POFQ vs. Wilderness Lodge

[dumbolove]

Hey everyone,

So I posted awhile back debating on moderate resorts. The winner seemed to be the French Quarter. However, after I obsessed over researching I am a little skeptical of the bus system there. Since in shares with the Riverside I just imagine it being a long bus ride and we do not want that. We are finishing up college so staying at a super deluxe is out of our budget, but the Wilderness lodge seems to be in our price range and reasonable for a deluxe. We were going to upgrade our room to a garden view at the FQ so we would have to do standard room at the lodge. But the estimated price is around an extra $600 total for the Lodge.

I wanted to know what everyone thought about the two. We were just there in January and stayed at the All Star Movies. We both said never again. We did not like the bus system and distance from there. I have stayed at the all star a few times, but I was also lucky enough to have stayed at the GF and BC. I love the Epcot area, but I know we can't afford those hotels at this time.

I would love to here everyone's thoughts. We would be going for a week in January 2014 and going during marathon. I am going crazy over selecting the right resort and I would love to book soon. I am guessing marathon weekend books up. Never been over that time.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[scooffer]

Hey everyone,

So I posted awhile back debating on moderate resorts. The winner seemed to be the French Quarter. However, after I obsessed over researching I am a little skeptical of the bus system there. Since in shares with the Riverside I just imagine it being a long bus ride and we do not want that. We are finishing up college so staying at a super deluxe is out of our budget, but the Wilderness lodge seems to be in our price range and reasonable for a deluxe. We were going to upgrade our room to a garden view at the FQ so we would have to do standard room at the lodge. But the estimated price is around an extra $600 total for the Lodge.

I wanted to know what everyone thought about the two. We were just there in January and stayed at the All Star Movies. We both said never again. We did not like the bus system and distance from there. I have stayed at the all star a few times, but I was also lucky enough to have stayed at the GF and BC. I love the Epcot area, but I know we can't afford those hotels at this time.

I would love to here everyone's thoughts. We would be going for a week in January 2014 and going during marathon. I am going crazy over selecting the right resort and I would love to book soon. I am guessing marathon weekend books up. Never been over that time.

Thanks for any advice!

Hi! I just posted regarding POR Riverside vs. Wilderness Lodge, with a similar debate. I got some great feedback. I don't know how to post a link to that thread though.

I stayed at PORFQ last year in April. The bus ride was a little annoying with all the stops at Riverside (but I am sure nothing like what you experienced at the values). However, the stops were short, as the drivers are very efficient getting folks on and moving to the next stop. The ride gave us some time to plan our actual day, so we did not mind too much on the ride there. It was the ride home that seemed to take forever since we were so tired.

We had a booked Garden View and were on the first floor, pool side (considered garden since it was first floor) in building 2. The location could not be beat! The walk to the parking lot to get to the car (we decided car was better than the bus for us and the kids) or from the car to the room was a bit of a walk with our kids. But, the walk to the main building and pool was awesome!

However, in the end, the pros of staying at WL for us convinced us to pay the extra to upgrade to WL ($1,000 difference for us since we were at Riverside with 30% discount). Try to find the thread, it really sells WL.

 

[mmmears]

WL is a deluxe so it's a step above POFQ (which is a step above ASM). My family prefers the deluxes, but now we are spoiled and don't want to stay anywhere else (so beware ). WL is a beautiful resort with an impressive lobby and several restaurants. It's also right on the lake, so there are boats you can rent from the dock.

The main benefit (transportation wise) is the ferry to the MK. It's a beautiful trip (vs. the buses). You still have buses to the other 3 parks.

Other bonuses to WL are: it's one building so you don't need to go outside to get to your room from the lobby, rooms are hotel-style so you have a private balcony, and it's just been renovated so the rooms look very nice.

Whether or not it's worth the extra money is so subjective... it depends on what you really want out of your trip, how much the extra money matters, etc. And which park you like to spend most of your time in...

POFQ looks really nice, too. Good luck deciding!

 

[ArmyVet80]

I have never stayed at the WL (it's on the short list though) but I have stayed at POFQ (honeymoon). I can tell you the bus rides weren't that long at all. The longest we ever waited for a bus was 12 minutes and the longest bus ride was about 10-12 minutes. We were there in June too so the buses were always full. We only stopped at POR one time because we had a few available seats. Even with that stop it was about 12 minutes to the MK which was the longest trip.

If you don't mind me asking.. What were the months/years you stayed at the All-Star resorts? We stayed at the All-Star Music in Dec. 2010 thru early Jan. 2011. I will agree with you about the buses being a little bit slower but it was also because of the peak season. We figured it would be due to it being Christmas and New Years.

We have also stayed at CSR in Sept. 2012. This was by far the best time we had at a Disney Resort to date. Buses were every 10 minutes on the dot and the 10 minute bus ride to MK was the longest you were ever on a bus. The lines for the rides were very short. We walked on and off Soarin multiple times without waiting longer than 5-10 minutes. There was also the 20%-25% discount on the rooms. It's the same special that is going on now just for the fall value season. With the Deluxe Dining plan, airfare, park hopper tickets, and our room we paid around $3800.

Now that I have rambled about everything other than what you asked... I'm sure that you will come up with the best vacation to fit your budget. Just remember to keep looking at the Disney website because you can always change things around. Depending on the length of your trip you could always do 2-3 days at POFQ and/or 2-3 days at WL and have the best of both worlds.

 

[monami7]

We have stayed at POR MANY times. This past trip we stayed at WL. We are now booked for another trip to WL in Nov. I am not sure what it will take to get me to leave. POR is fine but WL was amazing. We Loved everything about it!

