celticdog said:
I was there in Nov 2004 and they were replacing furniture. Sections were closed, but not the whole resort. Was this in addition to your closure, or was it completely separate?
OK, I did a quick search and I was half right and so were others. It looks like it closed after 9/11 as well.
This first thing I found was on the passporter site an talks about the upcoming closing of POFQ starting in May 03.
The next was from Mouse Planet written in Feb 04 saying FQ was reopening in March 04.
From Passporter:
PORT ORLEANS DEJA VU
For the second time in two years, Disney is temporarily closing Port Orleans Resort’s French Quarter for "rehab." This section of the resort was also closed soon after 9/11, and reopened May 31, 2002. Back then Disney claimed to be making guest room renovations, so we (and other commentators) have to wonder what remains to be fixed-up. (Disney did make changes to the Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory food court). Regardless, with guest bookings at Walt Disney World down again thanks to the economy and the war in Iraq, Disney can take this opportunity to consolidate its operations at the resort by operating only a single front desk/hospitality building and temporarily reassigning roughly 1/3 of the Port Orleans staff to other facilities.
All guest room furnishings and decorations at Port Orleans resort are scheduled to be refurbished during the next two years, starting with New Orleans-styled French Quarter. All of French Quarter (including restaurants, pool, and shops) will be closing May 4, 2003 for approximately six months. That 1008 guest room section should reopen in time for the 2003 Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years season. Guests with reservations for French Quarter during the closure period will be contacted by Disney and offered alternate accommodations.
Rehab of the 2048 guestrooms at Port Orleans Riverside will begin in early 2004, after the holiday season. All guest amenities including restaurants, pools and shops will remain open. No more than a few Riverside guest buildings will close at a time, starting in the Magnolia Bend "mansions." There will be buildings open in both Magnolia Bend and Alligator Bayou throughout the rehab.
From MousePlanet
Disney's Port Orleans Resort's French Quarter is reopening for guests on Sunday, March 21, and Disney is looking to staff the 200 additional positions required to open the resort, including housekeeping, recreation, and front desk. Disney began taking reservations for the resort late last week.
The 1,008-room resort will feature new furniture, carpeting and wall coverings, as well as remodeled bathrooms. The 2,048 Riverside section will be next, going through a phased rehab that will not require the entire Riverside portion of the resort to close. Reportedly, the Riverside rehab will begin with the Magnolia Bend mansions closing one at a time, to be followed by Alligator Bayou rooms closing in sections.
The French Quarter originally opened as the Disney's Port Orleans Resort in May of 1991. Riverside opened in 1992 as the Disney's Dixie Landings Resort. The resorts were nominally merged in 2000.
