Which Hotel?

[Glen76]

Hi, Ive decided to stay in either the Polynesian Beach Resort or Port Orleans resort so can anyone help me decide.

1) Which in your opinion is better/nicer?

2) Which has the best restaurants?

3) What is the difference between the French Quarter and water view rooms in POR?

4) Do they both have bars and or entertainment?

5) What is the best cheapest way to book a room there (disney direct or another website?)

Many thanks for any help you can provide!

 

[Rocktire]

Polynesian is the better hotel by far...but it costs more...if money is not an issue, it's the Polynesian...no contest.

 

[goofy4tink]

I've stayed at the Polynesian once, and POR three/four times now. I love them both. The pool at the Polynesian is very cool...zero entry which is terrific for the little ones, or older folk who may have trouble with those pool ladders, and the slide is a ton of fun. You can watch the fireworks at MK from the Polynesian beach, as well as the Electric Water parade. And you have pretty easy access to MK, as well as the walkway to TTC to catch the Epcot monorail.
But, on the other hand, I love the atmosphere at POR. I haven't stayed at FQ yet so can't comment on that area. But I love the lushness of POR. The food court there is good and the pools are fun. Yes, the pool slide isn't as 'cool' as the one at the Polynesian but it's fun anyway. And there are a total of 7 pools at POR. The rooms are going to be smaller, with only two doubles vs 2 queens and a daybed at the Polynesian. But you do have the boat to DTD which is fun.
If you are going to spend a lot of time at the resort then maybe the Polynesian is a better bet. But, if you are going to be in the parks pretty much and just hang at the resort for a bit at a time, then maybe spending less money at PO would be your best bet.
Oh yeah.....as far as water views go...at POR I did pay for a water view twice. Once I got a view of a quiet pool, the other time I got a peek at the river. And I had to go outside the room and hang over the railing to see it. At POFQ, the water views tend to be better as far as I know. There are some rooms that really back right up to the river, so they must have pretty nice water views. I no longer pay for any type of preferred location at the value or moderate resorts...just isn't worth it to me.

 

[Lynne M]

Oh, holy cow, Poly definitely is the better resort. Not that the Port Orleans are awful, they're both quite nice. But you're talking about two entirely different resort categories, with all of the differences that the PP mentioned.

If the Poly fits comfortably in your budget, go for it.

 

[Lilolvr]

Poly!

 

[DisneyDotty]

We stayed at the Poly last January--great for being on the monorail, but the resort is so spread out that we used the monorail stop at TTC more than at GCH. Also, we didn't make much use of Poly's dining--again, it was too spread out to just get a quick cup of coffee. (However, Tonga Toast is a MUST!) Kids loved the hammocks and the rooms were huge. Great escapist feel throughout.
POR is a beautiful resort as others have noted, and Bob Jackson the piano guy is wonderful, as are the amenities offered around the marina. (Do a surrey bike rental--great fun.) POFQ is much smaller and easier to navigate, IMO. And the beignets are to die for.
Guess my response isn't very helpful. My motto has always been, "Try 'em all!"

 

[DWDude]

I've stayed at all of them and the POLY is our family favorite.
In general, people pick hotels based on their demographics.
If you take the time to go to each of the Disney resorts and spend some time observing the clientele there, it's a truly interesting study in human behavior and demographics. Everything you read on this board must be taken subjectively as everyone has a different point of view on things. Ask yourself this question, “When your travel, do you stay at Motel 6 or something more akin to a Marriott or a Hyatt?” Now I’m not saying the POR is comparable to a Motel 6, however, there is a difference between hotels and motels.
Having said that, should you choose the Port Orleans, we preferred the original PO (Port Orleans French Quarter) over the former Dixie Landings (Port Orleans Riverside).
The original PO was actually very nice.

1) Which in your opinion is better/nicer?
Without question, the POLY.

2) Which has the best restaurants?
Without question, the POLY.

3) What is the difference between the French Quarter and water view rooms in POR?
POFQ is a level above the POR in our opinion.

4) Do they both have bars and or entertainment?
Yes

5) What is the best cheapest way to book a room there (Disney direct or another website?)
Use a code and call Disney.

