POFQ or AoA LM

[mdejesusjr85]

debating between POFQ or AoA LM. ive been to AoA visiting a friend and have read that the LM rooms are pretty far away from everything. i do like the Nemo themed pool for the kids. ive never been to either POR or POFQ but i have heard such good things about them. looking to spend some time at the resort with two young kids (DD 3 & DS 1) and i guess the wife too whats are some of the positives/suggestion of each? how is bus capacity? food courts? ive seen AoA pool so im familiar with them.

we have stayed at PoP, ASM, AS sports, ASMo and CS. Looking to try different resorts.

LM- $147/night
POFQ- $202/night

 

[dansdad]

What you will get at POFQ over AoA LM room:

Queen beds
Bigger room
Double sinks
Coffee Maker in room
Ceiling fans
Pool slide
Hot tub
Lusher grounds
Laid back relaxed atmosphere
Boat to Disney Springs

Now it's up to you to decide if the above amenities are worth the extra $$.

The above amenities would be why I would choose POFQ. That and POFQ is very small and compact resort, the LM rooms at AoA are a pretty good hike to the food court and bus stops. From the LM rooms to the food court and bus stops is between 7-8 minutes. The furthest rooms at POFQ from the food court and bus stops are less than half that. Not really a big deal to me, but you did ask about differences.

 

[minnie mum]

I agree with everything Dansdad said. FQ also has a splash pad your kids will love. We've stayed at POFQ several times, and are returning there in Nov with our DGS. The small rooms and double beds make the value resorts a no go for us.

 

[scanmom]

I've stayed at both. For sure....POFQ. My 4 y/o grandson LOVED the splash pad and the slide in the main pool. Plus.. LM rooms are WAYYYY out there.

 

[JennyDrake]

HANDS DOWN POFQ! LOVELY resort! The pool is fabulous, the rooms are quiet and so many pool and resort activities, many of which are free!

 

[Disneylover99]

I've stayed at both resorts and I definitely prefer POFQ over a LM room.

I do like the buses and the food court better at AofA though. POFQ is currently undergoing a food court rehab. So hopefully the decor will be greatly improved.

 

[fab1976]

We just did a pre-cruise stay at the AoA and a post-same cruise stay at POFQ in January. With the age of your kids, they would probably enjoy the AoA. The Radiator Springs area is so cool to see, my kids loved posing with the different Cars characters and the Cozy Cone pool and other signage was awesome. The Lion King things were cool and the pool with its zero entry was amazing. The splash area was under construction but the pictures make it look like it would be loads of fun. The LM rooms are a hike, but you do travel through the Lion King area so it's not just a boring walk. We didn't use the pool but there were some fun LM statues around. We got there mid afternoon and just spent time playing in the pool and walking around. The food court was awesome for us parents, but after a day of travel I just wanted to give my kids chicken nuggets and French fries and they didn't have that as an option! If your kids palates are not as boring as mine are, there are great options. My kids were 2.5 and 8. The room was small but not unbearable. Would we stay there again? Probably not. Our last several trips have been at Wilderness lodge and we got spoiled by that. However...

As an adult, I loved the POFQ so much I may make it our "home" resort for future visits! It's a compact moderate resort which isn't common, and the theming really felt like New Orleans. In fact they were filming something with Tiana while we were there and I've since seen the commercials on Disney Junior and it looks like she's really in New Orleans! We didn't use the pool and again, the splash area was under construction but I think they were putting in new areas or it was a completely new splash area. The boat ride down the river to Disney Springs is really nice. The food court was meh, but some different options again. As someone mentioned it is being renovated so will be different soon. And it's close enough to POR that you could walk over there and try their food court and table service restaurant. The beds are bigger, rooms slightly bigger, and the amenities include shampoo AND conditioner vs 2in1 at AoA.

So maybe go with POFQ, but work in a trip to see AoA if you have fans of Cars in your family. I'm planning a birthday trip for myself and my husband and we may just stay at POFQ, that's how much I liked it .

 

[mdejesusjr85]

So wife wanted AoA because of the price and I wanted POFQ because everybody that posted a reply. So I tried to convince her last night with all reply post from here, so we slept on it. I checked prices this morning an found POR for $157/night. Is there a big difference between the two the Port Orleans Resorts? Booking riverside at that price feels like a compromise for us.

