Will we be disappointed with PO....

[KJal1]

....and should we stay at Riverside or FQ??? We will be going next May w/my parents and my DM wanted to stay at the Poly. because that's where we stayed in '89, her only trip and she loved it. However, looking at the rates I think it would be much more economical to stay at a moderate. We, DH DS and myself, have already stayed at ASMo and AKL and while we loved AKL I can't justify spending that amount and then some for the Poly. I was thinking we could split the stay between ASMu and Poly to try and balance out the cost a little but it still will cost more than staying at a mod. for the whole week.
Any opinions, will DM & DD be horribly disappointed with a mod. and should we stay in Riverside or FQ??? FQ looks more appealing for DS, while Riverside looks more laid back and more my parents style. Any input is appreciated!! Thanks!

 

[Kathy5]

I truly believe that staying at a Moderate or a Deluxe is a state of mind. If you plan to go to Disney and have fun no matter where you go, then either type of hotel is great. We have been to numerous deluxes and had a great time. On the other hand we stayed at Port Orleans, the French Quarter and loved it, too. Of course there are differneces. One is that the rooms in the moderates open to an open walk-way, not into an hotel area. There is also not a really nice place to eat at the moderate. However, there is a food court at Port Orleans, whick many of the deluxes don't have, and that is always a plus for me. Your family can get a quick bite without breaking the bank. I loved Port Orleans French Quarter. The rooms were nice, the people cheerful, and it was a small resort, so everything was an easy walk away. There is also a nice theme pool and a laundry area right by the pool.
My main point is, if you plan to go to a moderate and keep wishing you were at a deluxe, you are going to find bad things at the moderate. If you decide, moderate, and I'll have a blast, you will. Good luck on your decision.

Kathy D.

 

[mouseketeerwannabe]

KJal1,
Have you thought about staying at the Wilderness Lodge? If special codes are published for the time you will be there rates are sometimes only about $30 more a night than a moderate with a special code. During the time we were there, standard rooms were offered for $129 a night. Your DM could then experience another resort, but be pampered by being in a Deluxe. The boat ride to MK is relaxing. It was also easy to ride a boat over the the Contempory for dinner at Chef Mickeys (wonderful!). You could also make reservations for dinner at O'Hanna's at the Polynesian so your DM could get a glimpse of what she loved in "89. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Mulan]

I agree with Kathy5. It is all about your frame of mind. Unfortunately, my frame of mind usually leads me to a deluxe. When I stay at a moderate, I'm always thinking about how much better is is at a deluxe.

Have you thought about the Swan or Dolphin? They always have great deals. Of course, they're not as "scenic" as the Polynesian, but they're still deluxes and are in that great area behind Epcot.

 

[arielthecat]

We have stayed both at the French Quarter and Riverside several times, and while you are right that Riverside may be a bit more relaxed, you also may have a very long walk to and from your room to the transportation area. We really love the French Quarter and find it convenient. Don't forget to take the boat over to Pleasure Island and the Marketplace!

 

[Ginny]

One of the questions you may have already asked yourself is if the property choice is a "showstopper" for your DM, then perhaps it is worth the money to stay at the Poly!! Some things just cannot be negotiated. And, if it brings back special family memories to her, I say it will be worth every penny. We have stayed at GF, BC and the Contemporary. We have, also, stayed at Port Orleans, Riverside. I sincerely love the grounds and think POR is a very special property. In fact, when I returned in May on business, I took my co-worker to tour 3 different properties and included POR just because I feel so "at home" there.

Besides the memories connected with the Poly, one issue may be the size of the beds. The deluxes above all had queen size beds and POR had doubles. I know some rooms have trundles in them for small children and some rooms have King Size Beds available. The doubles or doubles with a trundle worked well when our children were smaller but it has become more of an issue as everyone is growing up. Everyone is used to a double/queen at home.

POR has a great food court with a huge Lego table and televisions to entertain small children. There is a more formal restaurant but it isn't like the Steakhouse at YC or the more elaborate GF restaurants.

Everyone has their preferences but if you decide to commit to a moderate, I think POR is really a special setting. Have a wonderful time where ever you choose to stay.

