Wilderness Lodge or POFQ?

[nikkispurrell]

I am currently booked to stay at Port Orleans French Quarter for our trip with the Disney Dining Plan, but recently realized it would cost the exact same amount to stay at Wilderness Lodge with Quick service dining. Which would you choose ( I have a 1 and 3 year old if that helps ?
A) Wilderness Lodge with Quick Service Dining Plan
B) POFQ with Disney Dining Plan.

Thanks in advance!

 

[chicagoshannon]

I'd go with Wilderness lodge. It will be easier to stick with quick service with those ages plus you have the boat right to Magic Kingdom. win/win

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

Port Orleans is my favorite resort complex and I could not eat QS an entire trip. So, my choice is Option B.

 

[Ashleybritton]

I've stayed at both and much prefer the WL!

 

[mamabunny]

I love both Resorts - each one has it's own charms, and very few "cons".

WL has the boats to MK, and Roaring Fork is a great QS. You also can still catch the Electrical Water Parade down on the docks at night. It's an easy cruise or boat ride over to Ft Wilderness too, where there's a great playground.

POFQ has the boats to/from Disney Springs - and POFQ has an awesome pool as well. A nice little playground, and the QS has just been renovated.

Both are relatively compact and quiet. Both are great for families. Both are fairly quick access to MK, and every park.

Now that I think about it, you really can't go wrong either way! LOL

I hope you all have a great trip!

 

[rosiebean]

A few things to consider:

1) Will it be you and your kids, or will you have other adults along with you? The more adults to help with toddlers, the easier it is to stay at a non-boat-to-MK or monorail resort.

2) Where do you plan to spend your time? If you think your visit will be MK heavy, then I'd stay at WL (even though I personally prefer POFQ). The boat to MK with two very young kids is much easier than the bus, especially if it's just you and kids (per my question above...the bus is gets easier with more adult plus kids, but if you're at MK all the time, WL makes the most sense).

3) If you'll be at other parks or plan to spend time at the pool, I'd consider POFQ. They have a great pool and splash area for little kids.

4) With such little kids, QS might be fine for your needs. I'd have a hard time not having a TS meal during my trip, but that's me.

I'm not a huge fan of WL just because the theme doesn't appeal to me. But it has great amenities and is a very quick boat ride to MK. With such little kids, I'd *probably* choose WL and pay out of pocket for any TS meals I'd have....but it would be a difficult decision for me.

 

[nikkispurrell]

A few things to consider:

1) Will it be you and your kids, or will you have other adults along with you? The more adults to help with toddlers, the easier it is to stay at a non-boat-to-MK or monorail resort.

2) Where do you plan to spend your time? If you think your visit will be MK heavy, then I'd stay at WL (even though I personally prefer POFQ). The boat to MK with two very young kids is much easier than the bus, especially if it's just you and kids (per my question above...the bus is gets easier with more adult plus kids, but if you're at MK all the time, WL makes the most sense).

3) If you'll be at other parks or plan to spend time at the pool, I'd consider POFQ. They have a great pool and splash area for little kids.

4) With such little kids, QS might be fine for your needs. I'd have a hard time not having a TS meal during my trip, but that's me.

I'm not a huge fan of WL just because the theme doesn't appeal to me. But it has great amenities and is a very quick boat ride to MK. With such little kids, I'd *probably* choose WL and pay out of pocket for any TS meals I'd have....but it would be a difficult decision for me.

Thanks for your thoughts There will be three adults (my husband, mother, and myself) along with the 2 little ones. I agree with you - after looking at many pictures I'm not crazy about the theme of Wilderness Lodge. However, since it is a deluxe resort I was wondering if I was missing something

 

[VillainFavs]

Have stayed at both and absolutely LOVE them both! Would stay at either again in a heartbeat and be perfectly happy. But no way would I want to do just QS for an entire trip. For us, the TS meals are too much a part of our trip. They're way more relaxing than QS meals and just a nice break from the parks. So given the choices, I'd stay with POFQ and regular dining. There's not enough that I'd miss about WL to make it worth giving up those TS meals!

 

[nikkispurrell]

Have stayed at both and absolutely LOVE them both! Would stay at either again in a heartbeat and be perfectly happy. But no way would I want to do just QS for an entire trip. For us, the TS meals are too much a part of our trip. They're way more relaxing than QS meals and just a nice break from the parks. So given the choices, I'd stay with POFQ and regular dining. There's not enough that I'd miss about WL to make it worth giving up those TS meals!

Thanks! This is awesome advice! I've never done a TS meal at Disney before. I was worried it would be too much for my 1 and 3 year old but the trend I'm hearing is it should be better/easier than QS. We DID do QS last year and it was chaos (over Easter; we stayed off-site). We are staying over Easter again (no choice here for me) but hoping to make some improvements on our touring plans and this type of thing

 

[chigirl]

I've stayed at both...and I like them both. WL is more of a fall/winter place as far as thrmes go. The lobby is great, being able to see the electric light boat parade, the boat ride to MK, all nice. POFQ is small and quaint. Ive done 2 out of 7 trips QS only, both during hot weather. My most recent trip was this September and we had the regular dining plan. With kids, Id stick with POFQ and full plan: you can do character meals and the pool is amazing for kids!

 

[rosiebean]

Thanks! This is awesome advice! I've never done a TS meal at Disney before. I was worried it would be too much for my 1 and 3 year old but the trend I'm hearing is it should be better/easier than QS. We DID do QS last year and it was chaos (over Easter; we stayed off-site). We are staying over Easter again (no choice here for me) but hoping to make some improvements on our touring plans and this type of thing

In my experience, if you eat TS during early seating times (as the restaurant opens for breakfast/lunch/dinner), it's fairly easy to do so with very young kids. First, it's WDW, so the vast majority of restaurants are geared toward kids, even many signature restaurants. Second, the earlier you eat, in my experience, the lower the crowd (esp. at lunch and dinner)...which makes it easier all around, for your party and for the waitstaff. Third, if you time your meals for your kids' schedule, you'll have a fine time...don't eat when they'd usually take a nap, etc.

I took my then 6-month-old to several TS meals years back and as a college student, went to WDW with my sister and her toddlers. Both trips, we had no difficulty. We couldn't bring strollers into the restaurants, but we were with a large party, so kids were 'passed around' (i.e., we'd take turns entertaining or holding the little ones). If a child got cranky, which only happened a few times, one of us simply took the kid out of the restaurant for a walk/calm down time. With a party your size, I wouldn't shy away from TS meals! Timed right, they're very relaxing.