POFQ - first time visit!

[SJM93]

Hi all!

New poster on here and also new to staying at Disney resorts so would love to get some tips/advice.

My wife and I just returned to the UK from an amazing two week stay at Riviera Resort. It was my third time in Orlando but first time staying on Disney property.

We had such a good time we’ve already booked to come back in March ‘25 this time at POFQ.

Was hoping someone could offer some advice, please…

We’ve booked a river view room. After looking at the map and doing a bit of research I like the look of requesting a room
in building 1 or 6? Possibly a bit quieter away from the main area?

I’ve also seen people say the top floor rooms would be better as you have less people walking past.

I know these requests can’t always be met but surely worth an ask!

If anyone has any hints/tips of just general points of interest related to POFQ that would be much appreciated

Thanks,

Sam and Leigh

 

[osian]

I stayed at FQ in 2019 and loved it. I had one night in a river view room, ground floor, in building 5 - 5120 (due to Virgin moving the flight forward a day so had to get an extra single night, and the river view was the only type left), and a corner room on the top floor at the far end of building 3, 3301.

The view from the first room was lovely, so river view is a nice choice. I don't spend much time in the rooms though, I'm very much a parks person from rope drop to park close, so paying more for a nicer view isn't something I'd always do.

I don't recall being disturbed at all by passers by in building 5, I think it's a fairly quiet resort and, although I didn't make any requests that time, I would request a top floor room now anyway for the passer-by reason and also because I don't like thuds and toilet flushes from the room above!

I thought it was a lovely resort and very compact unlike the other moderates so getting to and from the lobby and bus area is not too much of a problem, though I wouldn't like to be at the very tips of the resort.

That pathway along the river is lovely, especially if you like a very early monring walk, and you can easily walk to Riverside for a wander around and a table-service if you want.

The travel time on buses to the parks was very quick - Animal Kingdom obviously being the longest. EPCOT is my favourite park and it was under 10 minutes. Even Magic Kingdom was shorter than I would have expected due to the "back route" the bus takes. I'm convinced FQ is the best location if you're on buses.

Sinve then, I've had a holiday at Riverside which was also very nice (I requested a top floor at the rustic rooms at the north end of Alligator Bayou - peaceful, wooded and close to the first bus stop - and that's what I got, though had booked the Woods View 5th Sleeper anyway which guarantees Alligator Bayou) and have another holiday bookd for next winter at All Star Sports to keep costs down.

The two Port Orleans resorts are definitely my favourites, having also stayed at Wilderness Lodge and Pop Century, and no real desire for any others, however the prices now have shot through the roof and I'm not sure I can justify the moderates any more.

 

[JIMINYCR]

We’ve stayed at POFQ multiple times. It became our fav moderate resort long ago. We are returning in Oct this year. The resort is very quiet and relaxing. Take an evening walk around the resort to add to the atmosphere that’s there. They have a beignet run on Sunday mornings. Take advantage of the boat service to get to DS. It’s a wonderful trip over the waterway. You have evening entertainment at Scat Cat club and you must see YeeHaa Bob at Riverside. The food court at Riverside ( a nice walk over is worth it) has more choices for menu items. Boatwright restaurant there is also worth going to. Riverside also has relaxing horse carriage rides.
The staff at POFQ have always been very friendly and accommodating. Bus service is good but sometimes you share the route with Riverside stops. The resort is set fairly middle of everything so the time to get to the parks is not very long. Hope you enjoy your stay there as much as we do!!!

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

Hi all!

New poster on here and also new to staying at Disney resorts so would love to get some tips/advice.

My wife and I just returned to the UK from an amazing two week stay at Riviera Resort. It was my third time in Orlando but first time staying on Disney property.

We had such a good time we’ve already booked to come back in March ‘25 this time at POFQ.

Was hoping someone could offer some advice, please…

We’ve booked a river view room. After looking at the map and doing a bit of research I like the look of requesting a room
in building 1 or 6? Possibly a bit quieter away from the main area?

I’ve also seen people say the top floor rooms would be better as you have less people walking past.

I know these requests can’t always be met but surely worth an ask!

If anyone has any hints/tips of just general points of interest related to POFQ that would be much appreciated

Thanks,

Sam and Leigh

Congratulations on booking POFQ. It is our favorite resort. We would Not book a river view room because the boats honk their horns and we would find it annoying. We didn't want the noise, but it depends on what you like and want.

POFQ is gorgeous. You can book a horse drawn carriage ride online that takes you through POFQ or it can take you across the bridge to the Mansion side. That's how we found POFQ and fell in love with the resort. These carriage rides must be booked before you arrive and you can specify which side you want to ride to.

The bus stops are nice and not too far from anywhere on property. I hope you have a wonderful time at POFQ.

