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Has anyone stayed at the Port Orleans French Quarter resort at Disney World?

posted 4 months ago in Honeymoons
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    1.
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    Bumble bee
    jocember    August 17, 2013   Syracuse, NY

    Doesn't matter if it was your honeymoon or just a vacation. FI and I are setting our budget in stone, and one thing we realized is that we can't afford to stay at Animal Kingdom for our honeymoon because of how expensive it is. However, we still want to go to Disney and after some figuring with the vacation package tool on their site, we figured out that the Port Orleans French Quarter resort works within our budget AND looks like a fun place to stay. We're not super romantic people, so our predominant mission with a honeymoon is for it to be fun with lots of activities and stuff to do (hence, Disney lol).

    We won't be booking for a while, but I was wondering if any Bees had stayed there before and could tell me what it's like? What rooms have the best views?

    Are any of the other moderate price resorts better?

     
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    Newbee
    Miss Sarah Belle    June 9, 2012   Atlanta

    I did stay there in the past on a Disney World vacation, and it was an awesome resort. Not really romantic, but the decor, etc is very nice. We didn't have a room with a view and I don't remember what was available. The regular King room was pretty sweet though!

     
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    Bumble bee
    jocember    August 17, 2013   Syracuse, NY

    @Miss Sarah Belle: Glad to hear it! Yeah, I'm not so sure either of us cares if a place is "romantic" or not, so I don't mind so much if it's not. Honestly, you can make any place romantic if you try hard enough ;) The decor looks really awesome from the website!

     
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    Bumble bee
    jocember    August 17, 2013   Syracuse, NY

    Oy, double post.

     

     
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    Bumble bee
    MrsMeNow    September 18, 2010   Wisconsin

    My mom and her FI satyed there last year and loved it. We are going to Disney next week and are staying at Coronado Springs.

     
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    Busy bee
    BostonBaby    January 2012   MA

    This may not be too useful for you, but we stayed at the "sister" property a long time ago and loved it. I think it was called "Dixie Landings" at the time, and is now Port Orleans Riverside? It's the one that looks like Charleston, SC mansions.

    I can't comment on the things that I'm sure have changed, but I will say that the location is fabulous. The buses they run were convenient and well-located, and none of the rides were too long. At the time, we were able to take their river boat to Please Island, which was an outstanding feature -- not sure what's there in place of PI now, or if the boat still goes places, but it's worth checking out.

    I also felt that the place wasn't completely overrun with small children. There were lots of different pools, and none were ever over-crowded. I think that many families now stay at the Pop Century-type resorts, which leaves fams with older kids and non-kids to have the slightly higher-priced range.

     
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    Bee Keeper
    melisslp    July 3, 2010   St. Louis, MO

    I'm an avid Disney vacationer and have stayed at Port Orleans - French Quarter a couple of times. I've also stayed at Riverside and Polynesian (two of my fav's), as well as Carribean Beach, Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, and Fort Wilderness. Port Orleans is a very nice hotel, beautifully manicured, and has a great food court. I also love that it is not over-crowded and is on the canal and you can take a boat up to the shopping village.

    Since you won't necessarily be spending a lot of time in your room, I would focus more on location to the food court and bus terminals (especially for when you're returning to your room at night and your feet are aching lol).

    I have included a link to the map of the resort. It looks like buildings 2,3,4, & 5 are nearest to the lobby & food court. You can write a letter requesting certain building numbers for your stay.

    http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/port-french.htm

    P.S. Be sure to buy one of the mugs so that you can get free refills at the resort!!

     
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    Honey bee
    Treejewel19    May 18, 2012   Sonoma County, CA

    @jocember: I did a quite a bit of research on Port Orleans and the Riverside hotel as well and decided against it. The rooms were fairly small and you weren't guaranteed a queen bed (but rather a double...no thanks!). I even called and they said that not all the rooms had been updated, although by August 2013 I'm sure that wouldn't be an issue. Also I have been told by others that it is one of the last tram stops so you end up waiting quite a while to get to the desired park (also a typical comment on Trip Advisor as well).

    We actually booked the Swan Hotel which is right next to Epcot and still part of the Resort. It is a more luxurious hotel and my FI has stayed there a few times for conferences. We booked through Expedia and got one night free plus dining credits and it ended up being cheaper than the other middle grade Disney Resort hotels.

    I would recommend checking Trip Advisor for input when deciding, I found it very helpful. :)

     
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    Helper bee
    Jamiezilla    July 13, 2013   New Jersey

    @Treejewel19: Actually, PO French Quarter was just updated and you get two queens or one king.  The king room I had was nicely sized too.

    That being said, we stayed there this past May (we got engaged!) and thought it was beautiful.  We were in Building 3 which is insanely close to the bus stop and if you're not used to being on your feet and walking like 7 hours straight each day, that can come in handy.

    You can get a room with a view of the river that it's on but it'll cost you a little bit more than a standard room and you should request a RIVER view not just a water view because they consider the pool a water view as well.  Speaking of water, you can get a nice leisurely boat ride to Downtown Disney for free from the dock at the hotel.  Which is nice on a warm night..

    The only beef I had with French Quarter was that sometimes it shares a bus with Riverside when the bus isn't completely full making your ride to wherever a little longer than when you go directly.  They also don't have their own sit-down restaurant (not important to me anyway since there's so many great places in the parks) but there is a walking path to Riverside which has one.