 

[cjsmom5]

If money is not a consideration than I would prefer the Poly. Bigger rooms, several forms of transportation, (we think) better restaurants, etc. It offers many amenities that the POR/FQ do not offer but the biggest thing for us is that the Poly has queen beds vs. the POR/FQ has double beds. We prefer queen beds - that is typically the deal breaker for us. And, I definitely wouldn't pay for a waterview room at either the POR or POFQ.

Keep in mind that the POFQ and POR are really separate resorts even though they are "billed' as one. They are very close but are separate. They offer different atmosphere and themes at both, too. And, the POFQ does not have a sit down restaurant, just a food court. POFQ has a sit down and food court along with great entertainment in the bar area.

In regards to booking -- many agents do not charge a fee. If you want extra services such as having your Priority seatings made for you, watching for reduced rates, etc. you can book with an agent that specializes in disney. If you want to do it yourself then you can book directly with Disney. Both ways it is the same price. The nice thing about the agent is that they watch for the rate reductions and are on top of it. Otherwise you have to be very diligent to call and get them at the very beginning as the reduced rates go quickly.

 

[goofy4tink]

I've stayed at all of them and the POLY is our family favorite.
In general, people pick hotels based on their demographics.
If you take the time to go to each of the Disney resorts and spend some time observing the clientele there, it's a truly interesting study in human behavior and demographics. Everything you read on this board must be taken subjectively as everyone has a different point of view on things. Ask yourself this question, “When your travel, do you stay at Motel 6 or something more akin to a Marriott or a Hyatt?” Now I’m not saying the POR is comparable to a Motel 6, however, there is a difference between hotels and motels.
Having said that, should you choose the Port Orleans, we preferred the original PO (Port Orleans French Quarter) over the former Dixie Landings (Port Orleans Riverside).
The original PO was actually very nice.

1) Which in your opinion is better/nicer?
Without question, the POLY.

2) Which has the best restaurants?
Without question, the POLY.

3) What is the difference between the French Quarter and water view rooms in POR?
POFQ is a level above the POR in our opinion.

4) Do they both have bars and or entertainment?
Yes

5) What is the best cheapest way to book a room there (Disney direct or another website?)
Use a code and call Disney.

Valid points...but I have to differ regarding 'demographics'....we own at BWV, but I love to stay at POP. In fact, for my Dec trip, I just canceled two nights at BWV so I could stay at POP again. I've stayed at every level of resort at WDW...as well as different levels away from WDW. It all depends on what I want from a particular trip.
I will say that I saw some 'interesting demographics' while at the Polynesian...not at all the behaviour I had expected at a deluxe (by Disney standards) resort. But, just because you can spend a lot for a hotel room does not guarentee that you will have manners.
The things you need to decide (directed to OP) are going to be...

What do you need for room size...Polynesian rooms are much larger, with queen sized beds and a day bed. POR has two doubles with a possible trundle in AB section.

Do you care about inside doors vs outside doors as you would find in a motel? Polynesian has indoor hallways, but kids can get noisy at night or early in the morning. I don't find it to be all that noisy when the door opens to the outside, but I may have been lucky so far. And some people feel safer with inside hallways/doors.

What do you need as far as restaurants? Polynesian has a quick food area, as well as a nice bar area, Kona Cafe and 'Ohana...good options. POR has food courts as well as Boatwrights at POR, nothing for table service (unless it has changed) at POFQ. Boatwrights is fine but not fancy.

What do you want for recreational offerings? Polynesian has Mouseboats to rent, sailboats. POR has canoes, kayaks, bikes.

So, as you can see, it's all about what type experience you are looking for. They are both beautiful resorts. The one thing I do not like about the Polynesian is that you have to go outside to get to the restaurants..at least you do from the majority of the longhouses. This is comparable with POR since you have to walk outside to get to food there also. If it's raining, it can be a real pain.

 

[disneyag]

Poly definitely!!!

 

[Unca_Scrooge]

Port Orleans is the best of the moderate price resorts. Poly is a lot more expensive, so it is expected to be nicer.

And I'll be staying at Port Orleans in less then a week....

 

[homedad]

Ploy for size of room, food choices, monorail resort and theme.