Done with French Quarter after 8 stays

philcan

Member
Original Poster
I think we are done with Port Orleans French Quarter. We always loved this resort. However, last few stays they have dropped the ball.
3 years ago we stayed & got a letter 30 days before our trip saying Hey food court is closed for refurb but we will have a shuttle to Riverside.
Well shuttle never happened. so we had to eat at the parks.
2 years ago we did a 1 night stay at a Disney Value resort after a Cruise. Our room was not ready but they said Don’t worry we will get your bags in the room once it is ready. They were when we returned it was nice.
We just got back from a 2 day stay at Art of Animation, Cruise & 5 day stay at French Quarter.
AOA was great. Room not ready but bags will be in room when ready have fun. They were great So that’s how a value resort works very nice.

Well how will the moderate resort that is costing more. Your room is not ready report back to bell when you get back after a long day to get you bags we don’t put anything in your room.
Most people at ART were very nice fun to talk with informative. Most at FQ were meh. Not mean but not near as nice as the people at ART.

I do not care for the new French Quarter food court. Its stuffy & small than I remember. I Ordered a 14.99 sandwich for lunch I got it fresh. It was Very good. The next day ordered the same sandwich. Here you go it is wrapped in foil after sitting under a heat lamp for 20 min. I go to my seat find it’s cold dried out with congealed cheese. When I bring it back I get how dare you eye daggers from the counter & the cook. It gets tossed into the trash & she t=yells to the cook Philly steak with everything. Never says a word to me. Sorry but it’s $14.99 for a sandwich not a 2.99 Big Mac. I should not be served like I’m at McDonalds if the prices are 3x higher.

1 day I decided to check on our meal balance I find we were charged for 3 lunches rather than 2. Now I have to call to get that fixed & explain there are only 2 of us so we likely would not need 3 lunches iwht in 2 min of each other. Great now i need to watch thi slike a hawk. When we got our mugs we hd to stand in line twice because they were nto activated whne we paid for them. it was just hassle after hassle.


Then there are the freestyle machines. Lets paly guess what one has ice & then what one is working now. Who has the great idea to do upkeep on them just after park close so several are down when people are swarming after a park day. Saw this 3 different nights.
Sorry but a slide in a pool is not worth the $80.00 or more per night I’m paying for a moderate resort when the service is not better the food court is like a fastfood counter. I think if we go again we will go back to ART.
 
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Smiley/OCD

Well-Known Member
That's why our family of 4 adults LOVES AoA...Next year will be our 4th stay. The ONLY problem we encountered was poor cell phone reception in the Nemo and Lion King blds. The last time, we stayed in the Cars complex and the reception was good.
 

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
I have always loved Riverside. Stayed at French Quarter once and was disappointed with management. We checked in early, room not ready, ok go have fun wait for text. No text came even after 4pm, called and still not ready. Finally went in around 5:30 and they said the room we were to stay in had been decommissioned LOL. I was like...well then move to me to one that is ready, got a room but no apology or anything.
 

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
I think we are done with Port Orleans French Quarter. We always loved this resort. However, last few stays they have dropped the ball.
3 years ago we stayed & got a letter 30 days before our trip saying Hey food court is closed for refurb but we will have a shuttle to Riverside.
Well shuttle never happened. so we had to eat at the parks.
They provide an internal shuttle between both resorts all day, every day.
2 years ago we did a 1 night stay at a Disney Value resort after a Cruise. Our room was not ready but they said Don’t worry we will get your bags in the room once it is ready. They were when we returned it was nice. Kind of them. I’ve only experienced this at any resort level with Magical Express
We just got back from a 2 day stay at Art of Animation, Cruise & 5 day stay at French Quarter.
AOA was great. Room not ready but bags will be in room when ready have fun. They were great So that’s how a value resort works very nice. Did you use Magical Express? That’s part of the service.

Well how will the moderate resort that is costing more. Your room is not ready report back to bell when you get back after a long day to get you bags we don’t put anything in your room. You can call bell services from your room and they’ll bring your bags.
Most people at ART were very nice fun to talk with informative. Most at FQ were meh. Not mean but not near as nice as the people at ART. Okay.

