Port Orleans French Quarter

[AmyKane]

Hello All! We are finally planning our upcoming and much overdue trip for this coming November. :joy:
I have made reservations for all of us to stay at Port Orleans French Quarter and my husband has recently read many not so good reviews (Not on Intercot). He is now having some major reservations with us staying there. Are the bathrooms really that dirty? Does Mousekeeping really slack in the cleaning of the rooms?
I am in need of some advise from my Intercot friends. :mickey:

[PetefromRI]

We just got back last month and I was just like you.I had read so many negative things on another travel site that I was almost afraid to go.I actually e-mailed Disney and asked them if the French Quarter was really this dirty and I even got a reply saying that if there is ever a problem to please just call the front desk.Well anyhow,put your mind at ease.This was just as clean as any Disney resort we've visited and we've been to a few.It was also one of the most quiet,relaxing and beautiful resorts and it may be our new favorite moderate.We're trying the Coronado Springs this Fall.It's the only mod we haven't stayed at and now I'm also reading some negative along with positive reviews.I think that some people are either hotel snobs or just had a string of real bad luck at some resorts.To me not having WiFi in the rooms isn't an issue,and try to remember that a foodcourt is just that,a foodcourt.
We really loved the size of this resort.We were used to our old fave the CBR and this place is alot smaller.Maybe it's that we're getting older but I'm starting to think that a smaller resort is better as long as it's themed right and this resort is themed perfectly.The busses ran the best out of all the resorts that we've stayed at and the pool area was really nice.Put your mind at ease.You guys are gonna love this resort!

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

We're FQ fans!

There were no issues with rooms on either of our trips, although the bathtub was starting to show its age (but it was still clean).

We love FQ...the size is so compact, the pool is great (DD loves the slide). The food court is just fine, nothing overly special, but everything was made fresh and it tasted good.

[TennesseeTink]

We just got back a week ago and we absolutely loved POFQ. The size was perfect, no matter which building you are in, you're close to everything. As was previously posted, the tubs are not dirty, just not new. And this is coming from someone who cleans for a living so I know dirt. :thumbsup:In fact considering the age of the resort, I was very impressed with the condition of it. The grounds are absolutely gorgeous; we had a waterview room. The whole resort has a romantic feel to it. I liked everything I tried in the foodcourt. DH speaks highly of the meatball sub but my personal favorite was the chicken quesadilla.

I hope all these posts will ease your mind. I used to read reviews of WDW resorts before every trip but I've realized that it makes me look for negative things during my stay that I otherwise would not have noticed. So now I just put my faith in Disney and they have yet to disappoint me.

Have a great trip!!

[kakn7294]

We stayed there twice - Dec 2006 and Aug 2007. We didn't have any mousekeeping issues but I do think the resort is beginning to show some signs of wear. It's probably overdue for a refurb but it was very clean.

[Figment52]

We also love POFQ! It's definitely our fave moderate, and probably our 3rd fave overall. Last trip in 06 we stayed there, and while it was starting to show signs of age, the rooms were definitely clean. I suppose Mousekeeping has bad days, like anyone else, or perhaps the guests with bad reviews had too high of expectations. Who knows. But in our two stays, we never had a problem.

It's a lovely resort, fantastic theming, and perfectly sized. Go, and have a good time :mickey:

[DizneyDoug]

We stayed there on our last trip and absolutely LOVED IT! Small, quaint, and very easy to get around. We'll be arriving in 18 days and are staying there again. Like any hotel you're bound to get some bad housekeeping from time to time, but I do not tolerate that anywhere and I will not hesitate to call the front desk and get things cleaned they way they need to be. But we had NO issues the last time we stayed there. I will provide a trip report when I return and I'll give honest feedback (good or bad).

[wdwnomad]

When I stayed there I had no issues with Mousekeeping. Rooms were clean and everything was straightened up nicely each day.

I don't think bad Mousekeeping is generally a resort specific problem. I think it tends to be more on the individual housekeeper you have that day. You can have a bad Mousekeeper at any resort. I see people post about these issues at all of the resorts.

Besides, most people only voice their opinion when something is wrong. Think about how many people stay there and you aren't reading about their positive experiences. I am sure the number is far greater.

[sainter]

We stayed there twice - Dec 2006 and Aug 2007. We didn't have any mousekeeping issues but I do think the resort is beginning to show some signs of wear. It's probably overdue for a refurb but it was very clean.

Wasn' t this resort actually totally closed down for a major rehab a few years ago? Is it the rooms or other parts of the resort that need a rehab?

