Just back from Port Orleans Riverside

[Lesley]

We got home on Tuesday from 4 great nights at POR....Wow....this place is great! I can honestly say that except for a few minor amenities, I didn't really notice I wasn't at a deluxe resort. Riverside is absolutely beautiful and so relaxing!

We had a room in Alligator Bayou...building 27, room 2751. We were very close to Ol Man Island, the main check in area and not too far from the bus stops. The worst walk was to the parking lot where our car was! I highly recommend this building for those without cars....if you have a car you might prefer a building a bit closer to the parking area. Oh, and if you're bringing a lot of stuff by car and have a stroller a request for a first floor room might be a good idea. We didn't make any requests and decided to see what luck of the draw got us.

We enjoyed some of the recreation at the resort....the pool was wonderful and the slide is a lot of fun. We did the cane pole fishing, though that didn't work out well because only my dh would touch the worms and my 2yo kept trying to throw the pole in the fishing hole...then screamed like bloody murder when I stopped her. I caught one small sunny and my ds caught a slightly larger one, though his got away as we were pulling him up. After fishing we rented a surrey bike and rode around the resort. It was nice getting a closer look at the Magnolia Bend mansions.....its like a whole separate resort! Both areas are simply wonderful. The surrey bikes are hard to pedal and really tough to get up some of the hills...but we managed.

We had breakfast one day at Boatwrights.....my review is on the restaurants board. We also got dinner one night at the Riverside Mill which was okay.

My only problem the whole stay was that when we received our check out papers there were two phone charges that we didn't make....they were made at a time when we knew housekeeping was in our room. The charges were reversed....and I tried to be gracious and assume that since it was an 800 # the person who made the calls wasn't aware that we'd be charged but the cm at check in said that housekeeping should be aware of that. The only other possibility I can think of is that someone went in to our room while housekeeping was in there and made the calls....and housekeeping didn't know it wasn't us! I ran in to grab a bottle of water out of our cooler while they were there....so I know housekeeping was in the room at the time the calls were made.

I would love to return to this resort someday! The only things that made it clear that we were staying in a moderate rather than a deluxe resort were the double beds, lack of a hair dryer, and the fact that our bus stops were always farther away from the park entrances than the ones for the deluxe resorts. But the theming is absolutely beautiful and its a great place to relax!

I'll be happy to answer any questions!

[jennymouse]

Welcome home, Lesley! Glad to hear you had a good time...I'm still chuckling about your DD's fishing hole experience!LOL When my DGD was 2, she wasn't a bit afraid of worms or rolly pollys, but was scarred to death of butterflies.LOL You just never know...:D

[Lainy67]

OOoooooo.... We leave in a little over a week. I am so excited. I HAVE LOTS OF ???????s

I actually requested building 14 or 27, so it is good to hear from someone who stayed in 27.

You suggested first floor if you have a lot of stuff, but did you have first or second? I was wondering about the noise level. What was your view like? Did you have a trundle bed (whether you used it or not)? Did you get any neat animals from Mousekeeping? Is the grating still up on the pool at the bridge (I think that is where everyone talked about it)? If you took the busses how were they? Long waits? I have heard some contradictory things about the buses. Did you take the boat to DD? Was that a long wait on either side if you did?

I am sure I wil think of more. Like that isn't enough. LOL. THANX!

[Mlissa88]

I'll be going there myself at some point so I'm glad to hear your good reveiw. Thanks for letting me know what building to ask for...sounds like you had a primo spot!

[jaguar9748]

Thanks so much for your review. It's always nice to read a good review. You made the best of some disappointments and didn't let them spoil your time. Thanks for the warning about the phone calls. We'll be at Riverside in 2 weeks - first time to stay there in a year - we can't wait! :p

[Lesley]

Lainy,
We had a second floor room and after the hike from the car it was not fun getting cases of water and soda up the steps...nevermind having to circle around the building to where the steps are and then circle back to the room! That's why I was recommending a first floor room. I don't recall hearing any noise...but after the first night the room to one side of us was empty...not sure about the other. After the 4th there were lots of empty rooms! As far as noise...if there was any we were making it (or should I say my 2yo was.....she's been quite noisy recently) The corner rooms sure looked nice and if you have a water view it would be absolutely great in bldg 27...the river and the main area of the resort are right there but not too close. Our view was not outstanding....we were facing bldg. 14 towards the back and could kind of see the quiet pool through the trees. The landscaping at the resort is so wonderful though there really aren't any bad views.

