Port Orleans French Quarter FAQ thread - Refurbished for 2011 - Now CLOSED

[justakrazymom]

Disboards needs a "like" button like on facebook...

LOL.. agreed!!

 

[msgoofy]

I'm having a difficult time deciding between the two resorts.

I read that parts of POR don't offer elevators but all of POFQ does. Hubby has a bad knee and we don't want to have to walk up stairs.

Also, do the buses pick up at POFQ first and then travel to POR?

There's just the two of us, no children. POFQ sounds a little quieter for adults.

Thank for the input.

 

[BearcatsFan]

I think the only part of POR that does not have elevators is Alligator Bayou - I believe the rest of the buildings do.

Everything I've read thus far says the busses pick up at POFQ first, then travel on to POR. If they pick up at POFQ first, that gives you a better chance at getting a seat, IMHO.

HTH

 

[vickalamode]

I'm having a difficult time deciding between the two resorts.

I read that parts of POR don't offer elevators but all of POFQ does. Hubby has a bad knee and we don't want to have to walk up stairs.

Also, do the buses pick up at POFQ first and then travel to POR?

There's just the two of us, no children. POFQ sounds a little quieter for adults.

Thank for the input.

It sounds like POFQ might be a better choice for you.

All of POFQ has elevators-since you mentioned your DH has a bad knee, it's also worth noting that POFQ is MUCH, MUCH SMALLER than POR-which means less walking for you and your DH with his bad knee, which is especially nice after a long day at the parks. During our last trip we were in a room that was pretty much as far as it gets from the lobby at POFQ and it was still only a two minute walk to the lobby and pool. Loved it!

 

[moozle]

I think the only part of POR that does not have elevators is Alligator Bayou - I believe the rest of the buildings do.

Everything I've read thus far says the busses pick up at POFQ first, then travel on to POR. If they pick up at POFQ first, that gives you a better chance at getting a seat, IMHO.

HTH

Also worth noting, though it might have been because we were there in December when it was more crowded, during our stays at POFQ we have NEVER shared a bus with POR even once. I don't know if we just got lucky or what, but all of our buses went straight from POFQ to the park or DTD, or vice versa.

I second the person who talked about POFQ being better for someone with a bad knee because it's smaller. My dad traveled with us on one of our trips, and he had no problem getting to the lobby/buses, and he has difficulty walking long distances.

 

[KELLY]

I called for FD and the only thing available in a standard room was CBR. I figured we might as well go back to pop. Since they are both full sized beds. I have been checking everyday to see if a standard room came up at POR or POFQ. Heck I would have taken CSR also. Today POFQ comes up with a standard room how sweet.

We love POFQ!!

 

[justakrazymom]

I called for FD and the only thing available in a standard room was CBR. I figured we might as well go back to pop. Since they are both full sized beds. I have been checking everyday to see if a standard room came up at POR or POFQ. Heck I would have taken CSR also. Today POFQ comes up with a standard room how sweet.

We love POFQ!!

Nice! I keep checking hoping a standard room will open up for my dates..so far no luck..

 

[KELLY]

Nice! I keep checking hoping a standard room will open up for my dates..so far no luck..

I won't lie I really wanted POR since Dh has never stayed there. But they only had a water view or royal room. So the budget didn't really call for it. Since our air was alot more expensive then we are use to paying. But I think the slide will be better at POFQ for the girls anyway. Got all my adr's booked including HDDR.

 

[justakrazymom]

I won't lie I really wanted POR since Dh has never stayed there. But they only had a water view or royal room. So the budget didn't really call for it. Since our air was alot more expensive then we are use to paying. But I think the slide will be better at POFQ for the girls anyway. Got all my adr's booked including HDDR.

I would have taken POR even though we've stayed there ( but that was 13 years ,one husband and 3 kids ago..lol).. I didn't want CBR..it's just too big for me..

 

[KELLY]

I just got my comformation can someone tell me what this means?
PT ORLEANS FR QTR- D7LPORT ORLEANS FRENCH QTR-PRKING

I have no clue what PRKING is? I hope that isn't a king bed because there is 4 of us and that won't work. I didn't ask for anything but a standard room.

 

[justakrazymom]

I just got my comformation can someone tell me what this means?
PT ORLEANS FR QTR- D7LPORT ORLEANS FRENCH QTR-PRKING

I have no clue what PRKING is? I hope that isn't a king bed because there is 4 of us and that won't work. I didn't ask for anything but a standard room.

wish I could help..ours says PT ORLEANS FR QTR- SS5

 

[micandminforever]

A standard view is one with a parking lot view, so I am thinking PRKING means parking. I am staying at POR with a standard view and my invoice also says PRKING.