 

[Luv2Roam]

We have stayed on site three times and I am surprised to say the resort I enjoyed the most was a Value! (ASMo) I THOUGHT I would have enjoyed them in this order:
POR
CSR
ASMo

I actually enjoyed them in THIS order:
ASMo
CSR
POR

I'm sure the deluxes are no comparison to any, but I hate to spend so much money on a room we are hardly in for 7 nights/days.

Due to our May POR visit, I don't plan on staying there again. It wasn't horrible by all means. But not particularly enjoyable. I easily could have left after a few days and gone to another resort without a look back.

But as we all know, it's all a matter of personal taste.
Resorts are a hard decision. Good luck!

Ginny -- Great food court at POR. Were we at the same resort?

 

[eeyore0062]

Well, it depends. How well do your parents get around? If they have difficulties, then I would suggest PO-FQ, as it is smaller, with much less walking to get to anywhere you want or need to go.

However, if they have no problems in the mobility area, you might enjoy PO-R. It does have the full service restaurant, and the food court is larger.

Either is quite beautiful, and both have the boat to DTD. Also, remember, that no matter which you choose, you can use the amenities of the other, as they are sister resorts.

 

[yup I'm Goofy's sis]

We are headed to POR August 3, DH, myself and four DS, ages 10-20. Any ideas [other than the 4-day prior fax] to assure the adjoining rooms? Any thoughts on best/worst locations?

Any thoughts on the optional refrigerator--was it big enough to justify the $?

Thanks!

 

[eeyore0062]

Just let them know that your kids will be in the other room. That is the best way to assure a connecting room!

 

[KJal1]

I think we will probably stay at PO, just have to make a decision on which one though. DS wants to use the "dragon slide", but if we can use FQ's pool we will most likely stay at Riverside. DM has already seen the mansions section and I think she would much rather stay there than the bayou. And DS wants to be in adjoining rooms to use the "secret door" as he calls it, so we have to stay in the same section.

From our past two stays at AKL and ASMo I enjoyed ASMo more, its more "Disney" for me. We only ate at Boma once for the breakfast buffet, other than that we ate most of our hotel meals at the food court so having an on-site restauraunt won't even be a consideration for us. I think I'll make reservations at Ohana's so DM can see the resort again, but I really do think just being in WDW will be special in itself, it always is for us!!

Thanks for the responses!

 

[Luv2Roam]

We stayed at Magnolia Terrace, back side (quieter), corner room, non-smoking, pool side of the building, third (top) floor.
It was the closest mansion to the bridge you cross to get the the main section. There is also a bus stop directly behind the building. We just never used it. The bus service was so poor up front at the main stop, we didn't want to take our chances on the backside of the resort.
The laundry facility was right there too, off the pool. There was (I think) 10 washers and 12 or so dryers. And a bathroom right next to that.
It was a very short walk to the main pool.
No hot tub (spa) at the quiet pool. The main pool has a small one. All the pool areas looked very nice, but we didn't try them out.
You can get a coffee maker, but you have to order one through housekeeping. Coffee is an extra fee, and it appears to be a bring your own mug and condiments set up.
Nice gift shop and very nice food court/gift staff.
AB does not have elevators. So if you have problems with stairs, or don't want to use them, you need to ask for a mansion.
All our room requests were met.

 

[KJal1]

OK...I've talked it over with DM and she's agreed that it is more economical to stay at PO. But the question really is which one???? I'm really at a loss here, both look very nice but FQ has a much better pool (for DS) than POR. I also like the fact that they have fishing at POR (for DH & DS). But POFQ looks like more fun and the rooms are pretty nice too after looking at the pics on Deb Will's site. So, for any of you who've stayed at both I'd like to hear your opinions. I'm looking at the map and figured we could probably stay in building 95 at POR and walk over to the pool at FQ. But as we all know maps can be deceiving, will this short walk over to the pool really take half an hour when it looks to be about 5-10 minutes on the map? Can you stay at POR and use the amenities of POFQ? If we can (without having to walk hours from one spot to the other) I think I'd rather stay at POR. Any opinions? I liked it better when I knew where we would stay. First trip we didn't have a choice, ASMo all the way. Second trip we got AKL at a great rate, which was our "if we ever have the money" hotel. Now I just don't know which to choose, Disney just has to stop building neat hotels!!

 

[KJal1]

Nevermind....just talked to DM again and she still really wants to stay at the Poly. She even offered to pick up the $$$ difference. So its back to the drawing board!