We didn't get any towel animals from housekeeping....but he did do some nice flowers. We were tipping rather well, but I'm not sure if that makes any difference or not. We did have a trundle bed and my ds used it one night.

I forgot to mention our boat ride to DTD! The ride is great....slow but beautiful and relaxing. You go through the Magnolia Bend area, then to Port Orleans French Quarter where you get a great view of that resort, then on through the Disney Institute Treehouses which are now closed....but look so cool! I really hope they fix them up to use as DVC villas when they open that resort! Its just a great ride...I'd love to do it again someday. We got to the marina just as the boat was about to leave so we didn't have a long wait...and we didn't return to PO that way as we headed to Epcot from DTD (via the Beach Club). The buses were fine. We had all good experiences. The longest wait we had was right around 9pm returning from Epcot....we feared we would once again be stranded until the end of Illuminations (which happened to us in Feb. when staying at AKL....stood at the bus stop carrying a sleeping toddler for 40 min and didn't get a bus until after Illuminations was over...then the bus was incredibly crowded!) but the bus came and headed back to PO before the Illuminations crowd hit. We did wait about 10 or 15 minutes though. Really not too bad. Mostly we had busses within 5 minutes of getting to the bus stop.

Let me know if you have any more questions! I really can't recommend this resort any more highly. We've stayed at almost every resort now and this one is near the top of my list (though I love them all for different reasons!)

[Lainy67]

Lesley!!!! THANX so much! We requested a corner upstairs room, because we are concerned about the noise. Our 3 yo is a VERY light sleeper, and when she is woken up in a new unfamiliar place it can wake MANY MANY more people up. We hope that will cut down on the noise. And the views look AWESOME from that building.

I am really hoping for a trundle. We will have our 10 yo sleep on it and my hubby and I each take a bed, and turns with the little one. We are used to a King Size bed, and being not tiny people we can sleep in a double together but usually wake each other any time we move.

We have stayed at FQ and loved the boatride, but wanted to go on up to Riverside. That part wasn't going when we were there. As for the Treehouse Villas - I have ALWAYS wanted to stay in one. I remember daydreaming about vacations 12 years ago and thinking they looked so cool.

In both of our trips to Disney (granted 5 and 10 years ago) we have only had one problem with buses being more than 15 minutes. That was when we were at DTD trying to get back to the resort. We didn't get a bus for 30 - 45 minutes. We were NOT happy, but a 15 minute or so wait doesn't upset us.

Thank You again for your reply. I am so excited. 9 more sleeps as we tell our little one until we go. I wonder if I will actually be able to sleep when it gets down to 2 or 3.

[Lesley]

I totally hear you about the doubles....both my kids slept with me one night and I didn't sleep very well. My 2yo still night nurses a lot ...particularly when in an unfamiliar environment....so I couldn't move over with dh! The next night ds went to the trundle and the rest of the trip it was boys/girls. I had been hoping to ditch the kids and actually sleep with my dh!

It used to be common for the DTD busses to be very infrequent....but they seem to be better now than in the past. Our worst experience since 1994 was the one with the AKL on our last trip. We do often drive to DTD to avoid the busses and so we can just put our purchases right in the car. A 15 minute wait doesn't bother us either...it was just the situation that we feared would be a repeat of our last trip! Thankfully it wasn't!

Have fun! I'm sure you'll all have a blast!

[R & B]

Thanks for posting your report. We'll be at POR in one month and reading your post gives me something to dream about in the meantime! Just one question - Is the bridge over the main pool done being refurbished? I was hoping it would be done by the time we get there. Thanks

[TWOOD]

Lesley,
Did you happen to make note of any room numbers in bldg. 27? We'll be there in 2 weeks and have requested a top floor, corner room, with a river view in bldg. 27. Do you know a specific number to ask for? Thanks, Tracey:D

[BoyLovesBuzz]

Lesley,
How would you compare this to CBR? We are trying to decide between CBR, POR and POFQ. We have DS5 and DD3. We did CSR in May and loved it, but want something new in December.

[Beanie]

Lesley, sounds like you had a great time!! Thanks for the review and Welcome Back!! :)

[Lesley]

One of the corner rooms was 2753...beyond that I don't know for sure. I don't know if 2753 would have a river view at all....actually I'm pretty sure it wouldn't. I think 2756 might be a corner....with a river view, but also with a view of where they park the maintenance carts and where the hvac stuff is....I think it might not be such a good idea to request an actual room number because if its not available then your other requests may be disregarded. Generally its best to keep requests to one or two points for the best likelihood of having them met. Once the request gets so particular its much harder to fill.