I do not care for the new French Quarter food court. Its stuffy & small than I remember. It’s the same size. I Ordered a 14.99 sandwich for lunch I got it fresh. It was Very good. The next day ordered the same sandwich. Here you go it is wrapped in foil after sitting under a heat lamp for 20 min. I go to my seat find it’s cold dried out with congealed cheese. Gross. When I bring it back I get how dare you eye daggers from the counter & the cook. It gets tossed into the trash & she t=yells to the cook Philly steak with everything. Never says a word to me. Sorry but it’s $14.99 for a sandwich not a 2.99 Big Mac. I should not be served like I’m at McDonalds if the prices are 3x higher. Agreed

1 day I decided to check on our meal balance I find we were charged for 3 lunches rather than 2. Now I have to call to get that fixed & explain there are only 2 of us so we likely would not need 3 lunches iwht in 2 min of each other. Great now i need to watch thi slike a hawk. A good idea from after any QSR. When we got our mugs we hd to stand in line twice because they were nto activated whne we paid for them. It happens. it was just hassle after hassle.


Then there are the freestyle machines. Lets paly guess what one has ice & then what one is working now. Who has the great idea to do upkeep on them just after park close so several are down when people are swarming after a park day. Saw this 3 different nights. Okay.
Sorry but a slide in a pool is not worth the $80.00 or more per night I’m paying for a moderate resort when the service is not better the food court is like a fastfood counter. I think if we go again we will go back to ART. You’re also paying for a subjectively-better looking resort, subjectively-better bus service, larger rooms, boat to Disney Springs, and beignets.
Responses in bold.
 

philcan

Member
Original Poster
3 years ago there was no shuttle I asked at FQ & was told that was no longer offered even though we got a letter saying it would be. We did use Magical express in each case. Yes I could have called Bell but it should not be becessary when the 2 value resorts did it as part of their process when you step up toy should expect the same service. I agree little things like mugs not being registered happen & it is not a big deal However, they kept happening extra meals charged soda machines that work poorly. it was the combination that got big. I emailed the GM after I got home & zero reply. I guess once your stay is over They do not care at FQ. I also emailed the GM of ART to tell them what a great time we had & what a fantastic job their staff is doing. I go that reply.
 

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
3 years ago there was no shuttle I asked at FQ & was told that was no longer offered even though we got a letter saying it would be. We did use Magical express in each case. Yes I could have called Bell but it should not be becessary when the 2 value resorts did it as part of their process when you step up toy should expect the same service. I agree little things like mugs not being registered happen & it is not a big deal However, they kept happening extra meals charged soda machines that work poorly. it was the combination that got big. I emailed the GM after I got home & zero reply. I guess once your stay is over They do not care at FQ. I also emailed the GM of ART to tell them what a great time we had & what a fantastic job their staff is doing. I go that reply.
Disney Springs buses go right to Riverside. I did exactly this in February. They should have communicated this better.
 

Amos1784

Well-Known Member
This is pretty much how I feel about Moderates in General. The up charge is just not worth it, especially after refurbishments at Pop Century. Pop's food court is better there is more variety and seems to be managed better. Art has a great pool. Rooms at Mods vs those two Values are not drastically different. Boat to springs is definitely a nice touch, but we don't visit there more than once a trip if that. We are in the Value or Deluxe camp for all the reasons above that you mentioned and more. Now we will see with Gondolas if that changes my mind for Caribbean Beach, but that is yet to be determined and I'm sure prices will sky rocket right along with that.
 

CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
This is pretty much how I feel about Moderates in General. The up charge is just not worth it, especially after refurbishments at Pop Century. Pop's food court is better there is more variety and seems to be managed better. Art has a great pool. Rooms at Mods vs those two Values are not drastically different. Boat to springs is definitely a nice touch, but we don't visit there more than once a trip if that. We are in the Value or Deluxe camp for all the reasons above that you mentioned and more. Now we will see with Gondolas if that changes my mind for Caribbean Beach, but that is yet to be determined and I'm sure prices will sky rocket right along with that.
You don't find a substantial difference in the quality of the theming and overall atmosphere at the moderates? Or does that just not move the needle for you?

We like Art of Animation but the giant plastic statues at Pop and the All Stars are a huge turnoff. A 40-foot Big Wheel tricycle does absolutely nothing for me.
 

