Port Orleans Riverside Q&A Thread 2013, Part One [Thread now FULL and closed]

[Koh1977]

Hmm... got to our room ans opened the door and other people's stuff was in here. .

Not good! Hope it all got straightened out!

Nm - just got caught up! Glad it's all good now. Have a great trip!

 

[Koh1977]

But your in the Riverside thread?

Well if your staying at POFQ, then take David Elg off of it.

Take the info from the thread link below and use it to change the appropriate info to the right info reflective from the POFQ thread:

Well, I go back and forth in my head between FQ and Riverside, so I thought I'd check out both threads. figured it would help me decide which to book!

 

[Venomhatch]

Well, I go back and forth between FQ and Riverside, so I thought I'd check out both threads.

It's cool we welcome everyone!

 

[magicalmoments4]

Well, I go back and forth in my head between FQ and Riverside, so I thought I'd check out both threads. figured it would help me decide which to book!

Everyone here is very welcoming and I'm back and forth between POR and BC, so I get it!!! I keep watching Princess and The Frog and it makes me want to switch, but I love the proximity of Epcot!! Maybe I should split, after all everybody does it

 

[joanzie72]

So this is our VERY FIRST trip and family trip to WDW and I was all gun ho about staying at POP. The larger than life décor and everything looking like it would be just fun yet chaotic at the same time. I know that the boys would love it (DS9 and 5).

Well then I was talking to dh and telling him about the beds. Crap why did I tell him that they were doubles. lol. DH said no to all value hotels because they are just double beds. Then I too started thinking about the beds. Would they actually be comfy so hard that I would be crabby due to lack of sleep. I am not a good sleeper anyways so when I do get a good nights rest, this momma is beyond joyful. So first question: Are the beds soft, too soft, firm, or hard as rocks at POR. Should I ship a memory foam pad there?

Second question: Do people decorate their door at POR or is it considered an eye sore. Are the doors metal or wood? If people don't decorate the doors then I could just decorate the inside. It is more less for me and the boys. I know my DH would think I am crazy.

 

[disfan07]

So we are staying at POR for the first time in June. Very excited!! But also very nervous.

I have a lot of food allergies, a few of them are very very severe. My allergies are:
Peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, shellfish, wheat, oats, coconut, sesame, soy protein (not soy lechitin or soybean oil), sunflower seeds (not sunflower oil), broccoli, ginger, raw fruits(except grapes) and raw vegetables.

We had amazing service at POP from every chef so of course I am a little nervous to go out of my comfort zone. I am pretty easy to please....as long as it is safe and taste good I'm not really picky. 99% of the time if I am not allergic to it, i am open to eating it.

So I would love to hear about any experiences in general (especially recent experiences) regarding food allergies and the food court. How were the chefs? We're they accommodating and knowledgable?

Some specifics I would like to know are:
Can you get allergy safe waffles and/or pancakes (GF/soy free/Egg free/nut safe (cross contamination is a concern))
Can you get the allergy safe chicken tenders? I ate these almost everyday at POP in December!
Do they have GF pasta for the make your own pasta station?

Thanks!! Only 100 days until we arrive!!

 

[armomof3lvsdisney]

We haven't been to POR since 2007 and they way the rooms were classified have changed since we 've been there. What is the best building to request. We have a garden view room booked and we want an alligator bayou building. TIA

 

[asherls]

Wow I cant believe that happened. Thank god no one was in there! Was there? I would go right back to the desk of the person you were just with cut line and everything and explain this!!! That is very ridiculous!

They got it figured out. Slight annoyance now we are off to enjoy our day! Here at the resort til the 22nd if anybody needs to know anything.

 

[asherls]

Sorry. The app froze on me.

 

[germ539]

I'm confused how the charging privilages and the new rfid bands work. Can you have all charging privilages (food counter & table, souvenirs, etc) on the bands? Does POR have them now? (I know this has probably been covered but I can't find it)

TIA!

 

[Venomhatch]

I'm confused how the charging privilages and the new rfid bands work. Can you have all charging privilages (food counter & table, souvenirs, etc) on the bands? Does POR have them now?

TIA!

