Just got back from first stay at POFQ

Pete C

Active Member
After a lackluster stay at a non-renovated room at Coronado Springs early last year, my wife and I tried POFQ this time due to the great reviews. Unfortunately, I was not able to get us a king-sized room, so we were stuck with double beds, which would end up being our only complaint about the experience. POFQ was just, by far, a more enjoyable experience than CSR.

Grounds and Amenities...the ambiance just cannot be beat here, as the grounds are almost on par with a deluxe resort! Theming is just fantastic...all the flowers, arches, architectural elements, the masked figurines, the lobby, the food court...we loved it all!! CSR's theming just looks a bit cheap by comparison, though I do love the lake setting there. The pool was nice, but I would give the nod to CSR on that one...much bigger hot tub and waterslide there. Food was better at POFQ...we did not care for the Pepper Market at CSR one bit. We also liked the little bar at POFQ at night, which is situated next to the lobby and looks like you are in a very pretty little square. The entertainment was good, if a bit cheesy on the song selection, but what do you expect. When we were at CSR, the Rix louge was completely dead. Might have been due to the time of year. The compact design of the resort is also a plus, so getting to the food court, transportation, or whatever, is just a short walk away. We were in building 7 which is the furthest from the entrance, and even from there the walk was short and very enjoyable due to the scenery. We even saw a horse-drawn carriage at night, which was just a cool touch and something which would be fun for those looking for something different.

Rooms...we really liked the decor and the pedestal sinks give the room a touch of class. The main complaint for us were those beds. I don't really understand how a double bed is acceptable for anyone. If we had kids, we would never return here and be forced to sleep on those tiny things, and this is coming from two people who are pretty small. Based on that one fact alone I would recommend a family of four to CSR over POFQ because beds are just a huge factor on a vacation. The queen size beds needs to become a standard at the Moderate resorts and they should all follow in CSR's footsteps. However, for a more romantic vacation for two, POFQ would be perfect if you get a king room.

Transportation...bus system worked great here since you are the first on and the first off for the entire PO complex. Can't beat that, even though it makes a few stops at PORS so it takes a while...at least you will be sitting! I prefer the bus service over driving to the park, parking, and taking a tram or monorail to the entrance. We also loved the boat transportation to Downtown Disney...seriously, I wish you could take boats everywhere at WDW.

Bottom line? We love POFQ and I would see no reason that we would choose any other Moderate unless we had to get a double bed room again. Hopefully they will address this during the next renovation.
 

mickey2008.1

Well-Known Member
Ok, busses are always an issue at any resort, but ifound that pofq wasnt that bad. We knew what to expect, considering we stayed at CBR, nor bad either, But try a value resort bus, they are the worse, hordes of people at one location, and the waits, omg! This time we are trying POLY. But back to POFQ, very nice grounds, great boat ride, like POR, but absolutely hated the double beds. Pay that much and get that? ruined our trip, and we are not big people.
 
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lebeau

Well-Known Member
Guests staying at French Quarter can get the impression that the Disney buses are always shared with Riverside. The reason is that most buses leave French Quarter not full so, instead of going to the park with an unfilled bus, they also swing through Riverside and fill them up.
From the viewpoint of the French Quarter guests, the buses always seem to be shared.

What guests staying at French Quarter don't see is that Riverside also has its own buses. The ones coming from French Quarter are extra.

To further confuse things, because they ran out of space for bus stops at DHS, the FQ and Riverside buses share a stop there. At the other 3 parks there are separate bus stops for French Quarter and for Riverside.
Also, during the slower times of the day when there are few riders, they may share buses.

:king:

That explains a lot. Most of the truly awful bus rides we experienced were on the way back from DHS. If we left the park in the evening, we always had to wait for two or three busses. And we never stayed for Fantasmic!
 
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gpzjack

New Member
One of my favorites. I like how small and quiet it is. I really enjoy the quick ride to downtown disney too! I'm still annoyed that they changed dixie landings name. Its so confusing when you talk to people about it.
 
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worldfanatic

Well-Known Member
I love utilizing the bus system at Disney.
Overall I think it works well.
I love just getting away from any and all car usage while I am at Disney.
Getting back in my car takes away from the immersion of staying on property IMO.

Totally agree on all counts.
I understand why people want a car, but for me, it just wouldn't be as magical an experience without Disney Transportation.
 
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DisneyGator

New Member
I just wanted to say thank you for all of the good tips/advice--we just booked a room at POFQ!! It will be our first time staying there. We are going this Saturday night (unfortunately just for one night...we had other commitments on Friday and Easter with the fam on Sunday)....but that's alright. It is our anniversary and we wanted to stay somewhere on property that we have not stayed yet. We are locals and go very often, mostly day trips because we only live an hour away, but we stay on property every couple of months. We have tried all of the value resorts (cutting costs because we do this so often) and have stayed at several of the deluxe resorts with family. We wanted to do something different and not too pricey, so after reading everyone's great reviews we settled on trying out POFQ. With our AP discount, the room total with taxes was only about $150. For another $145 we added the Deluxe Dining Plan (I am so happy they started offering AP Dining Plans)! We get 3 table service meals and 2 snacks...but I learned that you can use 2 meal credits for a signature dining--so we are having our anniversary dinner at California Grill!!! And lunch in Italy at Epcot! I am really looking forward to this...I have never eaten at CG (and always wanted to, it is so hard to get in there though)...so 2 new experiences for us WDW veterans this weekend!:D
 
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DisneyGator

New Member
We got back yesterday from our first stay...and we loved it! We were happy with the location, the room, and the property was so cute!! We are really looking forward to going back so we can spend some more time checking the place out! 1 night just isn't enough....
 
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