The bridge over the main pool is closed...there is some fencing up essentially making it two pools rather than one continuous pool. It's not very obvious that its being rehabbed though.....it doesn't look like a construction site or anything. And on another note....I forgot to mention that the playground is closed. That was a minor disappointment...we had thought we'd spend quite a bit of time there!

As far as a comparison to CBR....I think the theme at CBR may be more appealing for a 5yo boy. My son loved the pirate themed pool at that age (still does). The environment is very different at the two resorts.....and I'd go with what appeals to you at the time. CBR is more similar to CSR than POR is. The rooms at CBR are slightly bigger...and I believe there is a coffee maker in them. At one point they had mini bars too....but last time we were there they were gone. Oh, and the new Pop Century resort is visible from CBR...which for me is enough to make me want to stay elsewhere....but others don't seem to dislike it nearly as much as I do. The theming at POR is much more subtle....yet more immersive I think. POFQ looks like a lot of fun too....it may be a good way to split the difference between CBR and POR...a fun and more obvious theme but not so much like CSR . I hope that helps!

[rangerfan]

Thanks so much for your trip report. We leave tomorrow!! :Pinkbounc

I am slightly disappointed to hear that the pool bridge is still closed, disappointed that from other posts, it appears they are making no efforts to remedy it. Also, pretty disappointed to hear that the playground was closed.:confused: Did it look like it would be closed long? I have 3 kids (8,5,4) that I thought for sure would love that extra.

Lainy67, I also have a concern for noise (at any hotel) and have learned to bring my little noise machine just in case. Thought you might want to consider it. We usually just set it to the "white noise" setting and it drowns out any of the little outside noises, thunder or creaks in the night. I'm the light sleeper and I dread not getting enough sleep to get me through each day in the parks.

Again, it was good to see a report from another satisfed DISr at the POR and I can't believe we'll be there tomorrow night and Sunday morning...breakfast with the princesses. :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc

Hoping to have a great report myself on our return,
Tammy

[Jillpie]

I called the POR front desk this week about the pool bridge (we were there in April and are returning next April) and i want to make sure its fixed by then. After being on hold forever, she came back to tell me that they have a "work order" to fix it, but she did not have any date that it was going to be done. :( I wonder what's keeping them??

[yup I'm Goofy's sis]

Thanks for the update! We'll be there three weeks from today! Glad to hear more about a building other than 14. Our prioirty is two connecting rooms--do you think that all the buildings have this available, or just certain locations? Anybody know if the corner rooms can connect to the next room? Do the first floor rooms all open right onto the pathway, or so you still have to enter a railed area by the stairs?

We'll have a car, but hope to ignore it while there--I'm thinking a building away from the parking lots would improve our chances of a pleasant view, even in a "standard" room--what do you think?

[I have teenage DSs to haul the luggage, so I'm not too worried about the distance to get everything in!]

Any thoughts about the quiet pools vs. the main pool? Was the big pool crowded? Our boys are 10, 14, 18 & 20--would they be happier with quick access to a quiet pool, or is it worth trying to be close to the central area?

Can't wait to get there!

[PatriciaH]

I liked POR when we stayed there too. Although we stayed in 96 when it was Dixie Landings and 99 when it was Port Orleans:) I loved the French Quarter side and I am really glad they brought the DD boat back but I wish they would open the sit down restaurant back up. Are you listening Disney? The whole resort together is too big for 1 sit down. I was so glad when the Unoffical Guide stated this as well. I would book French Quarter again for sure if there was a restaurant in there. Sometimes we like to have the breakfast buffet or a dinner at our hotel. Oh well...

I also found it strange that you could see Pop Century form CBR. We drove by it in Feb. and it was really right next to CBR-no trees blocking it or anything. They look so crowded together. Do you think they will put up more landscaping?

[jaguar9748]

To Yup:

1. Connecting rooms are available in all buildings. I do not know if any corner rooms connect.

2. In the Alligator Bayou, all rooms open onto a porch area that is nicely themed. On the first floor, at various places there are 2 or 3 steps down to the paths. On the 2nd floor, there are a couple of sets of stairs for each bayou that lead to the first floor porch area. In the mansions all first floor rooms open onto the walkway.

3. There are just 2 views at POR - standard and water. Water is anything from a pool to the river to the bayou to a pond. Standard is everything else - parking lot, garden area, path area, etc. I've been in Bayou Buildings 14, 15 and 16 and have had 1 parking lot view which really wasn't bad. The rest were nice garden or path views. There are many more garden views than parking lot views.

