Previously at Poly, will we be disappointed at a moderate?

[MickeyMickey]

I have previously stayed offsite at Sheraton Vistana Villages and Bonnet Creek. Loved them both. I have also stayed at the Poly and loved that.

This time it is between Port Orleans-French Quarter with dining plan and Sheraton Vistana Villages? Give me your pros and cons

We will rent a car at the villages not if we stay onsite. Onsite will be about $800 more. This includes an estimate for food and rental car if offsite

Thanks!

 

[AKLRULZ]

I think POR is quite a nice resort, and I'd personally never consider staying offsite for a Disney vacation - I'd go with the POR and not compare it to your stay at the Poly. I think you'll have a super time there - great food court and super pool area!

Enjoy!

 

[cheerforchelsea]

I stayed at the POR in 2004 and 2005 and LOVED it! In the past I have stayed at value, moderate and deluxe resort on Disney property and also in resorts outside of the resort.....I will never stay anywhere but on Disney property again. POR and CBR are by far my favorites!!

 

[Candikayne]

I have previously stayed offsite at Sheraton Vistana Villages and Bonnet Creek. Loved them both. I have also stayed at the Poly and loved that.

This time it is between Port Orleans-French Quarter with dining plan and Sheraton Vistana Villages? Give me your pros and cons

We will rent a car at the villages not if we stay onsite. Onsite will be about $800 more. This includes an estimate for food and rental car if offsite

Thanks!

I've stayed at the Poly and the Vistana Villages and I too would not stay offsite again. The Vistana is a very nice spot...can't say anything negative about the place...but it does not have the magic that an onsite property has (in my opinion). I will probably never stay offsite again.

The Poly was fabulous. I stayed at a concierge level room and the customer service was outstanding. I'm doing a moderate this year. Not sure how the CBR will compare to the Poly...but one thing is for sure. It will have the magic that Vistana could never have.

 

[Disfan3]

I went from 2 trips at the Poly to the POR Rvierside and we LOVED IT! I do not think you will be disappointed. Don't expect monorail service and you will be just fine...everything else really seemed comparable to me....no flat screen tv's but I liked the bathroom layout so much better at POR. I think it would take a big discount rate to get me back to the Poly again.


Try POR. I think you will be happy with it.

 

[sdzman]

IMO staying at the GF, CR or Poly is a different experience from staying at another Disney resorts away from the parks. The fact that you have access to the fireworks, monorail and MK views all the time make it different. If i had my choice I would always stay at one of those 3 resorts. However I dont always have that choice and when I have stayed at other Disney resorts I have never been dissapointed. Its just a different experience.

BTW, I stayed at the POFQ 2 weeks ago and it was a terrific resort. Small, quiet and very convenient.

 

[skipperkim]

I love POFQ, its so quiet. I'm sure you'll miss the monorail, but there is a boat to DTD. The resort is very beautiful and has easy access to everything. Though it does share buses with POR, you are dropped off and picked up first. Also, it has its own bus stop at MK in the evening.

 

[KatMark]

We have stayed at the Polynesian a number of times. We have never stayed at the POFQ, but have stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort. Although both completely different, we enjoy each one immensely. This year we are staying at CSR, but next year for our 25th, we are going to the Polynesian only because it reminds us of our honeymoon in Hawaii. I don't think you will be disappointed or "let down" staying at the POFQ. We rent a car every year we go because we dine at Emeril's at Universal and have one day in the middle of the week when we take a break from Disney and go to Universal (although this year we are going to Busch Gardens).

 

[Buzz2001]

POFQ is a small resort. There isn't a sit down restaurant and the transportation is shared with POR. You will have to walk to POR to use the marina and sit down restaurant if you want to use them.

 

[honeymo78]

Also the beds are doubles, not queens like you would find at the Poly. there are a few king bed rooms if its just 2 of you. If you don't go in expecting the same amenities as the poly (turn down service, monorail/boats, bigger beds, etc) then you shouldn't be disappointed. We stayed at Por several trips ago and then Pop a few months ago after several stays at WL and CR. I knew not to expect the same features as my previous deluxe stays and therefore wasn't really disappointed. However, DH and I realized how important those extras are to us, esp. the bigger beds. There was absolutely nothing "wrong" with the resort and we had a good time (well maybe not the sleeping part) but we have realized vacation tastes just aren't made for value or mods.

