POFQ and CSR - Who's stayed at both?

[shenaniganzz]

Trying to decide where to go for our Disney 2012 trip!

We stayed at CSR last time and really liked it. Our DD (4) loved the quiet pool which was conveniently right near our room! We found the size of the rooms to be decent and the extra space in the vanity area was a treat!

Truthfully, we would have liked to try a deluxe in 2012, but family is coming and as we are helping pay for part of that, it looks like it'll be a mod again. There could be worse problems!

Anyhoo, my mom is 67 (in reasonably good shape though) and while we didn't think the size of CSR was all that big a deal, we don't want to wear my mom out either. We were debating POFQ.

- Is the vanity area the same size at POFQ?

- Do the deluxe suites at POFQ offer any advantage other than fancy decor? (ie. more room?)

- How is the food court? From what I have read, it's not as good as CSR. We plan to do DxDP again so I don't know how much this would impact my choice as only ate once at the CSR food court last time.

- Is it significantly smaller?

- I understand it share a bus with POR. How are the buses? We liked that our buses at CSR were exclusive... the only downside was multiple stops (we were last). Again, not a huge issue.

Any pros or cons to either that I am missing?

Oh! We are also debating a land/sea deal. If we are leaving for the Disney Dream on check out day, what time does ME usually leave WDW for Port Canaveral?

TIA

 

[shenaniganzz]

I am going to correct myself.. the suites I was referring to (fancier decor) are at POR.

 

[Turk February]

The vanity is the same size.

The food court is definitely better at CSR (in my opinion). That's not to say the food court at POFQ is terrible, though.

POFQ is SIGNIFICANTLY smaller. This is a major reason why I loved the resort. It's "quaint" small. Your mother would definitely not get worn out.

When we stayed in July of 2010, we only shared a bus with POR once during the entire week. There's also only 1 stop at POFQ, which is great.

Pros for FQ - The size, the boat to DTD, the buses, all rooms were refurbished last year. There is a charm about FQ that doesn't come across in the pictures you see online. You can walk to POR and share their pool and food court.

Pros for CSR - The food court, I like the decor in the rooms better, the pool.

I would take FQ over CSR after staying at both for the reasons I stated above. Good luck with your decision!

 

[haPevraftr]

We have stayed at both, as well. We enjoyed both, but I would definitely recommend POFQ to address all of your concerns. We loved that POFQ is beautiful and charming. I actualy enjoyed their counter service better than CSR. You can take advantage of the boat shuttle to DTD, which is so convenient and gives you other dining options. You can enjoy listening to Elliot Dyson at POFQ or walk up to POR and have fun with YeHaw Bob. We never shared a bus with POR when we were there, but that was Easter week so that might have been why. I feel like there is no noticeable difference in size of rooms.

 

[DebbieB]

I've stayed at all 4 moderates and CSR was my least favorite. Didn't care for the food court setup, didn't care for the "theme". I really liked POFQ. It was nice to be in a smaller resort.

 

[aubriee]

You are talking about my two favorite resorts. I go to WDW 4-5 times a year and have pretty much settled on the moderates as my resorts of choice, so have stayed at all four more than once within just the last couple of years.

I would have to say CSR is my favorite over POFQ by just a smidge. I prefer CSR's food court (even though they changed B and L to an all you can eat deal as of Dec 4th. I'm not happy about that, but it's a good deal if you are on the basic DDP or counter service DDP.). CSR has the best bus service on property, their pool slide is longer and we prefer their main pool over the one at POFQ. They have the biggest hot tub on property and have three quiet pools whereas POFQ has only a main pool and a very small hot tub. We have stayed at both since they were refurbed and the queen beds at CSR are much more comfortable than the new queen beds at POFQ. POFQ also has very uncomfortable pillows for some reason. CSR has a lounge that is adults only after certain hours.

However, CSR is ALOT bigger than POFQ and some of the rooms (especially ones in the Ranchos) are a long way from the main building. You can always use the bus to get around to the main building though.

POFQ is the smallest resort on property and no room is very far from anything, which we love. Their food court is decent, but they do not have a TS restaurant, which we miss on nights we are really tired and just don't want to go out but don't want CS either. We love the boat to DTD, which opens up several dining venues though. We also love Elliot Dyson's show in the lounge and Ye Haw Bob's show over at PORS. Since they are sister resorts you can use the pools over at PORS and it's a lovely short walk over there. Being from the south we love the peaceful, down home, friendly, southern feel of POFQ. One other thing is that the rooms at POFQ have double sinks, whereas CSR has only one. However, having only one sink means CSR has more counter space.

As you can tell from my counter I love both resorts, but since you've already stayed at CSR and since you'll have your 67 y/o mom with you, I'd give POFQ a try. Yes, they do share buses with PORS, but POFQ is the first stop so you pretty much always get a seat. Since they are so close there's not really much difference than if you were at the first bus stop at CSR.

 

[averill94]

I have been lucky enough to stay at CSR twice and really think it is beautiful but....fave to go with POFQ just on size!.. There is NO comparison.

POFQ is so pretty,the water taxi to downtown,food is fine! ( we would always sit in front of scat cats much quieter there ) the pool is great for kids and oh did I mention the size?

If you do stay at POFQ take a walk to POR , it is so fast. Unfortunately I only did it alone on our last day...I wish I went with the whole family!

Enjoy you trip.