 

[Mireille]

I stayed there back in 2018 or 2017, I think, and I loved it. I had a first floor river view room in building 6 and never had any issues with noise, whether it be hotel guests walking by or boats honking horns, plus on the first floor it was just a trot out the door to take advantage of the trails for a morning run or a little trip to Riverside to eat at Boatwright's or whatever else. It's really a delightful resort! Also, the Sunday morning run JIMINYCR mentioned is fun and if you are active at all (and a morning person, I suppose) should consider doing it if you're there on Sunday morning. It's just a 5k fun run, early enough that you won't miss any park time. It was I think $40 or $50 when I stayed there and you get an order of beignets, beads and other knick-knacks as souvenirs as well as a lovely little tour of the entire PO resort area.

 

[mf1972]

we had a water view room in building 6 ground floor on the corner. i don’t remember any issues with other guests walking outside or above us. it’s mostly quiet except when a boat goes by. wasn’t bad but i wouldn’t do it again. we only see the view entering/exiting our room, so for us i can’t say it was worth it. we preferred the garden view & felt it gave a more picturesque view of the resort. we’ve stayed in building 4 a few times & that’s a great location. otherwise, u can’t go wrong with FQ.

 

[SJM93]

I stayed at FQ in 2019 and loved it. I had one night in a river view room, ground floor, in building 5 - 5120 (due to Virgin moving the flight forward a day so had to get an extra single night, and the river view was the only type left), and a corner room on the top floor at the far end of building 3, 3301.

The view from the first room was lovely, so river view is a nice choice. I don't spend much time in the rooms though, I'm very much a parks person from rope drop to park close, so paying more for a nicer view isn't something I'd always do.

I don't recall being disturbed at all by passers by in building 5, I think it's a fairly quiet resort and, although I didn't make any requests that time, I would request a top floor room now anyway for the passer-by reason and also because I don't like thuds and toilet flushes from the room above!

I thought it was a lovely resort and very compact unlike the other moderates so getting to and from the lobby and bus area is not too much of a problem, though I wouldn't like to be at the very tips of the resort.

That pathway along the river is lovely, especially if you like a very early monring walk, and you can easily walk to Riverside for a wander around and a table-service if you want.

The travel time on buses to the parks was very quick - Animal Kingdom obviously being the longest. EPCOT is my favourite park and it was under 10 minutes. Even Magic Kingdom was shorter than I would have expected due to the "back route" the bus takes. I'm convinced FQ is the best location if you're on buses.

Sinve then, I've had a holiday at Riverside which was also very nice (I requested a top floor at the rustic rooms at the north end of Alligator Bayou - peaceful, wooded and close to the first bus stop - and that's what I got, though had booked the Woods View 5th Sleeper anyway which guarantees Alligator Bayou) and have another holiday bookd for next winter at All Star Sports to keep costs down.

The two Port Orleans resorts are definitely my favourites, having also stayed at Wilderness Lodge and Pop Century, and no real desire for any others, however the prices now have shot through the roof and I'm not sure I can justify the moderates any more.

Thanks for your helpful reply!

I have heard about the corner rooms and people seem to like them? I’ll have to see if I can find out any more info.

Yeah Riverside also looks great it was between there and FQ. We were always pretty set on it after seeing the prices of the deluxe resorts!

 

[SJM93]

We’ve stayed at POFQ multiple times. It became our fav moderate resort long ago. We are returning in Oct this year. The resort is very quiet and relaxing. Take an evening walk around the resort to add to the atmosphere that’s there. They have a beignet run on Sunday mornings. Take advantage of the boat service to get to DS. It’s a wonderful trip over the waterway. You have evening entertainment at Scat Cat club and you must see YeeHaa Bob at Riverside. The food court at Riverside ( a nice walk over is worth it) has more choices for menu items. Boatwright restaurant there is also worth going to. Riverside also has relaxing horse carriage rides.
The staff at POFQ have always been very friendly and accommodating. Bus service is good but sometimes you share the route with Riverside stops. The resort is set fairly middle of everything so the time to get to the parks is not very long. Hope you enjoy your stay there as much as we do!!!

Thanks for your reply!

We’re really looking forward to going. It’ll be the first time we’ve been as we didn’t get chance to visit when there a few weeks ago.

Definitely looking forward to a nice walk, looks a lovely setting

 

[SJM93]

Congratulations on booking POFQ. It is our favorite resort. We would Not book a river view room because the boats honk their horns and we would find it annoying. We didn't want the noise, but it depends on what you like and want.

POFQ is gorgeous. You can book a horse drawn carriage ride online that takes you through POFQ or it can take you across the bridge to the Mansion side. That's how we found POFQ and fell in love with the resort. These carriage rides must be booked before you arrive and you can specify which side you want to ride to.

The bus stops are nice and not too far from anywhere on property. I hope you have a wonderful time at POFQ.

Thanks for your help!

I did think about the noise but we’ll be up early and home/out late most nights so sure it won’t be too much of a problem.