Amos1784

Well-Known Member
You don't find a substantial difference in the quality of the theming and overall atmosphere at the moderates? Or does that just not move the needle for you?

We like Art of Animation but the giant plastic statues at Pop and the All Stars are a huge turnoff. A 40-foot Big Wheel tricycle does absolutely nothing for me.

Doesn't move it for us. Don't get me wrong I think Caribbean Beach and Port Orleans resorts are beautiful, but 80ish dollars a night more beautiful? Not for us, I would rather spend that on Signature Dining or Drinks. But, this probably caters to the way we tour, we are in our early 30's with no children, we aren't coming back for afternoon down time, we typically spend that at Deluxe resorts in proximity to the park we are in for the day, and only two of us in a room we can make anything work.

We have never stayed All Stars so I can't comment on that but have stayed Pop and AoA and I don't overall hate the theme. It is what it is and our room has never been cleaner or service has never been better at a mod to justify the little better view the couple mins we are walking to and from our room. The jump from Value/Mod to Deluxe however we can justify that price, where others would probably argue that.
 

lawdogNOLA

Active Member
I don't look on AoA as a Value Resort. In my view, it's really a hybrid, because so much of it is devoted to family suites. And of all the present moderate resorts, FQ is an outlier, being relatively compact by moderate resort standards.

But deficiencies should be brought to the attention of management, otherwise there's no guarantee they'll ever get fixed.
 

dontknow

Member
Sounds frustrating. We will be spending our time coming up at PO Riverside for the very first time in any moderate. Wonder what type of experience we will walk away with once it's over. We are hoping for 'the best' but not expecting the same type of experience we've had over the years as we did at Wilderness Lodge and Poly.
 

unmitigated disaster

Well-Known Member
3 years ago there was no shuttle I asked at FQ & was told that was no longer offered even though we got a letter saying it would be. We did use Magical express in each case. Yes I could have called Bell but it should not be becessary when the 2 value resorts did it as part of their process when you step up toy should expect the same service. I agree little things like mugs not being registered happen & it is not a big deal However, they kept happening extra meals charged soda machines that work poorly. it was the combination that got big. I emailed the GM after I got home & zero reply. I guess once your stay is over They do not care at FQ. I also emailed the GM of ART to tell them what a great time we had & what a fantastic job their staff is doing. I go that reply.
As a long-time hotel employee, generally speaking complaints are more likely to be heard and acknowledged when you're still there. I get these all the time at check out.

"The last three nights the people next door played their TV so loud we only got about two hours of sleep. "
"I'm sorry; did you call the front desk to let them know so they could speak to the guests [knowing full well they didn't because I was the one working]?"
" No, but it ruined our stay! "

Yeah, no sympathy there from me. Also they often come across as "I'm complaining to get a discount" when they only mention ongoing issues after staying 5 or 6 days and no complaints being made during that time. I mean, sure, you sometimes get little old ladies (usually) who legit don't want to make a fuss so they don't say anything. Like the little old ladies who used the lobby bathroom because they didn't want to pester us when part of the tank mechanism broke. We were all "this is when you should be pestering us!" but they felt very badly and kept apologizing.
 

Minnesota disney fan

Well-Known Member
I think we are done with Port Orleans French Quarter. We always loved this resort. However, last few stays they have dropped the ball.
3 years ago we stayed & got a letter 30 days before our trip saying Hey food court is closed for refurb but we will have a shuttle to Riverside.
Well shuttle never happened. so we had to eat at the parks.
2 years ago we did a 1 night stay at a Disney Value resort after a Cruise. Our room was not ready but they said Don’t worry we will get your bags in the room once it is ready. They were when we returned it was nice.
We just got back from a 2 day stay at Art of Animation, Cruise & 5 day stay at French Quarter.
AOA was great. Room not ready but bags will be in room when ready have fun. They were great So that’s how a value resort works very nice.

Well how will the moderate resort that is costing more. Your room is not ready report back to bell when you get back after a long day to get you bags we don’t put anything in your room.
Most people at ART were very nice fun to talk with informative. Most at FQ were meh. Not mean but not near as nice as the people at ART.