 

[SharonZ]

They are both very nice resorts - I would give the edge to CSR, though. I liked the food court better there and CSR's themed pool and the quiet pools are very nice. Also, POFQ does not have a sit down restaurant. If you choose CSR, you might want to book a preferred room. I believe Casitas 1, 2 and 3 are the closest to the main building.

 

[silverhaze269]

I've stayed at both, and loved my stay at each, however, I would probably choose CSR over POFQ if I was to stay at one of those resorts again.

The thing I liked most about The French Quarter was its size. It's such a small resort in comparison to the rest of the WDW resorts, that it feels more cozy somehow. I also enjoyed the theming quite a bit as well. The rooms were nice and we had towel creations most nights. The vanity area has two sinks, which we found to be a huge help. We also stayed there during Christmas (07), so the resort was very nicely decorated, and the jazzy Christmas music was a nice change from the regular Christmas music I would have been subjected to at home.

I'm not one to use resort pools very often, but I found the pool at the FQ very lackluster compared to pools at other resorts on the property. Just sayin'

The ferry to DD was a nice perk, and we used it on a few occasions.

The buses at FQ were pretty good. The bus stops at the FQ first for pick-ups, so you'll get a seat no problem, but on the way back it stops at the River Side first (as far as I can remember).

The food court at the FQ wasn't spectacular. The beignets were awesome though, and the pizza was good. I was a little creeped out by the larger than life masks and such hanging from the ceiling in the food court, but that's probably me just being weird

Overall, the FQ is a really nice resort, and I probably would stay there in the future, but if it was a choice between CSR and FQ, I would go with the CSR, like I said earlier.

I stayed at the CSR when I was at WDW in May, and fell in love with the resort

Yes, it's large, but it's gorgeous. I absolutely loved the theming, the landscaping, and music that was piped in over the resort.

The room is really not much different than the FQ, but I liked the decor better at the CSR. The vanity area is large, but it's only got one sink, which we made do with, but two would have been better. I don't know why there isn't a double sink vanity there, because it's certainly big enough...

Anyway, the main pool looked really neat, even though I didn't swim there. The quiet pools looked nice too, but again, I didn't use them.

The food court was better than the FQ, but I still wasn't crazy about it. I liked the decor better, no giant heads , but the majority of the CM's working there were very cold and slightly rude (with the exception of the drink station lady, and the "greeters").

I found the buses at the CSR to be pretty awesome, but we may have just been lucky.

I also really enjoyed the gift shop at the CSR...I thought they had a great selection of items (FQ's shop wasn't as good, but it was still nice).

In terms of location in the WDWR, I thought the CSR was more central, taking no more than 10-15 minutes to get to the furthest park, but at the FQ for some reason, it seemed to take longer to get to the parks.

So, it depends on what you're looking for in a resort. I don't think you would be disappointed at either of these resorts.

 

[Sandi]

I've stayed at all of the moderates and POFQ is my favorite. I think that it would be perfect for you given your situation on your upcoming trip. When we travel with my parents (now in their 70s with some mobility issues), we always stay at POFQ and have done that for the past 15+ years. The boat to DTD is a nice feature that we always use.

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

We only lasted a couple hours at POFQ before moving to CSR....

CSR gets my vote!

 

[LindaBabe]

HATED CSR. Love the decor, love the scenery, hated the long hot walks to the bus stop and all the people in business suits. IMO, it's a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to stay there again.

POFQ and POR - LOVE the decor, love the scenery, love the size, love the family friendly evening entertainment (Pianoman Bob at POR and Elliott Dyson, one man band at POFQ. Love the romantic walk along the river, love the ferry to downtown. Like the dragon pool slide. I'm probably mom's age or older and POR definitely gets my vote.

 

[buzznina]

We are a Mod family and stay mainly at POR/POFQ and CSR, we really like all 3 but now that the PO resorts have queen beds they get the nod for our fav. You get 2 resorts for the price of one, there is more activities there, bike or boat rental, carriage rides, family entertainment with yee-haw Bob, boat to DTD for more dinner choices or shopping. Two sinks compared to one at CSR We like the pool area at CSR better because the kids play area is also right there, very convenient and the slide is better. For us the food court goes to POR with the make your own pasta and salad bar POFQ buses usually only shares with POR during off hours and slow times, but POFQ gets picked up AND dropped off 1st before POR. The distance to the parks are a no factor, CSR is a few minutes shorter to a couple of the parks and the PO resorts are a little quicker to the others. The size of the resort does not factor in for our family, because when we are at a disney resort we just enjoy strolling and looking at the wonderful themeing.

 

[cbg1027]

I've stayed at both and loved them both!

- Is the vanity area the same size at POFQ?
If you're talking about counter space, no. While CSR has one sink, in that same area, POFQ has two sinks. They add a small shelf above the sinks, but overall, I think there is more counter space at CSR. But at POFQ, you can have two people using the sinks at the same time.

- How is the food court?
I thought the POFQ food court was the same as any of the values - nothing great, but it's convenient for a quick bite at the resort.

- Is it significantly smaller?
MUCH smaller. I stayed in one of the outer buildings and was shocked by how short the walk to the main areas was.

- I understand it share a bus with POR. How are the buses? We liked that our buses at CSR were exclusive... the only downside was multiple stops (we were last). Again, not a huge issue.
POFQ does not always share a bus. I never encountered a shared bus. But there is no way to know until you're on the bus if it will be shared.