4. The main pool can indeed be very busy. As my kids have grown older (now 19 and 17) they prefer the quiet pools. The mansion quiet pools are huge because each pool supports 2 huge mansion buildingss. The bayou quiet pools are smaller - because each pool supports 5 much smaller bayou building. I prefer the quiet pool also. And remember, if one pool is crowded, there are 5 others to enjoy.

Have fun! :p

[BostonTigger]

I want to thank you Lesley for your report. I happen to be a creature of habit, so when I find something I like I have a tendancy to keep doing the samething over and over again. I've been to WDW three times (the first being when I was two so needless to say I don't remember much...except for "It's a Small World"...it scared me. No really it did). So for this conversation the first time I went down was two years ago(I was thirty), and I stayed at Port Orleans (when it was the original Port Orleans). I fell in love with this resort, so when I went back last August guess where I stayed...you got it POFQ. But after reading your report I fing myself wanting to expand to something different (I know, I found it amazing myself) I'm finding myself wanting to stay at PORQ. What pictures I've seen of it I like, it's just the thought of doing something different.

I'd actually like to ask a couple of questions for those who have gone during Janurary. Is it fairly easy to get a building request fullfilled for the January time period? I'm planning on going from around 3 Jan. to 11 Jan. So with this in mind, how crowed is it and can it be noisy? Does RQ have a hot tub? Thanks in advance for everyone's imput.


Steven

[jaguar9748]

Steven - RQ does have one hot tub. I have friends who have been in Disney during your timeframe and say that the crowds definitely go away. Sorry I can't be of more help.

[Lesley]

I haven't stayed at Riverside in January....but we did stay in WDW last Jan. and from what I could tell it was very empty. I've heard that there are generally some lingering crowds from New Years for the first week....but that they drop off as you get further into the month.

Crowds can be unpredictable though.....July 5th at the MK wasn't too bad, but the 8th was awful! Who would have thought it? A holiday weekend Friday less crowded than Monday?

For reference, our room did not connect to any other room....but that doesn't necessarily mean there aren't connecting rooms. We did have a nice bench that looked like a trunk though! I assume that's where a connecting room door would be.

From what I can tell there must be an awful lot of water view rooms at Riverside if they consider the bayou a water view....I wonder if the upcharge for a water view is just for those who specifically want it and are willing to pay to be guaranteed it?...and if many folks who don't pay for it get that water view too.

The main pool did get crowded when it was nice out...we did some swimming in the rain and it was empty! (there was no thunder or lightning at the time...though I did see people in the pool when it was lightning!) The quiet pool would probably be more interesting for older boys.....they'll probably think the slide at the main pool is lame and otherwise the quiet pools aren't really that different from the main pool.

Goofy's sis....I think your strategy sounds very good....ask for a building where you can't really get a parking lot view and you'll get a view of plants, other buildings, pathways, and at worst some maintenance areas. Staying far from the parking definitely discourages the use of your car....when the bus is closer you don't even consider the car!

[yup I'm Goofy's sis]

Thanks, Lesley and Jaguar for such helpful information!

Jaguar--any other tips or highlights from your teenagers? My guys are looking forward to DQ this time.
Lesley--seems like just yesterday that I was the one with the nursing toddlers at WDW. Remembering fondly how easy it was to meet their needs back then!

Did either of you rent the refridgerator? How big is it? We've always made do with a cooler, but I'm considering the fridge for one room this time. And what about coffee--is a coffee maker available by request without charge, or does it cost$?

Thanks

[jaguar9748]

To Yup:

You are going to have a great time at Riverside!

Teens: My 2 (boy-19, girl-17) love Disney. Outside of the parks their favorite things to do are DQ, miniature golf, water parks, renting boats, swimming. DD loves to get her hair wrapped and shop. :cool:

Fridge: Rented one once for $10 a day. It was beat up, but worked fine and did the job. Since we live so close I bought our own fridge which we bring each time.

Coffee: I understand that you call housekeeping and they will bring you one. Never did this. :p

[JulieJo]

Just a helpful suggestion to those requesting corner rooms.... we also requested a corner room and I thought that meant it would have 2 windows. Unfortunately we only had one window because the corner room we got was next to an inner hallway. (this did not seem to make a difference with noise though. It was very quiet the whole time we were there.) If you want two windows I would specifically ask for them! We were there the 2nd week of June.

Julie