Is my experience with POFQ normal?

[fractalpotato]

We are at the tail end of a stay at POFQ this week and I've got to say, I'm really unpleasantly surprised at how... not great an experience it was. We are normally at POR, it's our favorite resort and it's been great every single time. Of course it's had hiccups, but generally very good.

POFQ on the other hand, well, we only stayed here because we were traveling for a wedding and this had the rate and POR didn't. It's a nice enough resort, smaller than we realized, but that's fine. One pool, which wasn't too crowded in November, no table service restaurant that we could find?

Mostly we were frustrated by Disney Transport. This is the first trip in six years I haven't rented a car because of the parking fees, and I regret it so much. Disney transport is so slow, but moreover, POFQ busses never come. Multiple times over several days we waited for nearly an hour for a POFQ bus, and several times just gave up and took a POR bus or called Lyft. (We had some Lyft problems too).

In addition the QS restaurant was so very slow, just... so slow, and expensive, and the food was not that great. We ended up eating the parks a lot more (usually after giving up on an attempt at rope drop because the bus was so delayed) and it's just been unpleasant.

Just wondering, because normally the resort experience is much better. We also got nagged by Mousekeeping twice even though we turned it down for a gift card. One time they interrupted us at a very... inopportune moment (we are a traveling couple!) which is frustrating. Overall they just seem to have a lower quality of stay here.

Matt

 

[ice cube]

We are at the tail end of a stay at POFQ this week and I've got to say, I'm really unpleasantly surprised at how... not great an experience it was. We are normally at POR, it's our favorite resort and it's been great every single time. Of course it's had hiccups, but generally very good.

POFQ on the other hand, well, we only stayed here because we were traveling for a wedding and this had the rate and POR didn't. It's a nice enough resort, smaller than we realized, but that's fine. One pool, which wasn't too crowded in November, no table service restaurant that we could find?

Mostly we were frustrated by Disney Transport. This is the first trip in six years I haven't rented a car because of the parking fees, and I regret it so much. Disney transport is so slow, but moreover, POFQ busses never come. Multiple times over several days we waited for nearly an hour for a POFQ bus, and several times just gave up and took a POR bus or called Lyft. (We had some Lyft problems too).

In addition the QS restaurant was so very slow, just... so slow, and expensive, and the food was not that great. We ended up eating the parks a lot more (usually after giving up on an attempt at rope drop because the bus was so delayed) and it's just been unpleasant.

Just wondering, because normally the resort experience is much better. We also got nagged by Mousekeeping twice even though we turned it down for a gift card. One time they interrupted us at a very... inopportune moment (we are a traveling couple!) which is frustrating. Overall they just seem to have a lower quality of stay here.

Matt

We always rent a car and only have been on a Disney bus exactly 4 times in all the years we have been going and always an issue so can't help but for mousekeeping it was almost definitely due to the daily security check.

 

[Tony Toon]

We haven't stayed at POFQ since New Year 2018 and also had no car for the majority of our stay. We had a lovely time and found the bus transport to be good. I only remember once waiting more than 10 minutes for transport to and from the parks and that was New Year's Eve. We have had similar experiences when staying there in the past. We were at SSR last month (October) and found the buses to be less reliable than usual (though nothing like your hour wait) so hope it's not a trend. Fingers crossed that we aren't left hanging around next month at OKW.

We prefer POFQ to POR because of it's compact size and single bus stop as opposed to the more sprawling layout of POR. Having said that we prefer the food court at POR because of the wider variety and choice and so walk the 10 minutes it takes to eat at Riverside.

Mrs TT

 

[Mome Rath]

POFQ is a family favorite, we prefer it over Riverside. It sounds like you may have just had an "off" experience, for whatever reason. We love the food, the size of the resort, the boat, and the single bus stop. Sorry to hear you didn't have a great time there. I would say that if you are used to renting cars, then going back to Disney transportation in and of itself may have changed your experience. We love taking Disney transport while at the resorts, so I don't really have anything to compare that to.

