Riverside or French Quarter ??

[helenm29]

Easy.....Kids...Riverside
NO KIDS...French quarter
although you can do both with kids but French quarter is a little more quiet
Whichever you chose you can't go wrong so GO and have fun!

 

[No Windows]

I had the same problem as you, OP. Most people tell you to book POR. That area is pretty and nice and, well, riverside, but I also liked the "downtown" feel of POFQ.
So...I compromised and got a POFQ room right on the river staring out at POR. Best of both worlds

It really depends on what kind of atmosphere you're after. I've never stayed at a moderate before, but I think I'm going to enjoy the whole resort.

 

[Leelo]

Stayed at POFQ in May and did not like it at all. Room was outdated and was not very nice. Carpet and bed skirt looked very worn. I do not usually prefer motel style places. Waited 47 minutes for an MK bus (which I think was unusual based on all of the groaning going on around us but gave us a bad impression of staying there). It was very quiet though. Haven't stayed at POR and will not unless it is remarkably better than POFQ. I realized when we stayed at the Poly that I am a Deluxe girl though so it may depend on your hotel standards. If you have stayed at a moderate before and know what to expect, you will probably be very happy.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I agree with @HopperFan @dansdad on their comments...POR all the way! Im not a fan of POFQ at all.

 

[ashmac8]

We have always preferred pofq and kept our booking there this summer even though they didn't offer any summer discounts. We love the small size and especially the one bus stop. However.... we were there 5 days the last week in June and consistently shared buses with por which was a bummer because they were packed, caused more stops and on more than one occasion arrived full and we could not board. Will def rethink paying rack rate to stay there again.

 

[Ambehnke]

Stayed at POFQ in May and did not like it at all. Room was outdated and was not very nice. Carpet and bed skirt looked very worn. I do not usually prefer motel style places. Waited 47 minutes for an MK bus (which I think was unusual based on all of the groaning going on around us but gave us a bad impression of staying there). It was very quiet though. Haven't stayed at POR and will not unless it is remarkably better than POFQ. I realized when we stayed at the Poly that I am a Deluxe girl though so it may depend on your hotel standards. If you have stayed at a moderate before and know what to expect, you will probably be very happy.

I agree... I feel like the decor at POFQ are outdated. We love POR. The first time we walked into a princess room my husband said "this is a moderate?"... in a good way.

 

[adelaster]

We have always preferred pofq and kept our booking there this summer even though they didn't offer any summer discounts. We love the small size and especially the one bus stop. However.... we were there 5 days the last week in June and consistently shared buses with por which was a bummer because they were packed, caused more stops and on more than one occasion arrived full and we could not board. Will def rethink paying rack rate to stay there again.

this bums me out to hear. The reason we were planning POFQ for our second stay (first was POR) is because of the smaller size and single bus stop. We had horrid bus experiences at POR and I had heard POFQ was better-having separate buses most of the day. Now I don't know what to do. People were awful at POR buses-lying, shoving, anything to get on first. Many buses were full before they arrived, and they never consistently stopped in the same place for boarding. I really wanted stability and ease of use for our next visit.

 

[rosiebean]

this bums me out to hear. The reason we were planning POFQ for our second stay (first was POR) is because of the smaller size and single bus stop. We had horrid bus experiences at POR and I had heard POFQ was better-having separate buses most of the day. Now I don't know what to do. People were awful at POR buses-lying, shoving, anything to get on first. Many buses were full before they arrived, and they never consistently stopped in the same place for boarding. I really wanted stability and ease of use for our next visit.

I don't think it's just at POR where the crowd can be awful about getting onto buses. Last December, we waited FOREVER for a bus to AK from BC, and when it arrived...after 30 minutes when about two buses worth of people were waiting, the crowd rushed forward, pushing people who'd obviously been there (such as my family) out of the way.

We waited another 10 minutes for a second bus, with nothing showing up on the expected arrival screen for AK...and after several more people walked up obviously waiting for AK, we decided to just take a cab to AK. It wasn't worth waiting another 30 minutes only to have a shoving match getting onto the bus.

None of the other buses we took from BC that week had such issues. I think something happened (broken down bus or larger than expected crowd from BC to AK that day) that caused the delay. But we decided it was worth our time to spend about $20 for the eight of us to take a cab that day. We simply split the cost and arrived at AK in really good moods.

We've decided from now on that if the bus stop is busy, we'll just take a cab. As I travel with many adults from three to four different families (my siblings and nieces/nephews), we can usually get a big taxi van, and splitting the cost (or taking turns paying for cabs) is easy and a rather reasonable option for us.

 

[ashmac8]

this bums me out to hear. The reason we were planning POFQ for our second stay (first was POR) is because of the smaller size and single bus stop. We had horrid bus experiences at POR and I had heard POFQ was better-having separate buses most of the day. Now I don't know what to do. People were awful at POR buses-lying, shoving, anything to get on first. Many buses were full before they arrived, and they never consistently stopped in the same place for boarding. I really wanted stability and ease of use for our next visit.