 

[rcraw45425]

Also you have outside corridors so you will hear more noise as people walk by. It's definintely different than the Poly, we did it once and we all agreed we would rather not do POFQ again.

 

[Davefrompgh]

Ok..very weird...we just came back from a split stay at Vistana Villages and POFQ...we have stayed at Poly 2 years ago. I will first say that Poly is my absolute favorite...I love Palm Trees...

Having said that, the VV is a beautiful resort and actually very close to most things. (we went to US/IOA while we stayed there). We received a promo card in the mail and got a REALLY GREAT deal...however, the customer service there is HORRIBLE. The resort "RAN OUT" of washclothes. yes, really. I told them I would go to Wal-mart and they could reimburse me. A few hours later, washclothes appeared. However, when they changed our towels daily, NO WASHCLOTHS....so I hid them in our washer, so they could not take them away. Also, our cable was out for 2 days and all that played was the ads for the resort, along with the wine lady. Also, no fitness place. It was being remodeled and you had to go across the road (which would have been ok, but it did not even open until 8am) When people are on vacation in FLA, most are going to a park (early)...no reason they should not be open by 6 am. also, there were people sleeping in the lobby. If flights are earlier or late coming in, they should still not be allowed to sleep in the lobby....it was absurd....BUT the resort is beautiful.

Now, onto, POFQ...we have stayed at other values, and mods, but I really Loved POFQ..It is very centrally located, buses were great and the food court was really good too. Pool was themed a little too young for our DD12 and DS 13, but we would absolutely stay there again.

 

[Cool-Beans]

I've stayed at both and think Vistana is MUCH nicer. I don't like the dining plan, anyway, so that wouldn't figure into it at all. The Port Orleans resorts are on WDW property, though, which would save travel time.

 

[AmyAllan&Eve]

I was disappointed in the moderates, but I would still stay at them over any resort offsite. I like looking for the Hidden Mickeys, the Mickey Mouse wake up call, etc. I like the magic of Disney.

Here is a summary of my experience.

If you go to the moderate resort, be prepared for the room to be smaller and the furnishings to not be as luxurious. The room itself is somewhat similar to a Holiday Inn. The theming and the grounds will be BEAUTIFUL, however.

Also, be prepared to not be treated quite as special by the CM's. It's not that the Disney magic is not there. It's in abundance! It's just that the resort is more crowded, and there are fewer CM's per guest. You do not get quite the same level of individualized attention.

And in my experience, the rooms are not quite as fresh. This factor was probably my biggest disappointment. The rooms seem to be more worn.

If you could schedule a stay at a moderate right after a refurbishment, that would be perfect. I truly did not mind the smaller room. It was plenty big enough. But I did miss the luxurious furnishings and the extra special attention from the CM's.

I spent over a week at CBR in the summer of 2003 and one night at CSR last summer. I haven't stayed at POFQ yet, but it is next on my list of moderates.

 

[castleview]

DH and I stayed at FQ when were first married. Since then, my parents joined DVC and it's been villas at the deluxes ever since. I think the French Quarter is terrific and would definitely stay there again. One thing I do miss about the moderates that most deluxes don't have are the food courts. At my kids' ages, they are so darn convenient.

 

[CoolPool]

I stayed one night at POFQ recently before transferring for the remainder of my vacation at the Poly. I did not find a thing to complain about. In fact, the only thing that I'd really miss would be the balcony if I were staying there for a more extended time. We do tend to use our balcony or patio quite a bit at the deluxe level.

 

[shyjade]

Also, be prepared to not be treated quite as special by the CM's. It's not that the Disney magic is not there. It's in abundance! It's just that the resort is more crowded, and there are fewer CM's per guest. You do not get quite the same level of individualized attention.

This statement scares me. I stayed at AKL in September 2007 (very slow time) and this was my first onsite stay. I found the Customer Service to be non-existent for a Deluxe. We had a problem with our room (we were given a dirty room which hadn't been used in a few weeks we later found out). It took 8 hours on our arrival day to finally get the situation resolved and never saw a manager or an apology. We're talking dead flies actually on the tables, countertops & floors and a THICK layer of dust on everything. Housekeeping finally moved us to a different, very far away from everything room and all we wanted was the pool view room we booked, but clean.

This is my biggest fear about staying at a Moderate; if the "Deluxe" resort treated us like that, what can we expect elsewhere?? I was truly disappointed in AKL based on that one experience and the lack of customer service.