When they come into use if you want to opt out of carrying the cards around in a wallet and then with the hands full be asked to open the room door, or charge the food to it, etc. The same little chip will be on a circuit board that can be placed into the wristband which can be taken off and put back on as well as customize more and swap the chip out to another band. You can charge anything you want just like the KTTW cards originally could be set up to do. They are waterproof so they can be taken to the water-parks or splashed at any other park and just like the original KTTW cards if your band is lost or stolen they require a pin for purchases over a certain amount plus you can call and within minutes have a band deactivated and get a new one at Guest Relations or back at the Hotel. Also your Fast Passes are now stored on there so and your My experience keeps track of your Fast passes also so if you have a mobile phone you will be able to check back and see when you need to be back.

Lastly no POR doesn't have them yet. They will supposedly by the end of spring. That is a big if!

As for alternate ways to sport these RFID gadgets; there are necklaces maybe in the works, and still you may get the currently used KTTW with the RFID chip in them.

 

[Gorechick]

So this is our VERY FIRST trip and family trip to WDW and I was all gun ho about staying at POP. The larger than life décor and everything looking like it would be just fun yet chaotic at the same time. I know that the boys would love it (DS9 and 5).

Well then I was talking to dh and telling him about the beds. Crap why did I tell him that they were doubles. lol. DH said no to all value hotels because they are just double beds. Then I too started thinking about the beds. Would they actually be comfy so hard that I would be crabby due to lack of sleep. I am not a good sleeper anyways so when I do get a good nights rest, this momma is beyond joyful. So first question: Are the beds soft, too soft, firm, or hard as rocks at POR. Should I ship a memory foam pad there?

Second question: Do people decorate their door at POR or is it considered an eye sore. Are the doors metal or wood? If people don't decorate the doors then I could just decorate the inside. It is more less for me and the boys. I know my DH would think I am crazy.

The beds were comfortable when we were there in August. We decorated our window with 2 signs. We used suction cups with hooks from the craft store to adhere them to the window.

 

[andrewilley]

So I would love to hear about any experiences in general (especially recent experiences) regarding food allergies and the food court. How were the chefs? We're they accommodating and knowledgable?

Thankfully I've not had the need to do anything like that myself, but the general advice is the same across all WDW properties - speak to the head chef in person, and ideally let them know in advance of your visit with exact details so they can help you out. I always recommend Deb Wills' site for further information, but I expect you've already visited it. If not, try http://allears.net/din/special.htm.

We haven't been to POR since 2007 and they way the rooms were classified have changed since we 've been there. What is the best building to request. We have a garden view room booked and we want an alligator bayou building. TIA

If all you want is an Alligator Bayou room, then just request that so they have the most flexibility to match your wishes. Garden view rooms are available in all of the regular buildings at POR (except for the preferred location ones, 14/15/18/27).

If you want something else you'll have to let us know what your criteria might be, as everyone's needs are different (Close to main building/bus stop? Easy access to parking? Close to a quiet pool? Close to a quiet bus stop?)

Andre

 

[ALD85]

If all you want is an Alligator Bayou room, then just request that so they have the most flexibility to match your wishes. Garden view rooms are available in all of the regular buildings at POR (except for the preferred location ones, 14/15/18/27).

If you want something else you'll have to let us know what your criteria might be, as everyone's needs are different (Close to main building/bus stop? Easy access to parking? Close to a quiet pool? Close to a quiet bus stop?)

Andre[/QUOTE]

The preferred doesn't have garden view? Is it just standard and river view? I'm staying preferred and don't want a parking lot view- how do I word that on my fax? Non parking lot view?

Thanks

 

[Venomhatch]

If all you want is an Alligator Bayou room, then just request that so they have the most flexibility to match your wishes. Garden view rooms are available in all of the regular buildings at POR (except for the preferred location ones, 14/15/18/27).

If you want something else you'll have to let us know what your criteria might be, as everyone's needs are different (Close to main building/bus stop? Easy access to parking? Close to a quiet pool? Close to a quiet bus stop?)

Andre

The preferred doesn't have garden view? Is it just standard and river view? I'm staying preferred and don't want a parking lot view- how do I word that on my fax? Non parking lot view?

Thanks [/QUOTE]

14, 18, and 27 all have river view, garden and waterview.

 

[vicky33006]

Hi everyone!!!

We just got back from our six night stay at POR and I wanted to give a little report on what we loved, and what we didn't love.