    Overall, I would definitely stay there again especially because of how beautiful yet small it was.

     
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    melisslp    July 3, 2010   St. Louis, MO

    I am not a big fan of the Swan or Dolphin.  Both of these are typically utilized for conferences and do not have the typical "Disney" feel that most of the hotels have.  Although they are considered an Epcot resort, they are not nearly as close to the park as one may think.  It would be a long haul from the front of Epcot to the Swan or Dolphin (you might need Heely's lol). 

    See this link:  http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/propertymap.htm

    I agree that the bus ride can be lengthier if both Riverside and Port Orleans are sharing busses. 

     
    10.
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    Honey bee
    Treejewel19    May 18, 2012   Sonoma County, CA

    @Jamiezilla: I actually called about a month ago and they said they were "in the process" of updating and that while you were most likely going to get two queens it wasn't a guarantee. If they were wrong that is a bummer because it was a definite game changer for me. That was from the Disney resverations "mouth" so to speak.

    @melisslp:  Agreed the Swan and Dolphin is more luxury and less "Disney" that is why we booked it. We wanted a retreat from families/children to gain our sanity, LOL! Also, my FI stayed there and chatted with me on the phone while walking to Epcot...it took me no more than 10 minutes and he didn't need to wait for the shuttle.

    OP, I think in the end any resort is fine...I mean it's Disney. My main focus and perhaps to help you would be to choose the most desirable location (ie; what is it that you want to be closest to). For me it was Epcot, for you it may be something else. Either way definitely check out Expedia regardless of what you book they have great deals for PO Resorts that were significantly cheaper than Disney. Note, if you book through Expedia you aren't eligible for the Disney Dining Plan.

     
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    melisslp    July 3, 2010   St. Louis, MO

    @Treejewel19: I just wanted to clarify with the OP that the Swan and Dolphin are not your typical Disney resorts.  Although there is nothing wrong with that, I just wanted her to know as they're finalizing their decisions.  Also (not to be argumentative), a 10-15 minute walk is pretty far if you've been walking around the park ALL day long!  I know my feet are typically aching and I just can't wait to crash when I get back to the room late at night!  Wink

     
    12.
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    Honey bee
    Treejewel19    May 18, 2012   Sonoma County, CA

    @melisslp: Ha ha noted no problem. And I agree with you completely, that is one reason why we did book it. As for the walk I guess it depends on how anxious I am to get to those pearly Disney gates...walk 15 mintues or wait an hour. Ask me towards the end of our honeymoon I may change my tune. ;)

     
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    melisslp    July 3, 2010   St. Louis, MO

    @Treejewel19: No doubt!  Are you guys going immediately after your wedding or waiting a bit?  My DH, his family, and I will be visiting Mickey in late June.  Although I've been going since the year MK opened, I'm always eager to return!!   Smile

     
    14.
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    Helper bee
    Jamiezilla    July 13, 2013   New Jersey

    @Treejewel19: The person you got was wrong then.  I wouldn't have taken a chance either on possibly getting a non-refurbished room.  So I feel you there.  They may have meant Riverside because I believe they may be still finishing the updating there.

    OP, my only problem with Swan/Dolphin is that it's not totally Disney.  You can't do the Disney Dining Plan or the Magical Express to and from the airport (which is a shuttle included in your hotel rate).  I have to say though, that the prices have been tempting at times. I just enjoy the total Disney convenience.

     
    15.
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    Honey bee
    Treejewel19    May 18, 2012   Sonoma County, CA

    @melisslp: We are heading out four days after our wedding for nine days/eight nights and I am so freaking excited!!! I haven't ever been to WDW, used to live an hour from Disneyland so I'm thrilled to finally visit.

    @Jamiezilla:  Bummer! Oh well. :)

     
    16.
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    Bumble bee
    jocember    August 17, 2013   Syracuse, NY

    Totally forgot to subscribe to this thread and missed new replies!

    The good thing is, we still have quite a while to decide. We may book next year in January because it's Disney month at AAA and FI is a member so we can take advantage of the discounts then. I think for the price and what everyone has described, PO French Quarter will be just what we want. Eiiik, wish we could go NOW!

    @melisslp:  Awesome, thanks for the info on buildings to request! I agree, I'd prefer a room with better access to food & transportation. The dining plan we're looking at includes the mugs, so yay!

     

    @Treejewel19:  FI has actually stayed in the Dolphin before and liked it a lot. We were considering it as a second choice. I think we'd both prefer overall something more "Disney" since we'll likely be going back with his family numerous times over the years and they're more apt to stay in places like the Dolphin that aren't.

    According to the site, they should be well finished with the updates by the time we go (we taking our honeymoon in November 2013, not right after the wedding) so hopefully we'll get a king! If not, meh... we sleep in a queen at home now.

    @Jamiezilla:  We are both pretty active, but yeah, not typical for either of us to walk 7 hours a day so the closer the better hehe. I'll make sure to request a river view when we make the reservation, thanks for that tip.

    Once again, thanks guys and I hope you who are going soon have a marvelous time! I'm so thrilled to do it because I've only been once - I was 9 and we only went to Magic Kingdom for one day - while FI has been a dozen times. He's gonna be our tour guide, I'm just in charge of ensuring we get a decent price haha.

     

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