POR French Quarter

[DisneyLove]

My roommate and I are going to WDW in a few weeks. We were looking for reviews/tips on POR FQ to get us even more psyched. I've never stayed here, so I amvery excited to try it. My roommate hasn't been to the world since high school, so I want it to be extra special. Any pointers/reviews/good stories would be great!

Thanks,

Katie

[ginny57]

I've stayed at all of the moderates and picked this one for my 50th B-day celebration. I am a New Orleans fan but I like the other themes too. Why POFQ? For me, the size is a big advantage. The resort is smaller than the others so no building is in a bad location. If you will be using the buses, POFQ is the 1st stop (shares a bus w/ Riverside) and that comes in handy if you like to sit! I was on more than on bus that filled up, leaving some stops at Riverside to wait for the next bus. While there is no sit down restaurant at POFQ, I don't usually eat at the resort anyway with SO many choices around the WORLD!

The pool looks great and I plan on enjoying it this time (last trip was too short and I spent all of my time park hopping). Food court was good and the bar (scat cat's) looked good. I plan on hiting that too!

Sounds like you'll be there for the food & wine festival. It's AWESOME! Be sure to check it out.

[WinnieThePooh]

We just arrived home from the POFQ. We stayed from 9-19 to 9-25. The absolute best thing about POFQ is Scats Club singer. Elliott Dyson is wonderful. He is there from Wednesday - Saturday from like 8- midnight. He played 9 different instruments, sang every kind of music, the little kids were singing with him and dancing. Great performer.

We only went to the parks one day out of the 7 days we were there. So we spent most of our time at the resort. The pool is very nice with lots of chairs, towels are available at the pool. The walk to Riverside took less than 10 minutes and we were on the far side from it. The boat to Downtown disney was very helpful, since the bus stop was closed to downtown disney and the only stop was West Side. The prime rib was very good at Boatwrights. The carriage rides looked very fun to!

The only thing I did not like about POFQ is the smoking everywhere!!! I get migraines from smelling smoke so I am very careful to stay away from those areas. I am not quite sure why they have smoking on both side of the main entrance once you go through the main lobby towards the pool. But we managed to stay away from that area when we would walk to the bus and food court.

There were people smoking right outside there room doors, at the pool, at the hot tub, and bus stops, boat stops etc... yes I talked to numerous cast members and also to the manager of POFQ and got the same "cookie cutter" response from all of them. 'Oh really... they are not suppose to do that' and thanks for letting us know. I did ask why there are not signs posted to say NO smoking at the bus stops and pool areas. The response I got was that the smoking areas are posted and that was good enough.

POFQ is a beautiful resort that is small enough to not feel like you are walking forever to get someplace. Enjoy your trip!

[Hammer]

I'm sorry that management was not proactive in dealing with the smokers who smoked outside their rooms and at the bus stop. One of our moderators, Beth, had an issue with someone smoking outside the room next door to her when she stayed at Caribbean Beach and it was addressed promptly and the people did not do it again after being issued a warning. PO French Quarter has plenty of designated smoking areas (in fact more than some deluxe resorts) so people do not have any excuse for smoking in other areas.

PO French Quarter is my second favorite moderate. If they reopened the restaurant and had greater variety in their food court, it could compete for my favorite moderate with Coronado Springs.

[Laysout4it]

We stayed at PorFQ for 6 nights the week of Labor Day. We had 2 rooms. One for the grandparents and one for us with our 2 year old. We didn't ask for, but received connecting rooms and this helped us. Front desk cast members were very helpful and friendly.
We were in bldg 6 with a view of the river (which was a complementary upgrade for us).
Nice view of the river, could see the carriage rides going by at night, could watch the boat go by that took people to Downtown Disney.
We were on the top floor (3rd) so no noise of people passing by our rooms. There is an elevator if stairs are a problem.
Size of the resort is a huge plus. Small enough to get around and short walk to pool, hot tub, lobby, restaurant, busses.