For the most part, we absolutely loved this resort. I wouldn't hesitate to stay again. I've only been home for a day but I already miss it. We stayed in Magnolia room 8551. The location was absolutely perfect and wonderful. The CMs were wonderful for the most part (I'll get to the not so wonderful in a minute). DS, who was very disappointed we switched from an AoA reservation to POR fell in love. The pool was so much fun. The room was beautiful. Housekeeping was great, with the exception of forgetting to give us toilet paper. The boat to DTD is great. We had absolutely no issues with transportation at all. The entire trip I don't think we waited more than 10 minutes for a bus, and we only had to stand a handful of times. Really, really wonderful.

Now...the not so good. My six-year old DS who has never ever had any sort of health issue in his whole life had a scary moment on the trip. On our AK day, he was feeling nauseous in the morning and didn't want breakfast. Besides this, he was behaving as normal (very active little guy). I made him drink a large glass of milk and told him he could eat at the park. He ate a huge dinner at Garden Grill the night before so I wasn't too concerned. Once we got into the park, he said he was hungry. We got in line for a bagel right in front of Tusker House when he suddenly started screaming. I asked him what was wrong and he said he needed to go throw up. He continued screaming and I tried to walk him to a trash can. We walked about three feet when he suddenly let go of my hand and fell to the ground. He was shaking and his eyes rolled into the back of his head before he passed out completely. Since NOTHING like this had ever happened before, I was absolutely terrified. The CMs called 911 right away and a nurse happened to be in AK so she stopped to help. We went to Celebration Hospital and we still don't know what caused all of this. The hospital staff didn't want to do anything too invasive, but I will be following up with his pediatrician tomorrow. Since the incident, he has been mostly himself, except a bit lethargic. So....after the single most terrifying moment of my life...POR called to see what they could do to help. I thought this was just great. I hadn't even considered transportation from the hospital and POR was right on that telling me they would reimburse me for a cab. I was beyond impressed with POR at this point. They made sure to tell me to let them know if we needed anything at all.

Well, this was our second to last day and I knew DS would be in no shape at all to be in a park for our last day. I decided to go to the concierge and ask about staying in our room past check out (DME wasn't taking us to the airport until 6 and I wanted DS to have a place to rest). The CM said that I couldn't stay in that room as it was booked, but she could get me into a new room if I was willing to pay for the entire night even when I wasn't staying. I explained that I would be happy to pay if it meant DS would have a bed. Shen then told me the room wouldn't be ready until 3. I asked if there was anything she could do to get the room ready earlier so there wouldn't be a break for DS not to have a place to rest. She said there was nothing she could do for me. I just thanked her and walked away....wondering what I was going to do. I was fairly upset at this whole thing. While I realize I had an unusual request, I was hoping they could do something as it was obvious I wasn't just making this up. I also had no problem paying for a room we would only be using until 6pm.

My stepsister, who had just checked in was horrified at this and went to the concierge herself fairly late that night and spoke with a CM named Zach. He was great and ended up giving us a late check out for 5 with no charge. What upsets me is that I went down there fully willing to pay and could get nowhere as I would never ever be rude to a CM, or really, anyone. My stepsister is very much the opposite of me and has no problem asserting herself when needed so she got this done. It seemed very UN-Disney for me to have to resort to what my stepsister did in order to get any help with this situation.

I'm sorry this was so long. As I said, I would stay at POR again in a heartbeat..and I hope to do just that. This was a (very) unexpected circumstance and so I know there is no protocol for handling it. It just sort of felt that they just didn't care at all...and I would expect that anywhere other than WDW. Thanks for reading this whole thing if you did!!!

 

[hlr2482]

Omg, what night did you eat at the Garden Grill? We ate their Thursday night and I felt sick almost all day on Friday.

 

[ChristineOH]

The preferred doesn't have garden view? Is it just standard and river view? I'm staying preferred and don't want a parking lot view- how do I word that on my fax? Non parking lot view?

Thanks

He just means that you can't book a "garden view" room in the buildings with "preferred" rooms. Those buildings only have preferred, king, riverview, and a few pool view rooms. It doesn't mean that the preferred rooms don't have a view of gardens. It's just that those are two distinct booking categories. If you don't want a view of the parking lot in your preferred room, you can request that specifically. Buildings 18 and 27 are preferred and away from the parking lot.

