Reviews of Port Orleans French Quarter (Moderate Resort)
Reviewed by Cheyru Review Date: 12/14/2015
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
A Motel 6 range hotel. The hotel is old and it shows. The walls were dirty and needed cleaning with soap and white vinegar. TV remote did not work, they dropped off batteries the first night, did not work, second night dropped off remote but did not come it to try to see if it worked. Finally gave up and went to bed. Last morning figured out you have to point remote at right corner to get it to work. Over all musty old smell. Elevators only one per building, had to walk to back and then front again if room was on the other end. Old also. Nothing special about the room for the price you pay. They lost my scooter and I had to wait until it just appeared in front as if by magic. With other problems in the park, regarding scooter use and other issues will never visit Disney again unless someone else pays for everything and that might make up for the money ill spent.
Pros:
Pool, VIP service for unscented bedding.Cons:
Room Dirty, broken TV, customer service attitude. elevatorsReviewed by MemphisMickey Review Date: 10/21/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
Two families and mine stayed from 10/9 thru 10/16. We each had pool view rooms. While each room truly did not have a clear view the location was worth the extra cost to be close to the pool, bus station, lobby, store and food court. Our group included four boys ranging in ages from 8 to 10. The cast members managing the hourly pool activities was a pleasure for adults to kick back while the boys had a lot of fun. For our family we have now stayed here 9 times. Other resorts (Polynesian, Caribbean Beach, Coronado, Pop Century and Wilderness Lodge, which we have stayed in the past 15 years) tend to be more crowded less laid back.
Pros:
Size of resort / Pool StaffCons:
Bus service to RiversideReviewed by sandc Review Date: 09/18/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
French Qtr is our go to resort. We absolutely love it there. We have stayed at other resorts but this is by far our favorite. We usually request building 4 but this trip we decided to try the pool view. We had a room on the second floor in building 5. We loved it. Our room was spotless when we arrived. Our housekeeper was great. We had the same lady almost everyday. The one day it was not her, our room was barely cleaned. The resort is quiet and small which is nice.
The food court was good. Just wish they would change it up a bit. We were there for 2 weeks and the menu did not change. The create your own salad was our go to food choice. Every staff member we encounted were friendly and very helpful.
For 2 weeks, we never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus leaving the resort. Not once did we pick up at Riverside either which was different from past trips. We did share with Riverside coming home which makes the busses a little more crowded but that is not a big deal. Never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus back to FQ.
We love the pool. I am personally not a fan of the games and the host speaking loudly into the microphone for hours but the kids like it. That is the one thing I wish Disney resorts never started doing.
We took the boat to Downtown Disney a few times. Such a nice relaxing boat ride.
We have only been back home for 2 weeks and I am already planning our next trip for FQ. I can't wait to get back to my second home!!!
Pros:
Beautiful and quiet resortCons:
—Reviewed by mawdryn Review Date: 06/23/2015
Rating: (7) Recommended
My family of 4 stayed here for 5 nights, June 7th to 12th. It was me, my husband, and twin daughters, age 15.
On line check in worked perfectly. We got a text at 1030 saying our room was ready. We were coming from a night at POR (royal room, river view), so the timing was perfect. We had a garden view on the first floor of building 4. I requested a top floor, but it turned out to be fine. It had a beautiful view and it was nice and quiet. We were close to the food court, pool, and bus stop. Mousekeeping did a nice job and we were left towel animals twice.
Buses were horrible. We waited 40 minutes for a bus to DTD one night, and another 40 minute wait going back to the resort. We took our car to Animal Kingdom and Epcot, because the waits were awful yet again. Buses to and from Magic Kingdom were ok. Buses have always been spot on at prior visits, so I don't understand why the waits were so long...
We ate ate the food court twice for dinner. We enjoyed the potato bar, pizzas and chicken nuggets. We also picked up a few snacks. The refillable mug station was very disappointing. It was dirty all the time.
We swam quite a bit. There was a "code d" called one afternoon and the pool had to be cleared. Apparently, someone didn't put a swim diaper on their child.