[CleveRocks]

Hello All! We are finally planning our upcoming and much overdue trip for this coming November. :joy:
I have made reservations for all of us to stay at Port Orleans French Quarter and my husband has recently read many not so good reviews (Not on Intercot). He is now having some major reservations with us staying there. Are the bathrooms really that dirty? Does Mousekeeping really slack in the cleaning of the rooms?
I am in need of some advise from my Intercot friends. :mickey:If your husband looks hard enough, he will find some isolated negative housekeeping reviews of every WDW resort, as well as of every Ritz-Carlton location, every Four Seasons location, and so on.

[pogo]

Tell hubby to relax. We stayed at POFQ last April and liked it so much we are staying again in December. :cloud9:

Can you see a trend in these replies???? We all return to POFQ, so it's got to be good. :D

In fact we give it :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[tkane]

All your posts have made this pain in the butt husband feel better about this resort. I don't know why I was worried it is Disney after all..

[DisneyCouple07]

My DW and I stayed there for our honeymoon in September 2006 and our first anniversary last year. I have been there before and have always loved POFQ. I could never complain about mousekeeping because they always have done a fabulous job on our rooms (and have had a lot of towel animals/flowers left behind). You really can't go wrong with the FQ. Have a great trip :).

BTW, when you are at the food court, say hi to Ethel- she is an awesome cast member and a lot of fun. :mickey:

[WedWay Peoplemover]

This makes me personally upset... French Quarter is fantastic!! AND there is live jazz in the hotel bar on weekends!!

Somebody on this other site deserves a noogie!!

[Dyanna]

I cant believe that there are bad reviews on POFQ. We stayed there last Oct & LOVED it!!! We have no reservations about staying there again in the future. Go!!! you will love it just as much as we did.

[momofdisneyprincess]

We stayed there in August 07 for the Free Dining Plan. When we first checked in, there were clothes still left in a drawer (including underwear). In addition, there were empty soda bottles under the bed. We called the front desk - as I was not touching someone else's underwear and they said the old clothes would be removed - they never were. In addition, my DH had called before we got there to arrange for a card and balloons since it was my birthday. As a result, he did not buy me a card. Boy did he feel bad when there was no card on balloons on my birthday. He called the front desk and they said they are not guaranteed to be delivered on a certain day, just any day during your stay. They never did come. The transporation was AWFUL!!! Rent a car if you stay there. We were late for two breakfasts and left 90 minutes for transportation time. This experience was so disheartening we will not be staying on property again. I hope you have a good experience as other posters have had.

[bruin1344]

i stayed at dixie landings (port orleans now) in 1996, i enjoyed it and room was always clean

[mom2morgan]

I saw lots of bad revies for POR after I booked it the first time, and it almost turned me off...but we liked it enough that we're going back! Different resort, I know, but same principle...Seriously, I really wonder what the heck some of these people are used to! Any non-Disney specific travel site tends to have a bunch of negative reviews on any resort. Same with the restaurants - I guess if you are a Swiss trained chef (like my FIL ) and the whole point of a vacation is fabulous food...but then maybe Disney isn't the best vacation choice!) IOh, - but always check the date they were posted, too. I think I know which site you mean, and some of those reviews are OOLLLDDD.

[TennesseeTink]

We stayed there in August 07 for the Free Dining Plan. When we first checked in, there were clothes still left in a drawer (including underwear). In addition, there were empty soda bottles under the bed. We called the front desk - as I was not touching someone else's underwear and they said the old clothes would be removed - they never were. In addition, my DH had called before we got there to arrange for a card and balloons since it was my birthday. As a result, he did not buy me a card. Boy did he feel bad when there was no card on balloons on my birthday. He called the front desk and they said they are not guaranteed to be delivered on a certain day, just any day during your stay. They never did come. The transporation was AWFUL!!! Rent a car if you stay there. We were late for two breakfasts and left 90 minutes for transportation time. This experience was so disheartening we will not be staying on property again. I hope you have a good experience as other posters have had.

We never experienced any transportation issues while we were there. This was the first time we ever flew instead of drive so we were completely relying on WDW transportation and never waited more than a few minutes for a bus. The longest wait we had was for the boat to DTD. We got there just as one was leaving and had to wait for the next one. Took about 15 minutes.

POFQ does share a bus route with POR but we always got dropped first before they went to the other resort, which worked out well.

[JPelle76]

So relived to read all the positives. I'll be staying there for the first time next week. After seeing so many pictures of it I can't wait to see it in person! Especially the pool! :swim:

[garymacd]

We have never had a bad experience at POFQ. As you can see by my signature, we stay there a lot!

It has always been clean and well maintained.

And it has beignets!