Either security or housekeeping is going to come knocking on your door every day at Disney now no matter which hotel you stay at, as they have to visually inspect the room once a day. If you turn down housekeeping you never really know when you are going to have a knock on the door.

 

[maccagerl]

I have stayed at most of the resorts from value to deluxe and consider POFQ my home resort. I love how small and homey it is, and all the times I've been there the food court has had a great variety of good food.
Never had to wait too long for a bus.
The CM's were always very friendly.
I'm sorry you had a bad experience, sometimes things just don't work out for whatever reason.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Sorta related but if you rent a car and drive to the parks and you spend 20 minutes parking and waiting on the tram going in and another 20 on the way out, isn't that still as long or even longer than even a slow bus?

 

[ncc1701]

Sorry about your experience. Even with turning down Mousekeeping they are going to check in once a day due to the tragedy in Las Vegas. We occasionally had a long wait for a bus but not on a regular basis ( we usually leave the park early afternoon). Most of the CM we have had have been good to great but like any other place we have stayed at there are a few who should not be in a "customer service industry" ( worked 25 years retail so I know it isn't for everybody) The TS restaurant at POFQ closed in the early 2000s.

 

[jaiminee krikit]

We've stayed at both PO resorts a few times, and rarely have had issue with the buses, especially at FQ. It happens sometimes, at every resort. In regards to FQ not having a TS restaurant, they haven't had a TS restaurant since we started staying there over 10 years ago. But you can easily walk over to Boatwright's at POR - it's a lovely restaurant. You also could've walked over there and tried out their QS options also. We rarely eat QS at our resort, though, I much prefer the options in the parks.

 

[Nancyg56]

POFQ is what it is: a very small compact resort with one pool and no TS restaurant. The reasons it was not your cup of tea are the reasons we love it. I know you chose it for the rate, however it seems you chose it without knowing what is offered and what is not. We never rent a vehicle, so the bus service is a non issue for us, it is about the same as any other resort in terms of wait time.

I am sorry your stay was not positive, but I woudllook at it as a research project for your next visit. It pays to check out amenities, theme, size, and services for you book any stay, because there are some that are worth paying more for depending on your needs.

 

[Princessclab]

My experience with POFQ has varied also. Stayed there a few times. The last time the customer service was horrible.

At check-in I went to the front desk because my cell died and so I did not get the text regarding the room. The front desk guy reprimanded me and gave me an eyeroll because I 'had after all checked in already'.
I asked for a map of the resort and was told they did not have them any more and to use the info on the TV to find where things were and times etc. That TV channel wasn't working. Just one example.
Now trying other resorts.

 

[maxiesmom]

I think what bothered you, except for not having a table service restaurant, you would find the same across Disney property.

Disney recently raised the prices on a lot of food, and it is even more expensive than it was before. But that is true across property, not just at POFQ. The bus service is not typically any better or worse than at any other resort, but I'm betting no matter where you stayed after renting a car for years it would have felt strange. But I tend to agree with a previous poster. I do a blend on Disney transportation and rental car during my trips and by the time you drive to the park, wait for them to scan your Magic Band, drive to a spot, wait for a tram, and get hauled to the front I don't think you save any time. What you are getting is the feeling of being in motion, which is for many easier than waiting at a bus stop.

 

[Nancyg56]

I think what bothered you, except for not having a table service restaurant, you would find the same across Disney property.

Disney recently raised the prices on a lot of food, and it is even more expensive than it was before. But that is true across property, not just at POFQ. The bus service is not typically any better or worse than at any other resort, but I'm betting no matter where you stayed after renting a car for years it would have felt strange. But I tend to agree with a previous poster. I do a blend on Disney transportation and rental car during my trips and by the time you drive to the park, wait for them to scan your Magic Band, drive to a spot, wait for a tram, and get hauled to the front I don't think you save any time. What you are getting is the feeling of being in motion, which is for many easier than waiting at a bus stop.

Ah, that "in motion" feeling. We stayed at CBR after having recently come off of a Poly trip. My DD and DSIL hated it, especially at their bus stop. I think they were so used to hopping on a monorail and moving that waiting for transportation just was more than they wanted.