It pains me to give a rating of 7. This has always been my absolute favorite resort. This was my 4th stay, and I found the rooms in dire need of updating. They just seemed very blah this time. The food court was dirty, and the snack selection seemed lacking at times.
Pros:
On Line Check In and GroundsCons:
Rooms, Food Court and BusesReviewed by jbald Review Date: 06/21/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
This is our second time staying here. We had a standard room in building one. Room and view were great. Housekeeping superb! We ate at the food court 3 times and the food was excellent. LOVE the boat ride the Down Town Disney. Used online check in and received a text while at McCoy to tell us our room number. Staff was friendly helpful and kind. No problems with bus transportation. So sad when we had to leave.
Pros:
beautiful small resortCons:
noneReviewed by beachpup Review Date: 06/11/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
Stayed 6-3 to 6-8-15. Our room request was delightfully met, and we had a first floor corner room on the river, it could not have been more perfect, close to the pool but was far enough removed to hear none of the noise. The last time we stayed here was actually during 9/11, and I must say the place has not changed in fourteen years, which is not a bad thing. I love the atmosphere of the 'streets', the decor, the lobby, and the small size keeps it more quiet, at least as far as a Disney resort goes. The pool really needs an update, the slide alone is old and both times I rode it I almost got stuck, it's barely worth the excitement lol. The pool is large for a small resort, a big plus, as there is no second quiet pool (which it should have) and Riverside is quite a hike to find one, we did it once but when we got there the pools had closed because of an approaching thunderstorm arrgh. If you try one thing from the food court, get the beignets, and eat them while they are still warm, we ate them three nights in a row, they are SO good. Although I absolutely love Coronado Springs, French Quarter is a great choice is you want a Disney resort that isn't overwhelming. Only thing I missed were the beaches two of the other moderates offer, but French Quarter makes up for it in charm.
Pros:
Small and manageable, quieterCons:
No beaches like Coronado & Caribbean, pool needs a serious updateReviewed by LLSS Review Date: 06/11/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
This hotel was my favorite of all the moderates I have stayed at. It is smaller than the others, which means a lot less walking to the pool, food court, or bus stop. The pool is great. The grounds are themed incredibly as well.
I could really think of only two things to complain about (and as you can see, they weren't big enough deals for me to even dock a rating), it was the elevators and the food court. First, the elevators. There is only one set per building, and it can lead to a lot of walking (though I believe that is pretty much the case at every resort). However, the location of the elevator in our building was very inconvenient. It was near the river and pool, which meant it was as far away as can be from both the parking lot and the front entrance/bus stop. So if you are in the front of the building (near the main entrance), you need to walk all the way to the back of the building, and then all the way back towards the entrance to get to your room. Not really a big deal for us (we just use the stairs most times anyways), but something you may want to think about.
Other minor complaint is the food court. We actually really liked the food we got there, but it is small. Now, it is to be expected that it would be small (this is a small resort after all), and the lines were never long, but there are virtually no snack options (chips etc.). However, don't forget the much bigger Riverside is like 0.25 miles away, so if you are desperate, it's a quick (beautiful) walk over to their much bigger food court. Once again, not really a big deal, but it could be good to know.
Other than those two minor things, definitely recommend this resort, and I think it will be our go-to resort for the moderates.
Pros:
Everything Close by, not too crowdedCons:
elevator, food courtReviewed by jjbmtperk Review Date: 05/26/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
Second time for 2 senior couples, could not ask for better accommodations. Great attention to detail. Upon arrival check in volunteered to find a room near our other couple, great work. Of our five trips these last 2 at POFQ have been our favorites. Definitely on our agenda for next time.