[Giselle]

We will be staying there for the 1st time in Sept. and I was a little scared to be down grading to a moderate, but all of these posititive comments have been encouraging. I think service varies even at deluxe hotels- it just depends on your mousekeeper and the mood of the staff. :mickey:

[LudwigVonDrake]

I can't wait to visit POFQ for the first time in less than two weeks :wave:

This has been a crazy month at work and I'm looking forward to the Disney Magic :tink:

[Young@Heart]

We loved our room, the pool, the resort grounds, and the boat to DTD (this was probably our favorite part of staying there). :thumbsup:

We were not as happy w/ the food court, the gift shop, and especially the busses. :(

[rnin02]

We stayed at POR last September, and while I can't comment of POFQ rooms or anything, I can say the bus transportation was awful (they were sharing busses at the time). Simply awful, the worst experience we've ever had at Disney. Every bus trip was a horrible wait, no matter if it was from resort to park or vice versa, no matter what time of day...it was just bad. And so crowded, I think every bus we rode was standing room only. I think POR and POFQ share the food court too...and we weren't really that happy with the food court. It seemed really small and not much variety. I'm not sure I would stay at either resort again, but my husband is willing to give it a chance if we have our own car.

[sainter]

Just clarification, POR and POFQ have separate food courts. The one at FQ is smaller.

We have never had an issue with the buses at POR except first thing in am and last thing at night. We have learned to either leave the park a little early (rarely) or wait around and shop or just "people watch", then we have had almost no waiting and you get a seat!! (no matter what resort).

[epcot linnie]

I have stayed at French Quarter many, many times and have LOVED it each and every time. Last summer, my girls and I decided to give All Stars a chance. It was not what we wanted, too noisey, too many people, LONG walks to everything, and not a spot to wait for the bus in the shade. One morning we awoke at 7AM to construction that sounded like they were banging pipes on the roof above our room. That was the LAST straw. I phoned French Quarter for a room and got the first bus over there for the rest of our stay. Upon check in at FQ, I mentioned the issues at All Stars to the cast member checking us in. She said "Well all that is behind you, you are Home now" and that is exactly how it felt. We got a terrific room and had a great time. We are going back again for our 7th stay at FQ in August. Just remember, one of the best reasons for this resort is Elliot Dyson. He performs an amazing jazz show at night that is just as much fun for the kids as the parents.:mickey:

[Hull-onian]

We have stayed at POFQ and loved it. We are going again in May '09 and looking forward to it. As far as cleanliness goes, mousekeeping does a good job. The Food Court is just that a food court. It's okay. We even like to go next door to Boatwrights for dinner, it's so good. No worries, you will be fine.:thumbsup:

[PetefromRI]

I think last year POR was doing a refurb on there foodcourt so maybe guests had to go over to POFQ?Other than for that,each resort has it's own foodcourt and we also found that the bus service from the French Quarter was alot better than Riverside.There we're days that we didn't even pick up people at Riverside.

[sisterdisco]

momofdisneyprincess noted Awful bussing last year in AUgust during free dining---must have been the last week.

We are on the verge of renting a car for POFQ last week of August this year......

Anyone else stay there that week in 07 and have bad bussing?

We were at WL last year same week and I didn't think the bussing was very good.

Thanks

[rnin02]

We were there during free dining in September and that's when we had horrible bus service. The year before (2006) during free dining the bus service was fine. Maybe last year was a fluke, but it is the one thing that has stuck with me about last year's trip as being very bad.

[disneychick62]

im staying there in november...i cant wait. my daughters stayed there last year and loved it. clean, nice pools, cozy atmosphere.... :mickey:

[NotaGeek]

I stayed at both the POR and POFQ and loved both. The buses at POFQ are easier ... first on and first off. The smaller size made it cozy, and the boat to DTD was wonderful. If I go and stay in moderate again, PO Resorts are my first choice, but hopefully I will be deluxe next time! :mickey:

[Gayle]

You will love this resort. It is our favorite Mod. I think it is one of the best kept secrets in Disney world.:mickey:

[RALPH]

When we stayed at POFQ we always rented a car, so we avoided the bus issue. I still rent one even when staying at a delux, for piece of mind, but if the bus service is bad, we use the car.

[megustamex]

We always rent a car no matter where we stay in WDW. Unless you're doing the free magical express, it isn't that much more for a family of 4 to rent a small car vs. taking a shuttle of some sort. We do it because it's great to have to get to the parks on your own schedule and to get to the airport. Plus you can store your luggage in the car your last day if you have a late flight out and are still visiting the parks. While it can take a while to get to MK, we found that it usually takes 5-10 minutes to get to any other park. If you are coming back to the parks at night after a break at the hotel you can usually park in the first or second row and walk right into the park. MK is a little longer, but after giving the bus to WL a try from MK last time and having to wait 30 minutes we took the car the rest of the trip, as usual.