 

[ALD85]

He just means that you can't book a "garden view" room in the buildings with "preferred" rooms. Those buildings only have preferred, king, riverview, and a few pool view rooms. It doesn't mean that the preferred rooms don't have a view of gardens. It's just that those are two distinct booking categories. If you don't want a view of the parking lot in your preferred room, you can request that specifically. Buildings 18 and 27 are preferred and away from the parking lot.

Ohhh! Ok! I get it now! Lol, duh...I was gonna say I thought there were garden view rooms!

 

[Koh1977]

Hi everyone!!!

We just got back from our six night stay at POR and I wanted to give a little report on what we loved, and what we didn't love.

For the most part, we absolutely loved this resort. I wouldn't hesitate to stay again. I've only been home for a day but I already miss it. We stayed in Magnolia room 8551. The location was absolutely perfect and wonderful. The CMs were wonderful for the most part (I'll get to the not so wonderful in a minute). DS, who was very disappointed we switched from an AoA reservation to POR fell in love. The pool was so much fun. The room was beautiful. Housekeeping was great, with the exception of forgetting to give us toilet paper. The boat to DTD is great. We had absolutely no issues with transportation at all. The entire trip I don't think we waited more than 10 minutes for a bus, and we only had to stand a handful of times. Really, really wonderful.

Now...the not so good. My six-year old DS who has never ever had any sort of health issue in his whole life had a scary moment on the trip. On our AK day, he was feeling nauseous in the morning and didn't want breakfast. Besides this, he was behaving as normal (very active little guy). I made him drink a large glass of milk and told him he could eat at the park. He ate a huge dinner at Garden Grill the night before so I wasn't too concerned. Once we got into the park, he said he was hungry. We got in line for a bagel right in front of Tusker House when he suddenly started screaming. I asked him what was wrong and he said he needed to go throw up. He continued screaming and I tried to walk him to a trash can. We walked about three feet when he suddenly let go of my hand and fell to the ground. He was shaking and his eyes rolled into the back of his head before he passed out completely. Since NOTHING like this had ever happened before, I was absolutely terrified. The CMs called 911 right away and a nurse happened to be in AK so she stopped to help. We went to Celebration Hospital and we still don't know what caused all of this. The hospital staff didn't want to do anything too invasive, but I will be following up with his pediatrician tomorrow. Since the incident, he has been mostly himself, except a bit lethargic. So....after the single most terrifying moment of my life...POR called to see what they could do to help. I thought this was just great. I hadn't even considered transportation from the hospital and POR was right on that telling me they would reimburse me for a cab. I was beyond impressed with POR at this point. They made sure to tell me to let them know if we needed anything at all.

Well, this was our second to last day and I knew DS would be in no shape at all to be in a park for our last day. I decided to go to the concierge and ask about staying in our room past check out (DME wasn't taking us to the airport until 6 and I wanted DS to have a place to rest). The CM said that I couldn't stay in that room as it was booked, but she could get me into a new room if I was willing to pay for the entire night even when I wasn't staying. I explained that I would be happy to pay if it meant DS would have a bed. Shen then told me the room wouldn't be ready until 3. I asked if there was anything she could do to get the room ready earlier so there wouldn't be a break for DS not to have a place to rest. She said there was nothing she could do for me. I just thanked her and walked away....wondering what I was going to do. I was fairly upset at this whole thing. While I realize I had an unusual request, I was hoping they could do something as it was obvious I wasn't just making this up. I also had no problem paying for a room we would only be using until 6pm.

My stepsister, who had just checked in was horrified at this and went to the concierge herself fairly late that night and spoke with a CM named Zach. He was great and ended up giving us a late check out for 5 with no charge. What upsets me is that I went down there fully willing to pay and could get nowhere as I would never ever be rude to a CM, or really, anyone. My stepsister is very much the opposite of me and has no problem asserting herself when needed so she got this done. It seemed very UN-Disney for me to have to resort to what my stepsister did in order to get any help with this situation.

I'm sorry this was so long. As I said, I would stay at POR again in a heartbeat..and I hope to do just that. This was a (very) unexpected circumstance and so I know there is no protocol for handling it. It just sort of felt that they just didn't care at all...and I would expect that anywhere other than WDW. Thanks for reading this whole thing if you did!!!

Is he ok? Did you ever figure out what the issue was?