Pros:
quiet, luscious vegetation, just the right sizeCons:
—Reviewed by MWS Review Date: 05/25/2015
Rating: (8) Recommended
We arrived at 9 am and our room was ready! The grounds are lovely and well kept, only a short walk to the bus stop and food court. The cast members at the front desk were very helpful and friendly. It can get very crowded in the food area during busy periods and the cast members working there don’t appear to be in any hurry. The rooms are a little on small size, but worked out well for two adults. The toilet/shower area is a tight fit but the curtain between the beds and sink area came in handy. The furniture in the room was well worn, but mousekeeping did a good job keeping the room clean. We did not have any issues with the buses or the boat to Downtown Disney.
Pros:
Size of resortCons:
Food courtReviewed by Teamgreen711 Review Date: 04/26/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
Hello;
First time poster,many times to Disney . Last stay at Coronado springs 2008.Three of us went my wife and I and Grandson eight years old in tow. Dates of trip April 20 -25 2015 spring break week in the Northeast.
Won't bore you with stats and details you can read online but here goes.....
Port Orleans is clean quiet and all buildings close to the front desk and the restaurant . Ours was building five second floor corner room # 5241.
Easy jaunt to Saasagoula Restaurant to pick up morning Coffee. This proved to be the best feature of this resort. We saved a ton of money by not getting the dining plan and eating at the "Sass" morning and night and at Disney food courts . Turns out with some simple math we saved $578 by not buying the dining plan and doing it this way.Not for everyone but worked for us.
Restaurant has very good food and grandson loved the Pizza kids meal. Fare is limited and stays the same all the time so if we stayed for more than one week we would have changed that up somewhat. Resatuarant is themed with large decorative masks beads and ribbons and jazz music that was constantly playing too loud for our tastes.Beinets are terrific and grandson craved them every night. Refillable cups worked great but warning to all that apply- Orange juice is not included in that refill plan. We loved it for coffee . Staff was very helpful and bent over backwards to please us.
Our room was tastefully decorated and was very quiet. Something I very much looked forward to at the end of a noisy and hectic day at the parks. Not enough outlets as stated by others. It would have been nice to supply a charging station with USB ports and outlets on top of the tv stand/ bureau.outdoor movies were right outside on the lawn and I thought sound level was a little high . Movies always end at 10 pm. Could hear toilets flushing but a minor inconvienence .
Pool was excellent and slide was good despite what others have said.Grandson loved the pool and slide better than Disney ,Epcot and Seaworld combined ! Wife and I loved hot tub at the end of a long day.
We rented a car for our entire stay as we wanted to go to universal and Seaworld. Turns out Rentalcars.com had deals that were too good to be true- but they were just that! We rented a Chevy Spark for $112 dollars for the whole week! If we would have used disneys on site rental for only two days it would have been $120! Once my wife decided to try the Disney buses . We waited for 15 minutes for one bus to come and it was already full. She looked at me and we both said let's use the rental car! We never looked back on that decision. Moral of story -rent a car you won't regret it.
We flew on Southwest nonstop down and one stop on the way home. I checked in online 24 hours prior on the button and got on last on our connector flight home . We upgraded to priority boarding on the first leg of our flight back and that proved successful but expensive at $40. I am still working on how to get better seating. Word to the wise -book as early as you can that way you will get best pricing. We got hosed on the return flight which turned out to be double the price our our flight down there because we booked late.
Was able to redeem credit card miles for one flight and saved by not getting dining plan so all worked out well. Still the trip was around five grand. Oh boy do I wish for the old days!
Magic bands and online check in worked flawlessly and Disney is to be commended for this. Fast pass is terrific and we used it everyday . Some days though they had technical difficulties with site so the unused fast passes could not be redeemed for another experience .when it was working and we did not use the pass it suggested other attractions and rides that were available . Another Disney thumbs up.
One major benefit to staying onsite is that they have baggage check right at Port Orleans so we did not have to carry heavy bulky luggage to the airport upon leaving -Just go to baggage kiosk right outside resort at least three hours to your flight and you are good to go!
Overall excellent place to stay would come again but think that there still is something about Coronado Springs that speaks to us. Still Port Orleans has closer to travel to restaurant and better pool slide.
My wish is to stay at Polynesian resort someday and use the monorail.
Hope this helps.