 

[mickeynut1]

We've never stayed at POFQ, but we love the WL. We love the theme/decor as well as having the boat for going to MK and the CR, where it's easy to hop on the monorail to visit the Poly and GF for a variety of dining and shopping options. Whether or not the WL is worth the extra $600 is different for everyone, but for us, it's definitely worth the extra cost over a moderate. Good luck.

 

[pepe of ohio]

Huge fans of WL, over 10 stays there... It just can't be beat and we've stayed at all the deluxes except the BWI....

So, POFQ vs WL: we also visited FQ while staying at WL, we really like done of the food there, enjoyed the night time entertainment at their lounge Scat Cat Club then taking the boat to DTD and busing back to the WL.....

Last trip to WDW we stayed at POFQ due to family and grand kids going and they wanted to stay at FQ.... From a die hard deluxe fan.... FQ was nice, food decent, pool okay, busing fine, room nice with the queen beds ..... But it just wasn't WL.... Sorry but I told my wife, no more monkeying around.... My heart lies with WL, location sells it... Boat to MK, FW and CR.... Quick access to 3 other deluxes , on the lakes... FW Trails End restaurant best buffet on property...what more can I say... After all the deluxe resorts we've stayed in thru 47 trips... My heart and wallet lie with WL!

 

[amym2]

Just wanted to chime in that while we love WL (haven't stayed at PO so can't compare), it also shares buses- with Poly, GF, or FW depending on where you are going. My sister stayed at Pop and usually beat us to the parks. Just didn't want you to think that staying at a deluxe eliminates all bus stops.

 

[disneybliss2]

We really enjoyed our stay at POFQ. We had excellent transportation while there and only once did we share with POR, and we went during a June month when it was busy. My husband went back to the hotel mid-day while the rest of us stayed at the park. He said the bus did share with POR that afternoon. That was the only time we shared in the course of 10 days, even when there was tons of available seating in morning/evening.

POFQ is a quiet, quaint resort. It's very pretty, and we love the small size.

I haven't stayed at ASM, but we have stayed at Pop (twice), and I understand the never again mentality. Once you stay moderate or deluxe, for me anyway, it's hard to go back. We stayed at AKL for the first time this summer. While I love POFQ, I still preferred AKL. I haven't stayed at WL to give a direct comparison, but if you're used to the BC and the GF, you may prefer WL and the amenities over POFQ.

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

you are comparing deluxe to moderate, so naturally the deluxe will be nicer. What it comes down to is the price difference...for me $600 is alot of money!!

Since you last stayed at All Stars, why don't you try one step up at POFQ and use the money towards food and theme park tickets??

 

[Chaoticsweetness]

I prefer POFQ over WL, but that is because I had an amazing trip to POFQ. WL was dark/small. CMs at both resorts are amazing. Can't go wrong with either one.

 

[kanderson89]

I have never been to the POR or FQ resorts but have stayed at WL many times. We love it for all the reasons that other folks have chimed in on, so I won't repeat.

You did mention Marathon weekend. I have stayed during that time period a couple times. I'm not sure how far in advance places book up...we're crazy planners so always reserve way far in advance. I didn't notice a real uptick in visitors either at the resort or the parks, although, obviously, weekends are more crowded than weekdays. Transportation was a bit dicey, and one year we actually left on that Marathon Sunday. Never again. We ended up at the airport in plenty of time but it was a long ride.

 

[Belle'sFan]

We have stayed at both POFQ and WL and love both. After staying at WL, I was worried about POFQ, but ended up pleasantly surprised. Yes it's multiple buildings, but it's so small that hardly matters. I found WL to be grand and awe inspiring, but POFQ was intimate and more "human scale". It depends what experience you want. I'm sure we will stay at both in the future.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Hi! I just posted regarding POR Riverside vs. Wilderness Lodge, with a similar debate. I got some great feedback. I don't know how to post a link to that thread though.

Try to find the thread, it really sells WL.

Here is a link to your thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3073064

And while I'm posting links here is the big WL Thread with all kinds of info to push you over the edge: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2969675

We love WL for many of the reasons everyone else has mentioned. We find it to be just the right size, very beautiful, and a great deal. Transportation does still involve busses though, and for Epcot, HS, and DTD the busses pick up at one additional resort on the way to the park (usually GF or FW) and on the way back the busses are shared with FW but WL is the first stop.

 

[dumbolove]

Thanks for the link GrandCalifornian! In your post scooffer you mentioned how it is a compromise with your DH with camping. That sold me! My DBF is totally against the idea of camping so this is a great compromise!

Seeing these post convinced us both. He was definitely more convinced than me with that it is def. worth it for the extra money! I believe as mmmears said, once you go deluxe you don't go back! I was spoiled the few times I stayed at the deluxe resorts with my family that I want to go back!

All the comments about the transportation at both resorts were greatly appreciated it! The stop to the GF I can take! Can take advantage of the restaurants without having to do bus transfers!

I think I will call this weekend to book! Any other recommendations? I would love to here them! We are going to do the deluxe dining plan. Feel free to drop suggestions for dining!

Have a good weekend everyone and thanks so much for your responses!

 

[scooffer]

I am so excited you found peace with your decision ... Hard one to make, huh? We will be at WL in 32 days, cannot wait!!

 

[princessallegra]

We have stayed at both and there is absolutely no comparison between pofq and wl. WL is a really luxurious and grand resort. I know most people Love pofq on here but we would not stay there again. Too small, cramped food court, small pool, don't care for the theming. We have stayed at Por and would stay there again no problem.