POFQ Disappointment

[Deb & Bill]

Disney has lots of contractors working for them, even in Imagineering.

 

[a*lil*bit*goofy]

Been off line too long...what renos are happening at POFQ

And more importantly what is ROL???

 

[dansdad]

Been off line too long...what renos are happening at POFQ

From http://www.portorleans.org/

Port Orleans French Quarter food court refurbishment
11 July — Fall 2016 (due to be completed before Thanksgiving)

Starting 11 July, the Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory food court will be closed for a few months for refurbishment work, due to be completed “sometime in the fall”. In the meantime, the original Bonfamille’s Cafe table service area will be brought back into service to act as a temporary quick service food court, serving many of the resort’s regular hot and cold favourites — including of course the signature beignets.

Guests will also be able to make use of the Riverside Mill food court and Boatwright’s Dining Hall table-service restaurant over at Port Orleans Riverside, and free shuttle transportation will be provided.

The temporary food location, in place during the current refurbishment work of the main food court, is located in the old Bonfamille’s Cafe area as expected, and is thus quite a bit smaller than the normal food court. To provide for the maximum seating capacity they can (which appears to be around 20 tables) you order your food at one of two registers and cast members bring it out from the kitchens directly to your table (rather like the quick service system in use at the Be Our Guest restaurant, but without the magic roses). This means that no Create-Your-Own options are available. See below photos for menus.

There are chilled grab’n’go cabinets too, plus two Coca Cola Freestyle machines and coffee machines for use with your refillable mugs. Tables in Wonderland cards are accepted, as is the Quick Service Dining Plan.

The automated player piano in the lobby has been removed for the time being to allow better access, but otherwise Scat Cat’s Club is operating as normal (including evening entertainment).

The refurbishment work is expected to continue into the Fall, and should be completed before Thanksgiving.

 

[wilkeliza]

Been off line too long...what renos are happening at POFQ

And more importantly what is ROL???

The quick service food location is being renovated.

ROL = reflections of light. It was suppose to be a night time show at Animal Kingdom but was postponed for technical difficulties.

 

[a*lil*bit*goofy]

Thanks for the info to you both!!!

 

[Nancyg56]

I have to say that many of the posts make me relieved that the refurbishment should not impact my stay as much as I anticipate it could. For this trip, we planned on two resort days so we did plan on eating several meals at Sassagoula and really looked forward to the theming. Since we have not been, we expected it to be pretty neat but several of you said it was the least impressive part of the resort so that eases my mind.

The immersion and theming in each resort is what makes Disney special and when some of the amenities are not available that you counted on, it is disappointing.

It is hard to say what will impact you. I remember our BC stay about 4 year ago. We were there for the CHistmas holiday season and thrilled. We booked club level so I thought that the refurb of Hurricane Hannahs would not be a big deal. Oh my! We felt the strain on the CM's and it really did impact us.

Some folks can stay at a resort with full construction going on and they are not all inconvenienced, and others are lie my family.

WIth that said, POFQ is our moderate of choice, we love it! But we do nto eat al our meals in the food court when we are there, so while any change may seem monumental right now, you may decide that even a resort day should include a lazy ride or a stroll to POR or DTD. POFQ is lovely, and the dining options that are close by are nice, so if you do not like the one onsite, try POR.

It's interesting too as I read what some people are frustrated with and think...that isn't that big of a deal. I wouldn't be bothered by that. Everyone has different expectations and wants for their vacation. It definitely won't be perfect and that is fine. I guess it is best to expect less and be happy with what it is. Disney is such an expensive vacation that it is hard think that way sometimes.

I know. I cannot tell you that you are not going to be disappointed, but I think that you should go with an open mind. AS I said, POFQ is a lovely little resort, and part of it's charm is the water taxi to DS and POR. There will be an alternate option for food onsite, and I have read it is working well, but if it is not sufficient, try POR.

Honestly that sounds so "painful" you should probably just cancel and save yourself the heartache.

This is rude. People spend a lot of tie poring over photos, reading reviews and plannign their vacations. WDW is a destination that invites guests to anticipate the Magic long before they even arrive, so a renovation can be a problem.

