Before my recent first trip to the "World", I found it invaluable to read other people's reviews of their experiences, and thought it only fair that I reciprocate. So here is my review of my stay at the POFQ from 1/30-2/3:
I booked my hotel through Debbie Kuhns of Magical Journeys, and she was a real gem. I was always stunned at how quickly she would respond to my emails at all hours of the day and night, and she got me everything I wanted, including a discount price for POFQ of $379 for 4 nights. The check-in line on Sunday evening was long, but it only took me about 20 minutes to check in. I was extremely happy that my room requests were all fulfilled: I had room 3229 (2nd floor; I had requested an upstairs room for security reasons) in Building 3, which is the closest to the main building, it was nonsmoking and, for the most part, very quiet throughout my stay. The room came equipped with the standard A/C, TV, and clock radio, along with coffeemaker and coffee, refrigerator, iron and ironing board, and in-room safe. Also, there is a laundry wire running lengthwise across the shower so you can hang your wet bathing suit up to dry. I was pleased with all of this.
The fitted sheet on my bed had a small tear in it, which didnt bother me all that much. What did bother me was that the shower curtain liner was very moldy. I left a note for housekeeping on Monday, asking them to replace it, and when I returned to the room, it hadnt been. However, that might have been my fault; my note said moldy shower curtain not liner. I couldnt tell if the curtain itself had been replaced. But I called housekeeping, and they immediately sent up a runner named Diane who replaced the liner with a new one. She was nice and we chatted while she was doing it. I thanked her as she was leaving, and she said Well, you shouldnt have had to call about this. I didnt say anything, but of course I agreed with her.
POFQ has lovely grounds (especially the walk along the river), with piped in New Orleans jazz music all over the property. The gift shop didnt seem to have much of a selection of goods. The food court was just okay, although the décor is fun. I loved the size of the resort, and its location, but the one thing it is sorely lacking is a sit-down restaurant. At the end of a long, tiring day, it would be really nice to know that I could grab a good meal within my hotel without having to use a cafeteria tray or eating fast food.
Almost all of the staff I encountered were friendly and did their jobs well with 2 exceptions (the housekeeper who missed the moldy shower curtain liner and a young woman working in Guest Relations. I stopped by the Guest Relations Desk on Wednesday to see if they had any ideas for where I might have dinner that would require very little walking from a bus stop in the rain and without having to do a bus transfer. I was willing to take a cab to and from the restaurant for convenience sake. She had no suggestions for specific restaurants, and was adamant about talking me out of taking a cab anywhere. You dont have to do that, you can take the bus anywhere, you just have to transfer. I realize its probably difficult to give people suggestions for restaurants without knowing what their tastes are, but thats the job of Guest Relations. Theyre supposed to pull information out of you to help them help you. (At least, this is the way it works in Vegas; I dont know how it normally works at Disney World.) She was no help whatsoever. So I was on my own.
I took advantage of the Express Checkout, which was very convenient. There was nothing on the bill that was contestable, so all was good. I also used the room key charge system, and that is SO convenient, I highly recommend it. It was nice not to worry about having to bring a charge card or tons of cash with me everywhere. The only place that didnt accept it was the House of Blues company store, and they were very apologetic, it seemed to be some sort of technical glitch.
Finally, I know Im comparing apples and oranges, but I really do feel the need to rant a little: For the same price I paid for POFQ, which is essentially a glorified motel room, I could have stayed at a 4 star hotel in Las Vegas, with interior hallways, a view of the Las Vegas Strip, a buffet, 24 hour café, expensive restaurants, a lounge with live music, a show or two, a spa, and all the slot machines I could care to play all under one roof. When I go to Las Vegas, I am pampered and treated like royalty. I did not feel pampered at POFQ. Not that I didn't enjoy myself, but when I go on vacation, I want people to wait on me hand and foot, I want a better class of experience than what I have at home. So Id have to say that in terms of bang for your buck, the Disney resorts do not compare with what I've experienced in Las Vegas. (With one exception: At least I didn't come home reeking of cigarette smoke!)
But I knew all of this ahead of time, so I had time to prepare myself so I wasn't bitterly disappointed or anything. You know, "when in Rome" and all that. Because I couldn't stay more than 4 nights and wanted to do as much as possible in that time, staying on property was a necessity. For what it was, POFQ is a nice place to stay. I liked the fact that it wasn't too spread out, so you didn't have to walk very far to get to the food court or the bus stop or the river taxi. And I liked the peace and quiet it offered. I was very satisfied with the experience, and in fact, I would consider staying there again on any future trips to WDW.
