How Do you pick which resort at PO

[buzz1fan]

I can not decide which resort to possibly stay at. Riverside or French Quarter.

Important to us:
Pool
Walk to the buses
Food
Clean/Nice Room

It seems from reading these reviews that Riverside has very large grounds. If we stay at the FQ, is it a long way to boatrights?

 

[kaffinito]

That's the beauty of POR and POFQ, as sister resorts you can use both pools. I've read on the boards that the walk from POR to POFQ only takes 10-15 minutes. I'm booked at POFQ myself and am planning to go to Boatwrights for a meal. From what I was reading the buses are better at POFQ. I stayed at POR last year and didn't have any problem with the buses though.

I would think in this case you might want to go with the theme that you like the best. Look at scads of pictures and go with the one that appeals to you visually. There are pictures available on allears.net, here at wdwinfo, and on travelocity as well.

Good luck!

 

[buzz1fan]

Was your room in good condition. Floors, walls, bathroom? We currently are planning to stay at the Poly, but know I would like to save that money. I know the rooms are more updated there.

Also are the pools close at FQ and Riverside? Our kids are 1 & 4.

 

[jelliott04]

Was your room in good condition. Floors, walls, bathroom? We currently are planning to stay at the Poly, but know I would like to save that money. I know the rooms are more updated there.

Also are the pools close at FQ and Riverside? Our kids are 1 & 4.

We normally stay at POR...we go about twice a year at least. Our kids are 2 & 8. We've never had a bad spot or poor room. It seems that whatever room we are put in it isn't that far from the main building. We normally drive though so can't say about busses.

We are heading out for 4 days sans kids on Thursday and I switched to POFQ just for a change of pace. We're having a couples massage and spa day with the monetary difference between that and the poly.

 

[Hedy]

Pool-I've only used POR, but as previously stated, you can use either
Walk to the buses-POFQ, hands down-only one bus stop at a smaller resort
Food-POr has a bigger food court, plus sit-down dining options.
Clean/Nice Room-both are equally nice, IMO.

So it looks like a tie from where you're standing. I love both resorts, but have to give POFQ the nod for the smaller resort and one bus stop.

 

[jess20k]

We have stayed at both, and we prefer POFQ! We like the fact that the property is a much smaller size, which we really liked. Plus, even though the size is smaller, you still get a very peaceful and quaint atmosphere. I also thought the rooms were a bit nicer than they were at POR. The pools were both fine for us, so that did not make a huge difference. One huge difference was the bus service. Even though POR and FQ share bus service most of the time, we thought it was way better at FQ. Reason being is that the bus picks up and drops off at FQ first. We had a terrible time at POR with the buses, but at FQ, it was no problem.

POFQ is our favorite mod, and we stayed at all of them so far, except for CSR. I would recommend it in a second!

 

[Davey-D-99]

Reason being is that the bus picks up and drops off at FQ first. We had a terrible time at POR with the buses, but at FQ, it was no problem.

We were at POR three weeks ago and this was not always the case...
The busses were never consistent on the stops...Sometimes we stopped at POFQ first sometimes POR first, sometimes it stopped at the West Depot first and went around, sometimes the South Depot first and around. Sometimes we shared a bus with POFQ, sometimes it was POR only. There were several times when the bus got to POFQ after making all the stops at POR it was so crowded that only a handful of POFQ guests were allowed on to stand...and vice-versa...a bus would show up at our stop at POR already full of POFQ guests.

 

[skipperkim]

I've stayed at FQ twice and love it. The bus picked us up and dropped us off first unless we were going to downtown.

 

[VisitorFromNorCal]

The busses were never consistent on the stops...Sometimes we stopped at POFQ first sometimes POR first, sometimes it stopped at the West Depot first and went around, sometimes the South Depot first and around.

We are staying at POR in a couple of weeks. I am trying to get a handle on the bus stops and which ones are best to use. When it stopped at the West Depot first did it proceed to the South one next or go around the other way? If its always West (followed by South) or South first then at least the South is the safest option. If it sometimes hits the South depot last then I guess all bets are off.

 

[Davey-D-99]

We are staying at POR in a couple of weeks. I am trying to get a handle on the bus stops and which ones are best to use. When it stopped at the West Depot first did it proceed to the South one next or go around the other way? If its always West (followed by South) or South first then at least the South is the safest option. If it sometimes hits the South depot last then I guess all bets are off.

It seemed to me it was either in order... W/N/E/S or S/W/N/E. Always in the same direction around the resort.
We stayed in AB building #27 and it was perfectly in the middle of everything...equal distance to both West and South stop...and close to main building, main pool, quiet pool...also a good building if you don't want a parking lot view because all the views are either water or gardens.
Also...We always went to the South stop first thing in the morning and those busses usually went straight to their destinations without making the other stops. It was in the afternoon and evening that they made all the stops.

 

[VisitorFromNorCal]

It seemed to me it was either in order... W/N/E/S or S/W/N/E. Always in the same direction around the resort.
We stayed in AB building #27 and it was perfectly in the middle of everything...equal distance to both West and South stop...and close to main building, main pool, quiet pool...also a good building if you don't want a parking lot view because all the views are either water or gardens.
Also...We always went to the South stop first thing in the morning and those busses usually went straight to their destinations without making the other stops. It was in the afternoon and evening that they made all the stops.

Awesome reply. Thank you very much. Not that I was hoping to see S as possibly the last stop though. Your notes though and the map are very helpful. I requested 18, 14, or 27 as the building numbers (based on the info in the WDW Unofficial Guide). I figured the south stop is the safest one to be on in the morning since its the main one so that lines up with what you said. We'll see. I read so many horror stories and then so many where everything went fine there really is no way to know in advance. That's why I am trying to plan as best as I can and then ultimately the chips will fall where they may.