We thought the buses were great last time at Riviera so looking forward to using them again

 

[SJM93]

I stayed there back in 2018 or 2017, I think, and I loved it. I had a first floor river view room in building 6 and never had any issues with noise, whether it be hotel guests walking by or boats honking horns, plus on the first floor it was just a trot out the door to take advantage of the trails for a morning run or a little trip to Riverside to eat at Boatwright's or whatever else. It's really a delightful resort! Also, the Sunday morning run JIMINYCR mentioned is fun and if you are active at all (and a morning person, I suppose) should consider doing it if you're there on Sunday morning. It's just a 5k fun run, early enough that you won't miss any park time. It was I think $40 or $50 when I stayed there and you get an order of beignets, beads and other knick-knacks as souvenirs as well as a lovely little tour of the entire PO resort area.

Thanks for your reply and advice I’ll definitely take a look at all of that

 

[JIMINYCR]

Thanks for your reply!

We’re really looking forward to going. It’ll be the first time we’ve been as we didn’t get chance to visit when there a few weeks ago.

Definitely looking forward to a nice walk, looks a lovely setting

Walk around building #4. There is a frog pool that’s unique.

 

[Eric Graham]

Hello from across the pond. I've been to England and Scotland, but it has been many a time ago. I thought visiting the Queens residences (at the time she was alive) were so wonderful especially Windsor Castle and one of her other residences in Scotland. I had to go through basically airport security at the time because the Queen was in residence and the Union Jack was flying. I thought the people there were so wonderful and so very friendly! My Dad's family is from Scotland and my mother's family was from England. I especially enjoyed visiting Alnwick Castle and meeting the Duke and Duchess Of Northumberland. They were so nice and came out and shook my hand! They filmed Harry Potter and the latest Dungeons and Dragons movie there. POFQ is a wonderful resort. I would suggest that you request to stay away from the pool (sorry it has been a little time since I have stayed there). We usually stay at Wilderness and Yacht/Beach. May be also kind of romantic and fun also if you have kids to take a wonderful carriage ride around the property. Have a fun trip!

 

[mf1972]

if you’re interested in a king bed room vs a water room view, i think most of the king beds are corner rooms. we’ve enjoyed the corner room with the king bed. gives you some extra space in your room & a nicer view out of your window. if you look at portorleans.org, there’s a map showing you the room locations.

 

[nickys]

POFQ is gorgeous. You can book a horse drawn carriage ride online that takes you through POFQ or it can take you across the bridge to the Mansion side. That's how we found POFQ and fell in love with the resort. These carriage rides must be booked before you arrive and you can specify which side you want to ride to.

I didn’t realise the carriage rides go to French Quarter, I thought it was just Riverside.

Can you ask to go round both resorts or is there not time for that? You got me thinking now!

Edit: according to the website the carriage rides are just Riverside (and FW). No longer at French Quarter.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

I didn’t realise the carriage rides go to French Quarter, I thought it was just Riverside.

Can you ask to go round both resorts or is there not time for that? You got me thinking now!

Edit: according to the website the carriage rides are just Riverside (and FW). No longer at French Quarter.

They may have changed it since we were there. It has been a while. At that time, you had to choose one or the other. I guess you would have had to pay for another one to see the other route. Things change. I do hope that they did not exclude POFQ from the carriage rides. We fell in love with POFQ after our carriage ride through it. It would be a real disappointment if they don't do it anymore.

 

[nickys]

They may have changed it since we were there. It has been a while. At that time, you had to choose one or the other. I guess you would have had to pay for another one to see the other route. Things change. I do hope that they did not exclude POFQ from the carriage rides. We fell in love with POFQ after our carriage ride through it. It would be a real disappointment if they don't do it anymore.

They don’t. You go round Magnolia Bend and the Bayou at POR.

 

[mf1972]

on our last stay there in 2022, & visiting there in 2023, we saw the horse drawn carriage at the FQ

 

[Eric Graham]

I didn’t realise the carriage rides go to French Quarter, I thought it was just Riverside.

Can you ask to go round both resorts or is there not time for that? You got me thinking now!

Edit: according to the website the carriage rides are just Riverside (and FW). No longer at French Quarter.

I apologize..it has been quite awhile since I've stayed at French Quarter

 

[Raxel7851]

We always book a King room. There’s just approximately 62 King rooms and almost every one is a corner room. We like staying in Bldgs. 5, 6, or 7. We’ve always been able to get a water view room. The boats weren’t a problem for us at all. It’s our Favorite resort and even if you’re assigned Bldg 7, it’s less than a 10 walk to the food court.

 

[Raxel7851]

I didn’t realise the carriage rides go to French Quarter, I thought it was just Riverside.

Can you ask to go round both resorts or is there not time for that? You got me thinking now!

Edit: according to the website the carriage rides are just Riverside (and FW). No longer at French Quarter.

We were there March 2-12 and the carriage ride definitely came down to the French Quarter. I hope it hasn’t changed since then.