Surprise trip for DH....help me with resort!

[Boardwalk!]

Hello...I am new here!! :wave: This site is great!!

Right after we returned from our honeymoon, I lost my job. We started married life out in a really tough spot. We have been on a tight budget as I went back to school and he is supporting our house.

What he doesn't know is that I had packed away a couple thousand dollars and I am using it to surprise him for a trip to Disney!! The plan is to tell him my class reunion is the weekend of July 24th (it's actually July 31st :fork: ) so we have to go home. When we get there, I'm telling him I made an edited video from our last trip and we should watch it--and it will actually tell him--you've been duped...we're going to Disney!!

Doing the DreamMaker Silver package :sohappy: It will be fun to be able to eat where we want!! Six nights! REALLY having a hard time choosing a resort. Between POFQ and CSR....PLEASE HELP!!!

Can anyone tell me which resort they think would be a better pick and why? I've been pondering back and forth!! Was leaning towards POFQ because I've heard it is so romantic and well themed!! But CSR looks so deluxey! And neat! I also wondered if maybe for six nights....would we run out of amenities at POFQ?

We are a young, newly married couple...and it is our first trip alone! HELP!

 

[Ergens2]

Welcome!!!

Welcome to the boards!! Just my opinion but I love POFQ. It is very romantic. Smaller than CSR. And if you have the silvr plan you will want to have access to some very nice restaurants at DTD. Fultons is one of our favorites! And the riverboat from the resort to DTD is so wonderful on a warm summer night. They also have a horse drawns carriage that leaves from the marina at Riverside, goes down to French Quarter and back. It's about a 30 m in ride. I am not sure of the price though, sorry. That and they have just completed a major rehaul and the new rooms look great! You should check them out on allearsnet.com. Deb has some great photos! Good luck with your choice! Just remember that it doesn't matter which resort, just that you are together. My husband and I will be spending our 1 year wedding anniversary at WDW in October. Not sure where we are staying yet. We go so often that I think we will stay moderate this year and save up for deluxe next May.

shell :wave:

 

[dae_woods]

That sounds like a great plan!! Big SURPRISE!:sohappy:

Of those two I would go with POFQ just because I absolutely love PO. However my resort of choice is still and always will be POR, that is of course until i save enough money for Poly.:hammer:

Enjoy your trip.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hey there and welcome to the boards!!!
I have stayed at all 4 of the moderates at one point or another. CSR is second only to my beloved Riverside. I am planning on staying at the Coronado in May again. This resort is all about Southwestern heat so dont come here with the idea of this resort being cool!!! The Main pool area is gorgeous, plus it is pobably the most " grownup" of the 4 as it is also a convention center Here are two fan based websites that may give you a bit more info on CSR:
http://coronado_springs.tripod.com/
http://www.wdwmemories.com/csr/

As far as French Quarter, this resort is much more southern and laid back in atmosphere. You also kinda get two for one, as by staying there you have access to all of the amenities at Riverside also!!! This is only done with a sister resort like this. My Mom love the intimate atmosphere of this resort and she REALLY thought Riverside was just the cat's meow!!!
All of them are really awesome and you cant go wrong at any of them!!! Best of luck planning and dont be afraid to post questions, I will answer anything I can!!! Belle

 

[MaelstromMunky]

Eh, I've always been partial to the Port Orleans hotels. They have a much better atmosphere, and both are gorgeous at night.

 

[JackSkellington]

It really doesn't matter. It depends on your taste, the room layouts are not any different, only the themes and restraunts, and location. That is where the choices lie.

 

[Boardwalk!]

That's the problem....I don't know if I prefer one theme over the other. And I am driving myself CRAZY :hammer: trying to decide. Trying to think of where we would enjoy our time together most. Trying to think of where my husband would rather be. UGH!!! This is the hard part of planning a surprise!!

Can anyone that's stayed at both tell me about the ambiance of both places? I am big on resort atmosphere...I love Boardwalk for that very reason. The sights and sounds!!

 

[Boardwalk!]

BTW I had thought about splitting the stay between both to ease my insanity, but you can't do that very well with the packages It ends up costing about $300 more for really no added benefit but switching!

 

[DisneyGrandma]

Our family favorite for the moderates is always Port Orleans French Quarter. We love the boat to Downtown Disney - they just finished redoing the whole resort and it should be very fresh and clean. My all time favorite is Wilderness Lodge when we go in the winter, but if it is nice and warm I love POFQ - My favorite is to overlook the river, but that does cost approcimately $15 more a night. The foot court is not the greatest, but I still love the quite of this resort.

 

[Boardwalk!]

I have heard a lot of negative comments about the food court. What exactly is bad? Service? Food? What types of food do they serve?

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hey Boardwalk, Specifically what are you looking for? Do you want Southwestern type of atmosphere or Deep South/ New Orleans? That should answer which resort you want.
As far as the food court I have only stayed at the POFQ once and dont remember being blown away by the food court, but I ate there so it couldnt be too bad. Plus you are within walking distance of Riverside which has an awesome sit down restaurant and a nice food court.
As far as the type of food, FQ Only opened a few days ago, I Am not sure if any one has an up to date menu at this point. Belle

 

[Boardwalk!]

I think probably the southern theme more appeals to me....

Just in question because CSR looks so nice.

 

[wannabeBelle]

CSR is lovely but so are the Port Orleans resorts. As I have said before you really cant go wrong with either. What month are you going? Belle

 

[lamarvenoy]

I prefer the CSR, I love the different fountains and the pool is incredible, I found the POR to be a little too secluded.just me.

 

[Boardwalk!]

Late July

I think I will stick with POFQ!

 

[crazydaveh]

I love the Frech Quarter!

I have not stayed at the FQ, only at Riverside (they're always booked or under "renovation") but we always go over to that side for the theme.

The food court is fine. Both have great stuff to do for the week with the boat rentals, fishing, bike riding, and so on.

At Riverside, they have a great piano player in the bar. It's kind of like a mini Jellyrolls!

Remember, you can always head to the other resorts to see what they offer while you're there!

I would suggest eating at the AKLodge. You can't beat the natural scenery!

Have fun! Get your beer and liquor before hitting the property!!! It will save you money (If you drink the ol' man's cough medicine)

 

[Boardwalk!]

Thanks for all of your tips everyone!! Its really too bad I couldn't split my stay but I can't justify the extra few hundred just to switch resorts. I hope POFQ is the right choice...I think we will enjoy it!

 

[DCL]

POFQ is a great choice... thats where I would have chosen to stay between the two. You'd have an awesome time regardless of where you stay anyway!

 

[TIGGER-FAN]

Go with the PORFQ. IT is not as spread out and seems more romantic. Walking down the cobblestone streets after a day at the park is a nice touch.