I would not be so quick to make light of a food court closure. I can tell you that by the end of a 12 day stay at the BC with Hurricane Hannahs closed, my DH had had enough. Perhaps this is a small inconvenience to you, but it can be an issue for others. We felt the strain the CM's were under as they navigated the closure. It was busy and they were stressed. Not their fault, but we paid a lot of money for that vacation, and while we enjoyed our stay, it was the only time we left wth a little Buyers Remorse.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Honestly that sounds so "painful" you should probably just cancel and save yourself the heartache.

Blunt, but not necessarily unreasonable

In my personal experience it has been noted either in customer reviews of the place or on the establishment's webpage.

That's not the property notifying the guest directly.

One thing is for sure, they have 100% protected themselves for any action or decision they want to make,

Which aligns them with hundreds/thousands 's businesses nationally which see or experience the need to protect themselves in such a litigious society.

I signed away any power I possessed as a consumer when I paid them, whether I took the time to know it beforehand or not has been my conclusion.

No. You agreed to the business's terms and conditions.

The majority of people are not exactly used to that in our "the customer is always right" America of today.

Customer is not always right. Customer is important, but the "always right" attitude makes customer service challenging.

I did ask about construction when I booked (at a different resort than the OP) but it seems that many people who have done the same arrived to jackhammers. Hopefully that isn't my experience- but I can definitely sympathize with those who do discover that too late to do anything about it.

Two in this thread, unless I'm missing something. One was disturbed, one was able to roll with it. It's unlikely that jackhammer will be used in the SFW renovation, or that the OP would be visually or audibly disturbed by the renovation from either her room or the pool.

Again though, that's one person's experience in the face of the 53,000* average people that visit the parks on a daily basis. *Retrieved from an article which used 2014 attendance for an estimate

If this http://****************.com/how-many-people-go-to-disney-world-every-day/ is your source, that's the figure for just that Magic Kingdom, not Disney World. Quick calculating indicate more in the range of 87,000+ daily.

 

[BlueBelleit]

Sorry you were disappointed!!! We were supposed to stay here in October but after receiving our letter we switched to Caribbean Beach resort. We haven't ever stayed at the Caribbean Beach, so at least it will be a new experience. We love POFQ, but we have a busy schedule and need access to a food court to fill in the time gaps. If it was a more relaxing trip we may have elected to stay at POFQ and eat over at Disney Springs (POR food court can get very busy), so taking the boat over would have been our choice instead.

 

[adelaster]

Blunt, but not necessarily unreasonable

That's not the property notifying the guest directly.


Which aligns them with hundreds/thousands 's businesses nationally which see or experience the need to protect themselves in such a litigious society.

No. You agreed to the business's terms and conditions.

Customer is not always right. Customer is important, but the "always right" attitude makes customer service challenging.

Two in this thread, unless I'm missing something. One was disturbed, one was able to roll with it. It's unlikely that jackhammer will be used in the SFW renovation, or that the OP would be visually or audibly disturbed by the renovation from either her room or the pool.


If this http://****************.com/how-many-people-go-to-disney-world-every-day/ is your source, that's the figure for just that Magic Kingdom, not Disney World. Quick calculating indicate more in the range of 87,000+ daily.

Ok? You disagree with me, or at least the way I use expressions, and that's cool. All along I have been clear in stating that I am basing my thoughts on a lot of online reading, and have no figures to back it up. For the record, I have seen jackhammers mentioned elsewhere beyond the two posters here. I understand what terms and conditions are, and I am not faulting Disney for their precautions. They are some of the most airtight ones I've seen, that's all. A lot of people don't read that stuff, and I could see how they would be upset. If you can share a good place to get accurate attendance figures I am very interested. Couldn't find one directly from the source.

 

[AngiTN]

Sorry you were disappointed!!! We were supposed to stay here in October but after receiving our letter we switched to Caribbean Beach resort. We haven't ever stayed at the Caribbean Beach, so at least it will be a new experience. We love POFQ, but we have a busy schedule and need access to a food court to fill in the time gaps. If it was a more relaxing trip we may have elected to stay at POFQ and eat over at Disney Springs (POR food court can get very busy), so taking the boat over would have been our choice instead.

Curious about this part being your reason for changing. You would still have had access to a food court. Did you think they had nothing during the reno?