I don't think it's just at POR where the crowd can be awful about getting onto buses. Last December, we waited FOREVER for a bus to AK, and when it arrived...after 30 minutes when about two buses worth of people were waiting, the crowd rushed forward, pushing people who'd obviously been there (such as my family) out of the way.

We waited another 10 minutes for a second bus, with nothing showing up on the expected arrival screen for AK...and after several more people walked up obviously waiting for AK, we decided to just take a cab to AK. It wasn't worth waiting another 30 minutes only to have a shoving match getting onto the bus.

None of the other buses we took from BC that week had such issues. I think something happened (broken down bus or larger than expected crowd from BC to AK that day) that caused the delay. But we decided it was worth our time to spend about $20 for the eight of us to take a cab that day. We simply split the cost and arrived at AK in really good moods.

We've decided from now on that if the bus stop is busy, we'll just take a cab. As I travel with many adults from three to four different families (my siblings and nieces/nephews), we can usually get a big taxi van, and splitting the cost (or taking turns paying for cabs) is easy and a rather reasonable option for us.

I gotta agree. Busses in general have deteriorated. I hope Disney ups the efforts but with cost cutting initiatives I doubt it.

 

[adelaster]

I gotta agree. Busses in general have deteriorated. I hope Disney ups the efforts but with cost cutting initiatives I doubt it.

One of the biggest selling points to me as a newcomer was the immersive transit. We rented a car out of the MCO airport & I wasn't thrilled with the experience-and I usually rent cars often. If a car rental or cab becomes a necessity when staying on property it really diminishes the value. Weird to me because all of the bus drivers were fantastic. In the past was there ever a bus stop attendant?

 

[Aurora0427]

We disliked POFQ. We didn't like the food court, and felt like the entire resort seemed like a motel. It felt very dated. We also didn't liked the pool.

We'd try out POR, based on the descriptions above.

 

[Frankie Nova]

I prefer POR, to be honest POFQ is the only moderate I haven't stayed at and don't plan on staying there. I did walk over there every morning because, believe it or not, POR wasn't really big enough to get my half hour walk in. POFQ reminds me of a motel from the outside, POR reminds me more of the hotel feel on the outside. I stayed in Magnolia Mansion and the location was perfect, easy walk over to the main building and bus stop, yet there was a bus stop right behind it so coming back at night it was easy to get back to the room. I don't like the big ole jester head they have at POFQ, it just looks tacky to me and I actually collect jesters and masks.

What helped our decision between the two is my wife is creeped out by the POFQ décor!

 

[adelaster]

What helped our decision between the two is my wife is creeped out by the POFQ décor! View attachment 256385View attachment 256386

They changed some of it, just an fyi. I agree that it's super creepy. I'm hoping we won't notice it much.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Yeah the creepy head things are gone now.

POFQ is my #1 choice but POR could be nice too...

 

[jenushkask8s]

We stayed at POFQ for the first time last year (after Pop the previous year) and LOVED it! We'll be staying there again for our next trip in September.

It was SO MUCH quieter than Pop and the smaller size was nice after long days in the parks. We also appreciated the boat to DS.

 

[Disneylover99]

What helped our decision between the two is my wife is creeped out by the POFQ décor! View attachment 256385View attachment 256386

They changed some of it, just an fyi. I agree that it's super creepy. I'm hoping we won't notice it much.

We've stayed since the foodcourt renovations. I miss those creepy heads! it seems a little bare now. They've toned it down quite a bit.

 

[Frankie Nova]

We've stayed since the foodcourt renovations. I miss those creepy heads! it seems a little bare now. They've toned it down quite a bit.

Just preference. my wife is not the mardi gra type of girl

 

[Disneylover99]

Just preference. my wife is not the mardi gra type of girl

Then she'll probably love it now.

 

[BDL]

I'm trying to choose between either of these resorts but I don't know which to choose , what's everyone's opinion??

BDLsgal and I love POR. It is just the 2 of us, so, like has been mentioned in a couple of other posts, it would depend on your circumstance. POFQ is definitely more compact, so with a big family, it may be more beneficial. But for us, we love the landscape, and the soothing walks along the river. And as adults, we love the River Roost lounge. Good pub grub, fast and good service and a real laid back atmosphere. After 15-20 min, there are no more strangers in the bar. Lots of laughing and stories. Also, you get the choice of restaurant or quick serve (with a well revered pasta bar) for dinner. I think Boatwright's is 1 of the most underrated restaurants on property.

That's my 2 cents

 

[stinkpickle]

Although we like the look and feel of POR a little better than POFQ, the bus situation at POFQ more than makes up for it. Besides, we don't mind walking over to POR to enjoy the pools, Yeehaa Bob, and such.