I booked my hotel through Debbie Kuhns of Magical Journeys, and she was a real gem. I was always stunned at how quickly she would respond to my emails at all hours of the day and night, and she got me everything I wanted, including a discount price for POFQ of $379 for 4 nights. The check-in line on Sunday evening was long, but it only took me about 20 minutes to check in. I was extremely happy that my room requests were all fulfilled: I had room 3229 (2nd floor; I had requested an upstairs room for security reasons) in Building 3, which is the closest to the main building, it was nonsmoking and, for the most part, very quiet throughout my stay. The room came equipped with the standard A/C, TV, and clock radio, along with coffeemaker and coffee, refrigerator, iron and ironing board, and in-room safe. Also, there is a laundry wire running lengthwise across the shower so you can hang your wet bathing suit up to dry. I was pleased with all of this.
The fitted sheet on my bed had a small tear in it, which didnt bother me all that much. What did bother me was that the shower curtain liner was very moldy. I left a note for housekeeping on Monday, asking them to replace it, and when I returned to the room, it hadnt been. However, that might have been my fault; my note said moldy shower curtain not liner. I couldnt tell if the curtain itself had been replaced. But I called housekeeping, and they immediately sent up a runner named Diane who replaced the liner with a new one. She was nice and we chatted while she was doing it. I thanked her as she was leaving, and she said Well, you shouldnt have had to call about this. I didnt say anything, but of course I agreed with her.
POFQ has lovely grounds (especially the walk along the river), with piped in New Orleans jazz music all over the property. The gift shop didnt seem to have much of a selection of goods. The food court was just okay, although the décor is fun. I loved the size of the resort, and its location, but the one thing it is sorely lacking is a sit-down restaurant. At the end of a long, tiring day, it would be really nice to know that I could grab a good meal within my hotel without having to use a cafeteria tray or eating fast food.
Almost all of the staff I encountered were friendly and did their jobs well with 2 exceptions (the housekeeper who missed the moldy shower curtain liner and a young woman working in Guest Relations. I stopped by the Guest Relations Desk on Wednesday to see if they had any ideas for where I might have dinner that would require very little walking from a bus stop in the rain and without having to do a bus transfer. I was willing to take a cab to and from the restaurant for convenience sake. She had no suggestions for specific restaurants, and was adamant about talking me out of taking a cab anywhere. You dont have to do that, you can take the bus anywhere, you just have to transfer. I realize its probably difficult to give people suggestions for restaurants without knowing what their tastes are, but thats the job of Guest Relations. Theyre supposed to pull information out of you to help them help you. (At least, this is the way it works in Vegas; I dont know how it normally works at Disney World.) She was no help whatsoever. So I was on my own.
I took advantage of the Express Checkout, which was very convenient. There was nothing on the bill that was contestable, so all was good. I also used the room key charge system, and that is SO convenient, I highly recommend it. It was nice not to worry about having to bring a charge card or tons of cash with me everywhere. The only place that didnt accept it was the House of Blues company store, and they were very apologetic, it seemed to be some sort of technical glitch.
Finally, I know Im comparing apples and oranges, but I really do feel the need to rant a little: For the same price I paid for POFQ, which is essentially a glorified motel room, I could have stayed at a 4 star hotel in Las Vegas, with interior hallways, a view of the Las Vegas Strip, a buffet, 24 hour café, expensive restaurants, a lounge with live music, a show or two, a spa, and all the slot machines I could care to play all under one roof. When I go to Las Vegas, I am pampered and treated like royalty. I did not feel pampered at POFQ. Not that I didn't enjoy myself, but when I go on vacation, I want people to wait on me hand and foot, I want a better class of experience than what I have at home. So Id have to say that in terms of bang for your buck, the Disney resorts do not compare with what I've experienced in Las Vegas. (With one exception: At least I didn't come home reeking of cigarette smoke!)
But I knew all of this ahead of time, so I had time to prepare myself so I wasn't bitterly disappointed or anything. You know, "when in Rome" and all that. Because I couldn't stay more than 4 nights and wanted to do as much as possible in that time, staying on property was a necessity. For what it was, POFQ is a nice place to stay. I liked the fact that it wasn't too spread out, so you didn't have to walk very far to get to the food court or the bus stop or the river taxi. And I liked the peace and quiet it offered. I was very satisfied with the experience, and in fact, I would consider staying there again on any future trips to WDW.
DH and I were going to take a short (three day weekend) trip and I couldn't find anything below $150.00 per night. We don't gamble so we were just going for the experience. It turned out cheaper for us to go to Mexico for four days. 