 

[maxiesmom]

Curious about this part being your reason for changing. You would still have had access to a food court. Did you think they had nothing during the reno?

I'm curious about that too. I'm also a bit worried that they think switching to a much much larger resort, one that has 7 bus stops instead of 1, will save them time. That food court at CBR can be quite a ways away from their room too.

 

[BlueBelleit]

I've seen pictures of the makeshift dining options at POFQ during the renovations as well as the menu. Having been to POFQ in the past, this honestly doesn't look like a good option. We put a request in at Caribbean Beach for a room close to the food court; if we don't get a room close, however, we will have our car. We are more worried about being tired when we get back and not wanting to walk disney springs or deal with not enough dining occupancy. We'll see how it ends up working out.

 

[CaliTex]

POFQ is a wonderful little resort--I hope that OP finds it to be wonderful as well--even during some construction stuff.

I wish I had had Shalom's advice before my first WDW stay. We stayed at the GF and I was expecting 5 star (at least 4 star) service and amenities. I was so shocked by the over priced La Quinta-but-with-bad-attitudes of it all, that it darn near ruined the trip. To this day I hate the GF, and all because my expectations were out of line with reality. This kept me from experiencing what the GF did offer---so I more or less ruined my own trip. Sad but true.

It takes some adjusting of the mindset, definitely. Don't go there expecting Hotel del Coronado service--but DO appreciate what is offered.

Im sorry if this is kinda off topic but I just had to give a shout out to shalom for the Best. Disney. Advice. Ever.

OP, I hope your trip is not a disappointment! and to you!

 

[maxiesmom]

I've seen pictures of the makeshift dining options at POFQ during the renovations as well as the menu. Having been to POFQ in the past, this honestly doesn't look like a good option. We put a request in at Caribbean Beach for a room close to the food court; if we don't get a room close, however, we will have our car. We are more worried about being tired when we get back and not wanting to walk disney springs or deal with not enough dining occupancy. We'll see how it ends up working out.

Hopefully you have paid for a preferred room as those are the only ones close to the food court. But as you have a car you can always drive up.

 

[Amanda999]

OP: call the TA again. If it's the one I'm thinking of they do have some availability. I added a second room about two weeks ago at BC - stay dates now to sep. 3- which had been sold out for months.

And while the food court being closed is annoying, fwiw it's exhausting to eat there. I bet the makeshift food service will have the basics, and try to time your meals for the parks. Also I bet pizza delivery will be available. They have more than just pizza on the menu. Oh and local non-Disney places deliver on site too. Probably cheaper than the food court, and you don't have to wait in three lines to get a burger, a salad and a milkshake (the reason I hate mods and values food courts - I am the only adult with two kids and I don't want to stand in many lines to eat one meal.)

 

[GWS]

Unless this was unplanned maintenance that had to be done right away, then I agree with teachertink. You would think that if this is planned maintenance then the folks at Disney would be aware and should disseminate that information to their staff/booking agents to inform the guest at the time of booking so they can determine if they would like to stay at POFQ or not.

I will be there in late Nov through mid Dec and "the work" is supposed to be completed by the time I arrive. I really hope that it is because we already looked in to changing our resort and were not many options left that we liked, considering we booked our bounce back in Oct 2015.

 

[HopperFan]

Been off line too long...what renos are happening at POFQ

And more importantly what is ROL???

Rivers of Light ..... or as some of us call it, Rumors of Light.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/animal-kingdom/rivers-of-light/

 

[maxiesmom]

Unless this was unplanned maintenance that had to be done right away, then I agree with teachertink. You would think that if this is planned maintenance then the folks at Disney would be aware and should disseminate that information to their staff/booking agents to inform the guest at the time of booking so they can determine if they would like to stay at POFQ or not.

I will be there in late Nov through mid Dec and "the work" is supposed to be completed by the time I arrive. I really hope that it is because we already looked in to changing our resort and were not many options left that we liked, considering we booked our bounce back in Oct 2015.

Even having the info out there is a huge step for Disney. Not so many years ago they didn't bother telling you at all if something was going to be closed. I even had the manager of POR (at least that is what they claimed they were) tell me they didn't have to notify guests in advance of any closures, that they could shut anything down they wanted. At least now you do know a bit in advance if some service is going to be closed or operating at a reduced functionality. Instead of showing up at the resort and getting an ugly surprise.