 

[Prose]

We just finished up a stay at POFQ and had quite a different experience. We used the MDE app to check for bus arrival times - there were times the wait was more than expected, but the parks were busy and one morning there was a wreck just outside the exit to Epcot that closed traffic for a bit. The food was expensive, but it’s the same throughout Disney. We enjoyed the beignets and the red beans and rice. Not a huge selection, but Disney Springs was just a boat ride away. And we found the staff to be overall quite friendly. We loved that it was small and quiet. It is what you make of it - there’s a resort for every taste.

 

[snappy]

We are at the tail end of a stay at POFQ this week and I've got to say, I'm really unpleasantly surprised at how... not great an experience it was. We are normally at POR, it's our favorite resort and it's been great every single time. Of course it's had hiccups, but generally very good.

POFQ on the other hand, well, we only stayed here because we were traveling for a wedding and this had the rate and POR didn't. It's a nice enough resort, smaller than we realized, but that's fine. One pool, which wasn't too crowded in November, no table service restaurant that we could find?

Mostly we were frustrated by Disney Transport. This is the first trip in six years I haven't rented a car because of the parking fees, and I regret it so much. Disney transport is so slow, but moreover, POFQ busses never come. Multiple times over several days we waited for nearly an hour for a POFQ bus, and several times just gave up and took a POR bus or called Lyft. (We had some Lyft problems too).

In addition the QS restaurant was so very slow, just... so slow, and expensive, and the food was not that great. We ended up eating the parks a lot more (usually after giving up on an attempt at rope drop because the bus was so delayed) and it's just been unpleasant.

Just wondering, because normally the resort experience is much better. We also got nagged by Mousekeeping twice even though we turned it down for a gift card. One time they interrupted us at a very... inopportune moment (we are a traveling couple!) which is frustrating. Overall they just seem to have a lower quality of stay here.

Matt

We haven’t stayed at POFQ as the theme doesn’t appeal to us. We lived in the New Orleans most of our lives, still live close and visit often.

I understand your regret about not renting a car. During my last couple of solo trips, I have been frustrated taking busses to MK and AK from the Epcot resort area. Seemed crazy busy even at the mid day and mid afternoon time periods I come and go. And i thought i were avoiding the rush by avoiding early morning and late night. Ha! During our october trip, my DH and I were able to avoid busses by renting a nice car at the Dolphin. It wasn’t cheap but it sure was easy to rent there. We took ME, and returned the car 1 day before departure so it was as cheap as renting at the airport for our dates. We almost didn’t rent a car, and aside for being able to avoid busses and pick up food and and drink, it would have been a disaster since we had to make an emergency trip to track down a replacement cord for DH’s CPAP machine. It was sooooo much easier to drive rather than bus to AK and then to Sanaa at Kidani for lunch. We went to AK 3 days and it made things so much easier.

As far as your experience with the room checks, you might want to share it in the guest experience stickie thread. After being walked in on by HK in during a February solo trip, I personally had luck this trip asking to meet with a HK manager at BWV to schedule our room checks aka trash removal. It can be managed but takes spontaneity out of your day if plans change for sure.

 

[Klismania]

Sorta related but if you rent a car and drive to the parks and you spend 20 minutes parking and waiting on the tram going in and another 20 on the way out, isn't that still as long or even longer than even a slow bus?

It may be as long sometimes, but most of that "waiting" time is spent sitting in a comfortable seat as opposed to standing forever in line, sitting on a bench, or sitting/standing on a bus. Plus I like the feeling of control I get when driving as opposed to the buses. I decide when I leave for the parks. I decide when I leave the parks (and a tram comes along a lot faster than some of the buses). I drive in my own air conditioning instead of standing on a bus.

 

[snappy]

It may be as long sometimes, but most of that "waiting" time is spent sitting in a comfortable seat as opposed to standing forever in line, sitting on a bench, or sitting/standing on a bus. Plus I like the feeling of control I get when driving as opposed to the buses. I decide when I leave for the parks. I decide when I leave the parks (and a tram comes along a lot faster than some of the buses). I drive in my own air conditioning instead of standing on a bus.

