a small kitchen and the living area with a sleeper sofa, dinning table and breakfast bar, entertainment center, and a small balcony. There was also a stackable washer/dryer in a closet off the main room, very handy to do a bit of laundry when the kids made a mess. The master suite had a king size bed, TV, it’s own balcony, and a whirlpool tub with a dressing area complete with a sink and vanity. It also had two small closets, one of which had a full size iron and board. The master bathroom, which also served as the main bath, had a huge shower stall, sink and vanity, and a separate toilet with a door, so someone could use that while another person used the sink. This arrangement allowed up to three people to use the bathroom while maintaining privacy. The second bedroom had two double beds, a TV, a huge walk in closet, and a full bathroom. DB1, SIL and the kids took this room. They set up the crib (Disney provided it) in the walk in closet to give DN2 his own little bedroom (it was that big!) so he and DN1 wouldn’t disturb each other as they sometimes had different nap schedules. Our parents took the master suite, with DB2 and I sharing the living room. He took the couch and I had brought an inflatable mattress along, I had plenty of space on the floor and just asked for a few extra blankets and pillows from house keeping.

 

[zalansky]

Chicago526 -
If you don't mind sharing, what did this type of villa cost per night? I have always wanted to rent one but am scared of the cost.