First stop for busses. They go over to Riverside sometimes after picking up PorFQ and there are 4 stops there. Busses could get crowded in the morning headed to the parks, but not too bad. More crowded in the evenings as things closed and everyone wanted to pack on to get back to their room.

Nice walk along the river to PorRiverside. Boatwright's is there. We ate there one night and it was very good. Quick service meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner at PorFQ. No sit down restaurant at PorFQ. Food was good and we did the refillable mugs.

My parents (the grandparents) really enjoyed this resort also. Granddaddy used the washers/dryers. $2 to wash and $2 to dry. Everything in one load got dry in the 40 minutes the dryer ran.

My 2 year old daughter loved the pool and the dragon slide. You could hear her saying "Wheeeee" all the way down every time. There are towels at the pool for you to use so you don't have to carry any towels from your room. There is a bar by the pool.

We loved PorFQ and would go back.

[Lisaj13]

I stayed at POFQ last year with my sister and two daughters (10 and 13).

My youngest loved the pool and was in it every day. And I confess this big kid loved it too!

The hot tub was wonderful after a long day on your feet, and a great opportunity to chat with fellow guests.

As others have mentioned, everything is close to everything at this small (by Disney standards) resort. And somehow all the greenery made it seem cool and intimate. We enjoyed the squirrels and geckos (?). And the boat ride to Downtown Disney is a real treat.

Have a great time!

[#1donaldfan]

PORFQ seems to be a nice place....we normally stay at POR AB, and cruise by there on our way to DTD VIA a boat......it looks very nice....you should have a nice time.

[SimbaandNalasMama]

Another fan of POFQ. I have stayed there quite a few times and really enjoy it. I love the smallish feel, the food area (something for everyone, especially beignets!!! do NOT miss out on the beignets!! We used to get an order on our way back to our room each night after being in the parks all day, what a nice treat!!) All the other posters took the words right out of my mouth. You will enjoy! :thumbsup:

[pwdebbie]

The comments about all the smoking going on outside causes me concern. My dh absolutely cannot be exposed to cigarette smoke. He is just now recovering from bronchitis (we even came close to canceling this trip), which only complicated his lung problems caused by an autoimmune disease. I guess I am going to be bold and be the nag at the front desk whenever we encounter someone smoking where they shouldn't be. Thanks for the warning on this.

Deb
POFQ 10/2 to 10/10

[DisneyLove]

Everyone, thanks for the great responses! We are so excited!! One quick question- what are beignets?

Thanks!

Katie

[mdricks]

POFQ is a great resort. Beignets are small square pieces of sweet dough fried in very hot oil so that they puff up and form pillows. (Think square puffy doughnuts with tons of powered sugar). They are absolutely wonderful.

As for the rest...
I gather from your post that you are not quite as age challenged as I am. If you and your roommate plan on having some fun at DTD the boat ride from the resort to the clubs is great. The atmosphere is much better than a bus and can be very relaxing on the way home from one-to-many Irish car bombs at Raglan Road. :blush:

A room upgrade is nice but not nearly as beneficial as some other resorts because POFQ is so small and there really is no "bad" building.

Bus rides to all the parks is easy and quick and you will be first on and first off of all the buses.

I second the call for a nightcap in Scat's lounge. The music is a lot of fun and the bar is usually filled with fun loving adults happy to make new friends. (I travel solo often and have always met great people here)

If, by chance, your roommate is also a paramor, take a walk with them down the river to POR. It is an extrememly romantic meander espcially right after twilight.

It is my favorite moderate and the place I will stay most often.

:thumbsup:

[tinksmom02]

We just got back friday from POFQ and loved loved loved every minute of it! We were in building 5, third floor, with a beautiful view of the river. We were only a minute away from the food court, pool, etc. Twice we strolled down to POR to see Bob Jackson, a nice, pleasant walk. And of course you can't beat the boat to DTD!

I will definitely be returning to POFQ, except that it won't be for a long while, according to DH!

Should probably get working on my trip reports, huh?