I agree. I can understand that someone who does Disney once in a blue moon and isn’t familiar with area would prefer to deal with the busses. We have been to Disney many times and often do a split stay on and offsite, so obviously have a vehicle. We also don’t have reliable public transit where we live so are used to constant driving.

 

[fla4fun]

It sounds like you got hit with a lot of minor things all at once, which can take some of the fun out of a trip. But I have had pretty much all of those issues at pretty much all of the Disney resorts at one time or another. It may be that POFQ just isn't your cup of tea. There are some resorts I like less than others (people are shocked when I say I'm not an AKL fan) so it's OK if you prefer other resorts instead. But I have stayed at POFQ many times, and never had any major issues with the Disney transportation (I drive to WDW, and I don't drive to the parks), I like having housekeeping so that is my room check for the day, and I don't mind the menu at POFQ (although a quick trip to POR or DS opens up more options) and haven't had any issues with speed in the food court. My worst transportation ever has probably been between Epcot resorts and MK, and WL/Epcot, and those weren't horrible - just the worst I've experienced. The only exception is Disney Springs, which seems to cause issues with buses everywhere (that's why I like having the boat option at PO). So I wouldn't say your experience was typical. It sounds like your timing and Disney's timing just weren't in sync this time around.

I hope your next trip is better!

 

[disneyseniors]

We are at the tail end of a stay at POFQ this week and I've got to say, I'm really unpleasantly surprised at how... not great an experience it was. We are normally at POR, it's our favorite resort and it's been great every single time. Of course it's had hiccups, but generally very good.

POFQ on the other hand, well, we only stayed here because we were traveling for a wedding and this had the rate and POR didn't. It's a nice enough resort, smaller than we realized, but that's fine. One pool, which wasn't too crowded in November, no table service restaurant that we could find?

Mostly we were frustrated by Disney Transport. This is the first trip in six years I haven't rented a car because of the parking fees, and I regret it so much. Disney transport is so slow, but moreover, POFQ busses never come. Multiple times over several days we waited for nearly an hour for a POFQ bus, and several times just gave up and took a POR bus or called Lyft. (We had some Lyft problems too).

In addition the QS restaurant was so very slow, just... so slow, and expensive, and the food was not that great. We ended up eating the parks a lot more (usually after giving up on an attempt at rope drop because the bus was so delayed) and it's just been unpleasant.

Just wondering, because normally the resort experience is much better. We also got nagged by Mousekeeping twice even though we turned it down for a gift card. One time they interrupted us at a very... inopportune moment (we are a traveling couple!) which is frustrating. Overall they just seem to have a lower quality of stay here.

Matt

We stayed at POFQ for the first time this past March. We are POR people too, our favorite resort of all. Sorry your stay was not good.
The buses were fine when we used them, so no complaint there.
The food court food was not to our liking either; like POR's better. We did not notice slow service, however, and we did not eat there much at all.
We might have had the same housekeeper, LOL! We were napping (long story), she insisted she needed to clean up NOW. I refused and she became rather rude. It is a long story, so not going into it here. We have never had hk do that before.
The other CM's were great, especially the ones at the registering desk and gift shop.
All in all, we are staying there again in 3 weeks. We like the smaller more compact resort, easier to navigate with our health problems. I will write to GS again about our problems with hk and security checks before we go. Would love to stay at POR again, but won't til they don't have the dog policy any more.

 

[North of Mouse]

I agree. I can understand that someone who does Disney once in a blue moon and isn’t familiar with area would prefer to deal with the busses.

Not really! We are definitely 'long timers' (since '72) and never use anything 'but' Disney transportation. It is part of the ambiance to us and we seldom have issues to complain about. Love POFQ also, for it's leisurely boat ride to DS, the beauty of the canal area, the feel of the deep south in the theming, the smallness, etc. We're south LA.

 

[NotTheBatesMotel]

Sorry your experience hasn’t been great! We had the opposite experience in October. Never waited longer than 15 min for a bus, even when we had an insanely early stop for HS Early Morning Magic. We never waited long for food at the food court and all the employees we bumped into were friendly.