 

[Disneylover99]

So wife wanted AoA because of the price and I wanted POFQ because everybody that posted a reply. So I tried to convince her last night with all reply post from here, so we slept on it. I checked prices this morning an found POR for $157/night. Is there a big difference between the two the Port Orleans Resorts? Booking riverside at that price feels like a compromise for us.

I prefer POFQ over POR because of the size. I think the pool, playground and water play area are better suited at POFQ for children who are very young.

But even though I vote POFQ, I still love AofA. It's just the walk from the LM rooms that would prevent me from ever booking one again. Some people are not bothered by the walk from the main pool area to their LM room. That would be the only concern for me. If you don't think that would be an issue, book a LM room.

 

[dansdad]

So wife wanted AoA because of the price and I wanted POFQ because everybody that posted a reply. So I tried to convince her last night with all reply post from here, so we slept on it. I checked prices this morning an found POR for $157/night. Is there a big difference between the two the Port Orleans Resorts? Booking riverside at that price feels like a compromise for us.

I would be all over that. We much prefer POR over POFQ. For us POFQ is too small. We like to walk around our resort and explore that's like a 10 minute adventure at POFQ. POR feels like more of a resort to us.

 

[megster1123]

I'm also having this debate. We're currently booked in AoA LM room in October and I'm second guessing.
POFQ/POR bring with it a bigger room, in room fridge and a water slide. AoA has the theming the kids would go nuts over but the room is so small and will be FAR from the bus.

Is there a considerable difference between the bus system in the two? I'm not familiar with the POFQ/PORbusses - are there a lot of stops? Anything better or worse than the AoA route?

 

[Disneylover99]

I'm also having this debate. We're currently booked in AoA LM room in October and I'm second guessing.
POFQ/POR bring with it a bigger room, in room fridge and a water slide. AoA has the theming the kids would go nuts over but the room is so small and will be FAR from the bus.

Is there a considerable difference between the bus system in the two? I'm not familiar with the POFQ/PORbusses - are there a lot of stops? Anything better or worse than the AoA route?

There is a fridge in the LM rooms.

I prefer the one stop buses at AofA and Pop. POFQ often has it's own buses that go directly to the parks during busy morning times which is good. POR has four bus stops.

 

[mdejesusjr85]

i was playing around with the travel dates and i was able to get POFQ for $151/night but i had to take one of the days off. has anyone had experience with calling Disney to try and get them to add another day on?

10/2-10/6 was the original days
10/2-10/5 is what i used to get the $151 night room rate.

 

[megster1123]

There is a fridge in the LM rooms.

I prefer the one stop buses at AofA and Pop. POFQ often has it's own buses that go directly to the parks during busy morning times which is good. POR has four bus stops.

Are you sure there's a fridge? Our friends stayed there a couple months ago and said there was no fridge.

 

[Disneylover99]

Are you sure there's a fridge? Our friends stayed there a couple months ago and said there was no fridge.

Yes. There are fridges in all of the rooms at value resorts now. It's been like that for the past 4 or more years.

 

[Tigger's ally]

the other thing about staying at Port Orleans that is a big plus in my mind is that you can use both pools, both pool bars, and all the other things each one has that is different. With their closeness and the boat that runs in between them, you actually feel like you are getting two resorts in one!

 

[dansdad]

Are you sure there's a fridge? Our friends stayed there a couple months ago and said there was no fridge.

Yes, as @Disneylover99 said every room on WDW property has a fridge. You friends must not have opened the dresser door that the fridge is in.

 

[scdak]

Another POFQ fan here! I would never do POR again - too large just as I would never to AOA LM - too far from everything and I was not impressed with the room decor at all. But OP - you and your wife will make the right decision for your family eventually LOL. No matter where you pick, you are still at WDW

 

[Disneylover99]

Yes, as @Disneylover99 said every room on WDW property has a fridge. You friends must not have opened the dresser door that the fridge is in.

That possibility never even occurred to me, but that's probably exactly what happened. I can totally imagine it now since the fridges are not obvious. If I didn't know the fridge was there, I might not have looked either.

 

[megster1123]

That possibility never even occurred to me, but that's probably exactly what happened. I can totally imagine it now since the fridges are not obvious. If I didn't know the fridge was there, I might not have looked either.

That's funny, that's exactly what happened, they didn't even look for it. They had a split stay and were only in AoA for the first day and a half and never even unpacked.