 

[DisneyLover83]

Just returned last night from 7 nights at POFQ. We had a wonderful time! We were in building 5, corner king room with a river view. Mousekeeping did a good job all week and we had no issues with the room. We ate at Sassagoula and Riverside Mill a few times. DH loved the shrimp poboy from Sassagoula, he had it twice and I really enjoyed the make your own pasta at Riverside. We ate at Boatwrights on our arrival night and while the food was wonderful, the service was the worst of the trip. We would return though and hope that our next server is better.

We did book the BB offer in our room for Oct 27 to Nov 3, but we picked the Beach Club and our whole reason for not returning to POFQ is the buses. We like to do the parks in the morning and come back to resort to relax before returning to the parks at night. On average we spent about 2 hours a day waiting on or riding buses as most buses made the full loop through Riverside after picking up FQ. We spend most of out time at Epcot, DHS and MK so this seems like a good choice for us.

Oh, and I overheard a CM in the gift shop say yesterday that the courtyard was halfway finished. They are replacing all the bricks because as the ground had shifted over the years the bricks were to uneven and people were tripping and falling.

 

[Kathy29]

Hi Andre, I wonder if you could help us work out where we will be able to put the baby cot/crib in the room at French Quarter. We have 3 rooms book, hoping to get 2 connecting and one adjoining if this is any help with creating room by moving furniture about. We are on the later flight so it may be well after 7 when we get to the resort. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks Kathy

 

[scjo68]

I am excited that we will be back at POFQ this summer after three years in Monorail resorts (thanks to 40% off codes). While the monorail was nice and convenient, and we loved the Poly and CR, it will be nice to be "home" again at the Port Orleans!

I tried to book the FQ with the AAA rate, as that's the only discount available. We are heading home the day Free Dining starts, so no FD for us. Well, there were no rooms at POFQ avail with the AAA disc., but there were Garden view rooms at POR, so I booked it. But the more I thought about it, the more I wished we were staying at POFQ. We loved POR, but like the smaller size of POFQ, and of course the beignets!

So I called again, found that even without the AAA discount, if I moved from a GV at POR to a Standard view at POFQ, it's not much more. So I just went ahead and changed thanks to a sweet, if slightly clueless, CM. Now, if summer room-only codes do come out again, I will try to apply one to our POFQ stay, but if not, it's OK. I feel like Port Orleans is actually worth even it's rack rate price.

 

[andrewilley]

Hi Andre, I wonder if you could help us work out where we will be able to put the baby cot/crib in the room at French Quarter.

There are quite a few options, but one would be to use the vanity/washroom area, which has a handy privacy curtain so it can be slightly separated from the main room if you want to talk/watch TV/etc without disturbing the little one.

If you've got connecting rooms then the usual place of between the bed and the wall closest to the door is less useful as it would block the connecting door. Some people even more the tables/chairs and use that location.

Andre

 

[Kathy29]

Thanks Andre, that gives us some prior knowledge of what to expect. Kathy

 

[andrewilley]

I just posted this on the POR thread, but in case you don't read that too, this news is a nice 'first' for both Port Orleans resorts, beating even the Deluxes.

From http://www.portorleans.org/tv.php:

The in-room cable television channel line-up is being expanded across all of the World Disney World resort hotels, and Port Orleans is scheduled to be the first to get the new services on Tuesday 13 March 2012. The other hotels will follow over the next two months.

Guests will receive a letter in their rooms the night before the change telling them that sometime between 10am and 3pm there will be a brief television outage of roughly 15 minutes, and after that time the new channels should be available.

Some of the new channels include Fox News, Bravo, AMC, National Geographic, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, WE TV, Syfy, Discovery, Bio, HGTV, TLC, History, Food Network and TV Land. Local affiliate channels (ABC, NBC, etc.) and Disney resort hotel-specific channels will still be available. Channel 17 will contain a full list of the new services.

If anyone staying at POFQ or POR over the next day or two could have a quick look at channel 17 and let us know when the change happens, and perhaps note down the new channel lineup, that'd be great (just take some readable photos of the info screens rather than copying it all out!)

Andre

 

[andapanda]

Any update on what kind of coffee pods the new coffee pots use? My husband is itching to stock up.

 

[slyster]

Hmmmm, we are AAA members...can we use that on our free dining resort reservation? I thought I read you can't use other discounts. But heck, I may as well ask right?