 

[HopperFan]

Even having the info out there is a huge step for Disney. Not so many years ago they didn't bother telling you at all if something was going to be closed. I even had the manager of POR (at least that is what they claimed they were) tell me they didn't have to notify guests in advance of any closures, that they could shut anything down they wanted. At least now you do know a bit in advance if some service is going to be closed or operating at a reduced functionality. Instead of showing up at the resort and getting an ugly surprise.

^AGREED, their Terms & Conditions totally protect them.

I think a major part of the delay in announcing is simply so everyone doesn't bale out on a hotel and leave it sitting empty. I remember all the outrage when ASMu Food Court has it's last rehab - during Free Dining no less. They really didn't even offer any true food court options other than walking to the next resort. Everyone wanted to move. It was a mass exodus. Or when everyone arrived to value resorts with their fridges missing. I fortunately read it on here, took my own and then asked for a refund on my room which I got $160. Others got refunds but had no way to get a fridge. POFQ is offering a nice option so I don't see an issue. I just had family stay and said it was great and a much more pleasant dining room than the old food court, all they were minus was the Mardi Gras decor. That is not diminished service.

Unless this was unplanned maintenance that had to be done right away, then I agree with teachertink. You would think that if this is planned maintenance then the folks at Disney would be aware and should disseminate that information to their staff/booking agents to inform the guest at the time of booking so they can determine if they would like to stay at POFQ or not.

I will be there in late Nov through mid Dec and "the work" is supposed to be completed by the time I arrive. I really hope that it is because we already looked in to changing our resort and were not many options left that we liked, considering we booked our bounce back in Oct 2015.

And if they shared that information no one would book at the hotel. POFQ does not have diminished service, there is no obstruction or noise issues to the resort. There really is no reason for them to tell anyone in advance in this situation. Okay, say the reason you want to stay is the Mardi Gras props ... so now you book at POR instead ... you still can't walk over and see the props. Now if they are running jack hammers and bulldozers next to my room - yes they need to let folks know AND offer an alternative.

I do feel bad for the poor DVC folks that have to book so far in advance and find out after it's too late to change. Not sure there is a good resolution there but probably issue should go to DVC Management since I am sure they know well in advance any potential plans.


NOTE: And this isn't just a Disney issue. I've stayed at many hotels where a major amenity was missing ... breakfast, pool, slide etc .... and didn't find out until arrival.

 

[GWS]

^AGREED, their Terms & Conditions totally protect them.

I think a major part of the delay in announcing is simply so everyone doesn't bale out on a hotel and leave it sitting empty. I remember all the outrage when ASMu Food Court has it's last rehab - during Free Dining no less. They really didn't even offer any true food court options other than walking to the next resort. Everyone wanted to move. It was a mass exodus. Or when everyone arrived to value resorts with their fridges missing. I fortunately read it on here, took my own and then asked for a refund on my room which I got $160. Others got refunds but had no way to get a fridge. POFQ is offering a nice option so I don't see an issue. I just had family stay and said it was great and a much more pleasant dining room than the old food court, all they were minus was the Mardi Gras decor. That is not diminished service.




And if they shared that information no one would book at the hotel. POFQ does not have diminished service, there is no obstruction or noise issues to the resort. There really is no reason for them to tell anyone in advance in this situation. Okay, say the reason you want to stay is the Mardi Gras props ... so now you book at POR instead ... you still can't walk over and see the props. Now if they are running jack hammers and bulldozers next to my room - yes they need to let folks know AND offer an alternative.

I do feel bad for the poor DVC folks that have to book so far in advance and find out after it's too late to change. Not sure there is a good resolution there but probably issue should go to DVC Management since I am sure they know well in advance any potential plans.


NOTE: And this isn't just a Disney issue. I've stayed at many hotels where a major amenity was missing ... breakfast, pool, slide etc .... and didn't find out until arrival.

Just because you find it acceptable, doesn't mean I do and/or others do. Regardless of all that wasted typing you did Disney has an obligation to it's guest and they should make that information public up front at the time of booking.