I do not care for the new French Quarter food court. Its stuffy & small than I remember. I Ordered a 14.99 sandwich for lunch I got it fresh. It was Very good. The next day ordered the same sandwich. Here you go it is wrapped in foil after sitting under a heat lamp for 20 min. I go to my seat find it’s cold dried out with congealed cheese. When I bring it back I get how dare you eye daggers from the counter & the cook. It gets tossed into the trash & she t=yells to the cook Philly steak with everything. Never says a word to me. Sorry but it’s $14.99 for a sandwich not a 2.99 Big Mac. I should not be served like I’m at McDonalds if the prices are 3x higher.

1 day I decided to check on our meal balance I find we were charged for 3 lunches rather than 2. Now I have to call to get that fixed & explain there are only 2 of us so we likely would not need 3 lunches iwht in 2 min of each other. Great now i need to watch thi slike a hawk. When we got our mugs we hd to stand in line twice because they were nto activated whne we paid for them. it was just hassle after hassle.


Then there are the freestyle machines. Lets paly guess what one has ice & then what one is working now. Who has the great idea to do upkeep on them just after park close so several are down when people are swarming after a park day. Saw this 3 different nights.
Sorry but a slide in a pool is not worth the $80.00 or more per night I’m paying for a moderate resort when the service is not better the food court is like a fastfood counter. I think if we go again we will go back to ART.

Gee, so sorry all that happened to you.
We love POFQ and have never Not had our bags delivered to the room.
We were charged for 2 meals instead of one at Art Smith's Restaurant.
Got stale, cold beignets one AM and a surly worker corrected how I said them. (I'm from up North and didn't know)
The CM's were the best of any resort that we have stayed at. We have not run into rude people at FQ yet, but they are everywhere.
It seems like you had a run of bad karma, and that's too bad. It's enough to irritate anyone. But we haven't had tht happen yet, so we are still happy with POFQ. We loved POR too!
 

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
I don't look on AoA as a Value Resort. In my view, it's really a hybrid, because so much of it is devoted to family suites. And of all the present moderate resorts, FQ is an outlier, being relatively compact by moderate resort standards.

But deficiencies should be brought to the attention of management, otherwise there's no guarantee they'll ever get fixed.
And prices reflect that
 

daisyduckie

Well-Known Member
Sounds frustrating. We will be spending our time coming up at PO Riverside for the very first time in any moderate. Wonder what type of experience we will walk away with once it's over. We are hoping for 'the best' but not expecting the same type of experience we've had over the years as we did at Wilderness Lodge and Poly.


I have stayed at all levels of resort, and I do find there is a difference between values and moderates. But those differences are more notable if you plan on spending a bit of time at the resort. I mean, if you don't plan on swimming at all a slide and hot tub isn't worth anything, right? And who cares if the resort is more peaceful feeling if you don't plan on spending any time just hanging out there.

As far as bags being placed in your room-well, unless they were bags handled by DME it is a bit of pixie dust. Resorts technically don't put any bags you leave with bell services in to your room. I've only had it happen once over dozens of trips. It is one of those things to be happy when they do it, not upset when they don't.
 

YankeeMouse

Well-Known Member
Had a couple of meh and more than meh experiences at POFQ after many years as our go-to mod. Switched to CBR. Have had nothing but good experiences there many for many years, several times a year. The reason is definitely the cast members. They are nice, friendly, accommodating. It must be bad management at POFQ, the resort itself is nice. Their competition is CBR and CSR and since we have had excellent guest services experiences at CBR, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Buh bye, POFQ. If we go value, PC has always been great.
 

YankeeMouse

Well-Known Member
Sometimes management responds, sometimes not. People next door were smoking ON THE BALCONY by the animals at AKL and they quietly knocked on their door after my call and requested they stop, nicely. (Yes, I was snooping). They didn't stop. So I handled it myself, talked to them. Not as nicely. They stopped.
 

jpeden

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
You don't find a substantial difference in the quality of the theming and overall atmosphere at the moderates? Or does that just not move the needle for you?

We like Art of Animation but the giant plastic statues at Pop and the All Stars are a huge turnoff. A 40-foot Big Wheel tricycle does absolutely nothing for me.

We’re also pretty much in the Value/Deluxe camp. It takes a really good deal on a Moderate for me to pull the trigger on one. Part of the kitsch at the values to me is Disney. We love Pop Century. We also love the Poly and AKL. Doing WL for our anniversary this September. It was between that and Pop.
 

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