Thanks again.

 

[kaffinito]

Was your room in good condition. Floors, walls, bathroom? We currently are planning to stay at the Poly, but know I would like to save that money. I know the rooms are more updated there.

Also are the pools close at FQ and Riverside? Our kids are 1 & 4.

I was very pleased with the condition of the room - especially since I had read some bad reviews about Mousekeeping before we went. The bathroom was clean enough, and the bedsheets, comforter, and floors were as well. I even checked for dust! The room overall was clean and the furnishings were in good condition, and the decor in AB # 14 was not as annoying as I thought it would be from the pictures. It looks a lot better in person than it does in the photos IMO.

For a 1 year old and a 4 year old I would pick POFQ over POR. If my kids were your kids ages when we went I would have picked that one instead. POR is a lot bigger, and some of its theming might be lost on little ones. The pool over at POFQ has that cool Dragon motif, and the colors and the landscaping looks a lot more kid friendly. Plus you still have the food court and the restaurant over at POR for your use, so you really can't go too wrong with either choice.

Of course, you could always keep your ressies at the Poly! (It's my dream resort!)

 

[gr8tdame]

We will be staying @ WDW sept 20-Oct 4 (2weeks) My ds will be celebrating his 16th birthday and we will be celebrating our anniversary. We did the trip last year and stayed at CSR. The bus service at CSR was great.. but a long ride to DTD. We are not early risers and usually went to DTD for brunch or an early lunch. We love Wolfgang Puck Express.
We want to try a different resort this year and the boat to DTD has narrowed the choice to POR or POFQ and I am having a real hard time deciding.
Which resort would my teenager like best? POR- Alligator Bayou or the mansions? Help.
We liked CSR and are fearful of being disappointed...14 nights is a long time.
I thought of doing a split stay but dh and ds once they get settled don't want to move. Suggestions and advice would be appreciated.

 

[anonymousegirl]

Someone mentioned they liked the pools (plural) at POFQ but I thought FQ only had one pool (the main dragon pool). Am I wrong? I cannot seem to find any other pool on their map.

 

[kaffinito]

There is one main pool at POFQ but POR has a main pool and several quiet pools.

 

[monica31671]

Was your room in good condition. Floors, walls, bathroom? We currently are planning to stay at the Poly, but know I would like to save that money. I know the rooms are more updated there.

Also are the pools close at FQ and Riverside? Our kids are 1 & 4.

For children ages 1 and 4, I'd go with POFQ. Short walk to everything and the pool is the best for young children.

 

[buzz1fan]

I think FQ is the way we are headed.

 

[kat3668]

We will be staying @ WDW sept 20-Oct 4 (2weeks) My ds will be celebrating his 16th birthday and we will be celebrating our anniversary. We did the trip last year and stayed at CSR. The bus service at CSR was great.. but a long ride to DTD. We are not early risers and usually went to DTD for brunch or an early lunch. We love Wolfgang Puck Express.
We want to try a different resort this year and the boat to DTD has narrowed the choice to POR or POFQ and I am having a real hard time deciding.
Which resort would my teenager like best? POR- Alligator Bayou or the mansions? Help.
We liked CSR and are fearful of being disappointed...14 nights is a long time.
I thought of doing a split stay but dh and ds once they get settled don't want to move. Suggestions and advice would be appreciated.

IMHO I would stick with CSR if I were you, I am so disappointed that CSR is not available for my dates. I stayed at POR a couple of years back and while the resort is very lovely Csr just has so many ammenities. The bus service is worth it alone.

 

[monica31671]

We will be staying @ WDW sept 20-Oct 4 (2weeks) My ds will be celebrating his 16th birthday and we will be celebrating our anniversary. We did the trip last year and stayed at CSR. The bus service at CSR was great.. but a long ride to DTD. We are not early risers and usually went to DTD for brunch or an early lunch. We love Wolfgang Puck Express.
We want to try a different resort this year and the boat to DTD has narrowed the choice to POR or POFQ and I am having a real hard time deciding.
Which resort would my teenager like best? POR- Alligator Bayou or the mansions? Help.
We liked CSR and are fearful of being disappointed...14 nights is a long time.
I thought of doing a split stay but dh and ds once they get settled don't want to move. Suggestions and advice would be appreciated.

I've been to all three. I'd say POR. The pool at POR is super great, the resort is beautiful, and the boat to DTD is wonderful. My family is partial to the mansions, but I would be happy anywhere.

 

[Minnie&Nana]

IThe room overall was clean and the furnishings were in good condition, and the decor in AB # 14 was not as annoying as I thought it would be from the pictures. It looks a lot better in person than it does in the photos IMO.

I agree! I kind of dreaded staying at Riverside in Feb 2006, but it was a long weekend and we had a great AP rate of $88 a ngt inc tx!! So tried POR - we were in a corner room in building 14...it was actually kind of cute - like camping for non-campers. If that makes sense!

It was very relaxing and far more enjoyable than I ever imagined. The photos do not do the AB rooms justice.

To the OP: Cleanliness of the room is pretty much luck of the drawn no matter the resort. You will read as many complaints about Poly rooms as any other resort. If the room is not clean, call housekeeping right away and nicely explain the situation and request the room be cleaned asap - if they do not come within 30 mins, call and ask for a housekeeping manager. Same for any resort.

The Poly is worth every cent, but FQ is a great way to save.

Hope you have a great trip!